When I first heard Hotel Chocolate had opened a restaurant in London, I thought two things – is this a joke and how could they possibly succeed in such a competitive industry. For that reason I’ve been ever intrigued since the day it opened, but like a lot of other restaurants, simply not got round to visiting them yet. Finally after nearly two years since it opened, I’ve made it to Rabot 1745 and I’m so glad I did, because the food here is certainly not a joke – its actually very serious indeed. While the name Hotel Chocolate has always been in my mind for its delicious praline truffles, I’ll never look at the brand the same again, instead I’ll be craving something entirely different – Rabot 1745.
As you could probably conjure up, nearly all of the dishes here contain some element of chocolate to them in many different forms, most simply have cocoa nib added to them as a way of seasoning – even the pepper mill is full of the chocolatey stuff. Downstairs the place is buzzing and upstairs it’s just the same, but with a gorgeous terrace overlooking Borough Market. The sunlight pours in through the cracks of the market ceiling – it’s got a lovely feel. Cocktails were just as glamorous too. We sipped on a gorgeous cacao gin Negroni and a Rabot rum sour topped with nutmeg, both were utterly delicious. Even if you’re not looking for food I’d highly recommenced coming here for a tipple (or six). Get the bread too – it’s blooming fantastic. Huge chunks of sourdough served alongside three dips – chocolate balsamic (much more well-balanced than it sounds), cacao pesto and a nib butter. It’s almost a meal in itself.
Starter wise we decided to share, not something we normally do but it paid off, because the main courses yet to come were huge. My love of tomatoes has got a little out of hand in recent times, so one dish really caught my eye here. Heritage tomatoes with cacao whipped goats curd, cacao pesto and crisp cacao nib cheese. It may sound like a lot of cacao – but I can assure you it’s all delicately done. Presentation wise the dish could have been a little better executed and those messy salad leaves (the ones you don’t eat anyway) were pointless. The tomatoes themselves were very fresh and the goats curd was every bit as creamy as I hoped. A very strong start to our meal.
Main courses were again – delicious, but a bit of refinement could turn them into something much more. Nine hour braised lamb shoulder with cacao balsamic glaze, pea purée and garlic mash was the star dish of our meal. The meat was falling apart from the sight of a fork, juicy and with such a depth of strong meaty flavours. The pea purée was vibrant – both colour and flavour, while the mash was buttery and fluffy. The jus in particular was delightful. Our other main dish was the roasted chicken marinated in bois bande with sweet potato, pumpkin, cracked nib and peppercorn rum sauce. The chicken arrived served leg, thigh and breast (all very moist) and its accompaniments such as that sweet potato were really good. The peppercorn sauce I found to be overly peppery and very intense. With other delicate flavours on the plate such as the chicken and sweet potato it really dominated. You do have the option to pour this peppery sauce yourself, so just go a little easy on it.
When it came to dessert, there was one dish on this menu which couldn’t help but be ordered – mainly because it having an association with the Baftas. The official ‘BAFTA’ dessert: salted caramel cremeux, 72% chocolate mousse and Brittany shortbread. We were promised by our lovely waitress a rich and light dessert – she couldn’t have been more spot on. The only problem I found however was that each element of the dish was little too light and a bit too safe. I wanted depth, richness and complexity. For a restaurant in a chocolate shop this, should have been much more indulgent.
The one thing that visiting Rabot 1745 has taught me, is don’t judge a book by its cover (or brand owner in this case). This restaurant is very passionate about the food it serves, the ingredients are all of quality and the chocolate elements actually adds a little fun to the experience – with smells of fresh cacao wafting around the restaurant while you eat. If you ever find yourself in Borough Market I highly recommend you visit Rabot 1745 – I could sit here all day people watching from its terrace, surrounded in the colonial plantation-inspired space. You’ll find me in the corner sipping on those beautiful negroni’s.
7/10
