Lunch at The Square

So, after nearly two months of exam preparations and tolerating canteen mush, everything came to an end (for now), and I promptly returned to this ever-so-reliable restaurant for a decent lunch.

Amuse bouche: ham jelly, goat's curd, caviar (hidden under the leaf), fresh peas and pea bavarois, fresh mint and mint oil.

A masterful combination of sweet, savoury and spicy flavours to kick-start the palate. The very delicate textures of individual components belied their distinct and intense taste and kept this little pre-starter feeling balanced and fresh. The silkiness of the pea cream and the wobbly lightness of the bottom layer of ham jelly were particular standouts.

Starter: gazpacho with English crayfish, sour cream ice cream, diced peppers, tomato, cucumber & onion, jellied lime, lemon & tomato, and a touch of olive oil & parsley.

More refreshment dished up in a bowl - this generous and sophisticated take on the classic chilled Spanish tomato soup was incredibly satisfying and totally apt for the now-warmer climate. This was so much more than a plain purée-like blend of tomatoes - the crunchy diced vegetables and jellied balls within the soup contributed a most delightful and juicy bite, while the ice cream and crayfish imparted a touch of luxury without detracting from the invigorating nature of this starter. A touch of olive oil and parsley added further fruitiness and aroma. Summery freshness at its best indeed.

Main course: fillet of sea bream on a bed of creamed leeks with lardo di colonnata, courgette purée, razor clams, preserved lemon, pickled artichokes, spring onion and parsley.

This reminded me immediately of my main course at Le Meurice two months ago, with very similar accompaniments of razor clams, lemon and artichokes. I thought that the portion size here was rather disappointing compared to what I've usually had for lunch mains. For the sheer quantity of accompaniments on the plate one would certainly have expected a bigger and thicker slice of fish. Putting aside the negatives, however, this was still very honest and solid cooking, if not quite as mind-blowing as what I'd experienced at Le Meurice. The pan-fried fillet remained tender and moist with a nice crispy skin, and its succulent texture and delicate flavour were well complemented by the luxurious and tasty bed of leeks and lardo on which it sat. The razor clams provided additionally a nice firm bite, while the rest of the accompaniments kept the dish fresh and aromatic on the whole. The only bit I really didn't like was the pickled artichoke; its naturally sweet flavour would have been excellent, but the pickling resulted in a puckering astringency which was quite different from the refreshing citrusy taste of the lemon (and not really needed here, to be honest).

Dessert: fondant of bitter chocolate with milk ice cream, milk purée and peanut-and-chocolate 100's and 1000's (or sprinkles, as it's sometimes also called).

Always a pleasure, this classic warm chocolate dessert had a perfectly gooey centre that gushed out as soon as I cut through the pudding. It was so rich and indulgent that any more might have felt cloying, but I definitely wasn't complaining! To top it off, there was another surprise in the sprinkles - the chocolate balls were actually fizzy and started popping when warm chocolate sauce was poured over the pudding. The bits on the milk purée popped as soon as they entered my mouth and the sensation was just incredibly delightful. It was a shame that the milk purée and ice cream had to take a back seat next to these outstanding chocolate components, but to be sure they were very good too and I couldn't have imagined putting together a better chocolate fondant dessert myself.

Today, I noticed lots of new faces, and the manager Cesar was off I think so the service, though professional as always, felt somewhat impersonal (though that might just be me being picky). At least, the friendly Italian sommelier Andreas recognised me and came over to my table for a chat about his hometown of Venice (which I had recently visited over Easter with family) so that was a pretty nice touch. Will be back sometime!