Richard Bagnold

Some might say travelling north for 3 hours on a train from Rome to Padua (20 minutes outside Venice) just for a meal is excessive but it is very easily dealt with when accompanied by fine company, fizz and films on a laptop. Moreover, when the food is as good as it was on this occasion it is the very least of my concerns. Le Calandre is run by the charming Massimiliano Alajmo who is now the youngest chef to ever gain 3 Michelin stars. His family owned restaurant has an unusual design, located on the side of a dual carriageway, in a neighbourhood that resembles parts of Old Kent Road, a huge sign advertising the restaurant name and a plastic pink dog by the entrance. However, once inside the very dim lit interior, one gains the impression of being inside a temple of gastronomy rather than anything else. An amazing meal in general that showed wonderful attention to detail and care for the diners’ experience.

There are various tasting menus to opt for and of the choices, the ‘Classico’ was done based on the fact that if you’re going to do genuine Italian dishes, why not see how these classic dishes are done at superlative 3 Michelin starred level? This proved to be a wise choice. The absolute power of the ingredients used meant that every dish here was an event. The nibbles inspired from south, central and northern Italian dishes were all light and wonderful with the tomato puree canapé bursting with flavour. The langoustine, having been caught that morning and prepared just before we arrived, was utterly sweet and packed with flavour accompanied by a wonderful cocktail sauce made from lobster. Next was a cuttlefish cappuccino soup, which was a heavenly and although it felt like it had in excess of 1000 calories, was equally wonderful. I really enjoyed the hot green, turnip soup after this with its cold, onion sorbet, which obviously counter balanced superbly – clever and superb.

There are various tasting menus to opt for and of the choices, the ‘Classico’ was done based on the fact that if you’re going to do genuine Italian dishes, why not see how these classic dishes are done at superlative 3 Michelin starred level? This proved to be a wise choice. The absolute power of the ingredients used meant that every dish here was an event. The nibbles inspired from south, central and northern Italian dishes were all light and wonderful with the tomato puree canapé bursting with flavour. The langoustine, having been caught that morning and prepared just before we arrived, was utterly sweet and packed with flavour accompanied by a wonderful cocktail sauce made from lobster. Next was a cuttlefish cappuccino soup, which was a heavenly and although it felt like it had in excess of 1000 calories, was equally wonderful. I really enjoyed the hot green, turnip soup after this with its cold, onion sorbet, which obviously counter balanced superbly – clever and superb.

Then came one of the nicest touches I have ever seen – the head waiter noticed that we had cleaned the plates of crushed and warmed tomato (served with a glorious ricotta cream ‘cigar’ in amazingly light pastry) as well as a dishwasher could. As a result of noticing this, the actual pan the tomato was made in was brought the table so that we could mop all the remainder up with pieces of freshly made bread, decorated with drops of refined olive oil. Only a place operating at that level of confidence and security would be happy to do this and actually ‘get it’ as to how much this means to people who love this. Just as a child loves to do this whenever their Mother made their favourite sauce (which I obviously always did) this was a present from the restaurant for an equally excited adult and something I have never seen before. The staff wanted to do this for us and I can’t say how much this raised the happiness valves. The same was done with the risotto, which had an introductory pot of how it was when it was first rolled out at the restaurant and then the following was the upgrade with its broth. Both had the delicate glaze of liquorice which was just at the right level and they were both simply excellent – if pressed, I would go for the original based on its greater ‘gooyness’ which the broth version obviously takes away but I loved that as well in terms of the lighter texture as well.

Next came the meats with the beef tartar with truffle was as cold and fresh as you can imagine and then a dissected thigh bone of a cow which was grilled to produce frankly the best marrow I have ever had in my life. Bone marrow I have always found almost too powerful but this was actually softened and boosted with sweet herbs producing an incredible flavour. I will never forget this dish. The pork was so succulent with a perfectly crispy and juicy skin on top with lovely mustard foam and sauce. The only aspect I was luke warm on for this meal was the soured vegetables that accompanied as these were great for texture but a few too many flavour and could only do them with all other elements. The other element I thought I was a fraction strong was the pre-dessert with sherbet.

