Earlier in the year I took my wife to eat one of the world’s leading female chef’s restaurants in Paris – ‘Marsan par Hélène Darroze’. The food was quite simply dazzling and left a lasting impression on us both (you can read a review of this meal HERE). So much so, that I became more determined than ever to visit Chef Hélène’s celebrated (3*!) London restaurant at the iconic Connaught hotel. The occasion of a friend’s 40th birthday afforded me the perfect opportunity to make a visit.
The Connaught – a London institution
A word, first of all, about the Connaught hotel. A beautiful building sat in the heart of London’s Mayfair district. The cars parked outside tell you the clientele who stay in such a fabulous venue. As you walk in, it has a comforting, yet chic nostalgic feeling. Wood panelling and grand staircases abound. The lounges and bars are snug yet classy. You feel that you want to dress up just to be there – settling in somewhere with a martini.
There is a corridor that takes you towards Helene Darroze’s restaurant that is somewhat understated, but after you pass through into the main room it opens up into a high-ceilinged and generous space. The décor is classic and classy. We were given a large and comfortable table, set with elegant table settings. I ordered us a half bottle of NV Billecart-Salmon‘s rosé Champagne to get us going as we perused the menu. Billecart-Salmon have been a favourite of mine, ever since I visited them last year – all their wines ooze style and class – perfect for a setting like this.
We were eating on the Autumn Equinox, i.e. the first day of Autumn, but it turned out to also be the last day that they were offering their ‘Taste of Summer’ tasting menu, so we eagerly opted for that as given that we haven’t really had a summer in the UK it only felt right to eke out more of whatever summer we could get.
Something fishy going on…
The meal started with four dishes that all featured seafood. Starting with Yellowfin Tuna (“Labrax” Mevagiussey from Cornwall), served with Cobnut, Girolles, and Piel de Sapo Melon. The melon was sliced incredibly thinly and used to hide the delicious morsels of tuna which were served delightful, as you would expect. There were a couple of additions to the dish which really elevated it – firstly, a cured tuna heart was grated over the dish to give it some additional flavour complexity; secondly, a Ponzu sauce was dressed onto the plate to give it an acidic bite.
Next up was one of the absolute highlights of the meal. Tomato (Hubert Lacoste from Gers), served with Mackerel, Thai Basil, Zallotti Blossom, and a ‘Grazpacho Consommé’. You would expect the mackerel to be the star of the plate, but it was all of the different tomato flavours that stole the limelight. The consommé was incredibly rich, complex, and powerful. Underneath the mackerel was a tartlet that was layered with confit tomatoes which had an intensity to them – almost like they had concentrated an entire summer’s sun into them. Anthony Bourdain famously said “live where the tomatoes are good” – on this showing I need to move to Gers…!
Time now for Lobster from the Isle of Mull, served with Tandoori Spices, Carrot, Citrus, and Coriander. We were told that this dish was inspired by a trip that Chef Hélène took to India, and is the only dish on the menu that never changes. You can see from the picture that this was an absolutely stunning plate. The vibrancy of the various colours alone just fills your mouth with saliva looking at it. Combined with the aromatic aromas of the spices, couple with coriander really got you excited for the dish. It was very clever to serve the slightly sweet carrot purée alongside, it acted as a perfect foil for the luscious lobster meat. Stunning.
The last of our fish dishes was Cornish Red Mullet, served with Black Barley, Flanders Wheat, Taggiasca Olive, Ginger, and ‘Ttoro Jus’. The mullet had been smoked on a BBQ to give it really rich flavour, whilst also keeping it deliciously moist and succulent. The sauce was a nod to a bouillabaisse made from fish heads and livers. As you’d expect it was deep, rich, and fragrant. I also really liked the detail of the maple leaves that had been cut from root vegetables. The whole dish sat on top of some ancient grains which added more textural structure.
Ou est le vin?
Our little half bottle of Champagne was mentioned a little while ago, so you may be wondering what wine we paired with all of these delicious fish dishes. The list featured some outstanding Burgundies, but with the mark-ups being at 3* levels, I decided to look slightly to the east and went for a 2013 Geisberg Grand Cru Riesling from Domaine Trimbach. Trimbach are one of Alsace’s most celebrated producers and I have had excellent wines from them before, but this was my first excursion into one of the Grand Cru offerings – with the site at Geisberg being considered potentially their greatest. You could tell the wine was slightly more mature from the golden colour it presented in the glass. In profile it gave off warm, gentle ripe fruit with notes of papaya and pineapple coming through. It had the weight and structure that you’d expect from such a wine, but it carried it with aplomb. A seriously good wine from a seriously good producer.
