The Ledbury

[Man]

We were sufficiently happy that we booked there and then another lunch for next week, to try the non-seafood items. We really would like to understand the cuisine of this chef ...

So we went today for a 4 hour megalunch...and today, we must say, we WERE blown away, it was beyond lovely. One of the stars was a dish of fine green beans with white peach, raw almond and a 'snow' of foie gras (if I remember all ingredients - didn't take notes), an example out of many where vegetables play the dominant role. Another one was the pigeon with cherries, just a touch of foie, and lots of sweetness that we thought was very apt. A dessert of chocolate pave' with milk puree' and a lovage ice cream was bold and ravishing and a lesson in flavour extraction. And a brown sugar tart with poached grapes and ginger ice cream was one of the most elegant and balanced desserts I can remember.

We also sampled some of the previously untried classics (heritage tomatoes, buffalo milk curd, etc.), which we found impressive.

One of those rare quite perfect meals. It was a good idea to let him choose the dishes this time. He mentioned several times in conversation later on that 'he doesn't do molecular' and three times pointed to his palate or heart to describe his approach...We think now we finally get what he is about, and we're so happy to have persevered!

A funny episode: before leaving (it was almost dinner service) we met an 'Italian waiter', had a brief chat and when he said he was from Turin we recommended he should try Enrico Crippa's restaurant Piazza Duomo in Alba, in our opinion one of the best examples of modern Italian cuisine (he has 2* and may get 3*). At which point he said: allow me to introduce myself: I'm Enrico Baronetto, I opened Piazza Duomo as maitre d' with Enrico a few years ago...Ehm. Small world....(he's also the brother of Matteo who's a very well known chef in Italy).

Perhaps at some point we'll post something at our place from this meal or the other if the photos allow (i.e. they are acceptable), haven't checked yet. Anyway probably the world doesn't need further photos of BG's dishes so we may pass on this one.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Man (log)

[RDB]

Now that is perseverance, albeit, eating that many times at the Ledbury I am sure was more pleasure than pain.

Ah that is the same "Italian Waiter" we had spoke to and told us about Massimo Bottura being in the previous week. He also reccomended we visit Martín Berasategui when we hit San Sebastian.

The "Brown Sugar Tart" is exquisite, again they offered it on to me, as I lost interest in desserts years ago ( a bad experience due to over indulgence in Espai Sucre) however this gave me hope and aided in habituation.

[Man]

Now that is perseverance, albeit, eating that many times at the Ledbury I am sure was more pleasure than pain.

Yes it wasn't one of my most arduous assignments

The "Brown Sugar Tart" is exquisite, again they offered it on to me, as I lost interest in desserts years ago ( a bad experience due to over indulgence in Espai Sucre) however this gave me hope and aided in habituation.

That's the way restaurants should allocate freebies: not to silly bloggers, but to loyal returning customers!

[david goodfellow]

Exactly a year to the day. The Mail is reporting that at last some of the rioters who attacked The Ledbury and its diners have been sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.

Glaring is the fact that at least one of them lived at taxpayers expense in a £3 million flat.

Hopefully The Ledbury and its customers will never witness those scenes ever again.

http://www.dailymail...--taxpayer.html

[RDB]

Is there not a rule to restrict links to the daily mail?

[Harters]

Typical Mail story focussing more on the fact that the offender is (1) an immigrant and (2) housed by the local authority than the fact he is simply a common criminal.

[adey73]

John, your 1000th post is one decrying the Daily Heil.

I salute you with a tip of the hat.

Edited August 9, 2012 by adey73 (log)

[Harters]

Blimey. If I'd spotted it was going to be a milestone, I'd have made it more pithy.

Yours

The Gobby Cestrian

[RDB]

Well desrved 1000 and appropriately timed:-)

[Will]

I'm there near the bottom left in a slightly longer clip from the same video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SI5LeBelow

I would rather have my wife's rings back than have these folks serving long sentences, but...

BBC also has the same videos, and a little less over-the-top coverage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19182350

Edited August 9, 2012 by Will (log)

[MaLO]

The day after Hedone we went to The Ledbury. The Ledbury is my favourite place to eat and this was another fantastic lunch.

We ate

Foie tartlets. Tiny and both delicate and rich, lightened with a little fruit. pictured elsewhere on the thread.

Saint-Nectaire Truffle Toast. This is such a good thing to eat.

Chantilly and Tartare of Cornish Oysters with Frozen Horseradish and Dill. I love oyster and this is great. We did share half a dozen oysters and a ginger pig sausage roll for breakfast too!

Roast Scottish Scallop with Lobster Puree, Grilled Leeks and Riesling. Possibly the largest scallop I have eaten. Cooked perfectly and tasted as good as it looked.

