The Ledbury

I had picked The Ledbury for my birthday dinner, mainly because it seemed very friendly and less stuffy than some of the other places. There is no specified dresscode and it has a nice website that doesn’t just focus on the Chef but introduces the entire team. Nice touch.

That friendly impression was further reinforced when The Ledbury got into the headlines during the London riots.
Looters broke into the restaurant and started robbing the customers’ wallets, phones and wedding rings, until the kitchen staff came out with rolling pins and frying pans to scare the looters away. As it seemed the looters might come back, they then locked the customers into the wine cellar and gave them Champagne and Whisky to calm their nerves. Quite a brilliant story, I thought.

The staff were indeed very friendly. Although I have to say that a few of them had rather broken English which seemed endearing and sometimes almost comedic, but didn’t give the impression of top-notch, professional service.
Plates were removed with a very friendly but rather funny: “You like?” and the pre-dessert became a “fruit of passion with some mousse”. Mind you, it was delicious whatever they might have called it.

The décor once again wasn’t really to our taste. A bit better than at some of the other places, but still lacking style or charm.

But those are really the only slightly negative comments I can make about the place. The food was absolutely superb. Actually, the best we’ve had so far.

We had the tasting menu, with matching wines.
Every single dish was fantastic.

The ones that stood out were probably the flame grilled mackerel with avocado, Celtic mustard and shiso.
We’ve had mackerel a couple of times on the menu, last time at Le Manoir, but this one was fantastic, perfectly grilled, the avocado and shiso giving it an interesting Asian touch that was pleasantly surprising for what is often classified as a French restaurant.

“Celeriac baked in ash with Hazelnuts, wood sorrel and a Kromeski of middle white pork” already sounded very intriguing. It got even more interesting when a small perfectly baked pastry was brought to the table. Beautifully shaped with baked thyme and rosemary twigs on top. The pastry was sliced open to reveal the celeriac baked in ash. I would have happily tucked into the pastry, but it was only used to give flavour and then removed. The dish actually tasted great and was paired with a Sherry. I’m not the biggest fan of Sherry, but it absolutely worked.

Another highlight was the roasted breast and confit legs of grouse with red leaves and vegetables, foie gras and cherries. So rich, but so good. It tasted of winter and Christmas and countryside as the grouse melted away in your mouth. Beautiful.

The only slight disappointment was the dessert. Figs with milk yoghurt, fig leaf ice cream and citrus beignets. Meh. It was fine, but didn’t live up to the standard set by the rest of the menu.

The wine pairing was fantastic. We tried some beautiful wines and the Eastern European sommelier had that typical Eastern European dryness, -a bit like the girls in Harry Enfield’s Polish café – but was very friendly and knowledgeable.
And judging by the rather merry, one could even call it slightly tipsy, state in which we left the restaurant, it was actually not bad value for money.

By chance friends were sitting just a few tables away and were equally pleased with the whole experience.

The tasting menu with wines is £145 a head, so with tip the bill came to £330. I’m kind of getting used to these prices, which is a bit scary, and thought it was actually good value for money. Or at least well worth it for the exceptional food.

I want to go again.

Love love love The Ledbury.

Only difficulty is what to choose from the menu. Always intrigued by some of the food combinations but absolutely KNOW that Brett will have it nailed and it will not only surprise but satiate.

Don't tell everyone as it becomes harder and harder to get a table here… shhhhh

This place is amazing! I don't even know where to start! A group of 4 friends and I went for lunch and were highly impressed by everything – the service, the food, the lot! We all ordered off the a la carte menu.

For starters I had the Hand Picked Crab with Wakame Oil, Thinly Sliced Courgette and Frozen Parmesan which was a burst of flavours! My choice of main was Loin of Roe Deer with Beetroot, Blackcurrants and Bone Marrow which I couldn't fault! Dessert of Caramelised Banana Galette with Salted Caramel, Passion Fruit and Peanut Oil Parfait was to die for!!

Four of us had ordered dessert and the waiters brought our 5th friend a dessert as he didn't want her to feel left out… it's the small touches like this that make a good restaurant great! We finished with a cheese board of the most interesting and different cheeses i've had in a long time.

This place is great! I can't wait to visit again very soon!

