Sunday lunch at The Ledbury

I returned to The Ledbury today for its 3-course Sunday lunch, which is a good deal considering that it features several options for each course from the standard (read: more expensive) à la carte menu. I had noticed a couple of changes to the restaurant's offerings since my last visit and was keen to try some new dishes.

Canapé: parmesan tartlette with dried black olives, diced radish and fennel garnish.

The surprisingly light parmesan cream was studded with savoury dried olives and juicy sweet radishes, which made for a delightful combination of textures and flavours. The subtle but characteristic aroma of fennel enveloped this delicious morsel and left a very pleasant aftertaste in the mouth.

Amuse-bouche: salad of heritage (heirloom) tomatoes with fresh goat's cheese, dried olives, green tomato juice, herbs, and a dressing of tomato juice, shallots, balsamic vinegar and chives.

Though an amuse-bouche in name, this was in fact a standard menu item and a solid dish in its own right. The taste of this deceptively simple starter was as lovely as its vibrant colours. The sheer depth of flavour and juiciness of this special cultivar of tomatoes was amazing, and their subtle sweetness was perfectly complemented by a sourish dressing mixed with tiny balls made unusually from tomato consommé, as well as sprinklings of savoury dried olives. The chewy tomato balls and firm olive bits made for a nice bite in this salad. This wholesome dish was also given a more indulgent edge, in the form of a crispy roll generously filled out with thick and creamy goat's cheese. An aromatic garnishing of mixed herbs completed this immaculately crafted salad.

Starter: roasted hand-dived Scottish scallops with seaweed and brassicas (an umbrella term for cruciferous vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli etc.).

I had an almost identical dish in the tasting menu way back in April, and remembering how good it had been, I definitely didn't mind ordering this again. The insertion of little pieces of nori (Japanese seaweed) into grooves cut in the scallops remains one of my favourite ways of treating this shellfish; the complex savoury flavours of the seaweed are allowed to fully infuse into the scallops by mingling with their natural juices. The other seaweed components (seaweed oil and seaweed butter) also contributed to the incredible umami of the scallops.

Main course: roasted Black Leg chicken breast with confit wing and thigh, creamed potato, shavings of autumn truffle, raw and poached ceps.

I normally wouldn't order a chicken dish in a fine restaurant simply because it is such a common meat, but the allure of truffle and cep accompaniments was too great to resist - and my, was I richly rewarded! A generous mound of poached and raw ceps topped with an incredible amount of shaved truffles was set within a ring of smooth potato mash, that was itself studded all round with small dollops of truffle butter; the combination of nutty & earthy ceps with characteristically pungent truffles was simply intoxicating for a fungi lover like me. The firm & meaty texture of the ceps was also the perfect complement to poultry. 

The Black Leg variety used here (not to be confused with the black chickens used in Chinese herbal cuisine) comes specifically from the southwest of France near Toulouse (where it is known as poulet noir). These premier French free-range chickens are specially bred on an custom vegetarian diet, and the meat that results is commonly considered by chefs to be the best in Europe. This was certainly no ordinary chicken; the main breast portion - a leaner part of the chicken which could end up dry and tough if mishandled - was so tender, succulent and naturally tasty that it has to be tried to be believed. The small layer of skin was perfectly crisp and astonishingly fatless. The two small confited parts were very well-seasoned and had a very rich mouthfeel. The overall flavour of the dish was further enhanced by a savoury sprinkling of finely chopped chicken livers cooked in sherry. If only the chicken that I eat regularly would be a fraction as good as this!

I asked for a glass of sweet wine to go with my dessert, and was recommended this pleasant and reasonably-priced Sauternes by a very friendly Italian server Enrico - I don't think he was actually the sommelier, but anyway wine pairings by the glass at this price level are pretty standard and predictable, so I went with his suggestion.

This is a 1997 Château Coutet (premier cru classé, appellation Barsac contrôlée) from the Bordeaux region of France. Tasting notes: a very fresh, crisp, medium-bodied wine with a rich nose. Pleasant notes of honey and apricot, with a slight aftertaste of tropical fruit. Beautiful deep golden hue.

Pre-dessert: fresh mandarin pieces with lemon verbena ice-cream, soft meringue and crunchy dried meringue pieces, sea buckthorn mousse.

A wonderful palate cleanser full of citrusy flavours and possessing an astonishing range of textures. I found the lemon verbena ice cream and sea buckthorn mousse particularly interesting; the vanilla-based ice cream was infused with a zesty lemon-like flavour typical of this herb, while the mousse possessed the characteristically refreshing and astringent flavour of sea buckthorn berries. Sweet mandarin and meringue pieces kept the overall acidity of this dish in check whilst contributing an enjoyable bite to it.

Dessert: passionfruit soufflé with Sauternes ice-cream. Nothing new really - third time I was having it - but still good, as always!

