Chinese New Year's Eve dinner at Gold Mine Restaurant

I visited Gold Mine Restaurant in the Bayswater area on Chinese New Year's Eve with two Malaysian friends for an evening of great food and company. The area is particularly famous for Cantonese roast duck, with all Chinese restaurants along Queensway vying for a share of the business. While Four Seasons remains the go-to institution for most, due to its long-standing reputation for roast duck, Gold Mine just a few doors away has become an extremely formidable competitor in recent years - its head chef and owner was formerly head chef at Four Seasons.

The highlight of any meal there, Cantonese roast duck with herbal sauce (you can ask for the meat to be taken off the bone):

The duck itself was extremely tender and succulent, with a good fat-to-meat proportion (neither overly greasy nor dry as with lesser restaurants), and very evenly roasted with a thin layer of smoky and crispy skin throughout. The sauce also set it apart from its competitors - an extremely fragrant and savoury soy concoction with hints of honey, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and Chinese herbs such as huaishan, danggui, wolfberry and hawthorn. It was so good that we all ended up scooping the sauce into our rice - totally delish! Served on a bed of shredded cabbage which enhances the sweetness of the sauce and also balances the greasiness of the duck. In my opinion this is at least as good as, if not even better than, the duck at Four Seasons.

Another signature dish of the restaurant, Pei Pa Tofu, or deep fried homemade tofu balls with seafood, served with pak choi (Chinese cabbage) and a sauce of mushrooms & shredded dried scallops:

Another excellent dish with the natural sweetness of the seafood going very well with the fresh tofu; the main ingredients were minced, shaped into substantial balls, and finally deep-fried to give a crispy finish and intensify the constituent flavours. A savoury and earthy edge was imparted by the sauce, while the blanched pak choi balanced the richness of the dish very nicely.

Third dish: sauté of tiger prawns with cashew nuts, carrots, straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, peas and spring onions.

Nice dish with a delightful crunchy texture throughout. The tiger prawns were fresh and thankfully not overcooked while the wholesome accompanying vegetables enhanced the dish with a subtle sweetness.

Finally: deep fried sweet & sour fish fillets with an onion & capsicum garnish.

A well-executed dish - the thin layer of batter was light and non-greasy, whilst the fish itself remained tender and moist. The sauce and garnish were pretty conventional fare.

On the whole, it was a very satisfying dinner, and service was friendly and attentive despite the extremely busy sitting. Even when having to wait for a table for nearly 1.5 hours without a reservation, I would prefer this restaurant anytime over Four Seasons, especially when considering the latter's generally brusque attitude to customers.

We were not done yet though - dessert was on our minds and we plonked ourselves at Art Café just two doors away. I had been brought there last year by another friend whilst visiting London and liked its cakes and ice-cream very much. The cakes are homemade and very solid, while the ice-cream is from the Swiss company Mövenpick, my favourite brand amongst the big commercial players.

Pistachio and hazelnut ice cream - yum!

Chocolate fudge cake to share - pure indulgence!

It was well past midnight when we finished, and almost 1.30 am when we reached our hostel after a bus ride and a peaceful walk through Bloomsbury - a most enjoyable evening which definitely needs to be repeated very soon!

Chef's Menu at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley

I visited Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley this evening - two Michelin meals in the same week is extremely indulgent, I know, but it's the Chinese New Year weekend and a perfect excuse to eat well!

The restaurant offers two tasting menus on Saturday evenings - an 8-course Taste Menu and a slightly larger 10-course Chef's Menu. As the price difference is not that great, I went for the Chef's Menu, which covers just about every seasonal signature dish from this famous establishment. This third visit for me was also to determine if I would return in the long term, given the sporadic hits and misses I'd experienced during my two previous lunch visits (which were admittedly much cheaper, and perhaps one cannot expect too much out of that).

Canapés: (front) potato crisp topped with goat's curd and dried olives, (back) breaded chicken terrine with lime mayonnaise.

Very moreish start to the meal - the rich goat's curd had a refreshing tinge of lemon and was enhanced by the savoury olives, while the chicken terrine was pure comfort food, aptly complemented as well as balanced by the lime mayonnaise.

Amuse bouche: potato soup with chive foam and a topping of chopped shallots and chives.

An otherwise ordinary soup was transformed by the extremely fragrant foam and toppings - the result was simple yet totally delish!

First starter: Orkney scallops with pickled cucumber, potato bread, grape, kaffir lime mayonnaise, alexander and mustard cress.

The scallops were extremely well done, retaining all their natural juices on the inside and a subtle charred taste from the surface searing. The sweet-sour accompaniments were an excellent complement to the scallops - the juicy cucumber and creamy mayonnaise stood out in particular. The leaf garnishes (alexander and mustard cress) added a fragrant and slightly spicy touch to the dish. 