The mozzarella egg dessert however was a life time memory dish. This was simply amazing and without a shadow of doubt a clear 3 star dish by a country mile. The milk sugar shell was lovely and when cracked exposed glorious sweet milk foam inside all on a bed of mozzarella cream with glaze of oil – utterly divine stuff. The meal was finished off with an atomised brandy and ‘white’ tea, which is made from purely the tips of blades of grass, that are white and reassuringly very difficult to come by for the area of Italy that it comes from. Clearly this had to be done and was refreshing and slightly sour at the same time. My bill finally came to €300 all in – having already set this aside prior to the trip, it didn’t even register paying this for one of the best meals had.

This was an outstanding meal, which was simply rammed with wonderful and powerful flavours from raw and classic Italian ingredients. There were multiple wonder moments and the number of these was one of the highest on record for a tasting menu and it was superb to meet the executive chef himself who is clearly operating on the highest levels one can – a privilege to meet and chat with him around his kitchen and fantastic to experience his work.

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This is a most impressive venue. It has a renaissance and highly luxurious feel to the interior visually and is located in the Rome Cavalieri (Waldorf Astoria) hotel, high on the hills of NW Rome which affords superb views of the city. This is the sort of restaurant that will earn considerable points for anyone taking their other halves out for a treat and one would not feel comfortable here underdressed. For my occasion here with my associate Mr Bainbridge, as usual, the point of the visit was complete focus on the food but, in terms of what feel the venue is, I would say keep this up the sleeve if you need to gain serious credit in treating someone special when in Rome.

At time of visit the costs of the tasting menus averaged €225 Euros which, although expensive is basically a no brainer when one is getting the 10 course highlights as opposed to an average of €200 for the 5 course a la carte. It was abundantly clear that this tasting menu had been planned and mapped out in detail. At no point did I feel bloated and the dishes all had careful precision in their execution. All the courses were enjoyable but the true highlights of this meal were the foie gras, fagotelli and ‘The Sun’ dessert.

At time of visit the costs of the tasting menus averaged €225 Euros which, although expensive is basically a no brainer when one is getting the 10 course highlights as opposed to an average of €200 for the 5 course a la carte. It was abundantly clear that this tasting menu had been planned and mapped out in detail. At no point did I feel bloated and the dishes all had careful precision in their execution. All the courses were enjoyable but the true highlights of this meal were the foie gras, fagotelli and ‘The Sun’ dessert.

The foie gras dish was a liquid foie gras base covered with aerated foie gras powder (snow). This was absolutely superb – so light and original, it was scooped very, very quickly. The fagotelli is one of La Pergola’s signature dishes and was simply faultless pasta with liquid parmesan on delicate macaroni. I can’t see how this could have been bettered and this is why you pay the price that these establishments set. The sauce burst in to the mouth as soon as each parcel was gently squeezed by the mouth. Pre-dessert chocolate was heavenly but ‘The Sun’ main dessert of passion fruit was another moment where one just wanted more and very quickly.

Miscellaneous observations here include the fact that the service was quite mixed which was surprising for a 3 Michelin starred restaurant. On the whole the service was extremely good but with one waiter dampening the experience by having a general demeanour that diners to this venue should feel lucky to be there. This attitude or delivery ceases to impress or intimidate me now and is easily dealt with by ignoring it and lack of engagement. Being grateful as a diner is important of course, but this restaurant would be wise to cut this blasé body language out as a) the price of the experience which is being paid for and b) diners are not there for the benefit of waiters. On the other side of the spectrum, it was wonderful to be invited in to the kitchen and meet Heinz Beck to chat with briefly and it was lovely of the staff to show us around briefly – my sincere thanks to Heinz and all and all who obliged. A serene operation of focus was seen with some extraordinary centrifugal equipment for making the foie gras snow for example.

This was great meal – refined and so clever in how it was designed from start to finish. I wouldn’t say I will remember all the dishes forever, but there at least three moments of sheer joy and the meal itself was clearly in the mid-3 Michelin star level (well deserved of its accolade). A great way to see Rome from high ground as well and was a considerably pleasant tick to complete on a 3 day visit to Rome.

