Restaurant Tom Aikens

[Scottf]

Just to add, amuse was a Horseradish soup with Celeriac and Duck cubes - Tasty.

Also there's a 7 course (+coffee) menu for £49.50 of items from the a la carte.

There's also a fine selection of individual breads - white, brown, ciabatta, olive, rosemary and bacon & onion if memory serves correctly. Was also offered all night long.

Edited May 10, 2003 by Scottf (log)

[sandra]

Set menu lunch today was:

Pea salad - a pea and bacon hash with a pea (and something) puree, mixed with bitter greens and flowers

Red mullet (tempura type) with black olive smashed potatoes and roasted vine tomatoes, also a red pepper puree in dissecated sheet form (fabulous)

Cheeses for dessert

We also had the amuse of snail and quail egg in green sauce.

Then several petit fours and a wooden bowl of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, coffee and orange madeleines served with the coffee - there also was a selection of "sheets" some dissecated fruit, some dissecated toffe and nuts - all very crunchy and delicious. Also two little shot glasses, one with a toffee and cream layered parfait, the other with a prune and cream layered confection - the spoons were too big to get to the bottom!

While the salty food was excellent, the pastries/desserts were superior.

Personally, I liked the black leather seats, black tablecloths and wooden slats on the windows...

Seated at the table next to us...Joan Collins....

[SamanthaF]

Seated at the table next to us...Joan Collins....

And she ate........

[circeplum]

and, at close quarters, she looked ....

[Paul Bell]

Dawn and I went to Tom Aikens for lunch yesterday (also it appears). I can confirm that Joan Collins (never knew it was possible for a human being to wear so much make up, I was going to say on one face, but I guess she's had several) ate food, as well as the loud, over made up, over face lifted people with her (and that was just the men), can't confirm what they ate though although it was the a la carte menu, and one of the fat blokes could not manage dessert (only coffee for me, wanker ).

Any way enough of the C list celebrity bollocks.

The room pretty much as everyone described, the chairs are slightly too high for little people though, as Dawn couldn't reach the floor with her feet

The room is also very noisy, lots of hard surfaces and hard Chelsea voices (bit like a stylish! Ransomes Dock), not a place for a romantic meal.

The restaurant was full in that all tables were taken although they were mainly two's.

Started with Kir's, (OK about the usual poor London standard).

We both had the a la carte menu, the lunch menu looked nice, and the testing menu very good, but we weren't certain when we would get back (so no lunch menu) and had to get back to Portsmouth to collect beasts (so no tasting menu).

The amuse was a watercress soup with a poached quali egg, not very good really, the egg had congealed to the little cup thing, and there was not enough soup to taste properly or to balance with the egg.

Starters we had Wild Salmon marinated with beetroot and orange, with caviar, dill and beetroot leaf salad and Roast Langoustines with braised pork belly, chervil sauce, artichoke puree and truffle ravioli. (needless to say I have a menu).

The salmon was very good, in effect a grand salmon tartare, a base of marinated salmon with a layer of very thinly sliced beetroot, with salad leaves, on top together with a couple of dollops (sure there is a technical word for this) of creme fraiche and caviar, surrounded by the marinade. This worked very well together, lots of ingredients but they integrated very well. Similarly with the langoustines, three towers of pork belly, langoustine and ravioli, worked very well together (not mine so no more descriptive than that).

Main courses we had Poached chicken and confit leg with truffled macaroni, artichioke sauce and Roast turbot with celeriac fondant, braised chicken wing, confit onion and thyme sauce. Chicken was good, stuffed with artichoke and leek (?), perfectly cooked although there was not in truth a lot of difference between the poached breast and the confit leg, served with large macaroni with a truffled cheese sauce and a ravioli with a poached egg in it. Overall this was good, very well cooked, tasted good possibly just a little too much going on, on the plate, The turbot was apparently very good and went well with the chicken.

Pre-desserts were a strawberry (?) jelly, cream and mousse thing in a little glass (surprise, surprise, although at least there was no bloody doughnut sitting on top), was good though.

