My notes on this review will be shorter than normal owing to the occasion taking primacy rather than spending a lot of time taking notes on every aspect of the meal, but the above summary is extant throughout – there was not a thing that missed the mark.  The familiar canapés of coronation chicken tuile, parmesan cheese bite and duck liver were all superb once again and it was a delight to have the wafer thin croustade of salmon tartare and tartlet of beef tartare with caviar.  Delectable one and all.

Blissfully there are wonderful a la carte options – another aspect that seems to be a lost art in the finest restaurant scene.  My guest enjoyed the fabled langoustine with sauce nage and bronze fennel and I enjoyed a dish I had not had before: Dorset crab with crème fraiche and Imperial caviar.  This had such fresh and sweet crab with a superbly balanced level of salt from the caviar, vibrancy from the herb gel and coolness from the thinned crème fraiche – an absolute triumph of a dish.

For the mains, my guest opted for the veal fillet which was superbly tender, large in quantity, coated in sublime sauces and served with turnip and lovage.  I opted for another dish I have not had and as were just inside the game season, a rather lovely grouse option was revealed.  As we are at the start of the grouse season, all starting on the Glorious 12th (of August), these grouse will have been quite young.  Coincidentally, a different Michelin starred chef Galton Blackiston informs me that young grouse have obviously not had as much time to eat too much heather and are not as strong as older grouse (meaning more lean).  Indeed these were beautifully tender and served with a wonderful jus, glorious soft foie gras inside a subtle beetroot gel, beetroot, blackberries and pomme soufflé as another touch of finesse (slightly harder than usual).  All of this was a sheer delight of the most delicate of game, richness from the foie gras and jus, sharpness from the well judged beets and crunch from the pomme soufflé.

Pre-desserts were one crepe each from the legendary Crêpes Suzettes served table side by the manager himself.  These were as good as they always have been made since the early 20th century.  The desserts themselves were one of the best comprised apple tarts I have seen and tried (such powerful apple, delicate pastry and creamy ice cream) and for only the second time I had to have the eponymous chocolate soufflé with Chantilly cream.  This is simply one of the greatest soufflé desserts that exists and my favourite on the planet.  Even the petit fours were a talking point of brilliant judgement – not too many and the key, different types of chocolate ganache, berry gel and a creamed macaron.  I loved these and they exemplify the pitch-perfect judgement of the kitchen.

This was another superb meal at The Ritz and it is simply a guarantee of excellence all round when one dines here – I have yet to have a bad experience here on any aspect.

Food Grade: 90%

Our meal began with canapes of cheese and pepper puree placed on top of parmesan biscuits which had excellent cheese power and a lovely combination, followed by coronation chicken in mini pastry ‘cigars’ which are stunning with their sweet pastry complementing the sweetness of the coronation which usually has small pieces of mango chutney.  Steak tartare also came in pastry tubes with small drops of mustard on top which are luxurious and brilliant, as were the wonderful and simple cheese gougeres, which are frankly better than those served at 3 Michelin starred Gordon Ramsay on my last visit.

Our first course inside was a tomato salad served with lobster, wonderfully fresh tomato consomme and on the side a tomato tartlet with almonds, garlic, more basil and almond mousse – a beautifully fresh and light starter for the summer and brilliant that the tomatoes had come from Provance as well.  Next up fresh langoustines were shown to the table (alive) along with red mullet prior to both being cooked.  First back were the langoustines in a creamy nage sauce (white wine reduction, dairy and herb) and this was a perfectly judged fish and cream sauce – the langoustines plump and sweet and the sauce complimentary without overpowering, a brilliantly handled dish.  Red mullet then arrived with crispy skin and sat on top of basil puree and with the additional basil leaves, olives and artichokes was a splendid collection altogether with the fish being light and spot-on in terms of cooked state.

Then came the main event and what I had booked the week in advance – duck a la presse.  The dish was conceived in the 1800s and popularised in the following century by the restaurant Tour d’Argent in Paris, where every suck is numbered and guests receive a card of which duck they have had – if you go now for duck a la presse in 2020, based on the historical projection, you will be receiving the millionth and something duck.  Anyhow, the duck (from Bresse) comes in two parts.  The first is carved at the table from the breast of the whole duck and the remainder is placed in a press to extract every last bit of juice from the bones and carcass of the bird.  This is then poured in to a pan with port, butter, foie gras and then flambéd at the.  This was a wonderful piece of theatre and the sauce being utterly top-notch as was the perfectly cooked duck, served with wonderful pomme souffle as well.

