amuse bouche: single quail egg, pea puree & pea dust
The Ledbury is by far my favourite high end restaurant in all of London, if not the world. I’ve been lucky enough to visit once and twice, and now on my third visit, I knew the service would strike a perfect balance between professional yet friendly and I trusted the food to be equally poised between comforting and delicious, while pushing the boundaries of conceptuality and creativity. I expected all that, but honestly? I didn’t expect, didn’t foresee, couldn’t imagine The Ledbury upping the ante on themselves.
But they have.
Let me take you back a few months. Remember when I was working in NYC? When I went to Momofuku Ko and was rendered speechless by the extraordinary “shaved foie gras”? Believe me when I tell you that even now, I still get flushed talking about that dish because it is still hands down one of the most unique and utterly inimitable culinary experiences I’ve ever had. The way the frozen flakes of foie land weightlessly on your tongue and instantly dissolve… a deliriously good memory forever seared into my consciousness.
So imagine my delight when the second course of our meal at The Ledbury – a salad no less – comes topped with non other than Momofuku Ko style shaved foie gras.
I died. I went to heaven. Where everyone eats shaved foie gras every day.
What number goes above #1 on a favourite restaurants list? Seriously, because The Ledbury has just shot itself into superstardom in my books.
Anyway, I’m not going to go on and on about how much I love The Ledbury. I think that’s all very self evident, so instead, here’s all the food that we had… everything beautifully plated as always…
taster from the chef: foie gras tartlets
flame grilled mackerel with avocado, Celtic mustard and shiso
salad of green beans, peach, fresh almonds and foie gras
Squeeee!! This is the dish! The shaved foie gras! Now you can see what it looks like… and imagine being at Momofuku Ko having an entire bowl of this magic dust, mixed in with peanut brittle and riesling gelée. CRAZYGOOD.
risotto of new potatoes with girolles and crisp Guinea fowl
Cornish seabass with lobster consommé, radishes and buckwheat
pork jowl roasted with spices
loin and shoulder of lamb with black sugar & garlic glazed aubergine
pre-dessert: olive oil pannacotta
brown sugar tart with red gooseberries & stem ginger ice cream
cheese course
petit fours served in a vintage Black Magic box
So there you go. Now, if you were to ask me if there was any one thing I didn’t like about The Ledbury, I’d probably say no. But if you held a gun to my head, or threatened me with an eternity without ice cream more like, I’d probably say that as awesomely delicious as it is, I’ve been served the brown sugar tart with stem ginger ice cream on all of my visits. Come on, Brett Graham, surely you can come up with another brilliant dessert?
But even if he can’t, I would happily eat that brown sugar tart for another decade or five.
The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill, W11 2AQ
0207 792 9090
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