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The Ledbury


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Thank you for resurrecting this thread, I find it amazing that apart from your good self no one else has posted this year. When you look at the traffic in 2008 the place was on fire.

Certainly seems that you were blown away by the quality.

Thinking back to our visit nearly two years ago now, we were mightily impressed also, which just seems more strange that we did not revisit. Ah well, looks like that is sorted now :smile:

"So many places, so little time"

http://londoncalling...blogspot.co.uk/

@d_goodfellow1

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Thinking back to our visit nearly two years ago now, we were mightily impressed also, which just seems more strange that we did not revisit. Ah well, looks like that is sorted now :smile:

Thinking about it, I haven't been for some time. I was talking to an old friend about it who's a big foodie, and I started gushing about it. But then when he asked me what it was that I had to eat that I really rated, I stumbled: I just couldn't remember anything particularly outstanding food-wise. Good, and well accomplished, but I couldn't describe one dish. Whether this is some kind of selective amnesia, or whether it's really because nothing really shone I don't know. However, I still remember my visits as always being positive in a general sense.

Cheers, Howard

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Well, in general, I would be very, very impressed (negatively) if the MIchelin didn't give Brett those 2*. This was seriously interesting, and unique food. Although there were certainly elements of Noma, Arpege and other restaurants in there, the combinations seemed very personal, and different. Those who haven't been in a while should go soon. Judging from what they served a good year ago, the cooking seems to have evolved quite a bit.

Also, although this hasn't got a thing to do with the food, they were incredibly cool on changing dishes here and there, which was decidedly different from Darroze (where I had asked if they could do that, and replied yes, but with a hefty supplement for a piece of pork belly. Instead of pigeon with foie gras).

Will definitely report back on my return, which should happen some time in Jan or Feb, once I'm back from the continent.

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  • 1 month later...

As my first meal was that good, I decided to go back shortly afterwards, and treated my sister to a lunch. Again, Brett cooked a faultless, fantastic meal, which really shows that he deserves that 2nd star. Service and wines were equally good, and I am already waiting for my return once I come back to London.

Two dishes blew me away this time: A pigeon dish, which was very complex but worked and a turbot and scallop dish. Both showed top notch products, perfect execution and a very interesting and unique conception.

Let's see how far Brett can go this year...

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I also had a superb lunch there on Sunday. I eat at the Ledbury frequently, and this was the best meal I can remember. Every dish was a resounding success.

Particular mention goes to:

Celeriac spaghetti with bone marrow, wild mushrooms and mustard sauce

Egg yolk and potato raviolo with shaved chestnut and the first black truffles of the season - cut into the large raviolo and you break the runny yolk inside. The combo with the chestnut and truffle was off the charts.

Roast foie gras with christmas pudding puree

24 hour cooked shoulder of lamb with artichoke mash

They have recently changed their cheese supplier to la Fromagerie, which is a notable improvement.

AND, finally back on the menu is my favourite dessert in London - the date tart. It is a vanilla custard tart with a very thin layer of date puree on the pastry base. A while back, a lot of people got very excited about Marcus Wareing's custard tart. I have tasted both, and the Ledbury's tart is in a different league.

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AND, finally back on the menu is my favourite dessert in London - the date tart. It is a vanilla custard tart with a very thin layer of date puree on the pastry base. A while back, a lot of people got very excited about Marcus Wareing's custard tart. I have tasted both, and the Ledbury's tart is in a different league.

That is very interesting. I wonder if the Date Tart is inspired by the Lorraine Godsmark & Neil Perry classic Date Tart from his restaurant Rockpool in Sydney (Lorraine was the pastry chef). This dessert has an almost mythical reputation across the Sydney dining scene with many chefs creating versions of it. Looks like Brett may have imported it to the UK.

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  • 5 weeks later...

We went there last weekend to check out their 3-course lunch menu (only £28) after they gained their 2nd Michelin Star. Supposed to be a good lunch deal but my friend wasn't feeling too well that day and decided to have mixed juice instead of wine. Each glass was charged £11 and he had three glasses!!! Oh well, it was good value for money at least for the food.

Here are some highlight:

Started off with beetroot macaron with foie gras mousse. An interesting timing of flavour - the foie gras was dominating initially but then the fruity beetroot started to kick in while the richness from the intense foie was fading away! Cool!

IMG_9634.jpg

'Risotto of New Potatoes' Instead of actual rice, rice-size potatoes were used for the risotto which gave us a more crunchy texture. Very clever! Accompanying the risotto were a few delicately deep fried crispy frog legs!

IMG_9641.jpg

The main course was a bit a let-down.

The dessert was a vanilla creme brulee topped by rhubard sorbet with rhubard on the side served with hibiscus juice.

IMG_9649.jpg

More here:

www.finediningexplorer.com/london/ledbury.php

Edited by FDE (log)

Fine Dining Explorer

www.finediningexplorer.com

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  • 3 weeks later...

I don't think I had the best meal of my life here in late January, but the finest I've had at the Ledbury so far, and one of the very good meals of this year. We also had quite an extended menu, with lots of stuff that wasn't on the written alc, and most was just brilliant. To pick favs is difficult, as pretty much all of the courses except for the lamb were just excellent. What was great was a bergamot tart, which was the strongest dessert of the night. This rare and precious citrus fruit has just quite a bizarre (in a good way) taste, which one hardly sees in desserts. In addition we had some very drinkable wines, which were unbelievably well-priced. Their wine list is just unreal (at least some of the pricing is).

