First visit and lunch at Pétrus

An old friend Angela from university days has just arrived in London for a short visit, and knowing the avid foodie in me, had asked to try a couple of nice restaurants together. On her first afternoon here today, I decided to take her to Pétrus, one of many restaurants in the capital owned by Gordon Ramsay.

This was a first visit for both of us. Having already been to the flagship establishment along Royal Hospital Road a few times myself, I hadn't seen the need to come here. I figured however that this would be a safe choice, as Pétrus has maintained its top position on Tripadvisor for as long as I can remember, even over the 3-starred RGR (though this could well be a question of affordability and/or availability). Another Ramsay protégé Sean Burbridge heads the kitchen here, and the set lunch is a very reasonably-priced affair with a multitude of choices for each course, in line with other Michelin-starred establishments in this city.

Pétrus is located in a nice little corner of the extremely posh Belgravia neighbourhood, just down the road from Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. Wine lovers will know that this is also the name of a famous French red wine, and an impressive floor-to-ceiling wine cellar appropriately forms the centrepiece of the main dining room.

Waiting lounge

The initial reception was professional enough but with a few minor lapses: Angela didn't get a bag hook or a small stool for her handbag, which we noticed was given to all other ladies in the room. When we eventually asked for it, our server informed us that they had run out of stools (?!). Also Angela wasn't feeling too well actually so I asked our server to recommend a nice concoction to soothe her throat (a tea or non-alcoholic cocktail), but the server appeared really puzzled by my request, so we just settled for tap water in the end. My request for a glass of wine to accompany my main course was also forgotten, as the sommelier removed both wine glasses from the table. So all in all not a perfect first impression, but also nothing that particularly disrupted our positive mood today.

Amuse-bouche: watercress mousse and salmon tartar on toast with potato salad (hidden).

The salmon was very fresh and moist, and its characteristically deep taste was enhanced by the spicy and smooth watercress mousse. A wafer-thin slice of toast with finely-diced potato salad underneath contributed a pleasant bite and an apt weight. On the whole, a fine little dish whose delicate textures packed a surprisingly good punch of flavours to kick-start the palate.

Starter 1: asparagus velouté with confit duck, soft boiled duck egg and morels.

This was my choice and a truly wonderful way to start. The velouté was incredibly smooth and sweet. The soft-boiled egg had a perfect runny yolk that imparted a luxurious creaminess to each spoonful, topped off by the fresh juicy crunch of poached asparagus tips. The generous bed of duck and morels were the perfect savoury complement to this lovely soup, featuring a tantalising combination of deep and earthy flavours & aromas, and succulent and moist textures. Every mouthful of this starter was a real delight.

Starter 2: tartar of Casterbridge beef on toasted brioche, with a soft-boiled quail's egg, crispy sweetbreads, shaved foie gras and foie gras cream, capers, gherkins and shallot rings.

Angela's choice. Fresh, tender and succulent beef mince was spread on a light and crispy brioche like a chunky paté, and adorned with yet more lavish accompaniments. As with my soup, the runny and creamy egg yolk enhanced the texture of the beef tartar very nicely, while the foie gras and sweetbread accompaniments, with their rich textures and intense musky flavours, were also a perfect fit for the beef. Shallot rings provided further aroma, while capers and gherkins tempered the power of it all with their characteristic tartness. All in all, an opulent yet extremely well-balanced dish.

Main course 1: saddle of rabbit stuffed with foie gras and black pudding, wild mushrooms with fresh peas and pea purée, broad beans, oregano and parnsip garnish, mint oil and rabbit jus.

Not surprisingly, this was a pretty substantial dish with some magnificently rich textures and flavours from the foie gras and black pudding stuffing. The rabbit jus also had a very deep and intense taste, though it was a tad too salty for my liking (and disproportionately generous to the amount of food on the plate, I thought). Thankfully the rabbit itself was extremely tender and succulent, with a lovely delicate flavour. The legumes and herbs also kept things reasonably light in delivering a pleasant crunch and a refreshing spiciness. I should finally mention the sprinkling of wild mushrooms which made a delightfully subtle point with their powerful earthy taste and aroma, and were a totally apt match for the sumptuously-stuffed rabbit.

