We'd decided to stay at The Dorchester and after a bottle of champagne in the bar headed straight for the resturant. We were greeted by very friendly and highly professional staff who led us to the Table Lumiere....the timing was superb and as we entered the 'room' the fibre optics were switched on and all of us were 'wowed' immediately. This was great and just the kind of effect I was looking for.
The menu sounded just as good and the staff were very attentive, professional and friendly making us feel realxed and at ease. The menu was a tasting experience as follows:
1. Delicate CRAYFISH veloute, royale of foie gras
2. Rose of MARINATED SCALLOPS lamb's lettuce and celeriac, black truffle sauce (pictured below)
3. Roasted CHICKEN & LOBSTER, sweetbread creamy jus
4. Braised HALIBUT, citrus and swiss chards egg plant condiment
5. Roasted rack and saddle of LAMB, spring vegetables
6. Selection of CHEESE
7. PRALINE-CHOCOLATE biscuit milk/salt flower ice cream (pictured below)
8. Mignardises & Gourmandises
The starter was nice, nothing more than that. It was OK but sadly below my expectations. The scallops again were OK, nicely presented by lacking in the 'wow' factor department. The chicken & lobster was nice too but that was about it, dont get me wrong there was nothing wrong with it but all the hype surrounding Alain Ducass and the two Michelin stars awarded to this restaurant something was lacking. The Halibut on the other hand was was very interesting, no real 'wow' factor but a very nice dish. The Lamb also was very good and tasty, very nicely presented and delicious. The cheese was a complete let down, a real dissapointment with only a choice of four cheeses. Cheese is something I look forward to in this type of restaurant and very often is the highlight of my evening. The desert left us somewhat confused as to the order, we were brought a couple of extra dishes which were very nice but the communication from the staff wasnt great. However when the Praline Chocolate Buiscuit arrived with the salt flower ice cream, I thought it was amazing and wished that the rest of the meal had lived up to my expectations.
Another let down, but not the end of the world was that when I ordered a bottle of red the somelier pointed out that they only had one bottle left of the £100 bottle of wine that I had chosen. That was OK so I asked him to suggest something similar, so he suggested another bottle of wine which from where he was pointing was around £80 per bottle...fine I thought, but when I got the bill, it appeared that I had ordered 3 bottles at around £180 per bottle....not quote what I had in mind. Not really wanting to kick up a fuss and spoil my evening, I coughed up over £500 for 3 bottles of red.
Conclusion: The Table Lumiere is wicked, a great experience that allows you to relax in the restaurant but still hear and feel the ambience and buzz of the restaurant. The food was good but in my opinion you get far far better value for money at Marcus Wareing at The Berkley. It's seriously expensive and probably the most expensive restuarant I've ever been to. £2000 for the six of us.......OUCH and yes, can you imgine where you can go for that money? The Waterside Inn, The Fat Duck, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing and still have plenty of change. Maybe I'm a little bitter about the £500 worth of red wine, but let's forget that for the minute. I would still have ad change from the other resturants. Hey Ho...onto the next one!
Update: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester has now been given 3 Michelin Stars!!
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