London: Ottolenghi

Do you see what I see at Ottolenghi?

13 Motcomb Street, London

An amazing window display of beautiful treats, that’s what. A glorious abundance of tarts, cookies, cupcakes, meringues, brownies and cakes that makes the heart skip a beat.

I think I just heard the deli counters groaning under the weight of those swoon-worthy desserts.

Of course, I had my fair share of the sweets.

But first, I had lunch. And what a fabulous lunch it was! Inside the high-end deli-cum-diner, huge bowls of colourful salads, quiches and cuts of meat and fish are displayed so appetisingly on the counter. Mind you, these are not girly salads. Think hearty and nothing insipid.

The cuisine is largely Mediterranean-inspired, with a hint of Arabic, Greek, Turkish and Morrocan thrown into the exotic mix. Menu is very much seasonal, and it’s pretty much “what you see is what you get” since everything available for the day is laid out on the counters.

I had a grilled salmon as a main, with 3 wonderful salads as sides (though they are substantial enough as mains!) — all for £15.50, not exactly cheap but the quality makes me more than happy to fork out the sum. Really fresh food with lots of flavours, yum.

Above: chermoula grilled organic salmon with avocado, chilli, coriander, red onion and lemon.

Below: roasted butternut squash with harissa sour cream, pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Left: roasted aubergine with spiced tamarind and tomato sauce, nigella seeds, coriander and goats cheese.

Right: butterbean hummus with pine nut, sumac and parsley.

If not for desserts, I would be feeling sad when my plate became clean and empty. Remember that state-of-the-art display I was talking about earlier? I had the enviable task of choosing something nice from there to end the meal, haha.

I’ve got to admit, it was difficult. Should I get the chocolate brownies? Or the strawberry ganache tart? Or the lemon polenta cake? Hmm. In the end, instinct told me to get the passion fruit meringue tart cuz it looks so gorgeous and bingo, it scores!

A flawless crumbly tart crust with sourish passion fruit curd that offsets the sweet soft meringue so beautifully~ I don’t have to spell out how much I love this, do I? 🙂 And if I’m a baker, this would top my to-bake list for sure! It’d be a challenge just to pipe the frosting so well.

The perfect tart tart, I’m blown away.

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London: Pierre Hermé’s White Truffle Macaron!

Finally, finally, finally!!! After 3 visits to 3 different Pierre Hermé‘s outlets in 3 different cities (read: London, Paris, Tokyo), I’ve finally managed to get my hands on his seasonal white truffle & hazelnut macaron at the Selfridges’ counter in London.

White truffle ice cream, white truffle crème brûlée, I’ve tried those before. But never in a sweet macaron and I had my doubts initially. What if it’s just an overrated macaron? Then again, this is Pierre Hermé we are talking about. I should have known better!

The first bite gives way to a strong earthy taste that’s somewhat disconcerting, but thereafter the nutty hazelnut flavour comes into play and the whole combination of sweet and savoury just works. Truffe Blanche & Noisette, you are one special macaron!

Of course, one macaron is never enough. I also had a lovely Coing & Rose (quince & rose), Arabella (a new creation of milk chocolate, banana, passion fruit & candied ginger), and my favourite Marron & Thé Vert Matcha (chestnut & matcha green tea)! Love them all ❤

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England: Good Scones, Bad Scones

Are scones from Scotland, Ireland or England? No one is sure but what I do know is the English love their scones like no other. And I’m there to find out what a scone is supposed to taste like. Is it a big, dry, heavy brick dotted with a few pathetic raisins, or is there really a real, honest- to-goodness scone that’s so light and fluffy that just melts in the mouth?

I didn’t want to have scones in London cuz that seems too modern, if you know what I mean. Whenever I think of scones, my mind conjures up images of prim and proper British ladies sipping tea in gardens, with multi-tiered stands of sandwiches, cakes and of course, this cross between a biscuit and a muffin that’s known as a scone.

So I had my first English scone in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It’s a charming town steeped in history and Thomas Oken Tea Rooms (right beside Warwick Castle) looks too inviting to be missed, especially on such a chilly morning.

20 Castle Street

I had high hopes for the signature giant sultana scone. Sadly though, it was not to be. Giant in size this was, but lacking in substance. Remember the aforementioned dry and hard brick? This belongs to that category.. Even the excellent strawberry preserve and clotted cream can’t save the day.

