It was the end of another year and I was determined that we the girls would have a nice pre-Christmas meal together. And after a year of lacklustre working day lunches, I wanted something nice and anyway, Christmas time was the only time of year we could get away with a long lunch on a weekday. Hibiscus has been on my to-eat list for a while and their £29.50 set lunch seemed a good and affordable option. Run by chef Claude Bosi and his wife Claire in front of house, the restaurant retained its two stars when it moved from Shropshire to London two years ago. And yes, the a la carte prices are on par with other two starred restaurants. However, only until recently, lunch was only served Monday through Friday and there was no way I could take off so much time during the day to eat there. Christmas it would be (but now they offer lunch on Saturday too).
So, the Wednesday before Christmas at 1:30pm, we found ourselves at the entrance to Hibiscus. After shedding all our outerwear (and there was a lot that chilly day), we were led to a round table near the back. The dining room was much smaller than I expected but I didn’t dislike the minimalist decor.
After ordering, bread and butter arrived for the table – that bread was warm with a wonderfully crisp crust. Along came an amuse too – a little egg filled with a cream and custard of ras el hanout, a Moroccan blend of spices. I could have downed two of them – the custard was incredibly appetising and I could barely wait for the rest of my meal.
We all started with the Terrine of Woolley Park Farm Goose & Foie Gras, Confit “Main de Buddha”, Black Radish Salad, Curry Oil. A generous slice of terrine appeared with dollops of confit puree. I was quite excited to taste some Buddha’s hand fruit (yes, I’m sad) and it didn’t let me down; it had a strong citrus flavour, as you would expect from a fruit with a ridiculous rind surface area. And I thought it paired well with the rich foie and goose meat.
For mains, we again all chose the same thing: Roast Shropshire Partridge, Caper & Raisin Sauce, Glazed Savoy Cabbage, Smoked Beurre Blanc. Our cutlery was changed and we were presented with the oddest looking knives we’d ever seen. My maroon, Rachel’s pink and Mirna’s turquoise monogrammed knives with matching knife stands were possibly the most colourful and possibly kitsch cutlery ever presented to us. We noticed that men at other tables were presented with good old black ones. Rachel and I went around the plate, tasting each little bit individually before tucking in properly. I also burst out laughing when I got to the Savoy cabbage – there must’ve been at least 50% butter in that little green quenelle. The partridge was moist and tender and delicious with the beurre blanc and caper and raisin sauce and the pomegranate seeds added a lovely tart crunch along with adding to the paint palette of a plate. A little square of toast spread with the bird’s rich liver sat at the edge of the plate. The vegetables on the side (apart from the cabbage) were just alright. Rachel found two bits of shot inside her partridge leg; it’s as expected when it comes to game but I’m still glad she didn’t chomp down on them!
Mirna and I selected the Iced Chestnut Parfait, Sharon Fruit Sorbet for dessert. The parfait was studded with lots of chestnut bits and came topped with a light and crisp sugar layer. It was topped with a smooth sharon fruit sorbet and a wedge of the most ripe sharon fruit I’ve come across and it was surrounded by a moat of sharon fruit puree. I thought there was a bit of sharon fruit overkill – perhaps the puree could have been replaced with another flavour that did not overpower the gentleness of the parfait. Still, a lovely dessert.
Rachel chose the Sicilian Mandarin Trifle to shake things up a bit. It seemed lightly scented with orange blossom and the taste I had included some gorgeous mandarin jelly. The honeycomb toffee on top was equally fantastic.
We needed coffees after such a rich meal. One espresso, one americano, one latte. My espresso came quite long, looking like the biggest espresso I’d ever had in a restaurant. Rachel’s americano was mixed at the table for her and she was pleased with it. Mirna did not like her latte though, finding the espresso too long and the whole thing too milky. The coffees came with some petit fours. From the front to the back, these were a smoked caramel fudge, white chocolate with a passion fruit filling, milk chocolate with a caramel filling and a dark chocolate with a softer dark ganache within. I quite liked the fudge with its light smokiness and the passion fruit white chocolate was gorgeous but unfortunately the final two chocolates were let down by a strange sourness in the fillings. It was bad enough that we just couldn’t finish them. The only major negative to the meal but it didn’t get us down.
Altogether it came to £40 each for the set lunch menu, a shared bottle of water, coffees and petit fours, and service. And that service was exemplary. One of my friends was interested in the coffee cups (for a possible present) and I tried to surreptitiously take a photo of the name of the maker at the bottom of the saucer. The hostess saw me and then kindly told us the manufacturer and where we could purchase it (Selfridges). Just before we left, she handed us an envelope with further information – manufacturer, model of the cups, and another shop (Harrods) where there was still stock of that model! Had they actually called up these department stores to find out?! Anyway, I’d love to come back to Hibiscus when we’ve got a little more disposable income to spend on one of their tasting menus on Friday or Saturday.
