Does posh equal tasty?

It pretty much does at London's Lindsay House where Michelin starred chef Richard Corrigan works

Review by Jack Shamash
Lindsay House is one of those wonderful London restaurants where people go to eat highly expensive and extremely classy cooking. The head chef is Richard Corrigan, who has run various award-winning restaurants and even has a Michelin star to his name. This is seriously posh food.

It's situated in a sidestreet of Soho and is based in an old Georgian townhouse. You have to ring the bell to get in. Inside it is all very plush fabrics and small tables. Everyone was eating in pairs – although there are private rooms for groups upstairs.

People were speaking in hushed voices as if they were expecting a religious experience which, foodwise, they were. There was none of that convivial banter you get at most restaurants. Instead the talk was all about food and wine. This is not really the ideal place to go on a first date!

I was there with my wife, Carol, and she suggested getting some pate, a piece of fish and a dessert. I was having none of it. I insisted that we have the tasting menu of six courses (£68 per person) along with the wines (an additional £42 per person). I was up for tasting as much as possible here.

The head waiter was, from a sociological point of view, very interesting. He was dressed in one of those narrow fitting Saville Row-type suits with double vents at the back, had a broad collared Jermyn Street-type shirt, a big checked silk tie and rectangular-rimmed designer glasses. He oozed the modern British style that the restaurant itself evokes.

I gave him our order. ‘Oh, what an adventure!’ he exclaimed.

Five minutes later he returned with an ‘amuse bouche’ for us. To tickle the palate, we were given a Parmesan custard (which I loved but Carol didn't) and a tiny portion of Caesar salad.

The dishes then arrived at approximately 20 minutes intervals. It was a bit like some kind of Roman feast. The headwaiter would enter the room in triumphant procession, followed by his assistant carrying a tray of food. The headwaiter would then take the dishes off the tray and give them to us, explaining what we were eating. It was a delightful ceremony.

First off was the baby squid with pressed pork shoulder. The meat was beautifully soft, but the squid appeared to have been stuffed with cheese (a little too salty for our palates). To accompany this we had 2006 Menetou Salon Marogues, which is a wonderful cabernet sauvignon. Beautifully crisp and with just a hint of sparkle.

Next was warm asparagus, poached duck egg and foie gras foam, with toasted brioche. We both thought this was delicious. It was served with a wonderful Reisling, which was beautifully scented and had a lovely sweetness and none of that cloying quality, you often get with German wines.

To be honest, the wines were the best part of the meal. I enjoy wines and I have some idea about what I’m drinking but I couldn’t really look through a wine list and find a perfect accompaniment to a dinner. It was a real luxury to have such a beautifully matched selection of wines.

The third course was a steamed fillet of brill. My wife and I both adored this. The fish was wonderfully tender and just cooked through, served on a bed of wild celery. For some reason, they had chosen to serve it with a ‘tempura of Strangford Lough oyster’ – in other words, an oyster fried in tempura batter. It was the thumbs down for me on the oyster, but Carol loved it.

I could have handled another portion of the brill. It would have been preferable to the next course, which was a disappointment. We were given a roast lamb cutlet with merguez (spicy sausage) and wild garlic. It was all too heavy. It may be very trendy to get a lamb cutlet dripping in blood, but I find it a bit off-putting. There was huge consolation in the fact that the lamb was served with a wonderfully rich New Zealand pinot noir.

Next came some warm goat’s cheese – very nice. And finally there was a wild strawberry mousse with a yoghurt sorbet. The mousse was served in a long tube-like thing and was fabulous. This was served with a fine French desert wine. Finally we had a coffee, took a few minutes for digestion and then it was out into the night air.

Lindsay House was a fabulous experience. Thinking about it, it’s a bit like going to a first class art gallery. You’ll experience some things you’ll like, some you’ll prefer to steer clear of, and some you’ll positively dislike. But it’s exciting, vibrant and very different. And it’s a lot of fun if you’ve got £250 to spare.

Lindsay House is at 21 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AF. Tel 0207 439 0450