I was crushed. Is that how scones are like? No, it can’t be. Otherwise, why would there be people who are crazy about scones?

My next stop was Stratford-upon-Avon, the small market town synonymous with William Shakespeare. There, I found the promised light as air scone at Deli Cafe, a wonderful cozy place frequented by locals.

13-14 Meer Street

I’m happy! Cuz I’ve found what I was looking for: a scone that’s slightly crisp and crusty on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside, with a clean buttermilk-like flavour. Perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.

IMO, this is what an authentic scone is supposed to taste like 🙂

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London: The Kensington Crêperie

The Kensington Crêperie claims to be one of London’s finest French Crêperie cafés since 2001. And rightly so! You can tell that it’s a popular locals’ kind of place once you stepped in. Fully packed, tables closed to one another, but no one really minds cuz the crêpes are amazingly tasty!

2 Exhibition Road, South Kensington

I already knew that my smoked salmon and spinach crêpe would be a winner when it arrived piping hot at the table. The aroma of freshly made crêpe was phenomenal and they didn’t stinge on the fillings! Imagine lots of smoked salmon, spinach, garlic, cream and cheddar cheese all wrapped up snugly in a nutty buckwheat blanket~

So far, the best crêpes I’ve ever had is at  A La Côte Bretonne in Paris and this comes very, very, very close to beating it. Look how thin and crispy it is! And ultra soft-but-not-soggy in the centre~

Initially, I came with the intention of having just one crêpe for dinner. But everyone around me was having all sorts of delicious looking sweet crêpes and I couldn’t resist ordering one as well!

Ahhh, the crêpe suzette was awesome. Awesome, awesome! I love the bitter edge of the orange marmalade, the homemade tiramisu ice cream (supposed to be vanilla but I changed it. Might seem weird but it’s actually quite a good combi, haha) and the touch of dark Belgian chocolate. Best of all, the splash of Grand Marnier was so generous~ Made my insides all warm instantly on a cold winter night =) 

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London: Pierre Hermé.. Magic Again.

Yes, you smarties got it right! Desserts after that Pret A sandwich were macarons from Pierre Hermé =)

The first time I had the macarons in Paris, they blew my mind away. So I was real happy to know that there’s a Pierre Hermé boutique-like counter in Selfridges’ Food Hall!

I was hoping to get the white truffle macaron but was told that I’m a couple of days too early, darn! Anyway, I was really tempted to get a full box of macarons but I was one girl against so much calories, sugar and fat.

So the new flavours were what I had. And I love them all!

Crème brûlée is my favourite this time, it’s very vanilla-y with bits of caramel and nothing eggy at all;

Depayse has a strong unmistakable aroma of high-grade matcha green tea, coupled with the classic Azuki red bean and interestingly, lime and ginger as well;

Huile d’Olive & Mandarine is a play of flavours: olive oil with orange (though I prefer the version of evoo with vanilla);

and while Chuao is not a new flavour this season, chocolate lovers (me, me!) will love this awesome combination of pure Chuao dark chocolate, blackcurrant and berries~

Now I’m thinking, maybe a big box in January is not too much? =)

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London: Of Christmas Lights, Cath Kidston & Pret A~

I’ve already declared London to be my favourite city in Europe so take this with a pinch of salt when I say that the Christmas lights and decorations along Oxford Street are about a thousand times prettier than the ones along our Orchard Road, haha.

With all the major sightseeing done the last time round, I’ve got more time for shopping and relaxing this time. And finally, I got to go to a real Cath Kidston store in London!

Gosh, everything looks so girly lovely that I wish I own it all~

Another fabulous place I like is Selfridges, the world’s best department store! Actually, I like not the shopping there (too pricey, comparable to Harrod’s) but its amazing Food Hall with so much gourmet stuff to ogle look at~

I regretted not trying the sandwiches at Pret A Manger on my first trip to London so this time, I made sure my first meal was at a Pret A outlet, LOL. There used to be a franchise in Singapore but it closed down before I had the chance to try it.

I love the classic Wild Crayfish & Rocket sandwich! Loaded with lots of fresh crayfish, rocket leaves, mayo and lemon juice on soft malted wholegrain bread, yum~ Now I can’t wait to try the other delicious looking sandwiches when I head back to London next month!

54-56 Oxford Street

Wanna make a guess what I had for desserts after such a simple dinner?? Hint: it’s small, it’s dainty, and it’s light as air!

