Following a long day's journey into night, our first dinner in London was at Medlar. We were travel weary, but the one-star Michelin restaurant on Kings Road in Chelsea quickly energized us.
Medlar's smart casual decor, with its grey paint, scuffed old floorboards, and plush green banquettes, was inviting. Our waitress was delightful. She had moved to London from France three years earlier and apologized for her English, which far exceeded our French.
Medlar's three-course prix fixe menu offers modern boundary-pushing European fare; there was lots to choose from. Marlene started with the crab ravilo, a signature appetizer. The pasta was perfect, the crab and shrimp fresh, the bisque not too heavy; an excellent start.
Crab raviolo with samphire, brown shrimps, fondue of leeks and bisque sauce I started with the signature duck egg tart. A gleaming sunny-side up egg sat on a light, crispy disc of puff pastry, the rich duck egg the perfect compliment to the tender duck heart. The lardons added intensity and the earthy turnip puree nice balance. A fantastic dish, not to be missed.
Duck egg tart with red wine sauce, turnip purée, lardons and sautéed duck heart Marlene enjoyed the lightly breaded lemon sole as her second course. A complex dish, the sole was not overpowered by the composite ingredients.
Cornish lemon sole with palourde clams, coco beans, chanterelles, baby carrots and whitebait My under blade fillet was incredible. The meat was juicy, pink and tender, with a rich béarnaise sauce, every drop of which disappeared compliments of sour dough bread. The chips were perfect – crisp outside and soft inside. The snails added additional flavor and texture.
Under blade fillet with Café de Paris snails, salad, triple cooked chips and béarnaise While Marlene and I usually split one dessert, with the prix fixe menu, we were forced to order two; both were excellent. The blood peach sorbet was refreshing; the sugar coated beignets were wonderfully airy.
Blood peach sorbet with Prosecco and freshly baked madeleines
Blackberry beignet with lemon curd and vanilla mascarpone Satiated and satisfied, we finally pushed our weary bodies away from the table. The first dinner of our three-city gastronomical marathon was a resounding success. Copyright © 2013 TwoForTheTable.com |