Hibiscus
29 Maddox Street
London W1S 2PA
Right, when this post comes out, I should be on a plane to Barcelona already. Have a happy new year, everyone! See you in 2010!
Tue, 29 Dec, 2009 at 20:34
I love the look of those desserts! I need to add Hibiscus to my list of places to eat in. I love how they actually gave you guys information on where to get the cup – I really enjoy my food so much more when the service is good.
Have fun in Barcelona, and have a great new year!
Tue, 29 Dec, 2009 at 20:57
Sounds like a gorgeous meal! I guess if the coffee’s the only thing you can fault, it’s a good meal!
Enjoy Barcelona
Wed, 30 Dec, 2009 at 13:09
I’m torn between Pied a Terre and Hibiscus for my next Tasting Trip but the latter is winning the votes on Urbanspoon so far.
Anyway, it looks brilliant.
Thu, 31 Dec, 2009 at 15:56
Sounds wonderful; however the very concept that those little hard inedible bits you sometimes encounter in birds could be shot has me freaked out… I never thought of it! The hostess giving you all the specifics on the tableware is a very nice touch. What is a Sharon fruit? It looks like a tomato… Happy New Year Su-Lin!
Thu, 31 Dec, 2009 at 16:14
Happy new year! Have a wonderful time in Barcelona Su-Lin and hopefully catch up with you in the new year.
Thu, 31 Dec, 2009 at 18:54
If you come into unexpected money, you can always take me to Hibiscus for the tasting menu. Have a great time in Barcelona. I’m still stuck in London trying to sort out a new job. Happy New Year.
Fri, 1 Jan, 2010 at 11:32
This is really interesting. When Hibiscus opened in London and everyone was reviewing it, I didn’t find it at all appealling. But all of these dishes sound really delicious!
Have a lovely time in Barcelona!
Sun, 3 Jan, 2010 at 04:00
The terrine looks exquisite! Hope you have many more to come in the new year!
Wed, 6 Jan, 2010 at 16:20
All looks great, but I would love the trifle!
Best wishes for 2010!
Wed, 6 Jan, 2010 at 19:12
Gosh, the food and photography look fantastic, I so want to try this place now (added to my very long list of places to visit in 2010).
Happy New Year to you, and really looking fwd to our visit to Franco Manca later in the month.
Luiz @ The London Foodie
Thu, 7 Jan, 2010 at 12:02
Wooohooo….buddha’s hand fruit….I love that!
Thu, 7 Jan, 2010 at 16:30
I, too, loved the service at Hibiscus (in addition to the food). It’s been two years since I was last there, so I’m glad to hear you had such a delicious and gracious lunch there. I’ll look forward to revisiting thanks to your post. Happy new year!
Fri, 8 Jan, 2010 at 06:22
Hibiscus is a nice place. I have been there for how many times and I am really impressed with their food!
Fri, 8 Jan, 2010 at 12:01
Wow, it all sounds utterly delicious and I will be booking a lunchtime table there soon. Happy New Year!
Sat, 9 Jan, 2010 at 17:17
breadetbutter: I thought the service was exemplary. Happy New Year!
LexEat: It definitely was. I’m keen to try more lunch menus across London but need longer lunch breaks first!
Wild Boar: I went for Hibiscus also because of the price – more affordable!
foodhoe: Don’t worry – if it’s shot, you’ll know it. It’ll look black and spherical and definitely non-natural! Sharon fruit is also known as kaki fruit or persimmon.
Helen: Happy New Year and thanks, I did have a great time! Hope you see you soon!
Trig: Hope the job situation works out for you soon! If I come into a lot of money, I’ll take you up on that!
Foodycat: I went in with pretty much no expectations (despite one friend recommending it highly) and it turned out to be a great lunch. Luckily there were no (or few?) *negative* reviews about…
ivan: Thank you – and to you too!
Nic: The trifle was definitely gorgeous and I would have happily gulped one down too!
Luiz: So many restaurants to visit, so little money… 😛 Happy New Year! See you soon!
tigerfish: I’ve still not seen a whole one before!
An American in London: I’d love to return myself but there are just so many places to go! I want to visit Murano thanks to your post.
swbc: Good to know that they’re consistent!
Back Seat Gourmand: I hope you have a lovely lunch! Happy New Year!
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