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Noshing in London

3.5 days in London = 7 precious meals I intended to maximise fully. After dedicating one meal to Gordon Ramsay, it was tough to sieve out just 6 out of so many eating places in London. Luckily, this is the type of homework I don’t mind doing =)

Remember I mentioned the kick-a** apple tart from Poilâne that not even 3-star Michelin G.R. can surpass? Here it is, in its glorified buttery form with huge chunks of apple. Any description won’t do it justice so I shan’t attempt to. Just know this: it’s small, it’s innocent-looking, and it’s tempting beyond anything else!

Poilâne has been around since 1932 and lest you think it’s from London, it’s not. It’s a traditional French bakery which originates from Paris. And even though I was going to be in Paris just a couple of days later, I couldn’t resist popping by the only outlet in London to admire (and gobble up) the beautiful loaves of bread and pastries.

You won’t find any baguette in the bakery as it refuses to bake baguette cuz that’s a modern invention that purists scoff at. That’s how traditional Poilâne is! And in case you are curious, France’s ancient bread is a large sourdough boule miche—the oversized round bread in the picture below.

46 Elizabeth Street, walkable from Victoria Station.

Another good bakery I’d recommend is PAUL, also a French bakery with a long history. Founded since 1889, it’s now a successful chain of bakeries with over 250 outlets across France and over 30 shops outside France.

We went to the takeaway kiosk on Tower Wharf (just outside Tower of London) which only has outdoor seating. It was awesome to sit in the cold, munching on our morning croissants, sipping our hot coffee, with a perfect view of Tower Bridge right before our eyes. Simple bliss.

Lunching at Borough Market is a must if you love fresh produce markets as much as I do. It’s bustling with stalls selling fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat poultry and game, mountains of cakes and pastries, exotic (read: expensive) fare like ostrict eggs and huge gems of black truffles (below, bottom right), and so much more. Noisy, colourful atmosphere; enthusiastic stall owners; wondrous smells; full of life and celebration of food.

That’s what Borough Market is all about.

I didn’t take note of any particular stall cuz truth be told, everything looks and smells so good. My strategy was simply to wander around the huge market first, nibbling on the generous samples and making mental notes of which stalls to head back later so that we could buy more of whatever delicious food they are selling.

We had hot-off-the-grill Chorizo sandwiches, lovely seasonal salads, interesting quinoa patties, juicy berries, soft and tender canelés, brownies and cupcakes, crumbly falafels, pricey teeny-weeny shots of wheatgrass juice, marvelous mushroom pâté on fresh bread, and a pot of silky smooth creme caramel (below, bottom right) that reminds me of the fantastic caramel pudding from Ma Maison.

Don’t get too hyped up over the food and forget to take care of your belongings though. The market is extremely crowded and I can imagine pickpockets having a field day with unsuspecting tourists.

8 Southwark Street, just south of Southwark Cathedral.

For budget eating, The Stockpot is a great option. Established since 1958, it’s famous for being one of the best dining bargains in London. Generous portions, hearty dishes, small price tags. No wonder it’s a London institution. There’s nothing fancy about this place, tables are close together, and don’t expect pretty presentation on the plates. It’s just traditional home-cooked grub—unrefined, good and cheap. Our choices of typical British steak & kidney pie, cod in parsley cream, grilled pork chops, and warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream left us feeling happy and satisfied.

38 Panton Street, near Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

 

I don’t know about you, but I love supermarkets, big or small. Last semester, I did a case study on Whole Foods Market (remember AB311 Strategic Management?) and was so fascinated by it that I listed it as a must-go destination on my itinerary. Photography is not allowed inside the market so I can’t show you how amazing it is—incredible range of food and personal care products, all natural, organic and minimally processed. There’s even a long buffet spread of prepared food which seduced me into buying some for lunch tomorrow. And on the top level, there’s a Market Food Hall with different stations selling burritos, pizza, sushi, crepes, gelato etc etc. Wow. Why can’t it open a branch in Singapore??

