London's newest 3-Michelin star is not new by any means. Opening in 2005, The Ledbury had been a fixture on the London fine dining scene for the better part of 15 years, until covid put a dead stop to it in 2020. Chef-patron Brett Graham took the two-year hiatus as an opportunity for reinvention. Gone were the white walls, and in their place a more modern update, something perhaps more complimentary to some of the best plating to be found in the English capital; statuesque mushrooms encased in glass cabinets give a nod towards the fungi being grown in the basement of the restaurant (and which guests will find on their plates), while the dark wood and curved centerpiece table provide suitable surrounds for the impeccable game presented in the middle of the meal.
Service at The Ledbury is exceptional, with the wait staff quick with smiles and very happy to engage in discourse. While a 3-star, there is very little air of stuffiness to proceedings at The Ledbury. All of these initial impressions are excellent, but what of the food? Everything is plated with finesse, the dishes are clearly well thought out, but I feel that few of the dishes really packed enough of a punch (either through creative invention or flavour) to live long in the memory. Case in point: the turbot dish had wonderful pop from the gooseberries when they would happen upon the fork/spoon, but otherwise the sauce was left to do the heavy lifting, and each seemed to be good but not the flavour sensation that it should have been. This is where preference comes into play: I enjoy intense flavours, though that doesn't mean that everything has to be punchy. If the aim is for a delicate dish, it should be oh-so. This was the case with my favourite dish of the evening, the quail, which did a great job of awakening the taste buds after a palette cleansing opening act. But after the quail, the menu didn't seem to crescendo. It was pretty happy to be andantino (andante would be unnecessarily harsh).
The cooking at The Ledbury is excellent. Perfect deer, perfect scallop, perfect pastry (the laminated swirl with roscoff onion and caerphilly cheese is a delight, every layer clearly visible when you bite into it). There is no question as to the technical excellence on display. What I would have liked to see more of, is more invention, more dishes that make me stop and go 'oh wow' before I begin eating. Some had me nodding my head, but none – sadly – bestowed a eureka moment.
Courses:
1. Canapés – damson and jamón
2. Pig's head canapé
3. Langoustine with hollandaise
4. Cornish Blue Fin Otoro, Miyagawa, Rosehip, Kelp, Coriander and Finger Lime
5. Hand Dived Orkney Scallop, Carlingford Oyster, Swede, Apple Marigold and N25 Kaluga Reserve (first picture)
6. Sourdough bread, Laminated Roscoff Onion and Caerphilly Cheese Swirl
7. Royale Vendeé Quail, Kentish Quince, Liquorice, Parsnhip and Costa Rican Vanilla
8. Wild Cornish Turbot, Scottish Cep, Gooseberry, Celeriac and Meadowsweet Honey (third picture)
9. Mushrooms from the Cabinet, Jersey Royal Potato, Buckwheat Koji and Watercress
10. Glazed Heart with Beef Consommé
11. Bucklebury Japanese Sika Deer, Green Fig, Sobacha, Black Walnut, Stout and Sea Buckthorn (second picture)
12. Blood Orange, Stem Ginger, Fennel, Long Pepper and Bee Pollen
13. 58% Madagascan Milk Chocolate, Comice Pear, Goats Milk, Earl Grey and Black Olive
14. Petit-fours
by MaaDFoXX
4 Comments
Great write up.
Still, after Core I’d say it’s the best 3* in London. I appreciated the more laid back atmosphere than many others. Brett Graham was also a super easy chef to talk to and very down to earth. Even with no eureka moments would you still recommend it to others?
Nice write up
Brett needs to put the buffolo milk curd, saint nectaire truffle toast and grilled shallot broth back on the menu. One of my favourite dishes of all time.
I fully agree that there was no ‘wow’ moment – that was also my experience on my last visit. Everything was amazing though, other than the bone left in my turbot.