Lunch at The Greenhouse (Tasting Menu)

The 2014 Michelin Guide for the UK has just been released last week, and amongst London restaurants there were two newly-minted 2-star places: Dinner by Heston (2 reviews on this blog so far) and The Greenhouse. Of course, I wasted no time in checking out the latter, and visited The Greenhouse for the first time this afternoon.

The Greenhouse is in fact no newbie on London's gastronomic scene: feeding the well-heeled crowd from the same Mayfair location since 1977, it is particularly well-known for its impressive wine list and solid cooking. One of the few long stayers in a scene increasingly dominated by fancy openings, its previous head chefs have included (by now) classic figures such as Brian Turner and Gary Rhodes. The kitchen is currently helmed by young French chef Arnaud Bignon, a protégé of Eric Fréchon, the highly respected and long-standing head chef of 3-starred Le Bristol in Paris.

For first-timers this restaurant can be a little difficult to find; it is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac in a quaint part of Mayfair, a leafy oasis in the midst of the luxury hotels, boutiques and car showrooms that define this area. It is always lovely to escape from the incessant hustle and bustle of this city, even if just for an hour or two.

Entering a different world.

Nice little walkway leading to the entrance, and a
reminder that space is such a luxury in London!

I was warmly received by the lady manager on duty and promptly shown to my seat by the window as requested. I got a great overview of the dining room; surprisingly, it was barely filled, though it did start to get busy as the afternoon progressed. Although it was lunch on a weekday, the restaurant's recent status upgrade does seem to have had an effect in putting bums on seats. Upon enquiry it was confirmed that they have had noticeably more new diners like myself since last week's Michelin release.

The usual options are offered: a 3-course lunch menu at £25, a tasting menu at £90 and a special chef's 'discovery' menu at £110. By London 2-star standards, the food here is considerably cheaper, but these prices are most likely a reflection of its former 1-star status so expect them to go up very soon! As it was my first visit, my server suggested I go for the tasting menu to get a feel of the restaurant's signature dishes, and I happily went along with that.

Canapés: pretzel cracker with curried mussel cream and coriander leaves, beetroot meringue with wasabi and mascarpone, bread soufflé with beef tartare and arënkha (a caviar substitute made of smoked and spherised herring fillets).

This exquisite assortment of bites contained a couple of pleasant surprises which set the tone clearly for the meal proper. The techniques behind each morsel were classically French but the choice and combination of ingredients were most unusual. I personally liked the meringue the most; the deep earthy sweetness of beetroot was encapsulated in two feather-light meringue shells, which in turn contained a rich sweet cheese filling, with a touch of wasabi for the added kick. It was indulgent, yet refreshing and ephemeral all at once. The bread soufflé (really a mini dumpling) with beef and mock caviar came a close second for its understated weight and intensity of flavour. The pretzel stick was tasty though relatively unexciting; any trace of mussels in the cream had been overpowered by its strong curried flavour.

A good selection of breads followed soon after, served by friendly Mario who hails from Germany:

My picks: chestnut bread and chorizo & parmesan bread, served with the most French of butters from Bordier (salted Espelette pepper butter and unsalted butter) and Maldon salt flakes. Lovely flavours, though I wished that the bread would be more fluffy and crisp in texture; it had lost some of that oven-fresh warmth by the time it arrived on my plate. The butter made up for any reservations I had about the bread - I could never get enough of that rich silky stuff (and fancy finding Bordier products in London!).

Course 1: shredded Cornish crab seasoned with coriander and ginger, cauliflower cream, curry, under a layer of mint jelly and Granny Smith apple foam & chunks.

This dish is a staple on the menu regardless of season. Unfortunately, it wasn't a really good start. To me it was a case of having too many cooks spoil the broth: the sheer variety of ingredients led to flavours that didn't always work well together, and even detracted from the whole point of this dish (which, to be fair, was excellent on its own - naturally sweet and succulent). The most problematic component was also the most visible: I didn't understand how mint jelly, with its very distinctive piquant taste, could have been conceived to complement the crab. I also thought that the proportion of crab to jelly was misjudged, such that the focal ingredient actually risked being drowned out. The cauliflower cream which had been mixed with the crab was effective in enhancing the latter's flavour, though the good was somewhat undone when taken together with the mildly sourish apple foam - crustaceans and fruit simply do not belong together, in my experience. The rest of the seasonings were too subtle to have a real impact, positive or otherwise. On the whole a real shame, considering the stellar quality of the crab, largely obscured by its accompaniments.

Course 2: pan-fried foie gras topped with fennel pollen and cocoa nibs, prune compote with a touch of sherry vinegar.