Main course 2: pan-roasted cod fillet on a bed of Puy lentils, with variations on cauliflower (poached/grilled/puréed/foamed), mussels and a lightly curried velouté.

Again, my first impression was that the fish was swimming in this large pool of sauce (sorry, couldn't help the pun) but otherwise it was a truly excellent dish - unfussy, precise and tasty. The cod was perfectly cooked, with a smooth, moist and flaky flesh, a nicely browned crispy skin and a touch of sea salt. The mussels were agreeably firm and juicy. The cauliflower's sweetness was a wonderful companion to the light flavours of the seafood, while the curried velouté, excessiveness notwithstanding, delivered a delicious kick without upsetting the delicate overall balance. I slightly preferred this dish over the one I'd originally chosen above.

Palate cleanser: passion fruit mousse cornetto with white chocolate shavings and popping candy.

A charming transition into desserts after all that savoury feasting. The sourish passion fruit mousse was incredibly light and refreshing, and the popping candy at the bottom of the cornetto (surprise!) stimulated our palates in the most unexpected and fascinating manner imaginable. The brilliant tingling sensation on our tongues lingered on even after we'd finished and we were relishing every moment of it.

Dessert 1: apple and caramel parfait, with compressed apple, 'cinnamon' (flavoured pastry sticks), 'star anise' (dark chocolate), mini toffee apples, applesauce and cider foam.

A highly creative and beautiful apple dessert with all the usual trappings presented in a fancy manner. This was just about as much as anyone could do to an apple, I think. I was particularly fascinated by the parfait, which had three distinct layers - first a sweet-sour crust of green apple and white chocolate, then a main body of the creamiest and most decadent caramel ice cream, and finally right in the centre, a refreshing and full-bodied iced Calvados filling that gave the tastebuds a really nice jolt to finish. I can't really imagine how this was made - must have required some pretty amazing equipment and/or precision in timing and execution. Anyway as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and this was clearly a success. The accompaniments were somewhat more commonplace and generally apt; the only bits I didn't quite get were the star anise-shaped dark chocolate, which puzzlingly didn't have any taste of anise (unlike the cinnamon-flavoured sticks), and the compressed apple, which I thought somewhat superfluous in execution - surely a fresh slice or none at all would work just as well? Not much point in compressing and concentrating the flavour of such a small slice anyway since apple is everywhere on the plate in some form. (But this is a posh restaurant after all, I suppose!)

Dessert 2: star anise crème brûlée, caramelised pear, pear compote and licorice reduction.

A classic French dessert given a spicy herbal twist, this was very solidly made and somewhat unusually presented like a cheesecake instead of in a ramekin. The crème brûlée had a really rich custard-like texture, complete with a crispy burnt sugar top layer and biscuit base. It also had a lovely deep vanilla flavour (with evidence of real crushed vanilla pods) tinged with the warm, sweet and mildly spicy taste of star anise. The latter was very aptly paired with a licorice reduction that had a similarly refreshing bittersweetness about it. The pear accompaniments had a very nice juicy bite and the caramelised slice in particular had an unusually deep and concentrated sweetness that was a great match for the lush herbal flavours of the crème brûlée. This was on the whole a very interesting and effective combination of flavours.

With the main meal finished, we decided to get some tea/coffee and chocolate at a supplement and received a whole array of chocolate squares of various intensities and cocoa types in a nice little wooden drawer, a dish full of chocolate covered almonds, and the signature Ramsay petit fours of strawberry & vanilla ice cream coated in white chocolate (which I've already had on my own visits to the flagship RGR). Not bad at all for a mere £5 extra per person!

The Sencha was pretty good, by the way!

A very blissful Angela
just before we left the restaurant.

In summary, it had been a lovely afternoon catching up with an old friend over a nice and slow lunch. The service was generally warm and professional and the cooking, though not exactly what I would call mind-blowing, was very solid indeed. We were both sufficiently impressed by this 'basic' lunch menu, and I certainly hope to return myself for the full tasting menu, to experience the full capabilities of the kitchen team.