Surpassed my (already high) expectations in every way. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Service was attentive without being intrusive. We had a lovely meal. I would highly recommend for a special occasion.

We returned to the Ledbury last night ( 7 May 2011), having loved the meal last year.
The tasting menu with wine was excellent, the wonderful wine selection complementing the delicious and interesting food.The cheese selection and accompanying port was a lovely addition to the dinner, though did cost extra.The only disappointment was the main meal of beef rib-tasty, but would have a preferred a more substantial steak or lamb dish.The atmosphere was relaxed, the staff enthusiastic about the food and the Australian sommelier very entertaining.
Quite a pricey evening, but thoroughly enjoyed.

Came to the Ledbury from out of town on the recommendation of friends. And wow. What a recommendation. We don't eat at this level in England very often and in our neck of the woods consider le manoir to be the benchmark of excellence.
Until yesterday. We were first in for lunch on the dot of midday and had it not been for a 3pm table of two would have been the last out. If much-loved wife hadn't insisted on some shopping I would probably still be there now.
Everything was beyond repproach. The welcome, the table, cleanliness, the staff, and of course the food and service. Several things stood out for me. Each of them I guess are things you expect at this level but to get them ALL correct is rare indeed. Firstly I expected being the first seated that we would maybe be a little rushed through with our tasting menu. (talking to the kitchen afterwards we were the only table on tasting). But the timing from start to finish was perfect. The food was sublime and just did not miss on any course. My chablis was decanted (without it being requested) and served at a proper temperature. Almost unheard of nowadays. WELL DONE SOMMELIER. Staff were engaging and smiley without ever being intrusive. At no time did we have to wait for any top ups but again noone hoverred. A couple of additional menu requests were dealt with (as in the chance to try a couple of bits off the carte) and no additional charge was made. And to top it all off the sous chef chatted for a good 20 minutes with us afterwards whilst the rest of the kitchen brigade tore around getting ready for dinner service.
I'm a no spring chicken and both my wife and I have been in love with food and drink for the best part of 30 years. This is the best lunch we have eaten in this country in all that time and ranks a very very close third to Troisgros and Fontjeancouse on our all time list. Well done all of you. You thoroughly deserve your success. Long may it continue.

John & Julia
The Leatherne Bottel

Fabulous ! One of my favourite place I would advise people to go to ! The sommelier is v.good. great choice for each dishes. Just take the tasting menu ! The only problem it has to end ! You wish you could go on and on !

I have to say overall it was a disappointment … I was there for lunch – everything was mediocre from the dining room to the food and i won't be back and won't be recommending …

DETAILS – I was dining with a companion and we had looked forward to a long lazy afternoon of chat and wine but it was pretty obvious to us both from the start this would be lunch and out … Another restaurant with no area for an aperitif … the restaurant was quite full which meant it had a nice buzz … i had requested a round table and indeed we did get what seemed to be only one available so I was grateful for that .. however it was not in the best spot .. just inside the door .. and the chairs were facing an odd direction .. I know this sounds picky but being comfortable means you forget the outside world and stay too long …Do restaurants ever put thought into the importance of seating arrangements for the overall enjoyment of the dining experience and which usually means in turn the diner does not want to leave and spend more money … every time I go to Marcus Wareing the afternoon is written off as is such a comfortable and embracing room .. you will spend any money just to stay there … it does not surprise me it is a sister restaurant to the Square which must be one of the worst dining rooms in London ( after Hibiscus! ) … it has the same hollow floor -board feeling as the Square .. its also very very bright having windows all round which again keeps one too alert …

Anyway to the food …we were asked if we had any allergies before the chef sent out our amuse bouche .. which was a tiny tiny canape the size of a sixpence ..we found this quite funny … Have to particularly mention the bread as it was without doubt the best I have ever had …(Helen Darozze in Paris has held this accolade up this this ) something for everyone .. a fantastic onion bread that was almost like a pie … an incredible chestnut mini loaf and sourdough … I choose the lunch menu while my friend went for the a la carte …and I have to say the flavours of the sauces with both the starter and main course were electric … there were several combinations of flavours on both plates that just blended together to an outstanding outcome . .. but the deer I choose for the main course was as tough as you can get .. there was also a venison sausage .. so as well as having to chew and chew there was just too much on the plate and I just didn't feel great after it … I had mackerel for the starter and while I do like this fish it was not the best choice as it can repeat for a long time …I did taste my companions warm fois gras which was unremarakable so overall by the end I felt too full and awful .. I don't think delicate is in this chefs vocabulary .. I then had a plate of selected cheese which I regret to say was just not a good selection … they were bland chalky and just didn't hit the spot..