Second starter: foie gras mousse with chopped walnuts and walnut bread, milk tuiles, dates and pear sorbe.

An luxurious dish with each of the accompaniments enhancing the rich and creamy foie gras in its own way: the walnuts providing a crunchy and somewhat bitter edge, the crispy milk tuiles complementing the creaminess of the foie gras, while the dates and pear sorbe contributed a sweet and refreshing balance. Very satisfying indeed.

Third starter: raw shredded crab claw with chestnut slices, diced pear and crab roe agnolotti.

The crab claw had a natural sweetness and gelatinous texture that was very well complemented by the crunchy chestnut and soft, juicy pieces of pear. What really stood out, though, was the agnolotti (traditional ravioli of the Piedmont region in Italy) with an excellent salty crab roe filling that imparted a most appealing savoury kick to the dish. I did find the pasta layer a bit too thick for the filling, but that is being picky. Less forgivable, however, were the two pieces of crab shell that I found amidst the shredded claw - I seem to have all the luck with these unwelcome extras!

Fourth starter: sweetbread with cep mushroom, grilled baby carrot, squash purée and caper dressing.

This was amazing - the sweetbread was so rich and velvety that it felt almost like pan-fried foie gras. The caper dressing was extremely effective here in enhancing the savoury depth of the sweetbread. The other accompaniments were fantastic complements to the sweetbread too: the grilled cep with its earthy flavours, and the squash and baby carrot with their natural sweetness.

Fifth starter: Scottish lobster with broccoli variations.

This was both successful and imaginative. Broccoli was featured in three different versions here - poached (very good and consistently soft), dried (the dark green buds in the foreground and underlying dressing - very nice salty crunch which complements the lobster perfectly) and puréed (very creamy yet wholesome). Taken together with the succulent and crunchy lobster pieces, it was as simple and effective as one could envisage.

First main course: halibut with cockles, clementine and fennel variations, and champagne & butter sauce.

The highlight of the evening. The halibut was incredibly fresh (with a delightful pinkish tinge) and well-executed - never thought I'd use 'silky' to describe fish but there you have it! Every mouthful was tender, velvety and succulent. The intrinsic richness of this fish was perfectly complemented by the sauce, and balanced by the use of tangy clementines (in fresh and candied sprinkling versions). Imagination was also seen in the fennel variations (raw, chargrilled and puréed), which provided a healthy touch and subtly enhanced the overall fragrance of the dish.

Second main course: Anjou pigeon (from the Lower Loire in France) in brine with Italian artichoke, celeriac strips, celeriac & hazelnut purée, and radicchio garnish (the Tardivo variety, resembling a flower, exclusively produced in three provinces in the region of Venice, and available only during the winter months).

Excellent dish - the pigeon was done medium rare and remained tender and succulent. The accompanying vegetables were very soft and juicy, but the one element that really stood out was the purée - sweet and nutty, which complemented the gamey flavour of the pigeon really well. The radicchio garnish provided a slightly spicy and bitter edge, while the brine solution enhanced the overall savouriness of the dish.

Pre-desserts: layers of redcurrant and white chocolate cream, topped with fresh redcurrants (as with the Christmas lunch - see the previous review of this restaurant); chocolate and hazelnut cake with toast cream - very small but intense slice, and the cream with a charred flavour was a rich and effective complement.

First dessert: Horlicks ice-cream cylinder coated in sponge, topped with whisky foam, surrounded by honey & whisky cream, whisky jelly and sponge crumbs.

This was actually part of the Taste Menu, not the Chef's Menu, but the kitchen decided to let us have this extra dessert on the house anyway, which was a nice gesture. A dessert with a real kick - the alcoholic element was quite obvious. I'm not a particular fan of whisky, but thought that the bitter edge it provided was a very good contrast to the rich and intense ice-cream, which I loved. The sweet and fluffy bits of sponge somewhat helped to temper the alcoholic bent of this dessert.

Second dessert: apple and cinnamon millefeuille, apple sorbet, fresh apple slices, apple and Calvados jelly, apple purée and sorrel garnish.

An excellent end to the whole meal. Special mention goes to the sourish sorbet, which was like a breath of fresh air after the indulgence of the previous courses - so incredibly light and intensely fruity. The cream filling in the millefeuille was also rather light and not cloyingly sweet, with an appealing aroma of cinnamon.

Chocolate: 70% Cru Virunga dark chocolate (spring water-based ganache, I was informed by the server) - pure cocoa kick with fruity notes, and a touch of luxury as seen by the gold leaf mixed into the top layer.

