Christmas lunches at The Square

This post reviews the two seasonal lunches I had over this Christmas at The Square, my firm favourite in London by now.

Amuse-bouche: consisting of three different layers - a savoury turkey consommé jelly at the bottom, then sweet and creamy pumpkin purée, and finally topped with a fragrant chervil velouté and crumbs. Taken all together, it was an extremely comforting mélange of textures and flavours.

This was a very nice surprise for returning: an extra amuse-bouche, and a chef's special to boot! Orkney scallop with Périgord truffle shavings, truffle butter and Jerusalem artichokes.

The aromas from the truffle accompaniments were, needless to say, amazing - and they always work well with shellfish and crustaceans. The scallop itself was very well executed, maintaining all its natural juices and a springy texture, which was very well set off by the sweet and creamy bed of artichokes beneath it.

Only minor grouse: the truffle shavings seemed to have been done rather haphazardly - in some fine restaurants they are beautifully shaved into regular-sized discs and carefully plated round the main focus. But since this was a free extra I had no good reason to complain!

Starter: parfait of foie gras and chicken liver with burnt orange jelly, mulled pear and toast.

Nothing too fancy about this dish, just very fresh and solid. The parfait was so rich and creamy that I secretly hoped to lick everything from the pot! It was well balanced by the burnt orange jelly, which had an interesting taste - slightly bitter and spicy (from a ginger infusion). The shrivelled piece of mulled pear was the only minor disappointment - nice and strong mulled wine flavour, with hints of various spices, marred by a dry and somewhat chewy texture. Comfort food for Christmas at its most luxurious.

Above: the indulgent parfait (a whole jar of it!), topped by a layer of savoury and somewhat tart jelly (probably jellied chicken consommé).

Main course: fillet of Cornish pollock on a bed of shredded crispy cabbage, with truffled cauliflower purée and beaufort (cheese) croquettes.

The fish was amazing - substantial chunk yet remaining smooth, fork-tender, and flaking very nicely. Pan-seared just nicely on top to give a thin crispy layer and subtle charred taste. The sweetness of its natural juices and its velvety texture (being an oily fish) were well complemented by the bed of cabbage on which it sat. The purée and croquettes provided a savoury and aromatic depth to this dish.

Beautiful cut - the chefs here really know what to do with fish!

Dessert: roast pear with a date financier and salted Poire William caramel ice-cream.

A luxurious Christmassy ending to this brief lunch - the oven-fresh financier (still warm) was fragrant, light and fluffy without being cloyingly sweet, the roast pear (with a hint of rum/brandy in its roasting juices) was very soft and heartwarming, while the ice-cream was unashamedly rich and creamy with delicious chunky bits of caramel to boot. It might have been only three courses but I was really full!

Mince pie fresh from the bakery, very light and fluffy as well. A little farewell gift for the season's festivities.

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Second Christmas lunch with Sarah and Graham - nice table with a good view of the entire space (and Sarah loves that painting on the right wall).

Special amuse-bouche for us, in fact the first item on the tasting menu - smoked venison tartare with celeriac, truffle, radish and pickled mushrooms - every bit as good as the first time I visited this restaurant.

Starter: velouté of chestnuts with pot roasted root vegetables, pheasant juices, sprout leaves and bay (this was before pouring in the velouté).

After pouring in the velouté - looked really rich and creamy; I could imagine the sweet and earthy chestnuts working excellently with the savoury pheasant juices below, with the rest of the vegetables adding texture and enhancing the sweetness of this dish. According to the couple, it tasted as wonderful as it looked.

Starter: parcel of cured salmon with crab, clementine, endive and iceberg (lettuce).

A more sophisticated take on the usual salmon and cream cheese combination, this was a complete winner - a transculent salmon layer barely concealing a luxurious filling of crab and cream cheese. What really took the dish to the next level, though, were the deceptively simple accompaniments - a bed of very sweet and crunchy endive strips, clementine in both puréed and jellied form (very pretty little balls which looked almost like roe!) and a aromatic sprinkling of chives. The sheer variety of textures and sweet/citrusy flavours worked like magic, pure and simple, to set off the savoury main focus.

I salivate just to think of how I might have a sandwich like this everyday!

Main course: goose breast with a pumpkin & chestnut mash (hidden), trompettes de la mort mushrooms, poached brussel sprouts, sweetbreads, and a croustillant of the leg with a cranberry reduction.

