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Patterson’s
4 Mill Street,
London, W1S 2AX

Food type: French

Food rating: 4/10

Nearest tube: Oxford Street

Website: Patterson’s

While tidying up my collection of photos (basically backing up my photos from my laptop onto my desktop) I stumbled upon a bunch of photos of food from places I have dined at prior to me picking up the habit of blogging about restaurants. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to food – in most cases, reviews are published at least a week later from the initial date I dined at the restaurant.

I dined at Patterson’s restaurant sometime back in June upon the recommendation of a friend. To be honest, if it weren’t for my friend, I would not have never been aware of the place since it’s location is quite hidden. Patterson’s is located on Mill Street, off Conduit Street around the Oxford Circus shopping district. The restaurant is pretty small and intimate with a lobster tank, displaying those vicious crustaceans, being the centre of attention. The crowd during dinner is a young one, a refreshing change from all the suits which fill up restaurants around this area. No doubt this could be because of an offer running on Toptable offering a 40% discount off the bill based on a 3 course dinner.

White Asparagus, Cured Salmon, Deep-Fried Risotto Balls

An amuse bouche consisted of a trio of White Asparagus, Cured Salmon and Deep-Fried Risotto Balls were rather uninteresting. Many restaurants use the amuse bouche to make a statement and to show off the creativity and technical capability of the head chef. It was therefore disappointing that our pre-starter was something I could have produced at home. Furthermore, the Fried Risotto Balls were not only greasy but lacked any truly outstanding flavour. (2/10)

Foie Gras and Smoked Eel Terrine with Beetroot Ravioli

My starter was a Foie Gras and Smoked Eel Terrine with Beetroot Ravioli. The foie gras used was of good quality and well prepared resulting in a smooth, rich and creamy terrine and a good livery taste. The smoked eel provided a good counterpoint to the richness of the liver. The oft copied beetroot ravioli did not contain enough acidity to cut through the all the flavours and seemed somewhat drowned by all the other strong flavours on the plate. I have to say that the portions were more than generous and even the glutton that I am struggled to finish the terrine. (4/10)

Lobster Tortelloni with Peas and Lobster Broth

J went for the Lobster Tortelloni with Peas and Lobster Broth which she thoroughly enjoyed. (J does love her lobsters though) I did not try enough of it to fully comment on this, but from my small bite, the lobster was correctly cooked.

Crown of Turbot with Lobster, Mussels and Samphire in a Sauvignon Blanc Reduction

My mains was a Crown of Turbot with Lobster, Mussels and Samphire in a Sauvignon Blanc Reduction. This was my favourite dish of the night which was lifted by the superb pairing with a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse. The fish was perfectly cooked, retaining all its lovely juices and garnished with (then) seasonal Samphire (also known as asparagus of the sea) and some very succulent, yet tender, Mussels. The sauce was perfumed with the smell of the Sauvignon Blanc and accompanied by a bonus shaving of truffle which provided some earthiness to what would otherwise be a clean dish. If there was a downside to what would otherwise be a truly outstanding dish, it was that the lobster was overcooked resulting in it being tough. (5/10)

Loin of Black Pig from ”Bigorre” with Langoustine, Fondant Potato, Confit Leg Wrapped in Savoy Cabbage and Langoustine Oil

J’s main of Loin of Black Pig from ”Bigorre” with Langoustine, Fondant Potato, Confit Leg Wrapped in Savoy Cabbage and Langoustine Oil was less impressive. The problem with using low fat cuts like loin is that it has to be cooked very little or cooked for a very long time (e.g. braised) otherwise that cut of meat would be dry. It is perfectly fine to serve pork slightly pink so long as the pork is from a good source (ie. free-range, organic) and does not originate from Malaysia. After all, we do eat raw (albeit cured) pork in the form of Parma ham (proscuitto). Anyways, back to the dish. The pork was too dry and even with the addition of the jus. Another problem I had with this dish is the combination of langoustines with the pork which just did not work for me. (3/10)

Cheese Platter

For desserts I opted for a lovely plate of cheese. The cheeses were from La Fromagerie who source cheese from artisan producers from around the world. For my cheese platter the cheese were a mixture of French and English cheese including some pretty decent Stilton. The cheese were beautifully presented with some apple slices and fig confit. (5/10)

Balsamic Ice Cream ‘Alaska’ with Strawberries and Champagne Granite

J had a Balsamic Ice Cream ‘Alaska’ with Strawberries and Champagne Granite which did look beautiful.

Dinner for 2 including a bottle of Pouilly-Fusse and 2 glasses of dessert wine came up to £160 (this included a 40% discount off on the ala carte menu). While the a la carte menu was fairly priced (£45 for a 3 course meal although there are supplements for the nicer items on the menu) and especially good value with the discount, the level of cooking here was not outstanding especially if you are paying full price. The ambience of the restaurant can at best be described as intimate although I found the tables too close to each another for my liking. Service at the restaurant was amicable at best. Wine was erratically topped up and in one instance, the waitress took away my wine glass with half a bottle of wine left. However, fair play to the sommelier for suggesting a cheaper option on the wine list instead of pushing for something more expensive.

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