Reviewed by Justine Murphy, CEO of mymuybueno – February 2016
Pétrus is a London restaurant serving Modern French cuisine. It is part of the Gordon Ramsay restaurant group and has held one Michelin star since 2011, as well as five AA Rosettes.
I had researched Head Chef Neil Snowball prior to my visit, however he had ‘left the establishment’ the day before. There was an awkward exchange when I enquired who the chef in service was that evening, as the waiter was clearly unsure if he should share the information or if it was public knowledge that Neil had left (a quick Twitter search from my table brought up Neil’s departing tweet but no announcement had yet been made by the Gordon Ramsay Group). He finally revealed that it was ‘Larry’, this being Larry Jayasekara.
There was no menu left at the table, despite asking for it to be returned, as I like to be able to refresh my memory of what I am eating. This meant I had to go to their website and pull the menu from there on my phone, which seemed slightly daft, but with recent events, there was clearly some flapping going on behind the scenes and this was clearly apparent.
Roasted Norfolk Quail, Foie Gras, Pancetta, Charred Lettuce.
Seared Orkney Scallops, Braised Kombu, Bacon, Egg Sabayon.
Roasted Fillet of Cornish Cod, Capers, Beurre Noisette, Potato. This was a nice piece of cod that was handled with care and the flavours were subtle and balanced.
Fillet of Dexter Beef, Spinach, Parsnip, Bone Marrow with Truffle as a supplement, which came in a Gordon Ramsay branded wooden box. This was tasty dish, everything worked.
Lemon and Rhubarb, sharp and sweet and fun too, as it contained popping candy which took me to my childhood. It cleaned my palate nicely from the beef.
Both desserts were very good and delivered well.
No food photos sadly, as my DSLR was not working, and the images from my phone are not good enough to use here.
Wine:
St Joseph ‘Silice’, Jeremy & Pierre, Rhone Valley, 2012
Barolo Rocche d’ell Annunziata, Renato Ratti, Piedmont, Italy, 2011
Favourite Dish: ‘Black Forest’, Kirsch Mousse, Amerena Morello Cherry Sorbet.
Napkin Fold: Yes.
Menu to take home: No
Meal for two, including wine, water and service: £350.
Final Thought: It felt very much like they were going through the motions and just getting dishes out. All were executed well, however, they just felt like they lacked love. The same could be said for the service – all very good but almost robotic, clinical even, and a world away from my previous evening at Marcus. Although it’s not fair to compare, if I had to it was apples and bananas.
Pétrus
Address: 1 Kinnerton St, Belgravia, London SW1X 8EA
Telephone: + 44 (0) 20 7592 1609
Hours: Monday – Saturday (including bank holidays) 12pm – 10.30pm
Sunday 12pm – 9.30pm
Website: https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/petrus
