Tom's Kitchen, Chelsea
TA is widely acclaimed as one of London's top Chefs so we jumped when an opportunity arose to dine at the Kitchen during the March London Restaurant Festival. The Festival menu was a bargain £15 for two courses, though less of a bargain at £25 for 3 - that's a big jump for dessert - and it was limited to two choices of appetisers and entrees. It was a chilly day, so we both opted for the soup - Beans with duck confit sounded suitably heart-warming. Unusually the soup was a puree and the confit had sunk to the bottom, not making an appearance until halfway through - it was tasty, but not quite as expected.
The entree choices were fish and chips or cottage pie, so one of each please. The pie came in its own Staub pot, and a crisp cheesy topping. Comfort food given the haute cuisine treatment. The fish - pollock, the darling of the sustainable lobby - was cooked well, but the batter was a huge disappointment. Although appearing crisp it was heavy and soggy to the point of being inedible. The chips were so-so - certainly not as good as others tasted recently. No comment was made by staff when gathering the plate full of batter, a mistake as they could have avoided other such disasters coming out of the kitchen. We chose not to take the upcharge on dessert.
We were expecting more from Tom's Kitchen and I got the distinct feeling that it was cruising on its association with its more famous sibling down the road. A treat turned into nothing more than an average meal.
http://www.tomskitchen.co.uk/
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Murano
Murano, Mayfair.
It was a surprise early Valentine's dinner - the perfect way of celebrating for a couple who think the whole Valentine's thing is a sham and who for years have declared it 'Amateur Night' at any restaurant, preferring to cook a special dinner at home and open a spectacular bottle (or two) without the worry of a DWI.
So, I have my suspicions before we leave the house - after all, this place has been on my must-go list since it opened in 2008 - but I still enjoy the frisson of the 'surprise' when we pull up outside.
I've been a fan of Angela Hartnett's cooking since dining at The Grill at The Connaught when she was the resident Chef, and I've also eaten at The York and Albany on the edge of Regent's Park (like Murano, it is a co-production with Gordon Ramsay). What I love is her simplicity - it takes a huge amount of skill to make food at this level look simple.
The restaurant is airy, light and elegant - very serene and welcoming. Comfortable chairs, nice spacing between the tables, unfussy wall paintings and a touch of originality in the unique light fixtures - an homage to Murano's glass industry.
Once seated at a nice large round table (too often 'two-top' tables are skimpy), we turn our attention to the menu - at £60 for 3 courses it's a bargain considering we're dining at a Michelin starred restaurant. A glass of Ayala Brut helps focus the brain, and we quickly narrow the selections to two starters and a shared entree: I will have the Sea Scallops with Apple and Cucumber Salsa, Pata Negra, Pumpkin Puree and Candied Walnuts, and he'll have the Braised Veal Anolini with a White Onion Puree and a Truffle Broth, followed by Cote de Boeuf for two. The scallops are perfecty cooked, and the accompanying garnishes make each bite magical. I find it interesting that scallops, more than any seafood, often provide a foil to strong flavours (think black pudding, chorizo etc.) but here the notes are subtle and light. I manage to snag an anolini or two, but it's the broth that shines here - it slides over the tongue filling the mouth with haunting truffle - sublime.
Moving from Texas to London has brought a few sacrifices one of which is beef. We were spoiled with an easy availability of marbled slabs of steak which we've been unable to replicate here - when we've tried what looks like a comparable ribeye it is sadly lacking in flavour. So we fall upon the Cote de Boeuf which has been skillfully sliced and plated tableside - maybe a tiny bit under cooked I think - and it doesn't disappoint. Beautifully seasoned. Simply accompanied by rustic potatoes boulangere and courgette 'chips' it hits the mark perfectly. The wine list is swimming with high priced wines but we manage to find a value-priced 'super-Tuscan' - Poggio al Tesoro Sondaia 2005 - and it stands up to that hunk of beef admirably.
All that meat - do we have room for dessert? You bet. I plump for Carmelia Chocolate Mousse with Nougatine, Caramel Bonbon and Salted Almond Icecream - right in my wheelhouse. The sweetness of the caramel playing off dark chocolate, the salt hitting an occasional high note - this was a melody of flavours and textures. The Plum and Spiced Caramel Parfait with a Feuillatine Crunch and Roasted Plum delivered, but couldn't put up much of a fight.
