London Restaurant Festival - Gourmet Odyssey

After the recent excesses of London Restaurant Festival, the blogosphere has been buzzing with reviews of Koffman’s pop-up restaurant on the roof at Selfridges. However, your faithful correspondent here at Princess Towers decided to investigate the Gourmet Odyssey instead (or rather, couldn't get a table at Koffman's).

The Odyssey consisted of a huge blow-out Michelin starred lunch, with each course at a different restaurant and intra-course transfer by jolly red double-decker. A great opportunity to try some new places and some oldies-but-goodies. Maybe it would even help to satisfy my purse-intensive restaurant obsession by dining at three in one day? It was worth a try.

We started with champagne at the Met Bar, that somewhat underwhelming nightspot beloved of the Gallaghers et al in the brit-pop era. It was interesting mix of people, mostly well-to-do flash types, a few younger couples and a chap in shorts and trainers who seemed blissfully unaware of his level of underdress. We were tagged, in pink naturally, by our host/nanny/herder Caz, so as not to get confused with one of the other groups and miss our bus. The poor girl looked a bit harassed, and I don’t blame her as the free-flowing Mumm top-ups meant that I for one was pretty tipsy before we even started.



Champagne duly quaffed, we tripped upstairs to Nobu, the first European offshoot in this forever growing Japanese restaurant group. The swish Nobu lunching regulars looked slightly disturbed to see such a motley crew of foodies traipsing in, but soon got back to their sashimi as we were safely tucked away in the canteen, ahem, I mean private dining room.



The room was a bit sparse, maybe minimalist is the term, but it was certainly large. Our group of eighty or so was seated at two long tables where we tried a trio of Nobu’s best-selling dishes - Lobster Ceviche, Salmon Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa dressing and Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno. I can see why celebs like to dine here - it tastes healthy and it is genuinely delicious, albeit in a light, fresh and subtle way. Friendly on the palate and friendly on the waistline. My favourite dish was the salmon, tender, luscious and served in a gorgeous sesame sludge that was infuriatingly difficult to mop up with chopsticks. No wonder these girls stay thin.



And then we were off, herded from our seats and downstairs to the bus, with some big grins from the lovely staff on the way. A quick trundle through Mayfair and we were at our main course destination.

The Square couldn’t have been more different from Nobu. We had been there before (and loved it) but wondered whether the private dining would be big enough. It obviously wasn’t, as the fabulous staff seamlessly wafted us into tables of twos or fours, depending on how many tickets had been booked together. This was nice, a true 2* experience (I have never been hugely into sharing a table with strangers), and quite an achievement under the circumstances too.

Seated in prime position, we pounced on the bread like wolves, the hunger really kicking in now after our fishy sliver of a starter. It didn’t disappoint. White was crisp and pointy with a fluffy interior. Brown was hefty and hearty. Butter was perfect.



Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard was our host for this course, a rich, decadent and autumnal French dish of wild mallard served two ways - pan fried breast and a pie (or should that be a pastie?) of rich, dark, slow cooked leg with port and raisins, all served with pumpkin and chestnuts.

Our high expectations of The Square were fully met, resulting in an impromptu (and somewhat alcohol fuelled) dash to the front desk by me to make a dinner reservation for December. Phil Howard worked the tables, although he didn’t get round to us (maybe next time?). He obviously had huge passion for the food and quite right too as it was sheer perfection in duck form.

Main course over and visions of Phil's glorious raspberry souffle came to mind. We really didn’t want to leave, but leave we had to. Back on the bus, next stop The Greenhouse.

The Greenhouse is tucked away in a Mayfair mews that was too tight for our bus. It’s one of those places like Roussillon that I had heard of but never got round to visiting. It really was like a greenhouse, all subterranean, moist and leafy. And, well, green.

The dish was described as “Carré Dubuffet” Chocolate Biscuit and Vanilla Ice Cream. Not the most exciting of desserts we thought, but that was until we saw the plates.



The “biscuit” was a triumph - a sort of brownie, mousse, tuile combination that managed to be rich and chocolatey and moist and gooey and crisp all at the same time. Here we were seated at a table of four, more civilised than Nobu but more sociable than The Square. We were paired with a lovely couple from Cambridge who obviously knew their restaurants and made great foodie dinner companions.

And so we came to the end, back on the bus to the Met Bar for a final bellini and some Stone Roses nostalgia. Then we teetered home, feeling slightly disorientated by the large amount of alcohol and food consumed in broad daylight and hoping that we wouldn't fall asleep on the train home.

The Gourmet Odyssey was a fabulous experience and, although expensive at £130 for lunch, it gave us a great introduction to some restaurants that we otherwise might not have tried. It wasn't a typical Michelin star experience due to the logistics of herding such a huge group around, but all things considered, it was a pretty slick operation and we left with our tummies full, our palates titillated and our minds brimming with new ideas.

