1895 was a busy year for Paris. Paul Cézanne had his first solo exhibition, the Lumiere brothers held their first screening with an audience and Marthe Distel opened Le Cordon Bleu. Over a century later, Le Cordon Bleu operates in 20 countries, training 20,000 students each year in everything from chocolate tempering to food styling. This, however, is the school’s first restaurant in London.
CORD bears the school’s colours of white, blue and gold, along with plenty of logo-adorned toques bobbing in the kitchen. The executive chef, meanwhile, is placed firmly at the pass, inspecting every smear, drizzle and quenelle. As old-school as it feels, the place oozes French swankiness.
As one might expect, every dish exhibits numerous culinary techniques. A crab’s white meat is dressed by its brown, while the radish and cucumber marmalade on top showcases both mandoline and pickling skills. Scallops, meanwhile, dust off an old technique from the 90s: foam. Flashy techniques aside, both pass with flying colours - as £20 starters should. The exceedingly polite service does somewhat feel like a time capsule, although the exquisite wine pairings we receive are very much up-to-date.
But, there is a fine line between elegant and fussy. Cram too many techniques into one dish and you risk losing its identity. Case in point: steamed cod, squid ink bearnaise, seasonal courgettes (with matching puree) and buckwheat. Each element could work in a different context, but here the result feels a touch mismatched. The desserts are similarly complex in assembly, but at least their flavours sing the same tune - classics like ginger, rose and rhubarb.
Yes, some aspects of CORD feel a touch over-complicated or outdated. But then again, dining on Fleet Street at a 127-year-old French institution probably should. Besides, at around £60 without drinks, dinner here is still cheaper than the school’s three-hour bonbon course.