My Blue Heaven

Photos @ Maze

10:01 am Fri, 2nd June 2006

The Review

I liked the menu (modern french with an asian influence). Between the two of us, we shared 10 dishes, and 3 desserts. Plus 2 cocktails (I had a strawberry caipirinha and Kwai had a peach and passionfruit cocktail), finally finishing with coffee and complimentary petits fours. The menu was really cool – it was kinda like a-la-carte tapas, where you pick from lots of different small dishes – allowing you to sample lots of things at a fairly low cost. A foodies heaven! They also had the chefs selection 7 course menu, with the best signature dishes (from the aforementioned tapas style menu) that work the best together. We ended up choosing the chefs menu, plus 5 more dishes and 1 more dessert. 🙂 I was absolutely and utterly stuffed by the end… had a major food coma, not helped by the cocktail at the beginning! The price was also really quite good value – which is suprising for a top restaurant owned by a famous celebrity chef. A chefs tasting menu would normally be about twice what we paid. I guess its only been open for a year, so prices might rise later. Not that it mattered this time, as work is paying for the bill. (I’m finally cashing in my reward from that Hoover project a month or so back).

Anyway, we really enjoyed the 3 odd hours spent there. I’d probably rate it as the best dining experience I’ve had in London so far. It was great that the restaurant and staff weren’t stuffy or snobby at all, unlike so many fine dining places. The decor was very modern (perhaps a little cramped, but hey its London), and the atmosphere quite trendy and lively. The service was excellent – the staff were discreet (ie not in your face all the time), polite, friendly and very attentive to details (eg when one of us went to the toilet, a waiter would almost immediately come over, pick up the napkin, shake it out and fold it neatly on the chair for the customers return!!). Oh and it was a NO SMOKING restaurant too! Yay!!!! When a customer at the table next to us started to light up a cigarette, a waiter very smoothly and politely informed him it was a no-smoking restaurant and took the offending cigarette away.. as I sat there silently cheering!! 😛 We felt quite comfortable there, more so than other restaurants where the atmosphere feels a bit stiff. And getting to visit the kitchen and meet the chef topped off an already wonderful evening. 🙂

Current listening :: “Bubble toes” – Jack Johnson

Those interested… our menu choices consisted of..

Starters:

• Carpaccio of tuna and swordfish with lime and cucumber marinade, soya dressing
• Orkney scallops roasted with spices, peppered golden raisin purée, cauliflower
• Honey and soy roasted quail with Landes foie gras and spiced winter pear chutney
• B.L.T Bacon and onion cream, chilled lettuce velouté, tomato gelée

Mains:

• Daurade Royale with native lobster risotto, lemongrass, Thai basil and lobster glaze
• Roasted brill with provençale cockle vinaigrette, pistou and baby spinach
• Grilled spring lamb with braised lamb neck, cos lettuce, bacon and onions, ras el hanout
• Wood fired squab with parsnip purée, vanilla shallots and reserva sherry vinegar reduction
• Duart salmon, pork belly with choucroute and smoked raisin reduction
• Bouillabaisse of john dory with tapénade, fennel purée and fennel shoots

Dessert:

• Apple and caramel trifle with cider granité, cinnamon doughnut
• Valrhona chocolate fondant with green cardamom caramel, sea salt and almond ice cream
• Carpaccio of rhubarb with yoghurt sorbet and spiced wine sauce

Posted in Photologs | 9 Comments »

Tweet