Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
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As well as many other accolades doubtless coming its way, Bar Boulud seems destined to win the prize for Most Authentic French Menu in the UK.
The Lyonnais restaurateur so ubiquitous in New York yet relatively unknown to Brits has returned to his roots for his London debut at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel. Instead of competing with the very British constructs Heston Blumenthal has fielded at Dinner in the hotel, Boulud decided gutsy, affordable and very, very Gallic was the way to go to make a point of difference.
So fromage de tete, boudin blanc, aioli and excellent sauce Bearnaise, all too rarely seen on the capital's menus, sit proudly here as signature offerings. Add to these home-made pates and terrines, proper coq au vin and huge, three-tier plateaux de fruits de mer, featuring British oysters as well as the French favourites, fines de claire.
Bar Boulud is situated on the lower ground floor of the august Victorian hotel on Hyde Park which is Madonna's favourite. A former storage area has been converted to make two rooms - one bright and buzzy, featuring an open kitchen, one more reserved and lounge lizard-like, with its warm earth tones.
This second room contains the bar, where special delights include a White Cosmopolitan (actually pink when there's a delay in shipments of white cranberry juice from New York, and featuring elderflower liqueur instead of Cointreau). A fabulous addition is the orchid petal embedded in the ice cube - don't be surprised to see a fake spider instead on Halloween; this is, apparently, a classic Boulud touch.
Also on the bar list are super-premium tequilas, several acclaimed draught beers and a wide choice of Armagnacs and Calvados as well as the usual hard stuff. Plus all the conventional cocktails, heftily priced at £12 a throw.
Given the price of drinks, the food is surprisingly affordable. Two people would not be hungry after sharing a "degustation de charcuterie" for £14 with a few pieces of the excellent sourdough bread. The carnivore among us was disappointed the pigs' head with sauce gribiche was off, but pleased the tasting plate included fromage de tete, "pulled" rabbit, both kinds of homemade pate ("grandmere" is the one incorporating foie gras and truffle juice), as well as salami, ham and celeriac salad. Both hot English mustard and grainy moutarde de meaux were served.
The carnivore also loved an intermediate course of boudin blanc, another possibility for the frugal gourmet at £11.00 including a delicate portion of mash. I was very glad to see a real "aioli", in which the eponymous garlic mayonnaise is surrounded by a bevy of suitors - everything from shrimp, mussels and poached cod to crudites and qualis' eggs. A small serving of this would make a delicious starter, the larger version a cold alternative to the slightly underwhelming fish and meat mains. These are all very classic, and the steak frites lived up to the French reputation for this dish, though the rib eye could have been a tiny touch more tender and melting. New Yorkers will be familiar with the DBGB burgers which have helped make Daniel Boulud's name in New York, and which are great value at £12. Side dishes include phenomenal spinach which tasted naughty enough to be slightly creamed.
Even those who think they can't manage dessert will be charmed by a super-light ile flottante incorporating rhubarb and lemon curd, or maybe a coconut-passion-fruit sorbet. Only gourmands will go as far as a final platter of signature madeleines.
Wines by the glass are reasonably priced from £5, though it would be hard to beat the £9 Kellerei Eisacktaler from Italy's Aldo Adige with the charcuterie. The £20 three-course prix fixe is a steal by central London standards, though those who want to push the boat out can spend up to £92 for what must be London's most spectacular shellfish platter.
The restaurant serves food till 11pm (the bar serves til midnight) and is open again for breakfast next morning - when that wonderful boudin blanc and such Gallic delights as Croque Madame pepper the more usual British breakfast choices, and you get a newspaper to boot.
Contact tel: +44 20 7201 3899
Cost 3 course a la carte: £50+ per person, 3 course set menu: £10 - £25 per person
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Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge, London
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