Albert and Michel Roux Jr have an enviable reputation throughout the world for some of the restaurants that they are associated with. Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn, to name but two, regularly feature in accounts of the top 50 restaurants anywhere. Now, father and son have their first collaboration in 19 years in the auspicious surroundings of the Langham Hotel, and it’s a conspicuous success and a pleasure to visit.
The first thing that you notice arriving in the grand David Collins-designed room is how splendidly ornate your surroundings are, with an atmosphere like a cross between a luxurious ocean liner and a fin-de-siecle ballroom. Of course an impressive room does not always make for a good evening’s dining, but the skill and professionalism of the cooking here, from head chef Chris King, means that no diner is likely to be disappointed.
There’s virtually every kind of menu on offer here, ranging from a la carte to the restaurant’s pride and joy, their sommelier menu, a seven-course extravaganza which is designed to be paired with some of the extensive offerings from the cellar. Whatever you choose, you’ll be offered some of the most innovative and distinctive food available in the capital at the moment. Cooking as perfectly executed as citrus cured smoked salmon with Aquitaine caviar, roast wild sea bass and brown shrimps and the piece de resistance, the short rib of beef (truly melt-in-mouth stuff) deserves every kind of accolade.
The 1400-strong wine list is presented in a book so thick that it would take even the hardiest oenophile several days to digest, and the service from the more than capable staff is sensibly paced, allowing diners moments of pause and rest between the gastronomic delights. If the Michelin inspectors make another visit during the course of this year, and this fine establishment isn’t graced with at least one star, there is little justice.
Roux At The Langham, Portland Place, W1. www.thelandau.com
