Hibiscus Restaurant

I had the afternoon off work and decided to treat someone special to a lunch at Hibiscus. Continuing with my quest to try all the two Michelin starred restaurants in London this eatery was next on my list.

Hibiscus is located in the heart of Mayfair, just beside Regents Street. The restaurant has a polite dining room with a subtle, pared down decor apart from the extravagant flowers that sit gloriously in the centre of the room. It is a swish operation with clever automatic doors and hidden drawers providing equipment for the best standard of service.

While contemplating the menu I was delighted to see the most delicious looking petit fours being delivered to the next door table, each diner received (with their coffee) a small oblong plate with four different tiny chocolates, it almost made me wish the meal away for my turn. Money restrictions meant the set lunch was the only option for our visit but I had a quick glance at the full a la carte as it is a better indicator of the chef’s creativity. This menu costs £80 for three courses. The choices are certainly more daring than at the other Michelin establishments I have visited recently, for example the starters – Raw Bouquet Shrimps & Lychees, Warm Ravioli of Kohlrabi & Pig’s Trotters, Galician Sea Urchins.

The set lunch menu has two seemingly generous options: £29.50 for 3 courses or £38 for 3 courses plus glass of wine, coffee & petit fours, we opted for the latter which worked out very well with absolutely no other costs (apart from service charge). We both asked for white wine, a delicious fresh accompaniment to our meal. Wholesome brown bread was brought with the most sumptuous, freshly made bright yellow butter.

Here is the set menu.

LUNCH

Terrine of Fois Gras, Green Mango & Aloe Vera Compote

Salad of Devonshire Crab, Pressed Leek, Liquorice, Conference Pear (Supplement £5.00)

Aged Parmesan Royale, Caramelised Nuts, Warm Veloute of Potato & Toasted Rice


Roasted Skate Wing, Grenobloise Brown Butter, Chipped Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts

Slow cooked Plantation Pork “Blanquette” Style, Glazed Chervil Roots, Chervil Leaf Puree

Blade of Harefordshire Beef Braised for 24 hours, Pickled Cucumber, Soba Noodles, Brown Shrimp Sauce (Supplement £10.00)


Melilot Pannacotta, Russet Apple, Cinnamon Shortbread

Dark Chocolate Tart, White Miso Ice-Cream, Goats Cheese

Selection of British & French Cheese, From Paxton & Whitfield and Bernard Antony (Supplement £8.00)


I’m afraid there are few of the options I can comment on as my guest and I both chose the ‘Aged Parmesan Royale’ and ‘Slow cooked Plantation Pork’. However I must tell you about the complementary ‘amuse bouches’ we received prior to our lunch. I had noticed eggshells being delivered around the room as we arrived but had assumed they were a starter choice on the menu. These delicately filled vessels were in fact just a little surprise treat to excite our mouths while waiting for the grand meal. Sat cutely in their eggcups these shells have their tops precisely chopped off, the contents removed and then the inside loaded with a strange but comforting warm mousse. We were told about the contents - a mixture with mushroom and coconut amongst other ingredients, and were told the chef wanted us to ‘dig deep’ to experience the full extent of the aromas. It was bizarre but certainly tantalised my taste buds ready for the meal ahead.

Our starter had a similar consistency with the waitress adding the sauce to the dish once she had brought it to the table. I couldn’t distinguish many of the listed flavours, instead it was just like a warming soup, rich and deep. The nuts sprinkled on the top were a delicious addition with a delightfully crunchy texture. The main course was the star dish, and definitely the best pork I have ever tasted. Soft and tender, cooked slowly to bring out all the flavours - it was faultless. The sauce was fragrant and creamy (I scraped every last drop off my plate), the additional creamed potatoes went down well too. Unfortunately pork isn’t the easiest food to plate up immaculately, but the presentation is the only thing I can criticise, as the dish was otherwise nothing short of perfection.

My dessert wasn’t quite as I’d hoped with russet apple puree on top of the pannacotta tasting too much like baby food. I didn’t mind much, the extra cinnamon shortbread was divine, and besides I was saving any remaining space for those final chocolate treats. My companion chose the alternative pudding: the darkest, smallest slice of chocolate tart arrived with a dollop of ice-cream and smudge of goats cheese. The miso ice-cream is an interesting concept though sadly not that pleasant in reality and after one minute taste he left the rest untouched. I tried it and my taste buds were equally revolted by the salty savoury flavour. After studying the main menu again I can see crazy ice-cream flavours are a bit of a theme: with Indonesian basil, puy lentil & wild lime and toasted oat featuring as accompaniments to various desserts.

Finally it was time for the little squares of heaven and coffee that arrived with raw salt crystals. The chocolates did not disappoint: dark chocolate truffle, smoked fudge, white chocolate and blood orange, milk chocolate and salted caramel, yum.

Hibiscus head chef Claude Bosi brings real personality to this restaurant, not playing safe but presenting food that is unique and unexpected. Though this might not suit comfort eaters, within his creations Bosi produces food that is not only an exquisite mix of flavours but will also challenge and entice your palate.

Book online here.

Robuchon Restaurant in London

Joel Robuchon: chef extraordinaire, and world renowned restaurateur.

In 1989 Robuchon was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau and with top quality restaurants all over the world he is delighting customers on every continent. For my birthday lunch I visited his London restaurant to taste the genius creations myself. It was recommended to me by my expert foodie grandparents, so I had high expectations.

