La Dame de Pic, London – Clean Flavours

Tags

French, LONDON, Modern French, Review

La Dame de Pic
Four Seasons Hotel,
10 Trinity Square,
London, EC3N 4AJ
United Kingdom
Tel. 020 3297 9200

Food type: Modern French

Nearest tube: Tower Hill

Website: La Dame de Pic

When a foreign chef opens up an outpost in London, I often greet it with a lot of scepticism. There have been many lazy efforts where chef think they can hoodwink the English diners by offering a half-baked interpretation of their flagship. Just off the top of my head are Tokimeite and Eneko at One Aldwych, both restaurants associated with chefs who hold 3*s in their country. So, when it was announced that Anne-Sophie Pic would be opening an outpost at the new Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square, I greeted that news with general apathy. That was until I started to see some of the dishes on Instagram and Twitter – they actually looked half decent. So we decided to give it a go and head to La Dame de Pic, shortly after they opened. In fact, the hotel was so new, that the taxi driver did not even know where it was.

Pumpkin Consomme infused with Geranium

The first thing to note with the a la carte menu is that the items are quite fully priced. This is the Four Seasons after all and a newly minted one at that. Items are individually priced with starters £19 to £32, Fish & Meats £32 to £42 (there is Sea Bass on the menu at £56 but that features caviar) and desserts £14. On average, you will be spending £75-80 for a 3 course meal at dinner which is on par with most 1 Michelin star restaurants in Central London. The tasting menu is £105 and the concessions lunch menu (from Monday to Friday) is £39 for 3 courses. The best bet is actually the weekend lunch menu at £55 for 4 courses – this is a set menu which consists of dishes from the main menu, so it is a good way to try out the kitchens repertoire without breaking the bank. As we visited for dinner, we went the 3 course a la carte route, splitting an intermediate fish course.

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London – Ambitious Pricing

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught
The Connaught,
Carlos Place, Mayfair
London, W1K 2AL
United Kingdom
Tel. 020 3147 7200

Food type: French

Nearest tube: Green Park

Website: Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

It has been a while since I last visited Hélène Darroze at the Connaught. I’ve been twice, once when the restaurant shortly opened and the second shortly after they were promoted to two stars. The cooking here is pleasant enough, although its not on the top of my list of places to revisit as I feel that there are other stronger 2* restaurants in London I would rather go back to. Interestingly enough, Darroze’s flagship restaurant in Paris was demoted from 2*s to 1* around the same time her restaurant in London was promoted. Perhaps Madame Darroze has been concentrating more of efforts here in London, although from what I understand, she splits her time between both restaurants equally.

Ping Pong Ball Menus

Since my last visit, the restaurant has introduced their now famous ‘ping pong ball and board’ menu concept. Each ball contains the core ingredient of a specific dish on the menu and the idea is that you would leave on the board the items you want while putting aside the items you do not fancy. If you are ordering from the lunch menu you  er… order the old fashioned way. I guess it makes it easier for the front of house when taking the orders with their multi-course, design your own tasting menu. It is a bit of fun, but my wife thinks that this is a naff idea and out of place in a dining room which is formal and opulent.

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London – In Safe Hands

Tags

3 Michelin Star, Alain Ducasse, French, LONDON, Michelin Star, Modern French, Review

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
Dorchester Hotel
53 Park Lane Mayfair
London W1K 1QA
Tel: 020 7629 8866

Food type: French

Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner

Website: Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

We returned to the Dorchester recently to celebrate our wedding anniversary. One year has flown by very quickly for us. This time last year, all I could remember was the stress of wedding planning leading up to the big day. Thankfully, this is something you only have to do once in your lifetime. Restaurant Alain Ducasse holds a lot of sentimental value for us as I proposed to my wife here (dining at the Table Lumiere) and of course, our wedding reception took place at the hotel.