I didn’t go to Whole Foods just to gawk. I went with a hungry tummy wanting dinner. Or specifically, wanting Saf. Hardcore carnivores, you can just skip this part since I doubt this will interest you. Saf at Whole Foods (situated at one corner of the food hall) is a new offshoot of the award-winning Saf in Shoreditch, a vegan/raw food restaurant. Most dishes are cooked below 48°C to preserve optimum nutrition and flavour. It’s the kind of feel-good restaurant churning out feel-good feel that doesn’t compromise on taste. I had spiced tempeh with rye crackers, sea vegetable salad with lots of hijiki and wakame in a ginger-sesame dressing, and gyoza stuffed with roasted aubergine, wood ear mushroom and water chestnut. Adored them all!

The Barkers Building, 63-97 Kensington High Street.

The one and only disappointing eat in London goes to Patisserie Valerie, a chain of cafes that’s been around since 1926. A friend speaks highly of the eggs benedict here, but my eggs benedict royale came with 2 overcooked eggs with no chance of flowing yolk, sigh. The Croque Monsieur was so-so and the waitress’s recommendation of chocolate tiramisu was all cream and no substance. Enough said.

15 Bedford Street, near Covent Garden.

There you go, 6 different places to get breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I have to choose, I’d say the experience at Borough Market is my favourite. Having been to many farmer’s markets in Australia, New Zealand and different parts of Europe, I personally think that Borough Market is one of the best foodie’s heaven around!

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London: Be a Tourist!

This being my first trip to London, I admit I was a typical tourist who went to all the sights London is famous for. So brace yourself, this is gonna sound like one of those “what to see when you are in London” kind of write-up. I promise to make it as short and painless as possible. Hopefully, this will be a useful starting point for those planning a visit to London!

From top left, clockwise: Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4 (fun photo-op!); charming Big Ben; Southwark Cathedral; and St Paul’s Cathedral (not as impressive as I thought it will be).

Wanna see nearly every tourist in London gathered in one place at the same time? Then Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is an obligatory stop. The ceremony starts at 11.30am so if you are a shortie like me, be early to stake out the high ground on Victoria Monument for the best overall view!

Thanks to Rick Steves’ guidebook, we arrived early at the Wellington Barracks for a close-up peek at the guards’ inspection before the actual ceremony at Buck House.

From top left, clockwise: the Thames and London Eye—no longer the world’s biggest observation wheel thanks to our Singapore Flyer; Houses of Parliament; Westminster Abbey, one of the greatest churches in Christendom; and a statue of Boadice—queen of the Iceni who revolted against the Romans.

From top left, clockwise: a full-size replica of Abraham Lincoln (the acclaimed “Standing Lincoln”); a demostration for peace in afghanistan on Parliament Square; the most famous front door in the world—#10 Downing Street, residence of Britain’s Prime Minister.

Along the historic Whitehall Boulevard are the Cenotaph, the Old Admiralty, the Banqueting House where King Charles I was executed, and the still-as-statues Horse Guards.

From left to right: Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s Column as its focal point; St. Martin in the Fields; and Piccadilly Circus—London’s most touristy square. Don’t forget shopping at nearby Regent Street!

 

Tower of London is a really cool place to explore. It used to be a castle, a fortress, a prison, and a place for torture and execution. The grounds are like a huge medieval playground! Be sure to check out the Crown Jewels which are magnificant and glitter so much that they hurt my eyes, lol.

From top left, clockwise: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; iconic Tower Bridge (NOT London Bridge!); Millennium Bridge (featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince); and the fantastic Borough Market (more on the yummy stuff in my next post).

Kensington Gardens is a lovely park with formal avenues of trees and ornamental flower beds. I really envy Londoners for having such greenery in their city. And this is no doubt the perfect setting for Kensington Palace—former residence of Princess Diana.

Nothing says spring like rows of colourful blooming tulips!

Harrods is an institution in its own right. It’s unlike any other department store I’ve seen—imagine over-the-top glitz and super-abundance of the Egyptian Hall and the like. In a quiet corner, there’s a memorial to Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, son of Mohamed al Fayed (ex-owner of Harrods). Even though he has sold the mall to Qatar Holding (news broke out the very next day we went!), I’m pretty sure the memorial won’t be removed.

I’ve no idea what’s the link between Harrods and bears but these life-sized bears are so adorable!

We got out of the city on our last day in London and took a day tour to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and The Queen’s favourite weekend home. She was indeed inside the castle (somewhere) when we visited! Cheap thrill, haha.

What’s fascinating is this cute soldier standing guard by his little guard house. Not him, per se. I mean, there’s no clock nearby so I wonder how does he know when to start marching?

