Circa 55 at Beverly Hilton - Beverly Hills, CA

After a long flight from Asia, the first three thing which came across to our minds as soon as we have arrived at Beverly Hilton were check-in, shower and room service. So at the first night of our stay we ordered a steak sandwich, a burger, fries and cold beer. Quick meal before we crash out. Either we were really hungry and too tired to even acknowledging what we were eating. To us, the meal was certainly served the purpose. They arrived hot too.. 


But, knowing us, we would not continue eating in the room all the time. And one day we just decided to try the in-house restaurant, Circa 55. The only restaurant at the premises. So, it must be good, we thought.


We did indeed arrive passed lunch time, around three in the afternoon, but since the restaurant opens all day, that should not be a problem. We chose a nice table across the connecting door to Trader Vic's Lounge. As we finished ordering our food, we started to notice movements by the staff. Our guess was that they were preparing some event in the evening and we hoped they will be finished soon.


Unfortunately, we were wrong. As we were going through our meal the staff keep moving furnitures and left the door open wide. We would not mind if it was not a cold day. This has been going on for about an hour with no gesture to keep the noise down whatsoever. On top of that, as we started our main course, a group of men came and decided to fix the lights on the ceiling that happened to be few feet away from our table. We thought to ourselves, 'surely, this job can be postponed until we finished our meal, above all, it is against health and hygiene regulation'. But no, it was easier for them to just ignore us completely. 

The food served, despite some of them were presented nicely, but the quality were well below standard. Our starters were pita bread and home made hummus, sliced tomatoes with pesto and mozzarella buffala type of cheese. The tomatoes were ok, but hummus and pita bread were too much and certainly not home-made. The main courses that we chose were pot chicken pie and pan-fried salmon with rosti potato, that we were convinced it was a left over from buffet breakfast. Both dishes were over salted. The pie looked like something that has been dumped on the plate and the salmon was well overcooked. 
Disappointed, we could not finish the meal and nobody bother to ask the reason why. Considering during that time the staff were still busy moving furnitures, we saved ourselves from moaning and simply moved to the Trader Vic's lounge to have our desserts. 

Our desserts were duo creme brulee (chocolate and vanilla) and tart of the day which was pecan. They were not good either. Creme brulee were pasty, and the biscuit of the pecan tart was rock hard. The whole experience was totally and utterly disappointing. Next time we will stick to the restaurants around Rodeo. Safer bet.

As the hotel hosts annual Grammy Award, we bet that the food served to those celebrities nothing like what we just had... 


Circa 55 - The Beverly Hilton
9876 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: +1 310 887 6055 
http://circa55beverlyhills.com/