Our head waiter was superb and literally is the sole reason I am trying to find good things to write .. he was just so helpful, generous and managed to make us feel like we were the only guests in the restaurant … he was very much the soul of the place … really superb at this job .. One thing I did notice which isnt really relevant is that the staff were dressed really badly .. suits creased etc, nobody looked particularly smart …
the bill was 185 which was quite expensive for what we got .. (had paid 390 the day before at Gavroche and would have given them twice that ) … I just didn't enjoy the lunch and in fact it seemed to lodge in my stomach for days … I know the ledbury has been getting great reviews so we can write off my experience as a once off and bad choices by myself … but I still would not go back as the overall experience did nothing for me …
by the way I should mention in terms of location – it is in Notting HIll and at least 15 / 20 minutes from a tube so you will need to get taxi …

excellent food and a sommelier who really helped with the wine and made positive recommendations which turned out to be excellent value

There seem to be two sorts of two star Michelin star establishments in London now: the formal, grand ones, often found in big hotels, and the more intimate ones. The Ledbury falls within the latter.

No grand hotel lobbey to fight through, but straight to the front desk, bottle in hand. Yes, a two star Michelin restaurant with a BYO policy. Given how much top end restaurants make from the wine list, it is refreshing to see such a sensible approach being taken. Maybe this is because the Ledbury started as a neighbourhood local or maybe it is becauses the chef is Australian: in Australia, almost all restaurants seem to be BYO. In this country, the concept seems stuck with Brick Lane curry houses. Whatever the reason, I applaud you.

As an added bonus, throughout August the Ledbury has an arrangement with Bordeaux Index that provides for clients of BI to have the otherwise £25 corkage charge waived. How could we resist?

After the obligatory amuse bouche, we started with the snails (from Hereford, of course), enveloped in a herb mouse and wild boar with baked celeriac. Both were gorgeous. The latter was a deep fried disc (a kromeski, no less) of chopped boar, but the theatre was in the celeriac. I have been to restaurants where whole birds are carved at the table, or the cooked fish is presented before being whisked away to be filleted, but I have never before been introduced to a celeriac. Until now. The root, borne to the table on a wooden board, is encased in a salt pastry crust. It looks like a baked potato. This is then sliced in half, and one half of the ash coated root popped out, for the table to inspect. The next time you see it, it is thinly sliced and under the boar. Does seeing how it was cooked add to the taste sensation? No, but it says a lot about the restaurant's style.

Of the mains the suckling pig was probably the least interesting dish that we had. It was a perfectly fine piece of meat, perfectly cooked, with a properly crispy skin and moist meat, but is was somehow a little uninteresting, and lacking in punch that the other dishes had. The lamb, on the other hand, which came in two cuts; one cooked pink, one slow roasted, was superb. Of course both cuts were cooked beautifully, but somehow this dish, coming with a lovely baked aubergine that perfectly complimented the meat, in the same way that white carrots didn't with the pork, just worked in every way.

We could smell the cheese the moment we walked in the door, and it was certainly worth the wait. A small cheese board when compared to some establishments, with a dozen beautifully kept, and wonderfully smelling, British and French cheeses. After the pre-deserts, we finshed with the souffle. This was again a little bit of a miss: wonderfully light and fluffy, but overly sweet, masking both the souffle's taste and that of the thyme ice cream that came with it.

Service is friendly, unfussy, unhurried and unobtrusive. The ratio of waiting staff to diners may not be of three Michelin star standard, but that is far from a bad thing. I don't need somebody filling my water glass up every time I take a sip, followed by somebody doing the same twenty seconds later with the wine. A lot of restaurants could learn from the relaxed way that the front of house is run at the Ledbury.

The only downside seems to be that, in order to cram as many people together in what is a smallish dining room, the tables are uncomfortably close together. I now know, for instance, that one of the ladies on the next door table has a flat mate whose alarm goes off too early, so he keeps hitting the snooze button every ten minutes until he decides to get out of bed; the names of the children of the couple two tables down; and way too much about the sex lives of the trustafarians in the corner.

