Bluebird – Chelsea, Sunday 14th February, 2010

You give a guy a break… Any hardened followers among you may remember I stopped in at Bluebird with Mike last summer, which I touched on during my Good Steak / Bad Steak piece. Being one of the more affordable Valentine’s Day menus on offer, I decided to risk it again on that not-so-special-yet-so-franchised day of the year.

The menu wasn’t massively adventurous, but had enough on it to peak our attention, and a few dishes leapt out at us pretty promptly. We decided we just had to have the Beef Wellington for mains, but then made the interesting choice of trying the vegetarian lasagne alongside it. (For all my meat-loving tendencies, I cannot resist mushrooms and truffles.)

We began with a seafood salad not dissimilar to the crayfish effort Mike and I had tried previously. It was fresh, crisp and served with a tangy sauce. It wasn’t top-end but it was pretty good. A ballotine of foie gras was the other, and was actually very good. I suppose one advantage of eating so very much liver pâté is that you can begin to differentiate between the varieties out there.

Main courses were a strange affair. It turned out the Wellington was hardly worth bothering with. Ironically, Mike and I had tried to make our own version of this classic some time ago and it had turned out a relative disaster. This wasn’t much better. Chunks of mushy herbs and unpronounced truffles packed in around a pasty pastry surround left the beef essentially redundant. Not a dish I’d care to repeat, in my kitchen or this place. Fortunately the lasagne was more satisfying, served with fresh green salad.

Dessert was a chocolate assortment for two. It was quite sweet (in every sense) with its chocolate mousse, fondant and flakes and sauces. Very much of the occasion, and quietly enjoyed.

The evening wasn’t a success, but it wasn't quite a total bust. The Kings Road Gastrodome (which houses Bluebird and several other venues and functions) is a large, somewhat confusing building which makes for a rather hollow dinner venue. The combination of this plus the overpriced, tacky nature of Valentine’s Day (£55 set menu) made for a rather muted evening, certainly not one I will be framing and putting on my mantelpiece any time soon.

Bluebird

Assa – Soho, Wednesday 3rd March, 2010

Assa is a small Korean restaurant near Tottenham Court Road tube station that has recently expanded, opening a second branch in Soho. Obviously they’ve been successful in their first home, because this second one is far bigger and more comfortable than the first poky (but cosy) venue.

Korean food is pretty good. It’s spicier than Japanese and not quite as varied as Chinese, but certainly worth investigating if you like Asian food at all. Some decent chicken with rice, spicy chicken with vegetables, a seafood omelette pancake, grilled pork belly and thin glass noodles with vegetables all disappeared without any fuss.

It’s not spectacular. But then I don’t think there is anywhere in the UK that you can get spectacular Korean food. But Assa, along with Ran, makes Soho a decent place to go if you feel like getting into Korean cuisine. Assa is definitely worth a look, and it won’t set you back much either.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Covent Garden, Friday 5th February, 2010

There are certain chefs in whose restaurants you will sit there quietly, eat what you are given and not talk out of turn. Joël is one of these chefs. Having gained more Michelin stars than any other, he commands a huge amount of respect in the culinary industry.Myself and the other half tried the early evening set menu offer L’Atelier tends to provide for pre-theatre and cheaper diners one Friday, and we did sit there quietly and enjoy it. The good thing about the set up here is the open kitchen in the centre of the room, so you can sit on bar stools eating Michelin-starred cuisine overlooking a bustling French kitchen. It’s wonderful.
The food itself has a muted, understated greatness. Whilst I’d love to be eating the a la carte menu here, the set is a very limited, pre-prepared deal (naturally; you know what you’re getting with a set menu.) We ate and enjoyed our starters without much fuss. I liked the thick velouté of onion with crouton, and the boiled egg (yes, they love to rub the simplicity in) we also tried was perfectly cooked and imaginatively garnished (left).
Main courses were a little more impressive. Some whiting cod with mash sounds simple and uninspired, but was rich as anything, and a wonderful mix of smooth textures to boot. Seasoned with a green piece of chicory-like dressing, the thing was hearty but not too filling. Some bourguignon was sternly rich and full-bodied; not entirely dissimilar to that I’d sampled a few days before at Le Vacherin.
Dessert of the day was a chocolate mousse combination of vanilla and chocolate creams with some darker chocolate dressings. It was unspectacular but comforting, served in strange fishbowl-type receptacles (right).
So I was left feeling how I thought I would at the end of the meal: sort of satisfied, kind of in awe, a little envious of those enjoying the a la carte and somewhat sleepy. The food was good, and it was always going to be. One day I might try the a la carte there, but that might have to wait until they’re paying me to write this.
L'Atelier