Wondering what it’s like to dine at The Marine Room in La Jolla? Many flock this to elegant oceanfront restaurant for incredible food and views during high tide. Come along as we discover the best way to enjoy this one of a kind restaurant.
We opted for the Lounge seating as we were intrigued by the alternative menu options, which contains shareable small plates and desserts. Reservations were easy to get and we were able to snag a table right on the water due to the lounge was practically empty for the duration of our evening, unlike the main Dining Room, which was particularly crowded this night and partially occupied by an event.
Our waitress brought us complementary champagne to start which was a great touch!
View of the waiting area above and the Lounge from our table by the bay window
Small Plates
To start, we ordered the Surf & Turf
hokkaido scallop, kurobuta pork belly, caviar, bacon whiskey jam.
This dish was incredible. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the pork belly was slightly sweet from the bacon whiskey jam as it melted in your mouth.
The caviar added a salty element to balance out the sweetness of the jam. I will definitely be ordering this again in the future!
Next up were the Moroccan Lamb Lollipops
red horseradish cream, tzatziki, pistachio-almond crunch, mint chimichurri
This was our favorite menu item out of everything we ate for the evening. The meat fell right off the bone and the pistachios added the perfect amount of crunch and nuttiness to each bite.
If I would order anything off the menu again, it would definitely be this dish.
Surf and Turf & Moroccan Lamb Lollipops
The last main dish we ordered for the evening was the Spanish Octopus
smoked cauliflower puree, mojo rojo, crispy quinoa, shishito, soy glaze
While I am typically not a huge fan of octopus, this was perfectly grilled and the sweet glaze over top added an amazing flavor. There was no chewy texture and the flavor from the shishito peppers pair nicely with the meat.
Dessert
We ended the night with dessert – a lemon lavender cake with a side of crème brulée given for special occasions (on the house!) and the chocolate lava cake.
The lemon lavender cake was truly the star of the evening. It was light, moist and not too sweet.
The crème brulée had a perfect crunch and was a great pairing with the cake.
The chocolate lava cake, while it had a nice flavor, was underwhelming as the interior was cold and overall, a bit too sweet.
This is the one dish of the evening that I would skip in the future and opt for the cobblestone pie instead.
Complimentary truffles were given at the same time as the check.
Final Thoughts
With the bill coming out to be just over $200 total for the entire evening and the valet option being $15 + tip, the Lounge at The Marine Room is a great option for special occasions, date nights or just a fun night out with friends if you are looking for a slightly more casual option.
I am looking forward to my next visit the The Marine Room!
