I returned to The Ledbury today during lunchtime, eager to try their tasting menu. I noticed that a few items had been changed on the website to reflect the seasonality of their dishes, and I was really looking forward to another great dining experience.
Canapés: squid ink biscuit with turbot mousse and turbot roe; ham biscuit with foie gras parfait and kumquat purée. The first item has been described in my first review of this restaurant; as for the second, I found the biscuit rather ordinary, but the very creamy foie gras topping paired with kumquat was an excellent touch - the richness and saltiness of the former well balanced by the fruitiness and mild acidity of the latter.
Amuse-bouche: poached quail egg coated with kanafeh (a vermicelli-like filo pastry of Arab origin), on a bed of artichoke purée and truffle shavings.
Considering the apparent amount of truffle shavings, its characteristic aroma was surprisingly weak here - either the seasonal best for this luxury item has passed, or this is from a cheaper burgundy/summer truffle variety with less pronounced aromas. This was otherwise an excellent start to the meal - the egg perfectly poached with a firm white area and completely runny yolk, which blended in very nicely with the creamy and subtly sweet artichoke purée. The outer pastry covering, like a nest protecting the egg, provided a nice crunch and a novel twist to the presentation.
First course: in the martini glass, layers of Cornish oyster Chantilly and tartare, with herring roe, diced cucumber, frozen horseradish, and fresh dill; in the shorter glass, an oyster beignet with caper topping and a potato strip.
Freshness is paramount when dealing with raw seafood, and this martini glass didn't disappoint. I am not usually a fan of raw oysters (the slimy texture and heavy fishy smell put me off) but this was quite exceptional, due to their combination with other ingredients that brought out the best in their flavour: rich Chantilly cream with a subtle sweetness and which masked the slimy texture; crunchy, juicy and mildly sweet cucumbers; salty herring roe; spicy horseradish (the freezing concentrates its flavour) and aromatic dill to enhance the aromas and mask the fishy smell. A dash of champagne was also added to the mix for a touch of crispness and freshness to the mouthfeel. Of course, it also helped that the oysters themselves were extremely fresh and juicy, and in good proportion to their accompaniments.
This relatively straightforward half of the course was no less stellar: striking presentation of an oyster fritter in its shell, sitting on the rims of a glass filled with wild uncooked rice grains (not edible, obviously), accompanied by a long potato strip. A thin crispy layer covers one of the juiciest whole oysters I've eaten. Its subtly saltish flavour was very well complemented by the caper topping and the seaweed-flavoured potato strip.
Second course: hand-dived roasted Scottish scallops with cauliflower (both sliced and puréed), Jersey Royal potatoes and a seaweed emulsion. The interesting vegetable on the bottom right is a Romanesco broccoli - first time I've seen a broccoli variety with such beautiful fractal patterns.
This was an amazing dish in both taste and presentation, with the scallops perfectly cooked such that they were tender, juicy and sweet - and who'd have expected the little pieces of dried seaweed to go into each groove to enhance their subtle savoury nature? More savoury depth was provided by the wonderful seaweed emulsion, while the sweetish cauliflower pairing expectedly worked as it should. The thick purée in particular imparted a certain luxury and richness to the mouthfeel of each bite of scallop. Simply divine.
Third course: roasted fillet of turbot on a bed of shredded crab and diced asparagus, topped with blood orange, pinenuts and broccoli florets; garnish of whole asparagus stem, blood orange purée, and shellfish emulsion.
Another piece of seafood heaven and a picture of understated luxury. The turbot was succulent, velvety and moist, and each bite accompanied by small pieces of blood orange and pinenuts provided further juiciness and crunch - delightful. The shredded crab was fresh and sweet, while the incredibly tender asparagus (in season at the moment) provided a wholesome touch to the dish. The shellfish emulsion was a concentration of complex flavours of the sea and provided an appealing savoury depth, while the mild acidity of the blood orange was an unusual but essential balance for this abundant dish.
Fourth course: Hampshire buffalo milk curd with Saint-Nectaire cheese, truffle toast, and a broth of grilled onions.
Leaving the seafood behind, I was now presented with another dish in two parts. The above was an incredibly aromatic bowl containing buffalo milk curd, diced oyster and chanterelle (girolle?) mushroom, truffle shavings with deep-fried onion shreds, a piece of grilled onion, and onion broth. The milk curd was very light in flavour and naturally took on the much stronger flavours of onion and mushroom. It was extremely smooth and silky in texture, like a very good tofu. Other textures were provided by the firm mushroom dice (the meatiness of the oyster mushroom gave a real sense of substance to the bowl), and the crispy fried onion. Very comforting.
