The Connaught Hotel traces it origins back to 1815 but despite approaching its 200th birthday, a 2007 refurbishment means the hotel, while continuing to wear its heritage, remains fully focussed on the top end luxury market. When the hotel reopened, French Michelin starred chef Hélène Darroze was the name above the door and quickly established her eponymous restaurant as a major player in the London fine dining market despite some mixed early reviews. In January 2011, the restaurant was awarded its second star seeing it join a very exclusive club indeed.
We have visited Hélène Darroze previously, shortly after it opened and long before the blog was ever an idea; we didn't really enjoy it. Everything felt too fussy and the dining room itself too stiff. It's the reason why it has failed to appear on the blog thus far, but with several years having passed since we last ate there, it deserved a re-visit. We are glad we did for the experience was a world apart from our last visit and our meal there was one of the best and classiest meals that we've enjoyed this year; we loved it from start to finish.
There are certain things of course that are given from the outset: this is a two star fine dining experience, this is The Connaught Hotel, Hélène Darroze is a French chef originating from Les Landes. The result is a venue of luxury and comfort, a grand but old school finish, an expensive meal, service that is unapologetically French, and a menu that is bursting with her native products like foie gras. If you can accept these things, then you can sit back in your very comfortable chair and enjoy what they offer and enjoy it you will.
First out is a broccoli velouté with a chorizo foam together with some ham and bread. A little surprising perhaps to see foams but the foams here do carry flavours and the chorizo foam is actually quite impressive for the punch it packs. More bread arrives later which included a divine butter roll that is a close cousin of the croissant. After that, it's an amuse of foie brûlée with green apple sorbet and espelette pepper. Both the veloute and the foie brûlée are old faithfuls it seems with an identical brûlée served to diners since the opening in 2008, understandably perhaps for it is very good indeed.
We have visited Hélène Darroze previously, shortly after it opened and long before the blog was ever an idea; we didn't really enjoy it. Everything felt too fussy and the dining room itself too stiff. It's the reason why it has failed to appear on the blog thus far, but with several years having passed since we last ate there, it deserved a re-visit. We are glad we did for the experience was a world apart from our last visit and our meal there was one of the best and classiest meals that we've enjoyed this year; we loved it from start to finish.
There are certain things of course that are given from the outset: this is a two star fine dining experience, this is The Connaught Hotel, Hélène Darroze is a French chef originating from Les Landes. The result is a venue of luxury and comfort, a grand but old school finish, an expensive meal, service that is unapologetically French, and a menu that is bursting with her native products like foie gras. If you can accept these things, then you can sit back in your very comfortable chair and enjoy what they offer and enjoy it you will.
First out is a broccoli velouté with a chorizo foam together with some ham and bread. A little surprising perhaps to see foams but the foams here do carry flavours and the chorizo foam is actually quite impressive for the punch it packs. More bread arrives later which included a divine butter roll that is a close cousin of the croissant. After that, it's an amuse of foie brûlée with green apple sorbet and espelette pepper. Both the veloute and the foie brûlée are old faithfuls it seems with an identical brûlée served to diners since the opening in 2008, understandably perhaps for it is very good indeed.
the dining room
broccoli veloute and chorizo foam
foie brulee and green apple sorbet
We've opted for the à la carte today though choosing takes some time as the menu is very thorough and reading the full menu is a lengthy process. The first thing to observe is that the menu appears a highly personal one with much thought going into the dishes. We choose the white asparagus with shellfish (£8 supplement) and the white bean ravioli. Both plates were a big success. Key to both is the flavours delivered up by both dishes: did white bean ever deliver such a punch before. The ravioli was remarkable, surely some of the best pasta available in London, the white bean filling immense. What's more impressive though is that the cod and the Iberico also delivered up their real essence but the balance of the dish remained intact. The same was true of the shellfish, and nice to see abalone included in the dish.
Portion sizes incidentally are substantial, something worth knowing before you eat too much of the bread at the beginning. For starters, these are generous indeed and we're already quite full but loving it so far and happy to venture on.
Portion sizes incidentally are substantial, something worth knowing before you eat too much of the bread at the beginning. For starters, these are generous indeed and we're already quite full but loving it so far and happy to venture on.
White asparagus from Les Landes, poached, Royal botargo breadcrumbs, sauteed langoustine, abalone and shellfish 'a la minute' mousseline sauce perfumed with lemongrass and ginger
white bean from Bearn ravioli with Tuscan pecorino and Rosemary, confit salt cod from Bilbao, Iberico lomo, ham jus, wild garlic emulsion.