An excellent dish - goose was well-sliced, very tender and succulent with a delicious crispy layer of skin, complemented by the sweet and crunchy sprouts, savoury sweetbreads and meaty mushrooms, and drizzled over with a comforting roasting jus. The mash was earthy and velvety with delicious chunks of chestnuts in every bite. The croustillant pastry was light and flaky with a substantial filling of shredded leg meat. The cranberry reduction cut through the richness of this dish very appropriately with its tartness, providing essential balance.

Very similar to the Mallard (duck) course served on the tasting menu, and I definitely prefer the goose version.

Dessert: crème brûlée with clementine sorbet and fresh clementine slices in clementine soup.

I can't even begin to describe how simple yet magical this was - the sorbet so light and smooth in texture yet so intense in flavour, sitting atop the thickest and most velvety crème brûlée, surrounded by fresh juicy pieces of clementine. A most refreshing pairing indeed.

Petit fours to end the meal: (left) soft chewy nougat with almond, pistachio and pumpkin seeds - delicious! (right) dark chocolate with salted caramel and burnt honeycomb filling, dusted over with cocoa powder - sweet, salty and slightly bitter - wonderful.

Ending notes: incredibly good value considering the set lunch price, staff are genuinely warm and friendly, and not the least stuffy in atmosphere despite all the accolades that this restaurant has won. It is a place that I will keep returning to for as long as I live here!

Boxing Day lunch at The Gilbert Scott

This post reviews the Boxing Day lunch that I had with two friends at The Gilbert Scott. The restaurant is situated within the beautiful St. Pancras Hotel which possesses the most stunning Victorian architecture - apparently the attached train station was the largest enclosed space in the world, at the time of completion!

This restaurant is Marcus Wareing's second, after his Michelin-starred flagship at The Berkeley, and focuses on classic British cuisine with a more sophisticated twist.

Starter: Dorset crab (meat ball in foreground and roe on toast in background) with bergamot and fennel - fresh, uncomplicated and aromatic.

Starter: smoked Welsh rarebit (not rabbit!) with apple and gem (a type of lettuce) salad. I'll let the history of this dish speak for itself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit.

Unusual presentation as a breaded finger here - but every bit as rich and comforting as it's supposed to be, with the salad providing a nice and essential balance. Nice and appetising crispy texture overall with a velvety molten cheese centre.


Starter: an interesting dish of Anglo-Indian origin - mulligatawny with quail and onion rings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulligatawny.

Quite a mouthful (both to pronounce and to eat!) - basically a curry stew. Very aromatic, and its spiciness was enhanced by the addition of slightly piquant watercress on top. The quail itself was tender and succulent. Delicious!

I wondered if they could have just used fresh onion rings for real aromatic depth - first breading, then soaking them in a stew, just makes them all soggy (as you can see) so that was the weak point in terms of texture. Actually, I wasn't even sure that they needed to be there.

Main course: soles in coffins (what a name!) - lemon sole, vermouth cream, Morecambe bay shrimps, mace, crispy potato (so that was potato, not fish skin!). A substantial portion that tasted as good as it looked - the tiny shrimps were extremely fresh and sweet. The fish was well cooked and well complemented by its simple but rich accompaniments.

N.B. 'Soles in coffins' is apparently a Victorian dish, and a pun on the word 'souls' - hence the shape of the fillet. Originally served with baked potato and a much creamier sauce, apparently. 

Main course: quintessentially English fish and chips with mushy pea mayonnaise. I had a taste of the potato (this wasn't my dish) - very thin crispy layer concealing light and fluffy insides - didn't feel too starchy at all. I found the presentation rather underwhelming, but I suppose there's only so much you can do with this dish.

Main course: Scottish halibut with Jerusalem artichoke (both the purée bed below and roasted chips on top) and Scotch Bonnet mushrooms. This was really, really good - halibut is a naturally meaty fish and this was definitely a succulent and satisfying portion. Its freshness was well matched by the sweet and creamy purée, with the gelatinous mushrooms and crisps on top for variety in textures.

Sides: very traditional English accompaniments of Pease pudding (in the background; split peas, parsley, smoked bacon stock - sweet and savoury, very nice!) and bubble & squeak (in the foreground; potatoes, cabbage, swede - apparently a 'leftovers' dish according to my friend; pure comfort food).

Dessert: Eccles cake with Cheddar cheese ice cream. A small, round cake, made from flaky pastry with butter, filled with currants, and topped with demerara (powdered) sugar. Originating from the town of Eccles in the late 18th century, this dessert is given a further touch of luxury here with the rich scoop of ice-cream.

Dessert: Mrs Beeton’s snow eggs with Everton toffee, peanuts, burnt honey custard.

