Tipped

Amuse bouche

October 21, 2008

Mmmm, we went here last night for my boyfriend's birthday and boy, was it good. We ate at L'atelier, the more informal restaurant downstairs and got seats at the bar. Not the best when you want to talk to the person you're with, but great for watching the chefs at work - it is the calmest kitchen I've ever seen!

The ambience is really lovely. As it was a Monday night it wasn't full to the rafters so probably a little quieter than normal.

The waiting staff were so unbelievably nice and made us feel totally at ease. They explain every dish and are patient with slow decision makers.

They had a full vegetarian tasting menu which obviously made me happy. I even got a veggie amuse bouche ;) The only thing with these sort of restaurants is the food is so rich but is so moreish that you have to eat the lot and end up feeling a little bit ill. Also, far too much of the food is err, how to say it, foamy - you do sometimes yearn for something a bit solid!

We didn't go for the tasting menus because we had to meet people after, but did three courses with a couple of glasses of wine. It was actually a lot more reasonable than I expected, but I guess you could spend pretty big in here. The tasting menus are £70 for the veggie and £90 for the meat I think.

A tip: the pre-theatre menu is £19 for two courses or £25 for three. It's only served from 5:30 to 6:30, but is a good way to try out this pretty pricy restaurant.

Tags: expensive, french cuisine,

Very Robouchon

March 18, 2008

Every bit the Micheline star establishment, but a lot more fun than most. It manages to be relaxed and flambouyant at the same time. If you can, get a seat at the "bar" and watch the masters at work. It's just amazing.

Wonderful small plates, so you don't have to feel like you've had the filling degustation experience you might associate with a M-star meal (but you certainly can if you want!), and very handy for a quick pre- or post- theatre meal.

Michelin Superstar...

September 17, 2007

Joel Robechon’s London flagship restaurant is excellent, situated more or less next door to the Ivy it’s in another country in terms of the food on offer. It’s reassuringly expensive, the food is French haute cuisine of the standard you see in glossy magazines and the décor is as chic as the elegantly dressed and delightfully obsequious staff. I haven’t eaten downstairs at the large bar that runs around an open kitchen where the full spectacle of a world-class restaurant kitchen provides entertainment for diners, mainly because it might be interesting to watch but I think that sort of thing is gimmicky - upstairs there’s a proper dining room where you can sit facing your guests and have a conversation, which is the whole point of having dinner with people after all.

Seated in the slightly cramped but beautifully furnished black and white dining room you are assaulted by food of incredible quality and technical skill. Although the dishes look small the food is filling and I was surprised how full I was by the end of it. The first time I went we had the degustation menu and it was flawless, the second time we ordered dishes from the a la carte menu and everything was equally as good. The wine list is excellent – the Corton Charlemagne in particular is one of the best white wines in the world and priced very reasonably (I’ve seen it at nearly twice the price elsewhere). On one occasion I ordered a red Bellet it was so badly corked I nearly choked, which isn’t unexpected as the wine is known for going off very quickly when transported hence it’s rarity in the UK, but it’s still an excellent wine list. I’d recommend going for the frogs legs with garlic puree, the ris de veau (sweetbreads), the langoustines, in fact… pretty much everything. The deserts are chocolate genius and the cheeses are high quality French and British produce.

L’Atelier is in the same ballpark as Gordon Ramsay’s or La Gavroche, but it has that showbiz twist to the food in terms of the presentation and avant-garde flavours which I think distinguishes the experience of eating there as being pretty unique among London’s premier division. Robechon is often cited as the best chef in the world, a hero of Gordon Ramsay’s in particular. The only downside with L’Atelier is that, like at any superstar chef eatery, you’ll walk away with a hole ripped in your jacket where your wallet used to be.

Tags: Joel Robechon, Michelin Stars, Restaurants, London fine dining, celebs, celeb chefs, special occasions