Le Vacherin

Le Vacherin is a French bistro restaurant located in Chiswick, West London. This inviting bistro serves traditional french food in a lovely setting. I couldn't help but think how perfect the setting was for a romantic evening! But for me I was with a friend who recommended the restaurant to me as she had been before and really like the place, so I was excited to go and see for myself. The restaurant is extremely charming and has a really warm feeling from the moment you sit down.

For dinner we went for a three course set menu which was has plenty of options, to start I decided to try their twice baked gruyere cheese soufflé. This was a lovely dish and the rich cheese flavour was lovely, the soufflé was perfectly cooked and a great start to the meal.

Following this I chose their sea bass with shrimps, served with mashed potato. The fish had a crispy skin whilst the seabass remained delicate and perfectly moist. I also loved the rich jus that accompanied the dish which balanced the dish exceptionally well.

When it came to dessert amongst the choices was a chocolate fondant with amaretto ice-cream, and that was what I had to have. I have a real weakness for chocolate desserts and especially fondants! This fondant was heavenly and far from a disappointment, living up to my expectations for a great dessert.

And here's another picture so you can see the melted chocolate center: 

I would certainly come back to Le Vacherin when I'm in the mood for classic french food, the food is great and the service is also good. The food was faultless and full of flavour and good ingredients. The restaurant was filled and apparent that it must be a popular place to dine in Chiswick. It is clear a lot of effort and attention has been put into the dishes at Le Vacherin producing high quality, faultless dishes. 

I will certainly be recommending this place to others and be returning to try some more of their dishes in the near future. 

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Burger & Lobster - Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge 

One place that certainly gained a lot of attention last summer was Burger & Lobster a restaurant where they have gotten rid of the menu and just simply ask you if you would like a burger, lobster or a lobster roll. It's great to go somewhere and not have to trawl through the menu trying to decide what to have. It certainly is a simple concept but it really does seem to work and its nice to know what your in for. 

Now when it comes to burgers the most important things are that the beef is good quality, full of flavour and not dry, it was great that Burger & Lobster didn't disappoint to deliver a very good burger that lived up to my expectations. This place is far from fine dining but if your after a good burger I would highly recommend this place over other burger places. The service is fast which means you won't be there for long as it really is a fast pace place! 

I think for me the only thing that lets this place down is the chips. For me with such a simple concept I would of thought they would be able to produce some great freshly made ones which would make the place even better. But overall when I feel like going out for a burger I would definitely go back to Burger & Lobster

So heres what I had: 

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Restaurant Gordon Ramsay 

If there's one restaurant that has stood out to me for some time it's Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. I have to admit after seeing head chef Clare Smyth on MasterChef the Professionals I was in complete awe of her talent in the Kitchen and the stunning food. So this year when faced with the question of what to do for my Birthday, there was one place on my mind, and what better occasion to go to such a prestigious restaurant than for a celebration! 

So firstly I secured a table in advance, it's lucky that my birthday is on a Monday as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is only open weeknights. Then came the waiting, I'm sure I had reserved a table two months ahead of time! but luckily the wait was extremely worth it. 

From the moment we arrived we were welcomed into the restaurant and greeted by smiley faces and we were led to our table. When I booked I requested a table with a view and we were not let down, we were led to a table by the window so we could look out and also have a view of the whole restaurant. 

So now faced with the menu we decided to go for the Seasonal Inspiration menu which included the following:

Pigs’ trotter, black pudding with heritage apple and walnut salad

Cannelloni of langoustine and Pèrigord truffle with langoustine consommé

Fillets of lemon sole poached with parsley milk,winter purslane and beurre noisette

Venison loin with smoked pork belly,roast pear and truffle braised celery

Baked vacherin with Pèrigord truffle, charred potatoes,pickled onions and mustard seeds

Green apple and lime sorbet with shiso, avocado and eucalyptus

Smoked chocolate cigar with blood orange and cardamom ice cream

Alongside this we all went for the wine pairing, it is something we love to do as we got to try some fantastic wines, the sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate he seemed truly passionate and happy to tell us all about the wines he had chosen to pair with our dishes.