After the meal, I was invited to tour the kitchen, which had a new counter-top fitting that made it much easier and more hygienic for the chefs to assemble various dishes. It never fails to amaze me how calm and organised everyone is (unlike the Ramsay reality shows where people are shouting and swearing in the kitchens all the time!). I got to watch the chefs at work and witnessed the assembly of a beautiful beef dish for the Chef's Table party right next to the kitchen. Marcus himself wasn't in the kitchen that evening due to family commitments, which was a little disappointing.

This dinner was an impressive experience, with much better service this time, especially from the Greek maitre d' Dmitri and a new French waitress who constantly made sure that I was comfortable and asked whether the dishes were to my taste. Whilst touring the kitchen, I also had a nice chat with the maitre d' on the kitchen operations and my dining experiences in London. I definitely wouldn't mind returning in a few months when they change their tasting menus for the new season!

First lunch of 2012 at The Square

First good meal of the year - where else but back to The Square! Actually, this had been completely unplanned, but I had some free time today and the lunch menu for the week looked pretty appealing, so I tried getting a table at the last minute and did!

First amuse-bouche: apple and beetroot jelly, with diced fresh beetroot, smoked eel and horseradish foam, topped with chopped toasted almonds.

A refreshing start to the meal, with the subtle sweetness of the beetroot complementing and balancing the savoury, creamy and slightly piquant foam. The almonds effectively enhanced the aromas of the dish and provided an appealing crunch.

Second amuse-bouche: sauté of Scottish langoustine tail with lardo di colonnata, barbecued pork rib with grapefuit and pak choi (Chinese cabbage).

The manager Cesar informed me that this was actually work-in-progress: a newly designed dish soon to appear on the menu, and that they were getting regulars' feedback and suggestions on possible refinements for it. It was a very solid dish with which I could immediately identify, being of Chinese origin - the sweet roasting juices (honey and soy) and pork rib reminded me of a very well-done char siew, completely fatless yet still remaining fork-tender. The langoustine was also very well done, retaining a firm crunch and natural sweetness, and draped over with a lovely velvety film of lardo di colonnata - simply divine when taken together. The whole dish was almost too much of a good thing, thankfully balanced by the astringent grapefruit! If I were to be very picky, I thought that the hint of vinegar in the roasting juices was slightly overpowering (I do dislike the smell of vinegar) and when I told this to Cesar he revealed that the chefs had actually been discussing how much of it to use that morning - so I hope they consider my feedback!

Starter: Salmon and squid ink raviolo on a bed of leeks and bouillabaisse dressing, with a generous sprinkling of red mullet roe.

This was luxurious and immediately eye-catching. The thin and firm layer of pasta concealed a most substantial filling of fresh salmon. The bed on which the raviolo sat was extremely sweet, rich and bursting with flavours of the sea. The dried and salted roe subtly enhanced the savouriness of the whole dish. Excellent throughout.

Main course: fillet of black bream with a risotto of chanterelles (mushrooms) and langoustine claws.

The fish, as usual, was excellent - a large chunk, very fresh and pan-fried with the skin on to give a wonderfully crispy top, whilst the flesh at the bottom remained tender and juicy. The texture of the risotto was excellent - firm and well-defined grains, with a generous scattering of mushroom and langoustine. I did feel, however, that the risotto was rather salty and cheesy on the whole, and threatened to overwhelm the natural flavours of the seafood. For smaller appetites, this dish would most definitely have been too rich. Another minus point: I found a large piece of cartilage (from the langoustine claw) in my risotto - not the first time I've had unwanted bits! (Read my first review of this restaurant when I had the tasting menu.) Personally, I'm not overly fussed about this as long as the food is good, but the kitchen really needs to be more careful with such details, for the sake of its own reputation.

Dessert: blueberry jelly with diced pineapple, mint and variations on coconut - fresh coconut cream, coconut ice-cream, coconut shavings (in the glass) and macaroons with shredded coconut (on the side).

Special mention goes to the accompanying macaroons, which were not even listed as part of the dish, but which I felt were the most outstanding - light, fluffy, served oven-fresh and with the unmistakable fragrance of coconut. As for the contents of the glass, the scoop of ice-cream and the pool of cream surrounding it were extremely rich, velvety, and intense in flavour, balanced appropriately by the tart layer of jelly at the bottom. A very satisfying end to the meal.

The usual petit fours (nougat and chocolate) came after this, but I was so full I had to ask for a takeaway! (The portions are really generous; I'd already chosen what I thought would be the lighter options.)

P.S. I realised after paying for the meal that I had been charged for only 2 courses instead of 3 (i.e. the dessert was on the house) - most likely to compensate for the unwelcome extra in my risotto. Good service recovery - it would've been a difference of only £5, but it's the thought that counts!