Hereford Road – A St John for the West Side?

Hereford Road
3 Hereford Road
London W2 4AB
Website
Map
Online Reservations

• Dinner: daily changing menu, starters from about £5-7, mains from about £10-30, puddings all £5.50
• Lunch: fixed price menu Mon-Fri £13 for 2 courses, £15.50 for 3 courses

Hereford Road has all the makings of a great local restaurant serving classic, robust and simple British food, and during our meal we definitely saw some flashes of talent from the kitchen. However, these were mitigated by less successful dishes and a mixed service experience. So while all of the pieces seem to be in place to make this ‘the St John of West London’, we’ll have to revisit to see if this is really the case

A working conversation

Work Colleague: “Dude, I’ve been to this little neighborhood restaurant like 3 or 4 times now and it is soooo good, every time. The menu is always different and I really like it.”

LF: “Wow, that sounds amazing, what’s it called?”

Work Colleague: “Oh, it’s on a little road just off Westbourne Grove…what’s it called…urgh?!”

LF: “Is it black on the outside with a kitchen to the left as you walk in.”

Work Colleague: “Uh, yeah, actually it is. You know it?!”

LF: “Well, I’ve never actually eaten there, but I think it’s Hereford Road you’re talking about.”

Work Colleague: “Yeah, that’s it! You have to go.”

LF: “Yes, I’ve heard great things about it, the head chef used to work at St John and left to set up his own thing, serving seasonal British cuisine in a pared down style at reasonable-ish prices. Why don’t we go with the girls one night, I have been wanting to eat there for a long time now.”

About a month later, we eventually all arrived at our awaiting table at Hereford Road.

Our new local?

As is the wont these days, Hereford Road operates an A4 single-sheet menu that allegedly changes each day according to what’s fresh in the kitchen (FYI – the daily menu is also updated on their website). Think St John, Bocca di Luppo, Great Queen Street, etc. It’s a great concept in theory, especially for a place purporting to be a ‘local’ restaurant, as the ‘local’ customers can come back often and never get bored.

Changing daily menu, a sign of the times

I have to admit I was quite intrigued by some of the choices on offer when we went on a Thursday night in mid-December (you can see the full menu above). There were some very interesting dishes, including a few things I’d never even heard of before, and I know a bit about offal.  I was particularly intrigued to hear our waiter describe the process of making ‘Bath Chap’, and decided I had to have some of that after understanding what it was and how it’s prepared. The simple explanation is that it is a particular piece of pork from the lower cheek of pigs from the Wilthshire/Somerset area; it is fully de-boned, then placed in brine, then usually cooked in breadcrumbs – at Hereford Road they also add some ‘aromatic herbs’, but they wouldn’t tell me which ones (even when I asked the chef on the way out). But enough about particular piggies from Bath.

Ah yes, the decor is quite nice, but a bit loud when it’s busy (this is the entryway, with little tables of 2 opposite the open kitchen)

The four of us eventually decided on our dishes and began the waiting game. As we relaxed in our spacious booth, we attempted to talk over the very large table to our left, which must have been an office out on their Christmas party. I have to say that while the design of the restaurant is very nice – replete with red leather booths and simple yet smart tables, color schemes and furnishings – the acoustics are pretty atrocious on a busy night like the one on which we visited.

The Bread & Butter

As we tried to hear each other, a waiter brought out some bread, which was of the soft white loaf variety, and while freshly baked was not particularly memorable.

Starter 1: Lamb Breast, Laverbread & Oatmeal

My starter of lamb breast was a new dish for me. The lamb breast (or brisket) had been cooked inside a fried oatmeal crust which had laverbread mixed into it. The flavor combination was bold but worked well, with the fairly strong lamb taste being offset by the fried oatmeal and the mineral, sea flavors of the laverbread (think oysters). Not something you eat every day, but not bad at all. 7/10.

Starter 2: Marinated Smoked Haddock, Potato & Horseradish

My starter was good, but Mrs. LF couldn’t stop raving about hers – and this is not often something she does. She said that the dish was “…really amazing. The smoked fish was about the best I’ve had and everything on the plate was seasoned to perfection – the potato and horseradish were particularly good – and I wanted to keep coming back for more. At the end of it, I took some of the bread and mopped up the remaining bits. It was a well balanced, simple but nearly perfect dish, and that potato salad was to die for.” 9/10.

Main Course 1: Roast Loin of Middlewhite Pork, Bath Chap, Swede & Kale

My main of Middlewhite Pork was also good. The pork meat itself was tender and flavorful (but not overly so) and I really enjoyed the accompaniments of kale and mashed swede, whose colors of green and orange also lent the plate a nice visual appeal. The only real problem with the dish was that the layer of rind on the outside of the circular cut was simply too hard to eat. This was a shame, because I really love crackling when it’s well done, but you felt you were in danger of breaking a tooth if you ate this stuff (of course, I managed to down a bit of it anyway). But the real eye opener was the Bath Chap, which was utterly delicious. It is quite fatty, so I was glad that there was only a thin slice of it, but the flavor was new to me and very appealing…sort of liked cooked ham, but better than any I’ve had in the UK, with a nice hint of seasoning. 7/10.

Main Course 2: Lemon Sole, Roast Jerusalem Artichoke & Mustard Leaf

Unfortunately, the good luck ran out for Mrs. LF at this point in the meal. She said that her main course of Lemon Sole was “…really average. I have had Lemon Sole in France and know what it can and should be like, and this didn’t even touch the one that my mom makes. The sole was slightly overcooked, a bit dry and rather plain. Also, there wasn’t much evidence of the sauce. The fish itself was fresh and it tasted healthy, but it wasn’t delicious; it simply didn’t taste as it should.  The sole is a delicate fish and this one didn’t melt in my mouth as it should have.” 5/10.

Wine: 2007 Bourgogne, Cuvée Margot, Olivier Leflaive

Our chosen booze for the meal was a very quaffable entry-level red Burgundy from Olivier Leflaive. This is not the same as the more famous Domaine Leflaive (which, along with Lafon, is probably one of the few kings of burgundy to my taste and understanding), although he is from the same family. He has a négociant and makes a range of wines separate to the family’s Domaine wines, which are often very good and can be picked up at reasonable prices. For instance, I believe this bottle was £37, but that is with a fairly traditional restaurant mark-up of 2 to 2.5 times.

Dessert 1: Quince & Almond Tart with Crème Fraiche

My pudding was okay, but wasn’t anything mind-blowing. I had been excited to try it as we had been able to smell a fresh quince fruit in my recent wine class (as wine people are always banging on about how some wines smell of quince), but was disappointed that the flavor didn’t come through that strongly as I had imagined it would given the rather distinct aroma of the fruit itself. The cake itself was a tad dry and just didn’t hold enough interest for me to get excited about it. It was pleasant but forgettable. 6/10.

Dessert 2: Rice Pudding & Strawberry Jam

Instead of finishing on a sweet note, Mrs. LF’s meal ended on a sour (and very hot) one. “My rice pudding arrived piping hot, which is fine if you have 15 minutes to waste waiting around for it to cool down, but when it’s in front of you, you want to eat it, so this simply didn’t work. Plus, given the fact that we’d been waiting ages to order desserts and then for them to arrive in the first place, it was doubly annoying. The problem is that even though it’s boiling hot, you want to go for it anyway, so you burn yourself, which is a real shame since I really love rice pudding…so was really disappointed. Not to mention the fact that when it is so hot it is indigestible, so it is a bad idea to serve it like this in the first place; it should be served luke-warm if anything. 5/10.

Everything seems to be in place, but not on this occasion

Overall, we had an enjoyable evening, although it wasn’t without its hiccups. The aforementioned shortcomings of some dishes, along with the large and loud table out on their Christmas doo who (due to the poor acoustics in the dining room) rendered conversation difficult at our table, hampered the experience somewhat. Also, after about half of the restaurant had emptied out (including that large party), the service – which had so far been pretty good – actually slowed down to nearly a grinding halt. We waited for ages to get the attention of a waiter to ask for the dessert menu, then to order it, and then to get it. And by that point, it was pretty late on a week night. The other main disappointment was that while their desserts sounded so similar to the often sublimely simple puddings at St John, the ones we ordered didn’t come close to living up to those expectations.

But besides all of these niggles, which when compounded did significantly impact the meal, the food is generally very good at Hereford Road. And I would imagine that on a ‘normal night’, service could be good too as the staff themselves did seem to be knowledge, interested, engaging and friendly…when we could get one of them to notice us. It does remind me a lot of Great Queen Street, which is a good thing, and I am starting to like this kind of very simple British cuisine that is, to some extent, cooked with quasi-local and seasonal British produce. Maybe it’s down to the fact that it is winter and I crave this kind of fulsome food, or maybe it’s just my evolving appetite. I don’t know, but right now, these kinds of menus and places often get my taste buds going. Head Chef Pemberton wasn’t there on the evening we dined at Hereford Road, and I don’t know how much he is there or much about him at all (save from the St John association), but I would certainly be willing to give it another go on the promise that some of the dishes held, with the hope of a bit more consistency throughout the meal.

Appendix – A Few of our Friends’ Dishes (Not Tasted)

We didn’t really taste our friends’ dishes properly enough to justify giving them a rating of any kind, but thought you might enjoy seeing a few of them. By the way, our dining companions generally enjoyed their food at Hereford Road.

Soft Roes, Black Butter & Capers

Red Leg Partridge, Lentils & Chantarelles

Rating

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 5/10

Food: 6.5/10

Wine: a small but well-chosen selection with many at very reasonable prices & a good number available by a 1/3 bottle carafe (current list can be found online)

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Hereford Road once, and it was for dinner.*

My (2-week) Life in France

La Belle France

After some substantial Eurostar hell, after the stress of finding an alternate route to the distant shores of France (along with +30k people), and after eventually arriving in Paris a few days later than planned, my winter life in France turned out to be wonderful, as usual. I just wish it could have been for longer than 2 weeks.

In the end, we had about 1.5 days in Paris before we headed up to see Mrs. LF’s family in Normandy. In those 36 hours or so, we managed to sample treats from Ladurée, Fauchon, Gérard Mulot, Pierre Hermé, have lunch at a traditional neighborhood bistrot (Chez Janou, on the edge of Le Marais), and dine in what is possibly one of the finest restaurants in the world right now (but that will be covered off in a later post).

Once in Normandy, we had our traditional Christmas dinner in a many centuries-old farmhouse in a remote village with a warm fireplace, followed by lunch there again the next day, and then a very enjoyable New Year’s Eve meal (and dancing) at a newly relaunched restaurant in Caen.

I hope you enjoy my little photo-diary post. It certainly was a delicious and fulsome trip. As always, you can click on any of the images for the full-resolution versions.

Le Menu de Paris

~ Petit-Déjeuner à Ladurée ~

Le Breakfast Room Upstairs at the Rue Royal Branch

Mrs. LF decided on Le Petit-Déjeuner Ladurée while I ordered a few pastries. It was all a bit expensive (as one would expect), but this was one of the better Chausson aux Pommes I've had, and the Kouign Amann - one of my favorite French pastries, and one that is hard to find here - was to die for!

Mrs. LF had an amazingly thick and luscious hot chocolate, while I opted for coffee - I thought the little silver pot of sweeteners was cute

Trading Paper for Pastries

We didn't have any (because it was breakfast time & we were already stuffed) but we spied some of their beautiful macarons on our way out down, heading down the stairs

The usual beautiful decorations within the Galeries Lafayette department store. We shopped the rest of the day & then had our special dinner (not covered in this post), so no more food photos from Day 1 - sorry

~ Pâtisseries de Gérard Mulot ~

I always try to stop by Gérard Mulot in Rue de Seine to sample some of their wonderful bread or pastries. So, the next morning we opted for some breakfast pastries from Mssr. Mulot & took them to a nearby café to have them with our morning caffeine injection - an inspired idea indeed

The amazingly tempting window of Gérard Mulot in Rue de Seine

Le Pain

L'étoffe petit-déjeuner

Les pâtisseries

I love this photo & it reminds me of my coffee and brilliant bready breakfast morsels from Mr. Mulot (we took them to a nearby café in the French way)

~ Déjeuner Chez Janou ~

My favorite barman in London, Alessandro Palazzi from Dukes Bar in Mayfair, had highly recommended this neighorhood bistrot (they have over 80 varieties of pastis, which is why he may have heard of them), and after Oliver Thring reported that he had a good meal there a few weeks prior to our trip, we figured we'd stop by to warm ourselves after looking through the shops of Le Marais and the art galleries of Place des Vosges

Yes, over 80 types of pastis, impressive...

They have posters from Marcel Pagnol's plays/movies on the walls and it really has a great atmosphere - I mean, if Gregg Wallace had been there, he might have said 'It doesn't get more Parisian than this'

Starter: Salade d'endives, Sauce au Bleu et Noix - a really nice simple salad to start things off

Main Course 1: Sauté de Lapin aux Olives & Pommes Fondantes - this was a classic bistrot dish that was well done, the sauce was very moreish and the rabbit delicious

Main Course 2: Filet d'elingue, Sauce Citronnel, Riz Pilaf - Mrs. LF's dish was also solid bistrot fare, a very good dish all in all

Dessert: Poêlú d'ananas et Mangue à la Vanille et Lait de Coco - a very refreshing end to the meal, and a great deal overall (they had a 3-course lunch deal for €12.80, not bad eh?). Included in the lunch were also some very delicious marinated olives before the starters arrived and a basket of dried fruits and nuts that were presented with the bill. Tres excellent!