This was a much more solid dish. The chosen accompaniments were also unusual, but effective: I particularly loved the idea of cocoa nibs imparting a crunchy texture amidst the creamy foie, and its bitterness was a perfect complement to the foie's natural musky flavour and slight charred edge from pan frying. Fennel pollen also deepened the foie's taste with a bittersweet anise-like aroma, while the prune compote helped to balance all this indulgence with a good balance of sweetness and acidity.

Course 3: monkfish wrapped in nori, with cockles, razor clams, samphire and gnocchi, in a clear dashi broth with a drizzle of olive oil.

This clearly Asian-inspired dish was pleasantly familiar and comforting. The fish was cooked just right and retained all its natural juices and firm succulent texture. Its delicate taste was appropriately enhanced by a layer of dried seaweed, in the style of Japanese sushi. The dashi broth infused with ginger was fresh, mildly piquant and truly reminiscent of sauce for Chinese steamed fish dishes. The lightly cooked shellfish and salty samphire accompaniments also contributed to a lovely overall umami.

Course 4: Welsh Rhug Estate organic lamb rack and loin with miso paste, roasting juices, pepper and sweet spice coulis, cress garnish. Served with a side dish of Israeli couscous, chickpeas, mint and peppers.

This was again quite disappointing, especially considering that this was the main course. I found the lamb overly pink yet dry. It was not helped by the overly generous amount of miso paste under the rack, which I found extremely salty and overpowering. I would not have been able to taste the meat if not for its roasting juices (which was also quite salty, though not as excessively so as the miso). In comparison, the couscous, though not even mentioned in the menu, was much better. The individual grains, similar in shape and texture to fregola sarda, were delightfully large and chewy. Accompanied by chickpeas and diced peppers, and seasoned with mint and ras-el-hanout, this made for a very aromatic and satisfying Moroccan-inspired side dish, and compensated somewhat for the rather unpalatable meat.

Course 5: mojito granita enrobed in white chocolate.

This ice lolly made of lime, rum, mint with a silky white chocolate shell was a lovely breath of fresh air between the savoury and sweet courses. It was presented very impressively amidst a ring of smoking dry ice. The astringent and slightly bitter taste of lime, combined with the sweet aftertaste of rum and the freshness of mint, was just perfect.

Dessert: pine nut sponge cake, fresh and caramelised pineapples, lavender foam, meringue disc, lemon sorbet, violet garnish.

What a lovely way to end the meal. The subtle but unmistakable fragrance of lavender wafted through the air as the dessert was put on my table. It came from a cloud-like mass of foam, in the midst of which a lemon sorbet was perched. This was very smooth and refreshing and possessed just the right balance of sweetness and acidity. Beneath the foam were chunks of pine nut sponge cake and diced pineapple, a lovely combination of nutty and fruity flavours as well as crunchy and juicy textures. The different ingredients worked remarkably well together here, resulting in a dessert that was wonderfully balanced, sophisticated and elegant.

Petit fours and green tea to round off the afternoon:

From top to bottom: lemon and mint marshmallow, cassis and lime jelly with crumble, raspberry jelly.

Part 2: (from top to bottom) Equatorial chocolate with yuzu & sake jelly, Manjari chocolate with raspberry and a sprinkling of Piquillo pepper powder, and milk chocolate with basil & olive oil. I particularly loved the yuzu and basil chocolates; the freshness and slight bitter edge of the former was a perfect foil to the intensity of the chocolate, while the strong aromas and silkiness of the latter was most effective in enhancing the rich creamy taste of milk chocolate. These were so good that I actually asked for a second helping of chocolate!

A few more pictures before I left:

Private dining area

With Arnaud Bignon

As with my visit to Sketch last year soon after it was upgraded by Michelin, I wasn't always sure that The Greenhouse was cooking at the level of its 2-star counterparts today. While I am all for exploring exotic ingredients and combinations, there were definitely some aspects of flavour and balance that needed sorting out (particularly for the meat main course).

Despite a couple of hits and misses with the food, on the whole this had been a pleasant experience. Service was warm and attentive throughout, and I would particularly like to thank Gregory and Mario for taking care of me for most of the meal. Chef Bignon himself came across as an extremely humble and easy-going person when I requested to meet him for a brief chat and photo. We talked about his years training under Fréchon, whom he credits as his greatest influence, and about my favourite restaurants in this country. I probably wouldn't mind returning for the other menus once The Greenhouse has had more time to 'settle' into its new status and iron out the kinks in its cooking - and here's hoping that the kitchen team will keep improving to keep pace with its other established competitors.

(N.B. The great Eric Fréchon plays visiting chef for 3 days from 23-25 October, bringing over many of his signature dishes from Le Bristol, as well as creating a special four-hands dinner with his protégé on the final evening. A good reason to visit perhaps?)