Boulestin (Mayfair)

• Had double fish which was incredibly tasty
• The owner said hi which was a nice touch
• By the time I went it was merely pleasant
• The dining room is very pretty
• A starter of herring with potatoes (£
• 9.75) could have perhaps benefitted with a garnish for colour if nothing else
• Grilled sea bass with fennel (£
• The fennel with it pleasant
• Though this was hardly a bargain for a simple dish (13/20)
• 18.50) had French poussin served with red peppers
• The chicken had reasonable flavour and was cooked carefully
• Green cabbage was just soggy
• Though cavolo nero was much better
• To be honest is a lot of money for the standard of food delivered
• Even in the second week on a Tuesday night was almost full
• Boulestin started outstandingly with a starter of Oeuf en Meurette
• One of the best meurettes I&rsquo
• A tender squid grilled with haricot beans and peppers also pleased
• Alongside decent enough scallops with capers and tomatoes
• Tasty boudin noir with apple and pomme puré
• Were good enough with the exception of a truly first rate sauternes custard
• This melted almost dirtily with a creamy centre of warm
• Though SilverSpoon London is first and foremost a food blog
• The restaurant is inspired by Xavier Marcel Boulestin
• The current Boulestin in St James' is very much influenced by his classic cookery
• The interior of the restaurant was certainly beautiful
• Art deco style with a checkerboard floor
• The salad was dressed lightly with a touch of seasoning
• Mr S opposed my Summery choice with a hearty fish soup served with garlic mayo
• My main course was a roast cod with a tomato broth
• Mr Silver went with my usual favourite
• Both pieces of fishes were cooked totally perfectly and the accompaniments complimented them perfectly
• I'm sad to say the Boulestin was a little disappointing
• I was really craving a bar with a little life so we headed off round the corner to the Le Meridien Hotel
• I'd seen some pics on twitter of the fab Moet and Chandon Terrace at the hotel and I was keen to get a piece of the action
• Under a rather cloudy sky we enjoyed a big white glass of Moet and Chandon Ice Imperial with our choice of accompaniments
• The terrace is now closed but let's hope it pops up again next year
• Allowing you to imagine this is actually breakfast on a minibreak in St Paul De Vence
• Is a smart and good looking joint with a pinch of character
• While classics like Eggs Benedict are done simply and very well
• A fresh juice and a plate of avocado with red pepper flakes on whole wheat or an egg white omelette &ndash
• The trad English breakfast is very tempting but perhaps for a shared work hangover or lazy breakfast
• Marmalade martinis or mimosas are there to be imbibed but a boozy Saturday brunch this ain&rsquo
• Faces in the street quickly become recognisable and missed connections are romanticised
• Insinuate that a post work pub session or cocktail at Sake No Hana is not an impossibility
• The restaurant comfortably seats around 40 and is elegant and inviting
• The inspiration for Boulestin Restaurant was the renowned chef and food writer
• At the time was the most expensive restaurant in London
• So it is that the Boulestin of today is devoted to celebrating many of the French classics that he helped to make so well known
• Which went nicely with the roasted quince
• A dish of poached lobster with red mullet
• The broth was also wonderful and rich with the flavour of a good seafood stock
• I also tried the roasted cod with fennel puree and tapenade (£
• 22.50) which was nicely cooked
• The pastry was heavenly and precisely executed
• The filling was also delicious
• Resulting in a pudding that was delicious and lusciously runny in the centre
• The result of some fabulous ingredients being combined with the best of classical French techniques
• I could barely contain myself with excitement
• With trembling anticipation I counted the number of sleeps to the evening and arrived early with wide eyed excitement
• A drop of Tabasco and half a spoon of raspberry vinegar with finely chopped shallots
• Other delightful dishes on offer included pan fried snails served with bacon in a bone marrow red wine sauce (£
• 17.50) and that French Christmas staple pan fried foie gras with roasted quince (£
• Choosing a main took a considerable amount of internal and external deliberation with such an amazing array of dishes on offer
• I finally settled on the saddle of venison with roasted beetroot and sherry jus (£
• The venison was perfectly pink and juicy with a slight crunch to the edges
• The beetroot and sherry jus was simply exquisite
• Alternative tempting offerings included roasted pigeon with curly kale and lardons in a Madeira jus (£
• Duck breast with cherry jus (£
• This was all washed down with copious amounts of a fine Italian red
• Intensely flavoured and deeply coloured this was the perfect pairing with the rich gamey venison
• Not being a big lover of sweet desserts I opted for three cheese board served with quince jelly (£
• The boardwalk star was the Mothais a la Feuille
• A close second was Berwick Edge
• This hard cheese is from Doddington Dairy and is often described as strong and fruity
• Most notably fresh pineapple with a citrus tang
• Last on the board was Fourme d'Ambert one of France's oldest cheeses
• The semi hard cheese is inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti spores and aged for at least 28 days
• I finished up with a shot of Sambucca recommended by Alessandro who was I to argue
• The restaurant is divided in two different part
• In the evening when I went there the temperature outside was not ideal for dinner outside
• I really liked the first painting on the left wall of the restaurant but unfortunately when I asked who was the painter nobody was able to told me who it was
• Best place we found to eat that was close to our hotel

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