This aside, the Ledbury is a fantastic restaurant, blending a relaxed atmoshpere, with some wonderful food. Add to that the BYO policy and you have a knock-out hit.

I decided to take advantage of the Easter mass exodus from London to try the fantastic value set lunch (2 courses £22.50 and 3 courses £27.50) on offer at The Ledbury in Notting Hill. The chef proprietor Bret Graham has been in the foodie press quite a bit recently as The Ledbury received a much coveted second Michelin star at the beginning of the year and his Fulham pub The Harwood Arms was awarded its first Michelin star in the new years gastro honours list.

This restaurant is situated at the bottom of Ledbury Road, in this now much sought after hedge fund neighbourhood. Like many Notting Hill restaurants, the décor at The Ledbury doesn’t quite do it for me. No David Collins or Martin Brudnizki influences here but more a Furniture Village meets Habitat. Nevertheless, we were here to let the food do the talking.

My new restaurant test is to find out whether you can take your own wine and be charged a reasonable corkage and this is exactly the case at The Ledbury where they charge £25 per bottle corkage. It may sound high at first but when you look at the wine list, the cheapest wine is New World plonk at £22 and I brought my own Chablis Premiere Cru and a similar wine on the menu was a stonking £90. To make it even better, I was welcomed with arms wide open when I walked in with a chilled Burgundian under my arms. To be able to walk in with your own booze to a 2 Michelin star restaurant is like Bob Crow offering to drive you to work during a tube strike.

We were promptly seated and offered tap water, another lovely touch in a place like this, and offered both an a la carte and set lunch menu to peruse over. While debating our choices the first non menu freebie arrived, an aubergine meringue with a foie grois butter centre. Superbly soft despite being a meringue and the foie grois started to get the taste buds going for the courses to come.

On the set menu to start was crapaudine beetroot in clay with smoked white balsamic emulsion, goats cheese and dried olives. The betroot was brought out to the table still cocooned in the clay and then taken away to be served up. The stronger flavour and texture of the beetroot worked well with the smoother creamier goats cheese and the portion size well outdid many other Michelin competitors. The other starter was a ravioli of lamb with artichokes, garlic and wood sorrel. The single piece of ravioli was filled with succulent strands of lamb intermingled with artichoke and surrounded by garlic and sorrel. A very different dish to the beetroot but again a wonder on the tastebuds. To call this dish a pasta dish would not do it justice as it is so much more yet still has the simplicity that every Italian expects from their nations favourite dish.

To follow, a choice of either roast baby monkfish with pardon peppers, oxtail and rosemary or crisp suckling pig and stuffed pig tails with a reduction of dried chicory, spatzle and white carrot. A nice sign to see monkfish on a set menu as this ain’t a cheap fish and it was deservedly beautifully cooked, the white flakes of this fish gently fell apart with the slightest touch from a fork. One element I wasn’t keen on was the pardon peppers which had a little kick to them which I thought didn’t quite compliment the fish as it should, but I am not the keenest on spice. The second dish of piggy parts was good. Although a little odd to look at, the pork was moist and full of flavour. This is the sort of dish you wouldn’t probably choose of an a la carte menu but makes you realise that it is worth the risk of choosing dishes that don’t always first stand out to you.

Dessert consisted of three choices with a Crème Brulee with dried apricot and cardamom, a selection of sorbets and cheese. We had all three and again Mr Graham has constructed his menu well as all three desserts were so very different. The selection of cheese veered towards France as most tend to do but there was a good selection without being overwhelming. The crème brulee pleased all and that touch of cardamom added that special touch.

The service at The Ledbury is something that really impressed me for a 2 Michelin star restaurant. Nothing annoys me more when you get pressured by fussy waiting staff that never leave you alone and top up your wine glass every two minutes. Our service was different, far more relaxed and a joy to chat to the maitre’d. The bill arrived and I was pleasantly pleased by the final amount of £158.00 including coffees, petit fours and service charge. I have eaten at many West End restaurants where a similar bill has arrived for an average two course meal nowhere near the skill, quality and service experienced here. Come here for lunch with someone special to celebrate something special. But don’t blame me when you want to come back for dinner, at least you can bring your own!

