Bottomless Brunch on the Southbank at Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar

Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar

Where: London Marriott Hotel County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB, http://gillrays.com/

Cost: The Gillray’s Bottomless Brunch is available every Saturday and Sunday, from 12-3pm, for £40 a head. Diners can choose two courses from the extensive menu, which is organised into four sections: Cereals, Eggs, Meats and Treats. This will be accompanied by an unlimited number of glasses of Cordoniu Brut, a light and refreshing cava that is perfect for an early afternoon sitting. Side-dishes are available for £5 extra, and include a Bloody Mary, triple-cooked chips, and cauliflower and truffle bake.

About: I last reviewed Gillray’s in 2013, when I came for a sumptuous steak dinner, complete with oysters and cocktails. I recall that meal well and looked forward to my return visit for their new weekend brunch. You can read about it here.

The restaurant is named after the 18th Century political caricaturist James Gillray, and this impressive spot in the South Wing of the Marriott Hotel County Hall boasts great views across the Thames to Westminster.

The beautiful wood-paneled, large-windowed dining room is a welcome respite from the tourist rush outside, but it’s also the perfect place to enjoy a brunch before seeing a matinee at the National Theatre or Old Vic, or a film at the BFI.

The Bottomless Brunch offers some signature dishes from the evening menu (sirloin steak and a thick bacon chop) alongside brunch favourites such as eggs royale, pancakes and chia-seed pudding. It is good value and a lot of fun. 

When I came here last, I mentioned that it would have been good to see more affordable options on the wine list, and I'm happy to say that the brunch menu now gives you the opportunity to enjoy a Gillray’s meal with a good-quality free-flowing cava, Cordoniu Brut.

What We Ate: We started with a complimentary hors d’oeuvre from the kitchen, miniature Yorkshire puddings, filled with melted cheddar, and accompanied by a horseradish and creme fraiche dipping sauce. This innovative take on a Sunday Roast classic was such an improvement on the original! The cheese adds texture and flavour, and the fresh dipping sauce went perfectly with the light pudding batter. They were so good, we asked for more!

One of the first courses was the quinoa porridge, made with almond milk and topped with raspberries, pomegranate seeds and honey. Beautifully presented, it was a healthy way to start, with the almond milk ensuring that the dish wasn’t too rich.

Next was the Eggs Royale - an English muffin topped with smoked salmon, poached eggs and a rich Hollandaise sauce. It’s a brunch classic, and the Gillray’s version was so generous that they even folded an extra slice of smoked salmon between the halves of the muffin. The grilled lemon halves were yet more proof of Gillray’s attention to detail, this dish made for a decadent start to the meal.

The second course was a 200g sirloin, topped with a fried egg. It was accompanied by a side dish of flat cap mushrooms with rosemary. Unusually for a restaurant in an international hotel, Gillray’s prides itself on its local suppliers. The Aberdeen Angus steaks come from Darragh O’Shea’s farm in Scotland, and this shows in their depth of flavour.

The second main course was the Gillray’s Steak Burger. This enormous stack, containing a 280g patty, cheedar cheese, onion rings and gherkin may have taken their generosity to a fault! It was hard to tuck in to, and even harder to finish! Sadly, the thick patty could only be ordered well done, it was flavoursome if a tad dry. The onion rings were crispy on the outside, and the hash brown nuggets were a brilliant and addictive invention, served alongside a delicious red onion and bacon chutney.

What We Drank: Our meal started the way every good brunch should, with a Bloody Mary. In the Gillray’s version, the spiciness of the Tobasco is softened by slices of fresh cucumber and lemon, and the addition of celery salt.

After that, we started on the unlimited bubbles. Cordoniu Brut is the perfect choice of cava for the Gillray's brunch. It's dry and light, and the prominent apple notes give it a sweetness that works perfectly with the dishes.

Likes: The incredible cheesy Yorkshire puddings that came as a complimentary hors d'oeuvre, and the generosity that continued throughout the meal. 

Dislikes: We would have liked to see some more imaginative sweet dishes on the menu, other than the usual staples such as pancakes and waffles. 

Verdict: The Gillray's Bottomless Brunch is the a great weekend treat, especially for meat lovers who want to have the Gillray's experience, with a view of the Thames and unlimited bubbles at a great price.

Do You Know Your Cajun From Your Creole? - Discovering the Cooking of Louisiana at Galatoire's

Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: Galatoire’s Residency at The Colony Grill, Beaumont Hotel

Where: The original Galatoire’s is at 209 Bourbon St, New Orleans, USA, LA 70130 - http://www.galatoires.com/

The Galatoire’s residency took place at The Colony Grill, The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton St, London W1K 6TF - https://www.colonygrillroom.com/

Cost: A three course meal from the Galatoire’s menu at The Colony Grill cost on average £50-60 per person, not including drinks or service. Starters were an average of £15, main courses ranged from £20 to £40. New Orleanian cocktails, given new flair by The Beaumont’s American Bar, were priced at £15 each.

