The Eats: Colorful, tropical brunch bites with a creative, Peruvian twist
The Location: West Hollywood
When to Go: Sunday brunch, 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Dinner, daily at 6 p.m.
The names behind the scenes: Chef Ricardo Zarate
The 4-1-1: Arrive early to beat the crowd
I’ll be Back…: For the seabass tiradito!
There’s surely no shortage of weekend brunch spots or restaurants serving up South American cuisine here in Los Angeles. But, I’ll dare to go out on a limb and say that there aren’t as many places serving up a Peruvian brunch, right in the heart of the city.
Enter Rosaliné.
Open for slightly over a year now, this airy restaurant on Melrose Ave. serves up twists on classics like French Toast, and also South American favorites including chicharrones, all in a fabulous, relaxed ambiance.
Unassuming on the exterior — a bare, bright white building bears the name “Rosaliné” in neon red lights — the restaurant’s interior reveals a tropical indoor-outdoor oasis. The space is bathed in lush greens, browns and other natural tones. It truly feels like you’re stepping into a casual but luxurious bar in a tropical destination like Miami or Tulum, Mexico.
Rosaliné’s Sunday brunch menu is broken out into three main sections: "Small Bites," or appetizers; "To Share," which are the entrées; and "Abrebocas/Ceviche/Tiraditos," mainly seafood items. There’s also a selection of cocktails and desserts, along with a full bar. During my visit, the bae and I shared three Small Bites, two Abrebocas/Ceviche/Tiraditos and one dessert, and we were beyond satisfyingly full.
Here’s a look at some of the brunch options:
The Small Bites
Rosaliné has a lovely tropical version of French Toast, accompanied by seasonal berries, crunchy macadamia nuts, dense whipped cream and warm caramelized bananas. As an alternative to traditional syrup, a sweet fig chancaca sauce is served on the side. The actual slices of bread are lightly crunchy on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside.
I’ve never had anything like the Causa Jar, a vegetarian dish that features four distinct layers of spreads. It starts off with a potato mousse at the bottom of the jar, then avocado gets piled on, followed by an eggplant terrine and then eventually a botija olive aioli. Large chunks of slightly toasted bread come on the side, so you can lather the dips — one by one or all at once — onto each slice. It’s all bursting with so many different colors and rich flavors, and is such a unique way to get your daily dose of veggies.
The Chicken Chicharron is the Peruvian version of fried chicken. It’s a well-portioned serving of bite-sized chicken strips topped with salsa criolla — a fresh medley of onions, tomatoes, lime juice and other ingredients. While the chicken most certainly was tasty, it wasn’t as unique as some of the other dishes we tried. I’d recommend it if you want something on the more filling and less adventurous side when it comes to flavors.
The Abrebocas/Ceviche/Tiraditos
The Seabass Tiradito was by far my favorite of everything I sampled. Thin slices of sashimi style seabass and dollops of pureed pumpkin topped with crunchy slivers of pumpkin sit in the most amazing aji amarillo lime sauce. The fish itself was great — super fresh and tender — but the star here was the tangy sauce. It was so good we started putting it on everything from the bread to the fried chicken, too.
As Avocado Toast is pretty much a brunch staple wherever you go in L.A., Rosaliné’s version is truly one to be reckoned with. In addition to hearty chunks of avocado sitting atop toasted quinoa bread, heaping cuts of spicy tuna in a leche (i.e., milk) sauce have been added into the mix, too. I’d confidently put this avocado toast up there with one of the best that I’ve had in the city.
The Desserts
Rosaliné offers four different desserts, including coffee flan, a Peruvian-style cake called chancay con leche, sorbet and a take on the South American cookies known as alfajores. Pictured below, these two cookies each have a sweet filling — in one option it’s dulce de leche, in the other, it’s mango — that’s wedged between two thin buttery cookies. Both were extremely rich and decadent, and quite wonderful.
And, the Cocktails
IMHO a brunch wouldn’t be complete without a fabulous libation! The cocktail menu is modest, with only five featured drinks. In addition to the standard mimosa, there’s the classic Peruvian pisco sour, two other pisco-based cocktail and a tequila-based option. As the saying goes, "when in
All in all, Rosaliné’s sultry laidback atmosphere and vibrant brunch menu makes it a noteworthy contender in our city’s very competitive brunch scene. So the next time you’re looking for what feels like an escape from the city, check it out.
See you there soon!
For more information:
Disclosure: I received complimentary services; all views and opinions reflected are my own and not influenced by any other third-party sources.
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