The second part of the duck were the legs which had already been removed and were confit cooked (soaked in duck and goose fat and left in the fridge overnight prior to being oven cooked in this fat the next day). These were served with a mustard, onion & herb breadcrumb and endive leaves on the side which were both wonderful together.  Both of these parts of the duck were as good as you are ever likely to get any duck and it was a sheer privilege to be joined by the Head Chef, John Williams afterwards to explain how classical cooking remains at the very core of his cooking philosophy.

Two small desserts were then enjoyed.  The first was a refreshing compressed cherry and vanilla elderberry gel and vanilla yoghurt which was lovely.  Even better was the strawberry sorbet served in a strawberry meringue cup with vanilla mousse which was wonderful.  These were followed by simple yet pleasing petit fours of vanilla macarons, madeleines and dark chocolates.  This concluded a sensational meal and one I will not forget for a long time.

This meal was a treat that I was giving to my father who will be reading this review so I do not wish to upload the receipt or state the final tally, but suffice to say, for what you are getting from the sheer quality of the ingredients and the supreme execution combined with the splendour of The Ritz setting, this was extremely reasonable for what was enjoyed.

There really wasn’t much not to like about this meal and I used to think years ago that this would always be a stuffy affair, but you do have to come to see for yourself that this isn’t as much as you would initially think.  The rules on attire are still very much the same which I have commented on at length in my previous review (draconian rules on dress code still persist) but these are mainly cosmetic.  Once inside the service once again proved very accommodating and warm.

Canapés at this meal were lemon macaroons with creamed salmon (topped with eggs from salmon), caramelised pastry cigars with coronation chicken and shortbread with whipped goat cheese.  Not one of these were out of line and all simply really enjoyable and what a treat to have coronation chicken in a bite-size tube that turned out to be a joy.  The homemade brown bread was served warm and in a similar fashion to that of The Typing Room, and whilst visually pleasing, plain, brown bread itself is only as exciting as it is.

The soft boiled egg, with shallot croutons on top, girolle mushrooms and watercress leaf with edible flowers and watercress puree was as pleasing as you can imagine with those components when done well, which was the case.  A simple and effective starter.  There was a faint kick of heat from mustard within the watercress puree and this was very well done – just enough to jazz the dish up.  The crispy shallot rings on top were frankly a delight and perhaps the secret weapon of this dish giving it a final spark.

The terrine of goose liver is a signature classic of the restaurant, modified slightly from the last year and by all accounts, still as good as it has been in the past.  As it was another game season visit, clearly the grouse had to be sampled and this breast of grouse came with juniper powder on top, pickled blackberry, mushrooms, celeriac puree and walnut crumble with a gravy sauce.  The grouse itself was perfectly tender and with the supporting elements, the bird itself was enhanced with the creamy celeriac, combined with and sharpness from the pickled raspberries but thankfully the rich flavour of the meat was not lost.  I can’t say I noticed the juniper very much, but this wasn’t a problem when the dish is coated with a gravy that would make you want to drink from a gravy boat (the environment was the only thing that stopped me doing!).

Then clearly it was time for the flambé show of crêpes at the table, capably done by our man, Daniel.  This actually takes upwards of 10 minutes at the table to be done, and it very much worth the wait.  There are probably enough calories in this dish to sink the Titanic, however, the flavours of the caramelised sugar, grand mariner and orange lusciously draped over virtually perfect crêpes, cooled down by wonderful, buttery vanilla ice cream that melts into the sauce from the surrounding heat makes it simply a crime not to go for this if here.  Petit fours seem to be the same as they were last year as signature items, but again, there was nothing about these that I didn’t enjoy (especially the chocolate cream) which basically makes a very high strike rate and a strong level of consistent dishes enjoyed here on the second pass.

It was the very good to have a quick chat at the end with the Exec chef  (John Williams MBE) who was in and in full regalia, discussing his classical roots of cooking and how these underpin all signature and new dishes, using British produce.  I don’t think it’s possible to come here and not be pleased when everything fits so well and this is now two from two as far as I am seeing and experiencing.  Moreover, it was a milestone and special occasion for me which was a sheer pleasure to enjoy with my dining companion.  We agreed that perhaps the decor and dress code simply attracts a clientele of a more senior age bracket, or maybe it is the fact that it is simply the institution that it is.  Either way, it was a lovely meal all round and I still don’t like the chairs(!).  Perhaps a slight adjustment here or there without breaking the iconic feel may attract a younger crowd, but every single other aspect seems to work like a charm.  Another great meal here.