About: Galatoire’s is probably the most famous restaurant in New Orleans. Founded by Frenchman Jean Galatoire in 1905 the restaurant still serves the classic dishes that it used to make for regulars such as Tennessee Williams.

Like Jean Galatoire, current Executive Chef, Michael Sichel, spent more than a decade learning the culinary techniques of France. He honed his skills in Provence, before returning to America and moving to New Orleans because, as he boldly stated to us when we interviewed him - “Lousiana has the greatest cuisine in North America”. We were very intrigued to learn more.

Galatoire’s specialises in the cuisines of New Orleans and Louisiana. Both are heavily influenced by Cajun influences, which came with the French-speaking Acadian people when they were forced from Canada by the British, and Creole cooking, which combines French and African influences. These cuisines gave us classic dishes as different as Oysters Rockefeller and Jambalaya - that can be incredibly difficult outside of the US.

The beautiful rooms at The Colony Grill, host of Galartoire's Residency in London

Sichel also told us that he fell in love with London when he was here to cook for the US Olympic team in 2012, and so couldn’t resist when he was invited back to take up a residency at The Beaumont to celebrate the NFL Series games taking place in London. These games mark the start of the NFL season, and draw Americans, and fans of Americana alike, to the city. 

What We Ate: We started by sharing two of Galatoire’s most iconic dishes. Oyster’s Rockefeller is near enough impossible to find in the UK, so they just had to be ordered.

We had six large oysters from Carlingford on Ireland’s East coast, grilled and decked with the emerald-green Rockefeller topping - made with creamed spinach and herbsaint, an aniseed liqueur famous in New Orleans. The topping was rich and buttery and flooded the palate, so to best savour the salty mollusc underneath. 

Our second starter was no less iconic. Sticks of fried aubergine, coated in breadcrumbs, were soft on the inside, but firm enough to withstand double-dipping: first into a perfectly tart Bearnaise sauce, and second into a pot of icing sugar. This unconventional but addictive dish is a Galatoire’s classic, and it looked perfect when served in The Colony Grill’s dainty porcelain.

We shared one more starter of Seafood Okra Gumbo, made with jumbo lump crabmeat, prawns and oysters. Gumbo is a Louisiana stew - the Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a dark roux or both. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. In the Galatoire’s version, the dark stock was thickened with okra making it more refined, light and glossy. Soft flakes of white crabmeat and large, fresh prawns were folded into the silky white rice. This was a great introduction to Creole Gumbo!

Our first main course was crabmeat sardou. In appearance, it resembles the classic brunch dish of eggs royale, poached egg on an English muffin served with smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce. In this classic Galatoire’s brunch dish, however, crabmeat and creamed spinach are served on a base of artichoke heart, and blanketed in Hollandaise. The classic New Orleanian combination of rich butter and sharp flavours, present in the Oysters Rockefeller, worked well again here in the main course.

Our second main was Dover Sole Yvonne, Chef Sichel’s Cajun take on The Colony Grill's Grilled Dover Sole. The Colony Grill serves their Dover Sole with a rich Bearnaise sauce, but Sichel used a much simpler Meunière, made with brown butter, parsley and lemon.  The depth of flavour came from a finely balanced Cajun rub that coated the Sole.

Cajun cuisine came from the French-speaking Acadian people, who were forced by the British to move from Canada to Louisiana, and the Cajun rub balanced the heat of bell pepper with softer flavours like onion and parsley, bringing warmth and a light heat to the Dover Sole and the savoury mix of crab meat, artichoke hearts and mushroom.

For dessert, we shared a bread pudding. Made from rich brioche bread, this classic New Orleans dish resembles a traditional British bread and butter pudding. The major difference, however, came with the Banana Foster sauce that accompanied it, a dark caramel made with cinnamon, rum, and soft slices of banana. The sauce is a fantastic New Orleanian invention, its richness softened by the fresh banana, but for us the pudding was too soft, compared with its British cousin.

What We Drank: The Beaumont’s American Bar served a number of Southern American cocktails to accompany the residency.

Image courtesy of The Beaumont Hotel

We started with The Sporting Life, a Beaumont invention combining Old Forrester Statesman bourbon, Chambord and Amontillado sherry, in a light and sweet cocktail, perfect as a pre-dinner tipple. The competing bourbon and fruit flavours were as strong as each other, making this an excellent choice.

