• About The Hedonist
  • Bar Talk-Where we’re drinking
    • The Polo Bar @ The Westbury
    • Pink Chihuahua
    • 69 Colebrooke Row – Review
    • The Bar at the George V Paris – Review
    • Duke’s Bar – Review
    • Bassoon Bar – Review
    • Banca – Review
    • THE EGERTON HOUSE BAR -Review
    • The Lucky Pig – Review
    • Beagle – Review
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • London Restaurant Reviews
    • Caractère – Review Notting Hill
    • Patri – Review
    • Villa di Geggiano – Review
    • African Volcano @  Great Guns Social  
    • Beso – Review
    • Padella – Review
    • 28°-50° London Wine Workshop and Kitchen – Review
    • The Goring – Review
    • Freakscene – Review
    • CUB – Review
    • Tsukiji Sushi – Review
    • COYA Angel Court – Review
    • Nutbourne – Review
    • Galvin Bistrot de Luxe – Review
    • Palatino – Review
    • Lao Café – Review
    • Galvin at The Athenaeum – Review
    • 7 Park Place – Review
    • QP London – Review
    • Cinnamon Bazaar – Review
    • Chinese New Year @ Hakkasan
    • Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – Review
    • The Ritz @ Xmas – Review
    • Coriander – Review
    • El Parador – Review
    • Inamo – Review
    • Ostuni – Review
    • Chai Wu – Review
    • Shotgun BBQ – Review
    • Ormer Mayfair – Review
    • Review-The Angler
    • The Harcourt – Review
    • Pizzicotto – Review
    • The Painted Heron – Review
    • All Star Lanes – Review
    • Kurobuta Harvey Nichols – Review
    • Bangalore Express – Review
    • Zero Degrees – Review
    • Chakra – Review
    • Cottons Caribbean Restaurant and Salon de Rhum – Review
    • Lotus – Review
    • Charlotte’s W5 – Review
    • Massimo – Review
    • Brasserie Les 110 de Taillevent – Review
    • The Dalloway Terrace @ The Bloomsbury hotel – Review
    • Plum + Spilt Milk – Review
    • Bella Cosa – Review
    • Roka Aldwych – Review (with Bookatable)
    • Brasserie Gustave – Review
    • Muga – Review
    • Barrafina – Review
    • Charlotte’s Place – Review
    • The New St Grill – Review
    • The Lockhart – Review
    • Kêu – Review
    • The Richmond – Review
    • Allan Pickett @ Sanderson – Review
    • Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea @ The InterContinental London
    • Tartufi & Friends @ Harrods – Review
    • The Five Fields – Review
    • West Thirty Six – Review
    • Evoluzione @ Hotel Xenia Kensington – Review
    • Rex & Mariano – Review
    • Kitchen Table @ Bubbledogs – Review
    • John Doe – Review
    • Ceru – Review
    • Kouzu – Review
    • Enoteca Rabezzana – Review
    • Old Tom & English – Review
    • The Wallace – Review
    • Zaika – Review
    • Xmas at Boulestin – Review
    • Crocker’s Folly – Review
    • The Cavendish – Review
    • Laurent-Perrier at The New Angel – Review
    • Assado – Review
    • The Life Goddess – Review
    • Bubba Gump Shrimp Co – Review
    • Ember Yard – Review
    • The Palomar – Review
    • Blanchette – Review
    • Cannizaro House – Review
    • 1901 Restaurant at Andaz – Review
    • Notting Hill Kitchen – Review
    • The Guildford Arms – Review
    • Curry for Change @ Cafe Spice Namaste
    • Chotto Matte – Review
    • Lyle’s – Review
    • The Clove Club – Review
    • Quo Vadis – Review
    • Polpetto – Review
    • Osteria dell Angelo – Review
    • Amsterdam-Johannes Restaurant – Review
    • The Worlds End Market – Chelsea
    • Brigade Bar & Bistro- Review
    • La Polenteria – Review
    • Mele e Pere – Review
    • La Mancha – Review
    • The Well – Review
    • Harrods The Salad Kitchen – Review
    • Layla – Review
    • See Sushi – Review
    • Pescatori Mayfair – Review
    • Flesh & Buns – Review
    • Grain Store – Review
    • Acciuga – Review
    • Pizza Pilgrims – Review
    • Les Trois Garcons – Review
    • Little Social – Review
    • Review-Ametsa with Arzak Instruction
    • Review-Balthazar
    • Reviews-Brasserie Zedel
    • Review-Copita
    • Review-Hawksmoor Air St.
    • The Glasshouse – Review
    • Review-Coya
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • Travel
    • Tuscany
      • Tuscany-A Florentine Feast with Anna Bini
      • Tuscany-Olive Oil Pressing in Pistoia-Olio Nuovo
      • Tuscany-Pecorino and Ricotta from the Pistoia Hills
  • Music
    • When A Gig Goes Wrong – Pop Music’s Hall of Shame
  • Follow me on Twitter