Desserts were Raspberry sable with Italian meringue and Apple filo with almonds and green apple sorbet. (The simplest descriptions but in reality as complicated as everything else). The reaspberry sable was a tower, with two layers of raspberries (and cream) and sable biscuit, with a small square of meringue on top, with a small square of raspberry parfait on top of that, with a small square of chiboust with raspberries set in it on top of that with a square of caramel on top. Technically well constructed, in practice it tsated quite good, possibly a little early for raspberries they lacked a little flavour, the whole thing was nice and sweet to it but lacked a little oomph. The apple dessert was layers of caramelised apples with filo, a sweetish apple sorbet (good) and a spiced apple jelly (also good).

Petits fours as above were a selection of madelines (not great. too much egg, a bit rubbery) a selection of tuiles (good if you can be bothered with tuile) and some choccy and sponge things (OK), plus the toffee parfait (good) and a cream and prune thingy (not bad) and indeed the spoons did not reach the bottom of the glass (however coffee comes with silver stirrer things which reach in quite nicely for the removal of the lsat little bit of toffee parfait .

Service was good in parts and less than average in others, our waiter was good, but we had to wait ages for the wine list and the bill, the first two courses were quite speedy and then a long pause before the dessert.

The wine list was OK, did not have a proper look as I had to wait so long to get it I just wanted to order something.

Overall this was good to very good, possibly another place where our expectation were (unfairly) a little high, especially as they have just opened, (fresh paint in the ladies toilet, a door lock that does not work properly, one of Joan's lot got stuck in there ), although it is probably already michelin (one star) standard only a couple of weeks after opening which must be pretty good.

The food is good, and clearly Tom Aikens is very, very technically accomplished, possibly there is a little too much complexity, too many competing flavours, certainly worth visiting and keeping an eye on.

Paul

[SamanthaF]

fat blokes

Dawn couldn't reach the floor with her feet 

The fat bloke must have been Chris Biggins

I couldn't reach the floor either - felt a bit like Ronnie Corbett

[sandra]

Yes, our feet did not touch the floor either, which gets uncomfortable after a while....

Surprising he would chose those chairs as chef was not any taller than my friend or I... I can't imagine his feet would touch either...

Also, fresh white peonies on every table, service area and loos... very pretty...

Oh, we also could not see what JC ate, but could detect the several layers of makeup and matted hair, looked like it had not seen a comb in days! She is very small tho, I'm sure her feet did not touch the floor either!

[circeplum]

Any way enough of the C list celebrity bollocks.

c list? C LIST???? our joanie is a+ ...

[Paul Bell]

Not anymore she ain't.

Paul

[Scott]

Not anymore she ain't.

Paul

if you want C list Paul,

you really need to read the tabloids more!

Edited May 14, 2003 by Scott (log)

[Andy Lynes]

The amuse was a watercress soup with a poached quali egg

I had something similar as a starter at The Mirabelle when it first opened, along the lines of truffled parsley veloute with poached egg. Completely impossible to eat, it involved a great deal of chasing the egg around the bowl and trying to avoid splashing myself with the soup. Tasted alright though I remember.

[Andy Lynes]

This is destined for UKGourmet, hence the formal style :

There have been recent mutterings in the catering industry press of the death of the cult of chef. We are told that the British dining public are now more interested in the restaurant experience in its entirety and are no longer willing to subjugate themselves to the whims of the men in checked trousers. However, if the anticipation that surrounded the opening of Restaurant Tom Aikens is anything to go by, reports of its demise may have been exaggerated.

The events of Aikens' recent past are well documented and there is little value in repeating them here. Suffice to say that he has been missed by many during his 3-year absence from the London scene and his return might be viewed as something of a Second Coming.

Expectations are sky high and nothing less than the chef walking on the water or turning Hildon into La Tache will be enough to satisfy them. I took a trip to Elystan Street in Chelsea to find out for myself if Aikens' revival is the miraculous resurrection of a culinary messiah, or the return of a false prophet.

