Core by Clare Smyth (*) , London, April 2024

A lovely April evening at Core by Clare Smyth. I am based in London, so naturally I had heard all the hype around Core, so it was time to try it out. We went for a special occasion, and right off the bat, the service was fantastic. As soon as you walk in, you are warmly welcomed, shown to the kitchen, welcomed by chef Jonny Bone and sat at your table. I went with the Core Seasons menu with a wine pairing, which is what will be pictured here.

2nd picture: we kick off with the amuse bouche. Caviar sandwich, pea gougere, roast chicken, lobster roll (not pictured). There waw a small hiccup here, my girlfriend found a hair in one of the amuse bouche. It was swiftly replaced and an apology was issued.

3rd picture: langoustine and wasabi pea, with a rose geranium foam and almond and pea (the small dots on the side). A very strong start to the menu, paired with a lovely natural wine from Alsace. I have to say, the sommeliers are really chatty and passionate, as well as knowledgeable.

4th pic: asparagus with morels, wild garlic and duck egg yolk. I wasn’t really a fan of this particular starter, but my girlfriend liked it. The asparagus was nice and mildly sweet. Paired with a nice Sauv Blanc from the Loire Valley

5th pic: Cornish turbot with cucumber, kelp and oysters. Another course I wasn’t really a fan of, it was served mildly lukewarm, and the flavours weren’t anything memorable. My girlfriend had the legendary potato and roe, and the beurre blanc sauce was delightful!

6th: Now we are talking. Blythburg farm Pork , with Perigord truffle, hispi cabbage, thyme, capers. Paired with a lovely New Zealand Pinot Noir. I am a big fan of protein, yet eating pork cheek is not something I would imagine myself doing. God, it was so succulent, the flavours were described as “pork on pork on pork on truffle on truffle”. Umami heaven. Loved every second of it.

7th: the highlight of the wine pairing, a 2005 grand cru that had been decanted and oxidised for a few hours. Lots of strawberry on the nose, lovely Merlot that paired with the course that follows.

8th: Herdwick lamb, with lamb bacon, baby gem lettuce and peppermint sauce. The left cut was from the belly of the lamb, while the right tasted way gamier. The savoury profile of the bacon, the peppermint sauce cutting through, absolute perfection.

9th: “the other carrot”, basically an homage to carrot cake, with a carrot sorbet, and an accompanying carrot drink. It was supposedly alcoholic, they mentioned it contained walnut oil, but all I could get was carrot. Carrots on carrots, I loved it! My girlfriend had the Core apple, accompanied by a smoky apple brandy. Delightful!

10th: the last wine in our wine pairing, a South African sweet wine. Usually not a fan of sweet wines myself, but I loved this one. Tasted very much like cider, and it not being overwhelmingly sweet like some dessert wines, made it a great pairing with the less mild dessert that follows.

11th: Core-teaser, a twist on the UK sweet Malteser. Chocolate, hazelnuts, malt. It tastes exactly like the real thing, I loved it! So chocolatey, yet light.

We are pretty stuffed at this point, so we are served the petit fours. Wine gums and a chocolate and clementine tart. A lovely way to finish a sublime meal.

I didn’t exactly love some of the starters, but the mains and desserts were cooked to perfection. Amazing wine pairings, personal service, the staff never shied away from a conversation or a joke. The attention to detail was insane, they noticed my girlfriend holds her knife in her left hand, and set the table accordingly for the courses that followed. The ice for our water was constantly refreshed. But you never feel watched or intruded on. I definitely believe the hype behind Core now, and find it amazing value for a 3 star. Going to The Ledbury next month, can’t wait to see how that compares!