EATING OUT

Marcus at The Berkeley

The Berkeley, Wilton Place, London, SW1X 7RL

Coming back to The Berkeley hotel to review Marcus at The Berkeley was a special visit for me, as it was about 10 years ago I reviewed what was then, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, and had a meal of truly rare quality, and even met the main man himself.

Revisiting things that are so memorable is always dangerous, as how can the second visit truly live up to the first?, but I needn’t have worried as the food, the service and the new décor were all just as good as the first time, although all different.

When you hear the name The Berkeley you know it suggests quality, and when you add the name of one of the best known, and in my opinion, best chef’s, you can be sure the experience will be special.

The room is now light and airy and has a few art deco touches, along with wellspaced out tables surrounding the central wine serving area, with an abundance of champagne bottles and sparkling crystal glasses. Previously, I remembered there was an abundance of dark leather and wooden walls, and that gentlemen’s club feel has now been replaced by a more contemporary and stylish vibe, but some of the leather chairs have still survived!

This restaurant was special before, but the updated design, completed in 2014, and the new menu showcasing all of the wonderful foods the UK has to offer, feels even more so, and is much more personal to Marcus Wareing as he celebrates 35 years in the business.

We settled ourselves in one of the roomy brown leather banquettes, with its oversized oval table covered by a crisp white table cloth, and perused the lunchtime menu.

The à la carte, and the 5 and 7 course Tasting Menus are available at lunchtime as well as the evening service, but we were invited for the lunchtime menu providing 3 courses (choice of two for the starter and mains) for £60, with a wine pairing (£49).

As we waited for our starters, we were treated to a trio of amuse bouchées’, including a Brazilian Cheese Puff, a Tapioca and Seaweed Crisp with potato emulsion and some Salami. The Brazilian cheese puff incorporated a combination of feta, cheddar and parmesan cheeses, the seaweed and tapioca crisp was so light it dissolved in my mouth, and the salami was meaty with a hint of sweetness, a lovely start to a meal.

My wife selected the Courgette, Homemade Ricotta, Honey, Basil and Olive, and I chose the Cornish Skate, White Asparagus, Chilled Bouillabaisse and Fennel. The fresh and creamy ricotta is found in the bulbous end of the courgette flower all covered by a tempura batter, and its distinctively tangy sweetness goes well with the courgette and textured tempura batter. To finish the dish a generous drizzle of honey was added at the table. The honey comes from the London Honey Co., and has an eclectic taste as it is prepared using a mix of different bee varieties from around London.

My dish was a slice of smooth mousseline with hunks of firm Skate served with pickled fennel and a slightly crunchy White Asparagus, surrounded by a vibrant bouillabaisse sauce. The combination of the smooth mousseline, the sharpness of the pickled fennel, the crunch of the asparagus and the richness of the bouillabaisse was a flavour explosion in every mouthful, and the only downside was I could have eaten so much more, even though the portion was generous.

For our mains the selection was either Pork or Halibut. My Cumbrian pork was served two ways, firstly, rich and almost sticky covered in macadamia nuts, and secondly, as a couple of the leanest of loin slices. Because of the lack of fat in pork loin this cut can easily be overcooked and go very dry, so be aware that the pork here is served pink, but this means that this makes it very succulent and a delight to eat. Accompanying the pork were sweet slightly charred Roscoff onions, and the slightly bitter endive, again providing a heady combination of contrasting flavours to match the contrasting textures of the two types of pork and the crunch of the nuts. Gigha Halibut is a firm and sweet tasting fish, that absorbs any seasoning well and is hailed by fish lovers everywhere. Its firm meaty flesh and flakily white meat lends itself perfectly to being lightly pan fried which it was here. What is special here is the simplicity of this dish. Many dishes are really overly complicated and include too many contrasting flavours, but here the ingredients were allowed to speak for themselves. The fish is rightly the star of the show, and the accompanying mussels and butter sauce just supplement and enhance it rather than trying to steal the limelight.

The lunchtime menu closes with a ‘Floating Island’ dessert which takes the ingredients of an ‘ile flottante’ and was given the Marcus magic. The first thing you notice is how beautiful it is, with the circle of white marshmallow meringue covered in a light biscuit decorated with dots of rhubarb purée surrounding a petallike design. The real shame is that once you have marvelled at the intricate design you need to smash it to allow a rich vanilla infused crème anglaise to be pour over its top. Inside you ‘discover’ pieces of baked and compressed rhubarb, providing the slight tartness and texture to counter the sweetness of the marshmallow and the smoothness of the crème anglaise.