Everything about the restaurant, from its name, to the Monday to Friday opening hours (allowing one brigade to work 10 shifts with weekends off and thereby ensure maximum consistency of product) to the Egyptian cotton covering the nicely spaced tables seems to be begging, or perhaps demanding like a sulky teenager to be treated as a serious grown up restaurant. Speculation is rife that Aikens is looking to regain or even improve on his former Michelin two star standing and the image the restaurant is so obviously seeking to project does nothing to contradict that rumoured ambition.

There something very 1980's about the intimate black and white dining room designed by Anoushka Hemple. But it's a striking space and in the blonde and beige world of London restaurant interiors, it comes as a welcome change from the norm. A stark rectangle decorated by a few nudes hung on the monochrome walls seats 60 on oddly proportioned chairs which leave the feet of many diners dangling inches about the floor. A small bar and reception make up the remaining public areas of the single story converted pub.

A beer (£4.00) for me, and a martini (£9.00, which when converted into old money comes out at roughly "nine bleeding quid!!!!") for the lady arrived with pleasing rapidity along with the black clad menu. Eight a la carte starters and main courses and a choice of seven desserts at £39.50 were all very tempting, but the seven course tasting menu for £49.50 including coffee and petit fours but excluding service seemed to be the best way to sample the best the restaurant had to offer.

Things got off to an exceptional start with what might be best described as a small lipped vase of foie gras mousse, celeriac and horseradish soup with smoked sausage and cabbage. A very thin layer of the liver was topped with rather a lot of intense, aerated broth, spiked with the odd lump of meat and veg. More mousse and less froth was the only possible improvement to this lovely dish.

The flavour of two weenie queenie scallops was all but lost amongst an over-poweringly acidulated and anise flavoured assemblage of poached grapes, Pernod, grape juice and fennel which also killed our Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£32.00) dead in the glass. It faired better partnering a boudin of guinea fowl, pickled ceps, cep vinaigrette and salad of green beans, wild garlic and herbs. The dish also included a small slice of foie gras terrine and more celeriac, this time in the form of a truffled remoulade. Arguably this was two starters sharing a plate, but it was in no way a chore to eat.

Next came what was for me the highlight of the meal: pan fried fillet of sea bass topped with a beignet of langoustine sandwiched between a sheet of paper-fine dill flavoured pasta and a slice of avocado served with a red wine reduction and a dill emulsion. A serious display of technique and a harmonious marriage of texture and flavour.

All too soon came what might be considered the main course, had it not been so small. An assiette of "pigeon steamed with thyme, chestnut veloute and cannelloni, soft lettuce" (as opposed to what I wondered, really bloody hard lettuce?). Two slices of pink breast, a variation on the boudin theme , the salty confit leg and a seriously good bit of pasta stuffed with an earthy preparation of the liver were united via the medium of the veloute. It all added up to a good but not outstanding plate of food, impressive from a technical point of view, but failed to provide a suitably satisfying end to the savoury phase of the meal.

A selection from the OK cheeseboard was rather grudgingly dished out, but which included probably the best example of roquefort I have ever had the pleasure to put in my mouth. Two desserts followed, first a rich and beautifully caramelised apple and filo napoleon sitting on an unnecessary base of frangipan served with a vivid green apple sorbet and apple crisps: then a plate of pineapple 3 ways including roasted with vanilla and rum and an oblong of jelly. This was a little too much of a good thing for me, but faultlessly executed nevertheless.

Coffee came with a three pronged mignardise attack of various flavoured tuiles, madelines and chocolates delivered in a variety of wooden boxes and stands that would not have been out of place in a Hawaiian theme bar. All of which served to give the meal a slightly bottom heavy feel, an embarrassment of sweet riches compared to a relatively meagre portions of the savoury delights. An extended pause between the pigeon and the cheese and then the cheese and desserts unbalanced the dining experience further and resulted in a meal lasting the better part of 4 hours, which despite the charming company was simply too long.

Service was professional for the most part, but the attention of our waiter was almost entirely directed toward the attractive blond side of the table, leaving the over weight balding side feeling somewhat neglected. A question put by my companion to Mrs Aikens as to her opinion on whether the a la carte, with all its attendant surprise freebies was in fact better value than the what- you-read-is-what-you-get tasting menu was met with a flustered "I really couldn't say" and a swift retreat. I was not impressed.

