Hibiscus

Remarkable fine dinning experience in London

This is my 3rd visit to the lovely double Michelin starred Hibiscus in the quiet Maddox Street, just off the busy Regent Street, about 5 minutes walk away from Oxford Circus Station. I booked the Toptable offer this time around which for £49, you get four courses and a glass of wine. This is very good value for dinner in a Michelin restaurant at London. And since it is still only January, I want to go a bit easy for my wallet!
(Sorry about the low quality of my photos, I decided not to use flash on my camera as I did not want to distract other diners!!!)

The downside of Hibiscus for me in the past has always been the rather dull décor with the odd colour choice, but on arrive this time this is not the case any more  the wall colour has been changed to a lovely eye pleasing blue and the serving table in the middle has been reduce to create more space. These little changes really lifted the restaurant up and it really seem much more lively than what it used to be.

So on to the food, started off with some lovely stuffed cheese amuse bouche and some quality bread. Crispy on the skin and soft in the middle as it should be, really enjoyed it and had to stop myself eating too many otherwise I would be too full for the desert! The first course was a really interesting broken egg shell, wonderful wired with dash of meat and oily texture, remind me of some oriental sesame based dish I had in the past.

The starter, salad of Devonshire crab, ginger, smoked olive oil cream was a refreshing dish, the olive oil cream was an interesting idea and the ginger added a hint of spices, however the crab salad itself is a little blank, there weren't any delicate flavours, however when putting all the whole dish together it tasted very refreshing and light, a decent starter overall.

 Salad of Devonshire crab, ginger, smoked olive oil cream

I suggested the slowed cooked veal cheeks, roast chervil root and crispy smoked eel for my friend's main. I had that on my last visit, this is truly an amazing dish. The veal cheeks were cooked to perfection, just melt in your mouth with the rich and delightful flavours, the crispy smoked eel and nut added a little crunchy texture which really balance out the softness of the vegetable and the veal, this is one of the best meat dish I experienced.

Slowed cooked veal cheeks, roast chervil root and crispy smoked eel

For my main I had the roasted Cornish cod, pomelo, wild mushroom orzo, langoustine and parmesan sauce. Really enjoyed it, cod was beautifully cooked sitting on top of layers of lovely Mediterranean flavours, everything were well balanced and mixed together. My only little criticism is the cod was a little too salty and I would prefer a little less salt to release more the natural flavour of the cod, but overall it was a very good dish.

Roasted Cornish cod, pomelo, wild mushroom orzo, langoustine and parmesan sauce

And it just kept getting better, the Desert: Sweet potato cheesecake, Clementine meringue. Gosh it was a stunning desert, the texture, the balance were executed to perfection, one of the best desert I had so far. And who thought sweet potato can produce such a lovely dish! It was just so smart and brilliant. Finished the meal with my favour petit four in London, the sweet ginger pastry and the wonderful chocolate bubbles blocks were just the perfect match to end the meal on a high.

 Sweet potato cheesecake, Clementine meringue

Yet another quality meal at Hibiscus, service was spot on and Claude Bosi himself came to greet us at the end. We had a good chat and it was nice to know a bit more about his upcoming Malt House project in Fulham, it will be interesting to see what it is like compare to Harwood Arms just down the road. But back to Hibiscus, totally worth its 2 stars, apart from the starter the rest were really top notch, I will return in the near future. I highly recommend it, if price is an issue, there is always the excellent value lunch deal, which is an absolute bargain and a good way to experience what 2 stars Michelin can offer.


Food 7.5
Service 7
Ambience 6
Value 7

£75 per head

Hibiscus
29 Maddox St, London, 
Greater London W1S 2PA

www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk