Sunday Lunch as we would call it (Sunday Dinner in the UK) has long been a tradition, but seems to have died. While London offers many great lunch spots, my concierge highly recommended the Sunday Dinner at THE LEDBURY (www.theledbury.com) in Kensington very close to the Portobello Road Market and Knotting Hill Gate. The weather in London for my 2 days had been gorgeous and on Sunday the temperatures were close to 80, so the outdoor seating was all set up. I got a table just inside facing out and the front wall slid open so a fresh breeze wafted in. The decor at The Ledbury is modern but simple with beautiful wooden inlay floors and super comfy leather chairs. It was definitely the nicest place I had been, and I only had just sat down. My server brought a bottle of Speyside Glenlivet sparkling water from Scotland which was refreshing and one of the best waters I have had (although Badoit is still #1). The menu had a tasting option, but I stuck with the 40pound 3 course; there was no a la carte. A small square slate was brought with a Beetroot Meringue filled with Foie Gras sprinkled with Pain d'Epices (a gingerbread-like spice). The meringue was soft and melted instantly. I knew that I was in for a fabulous treat.
Peter, the sommelier from New Zealand, was a dream come true. I only ordered two glasses of wine, but he insisted I try many of the wines and the pours were large while the prices were low (6-10 pounds per glass or so). Sarah, my delightful server (everyone in this place just looked beautiful or super handsome and they all did a super great job) led me through some options and I settled on my first two courses. Another plate arrived (I didn't notice anyone else getting this) of Hand Dived Sea Scallop Carpaccio surrounded with Seaweed Oil and topped with Frozen Horseradish, Apple Jellies and Kohlrabi. This dish was leaning towards the chemical chefs of today, but not heavily. The ingredients were all super quality and each one alone had fun tastes as well. The frozen horseradish was shaved and cool and refreshing while the jellies were like little pearls; the kohlrabi added a wonderful crunch.
The bread arrived and I swooned over the BACON & ONION Brioche which was shaped like a small cinnamon roll and instead of sweet swirls had soft cooked onions and soft bacon inside. Even the plain rolls here far outdid the bread at Le Gavroche the previous night.
For my starter I tried a dish that has apparently become a signature of genius chef BRETT GRAHAM from Australia. He came from Square to open the Ledbury over four years ago and has easily won a Michelin star; frankly I think he should have two or more, as the innovativeness and excitement of the entire meal outshone Le Gavroche and its two stars. CELERIAC BAKED in ASH with Wood Sorrel, Hazelnuts and a KROMESKI of WILD BOAR is indeed a dish that requires extensive description. The celeriac root is covered with ash burnt from bird's hay and encrusted in bread and salt and cooked this way in the oven for 45 minutes. When it was completed, Sarah brought out the "croute" and cut it in front of me on an elegant wooden board. The aroma filled my nose and my mouth was watering, but she had to take the root back to the kitchen for the dish to be completed. It was sliced thin and surrounded by dollops of Truffle Mayo with Fresh Hazelnuts on top. The "kromeski" is a shredded wild boar patty of sorts that is lightly breaded and sauteed; think of crabcake made of boar instead. It has a great flavor and all the ingredients of this dish whether alone or combined with the various elements were blow-your-mind palate pleasers. By this point I had already fallen in love with Chef Graham's cooking and was thoroughly upset I had not come here Saturday night for his tasting menu.
Peter, the sommelier, was pleasing me to no end as well, first with a glass of Vin de Table de France, MENU PINEL, Originel 2006 from Julien Courtois in the Loire Valley. He told me this was a very rare varietal has low production, is unfiltered and therefore a bit cloudy. It reminded me of a Rhone white blend but with an amazingly larger taste which Peter knew was the perfect pairing for the celeriac, truffle, and boar! BRILLIANT!
Having survived a tasting menu the evening before, I went for the lightest main course which was FILLET of JOHN DORY (Saint Pierre) Poached in Brown Butter with Dried Orange Dust, Toasted Almond Milk Foam & Puree, Broccoli & Crab. This divine fish dish sat on a mix of broccoli and local crab emuslion and there were also fried-like broccoli heads on Poilin Toast that were superb. The milk foam was just that, but the puree was thicker and this was like a light almondy cream which I loved for the tender yet full-flavored fish. Peter had no trouble convincing me to enjoy the 2007 GRUNER VELTLINER "Steinsetz" from Schloss Gobelsburg in Kamptal Austria, a simply perfect summer wine, but also insisted I taste a rare unfiltered 2008 red from Chile called PAIS from CLOS OUVERT in the Maule Valley. It was a light red not designed for aging and was quite refreshing with light body as well.
It was very hard to choose a dessert as there were many fruit-centered options and I was told that Chef Graham made all the breads and pastries as well....WOW! I opted for the PASSIONFRUIT SOUFFLE with SAUTERNES Ice Cream upon Sarah's recommendation and got a fairly large perfectly cooked yummy souffle to which she quickly sunk the scoop of unreal gelato-like ice cream. The souffle had a yummy rim that was somewhat like graham-cracker crumbs for a bit of extra flavor.
Sarah popped a second dessert in front of me saying she wanted me to try another, "since you couldn't decide!" The FRESH FIGS with BANYULS Reduction, Honey & Olive Ice Cream and three small FIG DOUGHNUTS (really centers) were some of the best figs I have ever had. The plate was huge, so I had just one donut and polished off the super delish fruit. I forgot to mention the novel and interesting plates used throughout the meal that somehow seemed to mimic each dish as well.
Peter proffered a pour of 204 RECIOTO della VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO DOC, Azienda Agricola La Giaretta which was a rich sweet red wine that was a perfect finish to my meal .I told him how great it was that he also offered a superbly aged 1989 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes for 18 pounds a glass(which is quite reasonable). I opted to take the mignardises home and gobbled them up after dinner on my flight from London to Cape Town last night: Edlerflower Marshmallows & Mango Pate de Fruits were nice, but the EARL GREY Tea MACAROONS were outstanding and the WHITE CHOCOLATE Cardamom TRUFFLES with Macadamia Crunch were perhaps the best chocolate truffle ever.
I know that the next time I hit London, I am headed right for Chef Graham's Tasting Menu at The Ledbury! I can easily officially declare he is my favorite chef in Britain!
