Helene Darroze @ the Connaught - 24 August 2013

One of my bosses gave me a real treat for my birthday - a 9 course tasting menu with wine pairing at Helene Darroze at the Connaught http://www.the-connaught.co.uk/mayfair-restaurants/helene-darroze/#Opening_Hours

This is a 2 Michelin starred restaurant so we were in for a real treat. We got a very warm welcome from the restaurant manager on arrival and the ambiance was warm rather than stuffy.

The tasting menu was really interesting:

 

We started off with some little canapes and were warned to not over do the bread basket due to the amount of courses we had ahead of us.. oh so true!

 

Our first dish was the Oyster, now, i am not a big fan of oysters but the combination was beautiful and with it a glass of chilled rose champagne!

Next we had the duck foie gras which was amazing.. i was doubtful about the pistachio puree but even though it was a strange pairing it somehow worked.. very memorable dish.

The Ravioli came next.. it was a tiny bit too al dente for my taste but that is my personal opinion. Again, i am not a big fan of calamari but this was very nice and balanced.

The Manager and the waiters had told us at the start of the meal that the scallop dish is one of the most iconic dishes from Helene so the pressure was on ... The scallop was beautifully cooked and the spice delicate. The carrot mousseline was also to die for.

 

The hake was the weakest dish for me. Too watery and not much flavour. Not a bad dish  but it didn't live up to the others.

Next came the chicken, beautifully moist and lots of flavour from the mushrooms and foie gras it was stuffed with. It was my hubby's favorite dish.

The Cheese came with a matching jelly for each one.

 Time for dessert.. with a pre dessert of pannacotta and berries! lovely.

Followed by a beautiful dessert made of apricots. Light and airy with a fruity apricot flavour.

 

 

The last dessert was rich and indulgent with chocolate and nougatine.

 

 

I really could not eat anymore after this but then i spotted the sweet trolley.. and i decided to have some mint tea. They had 9 different home made sweets on the trolley, everything from truffles to macaroons, to jellies and marshmallows.. i had one of each (yes i am greedy). I could of course not finish them all so i got them boxed up to take home. Nice touch!

We had a lovely time here. It took 4 hours but it was time well spent on a very special evening. Since i had a gift card we did not even have to pay service charge.. amazing. We walked out feeling happy, content and very very full. :-)