Monday lunch time usually means soup from EAT or a sandwich from Pret, eaten at my desk while replying to emails and catching up on transfer gossip. Not today though, today my brother Sean is also in London and that means one thing; gourmet.
Lunch at London’s finest restaurants has become a tradition since Sean’s first visit to my new home and this time it’s the turn of one of big boys; Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.
Marcus Wareing’s time at the Berkeley has been well documented. Starting out as head chef at Gordon Ramsey’s Petrus, Wareing made his name as one of Ramsey’s chief proteges, it was a relationship that won awards and plaudits for all involved but in the end it was a case of too many cooks. Wareing defected and The Berkeley stuck with the apprentice. Master Ramsey left in a huff taking the Petrus name with him. Since then the space, operating as Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley has gone from strength to strength, retaining both Michelin stars.
We arrive a little early and the doorman ushers us into the lobby of one of London’s most exclusive addresses. We are led through the hotel bar, where guests are enjoying lunch and drinks, and taken behind double doors and frosted glass to the dining room, going from exlusive to exclusiver in fifteen paces. The space, to my untrained eye, is standard fine dining. Understated and refined with red the dominant colour.
As usual, the minutes from arrival to being seated are oddly nerve wracking. Following the waitress to the table you’re quickly surveying the room for good looking plates and people. Once seated you begin to relax but are not yet fully composed, as was displayed by Sean ordering an £18 glass of champagne. I frugally opt for an £8 gin and tonic.
A curious thing about fine dining, for someone not entirely used to this level of service, is how quickly you adapt and relax. That’s the skill I suppose, striking that balance between formality and friendliness the wait staff reach. Sean and I, sipping our aperitifs, sit back and chat idly before looking at the menu.
On my second drink the first amousse bouche, a delicate ham and potato rosti with a rich pepper sauce, arrives, which is quickly followed by a salmon roe puree. Perfectly balanced with garlic and cream and accompanied with sesame infused bread, this is what the gods nibble when they nurse a gin and tonic, by the time the starters arrive, I’m already thinking there’s no where else I’d rather be.
To start we both choose smoked goats’ cheese with shallots and potato bread. It’s stunning. The hint of mint running through is a detail worthy of at least one Michelin star, the white 2008 Causse Marines ‘Les Freilles Gaillac’ the sommelier selected to accompany was fantastic, crisp, a touch tart and very drinkable. Between courses, another highlight, a warm frothy artichoke soup full of flavour and the perfect pallet cleanser before main course.
The main course options were beef cheek with bone marrow, tarragon, chickpeas and kale or Cornish pollock with orecchiette, dead nettle, preserved lemon and olive. My pollock was fantastic but not sublime. Light, fresh and a beautiful balance of flavour, the orecchiete, although novel, added little. The star was the beef cheek and smoked bone marrow, a piece of which was put on a side plate from Sean’s plate for me to try, something that has never happened during one of our fine dining experiences before, this though, simply had to be tasted.
The cheek itself was astonishingly good, as tender as the best fillet you’ve had and packed it with extra flavour. The smoked marrows stole the show, an explosion of smokey flavour that somehow compliments and overshadows everything that’s has passed your lips so far. Worth the bill and more on it’s own. After my solitry fork-full my pollack seems a little dull, enjoyable, light and one of the best lunches I’ll eat this year, but after that smoked marrow, I finish my main course with more than a little jealousy.
To finish, as always, one of life’s greatest pleasures, we choose from the cheese trolly. This means shunning the famous custard tart, which in hindsight was probably a wrong turn, more for Sean who has more of a sweet tooth, than for me. Predictably, the cheese is of a very high standard, second only to Le Gavroche I think, and the waiter even allows us an extra choice. It’s served with a choice of relishes, chutnies and jellies which I think, given the price, is a little mean. I’d like to try them all please, we opt for a tomato relish and it’s fantastic, Sean later complains that I ate it all which is a testament to the quality of the relish and the strength of the wine!
Before we leave we are brought three bags of chocolate truffles which we eat later on the train – they are amazingly good, and for a brief minute, miles undergound squashed next to commuters and tourists, we’re back in Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.
The Bill
Bombay Sapphire & Tonic x 2 £16.00
Glass Billecart £17.00
Evian bottle £ 5.50
Kasteel Cru £ 6.50
Lunch Menu x 2 £60.00
Lunch Wines x 2 £24.00
Nuits St Georges x 2 £37.00
Cheese £15.00
Total £181.00
Discretionary Service 12.5% £22.63
(we decided to have the service removed from the bill and left £40 to ensure the money went to the staff directly)
http://www.marcus-wareing.com/home