Robuchon sits deliciously next to the Ivy in Covent Garden; dark and smart, it is a discreet venue. Walking inside it feels like a members club - relaxed and welcoming. There are two options for seating: L’Atelier (bar-like stools surrounding the open plan kitchen, for more casual dining) or La Cuisine on the first floor where the seating arrangement is more traditional and formal. Intrigued by the Atelier idea I opted for a table there, after being assured that the menus in both areas are the same. It was definitely the right choice: intimate seats surround the kitchen, it was lots of fun seeing how everything was assembled.

There are several menus to choose from, of which the Menu du Jour is the best value. Available from 12:00 – 15:00 and 17:30 – 18:30, and at just £22 for two courses or £27 for three courses, this offer is too good to be true. Each course has three options; starter and main each have a fish, meat, and vegetarian dish. Here’s what we chose:

STARTER:

Sweet corn soup with popcorn

Classic beef tartare topped with fried quail’s egg

MAIN:

Roasted Gloucestershire old spot pork served with thin French fries

Grilled Scottish salmon with fennel and lemongrass sauce

DESSERT:

Almond biscuit with blood orange jelly, milk chocolate ice cream

Selection of traditional tarts

Instead of wine we ordered two mixed juices (or virgin cocktails) from the drinks menu. These were fresh and carefully concocted with fresh fruits, priced at £6 each. I had a sweet lychee and blackberry that was refreshing and delicious. A decorative red bread basket was brought to us with a generous selection of loaves, though I did have to ask for butter. My steaming soup arrived promptly, a beautiful buttercup yellow colour, with a meticulously stacked garnish of popcorn and apple strips. Quite possibly the best soup I have ever tasted, jointly with my auntie’s butternut squash recipe. The flavours and textures of the components were expertly matched - an impressive first course. I didn’t hear much from my satisfied companion so I’m assuming he enjoyed his beef too.

My main was exquisitely presented, a juicy strip of pork on a delicate long plate, with the crispiest, yummiest tiny little french fries; they were more like couture crisps. The salmon looked amazing placed on a bed of leeks with a mysterious surrounding moat of fennel and lemongrass foam. Our waiter wasn’t quite as attentive as I would have liked but was friendly and informative about the food.

Our desserts were very typically French, and reminded me of lazy afternoons in cute cafes in the South of France. Out of the two, I preferred the selection of tarts - petite slices of six different cakes (coffee, lemon, chocolate etc), it looked lovely and had great variety, though none were as good as my grandmothers incredible apple tart. My dessert was good, but not quite as scrumptious as I was hoping it would be. A nice mix of flavours, the almond and orange cake was moist and light, but I didn’t much like the chocolate ice cream that accompanied, it was bland and uninteresting.

For our coffees we were taken upstairs to the comfy bar area. It was nice to see this lounge space, though I didn’t find it nearly as lively and exciting as the Atelier downstairs. Sadly no petit fours or complimentary sweets were brought with our after lunch drinks which I found massively disappointing, as I adore culinary surprises!

Overall though this was a very special meal for my special day. Robuchon has received two Michelin stars for this restaurant and I doubt there is a more reasonable set menu around for such luxurious food. A perfect option for an affordable but memorable Valentines meal. I will definitely be returning very soon.

La Trompette

La Trompette is one of my favourite restaurants in London. Located just off Chiswick High Road, it recently received its first Michelin star. The French oriented cuisine is delicious and creative, I have been three times and each time a completely different but equally unique, diverse menu has been on offer.

La Trompette is owned by Nigel Platts-Martin and Bruce Poole, the partnership behind Chez Bruce in Wandsworth and The Glasshouse in Kew. It serves some of the best food in London but without the formality or prices associated with the capital's top end establishments.

The staff in La Trompette genuinely wish to cater to your every need, making the whole experience luxurious. From the outside this restaurant is stylish and unpretentious; the interior is much the same, a comfortable relaxed dining room. I have only ever been for lunch, and it has always been completely full to the brim with many regular diners.

As I mentioned previously (Kitchen W8 post), set lunch menus are the way to go. La Trompette offers 3 courses for £25. This is what we had:

Diner 1 –

Starter: Foie gras and chicken liver parfait, toasted brioche

Main: Rump of lamb with Moroccan spiced couscous, aubergine, garlic and coriander

Dessert: Lemon posset with shortbread biscuit and raspberries

Diner 2 –

Starter: Marinated beetroot with fresh goats cheese, candied hazelnuts, endive and granny smith apple

Main: Beef hache with spinach and wild mushrooms

Dessert: Valrhona chocolate marquise with candied hazelnut ice cream

The foie gras was quickly demolished, and immediately the attentive staff offered a second slice of toasted brioche... we accepted greedily. The Beetroot salad was also good although the flavour of beetroot can be a little overpowering. Both meat mains were cooked to perfection, but I didn’t particularly care for the grey mushroom paste that lay beneath my beef. I prefer the vegetarian ravioli that I had on my first visit. Once again desserts trumped as the course of the day, especially the refreshingly zingy lemon posset (a silky smooth mousse similar to syllabub). I like that the menu suited the Autumn season, with warm flavours, comforting after coming in from the cold. I was disappointed that we weren’t given the usual devilish chocolate truffles at the end of the meal although I was already feeling very full.

Really, delicious but very rich; don't count on achieving much in the afternoon!