Launceston Place: Quick, somebody call the Michelin man!

www.launcestonplace-restaurant.co.uk

I remember eating at this place many many years ago when it was a tired traditional English restaurant. The kind of place you could take your grandparents and not overwhelm them with the advances made in gastronomy over the last two decades. Well I have eaten there a few times since the transformation and quite frankly the only thing I can say is that it has metamorphosed into a very special place indeed. The decor alone was transformed to be elegant and modern with a cosy feel and beautiful details and furniture.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of eating a truffle risotto at Launceston Place which was beyond compare. In fact, loving truffle the way I do, I have had many a truffle promising dish in many a one/two Michelin starred restaurant that paled in comparison. There was one thing letting this place down however, and that was inflexibility of the staff and the narrowness and seldom changing nature of the menu. Upon revisiting their site recently I happened upon a wider selection and the addition of a vegetarian tasting menu! Although I am not a vegetarian myself, I often have a mix of the vegetarian and regular tasting menu as there is usually something I dislike. This was the sign I was looking for to inspire me to book this place for the visit of my fiancé's parents.

The outside of Launceston Place

The in-laws to be. Both turning 60 AND celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary!

The Amuse Bouche: Celeriac Foam with Truffle Oil. Perfectly executed and delicious to eat. The foam was not like spit, it was a light and consistently airy concoction that was a delight to eat.

Asparagus & Duck Egg: The Asparagus Veloute that these perfectly cooked elements bathed in was so smooth and delicious you simply did not know how they did it and retained the intensity of flavour.

Roasted Scallop, Glazed Belly Pork, and Textures of Apple and Celeriac. The belly pork was the star here, succulent and moist. The apple and celeriac really brought the surf-and-turf together.

Herb Gnocchi, Broccoli Puree, roasted Shallots & Truffle Emulsion: Another spectacularly perfect dish.

Cornish lemon sole, prawns, shrimps, samphire and potatoes. Elegant and refined, the sauce really let the fish shine through.

Beetroot, White Balsamic, Dandelions & Hazelnuts: A beautiful plate of food with a rich earthy depth and a spectrum of texture.

Ravioli of Goats Cheese, Olives, Piquillo peppers, Artichokes & Spinach: A little too much going on, but all the flavours fit well and each element was executed perfectly. This was my least favorite dish (there has to be one!) as it lacked the clarity and focus of my other dishes. Please note, this was a vegetarian option.

Pork loin fillet, cumin cabbage, pumpkin puree and pork popcorn. My fiancé thought the cumin was a little overpowering, but what does he know?? It was inspired as was the popcorn that gave the texture of crackling to the dish.

The wonderful and stylish cheese trolley.

The selection we made for our table with the highlight being a Calvados steeped Camembert.

There was also a wonderful Lemon Posset pre-dessert with Rosemary Granita. An inspired little creation.

The Dessert: Chocolate Souffle with Praline Ganache and Dark Chocolate Sorbet. again, perfect execution and an Easter treat for chocolate lovers.

Although not photographed, I also had the flight of wines and they were superb. I knew they would be as soon as the sommelier presented himself. I found the fact that he was Spanish (as usually they cannot help but be French) quite refreshing and it did mean that we got some interesting Spanish wine. He was really very pleasant and thoughtful and I did not feel for one second that he was reeling off a prepared script. He very much took the time to engage with us and discuss the wine.

In fact, he was not the only one who impressed me. The service was really quite fantastic (unlike previous visits) and the desire to accomodate you did not go unnoticed. I cannot for the life of me work out why this restaurant does not have at least one Michelin Star? I can only imagine that the inspector is still on his way here...

L'Etranger: Style meets food

www.etranger.co.uk

We had eaten at l'etranger only once before, but decided to take our friends there for dinner. We thought it would be a great place to get a taste of London, as we all live out of town. Outside of London you can find wonderful 'country park' and 'boutique' hotel restaurants. If you are looking for something that is edgy and cool, with oodles of sophistication, but without the starch collared structure of a fine dining establishment, then London is the place you need to go.

I suppose it must be the wealth in the city that allows this kind of place to exist. The kind of place where you can have an informal semi-reasonable meal or spend over a grand on tasting menus and wine, a truly flexible dining experience. To give you an idea of the coolness factor, we are all in our twenties, and although we didn't see anyone in there younger than us, I felt a tinge of 'out of towner'. All diners were dressed well, 'rich/pseudo-intellectual sports casual' if that means anything to you.

L'etranger describes itself as a fusion restaurant - Japanese meets French, which personally, is not something I look for in a meal. If it doesn't sound like your bag either, do not let it put you off. The most Japanese element of my steak with truffled polenta chips and peppercorn sauce was the Japanese plate it was served on. If however, nipponch cuisine is exactly what you have been missing in your life, then there were curiosities (like Tuna Tataki with Foie Gras Shavings & Truffle Ponzu Jelly) on the menu to appease you.

The thing that impresses you the most are the quirky theatricals you witness, from the elegance of the olive bread sticks to the presentation of the courses. The attention to detail really served to prove that money had been spent on the right things and that you were somewhere a little special. The cutlery and glassware were über-sleek, the menu (sadly I did not photograph this) was printed on pearlized paper held in a handsome wallet.

Black and green olive pastry sticks.

Every time a course arrived there would be something at the table you had not seen before to capture the imagination, like the deconstruction of foie gras with foie gras lolly pops, foie gras creme brulée, and a test tube of plum wine!

Scallops with Parmesan purée in a shaved wood strip.

Foie gras three ways, with mushroom brioche and plum wine.

Calamari with lime and chilli sauce.

Five tomato salad with burrata, basil sorbet, and truffled balsamic pearls.

So we went to town, we started with cocktails, then we had starters, then we had mains with wine (from an extensive list) made more alluring by the fact that we could espy the glass walled wine room from our table.

All four of us chose the fillet for the main course.

We then shared a dessert 4 ways, which may seem impossible to you, but it was a platter of chocolate in 7 different incarnations including a mousse with orange, a bitter chocolate sorbet, chocolate fondant, an opera cake, and even a dark chocolate and truffle ganache.

Death by chocolate - seven ways.

To top off our night we had a flight of 6 dessert wines (which we also shared among us).  They had carefully selected 6 wines of increasing intensity. Starting with a light semi-sweet apple nosed wine to an aged pedro ximénez that clung heavily to the sides of the glass, a tar like nectar with the deep sweetness of liquorice, treacle and raisins.

They brought all the bottles to the table for us to see... and check out the cool table lights!

The holders for our flight of dessert wines were very fun and futuristic.

We were there for hours and we had truly taken advantage of the spectrum of delights they had to offer. The service was what you might expect at the finest establishments, the food was rich, delicious and comforting yet sharp and thought provoking. If you are looking to have a unique 'London' night or just want to be fed well and in comfort, then this place is for you. An intimate and classy joint that tickles with its play on food yet does not compromise your stomach's enjoyment in the process!