I revisited Roussillon for dinner the other day. It used to be just round the corner when I lived in the area, but I haven’t been for a few months. My impression is that this place is starting to make waves on the London restaurant scene, maybe because of its high profile poultry ban, its veggie menu or its increasingly well-respected sommelier, Roberto Della Pietra. We all went for the spring menu gastronomique with accompanying wines, which comprised the following: 1. Salad of Kentish Spring Leaves, Thin Tart of Confit Rabbit & Rosemary – a great, quite robust starter. Maybe erring on the salty side but certainly not offensively so. Rabbit had a well developed, gamey flavour but probably could have been picked a bit more carefully – each of us were surprised by one or two bits of bone. 2. Pan fried Halibut, butter sauce, peas – a nice contrast to the previous course. Very simple dish. Fish could perhaps have done with a little less cooking, but I’m nitpicking really. 3. Truffle Risotto with Veal Jus – this regularly appears on Roussillon’s tasting menu and it is perfectly executed. It is a totally indulgent, creamy, warm ooze that feels completely naughty but… sorry, I’ve turned into Nigel Slater. 4. New Season Lamb (Rack and Braised shoulder) – if you’ve had the tasting menu with wine at Roussillon, you will understand that by this stage the wine was starting to affect my memory, so I can’t remember what else was on the plate. Probably spring vegetables, thyme gratin and jersey royale potatoes, according to the website. Anyway, the lamb was melt-in-your-mouth stuff, with the braised shoulder providing a nice little side thought. 5. Cheese plate – the cheese board at Roussillon is extensive and delicious. All very well explained and generously dished up. If you feel a bit drunk at this stage, which you would be hard-pushed not to, the wines lined up with each cheese certainly finish you off. 6. Custard brulee with lime sorbet – there was more to this dish. Alas, my memory fails me. I do remember that the brulee was perfectly smooth and just set to the point of being able to stand alone. I liked it barely set, others might just have preferred it a touch firmer. Lime sorbet was hugely refreshing and sobering (but it was contending with well over a bottle of wine’s worth by this stage, so to no great effect). 7. Louis XV – another Roussillon regular. A greedy chocolate lover’s paradise. I am an avid Roussillon fan. I think the food is amongst the best in London but the experience is what really counts. I find it an incredibly relaxed, unpretentious restaurant. The staff are very friendly and chatty but can also do statesmanlike and elegant. Roberto is quite happy to chat to you for hours about wine and it’s inspiring to see him talk so passionately about it. His wine choices are innovative, and are designed to make the meal more interesting, rather than serving wines that might be an obvious choice. But beware, you get A LOT of wine. The one real negative is that they never change the canapés – crudités with mustard dressing, chick pea beignets and pickled ginger, cucumber and raw salmon on a cocktail stick. Overall, a fantastic way to spend an evening! (i hope that was Ok for a first time post )
