Gourmands and gourmets have recently been excited by the news that the legendary Mandarin Oriental hotel in London is to launch not one but two new restaurants next year, one supervised by Heston Blumenthal and due to open next November, and the other under the auspices of 3 Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, ‘Bar Boulud’. Both of these promise to make the Mandarin one of London’s highest-class dining experiences.
However, many people already know this, thanks to the presence of the stunning Michelin-starred restaurant Foliage at the hotel. Situated in a discreet area, with views across Hyde Park, you know that you’re in for a treat as soon as you arrive and the flawlessly helpful and accommodating staff cater to your every request, whether it’s a reviving glass of champagne or the day’s paper to browse through while you wait for your date.
All of this would mean little if the food wasn’t up to scratch, but thankfully some of London’s most innovative and exciting cooking can be found here. Whether you go for the excellent-value lunch menus, which offer a selection of British classic dishes subtly reinvented, or the grand gastronomic experience that is the evening tasting menu, you’re assured of a superb meal. Highlights include ballotine of foie gras with spiced fig and pomegranate seeds, halibut with kumquat and fillet of beef with parsley and garlic. Those with a sweet tooth will be in seventh heaven with the gorgeously lavish assiette of chocolate as a dessert, and the lavish wine list can be sampled in a restrained but highly effective way by the glasses selected with care and attention by the expert sommeliers.
Time will tell what the efforts of Messrs Blumenthal and Boulud produce, but the bar has been set high.
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1. www.mandarinoriental.com/london/dining/foliage/