Birds of a feather, flock together…
Time now for something a little different – Pigeon (Jean-Jacques Boga from Brittany), served with Aubergine, Cumin, Sansbo Pepper, and Amalfi Lemon. This was one of those dishes that just had so much going on with it – so many different textures, techniques, and flavour profiles. The intensely dark sauce that you can see was a black garlic purée, which was intense in flavour too! The pigeon was made of a beautifully cooked breast, featuring a crunchy coating to give it additional textural complexity; alongside a spiced pigeon samosa. The aubergine had been barbecued to help bring out the smoky notes. In addition you had a sauce that featured bits of preserved lemon to give it some extra vim and vigour.
We had finished the Riesling by this point and I was rather keen to have some red with the pigeon. To that end we went back to their half-bottle selection and I chose a 2016 Domaine David Duband Nuits-St-Georges. For a village level wine this was sumptuous and a perfect match for our pigeon.
After the pigeon we were offered the opportunity to go and visit the kitchens of the restaurant. This was a wonderful gesture and one that our party was eager to take up. It was my friend’s 40th birthday and this felt like the perfect way to make the lunch even more special. We were taken down a set of stairs, which had been painted a deep, plush red and made it feel like we were being taken into the nerve centre of the operation. We passed a couple of offices and then found ourselves in the place where the magic happens. The countertop where the plates are dressed is the thing that I will remember most – a stunning piece of white marble that I shudder to think how much it must have cost. The kitchen seemed calm and focussed – we were approaching the end of the lunchtime service. Everything looked pristine – all the appliances looked like they were simply sparkling and I could see members of staff undertaking their clean downs. We were welcomed warmly by the team and then were allowed to go behind the counter and have a photo with the chefs. A truly beautiful experience and one that made me enjoy the meal we were having even more.
Cheese and dessert – the good life
Back in the dining room, it was time to have a selection from their matured fine seasonal cheese board. I’d had this when I was in Paris earlier in the year and enjoyed their unashamed celebration of wonderful French fromages; and I was equally pleased that in their London restaurant they made a point of celebrating British cheeses. All the cheeses on trolley were from the UK and it was fantastic to see them being lauded in such a way. I took my customary selection of one hard cheese, one soft cheese, one goats’ cheese, and one blue. As this was a lunch, this was probably pushing it slightly in terms of the levels of decadence, but you kind of have to – don’t you?
Now it was time for the sweet courses. We started with Fig (Solliers – France), served with Long Pepper, Vanilla, and Orange. This was a lovely dish and, importantly, not too heavy after the cheese course. There were two takes on fig on the plate – real slices and then a faux fig that had been made with cream inside it. There was also a fig jus poured liberally over the dish. The vanilla vice cream gave the dish some temperature contrast. Figs and cream – what more could you possibly want?
The second dessert, was not a light affairs. It was time for Chocolate (Tannea – Madagascar), served with Saffron and Cocoa Beans. This was pure hedonism on a plate. Every part of it was designed to be as sensual and provocative as possible. The plate was beautifully presented, but by this point of the meal you are just marvelling at the gastronomic journey that you have been on. This would be high up there on things that I’d have on my last meal list. It was decadent with intense flavours. One of our party had definitely exhausted themselves by this point and struggled to finish theirs. I can tell you, dear reader, that I did not have that problem. I was not going to let such a dish go to waste – even if I did need to go for a fairly long walk afterwards to calm my stomach down after all the complex flavours and foods that I had enjoyed.
Truly, this was a spectacular meal. One of the very finest that I have been lucky enough to try. I can certainly see why this restaurant attained and has retained its 3* status. I also thoroughly enjoyed the read-across that I was able to do between the London and Parisien versions of Chef Hélène’s restaurants. So much in common with each, yet with subtle, distinctive nods in different directions at times. Very, very clever. Very, very delicious.
The seasonal approach on the Connaught’s menu makes me think that I must go back to try their menu at a different time of the year to see what they do with different ingredients and different atmospheres. Who turns 40 next and wants to celebrate their birthday?!
timmilford.com 
Hi Tim,
I have a website about Mayfair – can you review some hotels and venues in the area?
Kind regards,
Daniel