The Hedonist

The Clove Club – Review

June 9, 2014 by Adrian Leave a Comment

The Clove Club                        Shoreditch                                                 

Follow @Hedonisttweets

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, London EC1V 9LT
020 7729 6496/thecloveclub.com/
CLOVE CLUB EXT

The Clove Club is the love child of chef Isaac McHale, a chef who first came to prominence as one of the trio of ‘Young Turks’ who first hit the culinary scene with their popup above The Ten Bells pub. His latest venture is the The Clove Club which is situated in the former Shoreditch Town Hall.

CLOVE CLUB KITCHEN 1

The room has high ceilings, white walls and wooden floors and tables with McHale cutting a burly bespectacled figure at the pass. There is a separate bar area offering a simplified menu but I chose to go for the non-negotionable five course tasting menu (£55) that somehow morphed into an eight course feast. Unusually I wasn’t in the mood for a big drink but a glass of Portuguese Loureiro 2012 Aphros Vinho Verde (£6) with its citrus and tropical fruit notes was a good set up for the meal.

CLOVE CLUB 7
A dish of radishes, gochuchang and black sesame was a contrast of texture and taste. The cruel crunch of the radish was soothed by the Korean curry emulsion (more like a spicy Marie Rose sauce than anything) then taunted by the sardonic wit of the sesame.
CLOVE CLUB 6
The second of the trio of amuses brought together a beautiful tartare of wild Irish trout with a dried cep tart that was bursting with flavour. The finale amuse was a Tokyo turnip, sunflower and mint roll which had a soft but crunchy texture with hints of the sunflower and mint flavours melding with the milder vegetal root element.
Hot crusty malty bread came with home made butter. It is a new trend for bread to be served as a ‘course’ rather than before the meal.
CLOVE CLUB POLLEN
Wild Irish pollan, tarragon salt, horseradish, and fried shallot.  The delicately flavoured pollan is similar to a char. It had been slow baked at 80 degrees for one hour in a lot of butter then served with a horseradish creme fraiche and a fried shallot. I love how the delicate use of horseradish can add a subtly perfumed note to a dish.
CLOVE CLUB 4
An unexpected bonus was the pollan bone that came deep-fried. Its salty crunch provided a great contrast to the previous dish.
CLOVE CLUB 3
Monkfish came with white asparagus and morels, cinnamon and curry leaf. The fish was firm but not rubbery in texture and was interestingly framed by the cinnamon foam, juicy morels and the chlorophyll hit of the curry leaf reduction.
CLOVE CLUB 2
Roast parsley root, perigord truffles white polenta and hazelnut grilled chanterelles. The creamy porridge of the polenta provided a nourishing base for the rich autumnal flavours of the roast parsley root, chanterelles and truffles.
CLOVE CLUB 1
The Amalfi lemon cream was made with a thickener rather alarmingly called ‘Thick and Easy’ and served with a black pepper ice cream (the cream base is poured briefly over peppercorns) . It was refreshing with a mild bite of pepper. The charming waitress then brought me a complimentary glass of Moscato d’Asti, a sweet white fizz with that delicious moscatel grape taste as I obviously looked as if I needed another drink.
CLOVE CLUB FENNEL GRANITA
A wonderfully aniseed wild fennel granita arrived topped with the crunch of a ewe’s milk crisp (made like meringue then dehydrated) and a warm blood orange mousse. Finally an apple Tarte Tatin was a perfect blend of the caramelised fruit with great vanilla ice cream.
This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. It combined creativity, precision and subtlety with great technique. The Clove Club has just vaulted into the San Pellegrino Top 100 Restaurants in the world at number 87 and justifiably so. Go.