On the way out we spied some of the many pastis (and other liquid treats) they had at the back side of their bar (which wrapped around and had two sides) - cool place & glad we paid a visit

~ Macarons de Chez Pierre Hermé ~

Alright, the moment had finally arrived. After having breakfast pastries from Mssr. Mulot, we went to pay a visit to the shrine of macarons that is Pierre Hermé. I have always been a loyal devotee of their rival, Ladurée, and was curious to try out what are meant to be the best macarons aorund. It looked more like a fancy shoe shop or something like that from outside. Me likey

Yes, here they were, finally, all arranged beautifully in the little chic boutique - but which ones to choose...?

And there were some beautiful cakes too - but too big for 2 people walking around Paris

They also had some interesting looking pastries, like this Isfahan Croissant, which I would *assume* gets its name from the famous Iranian region & maybe as it has rose flavoring or something like that (?). We finally tasted the macarons on the train ride up to Normandy and they were unbelievably good. I had previously been a proponent of Laduée, but Mr. Hermé's definitely have the edge: they have more filling, the texture in the middle is a tad bit goo-ier and they have some amazing & original flavor combinations, which appear to change with the seasons (somewhat). I am so glad this guy is finally coming to London in February 2010!

Le Menu de Normandie

~ Building up to the Big Day ~

So, we took the train up to Deauville in time to make it for dinner on Mrs. LF's mother's birthday...and were greeted with bright blue Norman skies - here is a typical house from old Deauville

Hotel Normandy Barrière, smack-bang in the center of beautiful Deauville - it has recently been upgraded to 5 stars, apparently

This little dog (yes - he is real) achieved a small measure of twitter fame when I posted pictures of him a few weeks ago. He was really the cutest thing I've ever seen, and was the mascot of a cute little shop in Trouville. Apparently, when the owners take him out for a walk, he decides where he will be taking them! Cheeky little thing

~ The Big Christmas (Eve) Dinner ~

We began the annual ritual of Christmas dinner late on Christmas Eve (as is the tradition in France) in a centuries-old farmhouse in a village of less than 100 people with a roaring fire and many presents under the tree. Equally as traditionally, we started with some foie gras, which was accompanied by a lovely jelly. It was very high quality & delectable

The accompanying Jurançon wine went beautifully with the foie gras, a much lighter and less cloyingly sweet wine than the traditional Sauternes, with a brightness and acidity that kept me coming back for more

After the foie gras, a turkey was presented in the middle of the table, after which a bit of chaos ensued

The turkey, which was courtesy of the farm next door, was served with a lovely stuffing and some of the best potatoes in the world - after all, they were from Mr. & Mrs. G's garden right outside

We had a nice little bordeaux to go with the poultry main course, it went down smoothly (quite a few times)

And of course, being in France, even though everyone was stuffed by this point, we had to have some cheese...luckily there were some amazing ones on offer from the region

Which of course necessitated some baguettes

But that wasn't all. You see, Mrs. G has a little Christmas tradition, it's called her secret cake. In fact, it seems to be used for most occasions, as her grandchildren request it for their birthdays and other celebrations. We all love it and look forward to it. And Mrs. LF has finally gotten the recipe after some crafty maneuvering . It is a very Norman cake, as it is essentially 5 tons of butter, layered together with a token bit of coffee flavor added. That is well scientific, innit. But seriously, it is veeeery good. And just look at that cute decoration...

A close-up of that buttery goodness

My 'petit' slice

The aftermath of the christmas cake - poor Frosty got caught in the fray...

Ah, did I mention we went through a good deal of Champagne both before and during the festivities? (Evidence above)

And so it was, our lovely Christmas Eve celebration...but wait, that's not all...

~ The Big Christmas (Day) Lunch ~

The next day we returned to do it all over again, and we were greeted by Mr. & Mrs. G's striking feline

We were warmly welcomed by the family and then plied with a fresh platter of smoked salmon...

...and meat...

...and the left-over wine...

Putting it all together

...but then realized that this wasn't even the main course...THIS was!

I had a visit from the cat, she was hungy for left-overs too

~ Indulgences Between Christmas & New Year’s ~

In the intervening period between Christmas and New Year's, Mrs. LF and I visited old friends and indulged some more...and some more...this was some champagne we had at a friend's house, which he said was his favorite (the only one he drinks). It was rather nice - anyone ever heard of it?

The same friends had prepared some homemade foie gras as well (it's all the rage right now in France), which was lovely with the champagne

As some of Mrs. LF's family lives in Caen, we spent a good deal of time there too...this was a nice shot of one of the many churches (it was soooo bright there during our trip)

I was quite proud of this shot taken from a back-alley in downtown Caen

After all that walking in the cold, we were hungry and decided to go to an Italian place which was packed (when most other places were empty) - it turned out to be a good decision & this was my HUGE turkey escalope w/ pasta (where did they think they were, America?), which was very good & satisfying

Mrs. LF's very satisfactory pizza from La Buona Tavola in Caen

I really liked the little bowl they served the parmesan in - it looked like the skin that usually encircles the rind

And my petit café to get me through the rest of the day

Another night, we went for a couscous with friends in Deauville - it's called Restaurant Berbère (www.berbere-deauville.com) & they served some of the best couscous I've had - look at the beautiful snow-like couscous, it was feather-light & amazing!

The main courses were beautifully presented & really delicious

The meat fell off the bone and was to die for - yum!

~ Images from Another Year’s Passing at Villa Eugène ~

We had a very small New Year's celebration with Mrs. LF's brother and wife. We went to a new & very stylish restaurant in Caen called Villa Eugéne (www.villa-eugene.fr), which had a great all-inclusive New Year's Eve menu for €82/person, including about 7 courses, canapés & une coupe de champagne

We started with an assortment of canapés, which came with a glass of champagne (I believe it was Moët and it was nice)

Ah yes, here's a shot of that Moët champagne - they had very pretty water glasses too

Oeufs de Caille au Foie Gras & Toc' l'oeuf aux Truffes - a very well presented and delicate start to the meal

Carpaccio de Homard Juste Tièd à l'huile d'Argan - a nice little lobster dish perfumed with Argan oil

Saint-Jacques Trufées en Habit d'algues, Services avec une Crème Truffe - the scallops were cooked well & cleverly concealed in green (algues), though the truffle didn't exactly come through for me

We were drinking a fairly nice bottle of Pouilly-Fumé alongside all of this fishy stuff…but back to the food

Mrs. LF's brother had decided to order some red wine to accompany the main course. It was a wine known by the short-hand name of 'Moulis' in France, and is apparently quite well known. It was a nice little wine, and all the components were there, I think it just needed a year or two more in bottle for it to really shine

Suprême de Chapon au Foie Gras et Morilles - the poultry main was served with two little fried numbers alongside (right), with a sauce of morille which was quite rich. Chapon is a castrated chicken, and this procedure is meant to increase tenderness, moistness and mass...it certainly was tender and tasted good but nothing out of this world. The stuffing within the chapon was a nice little surprise

Cromesquis de Camembert, Bouqet de Salade - these were some pretty ordinary cheese balls, but they were prettily presented as everything else had been

Chocolat Éphémère - this was a 'solid' chocolate dessert, whose shell melted when the hot chocolate was poured on top...I enjoyed it, but then again I enjoy most things with dark chocolate

Mousse Mangue Nougat aux Éclats de Macarons - this was actually better than the chocolate dessert and a very refreshing end to what had become a very long & enjoyable evening/morning

Well, the music was getting louder, people were dancing, I was a minor celebrity (being the only American, everyone wanted to tell me how much they had enjoyed their vacation there - whether 1 year or 20 years ago), it was now 2010 and I was going to need some coffee to get me through this night. It was served in those great cups that look like they're crinkled plastic...I saw them in the Conran Shop not long ago and have been tempted to buy them...I think they're really cool!

And so it was, a grand finale to 2009. Here’s looking at you 2010 – in the words of John Lenon, I hope it’s a good one…!

Galvin at Windows – Flying High & Deservedly So

Galvin at Windows
The London Hilton
22 Park Lane, 28th Floor
London W1K 1BE
Website
Map
Online Reservations

• Dinner: Menu Dégustation at £75, £110 or £130 (depending on wines & courses selected); Menu Prestige at £58 for 3 courses; or À La Carte Menu at £33 for 3 courses
• Lunch: 2 courses at £19.50; 3 courses at £25; or 3 courses + ½ bottle of wine, water & coffee at £39.50 (through toptable) + Bar Lunch Express dishes for £4-12

Galvin at Windows seems to have achieved a winning combination. The views and setting are stunning, the menu consists of the kind of food you want to eat quite often, and it is executed precisely with a subtle flair. The food we had at our Sunday lunch was delicious and reasonably priced for this type of venue, and I am now eager to try out their other establishments.

Becoming Galvinized

It was the dead of winter, the afternoons were drawing yet shorter, and there I was, still a veritable Galvin virgin. I thought to myself, I must be one of the only self-appointed ‘foodies’  in London who has not yet frequented one of the (then) two Galvin Brothers establishments in the London fog (they have since added the much-lauded and doted over Galvin La Chapelle and offshoot Cafe de Luxe in the City). So, when I discovered after a bit of research that you could get a 3-course lunch at their highest-flying venue for a mere £25/person – even on a Sunday – I decided I that I would finally lose my Galvinity and treat Mrs. LF to what I hoped would be a nice lunch with stunning views.

Perched atop the London Hilton hotel, with a commanding view of a good deal of London, lays Galvin at Windows. I had heard many good things from various friends and food bloggers, so the bar had been set pretty, erm, ‘high’. Upon taking the lift up to the top floor and soaking in the restaurant (and peeping into the nice and spacious bar), first impressions were certainly good. This place didn’t exude much of the cookie-cutter, drab ho-humness that is the global Hilton brand, but actually seemed to radiate with its own design, ambience and energy. The greeting was smooth and the waiters were friendly and professional.

Our beautiful sun bathed table overlooking Park Lane

Although we didn’t get a table right by the window, as I had requested through my toptable booking, we were given a lovely table on the lower floor that looked Northwest up Park Lane and beyond. There is also a raised rectangular dining area that stands about 4 or 5 feet above the ground-level tables. It was not that busy, probably due to the fact that our reservation was for 2pm.

These bros can cook

As we soaked in the view, our tummies were growing hungrier by the minute, so we quickly made up our minds, although all the 3 options for each of the courses did sound very appetizing.

Assortment of breads

With our starters and main courses selected, we were provided with two types of bread and a lovely little beehive of butter, all of which were fine but not stellar. 6/10.

Le Beurre et Le Mâcon Villages – how very French

As I was mainly having veggies and fish, I wanted to go for a white wine (Mrs. LF was not drinking as per usual since ‘the bump’ had appeared ). I was looking at the wines by the glass, but the sommelier persuaded me that their other deal (3 courses, half a bottle of wine, water & coffee at £39.50) would probably be more economical and enjoyable, and that they had some very nice wines on the accompanying half-bottle selection. Like The Dude I am, I abided, and chose the 2008 Mâcon Villages Caves de L’aurore (Burgundy), which served its purpose very nicely throughout the first two courses. It had a nice golden color, a subtle nose of tropical fruit and a nicely integrated touch of oak. I’ve seen this on other restaurant lists for about £15 per half-bottle, so it was a decent deal given that the water and coffee were basically thrown in for free.

Starter 1: Slow Cooked Hens’ Egg, Warm Salad of Charlotte Potatoes & Smoked Haddock, Whole Grain Mustard Beurre Blanc

Simply put, my starter of slow cooked hens’ egg was as beautiful to look at as it was to taste. Everything here worked well together. When split, the egg yolk that oozed out was of a good thickness and orangey-golden hue. The sea of mustard beurre blanc was a perfect surface for the potatoes and haddock to float upon. The sauce itself was delicious – in fact, I spooned up a good deal of it on its own – and the potatoes were just warm, still firm and exhibited a note of sweetness. The taste of the smoked fish was not overpowering as not too much had been added, and as it all mingled together joyfully in my mouth I had the feeling that this was going to be a good meal. It was certainly an excellent beginning. 8/10.

Starter 2: Ravioli of Braised Beef Short Rib, Roast Red Onion Fondant, Horseradish Velouté

I thought that Mrs. LF’s was also presented in a beautiful and simple manner. Here’s what she thought: “The braised beef short rib inside the ravioli was moist and tender and the ravioli was not too filled (compared to the one I had in the York & Albany earlier in the year). The foam, or velouté, was exquisite: it kind of looked like a cream velouté and almost tasted like so, but was in fact horseradish. This was delicious and very innovative as it was a fusion of Italian and British cuisine.” 8/10.

