Birthday Meal at Patara

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, Thai, UK

I celebrated my birthday when my folks were in town by helping them enjoy some delicious Thai food and one of my more favourite Thai places, Patara. I like Patara because it although it’s not quite as fancy as Nahm yet it’s much better quality than what you’ll find at any of the Thai Square branches or Thai restaurants found in any pubs.

I love how, when you walk into Patara, it feels like you are back in Thailand. Strong scents of lemongrass waft about you and the decor changes drastically from the cold and often gray surroundings of London to brightly coloured walls.

The great thing about dining as a family, Chinese style is ordering a whole heap of dishes to share. Here’s what we ended up ordering.

Satay Trio – A selection of chicken, beef and prawns delicately seasoned with a slightly spicy peanut dipping sauce. They impressed me with the attention to presentation detail with that perfect curl of coconut cream signed into the sauce.

Betel leaf wrapped prawn – I thought we’d ordered the beef wrapped in betel nut leaves, but they brought us a seafood version instead. Not bad but I wouldn’t order it again.

Thai fish and prawn cakes with cucumber salsa – Good Thai fishcakes are often hard to come by, and Patara’s was perfectly cooked – still very juicy and that slightly chewy texture with slightly crisp edges.

Lamb shank in paneng curry – This is one of my major reasons to come to Patara and I find it really difficult to order anything differently. The curry is not overly sweet and has plenty of spicy kick and the lamb shank is so well cooked it literally falls off the bone. The rest of the family has a huge dislike of lamb, yet they all tried it and was certainly impressed by the flavours and its succulence without an excessively strong lamb flavour.

Grilled chicken skewers – This was a special off their menu and was served with a tangy tamarind sauce. The chicken had that slightly smoky flavour from the grill and stayed nicely succulent with each bite.

Deep fried sea bass fillet served with light red curry sauce – This dish looks extremely impressive on arrival with the whole fish deboned in advanced and each piece, deep fried to a crisp and then served with a deliciously spicy red curry sauce.

Stir-fried broccoli spears with shitake mushrooms – Fairly ordinary greens.

Coconut lemongrass pie – Nice to have something warm when it’s so cold outside. The lemongrass flavours comes across rather strongly with the coconut playing a much more subtle role.

Baked banana served warm with vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds – A great combo of hot and cold.

Name: Patara (Oxford Circus branch)
Found at: 7 Maddox St., London W1S 2QB
Website: http://www.patarathailand.com/london/

Era Ora

Patrick Copenhagen, Italian, Michelin Starred, Restaurants

When my sister heard that I was going to be near Copenhagen for a holiday, she wanted to go and visit the city once again to dine in the one of its many Michelin-starred restaurants. We tried going to Tivoli’s Nimb but it was all booked out so we looked for reservations for our next most preferred, the Italian focused restaurant Era Ora.

Era Ora’s entrance is very discrete, located off a small side street near Christianshavn. We almost walked by it, if not for peering in at the lightly veiled windows to see the soft glowing lights of a restaurant. We dropped off our coat and sat down to the small tables – much less cramped together than many other restaurants. A giant napkin twirled and crossing the, just as equally, giant silver platters on which they sat. I quickly untwirled mine and cast it on my lap to avoid the awkwardness of waiters reaching across me. Fortunately our friendly waiter didn’t try to get there before I did.

Like many other diners that evening, we opted for the tasting menu – something that apparently that Era Ora was made famous for being the first to introduce a series of small dishes to delight the diner. Our first brought out a lovely seared scallop sitting with apple, fried leeks and froth.

When we sat down for our dinner at 7pm, only two other tables filled the dining room. It filled up by the time we left though. Here’s another view of the restaurant before it filled up.

A very wonderfully plated dish of lobster salad with filo pastry and beans

And then a pumpkin lasagne over fried Monte Veronese cheese.

And the plate of trio finished with plaice rolled on swiss chard, potato, sun-dried tomato and Jerusalem artichoke.

Another trio of dishes arrive as the second round of appetisers including Veal tartar in love with crunchy cracker and foam of soya.

