Broken Spanish (Los Angeles, CA)

Broken Spanish
1050 S Flower St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Dining date: 12/19/15

Broken Spanish opened in June replacing Rivera in the South Park neighborhood of downtown LA. While Rivera had a notable chef (John Rivera Sedlar), notable partner (Bill Chait) and notable mixologist (Julian Cox), the restaurant never seemed to catch on. Chait partnered up this time with Ray Garcia (Fig) to open Broken Spanish, a modern Mexican restaurant.

Broken Spanish’s menu is very shareable, composed of a selection of snacks, tamales, tortillas, starters, and main plates. Between a party of two, we ordered one item from each section of the menu.

FRIJOLES Heirloom Ayocote Beans, Tomato, Cilantro

One of the appetizers, this bowl was filled with creamy beans in a hearty and flavorful broth.

HEIRLOOM CORN TORTILLAS

We ordered some warm tortillas to have with the beans and the rest of the meal.

LAMB NECK TAMALE King Oyster Mushroom, Queso Oaxaca

I thought the tamale was served a bit lukewarm but the lamb and mushroom provided plenty of deep, savory flavors.

CHILE RELLENO Poblano, Potato, Kale, Lemon, Soubise

This chile relleno had some spice, tempered by a creamy potato filling and creamy soubise. This was an enjoyable, finessed take on the Mexican dish.

CHICHARRON Elephant Garlic Mojo, Radish Sprout, Picked Herbs

Our lone main course was this huge slab of pork belly. The meat was plenty moist and porky with a very crispy skin. Very rich though – I could’ve used something to help balance that out.

ARROZ CON LECHE Arborio Rice, Roasted Pear, Blackberry Jam, Warm Tres Leches, Canela

Dessert was in the form of this comforting rice pudding with fresh fruits.

I enjoyed this meal. I found Garcia’s food to be a successful upscale take on some Mexican classics. Flavors were certainly bold, yet comforting. I would return.