La Noisette

[sem]

So, anyone been to La Noisette yet?

[naebody]

The monster Masch was lukewarm during the soft opening, with thoughts seconded by Richard Vines (who I guess is unknown in these circles, but I can vouch for his skill as a trencherman).

Consensus: food interesting but not quite there yet; inexcusably shitey room.

Personally, I can't face it in this heat. Will give it a go in autumn, if it's still open.

Edited July 21, 2006 by naebody (log)

[battleofthebulge]

Ooo err £100 a head to sit on a brown banquette?

Should we go?

Sarah

[sunbeam]

Ooo err £100 a head to sit on a brown banquette?

Should we go?

Sarah

←

went to the opening party

70s, decor was not impressive

N

[battleofthebulge]

Looks like it's back to Arbutus, then

Sarah

[Gary Marshall]

reasonable jan moir review today in telegraph, looks like it's fitted out with the rhr cast-off s from the tone of the article, also sounds more casual than haute from that review....

[Kaiberlan]

We went...and it was awesome.

Yes everything is a little rough around the edges, and the dining room ain't great, but isn't the point the food?

The point of the food is we ordered the inspirational, created on the spot, tasting menu, with one diner not eating red meat, another not eating fish, and a third ordering mashed potato halfway through just to be difficult.

All requests were met with graciousness and our meal was exemplary. Truly a night to remember, from astoundingly inventive and playful dishes to an amazingly passionate sommelier.

The point about this place is the food, everything else can be fixed. Visit to be reminded about what fun, phenomenal eating is about.

[Andy Lynes]

Kaiberlan - welcome to egullet. Do you know Bjorn and his cooking well? Were you a regular at The Greenhouse perhaps?

[Romaney O'Malley]

Kaiberlan - would you mind elaborating a bit on what you ate? sounds interesting..

[Andy Lynes]

I regularly get out ordered in restaurants, but yesterday lunchtime I hit paydirt with roasted John Dory, shellfish and bouillabaisse at La Noisette. The large fish had been roasted whole on the bone and was brought to the table on a silver platter surrounded by clams - razor and otherwise. It was presented for my inspection and then skillfully filleted tableside. The fillets were placed on some perfectly turned saffron potatos and petals of confit tomato, the shell fish arranged around and then the bouillabaisse sauce poured on top after the plate had been put in front of me. A side dish of rouille was also offered. It was simply one of the best main courses I've had this year. Great presention, superb ingredients treated in just the right way and masses and masses of flavour.

The three course a la carte menu is currently a relative snip at 45 quid and although I was not impressed with my chilled poule au pot with salt cured foie gras (under seasoned cold chicken and veg in jelly - hmm) a strawberry and vanilla millie-feuille made for a great finish.

A quick visit to the kitchens found Bjorn pulling the entrails out of live crayfish -twist the tail "petal" second from the left, tug and out it comes. "They don't like it," Bjorn kindly explained. And yes they can nip you and it does hurt, but not as much as if you attach one to your nose. Bjorn knows, he's tried it.

[June Pickering]

For what it's worth.. London-Eating.co.uk advertises a £21 lunch here throughout the summer.. 3 courses.

[Andy Fenn]

That's actually the standard price at the moment, which appears to be a steal. No doubt will go up soon. More details on the GR website. I'm booked in next monday, so I'll let you know how I go.

Incidentally, the website also advertises a set lunch at Maze for June to August of £26.50 for 4 courses or £37.50 for 6...

[Mrs Woman]

The Guardian's Guide doesn't seem to think much of this place

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/food/st...1836311,00.html

[Kaiberlan]

Hi,

Apologies Romaney, Andy, after my last entry I haven't checked in in a while. Nope, I'm a newbie to Bjorn, but a convert to a style of cooking I haven't seen in London before - its adventurous, sometimes goes wrong, but its innovative in a way I think others are afraid of doing, and refreshingly different. I lived in New York for 5 years, and its the closest I've come here to NY cuisine. How does anyone else think right now?

[Jon Tseng]

How does anyone else think right now?

←

My view is good (*+) rather than great (**+). I am also worried the location (but in terms of decor and accessability) is going to kill them.

Interesting have been to both Noisette and Greenhouse in last month and, although I note they are very different dining experiences (Greenhouse more upmarket with a wine list that can cause fatal injury when wielded by expert hands), overall I think I preferred Greenhouse.

J

[ravelda]

I tend to agree with you all round Jon, I went a couple of weeks ago (I have been meaning to put up a full review - will get around to it later on!) and thought the food was very good 1*+ with potential for future 2*, but I was not a huge fan of the room and like am dubious about the site - a poisoned chalace and not overly accessible. Time will tell I guess! Hope it lasts as I am a fan of Bjorn.