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My second visit to Kopapa and this time with the full entourage meaning multiple things could be tried for brunch. The salmon on toast with eggs had a pleasant yuzu hollondaise sauce but I thought the salmon would have been better if it was cooked less. The bacon was a little tough and I was a little bit dissapointed with how dense the bread was for the french toast as the bad points, however there is a lot of choice and original choice for brunch on the Saturday and Sunday menus. The selection of smoothies, milkshakes, dougnuts and juices are bespoke and all made on the premises. The dougnuts are probably going to be fit for a meal in themselves (the peanut butter and jam was worthwhile), the porridge was nicely done and clearly the Turkish eggs had to be done again.

It was very good to get back here and do the menu properly – the bottom line is that I enjoyed it but was a slight let down compared with my first experience. I do wish to try the pre-theatre, set and evening menus as I think this venue has a lot to offer in spite of not being blown away by options on this visit. It’s still an intriguing place and the next time I am passing and it is remotely sunny, I can’t think of many better things than having a seat outside Kopapa on a crisp morning with the Turkish eggs, espresso and a bespoke juice as the finest things had so far.

It was very good to get back here and do the menu properly – the bottom line is that I enjoyed it but was a slight let down compared with my first experience. I do wish to try the pre-theatre, set and evening menus as I think this venue has a lot to offer in spite of not being blown away by options on this visit. It’s still an intriguing place and the next time I am passing and it is remotely sunny, I can’t think of many better things than having a seat outside Kopapa on a crisp morning with the Turkish eggs, espresso and a bespoke juice as the finest things had so far.

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The summary above sums it up I think and this is why, if one is passing through Hitchin (a pleasant, small town in Hertfordshire) and needs a snack done well, you would do a lot worse than come here. I’ve been here twice now and am reassured enough it should go on here as it is good value with original choices for lunch with some pleasing effects.

I do like the way the chili jam is made on the premises and the general care that goes in to making each request whether it is a fried toastie or rather good sides (although I do think it would make the place even better on its existing home made theme if its mayonnaise was not bottled and this was home made as well).

I do like the way the chili jam is made on the premises and the general care that goes in to making each request whether it is a fried toastie or rather good sides (although I do think it would make the place even better on its existing home made theme if its mayonnaise was not bottled and this was home made as well).

If you’re expecting prices resembling a Sainsbury’s sandwich lunch, you would think this was quite expensive, but if you go in knowing you are going to get restaurant quality comfort food then it actually changes to being quite good value. This is a charming and considered place for breakfast and lunch even down to the obvious care that goes in to decorating the tops of coffees with the foamed cream. It has touches like these that make it above the average café and the food was quite pleasant as well, so I’ll be happy to come back here if passing through, no question.

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I’m pleased to be able to write that this revisit to Dishoom Kingly Street was a total change from the first visit experienced. On arrival this time all the greeters at the desk were alert, smiling and on completely on point and was frankly a transformation from the first visit which seemed to be shrouded in lethargy. The atmosphere was very different (probably owing to Saturday breakfasts being far more of an event) and I was actually unaware just how big this Dishoom is. I should have guessed as all Dishooms seem to have vast interiors and I thought I was being taken to the very back out of anyone’s view for being the problem child, but in fact I was taken back to what I think is possibly the nicest part of the restaurant under a glass roof with a mock-fireplace giving a lovely feel of a conservatory.

Moreover, all the food was completely on point on this visit as well. The all important bacon naan was beautifully floppy in its feel with freshly cooked and juicy bacon – exactly how it is at its best and was a return to the delight of when first experienced in Covent Garden. I had to try other elements whilst back and wanted to give the hot livers a go as I so love these in paté, parfait or foie gras formats. These were fried in their whole form, cut in to smaller pieces which I actually found out is not my favourite, but they were not tough and I liked the fact that the spicy sauce they came with was not over the top. The sausage was good but I would say that the breakfast sausage at Tredwell’s pips that one on its meatier texture and slightly stronger sense of herbs.

Moreover, all the food was completely on point on this visit as well. The all important bacon naan was beautifully floppy in its feel with freshly cooked and juicy bacon – exactly how it is at its best and was a return to the delight of when first experienced in Covent Garden. I had to try other elements whilst back and wanted to give the hot livers a go as I so love these in paté, parfait or foie gras formats. These were fried in their whole form, cut in to smaller pieces which I actually found out is not my favourite, but they were not tough and I liked the fact that the spicy sauce they came with was not over the top. The sausage was good but I would say that the breakfast sausage at Tredwell’s pips that one on its meatier texture and slightly stronger sense of herbs.

