Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Address: Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
Contact: 020 7107 8945 http://www.the-connaught.co.uk/mayfair-restaurants-bars/
Price: Private dining menu
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The first time I dined at The Connaught, the Head Chef was Angela Hartnett and I had the most delicious Sunday lunch. Since then, Hélène Darroze has taken over the helm and has earned two Michelin stars for her French food with flair. When I received an invitation to dinner I was excited to try her food.
- Carlos Room
The occasion was a celebration dinner with work colleagues in the Carlos room. The room was beautifully styled with coral roses, silver napkin rings, crystal chandeliers and portraits on the walls. Delicate canapés were served at the welcome reception and were single mouthfuls of deliciousness. I tried the smoked salmon blini, Spanish torte and cheese puff. The waiters were immaculately dressed and service was slick and seamless in true two Michelin stars fashion.
- Terrine of foie gras
I’ve heard others say that one can tell the quality of a restaurant from its bread. The warm rolls on offer looked mouth-wateringly good. I chose the milk bread. The starter of terrine of duck foie gras from Hélène’s native region in France, dried fruit chutney, confit citrus and amaranth leaves accompanied by toast was a guilty pleasure. The portion was more than I would have expected which was a very welcome surprise.
- Sea bass with truffle mash
The main course of pavé of line caught sea bass, mashed potatoes with black truffle, mizuna, gravy sauce with sweet onions was a real delight. The classic flavours were not toyed with but executed well apart from a slight over seasoning of the mashed potatoes for my taste. The other diners raved about the food and there were clean plates all round. Two of our party even sent back their risottos after seeing how wonderful the sea bass looked.
- Carupano chocolate cream, spicy sponge with ginger-bread
Having tried the patisserie here last year at afternoon tea during the Chelsea Flower Show, I knew how skilled the pastry chefs are. A rather splendid carupano chocolate cream and spicy sponge with home-made ginger-bread was the indulgent dessert chosen for us. Unfortunately the hot chocolate sauce flavoured with candied zest came out cold which was a disappointment because the dynamics of the dish didn’t work quite as well. Perhaps our celebratory speeches went on a bit too long for the kitchen. The spices in the sponge and ginger-bread were delicate but unmistakeable – a near perfect dish.
- Petit fours
With coffee and mint tea came the petit fours of cranberry and nut nougat, chocolate truffles and caramels which incidentally didn’t taste pleasant at all. The nougat had a real zing to them from the cranberry which I very much enjoyed. The chocolate truffles were too good to resist so I had one, ok I had two!
If you are planning a celebration or just fancy a treat, I highly recommend Hélène Darroze at The Connaught. Apart from a couple of development areas, the meal, service and style were immaculate. So go on, indulge yourself!
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