This was our last full day in London before we heade off to Barcelona. We didn’t want to be out late for dinner since we had to pack, so I looked for someplace for lunch and found this place (plus we still wanted to go to the National Portrait Gallery). We got a late start in the morning so I ended up booking a 1:30pm reservation which was close to the tail end of lunch service (went until 2pm). The restaurant was not even close to full for lunch not surprisingly and almost all of the seated tables were in one section were of course we were also seated.

Almost right away, a champagne cart came by which is always fun so we did partake (i don’t recall which champers we each picked). We enjoyed our champagne, but no one else came to check in with us (everyone did seem to be quite busy). About 30 minutes later, our waitperson finally came by and introduced himself as our primary to take care of us. He told us a bit about the restaurant and the menu which was based on historical British recipes which sounded intriguing. He also dropped off the 3 cards and explained how we could pick a card to display in the stand on our table depending on how much interaction we wanted from the staff regarding the dishes. The Adventurer card was for minimal interaction and to just let the food do the talking. The Guide card was for learning about hos the food was made and the Maverick was to get as much information and history as well. We wanted to hear everything so we placed The Maverick card into the stand. It was a nice idea, although actual execution on this would be mixed.

There was a 3-course Luncheon menu for £65 a 3-course à la carte menu for £125, and a 7-course tasting menu, but we were not offered the tasting menu because they cut that off at 1:30pm. Andrea decided to go with the tasting menu and I went with the à la carte menu since it had greater choices. From the Luncheon menu, Andrea picked the Mushroom Broth (recipe from c.1728), Compost Tart (c.1390), and the British Cheese for dessert and she added a Mixed Leaf Salad à la carte. From the à la carte menu, I picked the Meat Fruit (c.1500) to start based on the recommendation from our waitperson as this being one of their signature dishes, the Hereford Ribeye (c.1830), and the Tipsy Cake (c.1858) also at their recommendation of being one of their signature dishes. Andrea went with the wine pairing and although there wasn’t a pairing for à la carte, the somm said he could provide by the glass recommendations.

We received some bread and butter. The bread was hearty and flavorful and the butter was delicious as well. He only gave a very perfunctory description of the dishes. Andrea’s Mushroom Broth also various pickled mushrooms and a poached egg. This had a solid earthy, umami flavor to it and a poached egg is usually a winner in my book. For my dish, the Meat Fruit is a playful dish. The explanation was that back in the 1500s from whence this recipe originated, uncooked foods were consider poisonous so the mandarin orange was in fact a chicken liver parfait (I should have taken a picture of it cut open). This came with a nice piece of grilled and buttered bread and made for a very nice starter.

Our second course was delivered about 30 minutes after we had received our first course. A little bit on the long side, but not too bad. This was a different waitperson who delivered this course and he did gave a very perfunctory explanation of the dishes, not quite the Maverick level historical explanation. Andrea’s Compost Tart was a made from courgette, radicchio, and various other greens and herbs standing up in a shallow little tart with a ricotta sauce inside. The Mixed Leaf Salad was also primarily primarily radicchio which was unfortunate because had she realized the tart was going to be primarily radicchio also, she would not have ordered the salad. But they were both quite good and I helped her finish anyway.

My Hereford beef was 21-day aged and I was pleasantly surprised that it had a good amount of that aged funk that I like so much and usually associate with something being aged much longer. This came with a sauce/jus that was made of celeriac and bone marrow (yum). On the side, I also received thrice cooked chips with a mushroom ketchup. The chips were fantastic, nicely crisp exterior. The mushroom ketchup was like a sweet mushroom sauce, but really tomato ketchup tastes better to me (and I don’t even really like ketchup), but I appreciated the period authenticity of it. All in all another very good dish for me.

Then unfortunately came a very long wait…50 minutes between when mains were delivered to when the dessert course was delivered. This was delivered by another waitperson, but she did give a bit more historical information. Andrea’s cheese plate was pretty standard with a goat cheese, a cow’s milk (don’t remember detail). The cheese were excellent though and it was a nice selection with each being very distinct to give a nice variety. My dessert, the Tipsy Cake, was made up of a slice of spit roasted pineapple (which we could see the pineapples roasting in the kitchen). We received a bit of the history of the pineapple as a status symbol being a in previous centuries a very expensive and rare product. The roasted pineapple had a beautiful roasted caramelization to it. It was accompanied by a brioche with cream, topped with sugar served in a little mini cast iron Staub. What’s not to like about this…the roasted pineapple in combination with the brioche and cream. It kind of reminded me of the most sophisticated deconstructed pineapple upside-down cake you could ever have.

We were anxious to go because there was still some sightseeing we wanted to do. We asked for the check. They offered us tea or coffee and I also knew there was still a chocolate ganache also having seen it all played out at other tables. Andrea went for espresso and i went for tea served in some interestingly decorated dishware.

even though the service was highly imperfect – it was nearly 3 hours for a 3 course lunch and I think we would have received even more engagement and detailed information had they not been so busy, I very clearly see why it was highly regarded. My à la carte dishes were excellent all around and the wines they paired for me were all excellent matches and very nice glasses of wine (can’t remember the first white I chose from his recommendations, had a Brunello with the beef, and a Tokaji with dessert). The food and wine that I had was significantly better than the offerings Andrea had with the Luncheon prix fixe and pairing, but this of course did come at a cost. So it is quite nice that they have a moderately priced option. I would definitely be interested in doing the full tasting menu (my 3 dishes were all on the tasting menu) and preferably for dinner service rather than lunch. I liked the concept, the execution of the food, a nice view out the window into Hyde Park, and again my main quibble was with the service we experienced on this visit.

https://www.dinnerbyheston.co.uk