Marcus at The Berekeley has received a Michelin star and also 5 AA Rosettes, and it is not hard to see why. Head Chef, Craig Johnston, and his team, have created beautifully balanced, simple, but at the same time complex, dishes. The simplicity is that they allow the best seasonal produce to shine in every dish they serve, by not over packing the plate with unnecessary flavours. The complexity is that they manage to make this look so simple, when, if you look a little closer, they do actually contain a myriad of differing flavours and textures all working in harmony, and is fine dining with a capital F. www.marcusrestaurant.com

The Gurkhas

110 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6PQ

I have been lucky enough to visit many countries around the world, but one that is still on my bucket list is Nepal, and the dream that, even though I am getting older every day, I could still make it to Everest Base Camp! So, when I had the opportunity to visit The Gurkhas restaurant and try Nepalese cuisine for myself, I jumped at the chance, as there are not many restaurants serving authentic dishes from that region. The Gurkhas restaurant is the brainchild of Nepal born, Shrabaneswor Rai, and he and Head Chef, Joe Allen, (whose wife is Nepalese), are bringing this underrated cuisine to the masses. Nepalese food is a fusion of flavours from the Himalayas, India, Tibet and China and these diverse combinations perfectly reflect the country’s equally diverse geography and culture, and taste wonderful as well.

When you arrive at the restaurant you are greeted by staff all dressed in traditional Nepalese dress, and you can choose to sit either at the front of the restaurant where the lighting is slightly darker, or go to the back part, which is lighter and airier, where the wall to ceiling bar overlooks well spaced out green velour seats bathed in natural light from the large skylights above. We opted for the natural light section and settled down to peruse the menu.

The menu is compact, fitting on one page, and is packed with authentic dishes celebrating the richness of the Nepalese flavours and spices.

Our meal started with the ‘Snacks’ section, which includes the sharp and crunchy Gurkha Pickles (£5), and the light Jimbu Focaccia with gundruk butter (£6.5), but the other three dishes are the real stars of this section. The Dungri, smoked cod’s roe and pickled shallots (£7) is a delight to both your eyes as well as your taste buds as you savour small mounds of light and fishy cod’s roe, which contrast well with the crunchy base and the sharpness of the shallots. The Aloo Nimki (£8) is a favourite street food of Nepal, and it even has its own Facebook page, and it is not hard to see why it is so popular, with the well spiced cold potato providing a gentle heat all wrapped up in a deep fried pastry. The final dish, Bara (£5) is also a firm favourite in Nepal, and is a black lentil pancake which was fluffy inside and crispy on the outside, and is a healthy dish which is also very tasty.

After this brief, but enjoyable journey into Nepal’s varied street foods “snacks”, we moved on to the starter section which again has a number of Nepalese favourites, one in particular being momo’s or steamed dumplings. Momo’s are originally from Tibet, and at The Gurkhas their dish, Kukhura Ko Jhol Momo (£15) is a real tribute to this delicacy, as it combines sticky chicken dumplings with a rich and warming lapsi and tomato sauce and is one of the best dishes I have had for a while. Our other starter was the Spicy Lamb www.thegurkhasrestaurant.com

Kachila,(£18) a soft and silky lamb tartare with the fresh lamb being mixed with a heady combination of garlic, coriander, chilli, salt and fenugreek seeds, packing a real kick.

Our Nepalese culinary journey continued with the mains, where my wife selected the Monkfish, Choila (£28) and I carried on the lamb theme with Lamb Rump, spiced lentils, garden peas, smoked dhau and mint (£30). Monkfish is just packed with flavour and here the strong meaty flesh held the light spices ably accompanied by beaten rice and a crisp and fresh cucumber salad. The lamb was cooked to perfection with a crispy skin and a slightly pink inner, and the addition of the refreshing peas, lightly flavoured with mint combined with the slightly al dente lentils, was a masterstroke.

To complete our meal, I selected a Dark Chocolate Cremeux (£10), and my wife the Khuwa Crème Caramel with sorrel and caramel (£11). The cremeux was rich and indulgent and is exactly what a chocolate dessert should be, and the sweetness of the Khuwa in the crème caramel competed beautifully with the sharpness of the sorrel granita.

There is a good selection of red and white wines from £42 to accompany your meal, but if you fancy a beer instead then I would definitely recommend a large bottle of Gurkhas beer, as on the bottle it states that it is “brewed to cut through the sharpest thirst”, and it definitely does that.

The Ghurkas is a welcome addition to the restaurants in London, and is bringing the rich and complex flavours of Nepal to our shores, and now maybe I can put to bed the idea of walking to base camp and just enjoy their food much nearer to home!

JW SteakHouse, Grosvenor House Hotel

86–90 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, W1K 7TN

Although there are many restaurants that specialise in steaks, and even more that serve steaks, there are really only a few that are truly special and cook steaks as they should be cooked, and I am pleased to say JW Steakhouse is certainly one of them. Since opening its doors, it has established itself as one of the leading American Steakhouses in Mayfair, and is located in the iconic Grosvenor House Hotel which has graced Park Lane since its opening in 1929.

