Spring (Strand)

• This is a dreamy little spot within the warren that is Somerset house
• The tiny marble tables are lit by candle light
• The coffee was expensive (£
• To the menu design was elegant and subtle
• Just as you would expect with Somerset House
• Beautiful beautiful spring the season of new beginnings where yesterday is left behind and the air is fresh again (and full of pollen which
• As someone who suffers from hayfever is a living nightmare but let's not spoil it just yet
• These thoughts and emotions which is a challenge few can rise up to
• One restaurant is not only exceeding all expectations conjured up by the season
• Spring at Somerset House is the newest venture in acclaimed writer and chef Skye Gyngell's long line of projects and is as much a success as her track record would suggest
• With beautiful minimalistic decor and a menu showcasing the best of seasonal produce
• Me and my party of 4 were looking forward to the treat that laid ahead
• We quite unintentionally ended up with an order which closely resembled the menu itself
• Grilled sardines with slow cooked chard and aioli
• Vitello tannato with puntarelle and rocket
• Slow cooked pork shoulder with polenta and girolles
• Prune and Armagnac tart with cream friache ice cream
• Pick of the starters for me was the salad of crab which
• Finding a highlight from the mains is an exercise in futility and is akin to trying to decide which star I loathe more
• The pork shoulder was equally as juicy and delicious
• I would suggest going with your gut when ordering mains but helpfully suggest to your fellow diners ordering something different and that you can share and by share I mean they share theirs
• A contradiction if there ever was one but I'd come to learn that to be surprised at Spring is not an unusual thing
• I'd like to apologise if the romantic undertone of the above all seemed a bit unbearable but that is what Spring and all its "
• The restaurant is light and airy
• Decorated in pastel colours with huge white pillars breaking up the dining area &ndash
• The other (passion fruit and tarragon) was a less successful combination
• Both the deep fried anchovies and the scallops were cooked to perfection
• I completely understand that the top chefs are using different ingredients dependent on what is fresh and available on any given day
• I suspect I would have preferred the scallops with salsify and beurre blanc praised by earlier reviewers
• This particular Spring is the latest kitchen project of Skye Gyngell
• Opened in October 2014 in the grandeur that is Somerset House
• Ms Gyngell was previously the opening head chef of Petersham Nurseries from 2004
• She trained at La Varenne in Paris and also at The Dorchester when Anton Mossiman was running the kitchens there
• Ms Gyngell was apparently cooking at this particular service
• The 18th Century building Somerset House is a vast space that houses the Courtauld Gallery and until recently was home to HM Customs &
• The main dining room can seat 120 and is large and airy
• Example bottles were Kumea River Chardonnay Estate 2009 at £
• My starter was ravioli of potato and porcini with sage butter
• Guinea fowl was carefully cooked with crisp skin
• Better was a pear tart with orange blossom and Sauternes ice cream
• There was plenty of pear flavour and the ice cream went well with the tart (14/20)
• Apparently these outfits were not a practical joke but the deliberate intention of an expensive designer
• I suppose by the rarefied standards of London restaurant bills these days this was not the worst
• It still felt pretty hefty for what was appearing on the plate
• The cooking is relatively simple and enjoyable
• The restaurant is drawing customers in for now and the place was busy on this weekday lunch
• The main room is also light and airy
• While waiting with drinks we were served good olives and outstanding smoked almonds sprinkled with fried rosemary and coarse salt
• I started with gnudi with spinach and sage butter
• My main was panfried sea bream with turnip greens
• Jerusalem artichokes with a garnish of cooked tomato and olive salsa
• The fish was perfectly cooked with a crispy skin
• The sweet sauteed jerusalem artichokes were my favourite part of the dish
• All the cooking was very well executed
• Nothing about my food was particularly exciting
• The dining hall is stunning there aren't many places left in London where you really feel the sense of space with high ceilings
• A huge hit with everyone in my family
• The first palatial residence on this site and by this name was built in the 16th century by the Duke of Somerset
• The central courtyard is home to a popular open air ice rink and at other times
• At the centre of the courtyard is a playful fountain of 55 vertical jets of water rising to random heights
• The service was good but not top notch and the same can be said about the food
• Some room for improvement but there were a few highlights

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