This is the English version of the classic French desserts œufs à la neige ('eggs in snow') and île flottante ('floating snow'). Here, the soft meringue of egg white conceals a most indulgent filling of toffee from Liverpool (a town famous for this product; Everton being the name of the product and also the football team!), surrounded by a pool of rich custard and topped with a crushed mixture of peanuts and burnt toffee. Look at that toffee oozing from the frothy meringue!

Dessert: gingerbread pudding with pear ice cream and caramel. Very warm and comforting - pudding was plain but intense in flavour and surrounded by a good amount of rich caramel swirls, accompanied by an ice-cream spiced with ginger and containing chunky & juicy bits of pear within, on a bed of gingerbread biscuit crumbs.

In summary: not exactly the most mind-blowing food, but generally solid cooking with a keen sense of tradition, and beautiful surroundings in which to enjoy the food. The atmosphere here is very casual - nothing like Wareing's posh Berkeley flagship - great for catching up with friends and family over a leisurely lunch.

Lunches at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley

This post consists of reviews of two lunches I had at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, the first in mid-October and the second on Christmas Eve.

The Berkeley hotel in the Knightsbridge area, where Marcus Wareing is situated. After 2 meals at 'chain restaurants' owned by French chefs (Robuchon and Ducasse - will put those reviews up later) I thought it'd be good to try a British chef for a change.

Plush interior of Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley

Compared to the branches of Robuchon and Ducasse, this restaurant is a more personal affair as the chef himself is in the kitchen most days of the week supervising and cooking. It has won, amongst other accolades, 2 Michelin stars, and the maximum of 5 Rosettes (Britain's Michelin equivalent). Formerly known as Pétrus when it was jointly run by Wareing and his mentor Ramsay, this restaurant took on the former chef's name upon their split in October 2008, while Ramsay took the name Pétrus to a new restaurant just a few blocks down the road. 

I went with the set lunch menu to test the waters first - always a good idea if one isn't not entirely sure about committing to an expensive tasting menu, since I'd read mixed reviews regarding the food and service.

Canapés: this one is a Greek taramosalata, which is like a fish terrine - this was extremely fresh, creamy and well seasoned. It was accompanied by a piece of pork crackling, which hit all the right notes - not the least greasy, very light and crispy. Sets the tone for a excellent meal!

I had a very good first impression of the service - the Chinese waitress (the only staff of Asian descent there) took the initiative to find out the spelling and origins of this Greek dish from the Internet, and to write it down on a very nice postcard for me, when I enquired about this unusual canapé. She was actually only in charge of wines, so to go beyond the call of duty was a nice touch.

Second canapé: pork terrine topped with plum puree. Another little rich piece of heaven, very effective combination of flavours.

Butter from a farm in Gloucestershire. Natural unsalted butter in the background, salted caramel butter in the foreground. The latter was exceptional - almost like a caramel spread, with delicious bits of burnt caramel evenly scattered as you can see.

Amuse-bouche: fennel soup with dill foam, very light and fragrant herbal combination, a nice contrast to the relatively heavy canapés that I'd just had.

Starter: rabbit on beans and a parsley dressing, garnished with rocket, figs and pistachio. The puree that frames the dish is a fig reduction.

The rabbit was grilled to tender perfection, with just a slight hint of the charred taste. This was well complemented by the rocket and pistachio, while the fig and beans provided a sweet and refreshing balance. The parsley dressing lifted the overall fragrance of the dish.

Main course: lamb rump from Rhug Estate in Wales, on a ragout of chickpeas and paprika, garnished with spinach and sweetbread.

Sounds like a very indulgent dish, but I liked the fact that it wasn't actually too heavy - the sourish (perhaps a tad too much so) and slightly spicy ragout cut through the richness of the lamb, which was roasted very nicely to a tender medium rare. The chickpeas and sweetbread provided a nice crunch to the dish. Not too sure what the greens were there for though (variety in colour and a healthy touch perhaps?).

It was at this point that the maitre d' came over to find out about me as a new diner and what I thought about the food, and answered my questions on the dishes patiently - didn't catch some of his colleagues' descriptions the first time. As a young lone customer relatively new to Western fine-dining at the time, I had felt slightly intimidated for asking too many questions (won't go into details here), but at least he was nice.

Pre-dessert: pina colada - pineapple sorbet with dollops of coconut cream, rum jelly, coconut shavings and a sprinkling of ash (from the shell). 