However, I thought the signature porridge was absolutely superb – a very subtle hint of savoury warmth and with wonderful dates on the top made this very good indeed. You also get unlimited refills with this dish(!) but frankly the size of the bowl it is served in combined with how filling it is means it’s unlikely you will probably need this, but great to know if you are on the brink of starvation. The sides of bacon were a thing of beauty on their own and the wonderfully proportioned fat within these streaks produced / produces a glorious flavour.

I’m not sure why it was so below par on my first visit had recently – perhaps this is usual for early in the week, or maybe no one enjoys working in the morning, especially early in the week(?). However, that obviously doesn’t wash when providing a service, whoever your customer base is, but everyone will have off days. The bottom line is this was a totally different experience on this occasion from the first – attentive staff, a happy atmosphere, with smiles everywhere (guests and hosts) and the food was lovely. A-grade, and this is the Dishoom I have seen before. Amazing how different any place is when it performs at its peak and I hope to catch Dishoom whenever it is in this mode – when it is, it is without a shadow of doubt, one of the very best places in London for breakfast and a unique experience in general. My thanks to the team for the warm hospitality on Saturday 13 Feb am – a very lovely start to any weekend.

It was and is still an amazing combination and option for breakfast in general, but unfortunately it summed up the experience today along with the staff who were in general pleasant but just appeared half asleep and only just interested in the service.It won’t stop me going back as it is still an awesome menu in London – this was disappointing though and lowered the bar. I would still recommend the group wholeheartedly – hopefully you will get them on a good day.

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I love nothing more than finding a non-michelin starred venue that serves great food at reasonable prices. Sadly I think I had my hopes too high for my first venue within the Polpo group as I did enjoy this but not to levels that one could hope. Unlike the Venetian-specific Polpo eateries, Spuntino is mainly American in its design and easy going concept. Almost impossible to find on Rupert Street as the sign is virtually invisible and the outside gives the impression of a derelict building; inside it is one bar and a spill over counter dining area.

It was lovely being able to play by ear and simply order another dish after another until full and I thought the popcorn with optional chili salt was a nice touch. All dishes in general produced contentment and were served on wonderful, period-set plates. It was probably my own fault for expecting too much but I only felt ‘fine’ about the truffle egg toast (nice but not blown away), the egg plant with fenel yoghurt was perfectly ok but I was almost relieved when I had the succulent chicken thighs in batter as this finally made me able to sing. The chicken is marinated in butter milk for 24 hours adding to its already wonderful tenderness.

It was lovely being able to play by ear and simply order another dish after another until full and I thought the popcorn with optional chili salt was a nice touch. All dishes in general produced contentment and were served on wonderful, period-set plates. It was probably my own fault for expecting too much but I only felt ‘fine’ about the truffle egg toast (nice but not blown away), the egg plant with fenel yoghurt was perfectly ok but I was almost relieved when I had the succulent chicken thighs in batter as this finally made me able to sing. The chicken is marinated in butter milk for 24 hours adding to its already wonderful tenderness.

The pulled pork burger was good as a slider – not too big, but doable in size and with perfectly squidgy brioche with interesting wafer thin slices of apple as well, but I thought was a little too spicy for my palate to properly enjoy. An amazing BBQ zing is what I would have much preferred. However, I will happily go back to try the beef bone marrow slider. Finally, the peanut butter and jam sandwich (which was peanut butter ice cream in the shape of cut slices of bread with rasberry jam) was very good and another huge relief as this was great in comparison.

No telephone here or ability to make any reservations online so is just turn up and wait for a space in the evening and is therefore designed to be a causal, trendy spot with a successful, evening atmosphere. It’s good to know where it is now for a future reference and there were some good food moments so I will get back to it sometime, but just don’t feel the urge to sprint.