A Castagnaccio with orange ricotta, banana chip and honey caramel

Below a stunning venison meatball in beans sauce with deep fried spring onion

All of course very beautifully presented.

Past the trio arrived a herbal risotto in scent of liquorice topped with roasted quails.

Followed by a pasta dish home made trofie pasta rolled in venison ragout and red onion. Italians would enjoy how perfectly aldente the pasta was and the strong reduced flavours in the ragout.

We then had a roasted lamb fillet with eggplant composition and fried tomato.

Our first round of dessert started with a refreshing prune sorbet served with a couple of cheeses (Monte Veronese and Ubriacone), light and palette cleansing.

And then Cream of white chocolate with lemon scents served with fennel and lemon coffee cream, cookie crumbs, dark chocolate caviar and milk sorbet

With our tea and coffee, some petite fours.

And a picture of the very stylish teapot.

And cup.

Not forgetting at least, the pyramid teabag.

Name: Era Ora
Found at: Overgaden Neden Vandet 33, 1414 Copenhagen, Denmark
Website: www.era-ora.dk

Michael Caines at Manchester Abode

Patrick British, Manchester, Restaurants, UK

Manchester isn’t exactly well known for its strong foodie cuisine with none of its restaurants yet gaining a Michelin star. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t great places to get some nice grub – it’s just that you need to dig a bit deeper and do a bit more background research to do so.

One such find is Michael Caines’ restaurant at the Manchster Abode Hotel. Conveniently located as you walk into the centre of town from Piccadilly station, I was surprised to find such a nice restaurant located where everything seems to be a chain offering.

Their restaurant does a fantastic deal with three courses for only £13 or £22 with matching wine. Why wouldn’t you?

The bread basket arrives at the table, steaming from being freshly heated, making it easier to melt the creamy butter. The variety below includes a sourdough, a tomato bread and a mini french style bread. A delicious start and a great way to warm up from the cold outside.

First up was a pumpkin soup topped with some melted cheese and a toasted crouton. It smelt amazing and you could smell it from quite some distance as they brought it to the table. It wasn’t a very big cup but it was so packed with flavour it didn’t really matter.

Next up with a venison dish, served with brussel sprouts and some caramelised onions.

Finally I had the creamy mango pannacotta accompanied by vanilla pineapple (wicked combination!) and a scoop of coconut ice cream.

I’m pleased that I managed to grab a table – it’s particularly busy on weekends and definitely worth booking ahead. Service was prompt and courteous and the entire meal a very enjoyable experience.

Name: Michael Caines
Found at: Abode Manchester Hostel, 107 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2DB
Website: http://www.michaelcaines.com/restaurants/manchester

Soho Breakfast Club

Patrick Brunch, Restaurants, UK

I’ve walked past The Breakfast Club in Soho on weekends and the line just continues to stretch out every weekend. That’s why I find it a great place to go when I need to meet someone for breakfast during the week and I happen to be near our Holborn office. It’s just that much less frantic and the food is just awesome.

Take the Pancake and Berry Stack. It’s absolutely stunning and huge. Not to mention perfectly fluffy, and a very hearty way to star the day. Not everyday, mind you. Just sometimes. Best part about it is that the prices are really reasonable as well (this for well under a tenner).

I felt a little bit greedy with my dining companion, deciding to up the protein stake, ordering the Pancakes with bacon and a side sausage. Perhaps my eyes were much bigger than my belly.

They do a reasonable coffee as well – maybe just a little bit too milky and they have plenty of smoothies and juices for those wanting something a little bit healthier.

The soho branch feels really rustic and reminded me of the many Canadian diners I ate in on my weekends in Calgary. Awesome food, very reasonable prices and a fun, casual atmosphere. There’s a good reason it’s so busy on weekends.

Name: The Breakfast Club (Soho Branch)
Found at: 33 D’Arblay Street, London, W1F 8EU
Website: http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/

Second Visit to Noma

Patrick Copenhagen, Michelin Starred, Restaurants

I count myself amazingly fortunate to dine at the places that I do. When my sister asked if I wanted to return to Noma, of course I said, even if it meant flying overseas to Copenhagen for a weekend break. Last year, Noma had been voted on San Pellegrino’s Top 50 as number 3 only to move up to number one this year.