The hotel has a varied history. and was not only a favourite of Dwight D Eisenhower, it was also the place where a 7-year-old Princess Elizabeth (who later became Queen Elizabeth II) learned to ice skate!

The restaurant, like the rest of the hotel, is grand, with lofty ceilings and wooden tables, and leather chairs and booths evenly distributed around the spacious room. The walls are ‘decorated’ with lists of the types and cuts of beef, along with the ways it can be cooked, and at one end is the iconic Bourbon Bar which is home to over 300 rare, pre-prohibition and most sought-after bourbons in the world.

Connected to the main restaurant there is a delightful outdoor space, called the JW Garden, which was designed by award winning interior landscape designer, Ian Drummond, which provides expansive views of Hyde Park over the bustling Park Lane, and in the summer, diners can enjoy the full JW Steakhouse menu in this little oasis. Unfortunately, we visited in March, and this oasis was being buffeted by strong winds and driving rain, so unsurprisingly we opted for a table inside!

There is a wide array of starters to suit every taste, including rich and creamy Crab Soup (£12) or the signature JW Shrimp and Avocado Cocktail (£16), but I opted for the JW Maryland Style Lump Crab Cake (£21), and my wife the Smoked Scottish Salmon (£17). Eating crab and crab cakes is practically a religion in Maryland, and so they take making them very seriously, and JW Steakhouse has definitely taken onboard all of the key requirements, as these crab cakes were absolutely delicious. They are made with fresh lump crabmeat bursting with flavour and are light and fluffy, all ably accompanied by a wonderful tartar sauce, and are enormous. My wife’s smoked salmon was equally fresh and full of flavour and was accompanied by all the usual accompaniments, namely a light crème fraiche, salty capers and crunchy shallots. For our next course we chose half a dozen Maldon Rock Oysters (£24), which are slightly sweeter than their native counterparts, served on a bed of ice with a light mignonette (a vinaigrette dressing with shallots). You can add tabasco, but personally I think that just destroys the distinctive and special taste of these indulgent molluscs.

Wonderful as the starters were, I really couldn’t wait for my main, and when I looked at the menu and the choices of cuts and sides, I was truly a kid in a sweet shop. Each steak is hand-picked and cut in-house before being expertly seared on their 650C broiler and the choice is dizzying. There are always a number of special cuts to choose, and these are shown on the lists on the wall, but the standard selection is extensive on its own. For those who prefer American USDA Prime Beef, JW Steakhouse’s steaks are from Black Angus cows which consistently provide tender and delicious meat, and for those who prefer British Cuts, the meat comes from grass fed Aberdeen Angus cows.

My selection was the JW “Tomahawk” Rib Eye 32 oz (£80), which was just wonderous. The Tomahawk gets its name from the massive piece of bone that juts out of the steak like a Tomahawk handle, and the meat on the bone is generous and very thick. Thick steaks can cause difficulty to some chefs, but here my steak was cooked to perfection with a crisp slightly charred crust and a succulent slightly pink inside (I asked for medium rare). To accompany this, I selected the JW Fries (£7) and the Mac ‘n’ Cheese (£8). You can also have a variety of sauces to accompany your steak, but I passed on these, as for me adding a sauce to such a fine piece of steak is akin to adding Coca Cola to a malt whiskey, as it will mask the fabulous flavours these quality cuts have, and you have paid for. The fries were crunchy and light and the mac ‘n’ cheese gooey and bursting with cheesiness and so moreish.

My wife is not a steak lover, and so selected the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with garlic butter instead, and they, like everything else at JW Steakhouse, were large, and you get 6 chargrilled sweet and succulent pieces all in a delicate garlic butter. It is nice that JW Steakhouse does cater for everyone with a wide selection of other meals, so if your partner isn’t a steak lover, but you are, you can visit one of the best steak restaurants in London without feeling guilty, as you know that there are plenty of dishes other than steak that they can choose from.

It is, however, important to hold back on the first few courses if you can, and leave a little room for dessert, as there are so many gems to choose from, and it would be a shame to miss out. As befitting an authentic American steakhouse, the first thing on the dessert menu is JW’s Cheesecake (£18), which is described as ‘the best this side of the pond’. The menu goes on to say ‘you may not want to share it, but you should’, and I understand the sentiment, as although the cheesecake could be out of one of the most exclusive New York Deli’s, with texture and flavour abounds, it is so large I truly cannot see how anyone could eat it all on their own! The Apple Pie with cinnamon ice cream (£9) and the rich Chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice cream (£9) are also worthy of mention, but frankly you can choose any of the desserts on the menu as they are all delicious. www.jwsteakhouse.co.uk

JW Steakhouse has it all. The room is large, so diners have space, but it also feels cosy. The staff are attentive without being intrusive, and the food portions are generous without compromising on quality, and it is this heady mix that makes me long to return (well it could also be my love of steaks!), but maybe only once my waistline retreats a little!