Dinner - Monday, September 29, 2014
Over a decade since I was last in London, and only one night (a Monday, at that) to take in its burgeoning dining scene. I have been keeping my eye on The Ledbury for some time - chef-patron Brett Graham has a cooking voice that resonates with me. We had to visit. We made the short trek from our hotel by Paddington station to sleepy Notting Hill in the dark of a chilly Autumn night - what we ate certainly warmed our cockles.
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| Prawn crackers |
Wonderfully delicate texture (a filigree, if you will), yet
so intense. A powerful, shrimpy first bite. I can imagine this being too much for some diners.
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| Sunflower crisp, artichoke purée |
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| Foie gras puff, meat jelly |
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| Steamed brioche, onion |
The last snack was quite a highlight - soft, moist brioche topped with salty onions and cheese. Like a fine-dining amalgamation of myriad guilty pleasures.
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Artichoke salad
Muscat grapes, hazelnut, grated foie gras |
It is apparently possible to make foie gras powder taste good - I have always been disappointed, until this dish. A few buds of sorrel kept the palate entertained in between the creamy bites of artichoke and foie. A really well thought-out dish.
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Flame-grilled mackerel
Pickled cucumber, Celtic mustard, shiso |
Wow. The mackerel (sourced locally, I assume) was fantastic - clearly oily but not unpleasantly fishy as they can get when grilled this way. To contrast, a "dumpling" of mackerel tartare paired with Celtic mustard was clean and of excellent quality. A smear of avocado puree modulated the textures of the fish, and cucumber provided snap.
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Hampshire buffalo milk curd
Wild mushrooms, broth of grilled onions |
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| Poilane bread, St. Nectaire, truffles |
Almost like a chawanmushi, the curd was surprisingly mild, becoming a textural component in the face of the heady onion broth. We were instructed to dip the toasted bread into the soup - cheese on cheese, with a dressing of Australian truffle. Umami, umami, umami. Easy to go overboard, but it did not feel so - our dish of the night.
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Cornish turbot, brassicas
Sake veloute, chopped oyster, green olive |
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Aged pigeon, confit leg
Dried blackcurrant, treviso, beet |
The restaurant is supposed to do meat and game quite well, and this course validated that. The minerality of the medium-rare pigeon breast was something else (although the skin was a little flaccid). The surprise, however, was the wedge of beet - somehow, some way, it is
the best beet we've ever eaten. A very,
very good dish.
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Dexter beef, slow-cooked shortrib
Marrow, salt-baked turnips, padron |
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| A selection of English cheese with London honey |
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| Sweet clove custard, frozen plum, crushed meringue |
Tart and spicy, but offset by the light yet creamy custard - the perfect palate cleanser.
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Blackberry tartlet
Star anise cream, lovage ice cream, Muscat grape sorbet |
A delicate,
pretty dish. The cream did not overpower, yielding only a hint of anise to match the sweet blackberries. The lovage ice cream, in particular, was excellent - obvious but not overly vegetal. Again, mastery of balance here.
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| Cocoa-rolled coconut ice cream, gin/lime/juniper bark, hazelnut-cocoa bonbon |
This meal was
on point. A thoughtfully curated menu (the menu changes slowly, with the mackerel and buffalo milk curd being signature dishes), great product and careful cooking combine to put The Ledbury solidly in 2-star territory. In some sense, it felt slightly conservative compared to equivalent restaurants stateside, but those establishments would be hard-pressed to match the consistency of this kitchen (
why is that such a problem?). We would happily return.
The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill, London
United Kingdom W11 2AQ
Phone: +44 (0) 20-7792-9090