First up, if you are dining here, you have to accept that there will be an added filter on attire.  Guests are not allowed in the bar or restaurant without a tie and my host was asked to make his way to the changing room to change his trousers from the expensive jeans he was wearing to chinos, that were hopefully washed, but with no guarantee.  My version on this is that if a house has these rules then so be it and the diner should be willing to abide however, I simply don’t think it is necessary for ties these days and is in fact out-dated.

Equally, I don’t think anyone should be allowed to bimble into this restaurant (mainly filled by wealthy senior citizens and travellers who don’t say a word during dinner and generally look absurdly miserable) wearing trainers or sandals either.  It was however, actually getting quite hot towards the end and although we were by the window, the staff either weren’t able or forgot to open it and the tie is quite restricting and ultimately I was burning up.  Formality in this context yes, ok, but to be uncomfortable or borderline suffer is a big no no for me at the expense of an out-dated sense of protocol.

The service could not have been more attentive.  It was not stuffy nor condescending however, with the confidence of the staff in their environment and number of times we were asked how everything was throughout the meal, I can imagine that lesser-experienced diners might struggle to feel as though they can’t say anything other than “Oh yes everything is wonderful”.  Fortunately, it’s been quite a while since I was intimidated by a restaurant as the key is that these enquiries of the staff are mainly as they are on show and they wish to check how they are rating.

And so on that note, I’m happy to report that I was actually exceedingly impressed with the cooking here and the technical skill and care of attention to detail was genuinely sitting in the Michelin starred family.  I say this from comparing with all the other 65 Michelin starred restaurants in London and numerous other 2 and 3 starred venues I have visited and reviewed.  That’s not to say that every dish was brilliant.  I will get the negatives out the way first, as I found the pea sponge, beautiful as it was a little too soggy, the liver paté just a bit too large for its density and similar to the sweetbreads, although prepared superbly, it seemed to be missing a sweeter spark.  I say this when reflecting on the sweetbreads had at Daniel Clifford’s 2 Michelin starred Midsummer House sweetbreads with maple foam in comparison – the latter was simply a higher level of happiness.

However, those dishes were still good on the eyes and on to the full-blown positives, the langoustine was utterly divine all round – such soft, fresh and lovely combination of flavours making everything in the world right again.  The cod was immaculate and it was also a testament to the restaurant that they were able to accommodate the beef wellington which was a swap on the menu.  The wellington itself was a work of art and virtually faultless (but if there was one thing I thought was marginal it was the foie gras in the centre which, needed something to make less bitter).  The crêpe Suzette cooked at the table, flambéd twice with brandy and grand Marnier was not only a lovely touch as I think cooking at the table is a lost art and not seen much anymore and were frankly out of this world.  It was hard to fault this and this course has actually entered the pantheon of the greats.

And if that wasn’t enough, the strawberry dessert done multiple ways was also genuinely a delight.  The only problem being that at the end of the meal I was absolutely overloaded.  I can accept that French cooking and occasions like this and that had at Le Gavroche will need doing a half-marathon beforehand to reduce some of the calorific damage, but I was utterly stuffed at the end, borderline bloated and that was leaving some dishes unfinished.  Perhaps we should have been careful not to ask for the beef wellington, but having one slice of this would have been better as the two were virtually a meal in itself as that was a lot of protein on a plate(!).  I have had 19-24 courses at 3 Michelin starred venues and not felt too packed and that is where the difference lies.

That said, my conclusion of finally getting here is that it was a genuinely pleasing experience with warm service.  I still don’t like the chairs as they look as if they haven’t changed since the 70s and are as outdated as the stipulation for the tie.  But, I thought the food was easily 1 Michelin starred – without a shadow of doubt.  In fact, I cannot see why the guide has historically avoided awarding a star here to this venue.  A great food show – make sure you don’t forget your wallets and best rags when coming and probably save the visit for a special occasion and you will be very well looked after here.