With two bottles of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, two of mineral water, dessert wine and a 12.5% service, the bill came to a not inconsiderable £218.00. Save for a few scraps of pasta, the almost complete absence of starch on the menu meant that I left feeling a little hungry and could have quite easily managed a ham sarnie or two by the time I made it back home to Brighton. Not really the ideal outcome of a hundred pounds a head meal.

Dinner at Tom Aikens is not quite a religious experience just yet. But the cooking is accomplished and clever, the food never less than delicious, at times rising to the status of sublime, such is the clarity and force of its flavour. Its still early days at the restaurant and over time I'm sure the service will speed up a little, mature and acquire the appropriate degree of authority and assuredness that this sort of operation requires. When that happens, it could well stand comparison to the very best London has to offer.

[jayrayner]

What a difference seven weeks makes. A la carte up from £39.50 to £49.

Tasting menu from £49 to £59.

[Andy Lynes]

Caterer reckons £29.50 a la carte. That won't last long. It'll be nearer £40.00 within 6 weeks I would guess. Lunch is £24.50.

I was nearly right then!

I thought it was expensive enough for what it was quite frankly. So what did you think, or do we have to wait for the review?

[jayrayner]

I should opine for my paymasters, really, but - good, in places exceptionally good, but nose bleed on the bill now the opening offers have gone. Sorry to be so, er, coy.

[Andy Lynes]

When I saw the picture of the dining room in the Standard I thought something wasn't quite right with it, but of course you are totally correct, very 1980's. Were there any Athena posters on the wall? A drawing of a red Ferrari would finish it off quite nicely I think.

I was thrilled to note Jay Rayners homage to this thread in his review in todays Observer where he says : "It is a little 80s-Athena-poster for my liking - the tennis girl scratching her bum would not look out of place in the loos". Sort of like a variation on a theme isn't it? Thanks Jay!

The review in full

[Tonyfinch]

The only reaction the review elicits in me is yawn....ho hum. Nothing about the review whatsoever makes me want to go there. I don't know if that was Jay's intention because its not an outright pan, but it comes across as yet another expensive restaurant serving up sub RHR food that has now become a London cliche.

[Charlene Leonard]

My birthday treat from my hubbie was dinner here on Friday. On the way there I read Toby Young’s review in which he said he couldn’t find the entrance. “What’s he talking about, bloody fool?” I chuckled to myself as I turned the corner and saw the awnings with TOM AIKENS emblazoned on them. 5 mins later after a circumnavigation of the building and pushing and pulling three doors we were in. The room has a very ‘hotel’ feel about it, all screens, dark wood and bamboo. The tables are large with very comfy chairs.

I really didn’t have my ‘review’ hat on so forgive the sketchiness of my comments. With our V&T’s we were given eel with horseradish, marinated tomatoes and basil and something else. Amuse bouche of tomato cream and langoustine. I started with red mullet and hubbie had pigeon salad. Mains I had Pigs Head and I was pleased that Laura had a little smile to herself, I can’t imagine too many SW3 ladies order this, it was good with meltingly tender cheek, little bits of breaded head but the pork belly needed to be more unctuous. H had the Sweetbreads.

Pre dessert of red wine jelly. I then had ‘Palm Sugar’ – a crème caramel with jasmine ice cream and H had ‘Caramel’, lots of sugar and stuff. Couldn’t face paying £10 for cheese.

Tea and petit fours served in what looked like large corks. Overall good but not amazing.

[MobyP]

The ability to write about a meal is, for me, for the most part, in inverse proportion to how good it was. But isn't that what we all want? To be struck dumb; to be rendered so completely inarticulate by an experience, that by the end it possesses us as much as we possess it? If I can focus for long enough to criticize the manner in which the napkin has been folded, then baby, I'm in the wrong place.

So - I have very little to say about my meal at Tom Aikens.

