The meal started with an amuse bouche of gazpacho. This is the second gazpacho I’ve ever had in a restaurant and was decidedly more flavourful than its predecessor. When it was brought to the table it had crab in; I cannot eat shellfish but it was whisked away and a replacement brought in no time. It had an intense tomato flavour, was chilled without being too cold and I really liked the chives instead of the parsley you’d normally have. A really refreshing, clean way to excite the palate before the rest of the meal.
The menu offered a ‘region of the month’ section and I chose the London cured smoked salmon to start. There was a much larger ratio of salmon to rye bread and I could probably have done with a few more slices; but then I might have filled up too soon. What I really enjoyed about this, possibly because it brings back childhood memories of playing with your food, was the way the garnish was presented. The five dishes you can see contained: grated egg white, grated egg yolk, shallots, parsley and capers. It was fun to be able to customise your garnish the way you wanted; for me loads of shallots and capers, a little parsley and a sprinkling of egg yolk and white. The only thing missing was a vehicle to be able to stick the garnishes together, a little mayonnaise or crème fraîche would have rounded this of perfectly.
For my main I had salt marsh lamb rump, piedmontese pepper and salsa verde. This was my first ever piemontese pepper (and ashamedly, my first ever anchovy!) and I loved it, could have devoured them all day. Sweet, salty and oily they complemented and cut through the lamb. The lamb was good, quite a bit of fat on it though but as fat means flavour I didn’t mind too much. The salsa verde and olive tapenade added a little freshness and depth and both were lovely mixed into some mashed potato. I have found a new friend in the anchovy and will be putting anchovies in everything from now on; perhaps even anchovy shortbread.
Looks like such a wonderfully refreshing meal!
What a lovely meal. The dessert looks divine!
What an amazing lunch, lucky you. And you must remain friends with the fabulous anchovy. My pantry is never without them. 🙂
Great selection of food and love the way the dessert was presented and yes to the salmon too.
Sounds like an awesome lunch. DId you eat dinner that night?
“Paid for by the restaurant”?? Some girls have all the luck!
Oh dear, that salmon looks so good, I would choose it over everything… Lovely post, thanks! 🙂
Sounds like a delicious experience despite a few wee glitches 🙂
Oh Caroline lucky you! It sounds like you had a very pleasant day in London (pre-Olympics madness…). The meal looks very attractive, gapatcho is very trendy these days and served in a glass cup!! I use to have one too before moving…
sounds like a delicious lunch! especially that champagne sorbet!
Sounds like a great day! I love saltmarch lamb and haven’t been to Bluebird in a very long time!
Ha! Glad you have discovered and enjoy anchovies. They are terrific! I love the way they melt when you fry them. Creates a wonderful sauce 🙂
What a gourmet meal! I would love to see you coming up a recipe of anchovy shortbread!
ohh too bad the macaroon was dry! but it looks pretty nonetheless 🙂
That look so nice-next time I’m in London and have some time to spare I’ll head over there…