A Ritzy Meal

Saturday, March 07th , 2020

 

I had another very fine meal at The Ritz, my first visit there this year. Stand out dishes were their langoustines in herb nage, as well as superb salt-baked celeriac with black truffle sauce (pictured), which is the dish that should convince anyone that vegetable dishes need not be dull. The tasting menu also featured a ballotine of duck liver, venison with beetroot and two excellent desserts, including a superb chocolate souffle. The food element of the bill was a steal, though the wine list is aggressively priced. Still, nowhere in London is currently cooking better food than this. 

I also had a pleasant meal at Sam’s Riverside, but as this was a birthday celebration with friends I wasn’t really in “review” mode. Suffice it to say that beef tartare was as good as on my previous visit, and that a rhubarb souffle was excellent, being light and airy and evenly cooked. This restaurant is a definite step up from its predecessor in Chiswick, for the simple reason that it has a much better chef. Its location looking out over the river will doubtless cause it to prosper as the weather gets warmer, but it is already doing a roaring trade. 

The Michelin guide to Germany came out. A new 3 star in Berlin called Rutz was added, and 7 new 2 stars. Germany now has 10 three star restaurants, 43 two stars and 255 one stars.