Hibiscus (29 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PA) VERY DISAPPOINTED: tried Hibiscus last week, after it got its second michelin star and received so many positive reviews and I was schocked by the food we were presented. We had the 7 course tasting menue (chosen by the chef). The main theme through allmost all courses was SALT, SALT, SALT… Almost every single course was so heavily oversalted that all other flavours of the precious ingredients were completely killed and destroyed. the Foie Gras was so oversalted, you hardly felt the fine taste of it… just salt. the monkfish was so oversalted that it tasted like any ordinary salted fish, but not monkfish. the amuse bouche, an egg, was so salty, it just tasted like an ordinary egg with too much salt. even the desert, whatever it was, was salty. this hasnt got anyhting to do with experimental or inventive cooking, or new flavour combinations. It was just oversalted food. We left the restraurant thirsty and with a taste of salt in the mouth that lasted for the next 24 hours. This is definitively not a 2 michelin stars experience, not even 1… Inventive cooking is not about putting tonns of salt on precious ingredients, its about combining flavours in a way you still can taste them and are pleasantly surprised by the combination and leave the restaurant with an unforgettable taste in your mouth and not dried out and thirsty because of oversalted food. Maybe they had a bad day or the chef didnt cook himself, it doesnt matter, the restaurant has 2 michelin stars and its not acceptable to serve such food on no day.
Link to this reviewFebruary 2009 |