We followed this with a Sazerac, a New Orleans classic that combines whisky, cognac and absinthe in a punchy but sophisticated drink, best served as a digestif at the end of a meal. It looked like a darker Negroni, and tasted even punchier.

Likes: The Colony Grill is a brilliantly designed dining room, with spacious semi-circular red leather booths along one wall, beautiful lighting and iconic American murals on the walls. Galatoire’s is one of the most prestigious addresses in New Orleans, and The Colony Grill was the perfect place to enjoy this great North American cuisine.

Michael Sichel’s okra seafood gumbo was a revelation. The addition of the okra gave the whole thing a silky gloss, and the decadent combination of prawns, oyster and thick lumps of white crabmeat worked perfectly.

Dislikes: We’d have loved to see more desserts from Galatoire’s make it over the Atlantic, such as their Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Black Bottom Pecan Pie or the Key Lime Tart.

Verdict: The Galatoire's residency was the perfect introduction to New Orleanian cuisine, and classic dishes such as Oysters Rockefeller and Crab Sardou that are hard to find in the UK. I highly recommend Galatoire’s for your next trip to New Orleans, I can’t wait to try it for myself!

Discovering Galatoire's and The Colony Grill via @TheLondonFoodie Instagram Page:

Fantastic lunch today at the @thecolonygrillroom to learn all about the cooking of New Orleans - in celebration of the NFL Season in London, the restaurant is collaborating with @galatoiresnola, the Grand Dame of New Orleans cuisine on Bourbon St, The Galatoire Restaurant was founded in 1905! . It was great chatting with @galatoiresnola Executive Chef Michael Sichel @topsich who prepared this beautiful platter of Oysters Rockefeller. . The oysters were delicious, lightly grilled and covered in creamed spinach scented with Herbsaint (a Louisiana style Pernod liqueur). . #neworleans #louisiana #oystersrockefeller #colonygrill #nflgame #cajuncooking

A post shared by Luiz Hara (@thelondonfoodie) on Sep 27, 2017 at 8:54am PDT

My first taste of Louisiana Gumbo stew prepared by Exec Chef Michael Sichel @topsich for @galatoiresnola residency at @thecolonygrillroom in London - a week long celebration of the cooking of New Orleans. . This creamy seafood gumbo had Louisiana jumbo crabmeat, plump shrimps and oysters in an intensely flavoured seafood stock thickened with okra and light brown roux. It was outstandingly good. . #gumbo #lousiana #neworleans #galatoires #americanfood #americancooking #americancuisine

A post shared by Luiz Hara (@thelondonfoodie) on Sep 27, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

Shepherd Neame Celebrates Movember With A Hare-Raising Toast

Words and Photography by Matthew Brown, Luiz Hara & Bearded Robin

To celebrate the start of Movember - an annual event dedicated to improving men’s health - The London Foodie was invited to the Dickensian Old Doctor Butler’s Head pub in the City of London, for a preparatory shave, and the chance to try a food-and-beer pairing menu organised by Britain’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame.

Before the Movember-themed meal - featuring everything from razor clams and hare pie - had even begun, I was whisked into the barber’s chair for a cut-throat shave by the talented Paul Dos Reis of the Genco Male Grooming. Thankfully, this terrifying experience was accompanied by a cold glass of Spitfire Gold - the new star of the Shepherd Neame empire.

Spitfire Gold was launched early this year, 25 years after the original Spitfire was first brewed in memory of The Battle of Britain. True to its name, this really is a vibrantly golden beer. From that amber complexion comes a malty butterscotch aroma, and sweet citrus notes balanced by astringent pine.

This rounded and satisfying beer was so good that it was served again with the first course, a jar of “shaved courgette and goatee cheese parcels”. Though they were served from a pickle jar, the parcels were delicate, with the sweet juice softening the sourness of the goat’s cheese and making for a filling but moreish starter.

They were followed by a course of ‘razor clams and angel hair pasta’, and another beer from the Shepherd Neame portfolio: a Whitstable Bay Pale Ale. Pale Ales are popular for their light body and citrus aromas, and this light, grassy variety is one of the best of the bunch, and fortunately it is easy to find in supermarkets! True to their seaside origins, Shepherd Neame paired the Pale Ale with razor clams so thick and plump that it was impossible to believe that they’d made it all the way to the City of London so fresh.

Things became altogether much heavier with main course and dessert, a ‘hare and Spitfire ale pie’ followed by a ‘sticky stubble pudding’. These were great versions of pub classics, and I highly recommend hare instead of beef for a richer ale pie. These heavy dishes needed a strong match, and we opted for the Shepherd Neame Master Brew, a mid-brown bitter with a darker colour and weightier scents of toffee.