A Plate of Root Vegetables with Hazelnuts, Lardo di Colonatta and Roasting Juices. A simple-ish, tasty plate of seasonal good things. Not in focus - I blame the phone - sorry!

Sea Bass with Broccoli Stem, Crab and Black Quinoa

Breast of Quail with Walnuts, Cepes and Pear

Roe deer, boudin and marrow with beetroot and red leaves

Short Rib of Ruby Red Beef with Smoked Onion,Pickled Walnuts and Grated English Wasabi

English wasabi and sharkskin grater

We shared some excellent cheese

Pre dessert sea buckthorn and meringues

And for dessert we ate

Mille-Feuille of Mango, Vanilla and Kaffir Lime

Blackcurrant and Vanilla Tart with Blackcurrant Leaf Ice Cream and another ofThinly Sliced Figs with Ewes Milk Yoghurt and Fig Leaf Ice Cream

I could go on about how good each plate was. I wont. It was all great. Service was great, food delicious and the wine (chosen by the sommelier) was perfect too.

I have eaten here a few times over the past twelve months. I cant wait to go back.

[Tim6]

What does the wasabi go with?

EDIT: My bad, didn't read it properly.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Tim6 (log)

[bluebereft]

i was here on my birthday, and loved the meal. my girlfriend doesn't eat foie, and somehow that translated itself to no foie for either of us. but the dishes were lovely nonetheless. we split the wine pairings, and the wines were great too.

[Bu Pun Su]

For people like me who did not have vast knowledge about London’s food scene, I might consider The Ledbury (probably named after the road’s name and located in the quiet residential corner of Notting Hill) to be “new” with rising star chef in Brett Graham. However, apparently that the Ledbury already received 2-star Michelin more than 4 years ago and ranked among the very best dining place in London according to restaurant magazine/S. Pellegrino.

 

Our dinner here was our last gastronomy restaurant to visit in late Nov ‘14. We could be a bit ‘tired’ of eating, but then I decided to ‘complete’ our initial plan. We eventually showed up 10 min late on Sunday evening. The restaurant was not too big, with dark & thick drapes and plenty of mirrors making the room looked more spacious; the ambiance was pleasant and rather relaxed despite the fact that many people formally dressed. The restaurant was busy and I noticed, including us, there were about a dozen “Asian” diners – indeed, it’s a popular restaurant. We decided to have the shorter and cheaper degustation menu because it seemed lighter and I would like to try the beef main course (enough of game meat from this trip)

 

I will go straight with our menu.

1^st course: it looked like a salad for refreshing. The chef prepared contrast of colors and textures throughout in artichoke, grapes, hazelnut and grated duck liver (interesting combination but only tasted ordinary on our palates)

2^nd course: thin and translucent white beetroot baked in clay accompanied by decent cured & dried mackerel (looked like in ‘sashimi’ style). It was light and alright; the beetroot was not at the level I ate at L’Arpege

3^rd course: things get better from here. The manager offered us to have 2 different dishes and we complied with his suggestion. I had the original course in the menu: tender roast turbot with yellow wine sauce, seaweed and brassica. Turbot and vin jauce was the favorite combination of Alain Passard and Chef Graham did quite a good job here; I did not find the vegetables truly enhanced the overall experience of this dish.

My spouse had the special dish: tender and flavorful grey partridge served with its jus, chestnut and truffle. It was a very pleasant and well-balanced dish; tasted better than my turbot  

 

4^th course: slow cooked dexter beef ‘tasting’ (short rib, roasted rib, ribeye cap) with truffle. The beef was perfectly cooked and every part was delicious; the puree would intensify the beef. I enjoyed the aromatic smell from the onions and juniper, and they tasted just fine. I was glad to keep my reservation due to this dish

Nothing really memorable about the blood orange granite and sweet custard as the pre-dessert

5^th course: dessert time - nicely poached pear belle Helene (A Parisian menu staple) served with chocolate and vanilla ice cream covered with almonds. Well execution and quite tasty, a great way to end our meal

 

The service was professional and staffs were friendly and attentive; they got the basic stuffs right but we did not feel anything special. I noticed at least 2 staffs were Australian. The food was generally good. While it may be ‘worse’ when compared to Ramsay RHR or Ducasse Dorchester, I felt that the Ledbury’s food was more exciting and ‘lively’. I believe Chef Graham’s cooking had more potential and would simply get better. I don’t mind re-visiting the Ledbury should I return to London in the future. As of now, I think the 2-star was a correct assessment by Michelin. Getting a third one will be challenging. However, among the current London’s 2-star; the Ledbury is the only one with a decent chance in the next 3-5 years

 

Here are the pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157648430772834/with/16476507886/