Main Course 1: Fillet of Royal Bream, Gnocchi, Shellfish & Trompette

Okay, here was the deal-sealer. These boys can cook. Well, it is actually Head Chef André Garret presiding at Windows, but I am sure you get what I mean. This was a pretty flawless bit of cooking. Like my starter, it may not have been the most inventive or complex dish in the world, but it is the kind of thing I like to eat, and could do so quite often. The fish had been cooked to textbook perfection, still moist and soft yet adequately firm with a crispy skin. But, in a way, the real star here was the shellfish sauce, which was truly delectable. Its saltiness and sea flavors played off brilliantly against the slightly sweet and mild flavor of the Gilthead (‘Royal’) Bream. The mushrooms also worked well and the creaminess of the sauce admirably tied the whole dish together. Another 8/10 for me.

Main Course 2: Risotto of Butternut Squash, Sage & Mozzarella

It had become quite bright in the airy dining room, and it turned out that none of the pictures of Mrs. LF’s main course really did it justice. It was a nice looking…risotto. Yes, risotto, an Italian dish if I ever saw one. And I was a little puzzled at what this and the earlier ravioli were doing at this very Anglo-French-seeming restaurant. But nonetheless, this is what the good lady ordered, so was it any good?

Mrs. LF recalls that, “The risotto was cooked perfectly, and the smooth taste of the butternut squash worked well, making the risotto creamy and unctuous – as it should be – although I would have liked some kind of kick coming from one of the remaining ingredients, in order to open my appetite and make me want to go back to the dish after each bite. The taste of the sage didn’t do it for me, but maybe that’s because I am sensitive to strong aroma at the moment (being pregnant). I didn’t taste the mozzarella that was listed on the menu description, but noticed and tasted some shaved parmesan in its place.” 6.5/10.

Shared Dessert: Hot Chocolate Fondant, Salted Caramel, Praline Ice Cream & Hazelnut

In the end, Mrs. LF decided to opt-out of dessert (so her 2-course lunch cost £19.50), and I eventually and reluctantly succeeded to sharing my dessert with her. I really wished we had both got our own portion of this though. After waiting for a long time, one of the waiters informed us that the kitchen had messed up the fondant and was making a new one from scratch – this was annoying but their honesty was appreciated. When it did arrive, it was pretty much the perfect chocolate fondant. A moist dark chocolate cake encased the hot chocolate which gently leached out from its shell upon being broken by my fork. The combination of salty caramel, praline and warm chocolate was divine and I truly enjoyed devouring this little piece of edible beauty. 9/10.

Petit Fours from L’Artisan du Chocolat

After all of the aforementioned lusciousness, I decided I definitely needed a coffee, and then realized that it was conveniently included in my upgraded lunch package. It was a high quality black filter coffee, and the petit fours consisted of two chocolates and two truffles from L’Artisan du Chocolat, which was a nice treat. We have had the pleasure of exploring their range thanks to my parent’s holiday gifts over the past two years, and these didn’t disappoint. I also noted the fact that they provided two of each, so that Mrs. LF could have one even though she hadn’t ordered tea or coffee.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

After relaxing for a bit more, we asked for the bill, and were pleasantly surprised when a glass jar of big, fluffy pink and yellow marshmallows were offered to us as well. They were really good and left us with a well-deserved sweet memory of our meal.

One down, three to go

We looped around the dining room on our way out and had a look at the fun fair down below, and really were on Cloud 9 at this point.

On top of the world – well, London at least!

It had been a smooth, leisurely, pleasant and delicious lunch. Service throughout had been attentive, thoughtful, friendly and efficient. The views and the setting were fairly unique for London and the prices were reasonable within this context. I don’t think I need to say it again, but the food was of a very high calibre: each dish was technically well-cooked and had the added bonus of delicious, tried and tested flavor combinations that we certainly both enjoyed. I can understand why they have just been elevated to 1 Michelin star status in the 2010 UK guide (they didn’t yet hold the star when we dined there).

I am now eager to try their less formal Marylebone Bistrot de Luxe and am meant to be hitting Galvin La Chapelle with some other food bloggers in about a month’s time. I just hope that Jeff and Chris Galvin heed the warning signs of other British chefs who have grown too fast and too furiously in recent years and are now paying the price. In Windows, they definitely seem to have found a winning combination. I hope their other restaurants do the same and that they keep their enterprise manageable and consistently infused with their obvious skill, know-how and cooking ability.

Rating

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Food: 7.5/10

Wine: a nice selection of half bottles for the 3-course lunch deal; I didn’t check out the larger list in too much detail

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Galvin at Windows once, and it was for Sunday lunch.*

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught – The Anglo-French Combination Loses Something in Translation

The Connaught
Carlos Place
London W1K 2AL
Website
Map
Online Reservations

Dinner: Signature menu (7-course tasting) at £85/person, 3-course menu at £75/person; Lunch menus at £35 (inclusive of water & coffee) and £42 (inclusive of 2 glasses of wine + water & coffee)

A grand yet modern dining room in a historic London hotel & a famous French female chef producing very good food somehow fail to produce a lasting impression

The woman who snatched the reins from Angela & Gordon

I will spare you the full introduction to chef Hélène Darroze as she is probably already pretty well known to most readers of this blog. How about some quick bullet points instead (I have been working too much lately)? Hopefully, like a good amuse bouche, they will be easily digestible:

• Darroze comes from the Southwest of France (Les Landes) where her family has been in the hospitality and culinary fields for four generations, with her father holding a Michelin star at their Relais & Château hotel and restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan
• She earned her BA in business and wanted to go into the hospitality business too, so got a job on the administrative side of Alain Ducasse’s organization and, after being there for a while and observing everything, decided she too wanted to be a chef, eventually rising to become his ‘right-hand woman’ (no small feat), cooking alongside the master chef at his Monaco-based Le Louis XV
• She then went back to her family’s business and, due to a difference of cooking styles (it’s ‘complicated’), her father ‘volunteered’ to resign;
• She retained the family’s Michelin star, won tons of awards for her culinary promise and prowess, then opened up her own restaurant on the left bank in Paris, which received 2 Michelin stars within two years of opening
• In the spring of 2008, she was eventually convinced to take over the restaurant at London’s historically important Connaught hotel when Angela Hartnett and Gordon Ramsay Holdings essentially got booted out, gaining a Michelin star there within a year of opening. She took a big brigade from Paris to set up the operation and commutes every other week to London so is in the London kitchen approximately half the time

Given all the above, I had been very interested to try her food, especially given her reputation as being one of the best ambassadors for the food of her region and one of the brighter lights in the French culinary scene.

The triplet mystery

So, on a cold and rainy November evening, the dynamic duo arrived at the imposing façade of the oh-so English Connaught Hotel.

Anglo exterior, French guts

The restaurant lies to your right after entering the hotel, and is reached via a narrow corridor of dark wood panelling. The hotel was recently completely refurbished for the small price of £70 million and is quite classically beautiful inside.

Light at the end of the corridor?

Surprisingly, once inside the rather grand dining room, things become a bit lighter, with comfy upholstered chairs of white and mustard-yellow swirls, cushioned bench seating of muted gray with a vertical diamond pattern, some art deco details and golden chandeliers. This all somehow resolves itself very neatly within the still clubby carcass (i.e. dark wood panelling) of the room.

A quick perusal of the menu revealed the usual tasting menu and a 3-course option. We opted for the simpler of the two and began pondering the options there within. As I was ruminating, I was struck by the descriptions of her dishes. Nearly all of them were described in threes, and I was reminded of our recent meal at Pierre Gagnaire’s sketch Lecture Room & Library, where he is also fond of focusing on one primary ingredient for a dish and preparing in three different ways. As I was wondering whether this phenomenon of triplets was a peculiarly French affectation, some nibbles interrupted my train of thought.

Sorry, hold on, this is the…starter?

Amuse Bouche 1: Leek & potato velouté with barley foam; Parma ham; breadsticks

Now I thought this was slightly odd. We were in a very posh French dining room and Parma ham was being laid out on a sheet of black slate, with breadsticks poking up out of a basket on the side. It all seemed very Italian to me, although I guess the kitchen had salvaged its haute cuisine/French-ness by serving a tall glass of velouté as part of the trio. The Parma ham was good, but also particularly salty (6/10). The breadsticks were, well, breadsticks and don’t stand out in my memory (5/10). The leek and potato concoction was probably the nicest of the three, with a lovely smooth consistency and a subtle heat (the spicy kind) to it (7/10). A rather odd start, but a start nonetheless.

Amuse Bouche 2: Foie gras crème brûlée; green apple sorbet; peanut cappuccino

The next amuse was apparently a signature dish of Darroze. I thought it worked quite well, with the richness of the foie gras cream being well accented by the sweetness of the peanut foam and cut through by the very noticeable streak of green apple. It was all very pleasant, but the foie gras flavor did remain quite muted beneath it all and this little glass of joy certainly wasn’t an earth-shattering gastronomic moment for me. 7/10.

Bread & Butter

In the meantime, we had been served a nice selection of bread, which was of high quality. Butter was sliced from what is probably the largest slab of butter I’ve ever seen – a ginormous block of the creamy, yellow stuff was on display in the center of the dining room – and was also very good. 8/10.

Starter 1: Le Foie Gras des Landes (Duck Foie Gras from Les Landes) – One slice cooked ‘au torchon’; one slice confit with mild spices; chutney of Solliès figs

After a rather dainty start to the meal, it was a real shocker when my main course starter arrived. A huge white plate containing two MASSIVE slices of foie gras was placed before me (the above photo does not accurately convey the size of the slabs of overfed duck innards). There were two version on offer, one cooked au torchon – seasoned with port, wrapped in a kitchen towel  or torchon, and cooked sous-vide (under vacuum) – and the other mixed with a very nice streak of ‘mild spices’. I preferred the latter, while Mrs. LF was partial to the former. The slice with spice reminded me a lot of Christmas flavors (gingerbread, mulled wine, etc.) and I thought it went exceptionally well with the figs and the wonderfully concentrated chutney lurking beneath the three beautifully presented slices of fruit. The foie gras was served with large slices of country bread, which was good although I thought it was too thick for foie gras.

Left: Detail of the figs in the foie gras starter / Right: The accompanying bread for the foie gras

Overall, it was an excellent course, but it really should have been served as a main course (which wasn’t really an option given that this is a faux pas in France) or they should have served much thinner slices as I was pretty much full at this point in the meal, making it hard to salivate with anticipation over the rest of the dishes to come – not a good thing for a fine dining experience. While I can understand the desire to convey ‘value for money’ (after all, the 3-course menu is the not insignificant sum of £75/person), I thought the balance was really off on this course. 8/10 for the cooking, though.

Starter 2: Les Carottes (Carrots) – Yellow, orange, purple…caramelised in their jus with forest honey; cumin crumble; cappuccino with cumin foam

Mrs. LF had the following to say about her starter: “A wide selection of carrot varieties (of many different colors) was presented beautifully on the plate. Each was distinct in terms of both flavour and texture, while retaining the familiar underlying carrot taste. The jus with forest honey enhanced the sweetness of the carrots nicely. While intriguing to begin with, I soon tired of the dish and lost interest. The portion looked small, however in reality there was plenty, as the taste of it all was quite rich and fulsome.”

First time for everything – a carrot cappuccino with cumin foam (part of Starter 2)

On the other hand, the accompanying cappuccino, served in a tall glass, had the texture of velvet and was delightful,” Mrs. LF concluded. 6/10 overall for the dish.

Main Course 1: Le Homard Bleu (Blue Lobster) – Cooked in its shell; carrot & confit citrus mousseline; wild sorrel

My main course was very enjoyable. The lobster was sweet although a tad on the chewy side and, as is often the case, the claw had an exquisitely fine flavor. The accompaniments to the dish worked seamlessly, with the citrus mousseline providing a bit of sweet freshness (and an underlying acidity) and the brown onion reduction lending some richness and a hint of sharpness. The wild sorrel (greens) on top were actually not pointless, and had a sharp tanginess, which I thought helped to tie the dish together. Very accomplished cooking and not overly complicated. 8/10.

Main Course 2: Le Poulet Jaune des Landes (Corn-Fed Chicken) – Breast stuffed under the skin with wild mushrooms, cooked in a cocotte; Escaoutoun from Les Landes with brebis Basque cheese & cèpes; roasting jus with rosemary & walnuts

“The stuffed chicken breast was tender and cooked perfectly. The roasting jus was nice, but together with the chicken, it didn’t overwhelm me and I wasn’t in a hurry to reach for another bite,” said Mrs. LF of her main course. “The Escaoutoun, which I never had before, is speciality of Les Landes, and is a polenta-like dish blended with ewe’s-milk cheese and cèpes. The ewe’s milk cheese didn’t stand out as I thought it might do, which was not necessarily a bad thing, but overall my palate wasn’t overly excited about this novelty.” 7/10.

Dessert 1: 100% Chocolat – Venezuelan Carupano dark chocolate cream; bitter chocolate sorbet; hot chocolate sauce

Well, how was this dessert going to be bad? I mean, I love dark chocolate and that was all there was, again in three different formats. It worked delectably well and although I was stuffed at this point, thanks to eating all of my foie gras, it didn’t take long for me to dust off this very beautifully presented and technically well executed dessert. 8/10.