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This is my second visit to Hakkasan Mayfair and straight off I forgot that there was ground floor seating (as opposed to Hanway place which has a pretty steep flight of stairs to enter their basement dining area only) and was a nice bonus to be seated here. As it was Chinese New Year it was understandably utterly packed with a queue just to punch in for coats and the reservation stand. Service was only partially affected and I thought on the whole was very good considering the sheer volume of people to turn over on multiple sittings for the evening and there is no denying the bustling atmosphere – I did think the music was too loud though to try and compensate for this noise which only makes people talk louder as well, so it is not well suited to those hard of hearing.

I thought the food on this occasion was just what you would wish – careful execution of simple dishes such as the dim sum and I have to say the chili and soy sauces were exceedingly good (not too hot and just the right sweetness). The set menu was in honour of Chinese New Year and this included a free cocktail, vegetarian and meat dim sum with spring roll or venison puffs accordingly (with very light and fluffy pastry) and a choice of mains / desserts. The Peking duck slices in szechuan sauce and cracker strips was knock out – that wonderful, happy feeling I used to have as a child going to my favourite Chinese restaurant was fostered as a result. The Hakka noodles (with mushroom), gently spiced tofu and asparagus strips with plain rice were all well done but the second applause went to the cod fillet in honey with mushrooms fried in batter on top – this was outstandingly fresh and pleasant. Desserts of chocolate parfait with biscuit cracker and popping candy was good and the apple tartin was even better.

I thought the food on this occasion was just what you would wish – careful execution of simple dishes such as the dim sum and I have to say the chili and soy sauces were exceedingly good (not too hot and just the right sweetness). The set menu was in honour of Chinese New Year and this included a free cocktail, vegetarian and meat dim sum with spring roll or venison puffs accordingly (with very light and fluffy pastry) and a choice of mains / desserts. The Peking duck slices in szechuan sauce and cracker strips was knock out – that wonderful, happy feeling I used to have as a child going to my favourite Chinese restaurant was fostered as a result. The Hakka noodles (with mushroom), gently spiced tofu and asparagus strips with plain rice were all well done but the second applause went to the cod fillet in honey with mushrooms fried in batter on top – this was outstandingly fresh and pleasant. Desserts of chocolate parfait with biscuit cracker and popping candy was good and the apple tartin was even better.

All in all it was a very good menu, good value at £38pp for 3 courses and a cocktail and this is now sealed as a good option for Chinese food if you can take a little extra noise and don’t mind having to feel as if you need to gain permission from a Bouncer to gain entry.

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I was unimpressed with The River Café on my first visit owing to the frankly bland nature of the dishes we had five years ago. However, I am delighted to have had what I did today on this, my second visit, to totally re-invigorate my impressions of this venue. The summary is that this is a buzzing place just off the river (which you can only just see from the restaurant) and it is perhaps one of the must do places outside in the summer with some very simple and commanding Italian food I am now pleased to say on second visit.

Let’s get the bad things out of the way first: it was surprising to see some dishes from my visit 5 years ago still on the menu (grilled squid and almond cake, both of which I thought only so so to) and the bread had not seemed to have changed at all which initially gives an impression of resistance too change (not daring), but the set menu does change daily to put in to perspective. However, it was very good to see a set menu this time, which, we were told by the staff today is only done during the winter months owing to it costing the restaurant too much. I can immediately note however, several, other Michelin starred restaurants such as Social Eating House, Texture and Wild Honey among many others that have a far cheaper set menu and do all year round and are simply more attractive as a result.

Let’s get the bad things out of the way first: it was surprising to see some dishes from my visit 5 years ago still on the menu (grilled squid and almond cake, both of which I thought only so so to) and the bread had not seemed to have changed at all which initially gives an impression of resistance too change (not daring), but the set menu does change daily to put in to perspective. However, it was very good to see a set menu this time, which, we were told by the staff today is only done during the winter months owing to it costing the restaurant too much. I can immediately note however, several, other Michelin starred restaurants such as Social Eating House, Texture and Wild Honey among many others that have a far cheaper set menu and do all year round and are simply more attractive as a result.

However, the dishes had on this winter tasting menu today were nothing short of superb and I have not had this sort of powerhouse impact for all stages of the meal for quite some time, so this visit today is a complete turn around from the first, 5 years ago. The pumpkin toast with mozzarella cheese was delightful and the punch of cheese on top of the homemade potato soup with anchovies was a thumbs up dish.