I was secretly hoping to have an extra dessert (as the restaurant has always done for me so generously on my previous visits) but didn't get anything this time - to be fair though, except for one table which was celebrating a birthday, none of the others got a complimentary dessert this afternoon, as far as I could observe. You can't really take such things for granted I suppose.

Petit fours to end a pleasant Sunday afternoon, away from the pouring weather outside: Earl Grey biscuit, dark chocolate ganache with an eucalyptus filling, mandarin jelly.

Service was generally excellent, particularly from Laurens, the Dutch lad who was mainly taking care of me throughout today's lunch, and with whom I had a nice brief chat after my meal. Dasha (not sure about spelling...), the bubbly Czech girl who had served me during a previous visit to try the tasting menu, recognised me immediately when being tasked to serve me my scallop starter, and we also exchanged a few friendly words. Enrico, whom I saw for the first time and who recommended my dessert wine, was very warm and attentive to all tables and made sure periodically that everything was alright. Another lady was very sincere in asking me if I enjoyed my wine, when she collected my glass. In contrast, I found today's maître d' (not Stephen - he was on holiday) rather distant, even bordering on aloofness at times - but I was prepared to overlook that as we didn't have much contact anyway. I look forward to returning soon.

Lunch at Restaurant Spice im Hotel Rigiblick, Zürich

I am currently in Zurich on a short unplanned holiday (leaving tomorrow!), and this morning I decided to do one nice restaurant in the city. Having experienced a pretty expensive tourist trap the evening before (well, Zurich is expensive everywhere, and I needed to find food conveniently since I had arrived late yesterday) and not knowing any better about the culinary scene, I decided to look up Tripadvisor as usual, and came upon Restaurant Spice in first place, with overwhelmingly positive reviews. It has held one Michelin star since 2007, one of only few such establishments in Zurich. Their prices, though not cheap, are reflective of living costs in this city, and in this case I figured fine-dining might actually be better value if I was going to pay so much for food anywhere else in Zurich anyway. It was surprisingly easy to get a last-minute lunch reservation through my hotel, and off I went.

Restaurant Spice, now headed by Dennis Puchert who took over from the Nickel siblings just this year, is located on a hilltop on the edge on the city, admittedly rather out of the way but nonetheless a very tranquil environment well away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. It can be reached by funicular (Rigiblick line) followed by a short walk. It is part of the Hotel Rigiblick which also houses a more casual bistro called the Quadrino on the ground floor. In Spice itself, diners can choose to sit out on the terrace if weather permits. I would have loved to do that, but it was a scorching day and I wasn't going to pespire in a suit throughout my meal (for that matter, I felt severely overdressed for lunch - other customers I saw were astonishingly casual compared to the usual practice for such restaurants).

Considering its top spot on Tripadvisor and Michelin-starred status (and in hindsight, the quality of the food) I was extremely surprised by how empty the restaurant was on a Friday afternoon - there were just 4 tables out on the terrace (how did they like eating under the burning sun, I wonder!) and I was alone within the restaurant the entire time. When I enquired about this to my server he explained that people normally come for dinner because lunch hours in Zurich are too limited for a multi-course meal and more relaxed pace of service - a fair reason I suppose!

I was hoping to try the full tasting menu of 9 courses advertised on their website but was told by my waitress that the restaurant only does this during the evenings and Saturday lunch, which was a little disappointing to begin with, since Michelin-starred establishments in Europe typically offer a choice of tasting menus at lunchtime as well. Had I known about this earlier I'd have chosen to come in the evening (the only reason I do lunch if I can help it is because the natural light is so much better for food photography).

Moving on, Spice does a cheaper multi-course lunch menu starting from 56 CHF for 2 courses, and 10 CHF for each additional course up to a maximum of 6 courses. This concept is very similar to that practised at Silvio Nickol in Vienna, which I visited recently (see my review from July). Also, the flavour combinations looked pretty interesting, and I was eager to taste whether they would work as well as at Silvio Nickol (well, most of the time anyway). Of course, I went for the maximum of 6 courses since I had time to spare!

Bread and butter came first. Not much of a choice for bread really, but both (with poppyseed and multigrain toppings) were extremely agreeable - very light, fluffy and still slightly warm. The salted butter was excellent - very smooth and creamy in texture, and delicate in flavour.

Amuse-bouche: roasted duck with barbecue sauce, herb mousse, remoulade, cress garnish.

The duck was a tad dry and chewy, but the tasty barbecue sauce and creamy remoulade (very similar to tartar sauce) made up for it. The herb mousse and slightly bitter & spicy cress garnish were refreshing touches to the dish.

First course: veal tartare, mixed pickles, sour cream, baby Swiss chard garnish.

The tender, succulent and well-seasoned veal tartar was enhanced by with dollops of surprisingly rich and savoury sour cream. The crunchy mixed vegetable pickles and cubes of fresh beetroot were a good balancing touch for this luxurious dish, and also contributed further textures. The only component I didn't understand was the bed of pumpernickel 'glued' to the plate by a thinly-spread layer of sour cream. Apart from its role in the overall presentation of the dish - which I must admit was very pretty - the coarsely-ground grains had no taste whatsoever, and their hard texture would have been quite unpalatable if not for the other excellent components on the plate.