I have no idea how long it took but we did manage to get a booking for a leisurely Saturday lunch in October. Since they focus on seasonal produce, this journey was a great test to compare how different or similar the dining experiences.

If our first dish was anything to go by, the entire meal was going to be something completely different. Our first dish, Nasturtiums and Snails brought in a flower vase brought edible flowers for us to eat with the small snail. Already deshelled, the snail provided a soft, slightly chewy texture to contrast with the fresh flavours of the flower both providing very subtle hints to the overall dish.

Our next dish arrived on their standard gray plate made up of Sea Buckthorn Leather and Pickled Hip Roses. It reminded me very much of those flavoured fruit strips you might have eaten as a child, slightly chewy, slightly sweet with the hint of sourness provided by the pickling.

Up next was a savory cookie served with blackcurrant paste, “speck” and a spring of pine”. The cookie had salt instead of sugar that served to intensify the Danish cured pork fat sitting on top. I expected the spring to be excessively chewy but surprised me at its softness – much more like a herb than a plant.

Here’s a closer view of the dish:

Next was a dish I remember from last time, and looking at a number of blogs seems to be a signature Noma “classic” whose filling changes depending on the seasons. Served once again on their gray plate, this dish is crispy rye bread, crispy chicken skin filled with a light paste. You end up with some interesting textures in the mouth with each bite and the skin and filling adds saltiness to enhance the strongly flavoured ingredients.

Our next dish was new to me, made with very simple ingredients and lots of technique they presented Fried leek with garlic. Only the very bottom of the leek had been fried so you had the mellow earthy tones with your first bite with the rest of the leek providing a natural handle for the dish. I’m guessing their garlic was precooked and rolled into a small ball since its flavour tasted so mellow.

Another Noma signature dish arrived in its extravagant shell, pickled and smoked quail egg. It’s still amazing to see the egg open and get the whiff of smoke wafting off the hay and its flavours impacted on the tiny, perfectly cooked eggs.

For me, the next dish, radish and carrot with soil and herbs tasted better for me. Firstly I knew much more how to eat the dish, using the vegetable to better scoop up the yogurt base and catch more of that tantalising crunchy roasted malt “dirt”. Secondly I think the carrot added another dimension of slight sweetness to the overall dish.

A real heart-winner this dish including its presentation and flavours.

Our next dish, aebleskiver, Danish pancakes with a sardine was intriguing upon first glance. Seeing those tiny fish encased in, what looked like, a small donut first looked amusing and then seemed a bit of a strange combination. Just like all the things here at Noma, it definitely worked as well with the sardine not being overpoweringly salty or fishy.

Our next snack was a sandwich that seemed very close to our previous rye bread/chicken skin dish. This blog describes the dish in much better detail than I can, though I certainly enjoyed every single little bite.

By now, all of the dishes that arrived were all the appetisers that had our outstanding meal off to a good start. Then the bread arrived, this time served with butter and pork fat. I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the pork fat since its flavour was too strong for my liking and perhaps just not quite accustomed to smearing it on my bread.

The bread, on the other hand, I couldn’t stop eating. The sourdough bread arrived in tiny blanket to keep its warmth and with its perfect crunchy crust kept us going back for just “a bit more”. Thankfully other dishes soon arrived that distracted me from gorging too much on the bread.

Next up came Roasted lettuce blended with blanched, flaked almonds. I didn’t think lettuce had that much flavour and so they surprised me by how intense the lettuce flavour tasted when roasted and blended down into such a richly green concentrate. The light almonds added a slightly different dimension and much welcome change in texture to this this.

Looking at our next dish, Dried Scallops, Watercress with Biodynamic Cereals and Hazel Nut looked very impressive though I couldn’t help think that that dried scallops looked much more like uncooked prawn crackers than anything else. Drying the scallops intensified their flavours which went well with the other elements to the dish without being excessively overpowering.

