Artisan @ The Westbury Hotel
The Westbury Hotel, Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YF
Is it crass to begin a restaurant review by talking about value for money? Because if it is, I’m about to be very crass: the three-course set menu at Artisan (at £30 a head) is to my knowledge the best value fine-dining in the capital. Maybe even the country. Because not only do diners get three delicious, and in some cases rather inventive courses, there are also canapés, an appetiser, a palate cleanser, a pre-dessert treat, and a ‘tree’ decorated with chocolate ‘leaves’ to accompany the bill.
The highlight was probably the opening salvo of canapés: tomato and basil smoothie; chicken liver pâté mini-burger; salt and vinegar meringue ‘chips’ and goats cheese with white chocolate (on a stick). It was an opening salvo that the rest of the meal (except perhaps the delicious — and unquestionably evil — rich brioche bread and butter pudding with honeycomb ice-cream, caramelised rhubarb and raspberries) didn’t quite recover from.
An appetiser of smoked mackerel with ginger mousse, carrots and cucumber tasted like a mouthful of sea-air (in the best possible way), and my ballotine of chicken starter was tastier than it looked (the sherry vinegar reduction was perfectly sharp to compliment the rich mushroom stuffing). I have to say that neon pigeon’s celeriac veloutè (served from a glass teapot no less) looked a superior starter — though maybe that’s because she was enthusing so much about it tasting like ‘springtime in South Africa’.
To whet our appetites for the main course, another rather spectacular amuse bouche in the form of a palate cleansing apple and ginger foam ‘cocktail’, rosewater jelly with popping candy and a the lightest lemon dusted marshmallow you can imagine. It’s worth saying here that the presentation of both the canapés and this cleanser are what gives the restaurant it’s name: executive chef Andrew Jones is not quite Grant Achatz, but he’s certainly inventive enough to deserve recognition.
A main of Sea Bream with carrots, fennel and potato mash (which was so fluffy that it was more like a mousse) was delicious for the quality of it’s ingredients more than for any inventiveness, and both of our desserts (the aforementioned bread and butter pudding, and a towering pavlova) must have been prepared by satan himself, because after the previous six courses only an uninhibited glutton (like me) could even consider finishing such a huge portion of deliciousness.
Complimented by a large and diverse wine-list (from which we chose a rather lovely and reasonably priced South African Sauvignon Blanc) and friendly, attentive service, I really couldn’t recommend Artisan enough. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you live in London, love food, and don’t visit here soon, the men in white coats may come calling sooner rather than later.
- Artisan @ The Westbury
- Artisan @ Top Table — free glass of champagne with your three courses for £30
- Andrew Jones — former Roux scholar and premier sous chef at Claridges — Executive chef at The Westbury.
