Sunday 23 August 2015

The Ledbury, London


I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty excited about the Ledbury. And this isn't really a review, because who needs a blogger review when you're ranked no. 20 on the top 50 restaurants only in the entire WORLD?? (And number 10 last year, hurray).

So I guess this is more of a photo 'guide' than anything else :)


Last Friday a few of us decided to take the day off or half way (because why not?) so we could go have the lunch menu at the Ledbury, which is actually pretty good value for a two Michelin star restaurant. £50 for a set menu of four courses - but, none of us actually went for that because since we were here why not go for the a la carte??

And a la carte we did. 


Before I start with the amuse bouches, the Ledbury is in Notting Hill around this super nice 3 storey super luxurious townhouse-y part of town, with lots of yummy mummies pushing strollers around or going for a run. There was lots of people going for a run. 

Even I was running, except only from the tube station because I was late. I even almost almost thought I saw George Clooney on the Ledbury road (hey, it was a very well dressed silver fox in a navy blue suit and sunglasses) and did many double takes until I realised he was pushing a stroller. And also in England. Both of those things that George Clooney does not do (have a baby and live in England, that is).

So.... I guess I'll keep looking for Hugh Grant.


So the amuse bouches, the first one was some kind of green thing on seaweed. The second (just above) was a jelly thing on top of something that looked like a biscuit but wasn't really. 

I'm not selling this very well, but I took a picture of the menu so I'll remember the rest, I promise!


Okay so this was another amuse bouche, and it was some shredded venison inside a puff pastry case with sprinkles of pistachio. I'm sure there was some fancy French name for it, but venison puff will do for simple ol' me.


Oh yeah, I took a picture of my bag hook. I felt very inferior putting my non designer bag on this bag hook. This bag hook probably carried bags worth tens of thousands of pounds before. The bag hook was probably crying inside when it had to carry mine.


So on to the starters! We all went for different things, and this was one mine. "Hand Dived Scallops - Ceviche, Crystal Lemon Cucumber, Horseradish and Sorrell".

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm.


On my right T went for the "Candy Beetroot - Baked in Clay, English Caviar, Smoked and Dried Eel". I wasn't quite sure what the white stuff was but it turned out to be the beetroot, not the dried eel as I originally thought. Who knew beetroot could be white! I've always known it to be that annoying thing that stains absolutely everything when you touch it so you have to avoid it at all costs. But this was nice.


Opposite me D definitely won the prize for choosing the prettiest courses that day. This was the "Tomatoes - Pineapple Ribbed, Zebra, Noire de Crimee and Green Tomato Juice". IT was just so pretty! Britney and Iggy would be proud :) :)


This was my second course "Native Lobster - Wrapped in Shiitake, Cauliflower and Pine Nuts" which the lobster was delicious, but actually looking at the photo not it looks a bit like a wriggly worm, no?

Also the sauce, which I'm sure was made with love and with raw ingredients hand picked from the bottom of the sea that very morning by angels sent from heaven or whatever, but it just tasted like the oyster sauce from the Chinese supermarket I use (you know that bottled one with the panda on it?). Maybe I'm just being too common, but well, oyster sauce is oyster sauce, right? I still ate allll of it though, maybe because I was just being shellfish.

Sorry! Couldn't resist.


T had the "Warm Bantam's Egg - Shaved Celeriac, Dried Ham, Arbois and Black Truffle". No I won't pretend to know what arbois is but I do now know a Bantam's Egg is ....just an egg. It was like that time I went to another michelin restaurant and went "oooooh I'll have the hen's egg please" only to realise that a hen's egg...is just an egg.

Eggsellent.


Again D opposite me picked the prettiest fish course. "Flame Grilled Mackerel - Pickled Cucumber, Celtic Mustard and Shiso". I don't normally like mackerel because it just reminds of the horrible tinned stuff I used to have on camping expeditions and it was all oily and skin and really, really smelly. 

Of course this wasn't. D tells me it was very nice. 


Okay so on to the mains! Up until now J and I were having the same courses, but she went for the "Herdwick Lamb - Salt Baked Turnip, Padron and Ewe's Milk". I think this was lamb served three ways with the bit of the lamb rack, loin I guess and rump? I'm not sure. 


My main was the "Belted Galloway Beef - Potato and Bay Leaf Butter, Smoked Bone Marrow and Wild Garlic Capers". Oh my god I loved that potato! I mean, it's pretty hard to do something nice and inventive with a boiled potato right? Not at the Ledbury. I'm pretty sure they sprinkled it with magic dust.

Oh yeah, hehe, we used the bread to soak up the juices on the plate. Probably a fine dining no-no, but when a spoonful of juice left on your plate probably costs £5 then we are going straight for the bread dipping.


And onto the finishing course, desserts. J had the "Pave of Chocolate - Cherry Jam and Sake", yes you heard that right, sake ice cream and chocolate! It was pretty strong. This was all in all quite a boozy dessert as the cherries I think were marinated in some kind of cherry liqueur. J also said the chocolate bits on top tasted just like Milo (instant hot chocolate drink). I mean, that's a lot going on in one plate! I don't think I'll be having sake and chocolate together everyday though....


"Brown Sugar Tart - Stem Ginger Ice Cream". 


"Richmond Park Honey - Buffalo Milk, Mead and Thyme". Honey and Thyme was a great combo! I thought it was a really Chrismassy dessert (despite being in the middle of August) because I really wanted honey and thyme and mistletoe and wine, but maybe I"m just getting carried away with the Cliff Richard song (a Christmas favourite, by the way).


I had to rush off to catch a train at the end of the lunch (sob) but the others had coffees and petit fours (little chocolate truffles). 

All the all, I love the Ledbury. I mean, how can you not? The service was great (as you would expect) and food was better. Just a shame the lunch went by so quickly :)

Hope to speak soon, I promise it won't be another 4 months until my next post!

Until next time,


4 comments:

  1. Loved the 'bag hook' bit... really funny :)

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  2. Great photo review. I love the Ledbury- went for their tasting menu a few years ago and it was out of this world. I am waiting for another chance to go back again. I also took a picture of the bag hook for my inferior bag!

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  3. It looks elegant. I know it’s expensive but it would be fine it the taste of it will deliver you to heaven!

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  4. Wow this place is heaven :D I want to go there someday :D

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