Bonding with Bond St.

So when I got word that the Thompson Hotel Group was going to open a West Coast counterpart to its East Coast-based 60 Thompson Hotel, I was thrilled. When I discovered that they were going to open a restaurant similar to Kittichai within the hotel called Bond St., I was elated. When I was last in NYC, my husband John and I stayed at the 60 Thompson, (where I drooled over the stunning dark brown marble bathrooms and edgy, dark décor), and we repeatedly ate at Kittichai. During one sitting, we managed to consume about 4 orders of Foie Gras – and I am still amazed that we did not self-combust from clogged arteries.

Needless to say, we loved it.

And so we finally made our way to its fairly new West Coast sister, “Bond St.” within the new Thompson Beverly Hills. I was skeptical, knowing that ownership doesn’t always play a role in terms of how great or not a restaurant will or won’t be. (We’ve all seen what has happened with the likes of Wolfgang Puck’s lower-end ventures), but I was also hopeful. Hope is, after all, my middle name.

Fortunately for us, my hope beat out my skepticism this time… for the most part anyway.

Going in, you should know that not every item on the menu is necessarily going to be downright astounding. In fact, one was disappointingly bland and out-of-place – the Sun-Dried Tomato/Avocado Roll, which I would not recommend ordering for that very reason. My other gripe pertains to the Lobster Tempura with Creamy Japanese Mustard Dressing. The lobster is perfect, but the aioli-esque sauce needed way more flavor. It was bland as bland can be and did nothing to complement the lobster whatsoever. Less flavor than plain mayo. Didn’t get it. Don’t order it, unless you like your lobster tempura sans sauce.

The Sesame Crusted Shrimp Roll with Orange Curry Dressing and Balsamic Glaze on the other hand, was beyond delightful. The interesting combination of flavors literally made it fun to eat. I will be having this repeatedly upon return.

We also had the Toro Tartare, which our wonderful waitress, Lindsey Strywoll (I think I may have butchered the spelling here), forewarned us upon ordering, was a very small portion – “A delicate dish.” Of course, we appreciated the heads up but we couldn’t help laugh at the fact that she felt she needed to forewarn us based solely on the way Americans overeat! An appetizer isn’t supposed to be huge or overly-filling - it’s intended to whet your appetite! Sadly however, I am sure they receive countless complaints. The toro by the way was just so-so. Not the best toro I’ve ever had, but still nice. There really is no such thing as bad toro in my book, however this too would not be ordered on a subsequent trip.

We tried to order the Goat Cheese Crab Cakes with Carrot and Lemon Coulis and a Pounded Rice Crust, but alas, they were not to be had that evening, for reasons unbeknownst to us, but I sincerely hope they are available upon return since they sounded delicious.

Here was the clincher for me though in regards to deeming this restaurant a place worthy of return; their scallops. I don’t even generally like scallops, but we ordered their Diver Sea Scallops with Foie Gras and Asian Pear Salad – and to my disbelief, I ADORED them. I think the salad may also have contained beets, which only added to the culinary perfection that this dish was.

And of course, we indulged in both drink and dessert – and those were impressive to boot.

They have a lovely signature cocktail menu from which I selected the Lychee Martini, which is exactly what you hope it will be; nice, clean, light, refreshing and perfect for summer.

Dessert was just plain cool and right up my alley – Banana Milk Chocolate Dim Sum with Hazelnuts and a Sweet Sour Cream Dipping Sauce.

The décor, not surprisingly is quite modern, with a bit of an Asian flair. The lobby/entry connecting the restaurant and hotel concierge is relatively cool whereas the restaurant itself is a bit more sterile but not necessarily in a bad way. The food takes center stage, which is nice, though I am a sucker for great interiors and am getting a wee bit bored of the neutral-modern-subtlety-Asian thing. Kittichai’s décor was by far significantly more interesting that Bond St. The slightly mid-century-modernish huge chandeliers in the valet parking area were rad.

Definitely well-worth a trip or many, to really get to know the entire menu and uncover which of their signature dishes are worthy of repeat trips… or not.

Another perk – the service is impeccable however we were there at an off early-evening hour, so don’t hold me responsible if you don’t have a stellar experience in terms of service – though if Lindsey is waiting on you, I imagine you will be quite content.

BOND ST.
9360 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Reservations: (310) 273-1400