The Polo Lounge can be found situated inside the Beverly Hills Hotel, nestled amongst 12 acres of tropical gardens on Sunset Boulevard. A celebrity hotspot; this hotel offers glamour and luxury in abundance - and the same can be said for The Polo Lounge.
Don’t be fooled by the ‘lounge’ label - this restaurant offers a sophisticated and elegant dining experience. The dining area itself is set within beautiful interiors, complete with a gorgeous colour scheme of racing green and contrast cream; adorned with leafy ferns, and crisp white linen. Upon arrival, we chose to dine outside on their stunning garden terrace, which is panoramically flooded by an array of beautiful flowers.
“It’s safe to say, our evening embodied all of the high standards that accompany the Dorchester name”
There was also entertainment during our visit, in the form of a wonderfully talented pianist, who set the tone for a truly enjoyable experience. It’s safe to say, our evening embodied all of the high standards that accompany the Dorchester name.
After being greeted by wonderfully friendly and attentive staff, we were seated at our table on the terrace, and settled in to make our menu choices.
We decided to sample a couple of cocktails as aperitifs, and chose the Polo Garden Gimlet - a blend of vodka, cilantro, cucumber and lime with a spicy twist of jalapeño. It was a wonderful flavour combination that was surprisingly moreish. We also sampled a Gold Rush, which combined bourbon with cherry liqueur, honey and lemon, and was my particular favourite.
Before long, our starters arrived, along with our wine pairing options. To start, we chose the sweet pea agnolotti - English peas with morel mushrooms, parmesan and carrot reduction, which was paired with the Chardonnay, Pont de Chevalier, Napa Valley 2011; as well as the Ahi tuna tartare with avocado, sea beans, dukkah spice and pine nuts, paired with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Cakebread Cellars, Napa Valley, 2012.
The starters were absolutely delicious, with the tuna tartare being a real highlight. We were naturally expecting good things, but the presentation and delicate flavours were on another level. We were left in great anticipation of our main courses.
For our main courses, we opted for the filet mignon, which came served with baby Yukon potatoes, grilled jumbo asparagus, rainbow Swiss chard, cippolini onion, truffle butter, and bordelaise sauce. This dish came accompanied by a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, Jonata, Santa Barbara, 2006. The meat was, of course, cooked to perfection, and the wine pairing option was simply perfect.
Our second main course came in the form of prime New York steak, served with crispy parmedam potato, garlic confit, wild mushrooms, lollipop kale, fiddlehead ferns and red wine sauce. The steak was paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, Relic, Napa Valley, 2010, which was a wonderful accompaniment.
We simply couldn’t pass on dessert, and thus, shared the coconut soufflé which came served with pouring cream. It was paired with a glass of Moscato D’Asti, Palladino Italy, NV. Although the dessert did take 20 minutes to prepare, it was thoroughly worth the wait. The soufflé was naturally cooked to perfection, and the flavour was astounding.
We were absolutely blown away by our visit to the Polo Lounge, and would return again in an instant. We thoroughly recommend that it is on your must visit list for Beverly Hills. Everything from the setting to the food and service was exquisite.