The Ledbury, a reprise, Notting Hill

Venison balls

During our week off in early June, Becks and I decided to book lunch at The Ledbury after our beautiful meal there three years ago (is it really that long?).

The service had the same relaxed but incredibly attentive vibe and the food was of course excellent again. My highlights being the crab and tomato soup, the guinea fowl thigh from the main and the Sauternes cream dessert. 

Last time we had wine by the glass, but this time we decided to share the the wine pairings. (I generally avoid the matching wines as they leave me wasted and take away my enjoyment of the food.) There were some unusual selections in the paired wines, enabling us to try some things we'd never have chosen for ourselves and they all matched the food brilliantly.

Entertainment came from the table next to us who were out celebrating a birthday. The daughter was down from Leeds Uni for the day and was proudly telling the rest of the family about her extensive international travel plans. Does she do any studying? Where does the money come from? All the father wanted to make sure was they the chef knew he considered his main course "historic".

The food and service may have been as excellent as the first time, but some standards are slipping at The Ledbury: the gents' loos no longer have Aesop hand wash and moisturiser. What is a man to do?

Crab and tomato soup

Sourdough

Stream broccoli with mussells and a mussell bisque

Guinea fowl with white asparagus and almonds

Sauterne cream with apricots and an apricot ice cream

Petit fours and mint tea

The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Rd
London
W11 2AQ

Restaurant Review: The Ledbury, Notting Hill

Petits Fours served at The Ledbury

Days off work for filled with wistful dreaming, wonderful food, delightful company and drifting round art galleries, are a glorious things.  I was lucky enough to have once such day a few Friday’s ago.

The dreaming started in a local architects office. I’m currently less hopeful my dreams will turn into a reality, but at the time it was terribly exciting.

The wonderful food came in the form of lunch at The Ledbury in London’s Notting Hill. 

When we knew we were having a day off work, we decided to look for a lunch offer at one of London’s best restaurants. As I learnt at Marque in Sydney, lunches are where you can collect stars on the cheap.

It was the service at The Ledbury which has left me with the longest lasting memory since our visit. Just as you’d expect in a fine diner the service was attentive. Someone was always on hand, without being over bearing. The staff were respectively formal, but once we engaged them in conversation, were very happy to chat about their favourite vineyards in New Zealand or whether Melbourne or Sydney is the better city in which to live. (The antipodean influences at the restaurant clearly extend out of the kitchen.)

My favourite moment came when the sommelier directed me to the bathrooms with a gesture that can only be described as coming out of the High School Musical handbook. It wasn’t a mere point, but a whole arm gesture.

There were small touches of theatre in the food too. The clay baked beetroot was brought to our table before being served to show that it really was clay baked. A burnt tongue from earlier in the week stopped me appreciating the food to the fullest, but the quality was evident despite my reduced taste buds. It was fabulous to sit back and enjoy the food over several restful hours.

Appetisers at The Ledbury

'Risotto' of celeriac and new potato with smoked eel and parsley

Beetroot baked in clay with fresh curd, dried olives and pickled walnuts

Cornish seabass with roasted cauliflower, winkles and cockles

Haunch of Muntjac with hispi cabbage, new potatoes baked in hay and juniper cream

Passion fruit soufle with Sauternes ice cream £10

Brown sugar tart with muscat grapes and stem ginger ice cream 

We were given this dessert as they mistakenly thought we were celebrating a birthday. It looked like quite a few tables had complimentary desserts, so I think it might be one of their things.

Warm tapioca with vanilla and Yorkshire rhubarb

Beignets dusted with kaffir lime

The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill
W11 2AQ