[cachan]

Matthew Norman, in the Guardian as well, was even more scathing.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/expert...1867168,00.html

Edited October 3, 2006 by cachan (log)

[naebody]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present for your consideration my starter: watermelon carpaccio with a black olive tapenade and feta cheese. If that strikes Vicar Of Dibley fans as a tribute to Mrs Letitia Cropley, whose comedic calling card was marrying absurdly assonant sweet and savoury flavours (a stilton and kiwi fruit tart, for example), it is presented here without a pinch of humour or self-parody. It is, in fact, a signature dish, albeit the repugnance of this collation suggests the signature belongs on the sort of confession that once led straight to the gallows.

Anyone else a bit confused by this? I've had more melon, olive and feta salads than I can remember, and a quick Google of the ingredients turns up about a squillion recipies including examples by Nigella L and Nigel S. Fair enough if he doesn't like it, but is it really that outlandish an idea?

[naebody]

Curiouser and curiouser.

There's an article in today's Metro about foam sauces being the latest craze (yes, honestly) that's illustrated by a big picture of the "head chef of La Noisette". But the bloke with the Profi-Whip is clearly not Bjorn van der Horst.

That led me to check Ramsay's web site, where Bjorn is listed as "chef patron".

Was this always the plan? And does it mean Bjorn will be in the kitchen about as much as Ramsay himself visits Hospital Road?

Edited October 10, 2006 by naebody (log)

[Jon Tseng]

Curiouser and curiouser.

There's an article in today's Metro about foam sauces being the latest craze (yes, honestly) that's illustrated by a big picture of the "head chef of La Noisette". But the bloke with the Profi-Whip is clearly not Bjorn van der Horst.

That led me to check Ramsay's web site, where Bjorn is listed as "chef patron".

Was this always the plan? And does it mean Bjorn will be in the kitchen about as much as Ramsay himself visits Hospital Road?

←

yes i noticed that one too this morning. it seems nowadays "head chef" is very much like the old "sous chef" role (though do you normally have two sous or one?)

i assume however given bjorn is still in his young and hungry stage he'll be in the kitchen most of the time. give it a couple of years and a couple of stars and maybe that will change

J

[Matthew Tomkinson]

Curiouser and curiouser.

There's an article in today's Metro about foam sauces being the latest craze (yes, honestly) that's illustrated by a big picture of the "head chef of La Noisette". But the bloke with the Profi-Whip is clearly not Bjorn van der Horst.

That led me to check Ramsay's web site, where Bjorn is listed as "chef patron".

Was this always the plan? And does it mean Bjorn will be in the kitchen about as much as Ramsay himself visits Hospital Road?

←

yes i noticed that one too this morning. it seems nowadays "head chef" is very much like the old "sous chef" role (though do you normally have two sous or one?)

i assume however given bjorn is still in his young and hungry stage he'll be in the kitchen most of the time. give it a couple of years and a couple of stars and maybe that will change

J

←

Head Chef is Henry Vigar, he worked as sous at the Greenhouse and was promoted to chef when they moved to la Noisette.

[tony h]

A very quick note on last Saturday’s meal

Bread sticks & cheesy dip were very disappointing & also alarmingly pedestrian for a place with ambitions

In no particular order – which means I’ve forgotten:

shrimp wrapped & fried in fine potato “hair” and threads of lemon peel on a lemon sabayon and pistachio oil – absolutely divine

duck sausage with brioche and salad – couple of thin slices of sausage plated between similar sized discs of brioche. The sausage had grainy texture which suggested it was steamed at too high a temperature. Relative plain and unexciting

Potatoes with bacon & cheese – a most bizarre dish – several thick potato round covered with melted cheese, caramelised onions and lardons. Home cooking really – great if your are sitting in a small French village passing the time away with comfort food and a bottle of wine or two – but quite out of kilter here. Don’t get me wrong – loved every morsel – but I really object to that level cooking when the prices don’t match.

White fish (brill I think) braised with salsify and chestnuts. Nice and autumnal if a little lacking in depth of flavour of the braising juices.

Pathetically small half of a duck breast served with braised brusselsprouts. Really! brusslesprouts! These can never, ever be made to taste good and should never ever appear on any menu that aspires to stars and accolades.

Mini dessert of some kind of sorbet wrapped in a champagne foam with dark berry coulis. V nice and refreshing.

Dessert was the only really truly sensational part of the meal: pumpkin soufflé with white cheese sorbet. Truly wonderful, great texture and a quite unexpected and satisfying combination at dessert time.

On the whole the dished were cooked fine, presentation was generally excellent but overall there was something lacking in the whole thing – it just didn’t excite. And – worst of all – we left hungry which is seriously bad news for a tasting menu. Oh, and the wine list is ridiculously expensive.

[cheeekymunkey]

It was with low expectations that, en famille, I visited La Noisette; it has managed to engender some fairly strong negative opinion in all areas, from the décor and service to the food itself. On first impressions, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the dining room is a bit hotel-like and uninspiring, but it’s not that bad. To me, it felt a bit 1970s glam - I was expecting Foxy Cleopatra and Austin Powers to burst through the doors at any second, but then I wasn’t alive in the 70s and I’m hardly glamorous.