A detour to Bath next. The town itself is quaint but the Roman Baths is rather underwhelming even though it is the best preserved Roman religious spa. Then we saw these 2 hilarious ladies pretending that they are from the ancient times. Their hairstyles are considered fashionable in the old days but don’t you think they look like the beehive and Medusa??

The most famous prehistoric monument in Britain, Stonehenge marks the end of my 4 days in London. People around the world consider it a sacred site and they associate the ceremonial place with the super natural world. I don’t know how true this is but looking at the mysterious ruins, it’s hard not to wonder about who built this compelling ring of rock, how, and above all, why?

Note: Walk around to the back and you will see gorgeous fields of canola flowers!

London became the benchmark to beat for the rest of my trip and subsequent cities I went were found wanting in one way or another. I love the city, gloomy weather and all. The sights are interesting, people are friendly and I especially like the London Underground. You heard me right, I actually like the Tube—notorious for being dirty and the playground of pickpockets. True, it’s not the cleanest in the world and some lines are closed on weekends, but I really like its efficiency. Perhaps cuz I only use the Tube to travel around the central area, I find that the frequency of trains is very high and when I missed a train, I didn’t go “oh crap, there goes the train!!”—like I do so often in Singapore.

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My virgin Michelin meal

Trying to figure out which Michelin star restaurant to go is the type of problem I wish I face everyday. This year, there are 50 starred restaurants in London so picking just one was really not easy. Deciding to go for the best (debatable but that’s neither here or now), i.e. 3 stars, narrows the list considerably since there are only 2 restaurants with such high honour in London: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester and Gordon Ramsay. Still not an easy choice but I was more inclined towards the latter cuz I’ve watched the man in action in Hell’s Kitchen and while I frown upon his cursing and swearing, he always seem to know what he’s doing in the kitchen. And helming so many Michelin starred restaurants has got to mean he’s doing something right. Right? Right.

Securing a reservation is tricky. With my mind made up, I made a reservation at his flagship restaurant on Royal Hospital Road and within 24hours, I received a reply:

In case you can’t read the fine print, here’s an excerpt:

“Dear Kaelyn Ong Qiu Yi,

Firstly let me thank you for your interest in Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Date: Friday 7th May 2010    

For 3 guests at 12pm

We are delighted to provisionally reserve the table you have requested. Where guests wish to make a reservation, it is the restaurant’s policy to secure the booking with their credit card details. In the event that the booking is not honoured in whole or in part by you, or is cancelled by you with less than 48 hours notice it will be at the discretion of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to charge £100 per person to your credit card.

We would be grateful if you could indicate your acceptance by printing, completing and returning this form in order to confirm your booking.

Unfortunately, we will have to release the table if we have not received the completed form within 48 hours. You may find it convenient to fax us on 020 7592 1213 or return your form to us by post to Reservations, 1 Catherine Place, London, SW1E 6DX.

Cancellations must be made in writing and sent by fax to the above number.

Verbal cancellations cannot be accepted.

We would respectfully request that your party is ready to sit at your table at the time of your reservation. 

Please note that reservations for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, 68 Royal Hospital Road are taken by telephone on 020 7352 4441 exactly 3 months prior to the requested booking date. Reservations for this restaurant cannot be accepted by fax or email.”

A bit of a hassle, isn’t it? The booking system, I mean. This is even more arduous than making a hotel reservation! Andy Hayler wrote this on his site: “They operate a completely surreal booking system, with attitude to spare: “Try calling back in about three week’s time between 09:00 and 09:05 a.m”, for a table in exactly a month’s time is a typical experience.  If you get past this without screaming and don’t just give up entirely then the dining experience itself is lovely.”

Of course, I didn’t give up =)

It took us about 15mins—longer if you stroll but we were walking very fast cuz it was so freaking cold—to walk to the restaurant from Sloane Square station in Chelsea. Located in a quiet neighbourhood area, the exterior is so unassuming and understated that had I not been looking out for it, I would surely walk past it! And I was surprised that the dining area is so small—I counted 12 tables—which highlights its exclusiveness, I guess. Seeing how elegantly everyone was dressed (men in suits and ladies in dresses), I’m pretty sure we were the only party who arrived on foot instead of cabbing down (are you kidding me, cabs in London are notoriously expensive!).

