Seven Park Place

[david goodfellow]

Down Park Lane past its swanky hotels. Make a left into Piccadilli. Look for the world famous Ritz Hotel on your right and your nearly there. Turn right almost immediately past the Grande Dame, a couple of furthar rights and you arrive in Park Place. This quiet cul de sac is miles away (not literally of course) from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilli and immediatley its good to relax back from the frenetic goings on not many metres away.

St James Hotel and Club a sixty room boutique offering, is a very welcome sight in this oasis of calm. Seven Park Place restaurant is housed within, where highly respected chef William,(Billy to his friends) Drabble, plies his trade. Drabble held a Michelin star for more than a decade at Aubergine after taking over the kitchen, when Gordon Ramsay moved on.

Having gained a star in this years guide I was eager to try his food.

The hotel itself has a sophisticated feel to it. Very luxurious, and with with an "at home" feel. We relaxed back straight away. Staff needless to say were impeccable. The very inviting bar area has a more relaxed edge to it, than the restaurant proper. With plenty of seating to the left, with some nice picture window seats and the possibility of casual dining, I for one would make this my "club", if I resided in this great City.

The restaurant was full on our recent Saturday lunch visit. Perhaps this was because there were some very good lunchtime deals on offer, or simply those in the know simply could not resist its charm. We were not able to bag one of the much prized banquettes, however, on our next visit, we shall. Small but perfectly formed, this sexy and intimate space gets our vote, although to some the big bold patterns may not be so appealing.

An amuse of velvety smooth, creamy, potato and smoked salmon velute arrived promptly at the table. This tasty little chive topped morsel was served with an assortment of breads, white, brown, caraway, and walnut and raisin.

Galette of slow cooked Pork

Was a nice crunchy cake of porkiness, the richness cut through with the tang of the caper dressing.

The stars were the three totally delicious langoustine, which were ocean fresh and very moreish.

Warm Scallop mousse, wild mushrooms, and cep butter sauce.

As soon as I read the menu I realised my wife would choose this dish. And ever the gent, I ordered the galette, so as to try something different.

Well I greedily kept looking at it, and her, until she realised the lap dog look on my face demanded attention.

It was worth the wait, I thought it to be fantastic, a delight, I wanted more, and if I had known how much I would have enjoyed it, would have taken it as an extra course. The intense scallop flavored mousse was a dream, the saucing excellent, and the different and earthy textural feel from the mushroom mix added an extra dimension.

One of the best dishes I have had in a while.

Skate with brown butter

Nothing fancy or intricate about this dish, just a very fresh piece of fish, expertly cooked, sitting on top of some crushed potatoes. I ate the dish from left to right taking some of the caper, lemon, and parsley sauce with each mouthful. On reflection I should have removed the topping to the side of the plate, as when I reached the right side of the dish, the lemon and caper jus had leached into the fish making it not quite as sparkling. A very small nit pick, thats all.

Slow cooked Beef with Madeira jus

Again, a simple but expertly cooked dish, that is on Michelin lunch menus the length and breadth of the land, except this was a slightly more generous portion than is normally offered. The same with the fish dish, we were getting quite full (for a change)

Simple, simple, simple, but totally delicious nevertheless

Coconut parfait with dark chocolate

If you have a sweet tooth, you are in for a treat, as "sweet" is the watchword. Perhaps both desserts were a bit oversweet for me on the day as we struggled to finish them both. Perhaps our appetites were not as sharp as they normally are, who knows.

Banana Tart Tatin and raisin Ice Cream

"Oh, I could not possibly"

"Oh, go on then If you insist"

Well full to overflowing, we had a smashing time, and this would very much be our regular spot, as pointed out before, if we lived in London. Clearly William Drabble is a very talented chef and we can see that from the remarkable value lunch menu, without even trying the carte.

Browsing through the carte, which is five, five, five. You would not be short on temptation, with Crab, Scallops, Red Mullet,Foe Gras, Rabbit, Veal, Lamb, Sea Bass, Brill, Oxtail, Lune Valley Lamb et al. For me, those are exciting ingredients and the Loin of Veal with ravioli of cepes and foie gras, braised lettuce, and Madeira jus, would be the first choice on our return.

Take a look at the link to the website (above) for another teaser of what is in store at this very fine establishment.

Happy Eating.

[joesan]

David - Great review. It looks excellent. So nice in fact that I think I will be taking my girlfriend there for lunch tomorrow. So thanks for the tip-off!

Two questions for you about your reviews - do you not feel a sense of English reserve when taking the photos? And secondly, more of a suggestion really perhaps it would be good to put prices paid?

[david goodfellow]

David - Great review. It looks excellent. So nice in fact that I think I will be taking my girlfriend there for lunch tomorrow. So thanks for the tip-off!

Two questions for you about your reviews - do you not feel a sense of English reserve when taking the photos? And secondly, more of a suggestion really perhaps it would be good to put prices paid?

Hi, Joesan, thanks for those kind words. Hope you get around to going. I am sure you will enjoy not only the food, but also the location.

I notice that the set lunch has changed on the website since our visit, but the offer that we had was an online booking only, of three courses for the price of two, at £24.50, but only as stated if you book online.

As I posted a link to the restaurant website, I assumed folks would check to see if any special offers were available. I think this is the only review that I have given without prices being printed. Have you been following me recently

My wife did, and still does not like me taking photos and insists "take mine first". After a brief foray into a larger camera which was very obvious, I have gone back to a high end point and shoot, so its more discrete. People perhaps think I am a tourist.

I don't feel at all reserved about taking photos, but I do try hard to be discete, so as not to offend anyone.

Back to the food. The fillet of Veal with Madeira jus, (although no mention of foie gras,) that I talked of upthread, is on the current lunch menu.

Just a thought.

Enjoy.

[joesan]

Hi David - Thanks for the replies. Yes I do read your reviews - and like them - so keep 'em coming. I live in London so can get a bit jaded with the restaurant scene here therefore it's always nice to see new places through someone else's eyes.

To me the pictures add immeasurably to the reviews but I am probably too reserved in taking them when I am in a restaurant. I must say it's always a consideration point for me. I find if people are using flash it can be extremely annoying. For example at Tetsuya's during a tasting menu my neighbours flash went off about 30 times which kind of spoiled the ambience. But a discrete point and shoot with no flash would not be even noticable I guess.

Thanks again for the tip - we are actually going to go tomorrow. I'll look forward to your next find!

[sped98]

Ill always remember up at Michaels Nook in Grasmere, I was watching Billy crumbling Foie gras in his fingers up and whisking it into a cream sauce.Then to make it even richer he threw in a handful of the worlds tiniest Morels, stirred it all up and then gave me a spoonful to taste......i died and went to heaven.

St James is on my list for my next trip to London , ill be dropping a hint before i go to try and get this chicken dish on the menu when im there.

Love the photos by the way.

[david goodfellow]

Ill always remember up at Michaels Nook in Grasmere, I was watching Billy crumbling Foie gras in his fingers up and whisking it into a cream sauce.Then to make it even richer he threw in a handful of the worlds tiniest Morels, stirred it all up and then gave me a spoonful to taste......i died and went to heaven.

St James is on my list for my next trip to London , ill be dropping a hint before i go to try and get this chicken dish on the menu when im there.

Love the photos by the way.

Mmmm, that does sound divine.

I only dined at Michaels Nook the once, when it was Michelin starred, and when young Billy was in charge of the stoves.

A real star back then in his early twenties.

Why not ask on your visit, for a special tasting menu.

You never know, if you don't ask, you don't get