Tag Archives: French

Wild Honey, Mayfair

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Wild Honey is a discreet and civilised restaurant in Mayfair, one of a trio of eateries that includes Artbitus and Les Deux Salons. Praised for their exquisite food but unpretentious atmosphere, these venues present Michelin-starred cuisine in the most enjoyable of settings.

Moments away from Bond Street and Oxford Street, this restaurant is the ideal location for fashionistas on their lunch break or for post-theatre meals. The dining room is comfortable and cosy, with just hushed chatter as accompaniment to your meal. With an obvious nod towards French cuisine, the menu is sophisticated but simple. Prices are reasonable too.

We chose Pork Belly – with fresh white beans, apricots and xo sauce – and Sicilian courgette veloute, crushed tomatoes and goat’s curd. The pork was light and perfectly seasoned for summer with the sweet apricots and salty xo sauce. I was disappointed to discover my courgette veloute was cold, but cannot deny the subtle and delicious flavour.

Mains were richer: Rose Limousin veal with wilted greens, padron peppers and buckwheat; and a wonderful grilled piece of beef with sweet como peppers, artichokes and young chard. The plates looked lovely, not too big with an attractive assortment of colours and thankfully few carbohydrates so the food remained summer-suitable. The beef was particularly tasty, with a soft and juicy texture and topped with an addictively salty aromatic jus.

Desserts were the highlight for me – hot raspberry soufflé with lemon thyme ice-cream was perfectly cooked, the best soufflé I’ve had in a while. Wild Honey ice-cream with honeycomb seemed like a fitting choice and it did not disappoint, a delightful contrast of textures.

I couldn’t resist trying a cocktail from the exemplary list to complete the meal. The ‘Wild Honey Martini’ signature cocktail is made with 42 Below Honey vodka, chamomile tea and wild Pyrenean mountain honey – it is less sweet than you’d think and instead has a lovely floral taste.

Wild Honey is a restaurant for all occasions and is particularly brilliant for those desiring Michelin star food without the stiflingly smart etiquette.

More information here: www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk

Hot on the Highstreet Week 172

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Known as the ‘Picasso of Pastry’ Pierre Hermé is a master of macarons. I feel very lucky to work just round the corner from his only London shop on Lowndes Street and regularly peer in to see the coloured cakes while out on lunchbreak.

Hermé’s quest for the finest ingredients has led him to coffee and his latest special collection, Fetish Infiniment Café is a discovery and celebration of the best beans. It is the result of his meeting with Hippolyte Courty, founder of L’Arbre a Café, a gourmet coffee bar in Paris.

Together they sampled many coffees, of all origins, until Hermé decided to use mild but robust Iapar Rouge du Brésil and the very rare and delicate Bourbon Pointu du Piton des Neiges de la Réunion for his recipes. Hermé then sought to bring the intense and unique qualities of these beans to his collection of macarons, pastries, chocolates, nougat and cake.

Though I wasn’t crazy about the dense and plain pound cake or the wafer thin chocolates, the coffee macarons are sublime, true testament to the quality of the coffee and the skill of Pierre Hermé. Light, balanced and aromatic with a crisp outer shell and an indulgently creamy thick centre, his bitesize French fancies have never tasted so good.

The Fetish Infiniment Café collection is on sale until 20th October, get your caffeine kick quick before they sell out.

More information here.

www.pierreherme.com

Brasserie Zedel, Piccadilly

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Zut alors… How have I not discovered this fantastic french underworld before? Brasserie Zedel is neighbours with the busiest tube station in london and yet once inside you forget you are even in Britain. From the street this venue looks like just another mock-Parisian restaurant, but what you will find inside will fill your imagination with french fantasies and romantic anecdotes.

There is a coffee shop on street level, and if you follow the memorabilia-filled walls down the stairs you can watch cabaret at The Crazy Coqs, sip cocktails at Bar Americain, and dine at the greatest french brasserie in london.

Walking away from the quaint upstairs cafe I could hardly believe my eyes as the venue unfolds. It is a beautiful palace of Art Deco design and an exhibition of authentic french culture. They have got the atmosphere just right. We spent most of the evening in the restaurant where friendly chatter between guests replaces the usual dissatisfying and distracting musical soundtrack.

I chose the dishes that I am so fond of from my summers spent in Provence. In France the tomatoes are sweeter, the meat is juicier, and the desserts are just so SO much better. So for me it was tomato salad to start, Rib-eye steak with french fries for main, and an exquisite Creme Brûlée for dessert. The food was all delicious – simple and classic, reasonably priced and a menu with good variety to choose from. My guest tried the extra garlicky snails, and we both enjoyed the hearty steaks which were grilled perfectly to our preferences and served with ultra thin crispy fries. Creamy smooth very vanilla Creme brûlée was a highlight with a crunchy sugar layer on top.

A deep rich red wine matched our steak well and after dinner cocktails in Bar Americain are a must… We loves the sweet and refreshing ZL Cobbler (No 2) and the martini style Bel Ami, a spicy tangy concoction.

Now for the best bit…Anyone who turns up on Bastille Day –14th July (this Sunday)– in a striped blue and white Breton top and a beret gets a free ‘Formule’ menu on us.  Full details and T&Cs here: http://www.brasseriezedel.com/bastille-day

Moustaches optional…

www.brasseriezedel.com