The sommelier has recommended a nice Pedro Ximénez to have alongside the chocolate and, indeed, it was a very nice combination. The sherry was very rich and sweet with an almost syrupy consistency, and the two played well off of each other.

Dessert 2: La Chataigne (Chestnut) – Biscuit, chantilly, wafer; Yuzu curd; Yuzu sorbet

Mrs. LF on her dessert: “I chose this as my final course because I love the flavor of chestnuts in a dessert. I guess it is a very French thing to enjoy. During Christmas time we have marron glace, which is a French candied chestnut. We also have barquette au marron, a sort of a tart in the shape of a boat that most traditional pâtisseries carry. So I went for this desert in order to satisfy my longing for a good French chestnut dessert.  But, after biting into the filled wafer, I realised that it was filled with the chantilly and that the chestnut element was in the brown little cubes that were scattered around the plate. Whilst those were delicious, I didn’t get the satisfaction of a true chestnut dessert. Apart from those little squares, the waffle was pretty bland, and the sorbet – while refreshing – didn’t overwhelm me either.” 7/10.

Something disjointed this way comes

Service throughout had certainly been attentive in some respects, but was far from slick and faultless. For instance, our table happened to be located next to one of the areas where the waiters added the final touches to the plates before bringing them to the table, and a few times I could clearly hear two of the waiters bickering between themselves. Also, while professional and attentive for the most part, it seemed a bit disjointed as we would get abandoned for a while and then swooned over a bit later. It wasn’t by any means horrible, but it did seem like they were very stressed, highly strung and not particularly well organized. I guess service doesn’t directly affect the stars in Michelin’s rating system (the level of ‘luxury’ is rated separately with a crossed fork and spoon symbol), but I was surprised that it wasn’t smoother.

Winding (up) down (stairs)…

But anyways, our meal had drawn to a pleasant close, or so we thought. Of course, this was fine dining, and this meant petit fours. But before they were rolled out (literally), some beautiful Hermès plates were set down in front of us. I can’t recall if there was a specific point for this, as I don’t remember eating anything off of them, but they were nice to look at anyway.

Decorative Plates by Hermès (yes, we really did lift them up and check the logo underneath)

After recently being served a group of petit fours that was called ‘Like a kid in a sweet shop’ at The Fat Duck, this time it looked like the candy store was being rolled out and delivered directly to our table. A lovely old-fashioned trolley containing various sweets in glass jars was parked at our table, and of course I could not refuse any of them, even though I felt 10 pounds heavier than when we first entered the restaurant. I thought this was a great touch and made the experience a lot more fun than the usual pre-sorted plateful of sweet morsels.

Petit Four trolley – literally like an adult in a candy shop

They were all pretty good, especially the marshmallows and chocolate truffles. The truffles were so good that Mrs. LF seems to have snatched hers before I was able to take a picture of them together on the second, slightly smaller Hermès plate (see below).

Easy does it...

As we were getting ready to explode, I asked our waitress if Ms. Darroze happened to be there this evening (I often try this line). I was surprised when the answer was ‘yes’, and even more pleasantly surprised when she asked us if we would like to meet her.

One star, plus two

Of course, we answered ‘yes’, and were shown downstairs to her office (she really has one down there directly across from the kitchen). Mrs. LF was able to converse with her in French, which was great, and she seemed to be a very straight-forward, earnest and down-to-earth woman.

The Darroze family has been making their own Armagnac for donkey’s years

Upon leaving, we noticed the small army of Armagnac that was placed upon a table in the corridor near the entrance of the restaurant. We were informed that the Darroze family has been making their own Armagnac for ages, although it is done in very small batches so is not really available anywhere else besides their own establishments. I caught a glance of one (see below) that dated from 1942. It was a pretty impressive display.

And there is a quite a collection on-hand, this one from 1942

Fading away…

All things considered, our meal at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught was pleasant and a few of the dishes were excellent. However, the meal seems to have faded into the background of my brain’s culinary compartment. This is likely because nothing stood out as being truly exceptional for either of us – the food, the service, nor the ambience. I suppose a restaurant of a certain calibre and with a certain intent should be judged in the context of similar establishments, and in this case, I don’t think it holds up as well as many other 1-starred restaurants (not to mention the non-starred ones) at which I’ve dined in the last year. Maybe a visit to her restaurant in Paris would give me a greater appreciation for her particular style of food and cooking ethos, but from this meal it didn’t ever become clearly defined or fully realized – it was ‘very good’ (as the score below reflects), but not remarkable.

Rating

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 7/11

Wine: a nice European-centric selection of wines (particularly strong in France, as you’d expect), with a few of bottles at lower price-points outside of the celebrity French regions and houses & a decent selection by the glass and half-bottle

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught once, and it was for dinner.*

Launceston Place – A Great Meal Ambushed by Too Many Buts

Launceston Place
1a Launceston Place
London W8 5RL
Website
Map
Online Reservations

Dinner: £45 for 3 courses or £55 for tasting menu, Lunch: £19 for 3 courses

Tristan Welch’s restaurant serves up clever, innovative & subtle food that draws upon well-sourced British ingredients. On our visit, all the dishes except one were very good or better. But while the back of house seems to be in good order, the front of house act could use some serious polishing. If they can solve that, the equation should equal a star from the Michelin man in the near future.

Hoping for a Great British Menu

Launceston Place was on my hit-list for a good part of 2009 after I saw its Head Chef, Tristan Welch, appear on Great British Menu, the BBC television program that invites two great chefs from each region of Britain to prepare dishes that represent both their local area and ‘Britishness’ in general, with the winning dishes featuring at some gala event to be held at the end of the series, and cooked by the chefs who invented them. I liked what he was doing on the small screen (he won his heat too), and his gastronomic creations looked very enticing. So, one October evening, Mrs. LF and I set off to see if the Welchman would deliver.

Mr. Launceston’s Curvy Facade

Launceston Place looks slightly odd from outside. It is housed within a semicircular façade and is kitted out in a black tie paint scheme. It almost gives off the feeling of a very posh pub that caters to the wealthy people living in the nearby environs. In any case, we located the correct doorway (there are a few doors that lead nowhere) and were pleasantly surprised upon entering.

There is a very pretty little bar area as you enter the restaurant, where you can have an apéritif or wait for other members of your party to arrive. We decided to go straight to our table, however, which was off to the left side of the restaurant. They layout of the place is quite unique, with tables on either side of the central bar station, and also behind this area (which also seems to serve as a dishwashing and plating-up station), and adds a bit of interest. The decor is also fairly iconoclastic and I liked it – black walls throughout with brooding artwork, but with little splashes of color here and there. To me, it almost seemed like going into someone’s very nice home, where the dining room led into yet another little dining room. It’s worth mentioning that they also have a very nice private room on the lower level, where instead of actually being in the kitchen (i.e. a Chef’s Table), you are in a mock library that has a video display of the kitchen and two-way microphones (they call it the Chef’s Office), so you can chat with the chef(s) as they work (I am sure they must love that…!).

The building has served as a restaurant of some kind for a long time, and I think Tristan and the folks at D&D London (a spin-off from Terrence Conran’s restaurant group in which he still owns 51%, and which took over Image Restaurants, of which Launceston Place was a part, in June 2007) have done a fantastic job in updating the premises. For instance, our table for two made clever use of the space by having one seat on the end of the benching attached to the wall, and the other chair placed 90 degrees away (instead of facing each other) – enabling them to squeeze another table for 2 across the pathway.

But enough about design, architecture and acquisitions. Save for the last topic, that is not really my expertise.

Starry, starry night?

I thought the menu read brilliantly, and had a very hard time deciding what to order as there were so many things I wanted to try. While we were pondering the possibilities, some very nice devilled parsnip crisps were brought to the table, wrapped neatly with a little bit of Launceston Place branded black ribbon. In the end, we went for the 3-course menu, as previous experience with tasting menus on the first visit made us a bit wary (i.e. see here or here). But before our starters manifested: “the bouches were coming, the bouches were coming” (a reference for non-Americans can be found here).

Left: Amuse Bouche of Hot & Cold Leek Soup / Right: Bread & Butter

And I am glad they did, because the leek soup was really fresh and awakened our palates. The contrasting temperatures worked well, and it had a nice light, creamy and froth-like quality about it (7/10). The sourdough bread was also very nice – and if memory serves me right (?), it is made in-house (7/10).

Starter 1: West Coast Scallops Roasted with Aromatic Herbs from the Coast Line

My starter of scallops was beautifully presented on a wooden slab with the molluscs served in their shells. It was a very accomplished dish in the sense that the scallops were cooked perfectly and were also large, juicy and very flavorful. The subtle seasoning of ‘aromatic herbs’ harmonized well and let the scallops do the talking. It wasn’t a ‘wow’ dish but I don’t think that was the intention. 7/10.

Starter 2: Poached Goose Egg, Somerset Truffle Risotto

We both agreed that Mrs. LF’s starter was one of the better things we had eaten in a while. It was also cleverly conceived in terms of the flavors and stylish presentation. Hidden beneath a topping of black Somerset truffles (English truffles…I am learning something new every day) was an unctuous, rich and delicious risotto that was perfect in pretty much every way. I was surprised at how pungent the truffles were and the strong depth of flavor they possessed (I thought English truffles would have been much lighter than their Continental counterparts), and the addition of little toast soldiers was a cute nod to a British breakfast tradition of soft-boiled eggs (the French call it oeuf à la coque). 10/10.

Main Course 1: Wild Hare, Nutmeg Cream Potatoes & Spiced Pears

Nearly as good was my main course of wild hare. It was served two ways, but the presentation wasn’t quite as neat as the starters had been. I didn’t really care, though, as it tasted delicious. What I presume was the breast of the poor little wabbit was cooked well, being very tender and soft, and having a lovely mild taste. The little quartet of ribs was executed perfectly, left quite red and rare, and had a slightly stronger taste (more salty than sweet), thereby bringing some balance to the dish. The nutmeg mash and pears were slightly sweet, and I thought the flavors all played well off of each other. Much like the scallops, I found this to be a nice and mellow dish that, while it didn’t really have that ‘wow’ factor, was really satisfying: it did the ingredients justice and showed the inventive hand of the chef. 8/10.

Main Course 2: Tamworth Suckling Pig, Radishes & Honey Emulsion

The one complete anomaly in our otherwise lovely meal was the suckling pig. Although this dish has drawn rave reviews from other bloggers since we dined at Launceston Place (see here for example), Mrs. LF could barely eat any of hers. She told me that it tasted extremely ‘piggy’ and just wasn’t nice – she posited that this particular bit of meat might have been off. I was shocked, and thought she must be crazy, but when I tasted it I agreed that it underneath the main taste of the meat lurked a very distinct and unpleasant flavor that I could also only describe as ‘way too piggy’. After googling it, I discovered that Tamworth pigs are meant to have a ‘distinct’ flavor, but somehow I don’t think this is what it was meant to taste like. In hindsight, we should have sent the dish back, but she wasn’t that hungry anyway so we just left a lot of it on the plate. Strangely enough, the servers didn’t ask why we had left so much of it when they came to clear the table for dessert (but more on the service later…). I am hesitant to rate the dish, because it will bring down the score of what was otherwise a very nice meal, but it was what it was – inedible. 1/10.

Left: Pre-Dessert of Raspberry Coulis & Lemon Sorbet with Black Pepper Tuile / Right: Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria

Luckily, the lovely taste of the palate cleanser went some way to clearing our taste-buds’ memory of the terrifying Tamworth. The sharpness of the lemon sorbet and was magic with the coulis and the flavors were every bit as beautiful as the presentation. You could actually taste the black pepper in the thinner-than-a-fingernail translucent tuile, and this added nicely to the interest in the mouth.

On some sound advice from Gastro1, I splashed out on the second-most expensive dessert wine I’ve ever had at £17 for the glass (for more the most expensive one, Chateau d’Yquem, see here). It was the Italian Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria, and it apparently retails for about £30 for a half-bottle. As I told Gastro1 after the meal, “It had huge peach on the nose and on the mid-palate, with dry nectarine on the finish, with very good acidity. It was a syrupy and quite oily (it coated the glass nicely when swirled), intense nectar. I thought it was almost like drinking an alcoholic peach nectar…amazing it comes from grapes!” Wonderful stuff, but not for the faint-hearted.

Dessert 1: Set Custard Cream, Caramel & Praline, Malt Ice Cream

My dessert was marvellous. Again, it just all worked together. Presented on the now ubiquitous black slab, I liked the way it looked too. Come to think of it, in terms of presentation, I think that Chef Welsh and Brett Graham of The Ledbury share certain elements in their presentation styles. The set cream itself was mild and very moreish, the caramel and pralines worked a treat together, and my favorite element was actually the malt ice cream (I’m a sucker for anything ‘malted’). I liked the mixture of textures and temperatures and thought it was an interesting little concoction. 8/10.

Dessert 2: Strawberry Shortbread, Lemon Curd & Basil Sorbet

Mrs. LF’s dessert was also good (thank god), so she was somewhat placated. It was light and the biscuits were powdery, dissolving in the mouth as you ate them. I tasted it (I know, I’m greedy! ) and also liked it – I do love lemon curd…. She correctly noted, however, that the basil sorbet wasn’t nearly as good or as the one served at Eastside Inn (see here, Course 6), which was a good deal better. 6/10.

