I can’t remember when we last ate in a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, and then two came along in the space of three days over the Easter weekend…

Hibiscus

First was Hibiscus, Claude Bosi’s two-starred restaurant in Mayfair. We were incredibly fortunate to receive vouchers as a Christmas present for the lunch set menu with wine. This was our first time at Hibiscus and we were mightily impressed.

The amuse bouche was fitting for Easter, at least to look at: an egg shell filled with chestnuts, mushroom and coconut foam. I am not sure I have ever had chestnuts and coconuts as part of the same dish, but the tiny spoonfuls of the earthy but sweet foam-topped puree showed that they can go together very well indeed.

The dining room of Hibiscus feels sophisticated, but at the same time it doesn’t have that overt formality, let alone pomposity, that can make meals in smart restaurants uncomfortable. The service was impeccable, but never intrusive or unnecessarily deferential, and we sensed in all the staff an interest in and respect for the food.

To start, Tuula had Wild Garlic Velouté with Lemon and Black Garlic adorned with garlic flowers. This may sound like two hits of garlic too many, but in fact it was a beautifully-balanced and velvety richness of flavour; our only criticism was that the black garlic left a potentially unintended hint of bitterness.

My starter was also a fine balance: Marinated Cornish Mackerel with Black Sesame, Kumquat and Fennel. The marinade did nothing to hide the freshness of the mackerel (fortunately the mackerel was doing the journey the right way round at the start of the Easter weekend) and the black sesame was a puree with a little hit of chilli too. The fennel and kumquats came in the daintiest of slices and the dish made the mackerel the centre of attention.

Tuula’s main was Barbecued Poussin with Tamarind, Lemon and Baby Gem, which delivered perfectly moist small slabs of poussin. It may well have been the blood oranges that drew me to the Braised Ox Cheek, Heritage Carrots and Blood Orange. As well as flavouring the sauce, the orange also came in a little melange with some of the carrot. The sweetness of the carrots and the juiciness of the blood orange was a perfect foil for the richness of the fall-apart ox cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon fetishists would have a field day with Tuula’s desert: Confit Amalfi Lemon with Lemon Meringue and Lemon Madeleines – we think there was also some lemon sorbet buried under the plush, meltingly-soft meringue. It was like diving into pillows of lemon. The confit lemon had a beautiful texture, but the overwhelming lemon taste meant that it was difficult to wade through what was a pretty substantial dish.

My dessert on the other hand was highly delicate and poised: Yorkshire Rhubarb Soup, Vanilla Ice Cream and French Donut. ‘Soup’ meant a few spoonfuls of something between rhubarb juice and rhubarb consommé with some whispery-thin slivers of rhubarb and divine vanilla ice cream. There was an overwhelming sensation of rhubarb but without the acidity that could otherwise have made it a challenge; in a way it was an ultra modern take on rhubarb and cream.

My walnut-sized French donuts and Tuula’s madeleines (lemon, of course) came in baskets on the side, which made the deserts really quite sizeable. And, in fact, the size of the lunch was an interesting feature. This was exquisite cooking, with great creativity showing off flavours of the season; it was also a lunch set menu; but the portions never left anything to be desired, being well balanced in size as well as taste. We needed a good walk afterwards.

 

We thought about upgrading the accompanying wines, but the attraction of two half bottles rather than choosing between white and red led us to stick with the designated choices. Despite being the lowest-priced wines on the (extensive) list, they were pretty good and versatile with food: a Johan Reyneke white from Stellenbosch (chenin blanc, biodynamic) and a Côtes du Rhone red.

In summary, a fabulous lunch, even better because it was a gift. Although we tend to go out for lunch much less than dinner, the great value of the lunch deal will make this an attractive option in the future. We were certainly very pleased to have tried Hibiscus at last.

The Glasshouse

Two days later found us in Kew for dinner with friends. The Glasshouse describes itself itself as still a neighbourhood restaurant despite its Michelin star and there was that sort of vibe – although the prices mean this probably only works in such an affluent area. There was a nice casualness about the place on Easter Sunday evening, with obvious regulars and as much diversity as you could expect in Kew. We had a lovely, relaxed evening.

First up was a Pea and Jersey Royal puree with a blue cheese arancini on the side. This was my first taste of jerseys this season and it was lovely to get a hit of that distinctive taste. Are peas in season yet, though?

Tuula and I had the same starter: Egg Yolk Raviolo on Watercress Velouté with Pancetta. The pasta was silky and the egg yolk perfectly runny, with the golden juices running pleasingly over the vibrant green of the velouté. A fabulous starter.

My main was Poussin with Wild Garlic Puree, Confit Potato, Lardo di Colonnata and Morel Mushrooms. Each element of this dish was perfectly executed and there was a logic to the combination, but the dish somehow didn’t seem wholly coherent.

Tuula’s Lamb Loin and Lamb Shoulder with Boulangère Potatoes, Pea and Wild Garlic Emulsion – it had to be lamb for Easter – seemed much more of a whole and went down very well.

Tuula also thoroughly enjoyed her Warm Custard Brioche with Roasted Apple and Tarte Tatin Ice Cream. The ice cream had sold it to her, but the whole dessert delivered. I opted for the Dark Chocolate Mousse, Hazelnut Nougatine, Bergamot and Brown Sugar Ice Cream. This came as a line of quenelles but while they were clearly separate on the plate, the flavours and textures came together beautifully – sweet and bitter, softer and firmer. My type of dessert!

The hefty wine list is on the pricey side, but there are some keenly-priced interesting inclusions, especially from France. We went all Burgundy – an interesting white and a 2013 Mercurey François Raquillet. Both were excellent.

Another excellent restaurant, and our friends were hugely generous in treating us to dinner. There was something more accomplished about Hibiscus, which surely explains the difference between one and two stars, but The Glasshouse delivered some very good food. It was not as obviously wedded to seasonality as Hisbicus. I wondered, for example, why French asparagus was on the menu when we were only a couple of weeks away from the asparagus season. But that’s a small gripe in the context of a very good dinner.

This may be only my second blog posting, but there won’t be Michelin-starred reviews every week, I can promise that!