Not that season, rather, the truffle season, and Alyn Williams has a special menu. We couldn't resist.
It is now around a year since Alyn Williams at The Westbury opened and the restaurant is increasingly making its presence felt in the London fine dining scene. First came the AA rosettes (three of them, the most that can be awarded to a new restaurant) and then the Michelin star, while Alyn himself won the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year. Not bad for a first year though Alyn's pedigree and craftsmanship were never in doubt. It is however always nice to see talent recognised and booking is becoming increasingly essential if you want to secure a table in the latter part of the week with Alyn Williams at The Westbury often now at capacity.
As we have found so often with new restaurants, even ones that set the bar as high as AW did on opening, they usually get better in time as everything beds down with the chef, the team and the restaurant; so it was the case here, and even putting aside the truffletastic nature of the menu, this seemed to us today the best meal yet that we've had at AW at The Westbury (and we've been lucky enough to have a few over the course of the year). Service, as ever, cannot be faulted and the experience, start to finish, is that of a two star restaurant.
It is now around a year since Alyn Williams at The Westbury opened and the restaurant is increasingly making its presence felt in the London fine dining scene. First came the AA rosettes (three of them, the most that can be awarded to a new restaurant) and then the Michelin star, while Alyn himself won the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year. Not bad for a first year though Alyn's pedigree and craftsmanship were never in doubt. It is however always nice to see talent recognised and booking is becoming increasingly essential if you want to secure a table in the latter part of the week with Alyn Williams at The Westbury often now at capacity.
As we have found so often with new restaurants, even ones that set the bar as high as AW did on opening, they usually get better in time as everything beds down with the chef, the team and the restaurant; so it was the case here, and even putting aside the truffletastic nature of the menu, this seemed to us today the best meal yet that we've had at AW at The Westbury (and we've been lucky enough to have a few over the course of the year). Service, as ever, cannot be faulted and the experience, start to finish, is that of a two star restaurant.
Even before the menu comes, the canapés are spot on. His gougeres are second to none and a big bowl of those by themselves would be a treat in its own right. But the canapés seem to keep coming with arancini, prawn crackers and more; there's also their lovely bread of course but one must avoid getting carried away here, a big menu awaits.
The first menu course is scallop ravioli with white truffle. Scallop seems ubiquitous on menus in restaurants these days, and in most, it's a simple affair as they seek to allow 'the ingredients to speak for themselves', but it seldom offers a wow factor. It therefore takes a little bravery and a lot of talent to build a more complete dish around the scallop and take it up a level but here, Alyn did exactly that with silky smooth pasta encasing a generous filling of diced scallop with sweetcorn and truffle for a beautiful and elegant start.
The first menu course is scallop ravioli with white truffle. Scallop seems ubiquitous on menus in restaurants these days, and in most, it's a simple affair as they seek to allow 'the ingredients to speak for themselves', but it seldom offers a wow factor. It therefore takes a little bravery and a lot of talent to build a more complete dish around the scallop and take it up a level but here, Alyn did exactly that with silky smooth pasta encasing a generous filling of diced scallop with sweetcorn and truffle for a beautiful and elegant start.
Spiced quail cuts a dash presented on a vibrant yellow pumpkin veloute while the truffle here comes in a 'preserved' format. the very word is likely to engender reservations (and suppliers of fresh truffles are unlikely to be fans) but there is remarkably good flavour to be had from them while it adds a little more texture to the dish. The quail of course has been respectfully handled and perfectly cooked while the spices are subtle and harmonious rather than aggressively forward. This is fine dining and fine cooking at its best.
A classic dish of egg and soldiers, but here with elite special forces: truffle soldiers and the egg slow cooked. The slow cooked egg is also now widely popular but it really comes in to its own in this dish, the sticky yoke perfect for dipping and scooping up on the soldier. Alongside that however we also tried the smoked egg from the vegetarian menu with the shaved truffle. Perfect little dishes.
The next two dishes offer complete quality, highlighting some of the best of the South West of England's produce. Fish from Cornwall, beef from Devon and both dishes from heaven. The cod (from Fish for Thought) is top quality and comes apart into big meaty flakes with the lightest of touches, the centrepiece of a creamy casserole with bacon hints and generous shavings of truffle.
The beef, Red Ruby from Devon is supplied by Cornish Grill (and Philip Warren Butchers) and as we've noted since the restaurant first opened (and served this beef on the menu), it is a great rare breed of British cattle with beef that is well marbled, tender and never less than 100% tasty. With a 'sauce perigourdine' and shaved truffle, the dish is right there.
The beef, Red Ruby from Devon is supplied by Cornish Grill (and Philip Warren Butchers) and as we've noted since the restaurant first opened (and served this beef on the menu), it is a great rare breed of British cattle with beef that is well marbled, tender and never less than 100% tasty. With a 'sauce perigourdine' and shaved truffle, the dish is right there.
Desserts come in the form of a hugely creamy rice pudding with white truffle that leaves you wanting 'one more bite' and then pear with crème Catalan and black truffle sugar.
With the restaurant now full, everything is buzzing at Alyn Williams at The Westbury and the restaurant has really found itself. The food is getting smarter, it was always perfectly cooked, but now carries even more confidence, the type that comes when a restaurant has taken root and been recognised by the public and peers alike. As noted earlier, this is food that properly resides in the two star category, and gaining the second star is now a real possibility at some point in the future. It all means that 2013 is likely to be even more exciting at AW at The Westbury than 2012, and with a menu that is never static, we can't wait to see how Alyn and team develop it further, for this is a restaurant that will, we are sure, relentlessly push the quality of the offering forward.
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Alyn Williams at The Westbury website
Alyn Williams website
Alyn Williams at The Westbury on Twitter: @alyn_williams
Alyn Williams on Twitter: @chefalyn
GM Giancarlo Princigalli on Twitter: @gcprinci
Return to homepage
Alyn Williams at The Westbury website
Alyn Williams website
Alyn Williams at The Westbury on Twitter: @alyn_williams
Alyn Williams on Twitter: @chefalyn
GM Giancarlo Princigalli on Twitter: @gcprinci