The Ledbury

World class cuisine

The Ledbury

It has been almost over a year since I last visited the legendary Two Michelin starred The Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill. Stereotypically like most people, I do consider The Ledbury, is the best London has to offer. Brett Graham is such a supreme talent and the food at his restaurant is just pure class. It has been far too long and a re-visit was well overdue, I noticed The Ledbury had changed the format of its menu so it was the perfect excuse for me to head back.



Its set lunch menu is now a fixed four course, instead of a small choice of three, the ALC is now also a four course menu with an increase of £90 per person but remains the same for lunch. I had the set lunch menu for my very first visit and I was so impressed by it that I booked for dinner at the end of the meal. To relive the moment I opted for the set menu. Seeming like it is a popular fine dining trend, it started off with a selection of amuse bouche, the infamous bacon brioche has now been reformatted to a mini steamed bacon and onion version and it was equally impressive.

canapes

steamed bacon and onion brioche

The starter of young vegetables got us off to a solid start, both the white and green asparagus were extremely tender and smooth. Well peeled and full of natural sweetness, all finished off with some beaufort cream and spring truffle for a mild creamy and earthy finish. The wild salmon was by far my finest salmon experience, a classic flavours combination of tomato and basil with luxurious lobster sauces, the salmon itself was rich with a lovely moist texture. it was incredible, in fact more superior than a similar version of the one I had from its tasting menu one year ago, so it is great to see the kitchen's always progressing to seek perfection.

 young vegetables. beaufort cream, truffle and quali's egg

wild salmon, tomato butter, lobster and basil

And the main was just as good, the neck of lamb with turnips and garlic shoots was masterfully cooked, the meat was super tender and I just couldn't stop eating it, the salt baked turnips offered a clean and smooth texture which really went well with the lamb. I finished off with the black cherries dessert, the chocolate caramel had the perfect balance and wasn't overly sweet and the brandy did a good job to cut through the richness of the chocolate. 

neck of lamb, salt baked turnip, Ewe's milk and garlic shoots

black cherries

One year on, and the food at The Ledbury had progressed and improved, it is always nice to see a restaurant try to push forward even when it is well regarded as one of the best in the world already. Service was also outstanding, never off pace to attend our need without being stuffy and over the top. The Ledbury is truly a world class restaurant and definitely one of those places worth saving up for, I've already booked in for another visit to try out its new tasting menu and I have great confidence that it will be a spectacular experience.

Food 5/5

Executive chef: 
Brett Graham

What I paid: 
£65 with 1 glass of wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
Lunch menu: £50
Tasting menu: £115


27 Ledbury Rd, London W11 2AQ

www.theledbury.com