KOPAPA CAFÉ AND RESTAURANT 32-34 Monmouth Street Seven Dials WC2H 9HA 020 7240 6076 by Will Vaughan
Covent Garden and Leicester Square has long been a restaurant-goer’s no-man’s land. That is, until now, because fusion supremo Peter Gordon has opened Kopapa, situated conveniently on Monmouth Street, moments from the Donmar and the Royal Opera House.
Kopapa is a buzzy place full of international types who are unlikely to be fazed by a menu peppered with such curiosities as almond skordalia, or coconut and gapi salad. There are ‘Quick bites’ to whet the appetite like smoky babaganoush and olives, steamed edamame and grilled chorizo.
My companion and I selected four of the small tapas plates, signature features of Gordon’s menu. Char-grilled aubergine with tamarind caramel, coriander, pickled ginger & za’atar (£5.60) was squishy and moreish with a good balance between sweet and savoury elements. Sesame-infused tuna tartare (£6.00) was less good, the fish being minced and rather slippery-tasting, and suffered from bearing an unfortunate resemblance to the aubergine dish that had been such a success.
A vegetarian main of spiced pumpkin borek (£11.50) — a sort of light Middle Eastern pasty — served with green beans and salty feta cheese, was mellow and fragrant with the warming properties of a freshly-baked turnover, lifted by a dollop of seasoned yoghurt that cut through the sweetness of the squash.
Poached spiced quince with mascarpone and a pavlova roulade were reminders of Gordon’s skill with sweets and what he charmingly refers to as the ‘tea trolley’. (Excellent date scones and muffins are served when the restaurant opens for breakfast weekdays at 8 a.m., and weekends 10 a.m.)
Peter Gordon has injected much-needed life into an area which unaccountably has been failing to deliver when it comes to food and leads the new smattering of West End restaurant offerings from established chefs.
CIGALON 115 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1PP 020 7242 8373 by Johnny Ray
It’s light and airy, all right, with something of a lavender thing going on. The merry-go-round banquettes are lavender, as too are the matching braces and ties of the waiting staff. It’s Provençal, see, and despite the leaden skies we’re to feel as if we’re in southern France rather than drear Holborn.
I’m the only guy in here not in a suit or tie, which says more about Cigalon’s actual locale of Chancery Lane than it does about its imagined one. The food, though, does far more than décor or dress in transporting me down south.
My veal carpaccio (£8) is hardly what you might call filling, but is meltingly fresh and tasty. My date’s mackerel escabeche is tongue-tinglingly robust and vigorous and I’m allowed to wipe her empty plate with a slice of warm bread to suck in the juices.
Mains of succulent roast rabbit leg with Swiss chard (£14.50) and gloopily unctuous lamb tripe and trotter stew (£12.50) are even better, although I reckon £3 is a bit steep for the tiniest of side orders of sautéed greens. I forgive the £3.50 for the side order of Jerusalem artichokes, bacon and chestnut casserole because it’s quite simply the tastiest, most moreish thing I’ve eaten in months, possibly years.
Full marks, too, for their quirky wine list. Our waitress’s suggestion of 2001 Marsanne from the Collines Rhodaniennes is spot on and encourages us to skip pud in favour of some luscious Corsican Muscat.
The sun bursts through as we leave, warming the garrigue and maquis of Holborn, and I fancy I hear cicadas.
DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL Mandarin Oriental 66 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7LA 020 7235 2000 by Lucinda Baring
The anticipation was huge: Heston Blumenthal’s first new restaurant in 16 years, situated in one of the grandest of London’s grand old dames, the Mandarin Oriental. Now the jury has voted and the verdict is unanimous: this is a flipping GREAT restaurant.
Dinner is not a London version of the Fat Duck. Heston has left his kitchen chemistry behind and turned to history: every dish is inspired by an old English recipe dating as far back as the 13th century, reproduced with modern skill and Heston’s wizardry.
My husband’s salamugundy (1720) was a combination of the most succulent chicken oysters and bone marrow cut through with horseradish cream, while my hay-smoked mackerel (1730) had a fabulously smoky flavour set off by a tart lemon salad. Of our main courses, the exceptionally tender spiced pigeon with ale (1780) triumphed over the powdered duck with smoked fennel (1670) but in fairness, both were faultless.
And so to the Tipsy Cake (1810): slivers of smoky pineapple roasted on a Tudor spit, served with cinnamon-infused sugary brioche. Anywhere else, what is effectively a pineapple sponge cake would seem outdated and naff; here it is brilliantly inventive and definitely the queen of desserts. The sinful chocolate bar (1730), shot though with a bit of citrusy passion fruit in the middle, comes in a strong second.
My only complaint is about the restaurant itself. It’s a vast improvement on Foliage, the dated and dreary French restaurant that was sited here before: the pulsating open kitchen offers fascinating glimpses of the magicians at work and the ceilings have been raised to bring in more light and better views of the park. But the room is big and open, with no quiet corners or cosy nooks. If your dinner date is a dangerous liaison, perhaps book elsewhere. Everyone else, book now: you might get a table in July.
RESTAURANT LE MEURICE 228 rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, Paris +33 1 44581010 lemeurice.com by Margaret Kemp
Restaurant Le Meurice, recently given a make-over by Philippe Starck, is a mini version of the glitzy Salon de la Paix, Château de Versailles. The kitchens are headed by delicious Yannick Alleno, the three-star Michelin chef with rock-star looks whose ‘locavore’ menus bring products from farm to table, using 90 per cent local ingredients. It’s a showcase for Terroir Parisien, the book Alleno worked on for two years with Jean-Claude Ribaud, Le Monde’s uber food-critic. ‘I am obsessed with the idea of reawakening forgotten Parisian recipes,’ he says.
On Alleno-designed tableware, we begin with eel tart Parisian style, herb coulis and watercress from Serge Barberon, ‘cressi-culteur’ at Méreville. The tart has a smokey flavour, and sits well with the pinot noir Gevrey Chambertin — Les Evocelles 2005 (€25 a glass, €150 bottle). It’s suggested by Estelle Touzet, the savvy Chef Sommelier, who heads a team of five, nurturing 30,000 bottles: 1,100 references are noted on the silver Starck-designed wine card. Touzet’s monthly tastings, for which Alleno creates orgasmic mini-dishes, are eagerly awaited. Coming soon Germany, California and the Languedoc, as well as an introduction to different grape varietals.
The main is slow-cooked braised beef mironton and cabbage, stuffed with tiny vegetables, a drizzle of beef consommé. The beef is aged by hip Paris butcher Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec, slogan: ‘love me tender.’
Cheese, from Marie Quatrehomme, could be a soft curd from Villetain Farm, sandwiched into lacy wafers, flavoured with a dab of squid juice. Sip Chateauneuf du Pape blanc 2008 Le Vieux Donjon (€25 glass, €170 bottle).
Dessert, created by Camille Lesecq, the award-winning pastry chef, is vanilla poached pear and ‘Miel Béton’ honey with a delicate side of rice pudding and Parisian butter ice cream. Lesecq admits ideas come to him as he rollerblades around Paris, discovering little pastry shops. Both he and Alleno agree, it’s the element of surprise they’re after. Le Meurice is a triumph, an exciting experience of culinary craftsmanship. I left understanding why UNESCO added French cuisine to its Heritage list.
Restaurant le meurice Belle Etoile Royal Suite. Dinner on the terrace
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