First things to note are that the bar has been redecorated and (yellow wallpaper uplifted to a lighter hue), there is a conservatory dining area now called the Veranda (formerly Siren) which serves casual plates of food on a limited menu and there is also an outdoor garden terrace for drinks, so plenty to choose from.  The Luxury Restaurant Guide membership also came into its own here allowing a complimentary glass of champagne for all diners, so for 6 people that was a fairly welcome and superb start, not only for the visit but also for the bill at the end.

As this was a family occasion there are less notes from this meal as this would have detracted from the occasion.  Also, no sharing for safety so I didn’t experience the other dishes.  However, I have included all photos taken to give the fullest pictorial idea of the menu and the details of the meal I had.  Opening bread was homemade focaccia and tomato sourdough, both served warm.  The canape bite for everyone was a Comte cheese gougere made with parmesan truffle and béchamel sauce and was very received by absolutely everyone and for good reason.  

To start, I opted for The Goring’s signature eggs Drumkilbo, lobster, caviar and Granny Smith apple. The dish was reportedly born at Drumkilbo House in Perthshire, for some late-arriving guests who had the audacity to miss dinner and is a form of crustacean cocktail using quails eggs for the emulsion with finely chopped quails eggs as well.  Mine was a lobster with a form of quail egg espuma on top with small pieces of apple gel on the bottom which worked very well to provide the sweet and acidity to help with the mound of pleasantly creamy topping. It is a fresh and decent dish but as with all lobster dishes, the price tag for the starter is always higher. Pastry shards with a spicy, paprika emulsion is also provided for this dish to scoop up the starter as is traditionally served with toast.

For my main was Roast Sirloin of Longhorn beef, duck fat potatoes, buttered cabbage and Yorkshire pudding.  As one would expect at an establishment like this, you would have expected the roast main to be good quality and this was.  The beef with good flavour, the duck fat potatoes a dream, the horseradish sauce toned down very nicely and creamy at the same time with a quality Yorkshire pudding – all very important to be done well and thankfully these surely were.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the dessert which was the Yorkshire rhubarb and custard trifle, elderflower and blood orange which was absolutely a hit.  The air-light custard in its mousse form was still rich,  the compote of elderflower was a welcome uplift to strawberry and the biscuit ‘croutons’ on top gave a lovely texture to the pudding.  This was probably the knock-out element of the whole meal.

So, the restaurant is in new(ish) hands, but is as steady as a rock in conclusion.  It is a very safe bet location and a lovely place where you will be very well looked after for a special occasion.

Now that The Goring is fait accompli with a brand new Michelin star, it was especially nice for three of us to drop in for the pre-theatre menu following a tour of Buckingham Palace.  At £55 for 3 courses and two glasses of wine, it is a reasonable menu but I do think it would benefit from having the option of not having the wine as mandatory as well and just being the 3 courses of food for around the £30-£35 mark (for the quality of this menu) which would make the set option easier on the eye.  The food itself on this menu was however, easily in the upper bracket of set menus I have experienced.  Most pre/post-theatre menus or set lunches traditionally have smaller portions and less expensive/sizeable cuts of meat, but this pre-theatre menu really didn’t actually feel like this with a wonderfully smooth foie gras terrine with superb brioche mini bun with slivers of ham and shavings of truffle on top – this was not your average set menu starter.

The fish broth was very clean in its flavour and I would also like to make a special mention that the children’s menu was a lovely touch – all the right options for kids and cleverly done and this is another example of how well the establishment gives that extra bit to look after its guests which I think goes a long way.

I thought the mains looked as if they had come from the a la carte as a first impression with beautiful cuts of lamb and sweetbreads in breadcrumbs.  The pork main was elegantly presented, but rather unfortunately there was still netting left in the slices of meat that were served which was not the best to bite into or see after removing.  Although this is not the end of the world, it was genuinely quite a surprise (and have hence had to adjust my overall grade), so I asked if the dish could simply be replaced by the lamb as it seemed a safer bet and this was done as quickly as possible with apologies.

A selection of British cheeses was offered to the table with the restaurant’s compliments for the inconvenience which was warmly received.  The wines that were selected as the two choices worked well as well – a subtle Sauvignon Blanc for my starter and a rather smooth Cotes du Rhône to go with my main and both were perfectly pleasant as the choices for the set menu.  The desserts were light, interesting and pleasant to finish the experience off – the kid’s banana split being pretty splendid as well!