So now I am going to let all the food do the talking;

The truffle char sui buns were sublime, this really stood out as it was unique and a lovely taster to start the dinner. Alongside this there was an array of freshly baked breads, I went for the bacon brioche bread it was perfect and the bacon wasn't overpowering, I had to hold myself back and decline a second one when offered to save myself for the main dishes that were to come next. 

Much to my delight there was no shortage of truffle for the venison dish which oozed flavour and balance, it certainly stood out for me with the use of delicate ingredients. The poached lemon sole delighted the taste buds with its rich flavour and such a delicate and smooth texture. 

In the top left corner of the photo above you can see the baked Vacherin cheese topped with Pèrigord truffle, this really was a treat the creamy flavour and the slight acidity was just heaven in every mouthful there was no escaping the unique and heavenly flavour.  

After the cheese it was time for a palette cleanser and I can't even explain how refreshing and delicate the flavours in this sorbet were, it was stunning. 

Following this the desserts appeared and as you can see above, a beautiful Caramelised tarte Tatin of apples with Tahitian vanilla ice cream  which we shared, the pastry was crisp and the apple was sweet what could be better?! 

On the a la carte dessert menu we saw that there was an option to have all of the desserts, so for my sister and I couldn't bear the thought of only trying one! so we asked the waiter if we could select all of them, they kindly warned us that this may be a bit too much but we were committed to trying everything the restaurant had to offer so we went for it and the desserts were all brilliant so it was worth doing, but I think the waiters may have been shocked when we actually managed to eat our way through them all, as I think we may have been the first to do this after the Seasonal Inspiration menu. 

So as you can see we got to try a lot of desserts that evening !!!

In the above image are the: 

Lemonade parfait with honey, bergamot and sheep’s milk yoghurt sorbet 

Smoked chocolate cigar with blood orange and cardamom ice cream 

Bitter chocolate cylinder with coffee granité and ginger mousse 

English peppermint soufflé with bitter chocolate sorbet 

If I had to choose my favourite out of the four desserts in the above image it would have to be the lemon parfait, it was certainly a show stopper dessert for me.

This led nicely onto the finale dishes of the evening, more cheese and a combination of petit fours.

So after all of this you wouldn't believe that there was still more to come, but as you can see above my sister and I couldn't help but try out some of the cheeses between us. 

This led nicely on to the petit fours, this included white chocolate coated strawberry ice-cream, chocolate truffles and squares of turkish delight. 

Following all of this the waiters presented me with a little chocolate treat and sang me Happy Birthday !!! 

After around four hours of sinking our teeth in all the delights Restaurant Gordon Ramsay could offer us, we then had the chance to see the kitchen and meet Clare Smyth herself, there couldn't of been a better end to the evening. 

There are no words that can do this restaurant justice, for me it wasn't just an exquisite meal but an experience of shear delight, executed to the highest standard. I can't wait to go back !!!!!!

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Il Bar at the Bulgari Hotel

If you are looking for a perfect setting in which you can enjoy fabulous cocktails, I certainly recommend Il Bar in Knightsbridge. I can't stop coming back to try their cocktails they are just fantastic. I mean whats not lo love about this place the bar itself is stunning and then the drinks are so good and not to mention the lovely platter of olives and meats that gets brought over to the table! What more can I say, check out the drinks I have had there and see for yourself. 

Firstly my favourite cocktail of all has to be the Cherry and Pistachio Bellini, I have told so many of my friends and family about this drink its truly memorable and when they have tried it they all rave about it too!!!

Another Drink I particularly like is the Mary Pickford, VXO rum with freshly pressed pineapple, maraschino and marjoram 

If your after a Champagne cocktail with a twist try the stunning Sandalwood and Jasmine Fizz. It has the most amazing floral scent from the sandalwood !

And what could be better than a complimentary platter to go alongside your drinks!!!

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