Our chefs made a slight mistake bringing the next dish, The Oyster and the Sea out before we’d finished our next dish. I hadn’t appreciated how much effort it took to time this dish, so when it did arrive I better understood they probably had to make our dishes from scratch again. For this dish, the chefs theatrically arrive at the same time, surrounding the table before they descend with a small, heated pot that they uncover at the table to the sight of wilting seaweeds and a fresh oyster half steamed from the fresh sea scents on top.

Next came a dish showcasing onions of many different textures. On the menu it listed this dish as ‘Læsø’ onion, onion cress and thyme + tapioca + onion broth.

Our next dish got us involved in cooking in and was a really fun experience involving very simply but interesting ingredients. We started off with Hay Oil, some herbs and a small pat of herbed butter.

They then brought a Heated plate to the table.

This dish, labelled, The Hen and the Egg had us frying our own eggs for exactly one and a half minutes. Our chef squirted on the hay oil to each of our plates, letting it heat up. We then cracked our egg, letting it fry, before adding the thyme butter with lovage and spinach to wilt slightly. The chef returned a little later to finish the dish throwing herbs, flowers and little potato strands before leaving us to enjoy our own creations. Note that no one was hurt in this cooking process.

Transitioning into our final course for the tasting menu, we had Deer and Wild Thyme, Red Beets and Red Fruit. Accompanied by a rather oversized traditional-looking knife, the deer was so soft we didn’t really need it after all.

Our first dessert course started with Hay and Chamomile Ice with Sorrel and Wild Herbs . It worked really surprisingly well and tasted much better than it looks on the plate.

Our final dessert, “Gammel Dansk”, Ice Cream, Milk and Woodsorrel provided a light way to finish off the tasting menu. If you’ve ever tried the terrible Gammel Dansk (Danes have much fun serving it to foreigners), I was surprised to have its strong flavour infused rather modestly into the ice cream. The light, white milk wafers that you see also ended up being very light and added that lovely crispy dimension.

Finishing the meal, with our peppermint tea, we started on the petite fours that followed – definitely worthwhile getting.

First our waiters arrived with some interesting packages and tins.

Inside laid their justifiably famous bone marrow caramel. It’s a strange caramel that has a strong meat flavour and even served in the rounded bone. Not for the faint hearted and wasn’t exactly everyone’s favourite. I really enjoyed this dish though.

Next up was a bitter chocolate covered potato chip sprinkled with fennel seeds. The fennel provided a savoury contrast to the chocolate and the potato chip adding the crunchy dimension.

We finished off the petite fours with the classic Danish Marshmallow coated in chocolate and sat on a small biscuit base. Fortunately not as big as the ones you see around town since they tend to be excessively sweet.

For my second visit to this restaurant, Noma continued to impress. The waiters, who I think also act as chefs finishing off the various dishes buzzed around and helped make us feel really welcome. In fact, when they found out when we were Australian, they went out of their way to make sure every Aussie chef came to say hello (and there were quite a few).

The fire alarm went off just before the end of our meal and so we rushed outside like any good person. Almost immediately, a staff member arrived with a plate full of champagne flutes, ensuring that we were as comfortable as we could be on the windy dock. The waiters and chefs continually chatted to us as we stood around outside waiting for the firemen to make sure the building was safe for us to return (fortunately it was). For me, this is just yet another reason Noma rates so highly for service and its reputation.

Name: Noma
Website: http://noma.dk/
Found at: Strandgade 93, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Gate

Patrick Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

I remember having very good memories about eating at The Gate many years ago, and I’m glad to report the quality of the food hasn’t degraded over the years. I’m also unsurprised to see that the nonchalant service didn’t really improve either having to ask for some more tap water.

Just like last time I ate at The Gate, we came for dinner though this time it was during the week instead of the weekend. The airy dining room, found in a lofty part of of a church helped brighten the otherwise dark sombreness from outside. The dining room appeared relatively full though with only two waiting staff, it seemed to almost be a seat-yourself service and ask for things to be brought to you when you wanted them. Fortunately the food is worth the wait.