Table Setting

Much has changed since we last dined here, almost a year and half ago. Former Executive chef Jocelyn Herland has now moved to Ducasse’s restaurant at Le Meurice (Paris) and in his place is Jean-Phillipe Blondet, previously his 2nd in command. He brings with him a more contemporary style of cooking compared to Jocelyn’s more unashamedly classical style. Restaurant Director, Damien Pepin is one of London’s finest Maitre Ds and recognised us immediately on arrival. After all, he was responsible for helping to ensure that the engagement went smoothly. After handing us the menus, he made our choices a lot easier by offering us a bespoke tasting menu to allow us to try some of chef’s favourite dishes making use of the best seasonal ingredients. As a side note, given that menu prices in London have pretty much skyrocketed in the last couple of years, the prices here have remained relatively the same. The tasting menu is now £140 compared to £135 2 years back, and the seasonal tasting menu is still £180.

L’Enclume, Cartmel – Cerebral

Tags

2 Michelin Stars, Cartmel, Creative, Michelin Star, Modern British, Modern Eclectic, Reviews

L’Enclume
Cavendish Street
Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands
LA11 6PZ
Tel. 015395 36362

Food type: Modern British/ Creative

Nearest tube: Sloane Square

Website: L’Enclume

Table Setting

L’Enclume was the main reason for the road trip in November. A five hour or so drive from my home in Surrey to Cartmel is no mean feat, especially for someone who suffers from travel sickness. I blame my weak inner ear fluid. My desire to visit L’Enclume was born from my visit to Fera at Claridges (which Simon Rogan has recently announced parting ties with) earlier in the year. By no means was the meal at Fera bad. It felt rather industrialised which is unsurprising giving the number of covers. The cooking was polite and correct, but lacked character. It lacked soul. But as Rogan’s food is so highly rated by both food writers and chefs alike, I decided to make the long trek up to Cartmel to experience his cooking first hand.

Menu Sealed

Tasting Menu

There is only a tasting menu for both lunch and dinner, prettily presented in a sealed envelope. They do check for allergies and dietary requirements beforehand so I am sure the menu is not completely set in stone. Priced at £130, this is on par with most 2* restaurants in London. It is actually more expensive than say the tasting menu at Marcus. There is also a shorter lunch menu priced at £55. We booked their ‘Cartmel Escape’ package which included the dinner menu for two, accommodation, half a bottle of Nyetimber sparkling wine and breakfast at Rogan and Co. the next day. Just as a side note, unlike many restaurants with rooms, the accommodation (and sister restaurant) is not located at the same site as the restaurant but is a short 2 minute walk around the corner. It was not a problem for us, but it is important to come prepared, knowing what the British whether is like.

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London – From Strength to Strength

Tags

3 Michelin Stars, French, Gordon Ramsay, LONDON, Michelin Star, Modern British, Modern French, Review

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road
London
SW3 4HP
Tel. 020 7352 4441

Food type: Modern French

Nearest tube: Sloane Square

Website: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

I have been very slow to update my blog. One of the main reasons is because of my new job which requires me to do a fair bit of commuting. That leaves me very little free time in between to blog. With free time at a premium, I have prioritised eating over blogging. In between, I have also discovered Instagram. Yes, I know I am a bit late to the game, but the whole app is rather addictive and I have found myself spending more time uploading pictures and notes of my meal there rather than writing a formal blog.

Restaurant Entrance

Anyhow, almost a year to the date, we returned to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road for lunch. Last year, we dined at the Inspiration table which was an excellent experience altogether. Much like my free time, getting a table at RHR is hard to come by given how small the restaurant is. Despite the restaurant not featuring prominently with today’s Instagram crowd (the restaurant allows photos via camera phones only) it is still a very popular spot for both their regulars and gastro-tourists alike. One of the main reasons is because the food here continues to evolve with todays trendy dining crowd. Although the cooking here may be rooted in classical flavours, they continue to modernise, embracing newer cooking techniques and lighter flavours. Of course, Ramsay has been blessed with a very talented team as well with long time sous chef Matt Abe now heading up the kitchen.