I’d been looking forward to this dinner for some time. I’d heard of the restaurant quite a while ago, and then it was featured in the BBC programme ‘Master Chef – The Professionals’, and I decided I had to go there. Soon. So when a visit to London was planned I seized the opportunity and booked a table.
The prices were quite steep, at least for my wallet, so we went for the pre-theatre menu. This is a somewhat reduced list of options, but there is still enough of a choice that there is something for most people’s tastes. The only drawback, I found, was the limited time when it is available (5.30pm to 6.15pm). We had the three courses for £32, and even a picky eater like me found something that I fancied. Not bad.
Before our starter arrived we were presented with an amuse bouche, a little taster to get our appetite whet. My friends received a foie gras jelly topped with parmesan foam, and I was given the vegetarian option; fennel jelly with lemon foam. Delicious.
I started off with the L’OEUF COQUE SANS COQUE, while my friends had the LE SAUMON D’ECOSSE, accompanied by a glass of their house champagne. Lovely. Both were good choices. The egg was runny but in a good way (I don’t normally like runny yolks), and the mushroom sauce was divine. The salmon was served paper thin, with delicate yet flavoursome spices.
For our main courses we chose LES SPAGHETTI (Spaghetti with confit cherry tomatoes in basil, black olive and parmesan, the only vegetarian option – but oh so yummy), LA VOLAILLE (Chicken with chips), and LE LIEU (Pollock with leeks and lemongrass). The amazing thing is that these dishes sound so ordinary but taste so out of this world. You could ask who goes to a two Michelin starred restaurant and orders spaghetti, but it was honestly the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. It melted in my mouth, and was both spicy and mild at the same time. Definitely something to aspire to when cooking at home. We had a white wine with our main courses; a Chablis, which turned out to be perfect. One of us had an apple juice, which was freshly pressed and beautifully presented.
There was no hesitation from any of us when ordering the desserts, it had to be the LE CHOCOLAT TENDANCE (Creamy Manjari chocolate, bitter chocolate sorbet and Oreo cookie crumb) for all of us. It was stunningly beautiful to look at, and even better to eat. It was one of those moments when you dive into a creamy chocolaty heaven, and never want to leave again. The creamy chocolate was light and airy, the sorbet was cold and refreshing, and the oreo cookie crumb was a perfect contrast to the rest.
I assume the main menu holds many more delights, it definitely looked lengthy, but the pre-theatre menu was more than good enough for me. I can understand why they have received their Michelin stars, the ambience was lovely, and the waiters were always present but discreet. I loved the décor as well, with a black and red colour scheme, and a living green wall to one side. The kitchen was open so that we could see the chefs at work, but still there was no noise, no screaming and shouting – it was all very tasteful and pleasant, and professional. I’d love to go back there.
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