Leading from the back

While the back of house seemed to have things in pretty good order, and the dining space looked the part, we weren’t very taken with the front of house. The service just wasn’t good. A few examples should give you the picture. We couldn’t find a place to park in the immediate area, so I popped out of the car and asked the woman at reception if she knew somewhere that we could park as non-residents. First, she looked at me as if I didn’t belong there, and secondly she didn’t have a clue and didn’t even try to help one iota – she just wasn’t interested.  Fine, maybe just it was just me. No. After we were seated, it took ages for anyone to look at us let alone give us a menu or some nibbles. After literally about 20 minutes, we did get the menus, and thereafter the service simply consisted of taking our orders and delivering the food (without any explanation or niceties). In a restaurant that I am sure is gunning for Michelin stars, we both found this very strange and off-putting.

It was only towards the very end of the meal, when we were halfway through our desserts, that the situation changed…thanks to a very affable young man who wasn’t our waiter but somehow took it upon himself to engage with us about the dessert wine, and then other things.

Food-wise, from our experience, the menu at Launceston Place was playful, clever and enticing, while drawing upon well-sourced and fairly traditional British ingredients. With the unfortunate exception of the Tamworth Suckling Pig (which did get the lowest score of anything I’ve ever rated on this site), the food was deftly executed, innovative and subtle. Had it not been for the little piggy that should have gone home and a lack of finesse in the service, I would have classed this as a good 1-star Michelin meal.

In fact, I would certainly go back for more. And I did, when I embarked upon a tour of some of London’s top restaurants with some other bloggers a few weeks later. You can read about that gastropade and some of Launceston Place’s other excellent desserts here.

Of course, the place has become even more popular since we dined there, with their then Junior Sous Chef Steve Groves winning the last season of the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals. So book well in advance as it may not be so easy to get a table anymore.

Rating

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 5/10

Food: 7/10

Wine: a nice selection of wines, although the mark-ups are pretty high from what I could gather on my perusal.

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined twice at Launceston Place, once for dinner (for this review, where I paid) and once as part of an event organized by their PR agency (where I did not pay).*

Laya’Lina – A Good Option for Lebanese in Knightsbridge

Laya’Lina
2-3 Beauchamp Place
London SW3 1NG
Website
Map
Online Reservations

Hot & cold mezzes from £3-6, Mains from £12-21, desserts £5-7 + sharing menus at £40 or £50 per person

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope you had a great and relaxing time over this holiday season. Sorry that I have been a little bit slack in updating the site in the last month or so; it has been a very busy time at work and I was essentially offline for two weeks during the holiday period. There are many meals from 2009 that I am still planning to write-up (so bear with me), and I also have many exciting plans for 2010 (so stay tuned!).

I would also like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement during the first 6 months of this blog – it has been great to hear your thoughts and comments and also to meet some fellow bloggers. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to make my reviews more concise, so let me know what you think as I continue to evolve the format – all feedback is welcome. For very special and/or interesting occasions, I will probably keep to the fuller format, but for others I will try to pair things down.

In that spirit, enough rambling…onto the food…

An inviting email

Mrs. LF and I had been in the mood for some Middle Eastern fare for a good number of days, when up popped an email in my inbox inviting me to review a new Lebanese restaurant in Knightsbridge. I figured what the heck, and asked the restaurant’s PR agent to book us a table. So, please keep in mind that we did not pay for this meal.

Laya’Lina is a modern Lebanese restaurant located on a cute little street off Knightsbridge. It serves up capable Lebanese fare, so if you're in the mood for this type of food and somewhere nearby, by all means go. There are a few dishes which would seem more at home on a Chinese menu, but maybe that is their take on 'modern' Lebanese?

We arrived on a chilly November evening, and weren’t sure where to enter through the door that seemed to lead straight into the restaurant, or to enter through the bar, which seemed to be the proper entrance. We chose bar entrance, and were led to our table in the ground floor dining room. First impressions were that of a very modern restaurant, with shiny black floor tiles, black tables, and bright blue accent lighting. There was also a little bar on a raised mezzanine level in the back of the ground floor dining room. All of the surfaces are quite hard and angular, and I thought it could do with a bit of softening somehow, especially for acoustics – although it was fairly empty, so this wasn’t a problem on our visit.

Shiny, black & blue: even the menus oozed bling

Later in the meal, as a procession of middle-aged people dressed to the 9’s began to arrive through the door that enters straight into the dining room (we figured this was the ‘regulars’ entrance), we found out that there was also a downstairs dining room which was mainly used for private events (i.e. live music and belly dancing; more information is available on their website). There was apparently a big shindig that evening to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

The waiter who wouldn’t wine

We eventually decided to go for lots of mezzes and to share a main course. Being quite into Lebanese wines these days, I had looked at the wine list ahead of time and was pondering ordering one of the two really excellent local wines they had listed. When I asked our waiter a question about the Lebanese wines on the list, he replied by saying, “I’m sorry Sir, I don’t drink myself, so I can’t really tell you anything more about the wines.” I didn’t say anything at the time, but Mrs. LF and I agreed that irrespective of whatever one’s personal consumption happens to be, if you are a waiter in a restaurant that serves alcohol, you (or one of your colleagues) should at least know some basic information about the alcohol you are serving. It’s fine if you don’t want to serve alcohol in your establishment, but if you do, you have to expect people will ask you questions about it. Also, it’s a shame because there is a lot of good Lebanese wine, and it should be talked about more (beyond Chateau Musar).

In any case, as Mrs. LF decided she would not be partaking in the alcoholic consumption that evening, and as I felt guilty ordering an expensive bottle for one person (since I wasn’t paying), I opted for the Lebanese wine they had by the glass. It was a 2005 Clos St Thomas, Les Gourmets (£4.95/glass) and I was happy enough sipping on it throughout the meal.

The ‘modern’ mezze

In the meantime, we had been plied with some very tasty green and burgundy olives.

Very moreish olives

We were quite happy munching on these well marinated beauties, but we didn’t have to wait too long before our mezzes began appearing.

Laya’Lina Cold Mezze Selection: Baba Ghannuge, Muhamara, Vine Leaves, Tabouleh (£5.95)

The cold mezze plate was really good. The Baba Ghannuge was packed full of rich, smoked aubergine flavor and the tahini was well balanced and came through well also. It was finished off with the traditional sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, which really complements the richness of the dip (7/10). The Muhamara (a crunchy dip of lightly spiced pureed nuts), which I don’t remember having before, was also excellent (7/10). The stuffed Vine Leaves and Tabouleh were both perfectly fine, but not better than those I’ve had at other Lebanese restaurants (5/10).

The vehicles for the dips

The accompanying pita and flatbread was also good.

In fact, since there was some bread left and we both fancied some yogurt, we ordered some of their Jaigik (yogurt, cucumber and mint). It tasted okay, but it was too watery for both of us; we prefer this type of yogurt dip to be much thicker and unctuous. 4/10.

Jaigik: A Salad of Cucumber, Yogurt & Mint (£3.50)

We had also ordered a trio of hot mezzes, which came at around about the same time.

Cheese Sambusak: Pastry Parcels filled with Cheese (£5.50)

The best of the three was the pastries filled with cheese. They were sufficiently crisp on the outside, and the cheese had a lovely texture and seemed very similar to feta cheese to us – it certainly wasn’t bland and boring – having a rather pronounced flavor which we both enjoyed. 7/10.

Halloumi Pizza: Grilled Halloumi in Lebanese Bread (£5.50)

I liked the idea of the Halloumi pizzas, and they were well executed. The cheese wasn’t too chewy (which can happen if it’s grilled and let to stand for too long), and the base of Lebanese bread was very good. I guess this is a Middle Eastern take on the English ‘cheese on toast’ , although I’m betting that theirs probably came first. 6/10.

Sesame Prawns: Fried Prawns Served with Sweet Chilli Dip (£6.50)

Okay, so here is the one really strange thing during our meal. I am no expert on Lebanese cuisine, but I would hasten to guess that prawns deep fried in sesame batter and served with a sweet chilli sauce is not a traditional dish (?!). In fact, it seemed distinctly Chinese to me. It wasn’t that good, as the shrimp were simply too dry and rather tasteless (probably indicating they were frozen), and just didn’t seem to be Middle Eastern food. Sure, shame on me for ordering them, but I was curious – I mean, I’ve never seen that in a Lebanese restaurant. Strangely enough, as Mrs. LF and I were discussing this issue, I happened to finally notice what had been staring me in the face: the wallpaper in the staircase (see below). How else could you describe this pattern besides ‘Oriental’? 4/10.

The oriental wall print seemed right at home with the sweet chilli sauce

Maybe this was what the owners of the restaurant meant by a ‘modern’ Lebanese restaurant – the ‘modern’ indicating an integration of other cuisines into their menu? I have no idea, but we both thought it was really odd. In any case, we were sufficiently satisfied that our main course would be more what we were expecting.

Lamb Paupiette: Aubergine Parcels Stuffed with Seasoned Minced Lamb, Baked in a Tomato & Pomegranate Sauce (£16.50)

The main course of Lamb Paupiette was excellent. The rich tomato sauce really shone, and the mince meat was very well-flavored. It was a hearty and satisfying dish that was exactly the right size for a main course. Although we shared it (due to ordering a lot of mezzes), it would have been perfect for one person. The basmati rice was also good and the correct texture. 8/10.

Although we were both pretty full, we still had room for something sweet. I decided to go for the House Dessert, which apparently changes each day, while Mrs. LF decided to have some Baklawa with our fresh mint tea.

House Dessert of the Day: Raspberry Crème Brûlée (£5.50)

This evening, it was a raspberry crème brûlée, and I enjoyed it a lot. Well crisped on top, it hid a secret layer of raspberry goo at the bottom of the pot, which when mixed with the cream was a formidable combination. Again, not really classically Lebanese so far as I could imagine, but at that point I didn’t really care. 6/10.

Baklawa Platter (£6.50)

The Baklawa was a bit of a let-down. They were quite hard and nearly all of them seemed to be stuffed with pistachio, so lost interest after the first bite or two. These could be improved as we’ve had much better Baklawa in other restaurants – of course the best if buying it fresh from a specialist. 4/10.

A welcome addition to the neighborhood

We generally enjoyed the food at Laya’Lina. The Lamb Paupiette, Cheese Sambusak, Baba Ghannuge and Muhamara stood out as being particularly good, with the rest being exactly what you expect from a decent Lebanese restaurant, but nothing extraordinary (save, of course, for the deep fried prawns with sweet chilli sauce). The ambience was a bit strange, as it felt a little too ‘modern’ in the sense that the surfaces were all hard and shiny and it didn’t exude any warmth (and it was cold outside, man!). The staff were all perfectly nice and professional, and besides the incident with the wine the service ran pretty smoothly, although I think we weren’t the main focus after the large party began arriving for the downstairs function.

In sum, if you are in the mood for Lebanese food, and happen to find yourself in or near Knightsbridge, by all means go – but I wouldn’t recommend going really out of your way to go to Laya’Lina. That said, I bet the downstairs scene is a bit more vibrant when the belly dancers and/or live music is going.

Rating

Ambience: 5/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 6/11

Wine: a good selection compared to other Lebanese restaurants I’ve been to in London, with a few particularly excellent bottles of Lebanese wine (though at the higher price points)

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined once at Laya’Lina for dinner, and the meal was complimentary.*

McGuigan Goes Walkabout to Roussillon

A criminally good idea

The Aussies vs. The French

There are some invitations Laissez Fare does not turn down. After briefly meeting Chris Mitchell, one of the head honchos at Cube Communications (a boutique PR firm focusing on the wine trade) at the recent Blaggers’ Banquet, I somehow found myself getting an invite to one such event. A no-show was not an option.

The innovative and maybe somewhat ambitious plan was to pair the wines of one of Australia’s hottest wine producers with the light and refined French cuisine of Alexis Gauthier, who is head chef at the 1 Michelin star Roussillon, which is set on a quiet residential street in London’s Pimlico. The premise? Could Australian wines – which for so long have unfortunately been thought of as ‘sun in a bottle’ by many consumers, despite fairly radical revolutions in recent times at many of Australia’s wineries – blend in with the elegance and subtleness of Mr. Gauthier’s cuisine. Would they overpower and clash, or would they meld just as easily as French wine would? Even if they didn’t, I was much looking forward to a second visit to Roussillon, which was one of the first restaurants I reviewed on this blog, and which Mrs. LF and I enjoyed very much.

Shortly after arriving, we were appropriately plied with drink. All of McGuigan’s entry-level wines (which have a gray label in the UK) were on offer. As I tasted through them, I was introduced to Neil McGuigan, who is an MD at the company and oversees viticulture and winemaking at the eponymous firm. He is a very down to earth and affable fellow, and his love for humor becomes apparent quite quickly. One of the little anecdotes he told me, of which there were many, was the fact that his great-great grandfather had been deported from the UK to Australia for being a criminal. You see, he had stolen some wine from a nobleman, and Neil explained that his family had been trying to pay the world back for his ancestor’s transgressions ever since. Tuh-dum (drum roll please). It was hard to believe this laid-back dude was the at the helm of such a big winemaker, which is now one of the top-10 brands of Australian wine in the UK.