The Clove Club on Urbanspoon

Square Meal

Les Trois Garcons – Review

May 18, 2013 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Les Trois Garçons                                              Shoreditch

Follow @Hedonisttweets

1 Club Row, Shoreditch, E1 6JX
020 7613 1924/www.lestroisgarcons.com
IMG_2194
I’m not someone who uses Groupon vouchers. The thought of indoor kayaking whilst having my chest hairs depilated has never really appealed. But one of my regular lunch partners Fiona from London Unattached was asked by Groupon to review their service and she chose the restaurant  Les Trois Garçons for that task.
IMG_2197
I had been to the restaurant not long after it had opened in 2000 for a private event but only had a faint memory of the place, so I was keen to return.  I had been struck by its quirky interior-stuffed tigers and hanging handbags displayed in a reconditioned Victorian pub-more than its food. Of course back at the turn of the century the trendification of Shoreditch had hardly begun and the Old Blue Last Pub wasn’t a venue for rock n roll wannabes but a proper East End boozer with bands on the weekend.
IMG_2199
The Groupon deal was £60 for two for a six course tasting menu marked down 50% from the regular £120. The manager explained to us that he didn’t like to run Groupon all the time and that when he did it was just to fill the restaurant early on in the evening to create some atmosphere.
IMG_2202
I started with the White asparagus salad dressed with apple, Mousseline of white asparagus and tarragon tuile. This was a well composed dish.  The mousseline had a really delicate flavour and was complemented by the crunch of the tarragon tuile, the sweetness of the white asparagus and the acid crunch of the apple.
IMG_2203
Fiona chose Foie Gras cured in Sauternes and cooked au torchon with brioche.  The Foie Gras was very smooth and delicious with her accompanying glass Sauternes.
As I was driving I stuck to a zingy glass of Marlborough 2011 Eradus Sauvignon Blanc with
a grapefruit and lemon nose and peach and melon notes.
IMG_2204
Seared Scottish Scallops with a gratin of Jerusalem artichokes and chestnuts. Kumquat chutney and roe crackers-
The scallops were perfectly cooked, seared on the outside but still soft but oversalted.  The  artichoke and chestnut gratin was warm and comforting. I’m slightly obsessive about chestnuts and this worked for me
Asian cassoulet of butter beans, broad beans and radish, monkfish tail seared with Lap Cheung sausage with a lemon verbena sauce

Asian cassoulet of butter beans, broad beans and radish, monkfish tail seared with Lap Cheung sausage with a lemon verbena sauce

This was another strong dish. The monkfish was surprisingly tender and the broad beans and radish gave textural variety with the ensemble perfumed by the lemon verbena.
IMG_2206
My next course was from the vegetarian menu and was bland and not particularly interesting. Cannelloni of pumpkin, goat’s curd and pine nuts, with Swiss chard and roasted tomato sauce.
IMG_2207
Fiona’s last savoury course was Spice cured venison fillet served with braised venison Won Tons, Savoy Cabbage, potato rosti,  beetroot purée and Szechuan pepper jus.  The meat was really good quality and not overdone with the pepper giving it a bit of bite.
IMG_2209
Frozen coconut nougat with passion fruit coulis was a fun way to finish. Coconut and passion fruit-what’s not to like?
Then the bill arrived. Service had been charged not on what Fiona had already paid to Groupon, but on what the service would have costed if the full charge had been implemented jacking it up considerably. So if you buy through Groupon and are on a budget, read the small print!
Les Trois Garçons has worn pretty well and  is a fun space to eat in. The level of the food is consistently good without ever reaching any great heights. The Groupon deal is good value if you choose it but  make sure you know what you will end up paying.

Square Meal

Les Trois Garcons on Urbanspoon

Tags

Acciuga Belgravia Brighton Bruno Loubet Camden Chelsea Chiswick Cocktails Covent Garden Curry D@D Fitzrovia Gallery Mess gin Hackney Harrison's Harrods Hoxton Indian Islington Italian Japanese Kensington King's Rd London London-Unattached Marylebone Mayfair Namaaste Kitchen Negroni Notting Hill pan-asian Peru Peruvian Pizza Restaurant sake Sam's Shoreditch Sloane Square Soho tapas The Hedonist The Saatchi Gallery Tony Conigliaro

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in