Sherlock’s Bar & Grill Marylebone
108 Baker Street Marylebone, London W1U 6LJ
020 7486 6161
www.parkplazasherlockholmes.com/
The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes
In a post Xmas haze my interest was piqued by The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel’s restaurant Sherlock’s Bar & Grill 500 calorie 3 course meal offer and when an invite arrived to sample it I was happy to oblige. Could 500 calories really be spread over three courses and would they be tiny? This was the mystery that we were hoping to solve.
I say I was happy to oblige but in reality this meant my dining partner Dr Watson-sorry I meant to say Fiona from London-Unattached .com-was doing the obliging going for the Lo Cal option whilst I went for the Hi Cal full fat menu-well I had been for a run that morning.
We opened our investigation over a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Vidal Estate. New Zealand. (£32) which was crisp and floral with an Elderflower nose and distinct Melon note which we decided wouldn’t count as real calories as it was liquid…
Fiona opted for the new Fitness Menu which is priced rather reasonably at £15 for two courses and £18 for three. I’m not sure if the title Fitness Menu isn’t a bit of a misnomer as I’m not convinced that eating exercises anything than the muscles in your mouth however I experimented with some of the Linseed and Soda Bread that appeared which both had good texture and flavour and felt a distinct tightening of the abs.
Butternut and Chestnut soup
Butternut and Chestnut soup (£5) was heavier on the butternut with a hint of rosemary but the standout starter was Fiona’s Mushroom and truffle oil soup which had an intense mushroom flavour with a deep richness coming from the truffle oil. Delicious and low in calories. What’s not to like?
Mushroom and truffle oil soup
The next leg of Fiona’s culinary Triathlon was Grilled Salmon Fillet with Celeriac Remoulade. Tiger Prawns and Cherry tomato dressing. This was a straightforward plate of food. A decent slab of salmon that was properly cooked and although the Remoulade dressing was rather lacking in mustardy bite , the celeriac was fresh and appropriately crunchy .
Grilled Salmon Fillet with Celeriac Remoulade.
For my mains I chose Whole Red Snapper. Chilli and coriander butter. Cherry tomato on vine (£19). Red Snapper is a staple of Caribbean cooking and isn’t often found on European menus which is a shame as it is a terrific fish. This was perfect. The skin was nicely seared on the grill and the flesh was firm and tasty.
Whole Red Snapper. Chilli and coriander butter.
For desserts we took the fig option. Fiona’s Marsala Poached Figs with Vanilla Flavoured Ricotta was let down by the ricotta which tasted more like cottage cheese and might have been better replaced with a Lo fat Greek yoghurt or by just letting the fig stand on its own. My Upside Down Fig Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream (£5.50) was really a fig tatin with good vanilla ice cream and was satisfying in very high calorie way.
Upside Down Fig Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream
The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes is not particularly trendy but very comfortable and there is some very solid cooking going on in the kitchen. The 3 course Fitness Menu is a really well put together option for anyone watching their weight and much more fun than Pizza Express’ Leggera Pizza which is also 500 calories (for a pizza with a whole in the middle….). Fiona had clearly lost a dress size or two by the end and yet had enjoyed a good lunch. As for me, well… I think I’ll be going for another run.
The Hedonist was a guest of the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes.
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