Shepherd Neame proved the diversity of their selection, finding a beer pairing for everything from razor clams to toffee pudding. Look out for Spitfire Gold and Whitstable Bay Pale Ale at the supermarket, and if you’re inspired by their punning menu you can even visit their website to design and suggest your own beer.

The New Tasting Menu at Tamarind of Mayfair

Words and Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: Tamarind of Mayfair

Where: 20 Queen Street, London, W1J 5PR, http://www.tamarindrestaurant.com/

Cost: We visited Tamarind of Mayfair to try their new ‘Taste of Tamarind’ menu, available every day until 9:30pm. It’s a six-course set menu, priced at £65 per person, or £115 with a pairing that includes some exceptional wines. 

The restaurant has several other menus. The lunch set-menu is £21.50 for two courses, and £24.50 for three. Sunday Lunch is £32 per person, and a pre- or post- theatre 3-course menu is £35. The à la carte menu is pricier but not excessively so, though there are decadent options, such as a Lobster Masala (£39.50) and Tiger Prawn Kebabs (£34.50) available. 

About: This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Tamarind of Mayfair’s opening on Queen Street. It was the first fine-dining Indian restaurant anywhere in the world to win a Michelin star, and it’s now the flagship for an international group with venues from Kensington to California.

Situated on a quiet Mayfair street, there’s no doubt that this restaurant is still the jewel in the group’s crown. The gold-pillared underground dining room feels as though it’s in a great ocean liner.  It is an elegant restaurant overlooking a busy open plan kitchen offering impeccable service and great food.

What We Ate: Our meal began with a delicious Channa Chaat - spiced potato and chickpeas - served in a patty that had the shape and depth of colour of steak tartare, and just as indulgent. This was delicious - the chickpeas were soft, served with crispy fried gram flour for bite and a thick tamarind and sweetened yoghurt sauce for acidity and freshness. 

To follow we had the grilled scallop served with smoked peppers and spiced tomato chutney, which was not as successful (although any dish following that marvellous Channa Chaat would be at a disadvantage). The scallop flesh was soft, and the chutney well-spiced, but the tomato flavour was overwhelming in our opinion - the dish lacked the complexity and freshness of the Channa Chaat.

Tandoor-grilled baby chicken breast was better, with charcoal-smoked crispy skin and butter-soft flesh, served with fenugreek leaves wrapped in vermicelli and a spiced tomato purêe.

Up to this point the portions had been small, and a rich but tiny tamarind and date sorbet did little to assuage our hunger. The fourth course was however more substantial, and very well made - lamb chops served with spiced spinach, a creamy makhni daal, pulao rice and naan bread. The daal was dark and creamy, the spinach rich but light and the lamb chop was an excellent choice of meat.

For dessert, we had carrot fudge served with white raisins and melon seeds. This was soft and buttery, and served with a rich, nutty pistachio kulfi.

Tamarind clearly pays as much attention to its desserts as it does its savouries, and even the petit fours - salted caramel truffles and mint leaves coated in white chocolate, could have been a dessert in their own right. They were delicious.

What We Drank: With the sublime Channa Chaat was paired with an equally vibrant wine - a Riesling Trimbach 2007, from Cuvée Frederic Emile in Alsace, with apricot flavours and plenty of minerality, this was more than a match for the rich tamarind sauce.

With the scallop came a delicious Chablis Premier Cru Les Lys 2013, with fine citrus fruit and melon notes.

With the tandoori chicken came a chardonnay from Italy, the Cevaro della Sala 2012, with exotic tropical fruit flavours to match the weight of the dish.

To accompany the lamb, we had a glass of Dom Chante Cigale 2011 from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Another respected vineyard on a flight of strong European wines, this complex wine made of several varietals had soft tannins, berry fruit flavours and great length.

Our dessert wine was an Andrew Quady Orange Blossom Muscat from California – sweet enough not to be overwhelmed by the dessert but with enough acidity to give it some grip. 

Likes: The tasting menu is well balanced and varied in character. The Channa Chaat warrants a visit to Tamarind of Mayfair on its own right. It can be hard to partner Indian food with wine, but Tamarind’s sommelier has chosen some excellent wines that are also a reason to visit in themselves.

Dislikes: The scallop dish was the weakest link in our opinion, and besides I could have done with a little more carb in the first three smaller starters.

Verdict:  With vibrant and well-balanced flavours, Tamarind’s tasting menu is an excellent option for those wanting to experience Michelin-starred Indian cooking in the heart of London's Mayfair. Highly recommended.