The mains were both on an even higher level – wonderful and tender cut of lamb with just the right amount of garlic and dressing and the partridge came with frankly some of the best bacon I have ever had with a gorgeous olive oil and red wine dressing for the potatoes and wilted salad leaves, finished with pine. These really were fantastic and I was not expecting it to go higher, but the chocolate ‘nemesis’ as a flourless chocolate cake with sour cream was a sheer explosion. This gave instantaneous pleasure and I was frankly bowled over by how perfectly light but chocolaty this was – fondants can very often be so dense and doughy and a mousse is just a waste of time but this was something else. There was hardly any conversation throughout the entire of this dessert and it finished off a superb meal. It was just our good fortune that the set menu had run out of the chocolate option and had to be replaced by this, which I gathered, was the signature chocolate dish of the restaurant. I now understand why this has been on for several years and is likely to continue to be.

On miscellaneous points, I only discovered that home made carbonated and filtered water is offered (as the opening was the usual “Still or Sparkling” giving the impression that it was bottled) and this is only the third place I have seen do this (Lyles and Portland, both 1 Michelin starred venues doing the same) and is a very nice touch and I applaud River Café for doing this as is worthy of credit. A final point I think worthy of mentioning is the inclusion of the voluntary £1 per person addition to charity which I asked to be removed for two reasons: a) I do believe venues are aware that this will increase the total service charge element and are hopeful that the emotional blackmail attached to asking it to be removed will prevent diners from asking and b) the diner may not have this charity as their first choice and is their decision what they choose to donate to. Doubtless some may think is too stringent (selfish) a thought for just a pound, but the fact remains, it is an individual’s choice on charity donations.

I am aware many restaurants do this and are, in the main doing for entirely honourable reasons and the staff on this occasion were very good at saying “Of course” straight away to my request to have it removed, but it seemed to cause quite a strain to deal with at the counter and I believe I heard this being commented on by staff as we were leaving which, (assuming this was the case), is case in point for hoping that the diner does not want to do for of risk being seen as ‘the bad guy’ in asking what is actually a perfectly reasonable request.

Overall, and back on the main issue by concentrating purely on the food (as the food grade on this website always does), I thought what was served today was outstanding and has done its job with bells on, of hooking the diner in and being seduced enough to opt for the more expensive a la carte again in the non-winter months. It remains a bustling, atmospheric restaurant and for the sheer volume of covers I was impressed how the staff seemed to take it all in their stride today. A wonderful meal and as with all eateries, the overall food grade is the average of all had to date (in this case two visits).

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Oh dear, I had such high hopes for here and was really looking forward to elements I had seen on the menu on line, including the vast range of canapés, however it would appear that the canapés are available in the bar downstaris only (more on that below). Good things first however, the wine list is extensive and superbly broken down in to a vast array of Dom Perignons and other champagnes and many variations of high end chardonnays for example. It is also unique in its French food with Japanese influences and accompanying menu of Japanese food only on a single page at the back of the menu.

However, I’m afraid this is where my happiness ended. The oysters and carpaccio starters were fine (pretty difficult to get wrong) and the parmesan mashmallow were original. The chicken main was succulent but over all lacked any real flavour and even the minimalist quantity of sauce and puree that accompanied it failed to raise the pleasure levels at all. The velouté only got as high as ok but was under seasoned, the chocolate fondant simply was not sweet and tasted purely of dough and the honeycomb with the ice cream stuck to every tooth it came in to contact with and was a far cry from the pure, crunchy honeycomb had at Tredwell’s on their soft serve for £3. The ice cream itself and other components of dessert similarly just lacked flavour. In fact, the only things that were an actual pleasure were the polenta and spinach sides.

However, I’m afraid this is where my happiness ended. The oysters and carpaccio starters were fine (pretty difficult to get wrong) and the parmesan mashmallow were original. The chicken main was succulent but over all lacked any real flavour and even the minimalist quantity of sauce and puree that accompanied it failed to raise the pleasure levels at all. The velouté only got as high as ok but was under seasoned, the chocolate fondant simply was not sweet and tasted purely of dough and the honeycomb with the ice cream stuck to every tooth it came in to contact with and was a far cry from the pure, crunchy honeycomb had at Tredwell’s on their soft serve for £3. The ice cream itself and other components of dessert similarly just lacked flavour. In fact, the only things that were an actual pleasure were the polenta and spinach sides.

