Meeting with a friend from home, over lunch at The Ledbury

A friend of mine was visiting from home and I thought it would be nice to leave her with good food memories from London without burning a huge hole in her pocket. I decided to take her to The Ledbury, which offers very reasonably-priced set lunch and à la carte menus on weekdays, in addition to the tasting menu which I had on my previous visit.

At the time of visiting, The Ledbury had just risen in the St. Pellegrino's rankings by an impressive 20 places (earning The Highest Climber award along the way) to reach 14th position on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012 list. Naturally, I arrived with very high expectations that the meal would indeed turn out to be a highlight of my friend's trip.

Canapé: wild asparagus and parmesan tartlette.

This was a bite-sized piece of heaven. The savoury parmesan cream and powder were well complemented by generous, sweet and juicy chunks of poached green asparagus. An  extremely moreish and seasonal combination - if only we could have more than a piece each!

Starter (set lunch): breast of quail with hand rolled macaroni, peas and Riesling. 

This was actually my friend's dish, and it looked extremely similar in concept to the quail starter that I had on my very first visit for Sunday lunch. The roasted quail breast was extremely moist and succulent, and its savoury depth was enhanced by the topping of iberico ham. This was paired with a well-seasoned and somewhat crispier confit of the leg. Subtly sweet pea purée and Riesling sauce completed this unassuming picture of culinary delight.

Starter (à la carte): steamed white asparagus with duck ham, parmesan and mousserons  (a type of mushroom from France with lacy deep gills and very thin stems), cooked in Earl Grey tea.

This was a stunningly varied dish with seemingly disjointed components that actually worked really well together. At the centre of attention was of course the white asparagus, which was incredibly juicy, sweet and tender. I am extremely partial to white asparagus, and fresh ones are in season for only a few weeks each year, making this a real treat. (The Ledbury is also the only fine restaurant in London I've noticed to serve the white variety.) The white asparagus was effectively paired with savoury duck ham, crispy and well-seasoned duck tongue (!) fritters, a touch of parmesan cream, and wonderfully earthy and aromatic mousserons (both sautéed and puréed). This was truly an explosion of flavours which both intrigued and delighted. The only component I really didn't detect at all was the Earl Grey - perhaps overwhelmed by the other competing flavours and aromas? Still, this was a thoroughly enjoyable dish. Shoots of wild green asparagus, carefully plated round the main components, completed the exquisite presentation.

Main course (set lunch): fillet of brill with barley, radishes and a cream of white beer.

This was the highlight of my friend's lunch, according to her. A generous chunk of moist and succulent fish, perfectly roasted with a nice crispy top, sat on a substantial bed of finely-sliced radish and barley grains mixed with mussels. The fresh and intense flavours of the sea were further enhanced by a mildly spicy shellfish consommé (surrounding the fish) that truly stimulated the palette. In fact, the portion was so large that she left some of the grains and vegetables on the plate so that she would have space for dessert. A simple yet delightful experience it must have been.

Main course (à la carte): roast Dover sole with thyme milk skin, mussels and mousserons.

My decision was immediate when I saw this dish on the menu - I had to have it. Seldom does one get the opportunity to enjoy a substantial portion of the most premium sole variety (the Queen's favourite, apparently!). My choice turned out to be utterly amazing - the thick fillet was succulent yet tender, and its delicate flavour was aptly complemented by a layer of mousserons stuffed into a slit made along the middle of the fillet (hidden from view). This was way better than the lemon sole I had last year at RGR (which to my memory now seemed a tad dry and tough), and at least as good as the Dover sole with morels that I had recently as part of the tasting menu at The Waterside Inn.

Cauliflower, a common accompaniment to delicate white fishes, was found here in two forms: as a florid topping of incredibly thin shavings for the fillet, and roasted with a well-seasoned crusted top (both sweet and savoury - delicious). The two mussel fritters were good on their own but didn't add much to the dish. The one standout component that I will remember was the thyme milk skin, so delicate in texture (like Japanese yuba) yet so intense in flavour and aroma; it really lifted the dish to a higher plane amidst all the tried-and-tested combinations on the plate (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Dessert (set lunch): whipped ewe's milk yoghurt with strawberries, blueberries, sweet cicely meringues, frozen white chocolate and warm citrus beignets.

Generous dollops of creamy light sheep's milk yoghurt were interpersed with juicy wild Gariguette strawberries and blueberries, two scoops of smooth and light strawberry sorbet, warm sugared citrus donut balls, a sprinkling of white chocolate, and crunchy sheets of meringue with a subtle flavour of anise. A delightful preview of summer, with clean flavours and bright colours throughout the plate.

Dessert (à la carte): millefeuille of mango and vanilla, with kaffir lime ice cream.

This was rather more straightforward and indulgent, with layers of vanilla cream and  mango chunks in a filo pastry, accompanied and balanced by a scoop of lime ice cream. The vanilla cream was thick and intense in flavour, the mango was fresh and juicy, the pastry was delicate and flaky, and the ice cream managed to be refreshing, rich and velvety all at once - this was pure comfort food with a truly delightful mix of textures and flavours.

As a surprise extra we got another dessert to share, the passionfruit soufflé with Sauternes ice-cream that I had tried on my first visit. Every bit as good as the last time, and now I was also able to taste the full-bodied complexity of the Sauternes ice-cream as it had arrived very firm (good!) and did not melt immediately into the soufflé when put into the pierced opening.

Takes true skill and precision
for a soufflé to rise so evenly!

We both agreed that it had been a stellar meal. The only thing that I found missing, given this restaurant's usual generosity, was the lack of an amuse-bouche, but in hindsight we weren't going to complain because we were really full after 3 large courses and an equally huge extra dessert. I certainly don't remember feeling this full after my previous visits! Service was professional and efficient as usual. I will be back soon!