April 2012: London
The
Ledbury was a must-try because it was declared Number 14 at the World's
Best Restaurant Awards; or number 3 in London, following the two Heston
Blumenthal restaurants, Dinner (more on this below) and the famed Fat
Duck.
It is located all the way in Notting Hill, which I wanted to see because of Julia Roberts' plug,
not realizing that it's like traveling all the way to Merville from
Makati or Manhattan to Queens. Thankfully they have a great Underground train system, so it was
fairly easy to get to - if you can handle the few blocks walk from the
station. (By the way, there's an interesting record store just off the
station, a row of dress shops and a fabulous chocolate shop on the street of the Ledbury.)
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| Chef Brett Graham, on the left on the bottom pic - NOT the guy on the upper left with the FHM pose, haha. But everyone in the kitchen and front of house was adorable. So friendly and attentive! |
I don't usually say hi to the chef kaso mejo ikot-bra pogi ung chef dito so sige na nga! Hehehe! Mejo Next Attraction ang forehead pero pogi pa rin! "We had Thomas Keller yesterday," Mr. Graham shared. (I ate here the day after the World's Best Restaurant awards.)
The meal met expectations, with the chef creating something extraordinary out of ordinary base ingredients.
Like this dish where he uses hemp. For a minute there I was inclined to believe that Mr. Graham was a rock star not only in terms of looks but also by way of bad habits. Hemp with foie gras pate - take about a special starter! Did not realize that the UK had legalized marijuana ;) Alas, it's all wholesome. It is a spectacular dish balancing salty and sweet, nonetheless. The kind that will have you at hello. But that's another movie ...
He escalates his creativity with quail eggs that are topped with again, something curious, something sweet, you have to ask what it is. It's "katafi pastry flakes".
He offers these beautifully cooked scallops.
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| paper art - almost! |
Most popular is the pigeon confit. Amazing how the chef squeezes all the meat out of this bony baby. Also loved how he made a fine dining dish out of what we would eat on the street: heart, liver and wing on a stick.
You can have the not-so-street food with wine, by the way. A very down-to-earth sommelier offers wine pairings.
I capped my meal with this lemon leaf ice cream with crushed and burnt meringue. So summery yet so elegant.
And finally the thank-you-for-coming petit four for a sweet goodbye.
PS. Even if the place is high-brow, the kind for business meetings and ladies who lunch, the staff are not condescending at all, very welcoming.
Love.
The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 2AQ
+44 (0) 20 7792 9090
+44 (0) 20 7792 9090
