That's How It Happened

...a robotic exo-skeleton to turn me into a terminator.

Hibiscus in Ludlow was until recently one of only eleven restaurants in the UK with two Michelin stars. Somehow that wasn't good enough for the owners Claude and Claire Bosi, who decided to relocate it to London's glitzy West End earlier this month. I booked a couple of weeks before it opened, which was lucky because it has had rave reviews. Time Out liked it so much they upgraded their star system making it their first ever six star restaurant. Even Gill and Coren, twin bete noires of many London restauranteurs were grudgingly impressed. I took the GF for her 29th (+2) birthday.

Is butter an indicator of restaurant quality? While we mulled over the rather short menu and the long wine list we had parmesan puffs, and bread with this pat of boutique butter. It was so yellow, so soft, and so buttery that I thought it might have been homemade.

For an aperitif was this "Hibiscus Sour", a hibiscus cordial with a float of smoked olive oil. It was more unusual than delicious, the oil and the oak being ever so slightly redolent of smoked mackerel and freshly creosoted timber. Since we were birthdaying we plumped (literally) for the seven course surprise menu.

The first starter was a tian of dessicated red cabbage, coconut milk ice cream, a hot truffle espuma, and salted pistachios, dressed at the table with a cauliflower veloute. I'm not sure if there was a unifying culinary concept here, except for being a massive succulent umami melange. Delicious, but baffling.

This was a tiny salad of Cornish crab, avocado, and pear, with a sweet honey and balsamic dressing, and a strange cape made of a disc of Poire Williams jelly. In retrospect it sounds churlish, but I was slightly underwhelmed by its delicate precise prissiness.

Pollack's ethical credentials have made it the fish of the moment. Sashimied/carpaccioed with black radishes, almond oil, and more truffles it was sensationally good. Fresh, succulent, seasonal, exciting, and exactly the sort of thing you could never cook for yourself.

At this point the menu went into overdrive. A low temperature olive oil confit of organic salmon, with caramelised pig's head terrine, bargioule (aka artichoke) sauce, and eucalyptus milk foam. The salmon was "mi cuit" in the style of John Campbell or Tetsuya Wakuda. Cooked for 14 minutes at 40 degrees C, so that it still looks raw. The ritziest high concept surf and turf combo you could ever eat.

Foie gras ice cream, with a brioche emulsion, tiny rice puffs for texture, and lemon caviar. I'll never tire of foie gras ice cream. As long as Michelin starred chefs keep making it, I'll keep being simultaneously scandalised and delighted by it. (see expensive meals passim)

Grilled rack or Shropshire rose veal, fricasse of old variety root vegetables, parsley root and cumin puree, and fressh goats cheese. There was a lot to marvel at on this plate. Black, yellow, and white carrots, goats cheese espuma etc etc. The star was the veal though. It was a really substantial hunk of meat, sous vided so that it was perfectly rare and melting from one edge to the other. Only the fatty edge had been grilled, or perhaps blowtorched into crisp perfection.

This was hot granny smith jelly with a cold lemongrass foam. It could have been the other way round, but either way it was still a great palate cleanser.

By accident I chose the most conventional dessert on the menu, a fine apple tart with salted caramel ice cream.

The GF picked a kaffir lime and mango concoction that was perfectly executed but not as avant garde as some of the strange sculptural puddings that diners on other tables seemed to have chosen.

And finally a picture of me, slightly unhealthily replete, with a small box of sweet and savoury chocolate liquers for the journey home. Hibiscus is serving blisteringly good fancy cooking, and I'm sure the two stars will be re-instated as soon as the inspectors manage to get a reservation at the new location. Claude Bosi is cleverly repackaging everything innovative and wonderful about molecular gastronomy into a very classic serious style. It's not witty like the Fat Duck or L'Enclume, but it is gloriously good. Lots of individually brilliant components to each dish, but served in stunning combinations.

Great series of ads aligning cover art from different albums. It makes me want to go home and make a big pile of all my vinyl and CDs and start matching. (via hisamichi)

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