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!