Beauty in the Details

I long admire the work of Chef Anne-Sophie Pic so we made plan to eat at her restaurant in London one afternoon. The restaurant was one of the dining outlets of Four Seasons London at Ten Trinity Square, a relatively new hotel converted from an old building (formerly of Port of London Authority built over a century ago). A quick 2-minute walk from the nearest Tube Station (Tower Hill) I was right in front of this gorgeous building with magnificent facade completed with huge columns and the stair entrance facing the River Thames.

The restaurant was located on the side of the hotel, through the lobby and around the rotunda, which has been decorated in red with Christmas trees for the festive season at the time of our visit. The restaurant decor was relaxed and contemporary, with high ceiling, pillars fitted with tinted mirrors and the white floor tiles to create a sense of spaciousness, a touch of brass railing and tanned leather couches and seats added to the luxury feel, fittingly for a hotel and restaurant of such caliber. My only complaint would be some tables seem to be tight to each other, so probably not the perfect venue if you engage in sensitive conversation or if you are looking for some privacy.

We went for the 4 course set lunch option, which seems to provide the best value during the afternoon service, as opposed to the 4 to 8 course tasting menus which were available both lunch and dinner. Chef Anne-Sophie didn't run the day-to-day of the kitchen at this restaurant but her touch was evident, with the delicate, playful and attention to detail style she's known for in all her 5 restaurants stretching over 4 countries and 2 continents.

Flower was the theme as our lunch began with a bread basket with a flower-shaped clarified butter infused with sake lees followed by a lighter-than-air slice of dehydrated beetroot flower. My first course of cuttlefish followed the same traits of colorful presentation with poached cuttlefish and celeriac cut into thin ribbons (like tagliatelle) and dressed with clementine in bits and fluid gel, edible tagette flower petals, sea urchin rouille and topped with young shiso leaves. The flavor was subtle compared to the floral aroma, but I liked the texture - creamy with a bite from both the cuttlefish and the celeriac.

The Berlingots is an unique dish created by Chef Anne-Sophie which is available in all her restaurants with local adaptations. The "pasta parcels" were wrapped like candies and filled with the creamy British Baron Bigod Cheese. On top was sautéed seasonal wild mushrooms and it’s finished with a rustic woodruff, barley and roasted hazelnut consommé. The slight sweetness of the pasta worked well to contrast the rich, earthy flavor form the mushrooms and broth. I like the porcelain dish it’s served in too – adding to the sense of rustiness with the irregular piece.

I chose fish as my main course. A piece of stonebass fillet was finished on the grill skin-on, and served with smoked beetroot shaped as flowers. On the side was grapefruit fluid gel and a hibiscus emulsion sauce. Normally I hesitated with beetroot being the major part of a dish, but this time, I thought it worked well with intertwining smokiness and sweetness from various ingredients. Fish was perfectly cooked too with excellent texture.

We passed up on the add-on option for her signature white millefeuille dessert and opted for the other 2 on the menu. Like my chocolate “tart” with passionfruit sorbet and custard espuma infused with IPA and passion berry. And the pair of marshmallows as petit fours were a nice touch too, especially the hazelnut one.

We went for the wine pairing option of the menu with a couple of glasses picked by the sommelier. Started with a bottle from the Southern Rhone Valley with floral nose and slight minerals, and followed with an interesting gewürztraminer-riesling blend from Oregon – dry, rounded and creamy with a bit of floral aroma. Wine’s called “Big Salt” but no, not a lot of minerals as one would expect from the name.

Overall I thought the meal was lovely with interesting combination of seasonal ingredients, playful but not over the top, and the dishes were definitely beautiful with the impressive level of details which we enjoyed.

More photos here: www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157712113263136. Here's the rest of the trip: https://g4gary.blogspot.com/search/label/London%20Winter%20Trip%202019

When? November 28 2019
Where? La Dame de Pic, Four Seasons London, 10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ, UK
Menu Highlights? Berlingots: Pasta Parcels with Baron Bigod Cheese, Seasonal Wild Mushrooms, Woodruff, Barley and Roasted Hazelnut Consomme
Drinks?
2017 Chateau Unang Ventoux AOC
2018 Ovum "Big Salt" Oregon White Table Wine
Web:
www.ladamedepiclondon.co.uk
www.fourseasons.com/tentrinity/dining/restaurants/la-dame-de-pic-london/