Neil gets serious...just for a minute

I was even more surprised when Chris asked Neil to give a little introductory speech, which while still peppered with his own brand of comedy, was also very eloquent, informative and to the point.

But we had rambled enough and it was time for the main event.

By the way, most of the wines from the classic range were quite pleasant and quaffable, and I remember particularly liking the Sauvignon Blanc, the Chardonnay (which had ripe apple and not too much oak), and the Pinot Grigio (which I found to be less fruity than Italian versions I’m familiar with, and which oddly seemed to have the aroma of petrol I normally associate with Riesling).

Some ‘pretty good piss’

So into Roussillon’s downstairs private dining room we went…

The table was set...as were our places...

...and the chef was explaining his special menu...

Alexis came in to go through the menu in detail and explain how, in theory, the wine should complement the food and vice versa. I was quite excited to taste what was on offer, especially after having recently seen chef Gauthier on Masterchef: The Professionals, where Marianne Lumb and viewers of the programme discovered his disdain for timers – indeed, he decides when things are cooked to the desired specification purely by touch and feel. I just hoped my lamb wouldn’t be totally raw!

I was also eager to taste the higher-end wines form McGuigan. Earlier on, as I tried to explain my struggle to better explain verbally how wines tasted to me, Neil had said that when he really enjoys a wine, he just says it’s “some pretty good piss.” Although it was a light-hearted joke, I did take what I gathered to be his point: that you should just enjoy really good wine, and not worry too much about trying to make sure you can describe it in exact detail. I just hoped that his top-end wines wouldn’t taste like, erm…

The basket of bread was full to the brim – woohoo!

While waiting for the first course to arrive, I hunkered down on one of the lovely little baguettes on offer, which was accompanied by some high quality French beurre.

Lobster & Purple Basil: Light Lobster Bisque Infused with Purple Basil with Scallops & Confit Tomato Tortellini – Paired with 2004 Earth’s Portrait Riesling

I enjoyed the lobster bisque, which was rich while remaining fairly light, and I did note that the purple basil was present but much milder than its green cousin, and that it worked well with the seafood flavors. I loved the two little tortellini in the center, too. I found that the Riesling’s acidity cut through the creaminess of the bisque rather well but, for me, the pairing didn’t set the world on fire. I didn’t feel that the wine either added to or detracted from the dish. Maybe being fairly new to Riesling myself, I just don’t ‘get it’ yet, but the wine wasn’t one I would probably go back to.

Wild Sea Bass & Razor Clams: Grilled Cut of Wild Sea Bass, Steamed Razor Clams with Szechuan Pepper & Lightly Spiced Fish Velouté – Paired with 2003 Bin 9000 Semillon

The next combination worked much better for my palate. The sea bass itself had been delicately cooked, and had a lovely soft firmness. I am a sucker for razor clams and felt that they worked well here. Looking at the description of the dish, I don’t now recall the pepper and spice that is alluded to, but I did like the dish overall, even though it didn’t really pack a punch. Peter Hall, the winemaker, was on hand to describe his Semillon himself. He explained that Hunter Valley Semillon is “one of the most distinct wines from Australia,” and that it is a lighter, finer style with usually about 9.5% – 10.5% ABV. Apparently, they have ‘Semillon & Seafood’ days locally, as the taste of the sea goes so well with this grape variety. I generally agreed with him in this case. The wine exhibited strong citrus and lime and had a wonderful structure. It didn’t dominate and seemed perfectly happy to swish along with the fish in my mouth. Peter mentioned that it was still “a little ways off yet”, and that its full toastiness and golden color were not quite showing through yet. I would certainly be happy to sample some more of that wine in a few years’ time.

Milk Fed Lamb & Thyme: Pyrenean Milk Fed Lamb Rubbed with Thyme, with Parmesan & Swiss Chard Gratin & Thyme Infused Lamb Jus – Paired with 2008 Shortlist Cabernet Sauvignon

The third course was highly enjoyable. The milk fed lamb was stupidly soft and had a mild and fine flavor which was subtly accented by the thyme. I was a little worried that a Cabernet Sauvignon might overpower a dish of such finesse, but I was wrong. The wine itself was very young (being a 2008), and my notes indicate that there was blackcurrant on the palate, that the wine was thick but not tannic (quite soft), that it was fairly jammy and fruit forward, and that there was a touch of spice present. The flavor of the wine actually went pretty well with the dish, especially the rich lamb jus. Neil pointed out that McGuigan was making a big push to give varietal definition to its range, especially at premium price points. He added that this wine was, after all, “only a baby” and that it had a “terrific future,” with the “oak being subservient to the fruit.” I agreed and think this will make a fantastic wine at its peak.

Blue d’Auvergne & Madeira: Feuillette of Blue Cheese, Madeira Reduction Jus, with Wild Rocket & Red Chard Salad – Paired with 2008 Handmade Shiraz

I don’t think I quite ‘got’ the last savory course. To me it seemed to be a nice, crispy puff pastry that was meant to have cheese inside, but that about 90% of that cheese had been sucked out prior to serving, leaving only the aroma and a few remnants of that blue from Auvergne. Possibly like so many other things, its subtly had passed me by. In any case, the Shiraz was a winner. It had a deep purple hue; it was voluptuous, rich, supple, and not overly tannic or oaky. This was not an aggressive Syrah from the Northern Rhone, it was a classically velvety red that had gentle spice and is bound to age well. I personally didn’t understand the pairing here, although chef Gautier said that the sweetness of the Madeira reduction should have gone well with the Shiraz flavors (black fruits)…

Quince & Yogurt: Quince & Sultana Parfait, Honey & Yogurt Sorbet – Paired with 2005 Personal Reserve Botrytis Semillon

But I soon forgot my little quandary when this little slice of heaven arrived, paired with some rather divine golden nectar from down under. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and ‘tis also the season for that elusive yellow fruit called quince. This parfait was indeed parfait. It was gently cooled, firm, soft and full of that unique quince flavor, which had the softest touch of sultana essence infused throughout. The sorbet was creamy, dreamy and retained that tartness of yogurt which beautifully balanced the sweetness of the parfait. But the real discovery was how well the sesame tuile combined with the sweet wine – bloody brilliant. I really loved this dessert wine, which is made in the Sauterne style, and was much finer than other may Australian sweeties I’ve tasted. Peter said that it was not common for botrytis to develop in the Hunter Valley, and that they only made in a “hit and miss” fashion. Most recently, they have produced it in 2005, 2008 and 2009. If I remember correctly, I don’t think you can yet buy this in the UK, so there’s probably not too much point in rambling on about how much I liked it anymore

At the end of the rather extended luncheon, chef Gauthier re-emerged to share a celebratory glass with Neil, which was a fitting end to a great 3-hour partnership between the Aussies and the French.

The two creators smile & celebrate a job well done

I came away from the meal with a greater appreciation of McGuigan’s wines, which I had hencetoforth only tasted in their entry-level form. Neil explained over lunch that they were striving to innovate, modernize and drive their higher-end wines to become really special, and that this would have positive ramifications for their wines at every price point. I certainly did get the feeling that these guys care very much about making excellent wines and also liked the fact that they seem to have a great time doing it.

Their success has not gone unnoticed either, as Neil himself was recently awarded White Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Challenge and McGuigan Wines was a few weeks ago crowned Winemaker of the Year and Australian Producer of the Year at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

What else can I say but “Good-on-yah mayte” in my best Australian accent?

* * *

Many thanks to Chris and the Cube Communications for organizing the meal.

If you’re interested in eating at Roussillon, they have a number of good value deals, including a 3-course price-fixe lunch menu which includes ½ a bottle of wine for £35/person. All contact details and menus can be found on their website.

McGuigan Wines are broadly available at Majestic, Tesco and many other supermarkets and wine merchants nationwide.

Great Queen Street – Long Live the Queen

Great Queen Street
32 Great Queen Street
London WC2B 5AA
Website: nonexistent
Map
Reservations: +44 (0)20 7242 0622

Our 2-course lunch with wine cost approximately £25/person (starters from £4-7, mains from £10-14, desserts from £4-6)

Note: this is a joint review done in tandem with fellow food blogger Craig Linton of London Food Detective

Great Queen Street (GQS) succeeds in achieving what I imagine it is setting out to do: cooking up simple but tasty British food that changes with the seasons. The place is simply decorated, the staff is fairly knowledgeable and the food is pretty good. To me, there were minor echoes of St John throughout GQS. The prices are about right for central London & it's a great place for lunch if you work within walking distance (like me!)

A Meeting of Minds…and Food of Course!

Laissez Fare: I had been looking forward to meeting fellow food blogger Craig Linton (website: London Food Detective, twitter: @craigdlinton) for a few weeks after I invited him to meet up for lunch a while back. Luckily, I wasn’t too nervous as I had already met another food blogger a few months back for lunch (see a post about that meal here). Although it is always a bit disconcerting meeting someone you’ve emailed and tweeted with but never met in the flesh, I had the sneaking suspicion that we were going to get on, given our seemingly similar attitudes towards restaurants and food, which are of course the two most important things in the world (Mrs. LF is going to kill me if she reads this).

So, in the middle of our two places of work, Great Queen Street (GQS) awaited. The little sister of some British gourmets’ favourite (and I cringe as I write the word) ‘gastropub’, GQS has no real name, no website, and no gimmicks. It is all simple wood and dim lighting inside, with informal but fairly knowledgeable staff. Like so many London restaurants today (St John and Bocca di Lupo spring to mind), the daily menu is presented on a loose sheet of paper, inferring that the menu changes daily and is probably more or less seasonal. And GQS checked all those boxes. The menu was quite traditionally British, and the simple, hearty fare sounded good to me as it had been a rather long and cold walk to get there.

The Menu, Innit

Unsurprisingly, I arrived on time, and was shown to a little square table for two, where my blind, male food blogger date was to join me. It was all a bit weird, but luckily I had seen a photo of him online so more or less knew what to look for. A bit over-anxious, I waved haphazardly to the next dude through the door based on just the faint outline of his face, who luckily happened to be the man himself. Phew.

After a long and enjoyable getting-to-know-you chat, we were scouring the menus like to men on a mission, trying to make wise selections in the presence of the seasoned foodie across the table. Decisions made, we continued with a very engaging and pleasant discussion, until the thing that united us finally arrived. Grub time.

Craig Linton: Although I’ve been blogging on and off for nearly five years it is only in the last six months or so that I’ve been writing up my thoughts on restaurants I’ve visited.

In that time I’ve found a whole new world of people who share my passion for eating out and good food.

One of the blogs I’ve got subscribed in my RSS feed is Laissez Fare and I always enjoy reading his in-depth reviews. We’ve been to a few of the same places and seem to have had similar experiences (see for example our thoughts on Le Gavroche here and here) and so I was delighted when he got in touch to see if I fancied meeting up for lunch.

After establishing we both work fairly close to each other we settled on Great Queen Street, Holborn, the sister restaurant to gastropub favourite the Anchor & Hope.

Now this is the first time I’ve ever met up with someone I’ve chatted to online and the occasion almost had a sense of a blind date to it. Would LF be the friendly, helpful, chatty guy his online persona gives off or would he turn out to be some sort of foodie psycho? I’m very pleased to report that it is the former, though whether the feeling is mutual you’ll have to check!

Anyway, we hit it off straight away and had a good chat before we got down to the serious business of ordering our food. Great Queen Street is all about seasonal, hearty food and the menu reflects this with dishes like slowly braised mutton and pressed ox tongue.

After a bit of deliberation we decided the desserts sounded better than the starters, so we elected to go for a main and dessert.

I went for devilled Hereford Beef and LF chose the special of room temperature slices of Old Spot pork with crab-apple jelly. We also shared a side of greens.

Getting Down to Bi’ness

Brown Bread & Butter

Laissez Fare: Some brown bread and butter had arrived, so we both had a small piece of it. It was pretty average and there’s nothing much more to say about it. I now eagerly awaited my main. 5/10.

LF Main Course: Slices of Old Spot Pork with Crab-Apple Jelly

I had heard a lot about Old Spot pork but had never knowingly tried it, so despite some reservations about a room temperature dish (that’s how they serve it) on a cold November day, I went for it. Luckily, I was not disappointed. It was a very simple dish with three main components. The pork was sliced to a medium thickness and the circles of fat were left in tack around the rim. It definitely had a unique full, round, mouth filling flavor that I hadn’t experienced before. It was surprisingly interesting and had me going back for more, especially when combined with the tangy yet slightly sweet and in-season crab-apple jelly. Because the side of greens we ordered was so delicious with its naughty, slightly creamy mustard sauce, which had a nice streak of acidity, I sort of ignored the little salad that came on my plate. This was a shame, because when I tasted it as an afterthought, I found it was actually quite good and it would have been a nice little accompaniment to the meat and jelly. Overall, then, a simple and accomplished dish. 8/10.