I was intrigued by the bar and the fact that the lovely sounding canapés were only served downstairs so I asked if it was ok to have a look and the staff were happy for that. On getting downstairs, a bouncer asssertively asked if he could help (code for ‘who the hell are you?’) and after explaining, he let me in to have a look at what transpired to be a small nightclub bar that only opens at 10pm. The tables I saw were dirty and it confirmed that it was the very last place I would go to for canapés as the point of it is to cater for those wanting to have bespoke Kensington, underground glam with nibbles as opposed to going there for a bite to eat (obviously) and I’m sure it may do well for this, but simply not for food experiences that I am searching for.

Unfortunately this visit confirmed to me that L’Etranger is the definition of what I would not go for. Low-end venues know what they are and mass produce so that’s fine as they are not trying to be anything they are not; high end places try and in most cases succeed at being what they are, but those in the middle can sometimes not pull off what they are hoping to and rest on either a location or style to try and eminate the greats and this experience puts L’Etranger firmly in this bracket. Being located in South Kensington and having a unique concept does not guarantee great food and I was actually actively dissapointed with what we had. In fact I felt that the whole venue was overdue an upgrade including the interior as well (the toilets and outside neon sign being case in points) and the service was a very mixed bag as well that ranged from pockets of experience to aloof personnel with low communication skill.

We were generally well looked after, but unfortunately my verdict is that this venue is in no danger of going near a Michelin star at its current rate of knots and there are multiple areas for development if it wants to be taken seriously.

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I now understand why this establishment charges £300 per person for the one tasting menu (which changes regularly). From the rareity of the ingredients, to the utterly heartfelt service, the century old hand made crockery the food was personally chosen by the head chef to serve on, this was a special food occasion without doubt. I thought all of the flesh that I ate was oustandingly tender through the sushi courses and many of the entrées had a luxurious, creamy and velvety feel to them. The cuts of fish served had a superb melt in the mouth quality and lovely fattiness to them. The ingredients were all as fresh as they come and I loved the polite ceremony that came with each course served. Meticulous explanations were afforded and the staff clearly had great reverence for the Head Chef and architect of the dishes. Particular highlights for me were the yuzu sauce that acoompanied the opening Yellow Tail course and the instantly gratifying tuna with onion mayonnaise mixed with truffle. The truffle was the most thinly sliced I have ever had and the addition of toasted sesame seeds made this a truly wonderful dish when all mixed in.

Elements that I wasn’t too keen on were the sauce that went with the abalone (although the supple and squidgy texture was obviously unique) and the eel which seemed to have quite a hard and chewy wrapping in places. The latter made me feel as if there was something possibly off the mark with one of the pieces however, they were otherwise ok.

Elements that I wasn’t too keen on were the sauce that went with the abalone (although the supple and squidgy texture was obviously unique) and the eel which seemed to have quite a hard and chewy wrapping in places. The latter made me feel as if there was something possibly off the mark with one of the pieces however, they were otherwise ok.

Separately, the ginger was surprisingly hot (almost uncomfortably so) and diners were encouraged to eat the dish in the traditional manner that Japanese people ate with their fingers before the invention of chop sticks. The gold caviar from rare sturgeon fish (caught in Caspian Sea and then reared in Germany) was pointed out to be £10,000 per kilgoram. This, along with many other finely sourced ingredients and the antique nature of the hand made crockery the dishes are served on (some going back 100 years), personally selected by Sushi Master Mitsohiro Araki and the staff overheads in terms of ratio to diner (virtually 1:1), all make me understand the total cost now.

That said, my summary of this meal is that the ingredients were obviously luxurious and a clear joy to have in the main with a couple of great moments which brought joy. I have no doubt it is mathematically worth the price tag but also predict that you will need to be seriously in love with Japanese food to feel this return. An oversight by the restaurant led to some interesting logistics on the day of my visit which also led to me not being able to try the minimalist-style dessert that is given (and actually looked more atune to petit fors from seeing briefly), but these issues were kindly dealt with by the management.

Some wonderful and rare things to experience here and served in a very bespoke and heartfelt manner.

https://major-foodie.com/the-araki-mayfair/
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