Being in season in September, I always have to order the rather rare stuffed Courgette Flowers when they’re available. The Gate’s version, filled with sweet potato, goats cheese & pine nuts, deep fried in crisp batter & served with puy lentil salsa & garlic aioli (£7.50), though pricey was definitely worth it. The flower was crisp, the stuffing flavoursome and the salsa and aioli generous and a great way to start the meal off.

Although tempted by their well known Teriyaki Aubergine dish, I couldn’t imagine not having their Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake – sautéed girolles, trompettes de la mort, oyster & chestnut mushrooms, served on a truffled risotto cake, with a creamy cep sauce, rocket & parmesan (£15.50). With all of those different types of mushrooms, I’d be terribly disappointed if it didn’t have the deep flavours one would expect – and I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint. The risotto cake, slightly crunchy and crackly provided a very different (in a good way) texture to the softness of the mushrooms surrounding it. The creamy cep sauce really adding another level of depth to the dish.

Rounding off the meal, I finished with the Orange and Cardomom Creme Brulee (£5.50). Perfectly creamy, lightly flavoured and unusual from a classic creme brulee, this was the perfect way to finish off the meal.

Name: The Gate
Found at: 51 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, W6 9QL
Website: http://www.thegate.tv/

Hand and Flowers

Patrick British, Gastropub, Michelin Starred, Restaurants, UK

What’s better after a five hour country walk than to sit down for a nice long pub lunch? That’s what we thought too and after the long Henley to Marlow walk, what better pub lunch than the Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers that I remember being so good (and popular) when I worked in Marlow.

Making a reservation is definitely recommended for any weekend visit and I counted ourselves lucky for getting a table outside. The dark and storm weather threatened to cause further trouble to our dining experience although nothing multiple golf-sized umbrellas and our waterproof jackets couldn’t handle. Our walking gear prepared us better than the outdoor table of four nearby, whose shrieks indicated ineffective umbrella coverage.

After ordering, the waitresses brought out warm bread from the oven and some of the largest white bait fish I’ve ever seen. My favourite was the warm soda bread with its super crisp crunch and delicious crumb the perfect start to our meal.

The umbrellas above helped keep us dry (when we expanded them of course).

The special dish for the day was prepared for the Great British Menu and represented a take on the classic Scotch Egg though made with much finer ingredients including a quails egg and then surrounded by crayfish meat instead of standard sausage meat.

We definitely needed rehydrating after our long walk, and there’s nothing that Pimms can’t fix on a “summer” day like this.

Here’s the beautifully presented Crayfish Scotch Egg on a bed of, what I think was, watercress made to look like a golf ball lost on a golf course. They served the egg with a tiny bucket filled with mayonnaise.

Above is the picture of the interior to the scotch egg.

I ordered the fish as my main, and served with a brown butter sauce was delicious, if not a little bit heavily seasoned.

Fortunately the amazingly green pea soup helped add some warmth and vibrancy to the entire meal.

Name: Hand and Flowers
Found at: 126 West Street, Marlow, SL7 2BP
Website: http://www.thehandandflowers.co.uk/

Tom Aikens

Patrick British, Michelin Starred, Restaurants, UK

I managed to get a really great deal which effectively meant paying almost half price for dining at Tom Aikens well respected restaurant.

Located in South Kensington down a quiet street, the interior is stark and modern. Unlike many other places in London, tables aren’t jam-packed together and perhaps that’s really in anticipation of the enjoyable meal to come.

The bread serving was quite impressive with a selection of six or seven different types – not that we tried all of them. I particularly enjoyed the olive bread although they had a polenta bread, buttermilk bread, sesame bread, and sundried tomato. I think they came around two or three times to offer us the wonderous little rolls.

The amuse was a trio of different things including a little cheese croquette, shot of basil and tomato soup and a gel filled with something I cannot remember.

The starter, effectively a ceviche, yet labelled as Marinated Scallops, lemon oil, lardo crudo was lovely. All very thin delicate wisps of food, and despite not being a fan of lardo, its creaminess really worked well with the delicate scallop flavours.