And as for kicking my restaurant habit? Not a chance. We now have reservations at Nobu, The Square and The Greenhouse to look forward to later in the year…

Nobu, 19 Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1LB
The Square, 6-10 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 6PU
The Greenhouse, 27a Hays Mews, Mayfair, London W1J 5NX

Yauatcha, Soho

Yauatcha, Broadwick St

Tucked away in the heart of Soho lies London's second Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. Formerly part of Alan Yau's empire, Yauatcha takes dim sum to a chic new level. Luxe ingredients like caviar, scallops and even gold leaf add some bling to the traditional Cantonese "little pieces of heart".

The decor is sleek and sexy, with low tables lit by candles, fish tanks and plenty of blue glass. It's not a typical fine dining restaurant, in fact it feels more like a glamorous cocktail bar.

We start by ordering some cocktails from our elegant waitress. I am not in the least bit elegant, so I can't resist the kitsch Lady Penelope, a startlingly alcoholic pink concoction. It slips down nicely, as fruity cocktails tend to do. I order another.

After reading reviews I am expecting the worst, but service is good. Not great, but good. Our waitress knows the menu, and although her politeness errs on the cool side, she is pleasant, courteous and, of course, perfectly turned out.

The dim sum at Yauatcha are things of beauty. They taste great too, and the dumpling casings are some the lightest and least obtrusive I have tasted. Highlights are the scallop shumai, decorated with pearls of roe, the crisp Mongolian lamb in flaky pastry and the Salt & Pepper Quail, crispy and delicious.


Scallop dim sum

Mongolian crispy lamb

Salt & pepper quail

Pre-dessert, I try one of Yauatcha's much vaunted teas. There is a dizzying array, but once I have eventually chosen I find it is a disappointment. Green tea always tastes a bit like water that you've boiled the vegetables in, and this is no exception. My advice would be to stick with the cocktails.


Cola & lemon tart

I usually skip dessert when I'm eating in Chinese restaurants. Not here though. Yauatcha has a French style patisserie counter where you can choose from an array of delicate delights. In fact, when we arrive for our early dinner there are still several groups taking afternoon tea, and feasting on tiers of elegant French pastries. I sample a citron & cola cube tart, which was equal parts sour and sweet, traditional and modern. Just like Yauatcha itself.


Yauatcha
15-17 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DL
www.yauatcha.com

2008 Michelin stars & bibs

Well done to the Westerly!

Jon and Cynthia have done Reigate proud by achieving a Bib Gourmand in the 2008 Michelin Guide for their fab modern bistro, The Westerly.

Other new Bib Gourmand entries in England were...

AROUND ENGLAND
The Pipe & Glass Inn, Beverley/South Dalton, East Riding
Pascal’s, Birmingham, West Midlands
The Royal Oak, Bray-on-Thames, Berkshire
Ginger Pig, Brighton & Hove, West Sussex
The Masons Arms, Chipping Norton, Oxon
St. Clements, Hastings & St Leonards, East Sussex
Restaurant 65, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
The Gin Trap Inn, Hunstanton/Ringstead, Norfolk
The Druid Inn, Matlock/Birchover, Derbyshire
The View, Millbrook/Freathy, Cornwall
The Talkhouse, Oxford/ Stanton St John, Oxon
The White Bull, Ribchester, Lancashire
Oscar’s, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
The Leaping Hare, Stanton, Suffolk
The Three Horseshoes Inn, Stokenchurch/Radnage, Buckinghamshire
Malbec, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Hitchcock’s, Sudbury, Suffolk

LONDON
Upstairs, Brixton, Lambeth
The Brown Dog, Barnes, Richmond-upon-Thames
Ma Cuisine, Barnes, Richmond-upon-Thames
The Narrow, Limehouse, Tower Hamlets
Kastoori, Tooting, Wandsworth
Trenta, Bayswater & Maida Vale, City of Westminster
Galvin, Regent’s Park & Marylebone, City of Westminster
Benja, St James’s, City of Westminster
Great Queen Street, Strand & Covent Garden, City of Westminster

And on the fine dining front we have the following new entries (all one star)...

AROUND ENGLAND
The Goose, Britwell Salome, Oxon
West Stoke House, Chichester/West Stoke, West Sussex
Apicius, Cranbrook, Kent
Nathan Outlaw, Fowey, Cornwall
Tean, Scilly Isle/St Martin’s, Cornwall
The Sportsman, Whitstable/Seasalter, Kent

LONDON
La Trompette, Chiswick
Rhodes W1, Regent’s Park & Marylebone
Quilon, Victoria
Hibiscus, Mayfair
Wild Honey, Mayfair

Sadly no second star yet for Tom Aikens although he was on the rising stars list with Hibiscus as a prospective future two star holder.