Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with foie gras with prunes, walnuts, apple, and celery, then follow with sweet Cornish
lamb, offset with a pink peppercorn yogurt. The kitchen delivers dishes that are
beautifully constructed in looks and full of rich flavors that never overpower. Don't
expect a quick meal; delicious extras—smooth velouté as a pre-starter, lip-tingling
granitas between courses, and pre-desserts keep you guessing as to what might come
your way next.
Inside Berkeley Hotel, Wilton Place, SW1.
&
020/7235-1200.
www.marcus-wareing.com. Reservations
required. Lunch menu £38; a la carte menu £80; prestige menu or vegetarian menu £98; weekend
menus £85 and £120. AE, MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm; Mon-Sat 6-11pm. Tube: Knightsbridge.
Moderate
Bar Boulud
FRENCH French-born, U.S.-raised, superstar chef Daniel Bou-
lud opened the doors of his first London venture to universal approval in 2009. It's in
the Mandarin Oriental, but with its own entrance, and has an attractive decor of red
banquette seating, an open kitchen, and a real buzz. You won't encounter the Michelin
three-star cuisine of his New York restaurant, but hearty, rustic cooking. A charcuterie
counter rightly takes pride of place—Daniel Boulud was born in Lyon. Feast on classic
French bistro fare like a
petit aioli
of seafood and vegetables with a perfect garlic mayon-
naise; a coq au vin that had us rushing home to dig out the French recipe topics;
homemade sausages; and for dessert, a rich dark chocolate and raspberry gâteau. Prices
are very reasonable for this part of London and level of glamor.
In the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1.
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020/7201-3899.
www.barboulud.com.
Reservations recommended. Main courses £12.50-£18.75. AE, MC, V. Daily noon-2:30pm and 6-11pm.
Tube: Knightsbridge.
KENSINGTON & SOUTH KENSINGTON
Very Expensive
Tom Aikens
FRENCH Chef Tom Aikens has a remarkable capacity to
shrug aside life's mishaps (an abrupt departure from his first restaurant, Pied à Terre,
economic woes, and the rapid closure of one of his recent restaurants). His signature
dining room is quietly chic, a discreet background for a meal that delivers real punch.
His style is a modern interpretation of haute French cuisine, produced with flourish
and skill. A roast scallop soup comes with black pudding and parsnip purée; poached
lobster tail with English asparagus and an asparagus mousse. Despite contrasting
ingredients, the cooking shows harmony and cohesion, as exemplified by John Dory
with chestnut ravioli, chestnut sauce, cabbage, and bacon.
43 Elystan St., SW3.
&
020/7584-2003.
www.tomaikens.co.uk. Reservations required. Set lunch 2
courses £45; dinner main courses £30-£40; tasting menu £55. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm;
Mon-Sat 6:45-11pm. Tube: S. Kensington.
Expensive
Cambio de Tercio
CONTEMPORARY SPANISH Vibrantly colored in
blood reds, deep pinks, and bright yellows, and adorned with equally vibrant stylized
paintings of bull fighting, this is not the place for the shy and retiring. But it is the
place for exciting, modern Spanish cooking. The menu has wide appeal. It offers
conventional dishes like fried squid; prawns with garlic-parsley oil; and the classic,
and beautifully cooked, crisp suckling pig with rosemary. But it also takes you on a
different journey. With many of the dishes available tapas size, you'll be tempted to
forgo the straight three-course route for a series of small dishes, perhaps foie gras
cream with sherry, roast corn, and Manchego cheese; hake with baby squid cooked
in its own ink and roast green pepper; and, naturally, superb Iberico pata negra ham.
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