Review: London House
The latest addition to Gordon Ramsey’s gastronomic empire is the characterful London House, sitting pretty on the corner of up-and-coming Battersea Square. Rumour has it that this space used to be an especially eccentric club in the 1960s, frequented by the likes of Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger, but now the period building is nothing but elegance personified.
When it comes to setting up eateries, the food mogul knows his stuff. This end of Battersea is filled with professional types with a disposable income, yet until now this south-of-the-river spot has sorely lacked a sophisticated joint to cater to their tastes. Tellingly, London House was filled to the brim mid-week. What’s more, although it had only been open a handful of days when we popped by, many of the patrons were return visitors.
The design is welcoming rather than showy. There are uber-polished floorboards, an open (albeit gas-fuelled) fire, trendy light fittings swinging above wooden tables and colourful sofas in the lounge area. It is dimly lit which creates an ambience of subtle decadence: step into London House and the working day is over – it’s time to relax and indulge.
In keeping with the current craze, the menu is not enormous but is regularly changing, and focuses heavily on provenance. This aims to appeal to the supposedly health and eco-conscious thinking-folk that are the restaurant’s target customers. Let’s be honest, though, the food still has to taste good. And with Anna Haugh-Kelly (of Pied à Terre and The Square) at the helm, it really does.
Haugh-Kelly has hit the nail on the head by creating a menu which is not intimidating, yet exhibits enough of a restaurant flair to make diners feel they’re getting their money’s worth. My starter of pumpkin and pecan soup was a case in point. I was presented with a white bowl with delicate pieces of charred pumpkin and pecan sprinkled in the bottom. ‘Don’t worry,’ smiled the waiter, ‘it will look like soup in a second.’ He then proceeded to pour the liquid element over the top, and the result was a rich, textured and surprisingly lemony mixture which has possibly ruined all other soups for me from here on out. My friend was similarly impressed by his gremolata-crusted yellow fin tuna, of which he refused to share a single bite.
The seven options for a main course covered all bases, comprising meat, fish, poultry and vegetarian choices. Neither my Cumbrian beef fillet nor my friend’s venison haunch were enormous portions, but the flavours are so well cultivated that they don’t need to be. Both meats were meltingly tender and the accompaniments were just the right amount of unusual to keep it interesting. The braised cheek stuff potato gnocchi very nearly stole the show on my plate, while the creamed cauliflower was a surprisingly rich addition to my friend’s venison. Had decorum not demanded otherwise, we would have licked the plates clean.
A selection of British cheeses with homemade piccalilli, plus a textbook chocolate tart, followed for pudding, and we subsequently dove into the cocktail list to enjoy a digestif by the fire. The selection of drinks are crafted with a similar panache to the food menu: our Three Martini Lunch came as a procession of three tiny martini glasses, each with a subtly different flavour. With every sofa taken up – be it by quietly romantic couples or exuberant groups – it seems this homely yet refined lounge area will become a destination bar in its own right.
London House is very reasonably priced, ringing in at £28 for two courses of £35 for three. When it comes to eating out in London, it is easy to spend double that, especially when it comes to fine dining. The notorious F-man really has done fantastically with his latest venture. London House is, quite simply, difficult to fault.
www.gordonramsay.com/london-house
When it comes to setting up eateries, the food mogul knows his stuff. This end of Battersea is filled with professional types with a disposable income, yet until now this south-of-the-river spot has sorely lacked a sophisticated joint to cater to their tastes. Tellingly, London House was filled to the brim mid-week. What’s more, although it had only been open a handful of days when we popped by, many of the patrons were return visitors.
The design is welcoming rather than showy. There are uber-polished floorboards, an open (albeit gas-fuelled) fire, trendy light fittings swinging above wooden tables and colourful sofas in the lounge area. It is dimly lit which creates an ambience of subtle decadence: step into London House and the working day is over – it’s time to relax and indulge.
In keeping with the current craze, the menu is not enormous but is regularly changing, and focuses heavily on provenance. This aims to appeal to the supposedly health and eco-conscious thinking-folk that are the restaurant’s target customers. Let’s be honest, though, the food still has to taste good. And with Anna Haugh-Kelly (of Pied à Terre and The Square) at the helm, it really does.
Haugh-Kelly has hit the nail on the head by creating a menu which is not intimidating, yet exhibits enough of a restaurant flair to make diners feel they’re getting their money’s worth. My starter of pumpkin and pecan soup was a case in point. I was presented with a white bowl with delicate pieces of charred pumpkin and pecan sprinkled in the bottom. ‘Don’t worry,’ smiled the waiter, ‘it will look like soup in a second.’ He then proceeded to pour the liquid element over the top, and the result was a rich, textured and surprisingly lemony mixture which has possibly ruined all other soups for me from here on out. My friend was similarly impressed by his gremolata-crusted yellow fin tuna, of which he refused to share a single bite.
The seven options for a main course covered all bases, comprising meat, fish, poultry and vegetarian choices. Neither my Cumbrian beef fillet nor my friend’s venison haunch were enormous portions, but the flavours are so well cultivated that they don’t need to be. Both meats were meltingly tender and the accompaniments were just the right amount of unusual to keep it interesting. The braised cheek stuff potato gnocchi very nearly stole the show on my plate, while the creamed cauliflower was a surprisingly rich addition to my friend’s venison. Had decorum not demanded otherwise, we would have licked the plates clean.
A selection of British cheeses with homemade piccalilli, plus a textbook chocolate tart, followed for pudding, and we subsequently dove into the cocktail list to enjoy a digestif by the fire. The selection of drinks are crafted with a similar panache to the food menu: our Three Martini Lunch came as a procession of three tiny martini glasses, each with a subtly different flavour. With every sofa taken up – be it by quietly romantic couples or exuberant groups – it seems this homely yet refined lounge area will become a destination bar in its own right.
London House is very reasonably priced, ringing in at £28 for two courses of £35 for three. When it comes to eating out in London, it is easy to spend double that, especially when it comes to fine dining. The notorious F-man really has done fantastically with his latest venture. London House is, quite simply, difficult to fault.
www.gordonramsay.com/london-house