The Grill at The Dorchester

Christmas dinner with Zomato

Located in the The Dorchester Hotel, one of the most iconic hotels in London's Mayfair on Park Lane, The Grill offers British dishes with a touch of modern vibe. I was invited by the wonderful people from Zomato to join up for a foodies evening there. As you would expect from The Dorchester, the decor of The Grill was elegant and classy, plenty of height with traditional colours and patterns to represent the booming years of the Great British Empire.

mini lobster burgers

We were offered a special 3 course menu and started off with some canapes of mini lobster burgers followed by an amuse bounche of scallop. The lobster had a little too much mayo for my liking which covered the natural sweetness of the lobster meat. I also ordered some classic cocktails throughout the evening from the bar managed by the living cocktail legend Giuliano Morandin. My Sidecar had a perfect balance of Remy Martin, lemon juice and orange liqueur, as I would expect from the old school master.

Sidecar

I went for the duck and foie gras terrine with preserved medlars for my starter, the terrine was nicely blended, the foie gras was creamy and smooth while the duck added a meaty texture which held the terrine together, however the medlars was a little lost in the dish, the fruity and floral notes were a little too weak to contrast off the robustness from the terrine.

scallop amuse bouche

duck and foie gras terrine

For main, I had the venison, salt baked beetroot with cep mushroom. The venison itself was moist and tender but could have been a little more rare, the baked beetroot added a hint of sweetness while the cep mushroom gave the dish a soft and earthy texture. I really liked the crunchy juniper berries with the venison which delivered a nice bitter sharpness on top of such a gamey earthy dish. For choice of cocktail I went for a Hurricane to act as a plate cleaner to contrast the rich main. It was fruity and refreshing but still carried the characteristic of the aged rum.

venison, salt baked beetroot with cep mushroom

 Hurricane

I finished off the evening with hazelnut moelleux, chocolate soil with mascarpone ice cream. Sadly the moelleux was just far too rich and strong, and it completely overwhelmed other elements on the dish so that all I tasted from the soil and ice cream was nothing but texture. In contrast, the dessert cocktail I had: A Cognac Flip, was absolutely stunning, the spiciness from the Grand Champagne Cognac was carried out beautifully with the nutmeg while the cream offered a sweet and creamy finish on the palate.

hazelnut moelleux

Overall it was a very solid dinner apart from the dessert, service was of a very high standard which is as you would expect from a five star hotel, warm, friendly with a great level of knowledge. But what really impressed me the most was the cocktails provided from the team at The Dorchester Bar, all the classics were executed in such an exquisite manner with lovely presentation. A great location for whenever i'm in need for some top notch classics.

Food 5.5
Service 8
Ambience 7
* Honorable mention to the drinks: 9/10

53 Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1QA
www.dorchestercollection.com