The food was - to paraphrase Mr. Rayner - never less than very good, and on occasion astonishing. The service was - to quote my wife - "the best I've ever received" (and she's had some serious nosh in her time). Glasses were refilled without notice, or noticing. The assistence of the sommelier was precise, humorous, and respectful. Upon being told of my wife's allergy to mushrooms, the kitchen made sure that she had alternate options that equalled anything given to the rest of the table. What's more, and most unusually, the whole staff seemed to take responsibility for her allergy - rather than just writing it on the ticket and leaving it up to the kitchen (like Ducasse in Paris, where despite a warning, she was given mushrooms, and had an allergic reaction).

The presentation was among the most beautiful I've seen. On a couple of occasions, the whole table just sat and stared at our plates, not wanting to disturb the work. The cep tart reminded me of those impossible Bras designs (Frank Gehry meets an overgrown Japanese rock garden). The roast pineapple resembled a cubist or futurist impression of the 20's. And on and on.

But the details of the meal, the food, the textures, the generosity of the experience...

I don't really have anything to say.

[Paul de Gruchy]

I recently had the set lunch at Aikens and it was unbelievably good, better even than the carte I had in May. The starter of Potato Soup was almost a riposte to the lack of starch andy noted in his earlier post. A thick, foaming potato cream floating upon fudgy braised potato in a pool of the darkest, most intense duck stock served with a side order of velvety mash, translucent tuiles that revealed themselves as the most perfect potato crisps and some slightly superfluous beignets of duck confit. Black truffles everywhere. Utter bliss. Everyone knows Aikens can do intense flavours, but this was intensely potatoey, and I didn't think anyone could do that.

The main of pot-au-feu of lamb came with two dark, dense cutlets, clearly braised long and slow, a few roundels of rare fillet, a boudin of sweetbreads, four slices of lamb's tongue and a couple of cabbage skinned faggoty items. It was a plate of food that demanded concentration, each aspect of the lamb flavour reflecting and ampilfying the overall effect, textural counterpoints working together perfectly, taste and aftertaste and now, the memories of flavour remain. Plus the amuse bouche, dessert (blueberry pannacotta with blueberry madelaines), coffee and petits fours (grands neufs would be closer the mark, though the extra five madelaines overegged a good thing slightly) and you wonder how this guy can do it for £24.50.

When I went on a Friday recently the place was half empty. But this was a rare occasion when I felt that the set lunch was as time consuming to cook, and as rewarding to eat, as the options on the carte.

Also, I ordered a modest Alsatian Pinot Blanc, which they turned out to have run out of and the sommelier suggested in its place a cheaper alternative, which always cheers me up and makes me feel less like a skinflint.

Go there. Give this guy your support.

[Andy Lynes]

A thick, foaming potato cream floating upon fudgy braised potato in a pool of the darkest, most intense duck stock served with a side order of velvety mash, translucent tuiles that revealed themselves as the most perfect potato crisps and some slightly superfluous beignets of duck confit. Black truffles everywhere.

Oh, stop it!

You make your lunch sound utterly exquisite (except maybe the dessert, which still sounds good). I may have to revisit during the hours of daylight in order to compare and contrast my experience at dinner. How did you find the service, did it match the food do you think?

[MobyP]

Yeah - what he said.

Ok - I had to remind myself I've been there.

Must be jealous over the prose.

No - damn it - I have to go again.

[Paul de Gruchy]

The service was pretty good but the place was quiet and as we booked for 1.30, I think we were the last table in. When we ate earlier in the year it was busier but I had no complaints about the service. My wife notices these things better than me and she felt service had a slightly edgy feel. It certainly isn't as surprisingly (and I mean that as a compliment) informal and friendly as RHR. In fact, she commented that she thought everyone was probably terrified of Aikens and his wife, which I thought was a bit harsh but I let her talk as I was more concerned with filching from her plate under the guise of being attentive.

[MobyP]

Ah ha - the old Long arm of the Filch.

Yeah, I heard you were pretty fast.

BTW - that was a superb review above.

Edited November 11, 2003 by MobyP (log)

[michael kallenbach]

i went to tom aikens for the fourth time since it opened this week, on monday...the food ws better than ever...the service smooth and the wines excellent...no wonder it is considered the best restaurant in london...it is!

michael kallenbach