The other 2 star in London, we saved this one for Slokky’s birthday.
Food
I wanted to get the 10 course degustation, since it was actually cheaper than getting 3 courses + coffee, but because Slokky’s aunt doesn’t eat lamb and don’t like sea bass, we had to order a la carte instead.
Anyway, we started with some green olives and a choice of bread. I sampled the walnut and raisins, Guiness and poppy seed. The poppy seed was a bit hard, otherwise the bread was pretty yummy.
Only one appetiser was offered, but it did include a selection of 4 things: consommé, foie gras sandwich, salmon terrain, bacon wrap. This was delicious and a great way to start the meal.
The Entree of Seared and Poached Foie Gras, White Beans, Smoked Bacon, Pea Shoots and Sauternes Consomme (supplement £5.00) was, incidentally, the best dish of the night. The foie gras taste really creamy and the sauce was poured over, a bit citric like. The Open Ravioli of Poached Oysters with Cauliflower Couscous, Romenesco and Champagne Veloute, Watercress Chantilly was less successful. There was only one of the so called oyster, and the sauce didn’t taste very much of oyster at all. While the pastry was well made, I didn’t see how it added to the dish at all.
For mains, we ordered the >Roasted Rib of Veal with Garlic Gnocchis, Creamed Morels, Roasted Garlic and Sage Jus, which was for 2 person. I didn’t see why that was so. We got individual serving of a cut from a rack, and a scattering of vegetables. There is no way we had a whole rack or piece of veal between us. The veal was still slightly pink, and tender enough, but it didn’t taste of much. The vegetables though were very well done. I especially love the roasted garlic and the fried potatoes, but there wasn’t a lot of them. We sampled some of the Steamed and Roasted Breast of Anjou Pigeon with Chick Peas, Chorizo and Red Pepper Oil and can report that this pigeon tastes very similar to the pigeon at Vermeer .
I was very happy when the pre-dessert was the Walnut Soup with Passion Fruit Mousse and Chocolate Crumble, as that was what attracted me to the degustation. And it didn’t disappoint. A little like a Chinese walnut dessert, but with the tanginess of the passion fruit. I tried the banana in the Roasted Banana, Caramel Mousse, Golden Raisins, Banana and Passion Fruit Sorbet and it was executed to perfection. The waiter recommended the Baked Apple Pudding, Apple Foam, Hazelnut Crumble, Fromage Frais and Anise Sorbet, and it certainly looked very spectacular, with a lattice hovering over the plate. The pudding was quite homely, like a well-made muffin. The apple foam was quite subtle, matching the lightness of the anise sorbet. The Bitter Sweet Chocolate Tart, Stout Ice Cream and Macadamia Nut Cream is a big contrast, with bold, strong flavours. The chocolate was suitably dark, and the stout ice-cream was excellent. The macadamia didn’t taste as fresh as some of the others I’ve tasted.
All in all, I would say the food is good, but not up to 2 star standard.
Rating - 8
Atmosphere
It’s a very small restaurant, about 4 tables in the front room and another 10 or so at the back. I can see that it can get quite intimate, especially when they try to cram a few people onto the smaller tables. I had booked for 4, but then reduced that down to three, so as a result, we got one of the largest tables there, and we had a relaxed, spacious dinner. Still, we could hear nearly everything the Americans at the next table were discussing. Another surprise was there were a few lone diners there, probably on business and exercising their corporate cards.
Rating - 1.5
Service
All the waiters were French or spoke French, as usual. They do the usual, fold your napkin, explain each dish, clean your crumbs. There were certainly a lot of them floating around, but by the looks of things, not enough. We weren’t offered more bread for a long time, our water was not filled up at the right moment. i.e., when there were lots of water left they decided to top it up, but when we actually needed the water they didn’t. The worst had to be the sommelier. They actually have 2 for such a small restaurant, but that still wasn’t enough by the look of things to cater to everyone’s wine needs. I had asked for a recommendation to go with my main. The wine was delivered all right, my glass o was plonked on my table, with no explanation of what it was, and then he left. After waiting about 10 minutes and no one came back, I had to ask for an explanation, which still wasn’t delivered straight away. The wine was good but I certainly didn’t expect treatment like this. The other waiter was apologetic in taking so long for an explanation, but it still wasn’t acceptable.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but they do have 2 stars. They actually got some of the cutlery they laid out for us wrong, so didn’t make for a very good impression. I also expected the waiter to take more time to serving you, for example, the sauce for Slokky’s foie gras was hastily poured on. It always seemed like they were in a hurry, which made us anxious.
Rating - 1
C-factor
You have to order a minimum of a starter and main course, which costs £52.50, desserts £12.50. You all know by now that I don’t mind paying more for quality, but in this case, I have eaten much better elsewhere. All the typical Michelin touches were there, but there was none of the flair and wow factor I have experienced at all my previous 2 star restaurants, Le Gavroche , Midsummer House and of course, my favourite, Noma.
Rating - 0
Brownie Points - 10.5
Info
34 Charlotte Street
London
W1T 2NH
Phone +44 (0) 20 7636 1178
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