A Return Visit to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Where: 13-15 West Street, London WC2H 9NE, United Kingdom,
http://www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/

Cost: We sampled dishes from several of the restaurant’s menus. A La Carte starters range from £17 to £49. Main courses are more consistent, and vary from £34-49, while desserts are all £11. The restaurant also offers 5- and 8-course tasting menus, priced at £95 and £129, and each can be extended to include either a “Sommelier’s Choice” or a “French” wine pairing. As well as set lunch and pre-theatre menus (2 courses for £31, 4 for £41) there’s an additional menu of small tasting dishes (from £16-29) that features some of the restaurant’s most innovative items.

The wine list is extensive, and though the top bottles are stratospheric, there is a good choice of bottles under £40. There is an extensive spirits selection, and a strong cocktail list (£11-15) that is also available in the restaurant’s biggest secret, its cosy penthouse bar.

About: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is the London outpost of a superstar chef with restaurants all over the world, from Bangkok to Bordeaux and Las Vegas to Tokyo. Robuchon was named ‘Chef of the Century’ in 1989 and his ingredient-led cuisine shows great attention to detail. The London restaurant is led by Head Chef Xavier Boyer who has worked with Robuchon for 13 years, and shares his determination to reinvent classic French cooking.

Open plan kitchen by Chef's Table at L'Atelier Joel Robuchon

This restaurant opened in 2006, in a striking black townhouse on Covent Garden’s West Street. Inside, the emphasis is on glamour. The downstairs dining room offers bar seating around a sleek open kitchen.  As if this didn’t provide enough drama, there’s also a vertical garden on the back wall and irresistibly good lighting throughout. The second floor dining room is larger and has a more conventional arrangement of tables, but the drama returns in the third floor bar which features a roof terrace, a modernist fireplace and deep red leather armchairs.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is one of my favourite ‘splurge’ restaurants in London, I wrote about it in The London Foodie previously, see earlier review here.

What We Ate: We began with an amuse bouche of foie gras, port wine and parmesan foam that was rich and well-executed and set the tone for the dishes that followed, all of which used indulgent ingredients with impressive finesse.

For our first course, we had a well-presented dish of fresh crabmeat, served in crisp ravioli of pressed turnip with a sweet and sour sauce.

It was followed by poached egg with Comte cheese cream, from the tasting ‘Découverte’ menu. Served on a rich black truffle coulis, the egg was poached to creamy perfection.

Next, we had poached turbot in a Champagne sauce, from the Gout de France menu, served with cockles, clams and shiitake mushrooms and a superb spiced Champagne foam.

For the main course, we had wagyu beef. The quality of the marbled wagyu was excellent - crispy on the outside and rare but firm inside.

We enjoyed it with soy spinach and Robuchon's famously buttery pomme purée (see earlier review here).

Dessert was a cylinder of crystalised sugar that contained layers of milk chocolate mousse, lemon cream and ginger ice cream. The sugar cylinder offered much more than presentation - along with the caramelized hazelnuts it gave a contrasting crunch to the soft layers inside.

What We Drank: Veuve Clicquot is the restaurant’s house champagne, always a good sign, and our meal began with those familiar, fizzy brioche notes.

Our first pairing was a 2013 Godeval Godello Valdeorras from Spain. High in acidity, its crisp lemon notes were a great accompaniment to the crabmeat and pressed radish.

The next glass, like the truffle dish it accompanied, was more powerful. A 2012 Riesling from the famous Schloss Johannisberg,  was light in body but with high enough minerality to stand up to the unctuous truffle.

Our third white was a 2011 Terlan Pinot Bianco ‘Vorberg’. Aged in oak casks, it had a delicious weight of apricot fruit flavours and great length.

The red wine was a 2009 Bodegas Resalte from Ribera del Duero. With  blackberry and spice notes, it was an excellent partner for the wagyu beef. 

With dessert we had a 2011 Luigi Bosca ‘Granos Nobles’ Gewürztraminer, a rich, sweet wine from Argentina, with a plenty of acidity to keep it from being cloying.

We ended the evening with two cocktails in the third floor bar and lounge. The first, a Smoked Brooklyn, a variation on a Manhattan, was a more aromatic version of that classic drink. The second, featuring my favourite Japanese citrus fruit, was the Yuzu Pisco - fresh, pretty and delicious.

Likes: the crabmeat ravioli were excellent but Robuchon's buttery pomme purée is what got me to return!

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a truly unique experience – their Japanese inspired French cooking is light yet elegant and full of flavour. Their wine selection is second to none, and the ambience is glamorous, dark and soothing. Highly recommended.