Shared Side Dish: 'Greens' with Mustard Sauce

I had ordered a glass of Beaujolais to go with my pork, thinking a soft, easy-drinking fruity wine would marry well with the flavors. It was brought out in a little ridged tumbler (like a small water glass you get in a bistro), as was Craig’s Portuguese red, which I thought was taking the minimalism a tad too far. It’s okay to serve wine on tap into a glass like that (like a place I went to in Venice once called Da Marisa), and Beaujolais after all is a very casual wine drunk with simple food in France, but I like my wine to breathe a bit and think a normal little wine glass would have been better. Rants aside, the wine did what I hoped it would and was a nice sipping partner for my late Old Spotted friend.

It’s worth noting that before tasting my own dish, I was quite jealous of Craig’s main course just on the looks. It reminded me of the hearty beef stroganoff my mom used to make us when I was a teenager. Luckily, he didn’t think I was a complete freak when I asked if he wanted to taste some of my dish, and even offered up a bit of his beef. The meat itself was very soft and tender, having been stewed for a long time, and the sauce it was bathing in was not bad at all. If I had to label it, I’d say it was sort of a European beef curry sauce, with its richness being supported and enhanced by a nice underlying spice (the ‘devil’ bit, I supposed) that ruminated and lingered in the mouth for a good while. I didn’t taste the rice or the egg, but the bit of meat and sauce I did have was very satisfying indeed. 7/10.

Craig Linton: The mains arrived pretty quickly and both looked good, so I was thankful when LF asked if I wanted to try some of his pork. Now my girlfriend found it hilarious when I told her that I was sharing food with a bloke I’d just met, but surely it makes sense for two people who love food to try each others dishes?

CL Main Course: Devilled Hereford Beef

My beef just melted in the mouth and the ‘devil’ in the title came with the accompanying stroganoff style sauce that had a satisfying curry kick to it and lifted the dish beyond a standard stew.  It was served with rice, half a boiled egg (not quite sure why) and some chopped gherkins, which gave a fresh, crunchy, acidic contrast to the beef that I really enjoyed.

I’m not normally a huge fan of cold pork as I find it can be quite dry, but this was moist and full of flavour. I haven’t had crab-apple jelly for years and my memories of it are from school and I was surprised at how sweet it was.  I thought it worked well with the pork and made for a decent main dish.

Special mention needs to go to the greens we ordered as a side dish, which we believed to be black cabbage (kale). They were well-cooked and retained a bit of crunch and had a creamy mustard sauce that I thought really elevated them above the ordinary.  Very good indeed.

Just Desserts

Laissez Fare: When the desserts arrived, I thought I’d definitely ‘won’. Oh, what, you haven’t noticed my competitive streak?

LF Dessert: Bitter Chocolate Terrine & Chestnut Cream

Unfortunately, just as I learned at my other recent food blogger lunch, looks can definitely be deceiving. There was nothing wrong with my bitter chocolate terrine with chestnut ice cream. The cake itself was, dense, smooth and full of nice dark chocolate flavor. I guess it was just a bit one-dimensional for my taste. The side of chestnut cream worked well and had little chunks of chestnut which paired nicely with the chocolate. It wasn’t a memorable dessert though, and I definitely had reason to be jealous this time. 6/10.

My companion’s dessert was head and tails better than mine (yes, he did let me have a bite). It was a gorgeous pile of thick creamy white chocolate whipped creamy looking stuff, with a thick syrupy sauce of bittersweet oranges (and orange sections too) sprinkled with a bit of praline. The citrus cut right through the cream and made for a simple but sublime combination. I loved it and wished we had ordered two. Alas, I made my peace and tried to hide my disappointment by quickly scoffing down the rest of my okay dessert. 8/10.

Craig Linton: I’d have happily ordered four out of five of the desserts and after a bit of deliberation I went for white chocolate pudding, oranges and praline. On the waiter’s advice LF went for the bitter chocolate terrine with chestnut ice cream.

I often get dessert jealously, but with a certain sense of smugness I can say that I definitely chose the better dessert!

CL Dessert: White Chocolate Pudding, Oranges & Praline

The white chocolate pudding was very good. It had the consistency of thick whipped cream, but with a rich white chocolate flavour. The oranges had been cut into slices and been gently cooked so they had just started to caramelise and worked really well with the white chocolate.

There was nothing wrong with LF’s chocolate terrine, but it wasn’t anything special either.

Post-Mortem

Laissez Fare: I think Great Queen Street has a lot going for it. It’s paired down, simple, seasonal and hearty food was good on this occasion and I’ll definitely be back as it’s walking distance from work. I thought that £25/person for two courses plus wine was fair enough as I left full, happy and contented. But, as is usually the case, what really made the meal was the company, which in this case made for a fun, relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable two hours.

Craig Linton: Overall, a highly enjoyable two hour, two course lunch and I would definitely go back to Great Queen Street. I recommended it to my boss when I returned to the office and will hopefully get him to take me on our next lunchtime meeting.

Really enjoyed my first lunch with a fellow blogger and fingers crossed we’ll do it again.

Tips if You’re Eating with a Fellow Blogger for the First Time

Craig Linton: Make sure you’ve read their recent blog posts.

- Decide if you’re going to review the place individually, together or at all.

- Know what the person you’re meeting looks like, so you don’t look slightly crazy by asking the other single diners in the restaurant if they are the person you are meant to be meeting.

- Choose who is going to take the photos and then share them after.  Compare embarrassing stories of partners/friends/restaurant staff getting annoyed at you insisting photographing everything.

- Despite funny looks from other diners, it is perfectly acceptable to request to try the other person’s food.

Laissez Fare: I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Rating

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Food: 7/10

Wine: nice little selection, but please serve in a proper glass!

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Great Queen Street once and it was for lunch.*

Pearl by Jun Tanaka – Pretty…Average

Pearl by Jun Tanaka
At the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel
252 High Holborn
London WC1V 7EN
Website
Map
Online Reservations

Our 3-course lunch using a toptable.com deal was £24/person (excluding wine)

Pearl is a feast for the eyes – the interior is very attractive (if a bit corporate) and the food is presented beautifully. Unfortunately, on my first visit the flavors were generally muddled, imprecise and didn’t create something memorable in the mouth. While not a disaster, I certainly haven’t had a burning desire to return in the few months that have elapsed since my meal there.

Thring for my Lunch

I must say at the onset that this is quite a belated post. It was one of those meals I wasn’t sure if I should write up (hint, hint), and has been in my back-log of posts for ages. For whatever reason, I’ve decided to do a little piece on it now.

I was quite excited about this meal, as I would be dining with fellow food blogger Oliver Thring (@oliverthring), whom I had met briefly a few weeks earlier at the a screening of Julie & Julia (see his review of the movie here). After a bit of tooing and froing, we eventually decided to lunch at Pearl by Jun Tanaka, as it was strategically positioned smack bang in the middle of our work places, and as I had followed Tanaka’s career for a while and always wanted to try his food.

I arrived a tad early as is my wont, so decided to do a bit of recon and took some rather dull photos of the rather dull exterior. If you’ve never been, it’s worth noting that the restaurant is loosely connected to the Renaissance Chancery Court hotel. If you’re facing the father long facade, the restaurant is on your left and the hotel is on your right side.

The exterior

Ollie turned up and we entered the rather empty restaurant. We were promptly led to a nice little table in the back corner and I thought it was quite a pretty space overall, though despite their best efforts, it still retains that part-of-a-flash-hotel feeling.

The view from our little enclave (photo courtesy of Oliver Thring)

I did like the decorative plate settings, though.

The pretty decorative plates and slightly odd & fancy spotlight (photo courtesy of Oliver Thring)

The menus soon arrived and a lot of it sounded appetizing and interesting. It was my first proper meal with another food blogger, which was great because it turned out that we were both very happy to share and try a bit of each other’s dishes.

We decided to have some wine by the glass with our meal and I was a bit shocked to see that only one of the reds and one of the whites were under £10/glass. Having dined at many hoity-toity restaurants as of late, I can’t remember seeing this anywhere else and really don’t consider it good form.

Compounding the problems in Pearl’s wine department was the fact that Ollie’s glass of Gruner Veltliner (£11/glass) was definitely corked. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a corked wine, but I would say that (a) the sommelier served the wine to us in a full glass – implying he had tasted it and was okay, otherwise he should have asked us to do so – and that (b) I don’t think it was the first glass they had served of that bottle, which is all the more unsettling. Wine diatribes aside, the food was coming and it certainly looked appetizing.

Great Expectations

Amuse Bouche (photo courtesy of Oliver Thring)

Sadly enough, given the tardiness of this report, I can’t remember what the heck the amuse bouche was or what it tasted like. I thought I’d include the picture that Ollie took anyway just to confuse you.

Starter 1: Venison – Spiced Venison with Beetroot & Plums, Elderflower Vinaigrette

I was justifiably excited about my starter. I mean, just read the description, and then look at the presentation – so bright, colourful and elegantly served. Unfortunately, it really didn’t hold up to what it had promised visually. The beetroot flavor was overpowering and there was almost no hint of venison to be tasted. While the fruits looked nice, they also didn’t quite fit in and the whole thing kind of merged into something that was pleasantly edible but not particularly tasty or memorable. Sigh. 5/10.

Starter 2: Haddock – Brandade & Egg Yolk Raviolo, Smoked Haddock Veloute, Watercress Dressing (photo on right courtesy of Oliver Thring)

Déjà vu with Ollie’s starter: it looked the business but failed to deliver in the flavor department. I must say that from the bite I had, the pasta had been perfectly cooked and the golden egg yolk spilt out perfectly upon being broken with the fork (a trademark of this dish). I just wish there had been some oomph to it. If I am being kind, I’d say that its subtlety and cleverness were lost on me, but this was a growing trend and I was beginning to think that nothing would stand up and grow some balls. 6/10.

Main Course 1: Plaice – Cornish Plaice with Artichoke Gnocchi, Caramelized Chicken Wings, Girolles & Baby Artichokes

The mains came and they were two more lookers. Actually, looking at them now, they were very similarly presented. My dish of Cornish plaice was again pleasant and slightly better than the preceding dishes, though not by much. The little chicken wings were by far the winners, and the veggies were flavorsome, but although the fish had been delicately cooked, it was all just rather ho-hum. Nothing was out of step, but nothing enlivening my taste buds either. 6/10.

Main Course 2: Pork – Pork Belly ‘Pot Au Feu’ with Raviolo, Borlotti Beans & Ravigote Sauce

I got a taste of my companion’s main, which was a good deal better. The pork was really well cooked – moist and full of flavor. The little sauce had a nice zing of acidity, which held everything together. The textures worked too, with the pasta and beans offering chew and the greens providing crunch. I was finally happy, and Ollie was kind enough to offer me have the rest of his dish. I politely declined once, but when he insisted I didn’t say no a second time. 8/10.

Dessert: Prune - Poached Prune & Almond Crumble, Almond Ice Cream

After being offered a glimmer of hope, things were looking up for the puddings. For reasons I cannot now comprehend (20/20 hindsight, I suppose) , we both went for the same dish for our last course. Very un-foodblogger like of us indeed. Architecturally speaking, it was little short of a masterpiece. But we were back to the beginning of the meal with the flavors – nothing to write home about. Pretty, pleasant, platitudinous. 5/10.

Beauty but no feast

The name of the restaurant reminds me of our recent honeymoon, part of which was spent in beautiful Bali, where we went to one of the local pearl factories along the northern coast of the island. We learned that while pearls are ‘natural’, as a round sphere is stuck into the inner tissue of a mollusc and then gestates in the sea water, it is in reality something created by man for man to appreciate. This is much like food, in that we now often grow, manufacture or artificially farm the specific ingredients we wish to eat, although the growth that takes place is of course ‘natural’. In both instances, it is rare to find a pearl/food that truly stands out from the ordinary and captures your imagination. In this instance, the Pearl that rested inside the shell of the Renaissance Chancery Court was certainly beautiful to look at, but when you took it out and examined it more closely, and then laid it next to some other beautiful pearls, it began to fade into the crowd and became a bit average, a bit banal.

Man & science fashioning 'natural' beauty

Yes, the food Jun Tanaka’s restaurant, while technically well cooked, tasted pretty average. The service was professional but a bit soulless. There were certainly some nice design elements lurking about, but the overriding feeling was that you were in a posh hotel. The combination of this led me to come away from the restaurant with a slight sense of disappointment and no real urgency to give it another go. This was saved however, by the stimulating and jovial company of a fellow food blogger, with whom I much enjoyed talking about what I love talking about best.

Rating

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 6/10

Wine: too expensive by the glass, plus my dining companion’s glass of wine arrived fully poured and was corked, indicating it had obviously not been checked beforehand by the sommelier.

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Pearl by Jun Tanaka once and it was for lunch.*

St John – Twice as Nice

St John Bar & Restaurant
26 St John Street
London EC1M 4AY
Website
Map
Online Reservations

Starters approx. £4-7, Mains approx. £15-25, Desserts approx. £6-7

St John serves simple, honest, delicious food that brings out the best of what its often humble ingredients can be. The dining space mirrors head chef Henderson’s paired down philosophy and is reminiscent of a posh school canteen for grown-ups...in a good way. The thing about St John is that, while it’s brilliant, there should be places like this in every town across the UK, where you can find well-cooked everyday dishes that won’t blow the bank. It’s the kind of food you might have gotten at your Nan’s or Auntie’s house in days gone by, and it’s not rocket science, after all. If you haven’t been, by all means go, if only to taste the marrow and sample one of their brilliant puddings. I just can’t believe there aren’t more places like this in London and elsewhere throughout Britain.