Unusual sounding morsels such as delectable carrot meringue sandwiching a foie gras filling gave us a clue to the excursion that would unfold as we perused the Sunday lunch menu.

A class act followed highlighted by a complimentary dish instigated by the Maitre D’ who had witnessed our deliberations on selecting a starter. Crispy succulent Chicken wing pieces, a spear of white asparagus and a dressing including broad bean flower with a light dusting of parmesan just sufficient to bring the whole thing elegantly together and send waves of delight across the senses.

How could all dishes sparkle and excite? Well, Pork and John Dory didn’t quite reach the same heights as the other three courses, but neither could they be faulted.

Something good seems to be going on with service in London restaurants lately as we have come across such affable waiting staff who seem happy, enthusiastic and ready to help, and no more so than here.

The recent elevation of this restaurant’s standing is so deserved, and the Antipodean crafting brings along some frivolity without any loss of sophistication.

Our group visit to the Ledbury was on the bitterly cold Burn's night last month, so we walked in to warming restaurant with relief, as well as high expectations of the night ahead – given that we would be sampling the much revered seven course tasting menu.

The restaurant was already full with waiters buzzing about in a busy yet calm manner. Service here, aims to please with sharp knowledge and professionalism and it makes a big difference when partaking in tasting menu's which require interaction. We opted for the menu with paired wine, which really made a difference with each course and it was pleasing to see that the vegetarian menu has its own wine list rather than just serving up the same wine as the table.

Now to the food, dish after dish we were served with ingredients that had been carefully prepared and skillfully cooked, using advanced techniques that wowed the plate and palette, as well as justifiably explaining the second Michelin star the venue has just been awarded. It was an eye opener to see how the food was cooked, with our waiter informatively displaying the celeriac baked in ash within dough to keep it cool and moist. A risotto of squids (literally rice sized squid pieces) was also perfectly combined with sherry and cauliflower – two ingredients I was sceptically curious to see function together but somehow managed to dazzle. With an army of dishes come and go, I didn't think I'd get to the final but thanks to perfect portions, I managed to sample the scrumptious caramelized banana galette with peanut butter ice cream, in one word, divine!

There are restaurants where the food and atmosphere are both key to the success and then there are restaurants like the Ledbury, where the food is the only star. Here, there is a reason why the walls and furniture fade in to a fog of beige and brown, its because the only thing diners eyes will be focused on is the food on their plate…and my what inspiring and delectable food it is.

The Ledbury are offering sensational value with their 3 course lunch at £25 a head. My family and I celebrated my birthday there yesterday and their set menu was fantastic. Fab food.

I had an evening meal here soon after they received their first Michelin-star, and I was most impressed by the calibre of cooking on offer; in my opinion they produce superior dishes to many other one-star Michelin joints. I returned a year later to sample the set lunch menu with my fellow gourmets from The Arbuturian, and we were greatly impressed.

The food engineered by Aussie chef Brett Graham is inventive, playful and very well constructed. All the flavours work well together, and often provide a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Presentation is very artful too. The set lunch menu is tremendous value at a mere £24.50 for three courses, and portions were very generous. Service here is relaxed yet attentive, and not at all stuffy. The decor is typically modern chic.

The amuse bouche arrived in the form of a beetroot meringue filled with pureed fois gras. The meringue disintegrated in the mouth and led to a wonderfully rich fois gras experience. A great start to a promising meal.

For a starter, I had an interesting smoked celeriac and middle pork dish. The waitress brought us the celeriac on a wooden board to demonstrate how the vegetable had been entombed in a bread-like mould and then smoked with hay, before being sliced and plated up. It was nice to be informed about this complex procedure, and the flavours really spoke for themselves when we got to sample the dish.

For a main, I had beef shin with a Jerusalem artichoke puree and wild mushrooms. The beef was rich and intense, a most warming and tasty dish. My companion opted for the roasted turbot, which he reported to taste as sublime as it looked.

For dessert we chose their cheeseboard, though I recall their desserts being of a very high quality and wish we’d gone for puddings instead.

In summary, this is still an excellent venue and I would recommend it for both lunch and dinner, and with a set lunch menu at such a low price, you have no excuse not to try this place!

Just watch out for the parking wardens if you’re driving. There are meters along Talbot Road and usually plenty of spaces during the day.