Second course: Riesling soup, tarragon, fish praline.

A simpler, but no less outstanding dish, each spoonful of this light and tasty dessert wine cream soup was perfumed with the refreshing scent of fresh tarragon, and a crispy breaded ball on the side contained a moist & well-seasoned mixture of minced white fish - no frills, just delightful.

Third course: king prawns, mussels, passionfruit, cucumber, fennel.

This was a most welcome palate cleanser before the two main courses of fish and meat. The prawns and mussels were wonderfully executed, allowing them to retain all their natural flavours & juices and a good springy bite. Their freshness was enhanced somewhat unusually by a very clean-tasting cucumber (in fresh, pickled, puréed and sauce forms) and passionfruit pairing. Sprinklings of fennel throughout the dish imparted a subtle aniseed-like aroma that complemented its overall delicate taste very aptly.

Fourth course: sole, broccoli, cashew nuts, potatoes, white pepper sauce.

This was my favourite course of the whole meal. The texture of the fish was incredible - juicy and succulent with a nice spring to every bite. Its delicate flavour was aptly matched by broccoli (in both poached and puréed forms) and a very slightly spicy white pepper sauce that gave the dish more character without disturbing its overall finesse. I also thought that the careful sprinkling of roasted cashew nuts was an inspired touch, with its crunchy texture complementing the springy flesh of the fish perfectly, and its characteristically rich taste imparting a greater depth of flavour without being intrusive.

Fifth course: lamb, peas, ras-el-hanout, potatoes.

This was terribly disappointing, coming after the perfect fish course. The meat was extremely overcooked - no pink areas at all - one look and I knew that it would be dry and tough without even tasting it. The meat was somewhat (but not completely) redeemed by an excellent roasting jus, infused with the enticing aromas of ras-el-hanout (a popular North African spice blend). The accompaniments were the real stars of this dish; a smooth & thick pea purée laid the foundation for an extremely pretty arrangement of potatoes, in the forms of puréed dollops topped with spicy twigs of cress, as well as lightly curried fried beignets. I particularly loved the latter - crispy on the outside, and hot, creamy & savoury on the inside. Still, it was rather difficult to forget the letdown that the meat caused; only the reluctance to waste food prevented me from sending this dish back to the kitchen. I did give my honest opinion about this dish to the server who collected my plate, but no further remedial action was taken, apart from the customary apology.

Sixth course: blackcurrant sorbet, milk chocolate parfait coated with cocoa powder, and apricot profiterole, paired with a glass of Sauternes (Chateau Doisy-Védrines, 2009 vintage).

This was much better than the last main course, and perfectly acceptable though not particularly distinctive. I liked the sorbet best - intensely fruity with a smooth and surprisingly luxurious mouthfeel. Next was the parfait which I found served a tad too cold and hard, and bits of it promptly flew off the plate and stained my shirt when I tried to cut it with my fork (argh! and I'm usually very careful). Otherwise, it was actually pretty rich and good. The component I liked least was the profiterole; the diced apricot filling was nice and juicy but the pastry itself was strangely soggy. The little piece of popcorn/rice cracker in the foreground was also very limp and chewy - why was there a need for it in the first place?

The glass of Sauternes which I chose to accompany this dessert (at a very reasonable supplement) was surprisingly good for its young age - fresh, rich and sweet, with strong notes of honey and apricot, and a woody and mildly acidic aftertaste. Smooth, with a relatively high alcohol content (14.5%) which warmed the throat nicely, and made it extremely easy to drink.

Finally, an array of petit fours to finish the lunch, including two pieces each of warm dark chocolate cake (my favourite, very rich and moist, almost like a moelleux but without a melted chocolate centre), milk chocolate sponge sandwich with blackcurrant jam, blackcurrant jelly, butter sponge, and dark chocolate truffle. All in all very well made, and a nice way to end a generally pleasant afternoon:

Terrace

View of the city of Zurich from the terrace

Overview of Hotel Rigiblick

The adjoining theatre which is still
in active use for small-scale performances

Summary notes: generally very good cooking (shame about the lamb dish though) and always beautifully presented. Great value for money at lunchtime (by Zurich standards), even if the dishes are not always as adventurous as the restaurant might like to claim them to be, and there are none of the numerous complimentary bites in between courses as described in online reviews, apart from the usual amuse-bouche and petit fours - but to be fair the lunch menu is a lot cheaper than the evening menu, so one can't expect the kitchen to pull out all the stops. Service was warm and professional. The menu comes only in German, but all staff speak fluent English and are happy to elaborate on the dishes. The atmosphere was generally very casual and relaxed. 

This first experience was certainly promising, and I would love to return to experience the real capabilities of the kitchen in the full tasting menu, upon my next visit to Zurich.