Apsleys

Fine Italian cooking in a luxury setting

Apsleys, a Heinz Beck restaurant within the super posh The Lanesborough Hotel is a one Michelin starred Italian restaurant with one of the most glamourous and impressive settings in London. Heinz Beck himself runs the La Pergola at Rome Cavalieri in Italy and is the only three Michelin starred restaurant in Rome, his London outlet is currently overseen by his former protege in Heros De Agostinis. I visited Apsleys a little more than a year ago when they had a different head chef, wondering how the cooking at Apsleys had developed under a different chef, I headed back to Apsleys again on a warm Autumn evening.

The Lanesborough Hotel

Apsleys

bread

We went for the seven course tasting menu at £85 per person, the tuna and veal had a very interesting texture, meaty jelly with very tender raw tuna. The scallop went amazingly with the smoked potatoe puree, the sweet and creamy notes really hit home with the softness of the scallop and a hint of sourness from the grapefruit. Fagottelli Carbonara was silkily thin and packed with powerful flavours from the Pecorino cheese, one of the best pasta dishes for me this year. Wild sea bass was a little bit of a let down on the other hand, the fish itself was well cooked but it just didn't seem to work with the red pepper dressing which I found to be a bit weak.

canape

Tuna and veal

Scallop, liquorice, smoked potatoes puree,
fennel and pink grapefruit

Fagottelli Carbonara

Wild seabass in fine herbs crust with
sweet red pepper and ”S.Marzano”

The foie gras was a show stopper dish, it was powerful and earthy, rich in flavours and worked extremely well with the mushroom broth, it was by far the best foir gras dishes I have ever had in my life! The saddle of lamb I found just a little touch over cooked, however the flavours were definitely there, very robust and peppery from the seasoning without overpowering the lamb. The chocolate with coconut and pineapple sorbets were refreshing but lacked the extra refinement that I would expect from one of the best Italian restaurants in London. 

Wild mushrooms infusion with balsamic roasted goose foie gras

Organic “Rhug”saddle of lamb with Mediterranean flavours

lime cheesecake

Milk chocolate, coconut and pineapple sorbet

So to sum it up, I found the cooking can be absolutely amazing but at the same time there were also some very average dishes. The pasta and foie gras dishes were heavenly and close to perfection in my views, it was a real shame that the sea bass and dessert dish failed to match that level. But all in all as an overall experience, Apsleys is hard to beat when it comes to top level Italian cooking in London, plus you also get the stunning décor and five stars services to match. 

Petit four

Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 9
Value 6

£115 per head with a glass of wine

Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA

http://www.lanesborough.com/en/apsleys_restaurant_london