The things I loved about this was the warmth and the unobtrusive nature of the service combined with the lovely dining room (and yes I do like the modern chandeliers) with very elegant food which, all in all, was lovely to experience.  I’ve had to reduce my food-grade based on the little episode on this visit, but overall, if the set menu is anything to go on, then I very much look forward to trying the a la carte as this experience has confirmed that the latter will have some superb elements and design.   It’s a lovely option to have for Michelin dining and I look forward to mark another occasion with a lovely meal here in the future.

The Wild Rabbit is the brainchild of Lady Bamford who created Daylesford Organic Farm, a mile north of this hotel and restaurant and which has casual, organic shop/eateries in London.  There is a seriously nice feel to this venue with a front terrace for lunch, a casual bar/pub entrance area with an open log fire that provides a snack menu, rooms for those that would like to stay for an average of £250 per night, a beautiful garden terrace area at the back which shares a log fire (behind glass) with the open kitchen restaurant.

Whilst we are in COVID times, the menus have been turned in to QR codes that guests scan with phones and which take you to their online menus.  This is good as you know that what is on the website is what is being served in reality so you can actually do this before getting there and obviously reduces the need to use paper menus.  Hand gel is available at each table and staff were alive to the need for minimising time at the table, yet seemed happy to see customers again.

With the background and format sorted, on to the meal, which began with canapes of a tapenade at the bottom of a little flower pot with wild radish and broad beans and tapioca crisp. The cold tapenade had a refreshing taste to dip fresh elements of the garden in, presented in a very pretty way.  The tapioca crisp was extremely light and these were a pleasant way to begin, served with homemade French rolls and brown bread.

I had the Daylesford cheddar cheese and onion tartlet which was served with feuille de brick, candied walnuts and chives.  This was nothing short of a triumph. The pastry case was thin and absolutely well folded all-around with a mix of melted and almost aerated cheese which was beautifully light, with the sweet from the candied walnuts being a perfect balance.  The only observation I had was that the size of the starter was fairly conservative and almost tasting menu size – if the same size is used for both then there is a case for this starter being slightly larger.  If it is and the tasting menu tartlet is smaller, then I am probably guilty of being hoggish….or just over the top pleased to being back in a restaurant and wanting more(!).

The other starter was Vale of Evesham crab with tomato gazpacho.  The Cornish crab here was extremely fresh and moist with superb basil and pickled cucumber that really added punch and refreshing hit of acidity to the clean and lovely tomato gazpacho that is was smothered in.  This was another very good dish and everything thus far being a very good opening impression.

Cornish turbot came from a 4.2kg turbot and was served with garden pea, grelot onion, lettuce and a delectable smoked bacon sauce (creamed sauce with small pieces of bacon within).  The sauce was perfect for the turbot which was a pleasure all round, with the turbot perhaps a touch on the tough side compared with most I have enjoyed.  The other main was a Wootton Estate lamb.  This included best end rack and shoulder, served with miso-glazed aubergine, Market Garden courgette, Sheep’s curd and tomato.  When attention is paid to the detail it is really nice to experience and the glazed aubergine and explosive sweetness of the lone tomato in this dish were beautiful to go with the quality piece of lamb.  With three sauce-like components on the plate, the lamb was not shy of wet decoration; the fat from the lamb was a lasting good experience.

The desserts had were a caramel parfait and who can ever resist a decent soufflé? I was expecting the latter to be better but actually the caramel parfait revealed a superb take on banana and peanut butter desserts.  The caramel parfait was nicely judged in strength and smooth texture and covered in a beautiful blend of banana and peanut butter ice cream.  The caramelised filo pastry was complimented by a very nice blend of sweet from the caramel sauce and banana and umami from soft peanut.  A very light crunch of the pastry made this a superb dessert.

The Market Garden strawberry soufflé was airy and cooked as well as a soufflé can be, right to the centre.  Tonka bean custard was poured over unashamedly (and rightly so!) and I have to say the vanilla ice cream was fantastic in vanilla essence and super smooth and dare I say, almost outshone the actual soufflé.  However, this was a good way to end the meal leaving the two of us very happy.   Coffee served was extract of organic espresso.

A quick note on the venue as a stay over: I’ve been looking forward to enjoying the terrace garden here to enjoy wine ever since I first visited on my mission around the country and there is no denying that this is one of the loveliest hideaways in the heart of the Cotswold and country that you can come across.  Our room was the smallest of all (The Mouse) which just had room around the huge king-sized bed to manoeuvre and is reasonable at £165 for this room compared with the larger rooms averaging £250.  Information for guests arriving and checking in was more pedestrian than I was expecting for the price tag and could have been more swept up I thought.  The service in the bar area in the afternoon was definitely shaky compared with the evening service, but one can understand there is an air of tension as everyone familiarises with the new format to hospitality.

Breakfast was included in the stay and I would honestly say that this is another trump card of the visit as head chef Nathan Eades is there, personally making sure the breakfast is on top form with beautiful, organic farm produce.  Breakfast is only available to those staying over and this is a significant bonus of the stay.

So in general, definitely full marks to the Bamford design, Cotswolds stone and the kitchen for this proper visit and I would say it is worth more than its current accolade.  I recommend this restaurant to anyone, and to stay as a thing to have on the background to-do list, assuming you can actually find a date to getting a room – good luck on this as we caught a very rare opening and would definitely recommend planning and taking advantage of the windows of opportunity at the moment with not as many people checking in as usual.

The food here was very nicely done.  Home made breads were pleasing to begin with and as salads are (for me) more difficult to make interesting, I wanted to see what this was like.  The result was an imaginative presentation with powdered onion decoration and a lovely amount of goat’s curd to add moisture and something lively into the proceedings on the palate making a lovely flavour.  The quail was another beautiful looking dish with some very delicate slices of Marteau sausage and glorious smoked shallot puree.  I wasn’t expecting to have such an acidic walk away flavour with the gel, creative as it was and personally I would have loved more of the puree and maybe another quail egg in breadcrumbs as I ran out of these relatively quickly to have with the amount of quail it was supporting, but it was an enjoyable dish.  A beautifully smooth lemon curd with madeleine as petit four finished off the meal very nicely in the bar area opposite the open fireplace.

The sides were simple and well done, as was the béarnaise that the kitchen kindly gave on request.  There were a couple of minor dips in service that stood out to the critical eye (forgotten replacement bread that was offered and a lengthy wait for the bill) but generally, the key thing was that the staff clearly wished to try & make the experience a good one for the diner in the restaurant.

This was a lovely evening visit and would be utterly perfect for a dinner date or special little treat.  What I particularly loved was seeing people come into the bar just to grab a pint and the scrabble board mixed with those that preferred to have their rustic meal in the bar area instead of the restaurant which I think is one of the gems of our nation and the way in which this can be done in a sumptuous, yet cosy pub.  Based on the food I had it seems quite apt to see this one with a Michelin star, I will back here in a heartbeat for bar snacks and drinks with others whenever I can as a firm marker in the map.

The amuse bouche on this visit was a swordfish croquette with lemon mayonnaise.  This was nicely done with a lovely, contrasting tang of the lemon mayo and not something you have every day as a nice change. Bread is made on-site at The Walnut Tree and this was brown granary.

My chosen starter was asparagus with quails eggs and hollandaise.  This was very nicely balanced in terms of the vinegar with superb hollandaise which was light as well, with perfectly runny quail eggs.  A simple yet classy take on a classic and as a hollandaise sauce lover, was lovely to see this used properly.  Using whipped egg white is a good way of making the sauce lighter and allows you to use more.

The main of skate was a triumph plane and simple! Perfectly done fish, was complemented by a superb sauce that didn’t overpower at all, with textures that were also present.  I think I actually wrote in my notes when I was having  this dish something on the lines of: “This is ****ing great!”  Dessert was a vanilla cheesecake and initially, I thought a little overdose of dairy with the milk sorbet and already creamy vanilla cheesecake, but this worked out in the end.  It was a good dessert in any case and the portion size was controlled as well. Petit fours were a decent fudge and dark chocolate truffle which were both ok.

All in all, I am very pleased with this place and this second visit confirms even more how much of a safe bet this is to enjoy good cooking in all its simple glory of a three-course meal.  If you need a break from tasting menus and fanciful plates, this is definitely the place for you.

