London: The Finale

August 27, 2015

 ……Dinner at Dinner, continued

 "Powdered duck"

This is duck that’s been dry-brined (“powdered”) then cooked sous-vide so it’s incredibly tender.  On the side, an astonishing concoction of blood pudding and cream, along with ‘umbles – the offal.  In this case, fried duck hearts. 

Pork with a ruffle of cabbage.

The pork, thank you very much, is the black foot Iberico, fed exclusively on acorns.  The sauce is Robert, made from chopped onions cooked in butter, with demi-glace, pepper and a white wine reduction, finished iwth mustard.  A version of the dish can be found in Varenne's Le Cuisinier Francois, published in 1651. Although the book is in French, Varenne was Henry the fourth's chef.

 Lamb. Really great lamb. With a little rectangle of cucumber heart. That's borage on top, and mint. 

  Sea bass.  Mussels. Seaweed.  Salmon roe. 

Beef for 2; the English classic, beautifully done and served with mushroom catsup, which predates the tomato sort. 

The potatoes are sublime (butter with some potatoes whipped in) and the beef is aged, beautifully cooked, delicious. 

 
Beans  (not crisp!) with shallots

Carrots, beautiful carrots, cooked with caraway.

Tipsy cake with spit-roasted, rum-drizzled pineapple.

Roasted peach, yogurt, peach sorbet, jasmine. A very feminine dish.

 Strawberry tart, deconstructed. I wish it didn't look so similar to the roasted peach.  l

 The dessert to dessert, a chocolate and Early Grey pot de creme served with a rye and caraway biscuit. 

This meal wasn't cheap.  Still, with a lot of (good) wine, some cocktails, tax and tip, it came to about $150 a person. (It was, after all,  celebrating a significant birthday.) I’d say that the price/quality ratio was excellent; I can't think of a restaurant in New York where you could get a meal of this quality at that price.  London’s not cheap, but this meal… well I can’t wait for the next person in my family to have a big birthday.  As they say in France, vaut le voyage. 

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