Next up, Cured Foie Gras, pickled mushrooms, foie gras mousse, Sauternes jelly was a wonderous combination of many earthy flavours. I particularly liked the mushroom jelly that was so small yet really strong flavoured.

The next course, John Dory Fillet, roast cauliflower purée, brown butter, smoked eel came impeccably cooked. The fish flaking lightly as a just-cooked fish should be and, me, always a sucker for smoked eel enjoying every single last bite.

My sister enjoyed the Sea Bass poached in black olive oil, pickled fennel and artichoke, black olive crumb although I don’t think it was impressive as it could have been.

My main, Loin of Rhug Estate Lamb marinated in ewes cheese, aligot potato, dried green olive was perfect. Nicely cooked, pink and tender with a really enjoyable plate of food.

Although offered a cheese course, we started noticing how full we were from the richness of the food. So we moved on to dessert, the first being Fresh Coconut, coconut crème, watermelon, mint syrup. It was a refreshing dish, with a subtle coconut flavour and summery flavours and textures.

The final dessert, a Passion Fruit Jelly, vanilla pannacotta, passion fruit granité was definitely my favourite. Creamy panna cotta, tangy passionfruit flavours and a final refreshing granité.

It’s definitely worthwhile enjoying their petite fours. As you can see there were so many different pastries and combinations to enjoy.

They were just as decadent with their chocolate selection as well. I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was for a Tuesday evening but our meal and accompanying service made us not even take notice.

Name: Tom Aikens
Found at: 43 Elystan Street, London SW3 3NT
Website: http://www.tomaikens.co.uk/

Vanilla Black

Patrick Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

I’ve know about the vegetarian friendly Vanilla Black restaurant for some time. When it first appeared on the dining scene several years ago, it had some really great reviews focused on fine dining that’s vegetarian friendly yet using very modern techniques and presentation to raise the game of vegetarian cuisine.

We went as a group of seven with a booking on a Friday evening. When I arrived at the restaurant for our 7pm booking, it wasn’t particularly busy, but then the tiny hidden street Vanilla Black sits on isn’t one visitors simply stumble upon. Thus, I’m glad to see this restaurant still operating after many years, a good sign of excellent patronage.

When asked for a drink before dinner, a few of us were surprised they didn’t have a cocktail list, or even a very extensive drinking list. They seemed to have basic house spirits, wine and beer.

After deciding on what we’d like to order, they quickly brought out an amuse bouche, that ended up tasting like a bloody mary shot, a spicy tomato soup, served warm in a shot glass. A nice touch and a great way to warm the palette.

They also served fresh bread rolls up until our appetisers. The bread, soft and slightly warmed went well with the fresh butter they served although they also had olive oil and balsamico for those included..

My first dish, Cream of tomato soup with lemon and lime, served with crispy bread and parsley arrived. You can tell immediately it wasn’t a classic creamy soup with the tomato flavoured broth sitting beneath the creamy, slightly foamed cream on the top. Around the top of the cream, they dotted lemon and lime oils, the fragrance immediately noticeable when it first arrived. As far as soups go, this was such an extraordinary and exciting experience.

Choosing a main was easy, Poached duck egg and Ribblesdale pudding served with hickory smoked potato croquette and pineapple pickle. Admittedly I wanted to try many of the other creative and interesting concoctions, particularly the baked mushroom duxelle that proved particularly popular with our table. I had no idea what a Ribblesdale pudding was but the waiter explained it as something similar to a upside down soufflé. The dish was very well presented, perfectly composed and went down just a little bit too easy.

The final dish of the night for me was the olive oil and vanilla roasted pineapple served with chilli syrup, mango puree and white chocolate ice cream. I figured this was one of the lighter desserts despite wanting to try their popular peanut butter and chocolate parfait with iced banana and butterscotch sauce. Once again, I was thrown off by the interesting combination of flavours that worked so well together – the vanilla bringing another dimension to an already sweet fruit, only to be offset by a sudden kick provided by the chilli in the syrup. This rollercoasting sensations then quelled again by the freshness of the white chocolate ice cream.

I really enjoyed the meal at this restaurant. For three courses at £30 (not including service), I think it’s a bargain for the experience and flavour sensations you get.

