Some Old Favourites

Saturday, May 29th , 2021

 

I began my return to dining out in some style this week. Sola in Soho has been awarded a Michelin star and has used the lockdown well to develop new dishes and seriously upgrade its ingredients. Through the course of a tasting menu there was a particularly superb scallop and a huge and perfectly cooked langoustine amongst many elaborate and carefully prepared dishes.

The Ritz is the best fine dining restaurant in London, and with a reduced number of tables it feels even more opulent. The classical French food is as superb as ever, with a particularly good veal sweetbread dish and flawless chocolate souffle being amongst the highlights. The large kitchen brigade has the resources to produce very time-consuming dishes that few (any?) London kitchens can match, and the effort really shows here. I also like the tableside theatre that occurs, for example with the flambeed pigeon jus at this meal. The Ritz is a real joy to eat at.  

Next week I will venture off the tube network. I have barely left Chiswick since October so this will count as quite an adventure.