It strikes us, as we linger over a last bite of dessert, that this hasn't really been an 'Italian' meal as one might expect, but rather a celebration of great ingredients prepared with loving care. And after all, isn't love what it's all about?
http://www.angelahartnett.com/
http://www.gordonramsey.com/
It was a surprise early Valentine's dinner - the perfect way of celebrating for a couple who think the whole Valentine's thing is a sham and who for years have declared it 'Amateur Night' at any restaurant, preferring to cook a special dinner at home and open a spectacular bottle (or two) without the worry of a DWI.
So, I have my suspicions before we leave the house - after all, this place has been on my must-go list since it opened in 2008 - but I still enjoy the frisson of the 'surprise' when we pull up outside.
I've been a fan of Angela Hartnett's cooking since dining at The Grill at The Connaught when she was the resident Chef, and I've also eaten at The York and Albany on the edge of Regent's Park (like Murano, it is a co-production with Gordon Ramsay). What I love is her simplicity - it takes a huge amount of skill to make food at this level look simple.
The restaurant is airy, light and elegant - very serene and welcoming. Comfortable chairs, nice spacing between the tables, unfussy wall paintings and a touch of originality in the unique light fixtures - an homage to Murano's glass industry.
Once seated at a nice large round table (too often 'two-top' tables are skimpy), we turn our attention to the menu - at £60 for 3 courses it's a bargain considering we're dining at a Michelin starred restaurant. A glass of Ayala Brut helps focus the brain, and we quickly narrow the selections to two starters and a shared entree: I will have the Sea Scallops with Apple and Cucumber Salsa, Pata Negra, Pumpkin Puree and Candied Walnuts, and he'll have the Braised Veal Anolini with a White Onion Puree and a Truffle Broth, followed by Cote de Boeuf for two. The scallops are perfecty cooked, and the accompanying garnishes make each bite magical. I find it interesting that scallops, more than any seafood, often provide a foil to strong flavours (think black pudding, chorizo etc.) but here the notes are subtle and light. I manage to snag an anolini or two, but it's the broth that shines here - it slides over the tongue filling the mouth with haunting truffle - sublime.
Moving from Texas to London has brought a few sacrifices one of which is beef. We were spoiled with an easy availability of marbled slabs of steak which we've been unable to replicate here - when we've tried what looks like a comparable ribeye it is sadly lacking in flavour. So we fall upon the Cote de Boeuf which has been skillfully sliced and plated tableside - maybe a tiny bit under cooked I think - and it doesn't disappoint. Beautifully seasoned. Simply accompanied by rustic potatoes boulangere and courgette 'chips' it hits the mark perfectly. The wine list is swimming with high priced wines but we manage to find a value-priced 'super-Tuscan' - Poggio al Tesoro Sondaia 2005 - and it stands up to that hunk of beef admirably.
All that meat - do we have room for dessert? You bet. I plump for Carmelia Chocolate Mousse with Nougatine, Caramel Bonbon and Salted Almond Icecream - right in my wheelhouse. The sweetness of the caramel playing off dark chocolate, the salt hitting an occasional high note - this was a melody of flavours and textures. The Plum and Spiced Caramel Parfait with a Feuillatine Crunch and Roasted Plum delivered, but couldn't put up much of a fight.
It strikes us, as we linger over a last bite of dessert, that this hasn't really been an 'Italian' meal as one might expect, but rather a celebration of great ingredients prepared with loving care. And after all, isn't love what it's all about?
http://www.angelahartnett.com/
http://www.gordonramsey.com/
The Square Pops Up In Putney
Restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas has done a wonderful thing for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. For the month of March she is hosting pop-up restaurants in the Putney space that most recently housed her restaurant The Phoenix Bar and Grill and is donating the proceeds to Action Against Hunger for the Haiti campaign. She has gathered top Chefs from Britain's finest restaurants - among them Rick Stein, Atul Kochhar, Rowley Leigh and, on the night we were there, Phillip Howard - and put them to work for a cause. Many of the pop-up nights are already a sell-out, and we were lucky to snag a table for The Square, a Michelin 2 Star restaurant in Mayfair.