Name: Vanilla Black
Found at: 17 Took’s Court, London EC4A 1LB, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.vanillablack.co.uk/

Chez Bruce

Patrick French, Michelin Starred, Restaurants, UK

For my sister’s birthday, we joined her friends, Nate and Caro for dinner at the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce. I took this as a bit of a surprise, particularly considering that French’s isn’t exactly my sister’s favourite and Chez Bruce is quite far from where we both live, but I guess a special occasion to dine at this well accomplished restaurant is still a good reason.

We’d booked ourselves in for a 7pm dinner, and due to unpredictable baby arrangements, our other fellow diners ended up slightly late. This was the first test of the restaurant, to see whether or not they would push us to hurry (which they didn’t) and if they took care of us in the meantime (which they did).

Chez Bruce isn’t a very large restaurant. On first guesses, it would hold about forty of fifty covers excluding the private dining room upstairs. It reminded me much more of Cambridge’s Restaurant 22 that appeared more like a family home that a restaurant, and I mean this in a good way. This could be changing soon since they’re undergoing some sort of refurbishment as I write this.

Whilst we waited, we were served a deliciously light and crumbly parmesan cracker dotted around the edges with black and white sesame seeds. I think we also had some bread served with butter although I don’t remember the selection being particularly snazzy. I guess my lack of pictures is one indicator of it.

I started with the brandade fritters with vegetable escabeche, chorizo and aioli. Although tempted by a number of the other appetisers, I’m really glad I ordered this dish. The batter was light and crisp and the brandade (effectively a salt cod mix) worked perfectly without needing any additional seasoning on top. Perfectly formed aioli brought a richness to the dish with the escabeche brining that slight heat.

As far as French dishes go, the blanquette of pig’s cheek with boudin blac, roast fillet, choucroute and crackling looked a bit of a mess on a plate. However as far as taste and variety went, this dish went in all sorts of directions with the boudin blanc (white pudding) a soft, slightly oily texture contrasting with perfectly crisp pork crackling. The meaty pork fillet providing heart to the dish only to be compared to the softest part and tenderest part of the pig – the pork cheek. Each of the spring vegetables brought even more flavours and complexity to the dish and did well to stick to classic French ingredients.

Strangely enough they brought out our truffles before our dessert although perhaps that might be because we ask for our tea and coffees at the same time. Verging on the point of being full, I skipped tasting any of them, despite there being enough for almost two each.

My dessert, hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait was abnormally large, for what I’d consider a French style dessert. Wickedly deep in flavour and excessively rich, I savoured every mouthful with the warm contrast of the pudding against the icy coolness of the parfait and then surprised by the crunch provided by the praline scattered about.

I’ve got some great pictures of the other dishes as well, but can’t really comment on the flavours. Here they are for completeness sake:

Appetiser: Roast calf’s sweetbreads with truffle velouté, mushrooms, spätzle and peas (+£5.00)

Appetiser: Gazpacho Andaluz with buffalo mozzarella and basil oil

Appetiser: Foie gras and chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche

Main: Sea bream with provençale vegetable relish, grilled baby squid, sauce nero, gnocchi and almonds

Main: Duck magret with borlotti beans, raviolo, foie gras, tarragon and sherry vinegar

Main: Lamb rump with Sicilian stuffed courgette, meatballs, artichokes and cherry tomatoes

Dessert: Dark chocolate delice with salted caramel sauce and clotted cream

Dessert: Pimm’s jelly with strawberries, cucumber and mint

Dessert: Crème brûlée

As far as service goes, I wasn’t as pleased with them as a number of other Michelin starred restaurants. We had to ask twice for our tap water jug to be filled and although they brought dishes and whisked them away in a timely manner, the attendants didn’t seem to be around, even for catching they eye when we needed to (like getting the bill).

Still, I really enjoyed the food there and given it’s a great value £42.50 for three courses (excluding service and drinks), I would definitely head all the way out there for another great evening meal.

Name: Chez Bruce
Found at: 2 Bellevue Road, London SW17 7EG, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.chezbruce.co.uk/