This second part was a posh take of cheese on toast, with a béchamel & Saint-Nectaire mix (like a thick Mornay sauce) spread on an incredibly light, fluffy and crispy toast, topped with small dollops of truffle mayonnaise, a generous portion of truffle shavings, and chopped chives. Served on a rustic-looking plate of wood and pine leaves. The Saint-Nectaire, with notes of mushroom and nuts, was the perfect foil for the truffle toppings - and I'm pretty sure truffle oil was infused into the toast as well. The depth of flavours and aromas has to be experienced personally to be believed. This was probably the most incredible thing one could ever do to toast!
Fifth course: lasagne of rabbit and chanterelles, with morels, wild mushroom butter, truffle and toasted hay purée (background), and a velouté of toasted hay.
An incredibly aromatic and intoxicating mix of mushrooms including seasonal morels, this was definitely one of my favourites in the meal. The whole chunks of morels had a firm meaty texture which went well with the tender and well-seasoned rabbit filling. The hay was a curious addition to this dish but complemented the earthy mushroom theme very well with a refreshing grassy and smoky flavour.
Sixth course: loin of roe deer with white beetroot (both fresh and puréed), red wine lees (the dark red lashings), venison sausage and potato crisp galette.
A substantial course full of gamey flavours, the meat was tender, succulent and well-seasoned. The bone marrow was a first for me and tasted very rich with a creamy and velvety texture (think combination of foie gras and collagen). The subtly sweet beetroot and tart & bitter red wine lees (a sauce made of barrel residue containing grape skin) provided an essential balance to this rather heavy dish.
Pre-dessert: blood orange and passionfruit jelly with Sauternes cream. This was a delightful palate cleanser with a good proportion of refreshing acidity to luxurious velvety sweetness.
Dessert: brown sugar tart with poached grapes and stem ginger ice-cream.
Apart from the half-melted mess of ice-cream which really marred the presentation when it was being served, this was a most indulgent and enjoyable dessert. Both the ice-cream and brown sugar tart were excellent: smooth, velvety and extremely rich. The tart reminded me of gula melaka, normally used as a dressing for coconut-based desserts back home, but here I had a whole concentrated block of it - almost too good to be true! The tart grapes and drops of balsamic vinegar provided good balance.
Dessert: violet parfait with French wild strawberries & white chocolate snow, and warm tapioca with vanilla (left background).
I should state that both desserts were served together (again) which left me shuttling between plates to finish the frozen parts before they melted. Does anyone ever say anything to the restaurant about this, I wonder? Perhaps customers feel embarrassed to complain because one of the dessserts is on the house, but surely the restaurant could allow them to focus on enjoying one item at a time?
My heart sank initially when I saw this plate - yet another melting gloopy mess - but trust me that it tasted much better than it looked. This was a refreshing contrast to the previous dessert, full of fruity flavours and a good balance of acidity and sweetness. The rare wild strawberries (very different from their supermarket counterparts in size) had a nice firm texture and a delicate acidity. The accompaniment of warm tapioca sago with vanilla cream provided a more luxurious mouthfeel with its thick and silky texture.
The usual petit fours to end an excellent meal: earl grey biscuit, dark chocolate with cognac ganache, blood orange jelly. (reviewed in my first post on this restaurant)
This was on the whole a very satisfying meal. Service was good, particularly from restaurant manager Stephen Quinn, who received me at the beginning and also returned periodically to check on the meal and chat, and a young Czech waitress who was extremely jovial and chatty (especially when I mentioned my recent holiday to the Czech Republic), though she left halfway through my meal for a break, to be replaced by her supervisor who was much more distant, and might I say, even a tad patronising. The seat I was given this time, with a good view of the whole restaurant but directly facing a pillar, was not entirely ideal. Being directly behind the counter, I could also hear the occasional gossip between servers about the diners.
As for the food, no complaints at all about the taste, but certainly much more room for improvement in the presentation of frozen desserts - surely one can expect nothing less than perfection from a restaurant of this standard. I let the desserts go this time because I didn't want to waste food and they tasted really good, but the next time the same melting gloop arrives at my table I'll be sure to send it back (for the sake of my photos as well as the restaurant's reputation on a public blog!).
Feedback was given to Stephen, who acknowledged it genuinely and gave me his card if I should need any help from him in the future. I will be back!
No comments:
Post a Comment