Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Dabbous


Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...

We went on Saturday for dinner - it was fabulous again - stand-out dishes were the asparagus with hazelnuts, the salmon with grapes and the chocolate with basil moss. The only dish that I didn't think worked was the pastry cream tart which was like an upmarket banoffi pie without the coffee and was too rich and ceamy for my taste. The menu does move but slowly, and I do love it.

Often delicate flavours pass me by (looking at you G. Ramsay) but these are delicate yet memorable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ended up in here on Saturday evening after the Dave Chang lunch and a cocktail class at 69 colebrooke row!

Was only in the bar but the food lived up to the hype, will try and add some pictures. Also interesting to note the bar was quite quiet on a saturday night!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I finally made it. After three long months the execution actually lived up to the hype - much to my suprise!

I was with a work colleague so wasn't able to take detailed notes so this is from memory. We went for the set lunch. Amazing value at £22 for 3 courses or £26 for four. I arrived 30 mins early for the booking and was shown to the table and offered a drink. Five glasses of fizzy are on offer and I opted for an excellent glass of Ruinart (£16). A NV Moet & C was available at £11(?) and a vintage Dom P (2003) at £35. It came served with some excellent fresh green olives. My companion turned up and joined me with a glass of the Ruinart.

We opted for the set lunch menu and were not disappointed. The 'famed' fresh bread in a bag was served with good freshly curned butter.

Next up were the starters of peas with mint and mixed alliums in a chilled pine infusion. Both were excellent with the onions winning the contest (just). A fish course consisted of either charred organic salmon, samphire and grapes or ling with lemon verbena. I thought the ling was slightly better although my guest preferred the salmon. Both were hits.

The mains were good but not quite of the same standard. They consisted of a barbecued lamb shoulder or a rabbit pie (with jersey potatoes, broad beans and sweetcorn in a buttermilk sauce. In their own way they both lacked something. the lamb had a good flavour but lacked a 'wow' and the rabbit pie looked amazing but was overwelmed by a little to much sweetcorn.

Onto the dessert. We opted for raspberries with strained yogurt and the chocolate ganache with basil moss and sheeps milk ice cream. The raspberries were good and matched the description perfectly while the chocolate ganache was one of the best puddings I have had for some time. The chocolate came at a £5 supplement but wa swell worth it.

All of this was washed down with 1/2 a bottle of Torrontes and 1/2 a bottle of Cotes du Rhone (£14.50 and £15.50, 2 coffees (£3 each) and a wonderful cannele, sponge cakes baked in beeswax with a really flavoursome cherry on top. With 12.5% service the total bill for two came to £144.

There were two choices for each course of the set lunch so we just ordered one of each except when it came to the desserts when we ordered from the main menu. The portions were smallish which made the fish course ideal.

The food was great, excelent value of money and I would return next week given the chance. I sat down at 12.30, my companion at 1pm and we left at 3pm. We were not rushed, no pressure to 'release' the table an dgiven how small the dining room is (less than 40 covers) that is real credit.

The trouble is getting back! They are booking for lunch in November (I secured a reservation on the way out) and if you want dinner - it is April 2013!!! The fact I booked for 5 months time immediately afterwards sums up my view.

Andrew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess it had started to get busy at that point (left around 7ish I think? Was quite err, tipsy after daytime drinking..), but it didn't seem full, even though they seemed to be doing some kind of function in half of the bar. I just thought given it's booked up for the next 10 months at weekend dinners some more people would be trying the food in the bar!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Interesting one I just came across on Twitter.

Dabbous' PRs whacked up a case study... http://www.joriwhitepr.co.uk/images/case-studies/pdfs/dabbouscasestudy.pdf (read it quick. a fiver says it'll be taken down by the weekend). Job well done by all accounts.

The interesting thing is that part of said strategy was for Raymond Blanc to pen a glowing review "that was used for press purposes". http://www.raymondblanc.com/BLOGS/The-first-review-of-Dabbous-Restaurant.aspx

All well and good, but note that said RB also has a financial stake in the restaurant (see commentary here, here and here) - something he never discloses in his review.

Now of course we know that any new resto launch nowadays is accompanied by PRs carpeting reviewers, bloggers and the glossies. And by all accounts Ollie's put in the work and earned the plaudits - good on him. But it do wonder if RB's approach was slightly disingenuous here. Leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

J

More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting one I just came across on Twitter.

Dabbous' PRs whacked up a case study... http://www.joriwhite...uscasestudy.pdf (read it quick. a fiver says it'll be taken down by the weekend). Job well done by all accounts.

The interesting thing is that part of said strategy was for Raymond Blanc to pen a glowing review "that was used for press purposes". http://www.raymondbl...Restaurant.aspx

All well and good, but note that said RB also has a financial stake in the restaurant (see commentary here, here and here) - something he never discloses in his review.

Now of course we know that any new resto launch nowadays is accompanied by PRs carpeting reviewers, bloggers and the glossies. And by all accounts Ollie's put in the work and earned the plaudits - good on him. But it do wonder if RB's approach was slightly disingenuous here. Leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

J

By the way, I don't think you have gotten full credit for what an outstanding find this is. Tip top.

A meal without wine is... well, erm, what is that like?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...