“So who’s hosting lunch today?”, we were asked after being seated. Luckily, I already did my homework beforehand and didn’t say “huh” like a dorky country pumpkin. Here’s what’s going on: If you are the host, you will be given a menu slightly different from the rest. Yours will have all the prices shown while your guests can just blissfully whatever their hearts desire without scarily high price-pressure. How nice!

At the risk of sounding mean, I have to say that I thought it was rather silly of the waiter to announce “there will be some surprises!”—when by “surprises”, he just meant a simple amuse bouche that every diner gets. Well, I suppose it’s just to build up the anticipation… And seems like it’s a standard operating procedure for all waiters cuz other reviews online also mentioned these “surprises”, haha.

We were offered a variety of bread—the black olive made a good impression—with the cutest hive of butter (salted and unsalted available) and then the aforementioned “surprises” were placed before us with a flourish.

I really like that our waiter took the initative to ask us whether we have any food allergies and what we like or not like to eat, instead of waiting for the diner to speak up (otherwise, too bad) while ordering. So, back to the amuse bouche. I had a poached quail’s egg perched daintily on an island of potatoes surrounded by pea (or leek, I can’t remember) soup. It was underwhelmingly nice and nowhere near as exciting as the deep-fried frog’s leg (above) that’s the default amuse bouche for the day.

We heaped praises after praises on the tortellini of crab and tiger prawn with lemongrass and chervil consommé, a variant on Gordon Ramsay’s classic—his signature ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon. This is everything I want a tortellini to be—al dente pasta, robust flavours and packed with generous filling! Hands down, the best dish of the day.

 A new favourite of mine from my travel in Europe, salt cod brandade—mashed salt cod with potatoes, olive oil, garlic and cream—is rarely (if ever) found on our local restaurants’ menus but common enough in France and Italy. The texture got me hooked—not overly smooth or too creamy, and slightly coarse cuz of the fish flakes.

Here, it’s wrapped with Noir de Bigorre ham (which I can do without) and topped with a poached quail’s egg. Which this was great for spreading on the accompanying crostini, I feel that the ones I had in Italy later were even better!

My fillet of daurade royale with navet (turnip in French), carrots, radish, baby gem lettuce and artichokes barigoule is probably admittedly the most boring dish. Nothing spectacular, just fresh white fish cooked satisfactorily in a light creamy sauce and a tad underseasoned.

The roasted fillet of pork with smoked ventrèche, Morteau sausage, black pudding, caramelised apple and choucroute (sauerkraut) is a classic combination, what with the presence of pork, apple and cabbage. Black pudding is a typical and traditional British dish: a type of sausage made by cooking pig’s blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Does that sound gross or is it just me? But apparently it’s so delicious that mom and sis lapped it all up.

Desserts came soon after! I was expecting the banana parfait to be served in a tall glass but interestingly, it’s in the form of a block of frozen banana ice cream coated with a dark chocolate shell.

Very light yet apparent scent of banana, and lovely when combined with the tangy passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream!

There’s plenty of opportunities for interaction with our waiter. Like when he came over to shave bits of Colston Bassett stilton over the pear tatin with walnut ice cream…

 And to spread spoonfuls of French chantilly cream with vanilla onto the rum baba.

If I didn’t just have a really fabulous, out-of-this-world apple tart from Poilâne for breakfast that morning (more on that later), I’m sure this pear tatin would have scored for its golden and flaky puff pastry. If only. That said, it’s still good (just not as perfect as Poilâne) with a good balance of sweetness from the pear and saltiness from the stiltion.

Thought I don’t have much experience with rum baba, this has got to be the best one I’ve ever had. It’s so huge and soft and light, like a very tender sweet bread. Go easy on the rum cuz it’s really strong and can easily result in an overkill.

 As if we were not stuffed enough by now, our waiter brought us an alien display of silver dusted chocolate truffles. I forgot how full I was in an instant after popping one into my mouth! Delish.

Next came a smoking top of strawberry ice cream balls encased in smooth white chocolate, dramatically brought to us in a cloud of dry ice. Top-notch presentation!

A birthday surprise from the kitchen, this very small scoop of raspberry sorbet wrapped up lunch on a sweet note =)

So, “exceptional cuisine and worth the journey” (that’s what a 3 star Michelin restaurant stands for)? I think so. Although it doesn’t exactly steal my heart and invade my mind, I applaud the beautiful execution by the chef and service team.

 

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road
London SW3 4HP
Tel: 020 7352 4441
Fax: 020 7592 1213

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