The Ledbury is one of 9 Michelin starred restaurants in London that holds 2 stars. Unfortunately, they no longer provide halal meat, but they do offer seafood and vegetarian options and can ensure that no alcohol is used in dishes ordered.
I went on a Sunday and had the 4-course Sunday lunch at a fixed cost of £70 which includes water and service.
The menu changes daily so I will review what I had.
We started the lunch with canapes which act as palette cleansers between each course.
Course one White Asparagus
The first course was White Asparagus Muscatel Grapes, Ricotta and Sunflower Seeds. If you are expecting flavour and depth then you are going to be disappointed. This was a very poor dish, very little taste, and flavour, dull and bland.
Roast Celeriac
Roast Celeriac Hazelnut Praline, Egg Yolk and Truffle. This was the standout item for me. I am writing this review a month later and I can still taste the delicious creamy egg yolk. The texture and flavor were unlike any egg yolk I have had, it was smooth and had such a rich deep of flavour. All of the items on the plate really worked well together.
Main / John Dory
John Dory (fish), Cauliflower and Bonito Butter. For my main course, I had fish, although the flavours were balanced, the actual fish was overcooked which meant that it was on the dry side and really didn’t taste that great. I found it dry and it was not soft nor tender. I would expect it to fall apart with ease but it didn’t.
Dessert
Whipped Ewe’s Milk Yoghurt Poached Rhubarb, Lime Leaf, and Beignets. This is dessert was light and presentation was really nice, but the overall taste was underwhelming.
Overall, I was really expecting better from the food here. The presentation of all dishes was great but I was expecting a better level of imagination and cooking. It was all too simple and safe. However, I think eating here was more of an experience.
The service was faultless, water always topped up, staff attentive and very friendly. Little things like finding your napkin folded up when up return to the table after visiting the washroom was a nice touch. 4 courses with canapes with service and water for £70 is a great value menu for a 2-star restaurant that was ranked at the time of visiting the 24th best restaurant in the world.
