u/Truleeeee

The ritz
The level of fancies and service is basically unmatched from any other place I’ve been to including other 2* (never been to a 3 star so maybe this is just how it is?)

Welcome snacks: 2 little bits of cheese on crackers then a mango chili cheese roll. Flavors very intense and lovely

The bread: omg the bread and butter. This coulda been a whole meal, soft warm crunchy with amazing butter. I had to try so hard not to eat it all right away

Trout: smoked trout with capers, paired w pickles cucumbers. A much bigger portion than anticipated. Smoky and delicious, cooked to a perfect temperature and melted in the mouth. I wanted to lick the plate!

John Dory: pan seared topped w a saffron lemon foam served over a carrot risotto and swimming in a bouillabaisse sauce surrounded by mussels and roasted fennel. Again of course cooked to perfection. All of the sauces and elements blended beautifully. Very smooth without being overly fishy. The fennel added a really nice element contrasting the umami of the fish and the sweet savoriness of the carrot risotto

Cheese: I just let the cheese master hook me up. I know I got a blue that was quite mild, a sweet goat cheese that paired great with the honey and chutney and walnuts, then the rest I think were French cheeses. I did not imagine the cheese course would put my over the edge and almost fill me up too much. I ended up not finishing the course so I could really enjoy the dessert

Dessert: blackberry apple soufflé topped w apple compote and paired w creme de chantilly. I’ve never had a soufflé before and I’m guessing this will ruin any other soufflé I get again. The top had just enough crystallization to add some texture to complement the fluffiness of the soufflé. The compote was tasty without being too sweet. I could eat a gallon of the creme. it had such a wonderful texture somewhere between whipped cream and ice cream and the vanilla flavor was so powerful in a good way

Petite fours: a perfect round out. Chocolate w caramel, apricot jelly thingy and a macaroon. So much flavor in every bite!!

The setting of the hotel and the dining room were just impeccable. The staff was so perfect. Friendly but not overbearing, there when you want gone when you don’t. Again they were so good with having an infant and adjusting the pace when I had to feed her or change her.
Everything was absolute 10/10. I think this is going to become a place I go every time I’m back in London. I also met a family who has been celebrating a birthday there with lunch for 33 years! I think that speaks to its excellence

Anglothai
Welcome broth - seafood broth with Thai basil, chili, lemongrass

Oyster - surprisingly spicy and also HUGE. Loved the crunchy bit

Fermented pork - topped w shrimp paste and pickled ginger. this was super flavorful and more substantial than it looks. Excellent mix of textures, as well as savory and tart

Mussel courgette stir fry - w basil and broccoli. Less firm than I expected but amazing texture. Broth to die for. Mussels huge, just enough spice

Veal cheek - comes with squash puree & spiced cabbage, served w apple salad, ancient grains. Holy cow the salad is incredible. Sweet, aromatic, spicyyyy, good mix of textures and also surprisingly large despite the small appearance.
grains were the British replacement for rice
Salad: green apple, chili, cilantro, fried mushrooms that added a perfect crispy umami to offset the aromatics and sweet tart crunch of the apple.
This course was an absolute 10/10. The sauce was divine and the veal cheek was out of control

Palette cleanser - strawberry shaved ice w pandan and coconut milk. This was so fruity and light and delicious

Dessert - Thai ice cream w a buckwheat cookie. This was good, the palette cleanser was way better

Staff was super lovely and accommodating. Everything paced well. The food had a great level of spice and was kinda sneaky where it kinda crept up the end of each bite but was never overwhelming. I opted for ginger beer and it was a great pair with all the food. I thought the concept is very cool - Thai food that makes slight substitutions to feature British ingredients. In this case a sauce made from sunflower seeds in place of peanuts, ancient grains in place of rice, Cornish mussels etc. I love places with great food great concept and also chill. I left perfectly full!

Also, I love that they have an actual changing table for babies. Funny it’s in the disabled bathroom which is down a flight of stairs. Maybe there’s a lift I missed lol

St John bread and wine:

St. John has been on my list for a longggg time so I was very excited. It was fun having quite a few Americans working in such a quintessentially British place.

Duck liver toast: packs a punch in flavor and satiety. Extremely rich but the chutney and pickles contrasted beautifully.

Pig head pie: not what I was expecting at all, I thought it’d be more like shepherd’s pie. Served room temp, the flavors were good but muted. An interesting dish but nothing I’d get again.

Rabbit w mash, gravy, smoked bacon: this was insane. Of course the meat was perfect but the mash had sooo much flavor. The bite w all the elements was such a perfect blend.

Chishuru
I love eating food I’d never know how to make at home. When I asked about a 5 month old dining with me they were accommodating and almost excited

Starters:
Chop one chop two: little mackerel pastries cheese w citrus and accompanied by tomato. The pastry was light and crispy and there was a spicy nutty sauce underneath. Delectable

Ablo: butter poached scallop over a rice puff cake topped with sautees kale all over a tamarind tomato sauce. There was such a great combo of spice, sweet, savory, crunch, warmth

Main:
Cajou - chicken cooked to eprextion, sauce was nutty and smooth, the accompaniments helped add some contrasting sharpness/spice/acidity/crunch

Dessert:
Aridan creme caramel: this was basically flan w crunchy bits of plantain with some type of sweet broth. Again hitting different textures and knocking it out of the park

Such an accessible place that doesn’t feel stuffy. The staff was so friendly and they really enjoyed saying hi to my little one. Plus only £55 for four courses!!

Anyone recognize? Selling for 1600 on my local marketplace. Wondering if it’s a commercial machine tho. Always thought it’d be neat to have 2 group heads haha