Seven main course are on offer though the veal is to share as is the Dover sole leaving five single options. Of these five, a little surprisingly perhaps, three more are also seafood with beef and pigeon the only non seafood options. We choose one gilt-head bream and the pigeon. The dishes delivered very different propositions. With the bream, the flavours were elegant and a touch reserved but the dish was interesting enough to have you look for them. The reward for this is that the further into the dish we got, the more we liked it. How rare, too many mains can see the appetite wilt all too quickly as the dish fades after just a few bites.
Reserved is not a term you could use for the pigeon which, as pigeon should be, was full on. A big slice of foie gras adds to the richness. Elevating the dish a star were the wild strawberries that refreshed your mouth each time just before the full on decadence of the pigeon and foie hit again, keeping you interested throughout.
Reserved is not a term you could use for the pigeon which, as pigeon should be, was full on. A big slice of foie gras adds to the richness. Elevating the dish a star were the wild strawberries that refreshed your mouth each time just before the full on decadence of the pigeon and foie hit again, keeping you interested throughout.
Gilt-head bream roasted pave on the skin with saffron pastil, chicken wing stuffed with calamari and chorizo, mussels, Fregola Sarda and spring vegetables cooked with paella jus
Pigeon from Racan pink roasted breast, "flambeed au capucin", grilled duck foie gras from Les Landes, glazed beetroots, wild strawberries from Malaga, intense sauce with Mexican molle
Again, there's much that's tempting with dessert. The Carupano chocolate cream came recommended by the waiter and was one choice, excellent as a chocolate dessert, but it was the other that gave us much joy - Armagnac baba. Clearly a take on rum baba, it seems that the Darroze family have been making Armagnac for decades and the traditional rum dessert has been modified to embrace the family's production. We've never ordered a baba in restaurant before, too often a bad sponge in very cheap rum; here, we wondered what a two star baba would be like.
With the dessert brought to the table, the sponge is cut open for Armagnac to be poured in, straight from the bottle. You're given the choice of a spicy 1966 or a more citrus 1975. With two cakes on the plate, we tried both. The cake is, as you would expect, beautifully light as it stands, but it also stands in almost 50 year old Armagnac which means each bite is mind blowingly good combining dessert with your after dinner drink. Heaven.
With the dessert brought to the table, the sponge is cut open for Armagnac to be poured in, straight from the bottle. You're given the choice of a spicy 1966 or a more citrus 1975. With two cakes on the plate, we tried both. The cake is, as you would expect, beautifully light as it stands, but it also stands in almost 50 year old Armagnac which means each bite is mind blowingly good combining dessert with your after dinner drink. Heaven.
Beautiful dessert cutlery
Carupano chocolate cream, sponge biscuit, Tahitian vanilla parfait
the family Armagnac
Armagnac baba, hibiscus jelly, fresh summer berries, flowers, mascarpone cream
bon-bon trolley
Too full to eat bon-bons at the table, a take away bag is provided. They too are beautiful.
This was a really good meal, well thought out, top quality ingredients and expertly cooked. Not only flavours but textures too are used to great effect, and with the food described by Hélène as 'haute rustique', it expertly combines the comfort of traditional French food with an exciting and modern delivery. Any two star restaurant will carry expectations of close to perfection cooking, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught delivered fully on that, the meal was a joy.
They also have a new restaurant manager there, Herve Dubois who was previously five and half years at Midsummer House so a man with clear understanding of what it takes for a restaurant to succeed at this level. We found the service throughout to be excellent, and Herve very personable also. Early days for Herve, we're sure more changes are on the way, most likely improving things further.
We're so glad we gave Hélène Darroze at the Connaught another try. In our opinion, they are at the top end of their two star peer group and delivered to us one of the best meals of the year so far.
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Hélène Darroze at the Connaught
This was a really good meal, well thought out, top quality ingredients and expertly cooked. Not only flavours but textures too are used to great effect, and with the food described by Hélène as 'haute rustique', it expertly combines the comfort of traditional French food with an exciting and modern delivery. Any two star restaurant will carry expectations of close to perfection cooking, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught delivered fully on that, the meal was a joy.
They also have a new restaurant manager there, Herve Dubois who was previously five and half years at Midsummer House so a man with clear understanding of what it takes for a restaurant to succeed at this level. We found the service throughout to be excellent, and Herve very personable also. Early days for Herve, we're sure more changes are on the way, most likely improving things further.
We're so glad we gave Hélène Darroze at the Connaught another try. In our opinion, they are at the top end of their two star peer group and delivered to us one of the best meals of the year so far.
Return to homepage
Related links
Hélène Darroze at the Connaught
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