Now if there was one thing I rarely do, it’s make repeat visits to restaurants. Of course I fall in love with some, but the problem is I always feel like I’m missing out on the latest new opening, or one which the critics are going mad about. A late treat to my mother for Mothering Sunday (as I was abroad) is the only reason for my return. When I arrived I immediately remembered the last meal I had at Medlar which was excellent and the place has the added perk of being only a few minutes from my flat – especially beneficial for those of us who enjoy a drink, or two. Our love for wine definitely runs in the family blood.
Anyway back to Medlar. Its pretty inconspicuous and it’s on the ‘bad’ part of the King’s Road. It has a Michelin star (rightly so), offers polished, proper service and above everything else it’s even better than I last remembered it. Bread was offered around the table to start and it was good – not outstanding but solid and well made. And then things started to get serious.
I already ate this starter on my previous lunch here – but this time round it seemed even more delightful than the first. A dish of crab ravioli with samphire, brown shrimp, fondue of leeks and a bisque sauce was stunning – even more stunning than my previous visit, I can’t stress it enough. Everything was just so harmonized and cooked to such perfection it felt luxurious. Hell, even I felt luxurious after eating it. The bisque was by far the star of it all but the ravioli and sweet crab meat were just as perfect.
Under blade fillet of beef with cafe de paris snails, salad, triple cooked chips and bearnaise was a homage to the classic dish it represents. I’ve never quite been convinced on the marriage of snails and steak – or snails for that matter but here I was swept away into a fairy tale and not the nightmare for me it always was. The bearnaise was light and delicate with a lovely smooth texture which made it irresistible to not ask for another pot – my mother confused it for a salad dressing so instead her leaves got all the look in. The chips were triple cooked to perfection.
Duck breast and confit leg with puy lentils, sweet juicy beetroot, mustard fruits and a paysanne salad was a wonderful medley of foods, although an incredibly generous plate of it all, perhaps too generous. The duck was cooked perfectly, the confit was juicy and full of flavour but what I really fell in love with was Medlar’s beetroot – they were the best I’ve ever had – I need to know their supplier and cooking technique.
Not just with Medlar, but I seem to be experience some absolutely stunning desserts recently. When I first started writing about food I always used to look forward to dessert the most, but the excitement would normally end abruptly and leave me moving on to the nearest Tesco for a Wispa Gold. But at Medlar it’s just give, give, give. Mango mille-feuille did just that, it gave everything one could expect in such a dish. The pastry was astonishingly good, incredibly light, flaky, buttery and the mango and creme patisserie filling was the filling of dreams. Yet with all that lovely, calorific creme patisserie, it never felt heavy – especially when washed down with some beautifully made mango sorbet.
Even simple desserts such as blood orange sorbet would have put any Italian’s variation I’ve eaten to shame. It was so well made, had loads of fresh zingy orange flavour, it was as if i were eating the real thing – just a little icier. If you reach a point at Medlar where you really feel you have no room for any more food – then at least order this. It will at least leave you refreshed and ready for some of those after dinner truffles.
I absolutely love chocolate but when it comes to chocolate based desserts – it’s never really been my thing. I was literally blown away with the skill and expertise that must have gone into making this chocoholic delight here at Medlar. A gorgeous looking slice of chocolate tart with salted caramel and a praline parfait was quite literally a little slice of heaven. Every Mouthful made the roof of my mouth salivate, uncontrollably. This was by far the best chocolate tart, I have ever eaten. Although my photography may be a little shoddy, this photo still manages to say everything you need to know.
The truffles were just as fantastic as everything else, though perhaps its cocoa dusting was a little overzealous as it was incredibly bitter at first. I can’t believe I’ve left it so long to dine at Medlar again – I mean it’s literally a stones throw (Olympian trained one) from my door and I walk past it nearly every day. I had a feeling previously it would get a Michelin star and I’m so glad it actually did get one. On my last visit I had some hiccups with desserts but this time round they were in fact some of the best I’ve ever eaten in London. This is rich, hearty precision cooking with a French flare and modern tendencies. And its bloody fabulous.
9/10