I can';t wait to go back, and will do in a bit of time.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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  • 2 weeks later...

Had lunch at the Ledbury on Thursday.

We ate an amuse of beetroot and foie gras macaroons. The breads were warm bacon and onion brioche and sourdough. The breads were pretty good but the macaroon was delicious.

Starters of flame grilled mackerel with cucumber, Celtic mustard and shiso and a pair of soft boiled bantam eggs with white asparagus, morels and parmesan. I only tried a little of the mackerel but it was really good, the flame charred skin adding real flavour boost to the plump, moist fish. My eggs, asparagus and morels were excellent. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the rich, runny yolk acting as the perfect sauce to the fresh mushrooms and asparagus. The portion was generous and the prime ingredients were cooked perfectly. Both dishes were seriously good.

Main courses were hay baked sika deer with carrots, dauphine potatoes and sauerkraut and John Dory poached in brown butter with a gooey blood orange sauce and crab and asparagus on toast. The dory was a large fillet and had plenty of crab. The asparagus this time green. The sweet sour blood orange sauce was good and balanced the dish nicely. The deer was also plentiful and very tasty. The potatoes were also really good, very light and crisp (much better than a similar serving of spuds in the Yorke arms, which I enjoyed at the time). I was again impressed with the portion sizes and the cooking and presentation was spot on.

It was fortunate that most of the items on the lunch menu are among my favourite things to eat.

We went onto the full menu for desserts. We chose passionfruit soufflé with sauternes ice cream and the date and vanilla tart with cardamom and Clementine ice cream. Then soufflé was about as perfect as it could be. The tart was also good. The pastry was particularly crisp; I don’t recall eating better pastry anywhere. The tart filling was quite rich and just set. It reminded me of Marcus Wearing’s custard tart at old Petrus. We were also given a complimentary plate of rhubarb raviolo with buttermilk and hibiscus. This was the most innovative of the desserts. The gel like transparent “pasta” encasing super sharp rhubarb with buttermilk ice cream and sweetish hibiscus sauce added at the table.

Service was genuinely impressive. There was a really happy blend of relaxed professionalism and friendliness seldom offered anywhere let alone in restaurants with stars.

As you can probably guess, I was impressed. From start to end The Ledbury was excellent. It is also a bargain.

I was planning on going to Latium for dinner but there was no hope of shoehorning any more grub in so I cancelled. It was a shame as I was looking forward to getting some really good Italian food. We did however go to the wine bar in the basement of Fortnum & Masons and had a very decent wine flight. Definitely worth a look and good value too.

Martin

Martin

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Went to the Ledbury for dinner last night, very disappointing considering all the rave reviews i have read, plus all the good feedback from friends who have visited

Service very poor from the start, very cramped table in the middle of the room, turning tables all around us, personally i felt there was 4 or 5 to many tables in the restaurant

I found the menu not very inspiring and considering its 2 star and £65 for3 courses, not many primary ingredients on the whole menu

Foie gras macarron very light and flavoursome plus nice bread to start

Uninspiring amuse of tuna and wasabi mayonnaise

Starters nothing jumped out 1 measly mackerel fillet and a small piece of bland pickled cucumber, ravioli of egg yolk under seasoned, again the signature of ash baked celeriac adn wild boar kromeski, lacking in seasoning and flavour

Mains got a little better john dory very fresh, pigeon nicely cooked

A slab of suckling pig in the middle of the plate, very tasty but hardly 2 star inspiring presentation

Dessert

Pre dessert reminded me of mini milks as a kid, very clean and refreshing

Date and vanilla tart soggy pastry and not much else

Rhubarb bland, nice warm doughnuts

Chocoalte dessert very small

Very negative i know, but the sevice was poor, there was no personality or presence, the tables cramped, the food was not horrible, but i just could not help but think i was getting ripped off with cheap cuts of food and measly portions, ( I am quite happy to pay anything for a meal as long as its enjoyable )that saying there is nothing wrong with using cheaper cuts, but at this level there needs to be a good mix

I am really not sure how this place got 2 stars on last nights showing,

I should add all the good reports i have had from friends have been from the lunch menu!!!

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Well done Lizzy a good report - tell it as it is. I get fed up with my reporters saying everythig is wonderful although I ask for them to tell it warts and all.

Pam Brunning Editor Food & Wine, the Journal of the European & African Region of the International Wine & Food Society

My link

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Have to say I am surprised to hear about your meal LizzyWizzy....Thats a shame.

I have been twice, dinner both times, both in January a year apart, both before the 2nd star. The two meals were excellent. I put it forward as one of the best restaurant in London/UK no problem.

IMG_0264

DSC00150

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I was really genuinly disappointed as I had heard so many good things

I was at Pied de terre a month or so ago, Petrus a couple of weeks ago and the Ledbury just cannot be compared in the same bracket on my experience from Saturday night

It was quite tricky to get a reservation, would they just be cramping evrybody in on a saturday? Thinking they can get away with it at the weekend? Probably 4 tables in the vicinity of mine were turned, and myself and the lady on the table next to me did have a giggle about how are chairs were touching.

I visited when it first opened and i just remember it to be so airy, it just seemed dark and unfriendly! With no love for the customers.

I forgot to mention the first bottle of white was a touch on the warm side I mentioned this and was told it was the correct temperature, I had guests and did not make a fuss as they were happy, it was funny how the second bottle was very cold!!!!!

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