The sorbet was sensational (only complaint - it was too little!). Coconut cream was really thick and intense, and I thought that the rum jelly and ash were very unusual (but effective) touches.

Dessert: a very rich caramelised white chocolate mousse with dark chocolate, burnt honeycomb and a dash of gold leaf for that luxurious touch. Enough said - I was in chocolate heaven.

I was given a tour of the kitchen after my meal, which was a rather fascinating experience. Very well organised and everyone seemed so calm and relaxed.

Canapé section

Fish/meat (main course) section

Pastry chef at work

Overall a pretty good first experience considering the price of the set lunch (just the accompaniments for the lamb were a wee bit off the mark), with some room for service improvements, considering that the lunch sitting I attended had been relatively empty. The two staff I mentioned were particularly warm though.

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Christmas Eve lunch at The Berkeley - nice Christmas decorations in the lobby. I had heard about this restaurant opening special lunch sittings with seasonal offerings on the two Saturdays leading up to Christmas, so I decided to give the food another try.

The restaurant appeared fully-booked and was extremely busy. However, the Chinese waitress with whom I had chatted recognised me immediately and even remembered where I had sat the first time!  

Canapé: the same pork terrine with plum chutney that I had the first time. Not bad!

Amuse-bouche: a very simple and comforting squash cream soup with parmesan foam and parmesan crumble. Sweet, savoury and fragrant.

Starter: lobster ravioli with a caper berry and shellfish reduction, broccoli dressing (below the ravioli).

Cross section showing the filling

I am not sure if it had been Wareing's intention to reproduce his former mentor's dish - the similarities are apparent - but I do feel that it still has some way to go. 

The ravioli itself was not bad - cooked just right, the thin layer of dough remained firm yet springy. The lobster filling was very sweet and succulent, though perhaps not quite as substantially packed in as Ramsay's signature version.

I had my reservations about the dressings used - the reduction was extremely salty and tart (which can be imagined from a capers and shellfish combination), threatening to overwhelm the naturally fresh flavours of the lobster filling. The broccoli dressing was a refreshing  balance together with the salad garnish, but not entirely convincing within the overall flavour scheme. A case of having too many cooks spoil the broth.

Main course: Cornish seabass fillets with cauliflower (both poached and puréed), shaved toasted almonds and sauce polonaise (right foreground - a mixture of hardboiled egg, capers, cauliflower and olive oil).

The fillets were delicious - pan fried with the skin on to give a nice crispy layer, whilst the flesh below remained smooth, tender and juicy. Toasted almonds enhanced the aroma of the fillets while the cauliflower accompaniments complemented the natural sweetness of the fish. The polonaise dressing added a savoury dimension to the whole dish.

Only minor complaint: the poached cauliflower pieces were not consistent in their texture - some parts were nice and soft while others were almost raw and crunchy! - not sure if this was intended but I certainly didn't find the latter texture very appetising, at least not for cauliflower.

Pre-dessert: layers of redcurrant and white chocolate cream, topped with fresh redcurrants. Very successful juxtaposition of tart redcurrants with velvety white chocolate. The latter was particularly impressive - extremely rich with strong vanilla notes.

Dessert: amaretto panna cotta with mulled wine foam, mulled wine poached plums and almond crumble.

Arguably the best part of this meal, the luxurious and velvety panna cotta (with very strong almond notes) was effectively balanced by the tart and juicy plums. A touch of warmth was given by the variations of mulled wine, whilst the toasted almond crumble provided an appetising aroma and a crunchy dimension to the textures of this dish. A perfect combination of flavours found commonly in traditional Christmas markets.

Sweet ending: 70% dark chocolate ganache square with orange cream. Rich and solid combination - needs no further elaboration I think!

Summary notes: if I had to be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed with the lunch today, especially when comparing to the excellent and cheaper seasonal lunch that I had at The Square just the day before (which incidentally had also been my second visit). The starter certainly made me feel that the kitchen had been trying too hard to impress with disparate elements that didn't always work together. Only the dessert had been undisputedly perfect.

Special mention for service goes to the Chinese waitress (unfortunately, I forgot to get her name), perhaps the only staff member there who put me at ease with her genuine warmth - and it's not because we're both Asians, because I feel comfortable at The Square too. She didn't actually serve me because I didn't have wine to go with my food, but made the effort to come over to chat once she was less busy. I learnt that she would be resigning with effect from 18 January - surely a loss to the restaurant.

I've actually got a table booked for the Gourmand Menu towards the end of January - I shall be giving the food another shot with Wareing's real signature dishes, before I decide whether to return in the long term.