On to the products then, the greeting snack of perfectly done sausage roll was a lovely opening and just what the doctor ordered.  I thought the duck liver parfait was one of the nicest I had ever had with a clever format for the brioche in its layered but the grilled presentation (making it a lot easier to eat than most) and the outstanding dressing to go with the borage and pansy flower salad on the side.  This dressing turned out to be sweet mustard and olive oil with finely chopped parsley and is officially the nicest dressing I have ever had and will be used forthwith when cooking at home.  The salt from this, combined with the sweet from the fig with the utterly smooth and flavoursome parfait, made this an absolutely superb starter – a real hit.

I was also tempted to go for the special starter of steak tartare however, this turned out to be less of a joy to the parfait as the flavour was quite subtle.  No problems with the texture of the tartare, especially with the home-cooked chips but it simply wasn’t on a par with those that I have had at say, Bonhams, Chiltern Firehouse, Brasserie Chavot or Berner’s Tavern for example.  The anchovy and garlic potato dauphine on the other hand were a solid gold pleasure – so light with beautifully soft mash, but perfectly strong enough in garlic and anchovy tones.  Finally, the peanut parfait and chocolate dessert was great but I thought the chocolate was a bit heavy so I found I didn’t need such a thick slice of it, but the flavour combo of it all with the drums of banana and well-done peanut and toffee crisps (which did not stick to every corner of the mouth as many do) were very good.

All in all, I found this a lovely meal, served by those who seemed very focussed.  It is clearly one of the best options to go for in the vicinity of SE Wales and I’m pleased I made the journey.

A full entourage of dim sum, included langoustine dumplings along with lamb and wagyu beef, abalone and king crab puff dumplings which were all delicately prepared.  The chilli, garlic and tomato oils were also very nicely done.  The squid was another level.  Seasoned with salt and pepper, the calamari itself was supple and the batter was extremely light; this is the best squid I have had in a long time and certainly in any UK Chinese restaurant and I would recommend whole-heartedly.

Peking duck was pre-ordered costing £220 for the whole and is served in rectangular portions, open with caviar on the top.  The rest of the duck is then used to be served with noodles.  The duck itself was slightly dryer than had at HKK and other good Chinese venues experienced but the skin was on very good form.  Now, the caviar – I understand that this was essentially used as a seasoning as the skin was not based with much salt. However, whilst the caviar did add an element of salt, it was altogether an unnecessarily expensive way to achieve this.  I do hope the menu evolves to give the diner the option of not having with caviar as a greater effect can be achieved at almost half the price (the mouthfuls lose their crunchy texture with more soft elements of caviar which is almost the whole joy of the Peking duck).

Desserts included a yuzu tart and a honey parfait which were actually very enjoyable.  I sound surprised as I have found that desserts have never really been the forte of Asian cuisines so I was surprised and pleased with both these choices.  The bill came to £147 per head which is quite hefty, but then again, it would have been much less if there was a lack of caviar in the equation.  That said, the only disappointment of this meal was that the star of the show (the duck) turned out to be significantly upstaged by the squid.  It was however, a greatly enjoyable meal.

For the £38 you gain a selection of dim sum, a main dish, rice, a side, a dessert and a cocktail which, all in is actually quite reasonable and a good return when cooked to this standard.  There is also not a huge difference in the dim sum within this set menu and on the a la carte as well which is another reason to take advantage of this menu if it enters the equation.  Prawn and scallop dim sum were plump and nicely steamed and the crab dumpling was a winner.  The duck spring rolls had a delightfully thin batter and both the chili garlic and tomato oil was an absolute pleasure as was the shrimp oil dip that came with the dim sum.  Again, this is the same you will gain on the more expensive a la carte menu and I was reminded how good it is here.

My main was the sweet and sour Duke of Berkshire pork that was succulent and tender with a very pleasing sweet and sour sauce and non-stodgy batter.  The pomegranate was a nice idea but slightly lost in the sweet and sour sauce.  Jasmine rice was fluffy and decent and a lovely touch was the crispy garlic pieces on top of the rice. Ice cream came as a very soft hazelnut ice cream as my dessert choice and was made enjoyable with popping candy, puffed rice and dried raspberry. The chocolate sauce was fair.

I was completely full after this lunch and was well worth the experiment having had some cracking Chinese food.  I am not allergic to hole in the wall Chinese restaurants or street food in any way (please see my posts on Singapore and Bangkok to be reassured!), but there is no doubt that Michelin starred Hakkasan does this well as well and if you want to try this elegant restaurant but want to avoid paying a huge amount, I would say this is a very good way to go in ‘hacking’ the Hakkasan.