An amuse of a mini cornet of foie gras mousse and squid-ink gougeres stuffed with goat cheese was a good place to start while we considered the short but sweet menu choices. Bread from Ottolenghi was a treat too, and, having chosen appetizers and entrees, we started in on bottle of St. Veran. A colourful salad of beetroot and goat curd, delicately dressed with an Eiswein vinaigrette and set off by a scoop of silky Balsamic cream was a delight, elevating the vegetable from humble to haute. An impossibly tiny brunoise of vegetables garnished the beets - there must be elves in the kitchen with little knives creating such a minituarised sprinkle.
Next we chose both appetizers so we could share - a Ravioli of Scallops and Langoustine Claws with a Champagne foam and Ballotines of Guinea Fowl with Foie Gras and a Rhubarb and Grape Chutney. No wonder we couldn't choose between them - both were delicious. The former was wrapped in such a subtle sauce that it allowed the seafood to sing, while the chutney cut the richness of the foie gras torchon perfectly. The only way to stay even-handed on the sharing was knowing that the less you gave, the less you received - a policy of mutually assured destruction!
Despite years of living in Texas, a hunter's paradise, neither of us have a liking for Venison, so we both went for Loin of Monkfish with Winter Vegetables, Chanterelles and Truffle. For sure a few Morels snuck into the mushroom and vegetable medley and the whole dish was a skillful pairing - few fish other than 'Poor Man's Lobster' could stand up to such earthy flavours and a meaty jus.
A rich cheesecake of Brillat Savarin with Passion Fruit and Lime and a dainty dish of sorbets (I know Plum was one of them, but fail to remember the others except they were all delectable) rounded up the meal.
Each dish had been beautifully presented and the service was impeccable if a touch hurried. A take-away package containing some fresh nougat was a sweet touch.
There's nothing square about The Square - Chef Howard's food is modern and exciting, underpinned by classic techniques and there's an evident deftness in the layering of flavours. We come away knowing we've had a bargain, and feeling good about helping some less fortunate souls at the same time.
http://www.squarerestaurant.org/
http://www.putneypopup.co.uk/
An amuse of a mini cornet of foie gras mousse and squid-ink gougeres stuffed with goat cheese was a good place to start while we considered the short but sweet menu choices. Bread from Ottolenghi was a treat too, and, having chosen appetizers and entrees, we started in on bottle of St. Veran. A colourful salad of beetroot and goat curd, delicately dressed with an Eiswein vinaigrette and set off by a scoop of silky Balsamic cream was a delight, elevating the vegetable from humble to haute. An impossibly tiny brunoise of vegetables garnished the beets - there must be elves in the kitchen with little knives creating such a minituarised sprinkle.
Next we chose both appetizers so we could share - a Ravioli of Scallops and Langoustine Claws with a Champagne foam and Ballotines of Guinea Fowl with Foie Gras and a Rhubarb and Grape Chutney. No wonder we couldn't choose between them - both were delicious. The former was wrapped in such a subtle sauce that it allowed the seafood to sing, while the chutney cut the richness of the foie gras torchon perfectly. The only way to stay even-handed on the sharing was knowing that the less you gave, the less you received - a policy of mutually assured destruction!
Despite years of living in Texas, a hunter's paradise, neither of us have a liking for Venison, so we both went for Loin of Monkfish with Winter Vegetables, Chanterelles and Truffle. For sure a few Morels snuck into the mushroom and vegetable medley and the whole dish was a skillful pairing - few fish other than 'Poor Man's Lobster' could stand up to such earthy flavours and a meaty jus.
A rich cheesecake of Brillat Savarin with Passion Fruit and Lime and a dainty dish of sorbets (I know Plum was one of them, but fail to remember the others except they were all delectable) rounded up the meal.
Each dish had been beautifully presented and the service was impeccable if a touch hurried. A take-away package containing some fresh nougat was a sweet touch.
There's nothing square about The Square - Chef Howard's food is modern and exciting, underpinned by classic techniques and there's an evident deftness in the layering of flavours. We come away knowing we've had a bargain, and feeling good about helping some less fortunate souls at the same time.
http://www.squarerestaurant.org/
http://www.putneypopup.co.uk/
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