Sundays at St John

St John had been on my hit list for a long time – too long. So, when the weather began cooling and the days got darker, and when my stomach began craving for heart-warming comfort food, I happily discovered that St John was open for Sunday lunches. What a brilliant idea, I thought, and promptly booked myself in for the upcoming weekend.

I think that most readers of this blog will already know as much (or more) about St John, and its head chef Fergus Henderson, than I do, so I will spare you all of the literally gory details here. Suffice to say that the original outpost is located just opposite the Smithfield meat market in 1994 and that the building was formerly a smokehouse. Henderson is well-known for his ‘nose-to-tail eating’ philosophy (in fact, this was the title of his first cookbook), and the interior of the restaurant mirrors his style of food: it is paired down, simple and honest.

In 2003, Henderson and his business partner Trevor Gulliver opened a second branch, imaginatively called St John Bread and Wine, near Spitalfields market (spot the trend?). The original restaurant’s baking operations had outgrown its existing baking capabilities, so this new site took care of the new baking needs and also housed a smaller, less formal restaurant serving food and drink throughout the day.

As you will read further down, Mrs. LF and I so much enjoyed our first visit to St John that we immediately booked Sunday lunch for the very next week upon leaving. So this review comprises two meals on two consecutive Sundays.

Meal 1: Initiation

It was a typically bleak autumn afternoon as we made our way East to the City of London, gliding stealthily beneath its dragon-crowned gates in the anonymity of the Circle Line. I had only ever seen St John from the outside, and didn’t realize there was a little bakery and bar on the ground floor, with the main restaurant on a slightly raised level up a small flight of stairs. (You can see some pictures of these areas towards the end of the post).

An industrial entrance on a rather gloomy Sunday afternoon

We made our way up and found the place to be about half full but with a nice but quiet buzz about it. Our waitress took us to our little table for two, which was nestled very cosily against the right wall. After being given the paper menu (a good deal of the dishes change every day, with only a few fixtures/signature dishes such as the infamous marrow), we were served some bread. It was a wonderful loaf of sourdough with a great crust and bags of perfect sourdough flavor. We loved it. And one of my unofficial rules that normally holds true in restaurants is that, if the bread is excellent, there is a very good chance you’re in for some good food, too.

The amazing sourdough bread, the paper menu & the anticipation of that fabled marrow (with its eating instrument on the right)

We eventually ordered and took stock of the place. It is pretty much what I expected. Stark, basic, and mostly white. Industrial looking light fixtures, bistro-style wooden chairs, paper table cloths on top of the real ones, silverware that you can tell has been well used, waiting staff in kitchen whites. But most importantly, all of the diners there seemed to be genuinely having a good time. It was a posh school canteen for grown-ups.

The semi-open kitchen & 2 views of the canteen-style dining room from our little nook

After attempting to turn my eyes into binoculars while peering past the pass in the kitchen, to see what offal tricks these culinary wizards were conjuring, and soaking everything in, our efficient waitress came back with our starters.

Starter 1: Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad

And what a starter. Phwoah – just look at those bad boys! This was the signature dish I had been waiting to order. Despite my expectations being ridiculously high for what is after all a very simple dish, I was not let down one bit. This was one of the best and most satisfying things I’ve shoved down my gob in recent memory. It just worked on every level. The marrow was rich and smooth, with a half liquidized fat texture. Spread across the perfectly toasted bread (which was the right thickness for the dish), sprinkled with a bit of that chunky gray salt, and topped off with a good dose of fresh parsley and onions (with a faultless vinaigrette), I was eating way too fast. You had richness that was accented by salt and shot through the heart with fresh green acidity; you had smooth, you had crunchy you had chewy. It was all there…for about 2 minutes that is. Mrs. LF concurred and, had she been able to stomach it, would have had much more of it than she did (thank God she is slim and didn’t have the stomach for it!). No doubt, 10/10.

Starter 2: Split Pea Soup

Meanwhile, she was slurping up another wonderfully simple and rustic dish, a bowl of split pea soup. And what it lacked in looks, it certainly made up for in taste. It was one of the best pea soups I’ve had, hands down. Pure sweet pea flavor, perfectly seasoned, with a great thick but not-too-thick texture, we couldn’t really fault it. Mrs. LF informed me that when she was growing up in the Normandy countryside, they often began their meals with a simple vegetable soup, and she thought it a great start to the meal. 9/10.

Main Course 1: Ox Heart, Carrots & Aioli

For my main course, I ordered something I had never eaten before – we were in St John, after all. The ox heart had been masterfully cooked, being seared on the outside but with a very soft and buttery core (zoom in on the second photo to see what I’m talking about), and I loved the way it felt in my mouth. The taste was quite full-on; after all, it is a friggin’ heart we’re talking about. It is quite a lean meat (being a muscle), and you can taste its high mineral content on your palate (it’s high in both iron and copper), but not unpleasantly so. It had a nice little accompanying sauce and a lovely aioli on the side, which was good because it needed a little kick from time to time. I could see how eating the meat itself could become monotonous after a while as for me it wasn’t like a sumptuous steak you’d keep coming back to again and again without relief. For this reason the aioli and the simply cooked sweet carrots were well thought-out partners. Overall, I was really glad I tried this dish and enjoyed it. Would I order it again? Not necessarily, but it was well worth the experience. 7/10.

Main Course 2: Smoked Eel, Beetroot & Horseradish

Mrs. LF couldn’t believe how good her dish of smoked eel was, and neither could I when I tasted it. She commented that it had a “rich and strong taste of eel, yet it was perfectly balanced, so flavorsome and distinct and unlike any other seafood dish I’d had. The beetroot, which I never really loved before, was outstanding; it was as if they had marinated or cooked in some kind of vinegar, and that sharpness was the perfect accompaniment for the intense taste of the eel. I truly enjoyed this dish for its authenticity and honesty. 10/10.”

Dessert: Plum Jelly & Shortbread

The puddings…ooh…the puddings. My god, they all sounded so simple, so satisfying, so good. But alas, as one of Catherine Tate’s characters might say, “we was well full” by then. So we decided to split one and rolled the dessert dice. Thank God we came up trumps.

We simply loved this dessert. It was a perfect jelly – firm yet with a bit of wobble – whose creators had achieved the miracle of blissful balance between the sweet and tart. But jelly on its own is not a proper pudding. Luckily, the good folks at St John agreed, and provided some cooked plums on the side, as well as a dollop of thick cream and two of the best rectangles of homemade shortbread I’ve had. Just like the marrow, salad and toast – it just all worked together. We wanted another one, but in the end, we were good little adult canteen goers. 9/10.

Meal 2: Conversion?

With an overwhelmingly positive first meal at St John, we were back the next Sunday, same bat time, same bat channel. But could Fergus’ kitchen charm us twice?

Starter 1: Squid & Tomato

I had also heard good things about their calamari, and as they were on the menu that Sunday, I went for it. I was a bit underwhelmed. They were a little firmer than I thought they should be, but had good, sweet flavor and were well seasoned (like everything else at St John). The peppery rocket and sweet tomato provided good contrasts in both taste and texture, and I ate it quite happily though it was nothing compared to those towers of shins the week before. 6/10.

Starter 2: Pea & Ham Soup

Given Mrs. LF’s previously mentioned predisposition for a simple potage as the opening to the show, she again opted for the pea soup, although on this day there was some ham too. It was again an extremely satisfying soup which did everything it could possibly have. 9/10 once again.

Main Course 1: Whole Grouse with Bread Sauce & Grouse Pâté on Toast

Being bang in the middle of grouse season, I thought I would have my first grouse of the year, and for that matter, my first grouse ever so far as I can remember. I knew that this bird has a very pronounced flavor, and I hoped I would like it. I was delighted to see that when I cut into the meat, it had been skilfully cooked – perfectly reddish-pink in the middle. It did indeed have a strong flavor, which is quite hard to describe if you’ve never had it. Gamey and rich, I did enjoy it but didn’t fall in love. It does have a wonderful texture to it, though. I liked it best when eaten with some bread sauce (I needed that sweetness), and while I’m sure you’d be hard pressed to find a better grouse that was better cooked in the UK, I just don’t think this bird is my bag. Saying that, the accompanying little slice of crispy toast with grouse pâté was divine, and they were right to only include one as it was insanely rich. I will give it a 7/10 because I think it was a well-executed dish but one whose main component wasn’t really to my taste.

Main Course 2: Braised Hare & Mash

Of her main course, Mrs. LF said: “I chose this dish because I love rabbit, and since I never had hare before I thought that it would have similar taste to rabbit but in a more gamey way, which I imagined I’d like. And like it I did. It had that raw, rural feel to it that reminded me of French boeuf mode (although not with beef!). The hare was perfectly braised, with the meat threading off the bone, and the rich sauce with its bits of carrots and onion was rustic and just right. 9/10.”

Before dessert, I had the chance to visit the bathroom, which proved to be just as starkly designed as the rest of the place.

The storm trooper loos

The light & the luminary (Fergus himself in the background, dining with friends)

After being mildly disappointed so far, more with my menu selections than with the cooking itself, I was looking forward to those glorious puddings even more.

Dessert 1: Poached Plums & Spiced Ice Cream

After much heated debate, I had finally opted for the poached plums. After the success of last week’s dessert, I was again a little let down with this course. Not that it was bad, far from it. It just didn’t deliver that punch I had been expecting. The plums were well poached and had a nice sweet and sour flavor about them. The ice cream was pleasant if a bit forgettable, and the toast was a good vessel for soaking up the juice of the plums. But the real reason for my mild state of depression was that Mrs. LF was going on about how great her dessert was. So, being me, I started to pillage and plunder, which didn’t go down too well. I would give the plums 7/10.

Dessert 2: Baked Egg Custard & Blueberries

Yes, now this was the business. This is what I had been dreaming about, another proper pudding that could hold its weight against last week’s finale. The custard was thick, sweet and extremely more-ish. This was especially the case when you ate it in tandem with a little bit of the sweet blueberry compote. And those shortbreads were back again, there for dipping, dunking, defiling. As the little dog from the Churchill ad says, “Oh, yes”. So we had our happy ending, the meal had been pulled back from the brink of slight disappointment. 9/10.

The dining room at the end of our meal

The bakery & the bar as we prepared to enter the real world, once again

The St John scooter we spotted as we exited

Parting Thoughts & Shots

Despite the fact that I didn’t particularly like some of what I ordered on our second visit, St John now holds a special place in both my, and my fair lady’s, heart. We love the simply prepared and delicious food and the place’s complete and utter lack of pretence. As I mentioned before, you get the best of what these often modest ingredients have to offer at St John. And if you like one of the meats or fish in particular, they are almost guaranteed to make a great dish out of it for you. I think their puddings deserve a special mention, because they are just so satisfying – no tricks, gimmicks or unnecessary components, just plain good combinations.

One thing we did discuss at the end of our second meal was the fact that while most people think of St John as a thoroughly British affair, we’re not quite so sure. Of course, Henderson is a British chef, and some of the ingredients (i.e. the grouse I had) are native to the British Isles. But Mrs. LF reckons that the majority of the cooking techniques in the kitchen are, at their heart, those of good French home cooking. To wit, the flawless vinaigrette on my parsley salad, the hearty potages and the sauces. And she was also quick to point out that Britain is not the only country that utilizes a wide range of cheaper cuts of meat in its menus, as French country and bistro cooking does as well. Sure, the puddings are mostly British, but I think the woman makes a good point.

Another thing one might consider is the fact that some people reckon that St John is the 14^th best restaurant in the world. While I would say it is probably a unique restaurant in my experience with London dining establishments – and maybe the wider UK – I think that, if true, this is a very sad fact.

Again, Mrs. LF piped up with some insightful thoughts, saying: “Yes, it is unique, but it shouldn’t be. There should be loads of places like St John all over the country. It’s not rocket science after all. Not everyone wants poncy fine dining, but people should have ready access to this kind of food – they’re not cooking foie gras, caviar and truffles, are they? Every single town in England should have a place like St John – I mean, why don’t British pubs, those ancient symbols of tradition, serve food like this? St John represents the things that are disappearing from our lives (not just in Britain, but in France too), where once upon a time you could eat like this every day, even at your family table. I mean, this is the kind of food you’d go to get at your best Auntie’s or Grandma’s house.”

And this is unfortunately what makes St John unique; it is exactly that kind of amazing home cooked food that we should all be having much more of, both at home and when we decide to eat out.

But whatever the case, what is clear is that St John is surely worth a visit. For my money, I can’t imagine a better place to enjoy a leisurely Sunday lunch in the din of winter.

And one last thing. If you do believe it is the 14^th best restaurant in the world, it is certainly pretty easy to get a table here (at least for Sunday lunch) compared to some of the others on that list. So go already.

Rating

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Food: 8.5/10

Wine List: 7/10

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined twice at St John, both times for Sunday lunch.*