Canapés were a simple affair - breadsticks and something that tasted and looked like houmous, but was, of course, described poetically enough to hide the fact, and olives. Certainly nothing special – they were more like bar snacks, than a start to a meal. The menu is the veritable maze that I had been warned of. Various set menus/tasting menus, all mixed in with ALC choices, all very confusing. Simply, you have three choice: £50 for ALC, £60 for a tasting menu of starters and £70 for the inspirational tasting menu – created by the chef on the spot depending on his mood... blah blah. And for a mere £35, “we can shave white truffle from Alba on pretty much everything!” Yes, but does white truffle actually taste nice with everything? No, it doesn't, in the same way that fine leather might make a nice briefcase but you certainly wouldn't want your briefs made out of it. Anyway, we went for the inspirational menu to see what mood the chef was in…

He obviously wasn’t particularly hungry for the first course – a carpaccio of venison with rocket salad and parmesan. It was perfectly nice, with high quality ingredients but the portion did feel just slightly mean. I remarked that you could probably fit the whole thing onto a fork, which my brother duly did – and with ease. But this is a tasting menu, so small portions are to be expected.

Next up, Mr van der Horst’s mood obviously got slightly more adventurous. It was a sea urchin pannacotta with langoustine jelly and caviar. ‘Twas a very pretty looking dish and was served with three potato crisps. One was salt, one was cayenne pepper and the third was herb. It was a bizarre thing to eat because the crisps were so thinner-than-wafer-thin that one struggled to even pick it up without breaking it into a thousand tiny pieces. It was innovative, I suppose, but the pannacotta lacked any real flavour beyond what it said on the tin. Mon pere said it would have been better suited as an amuse bouche or canapé, a sentiment I agree with entirely. The first mouthful was lovely, but I was bored by the third.

Chef, we think, got a bit cross for the next course, or developed a cruel sense of humour, for he served up what was quite simply the worst dish I have eaten in a while. It was described along the lines of a caramelised turkey wing in an oriental sauce with spicy popcorn. It turned out to be, and I am quite serious in this description, burnt turkey wing, bathed in a sticky, gloop that tasted exactly like the spare rib sauce you can buy from Chinese supermarkets (although also burnt) and with a bit of popcorn. It really was awful. I just can’t understand how it was even allowed to leave the kitchen. In retrospect, given that the dish came with those disposal chopsticks you get in cheap sushi bars, he was definitely having a laugh. There’s no way you could’ve used chopsticks to eat the dish, and if you could, you wouldn’t. We sent it back after a mouthful or two.

BVDH felt a bit guilty. Next up was a complimentary and delicious foie gras dish with an almond crust, an almond foam (I think) and caramel. It was delicious, and certainly made up a lot of the lost ground from the preceding disaster.

The first of the main dishes was a lovely, plump piece of roast sea bass. It was brought to the table in the roasting tray, sitting proudly atop various roasted vegetables and fruits, which I couldn’t now name, and served up tableside. It was ostensibly cooked with a fair slug of orange juice, perhaps too much as it just started to dominate the flavour. Overall, it was hearty, good food. The sea bass was perhaps slightly overdone, but it would be unnecessarily picky to let that spoil the view of the dish.

Chef got generous and developed a gargantuan appetite. Two enormous ducks arrived, and the nod to the Orient returned, cooked as they were with soy and honey, but this time rather more successfully. Breasts that would make Jordan blush were carved off at the table and split between us. It was a massive portion and served with roasted root vegetables. Again, a relatively simple, country-style dish but, apart from the obvious differences, it seemed very much of the same ilk as the sea bass. Just slightly too familiar, particularly the veg.

The pre-dessert was a delicate little taster – clementine segments and vanilla ice cream essentially. It was perfectly satisfactory but not one to write home about.

Last up was a large conical pyramid of chocolate mousse. Everyone else’s had pear in it, mine didn’t, but it was an architectural masterpiece. In fact, it wouldn’t have been that hard to build but it looked stunning and tasted rather lovely too. It was a nice, but quite filling ending and a bit of a struggle after Broke-beak ( )Mountain.

The petit fours were nice and followed by a further round of chocolates topped with a noisette, of course, to go with coffee.

They have a lot of work to do on service at La Noisette. The food was slow to come, with the exception of the seabass, which arrived before we had finished the foie gras. The foie gras was an extra though, so I’m sure played havoc with kitchen timings. The turkey was a farce and it will unfortunately mar my parting impression of this restaurant, despite what was otherwise a reasonably good meal.

What really stood out though was that the best dishes (sea bass and duck) were the more simple ones. I’m all for innovative dishes, but they have to be executed well and the risk of serving up a stinker and ruining a whole meal needs to be closely considered.

And so I left with expectations mostly fulfilled. I will give it another try in a few weeks, but when turkey is off the menu, and when the service is in order. At the moment, at over £800 for five with wine, it just isn’t worth the money.

[Scott]

thanks for the review, it made me laugh more than once too!

[KimS]

Hubby and I eat at RHR last night (wedding anniversary) and loved every minute of it. Faultless. Place was full of the knickerless fur coat brigade, but hey! That's London. All talk, no trousers.