Roux at Landau, Portland Street – the simple but elegant sign on the door that reads “Roux at Landau” gave me an excitement. This is not my standard every week write up. Dining here is a special treat for me. The letters embossed in a yellow-gold colour first captured my attention. My visual then switched to a lit wine cabinet at the end of a dark corridor. I had my eyes locked at the wine cabinet; wine, champagne, port in standard and magnum bottles. This is a magnificent piece of furniture I would not mind having it at home. I probably would have the problem of not having enough bottles to fill the wine cabinet.
Roux at Landau is in Langham Hotel, just off Oxford Circus. Operated by the famous Michel Roux and his father, Albert Roux, I am sure you now know why I had the excitement to dine here. It is advisable to make a reservation. Both the dining rooms were full and we could only have a table later than we wanted. Both rooms had lovely rounded bay windows with high ceiling and chandeliers long enough to fill the height. The tables were arranged all along the sides with a few more in the middle. It does not have an over-crowded feeling with all the tables occupied. It definitely calls for a smartly dressed occasion, dress to impress. I did not feel out of place. After all, I knew the sort of establishment that we were going to.
When we were seated at the table, the moment felt like the entire dining room belonged to me. Yes, there were strangers there but it didn't matter. Our menu du jour at GBP 36.50 included a champagne, appetiser, starter, main, dessert, petit fours and coffee or tea. There were three options for the starters, mains and desserts. The menu du jour also serves as the pre-theatre menu.
The menu du jour started with a selection of warm home made bread and butter with salt. When the waiter attends to you with an array of warm bread, you have to say yes. I'd say to myself, just the one, and resist from filling myself with bread at the start. That was too difficult. I delved in and could not stop. Bread and butter, simple food but done to perfection. I had three myself throughout the meal and still wanted more and could have but knew that I would have then overstuffed myself.
The service was immaculate. When the dining room was less busy, the waiters were more relaxed and had gave us a little more attention and engaged in short conversations about the restaurant. Polite and friendly, I felt that they have a sense of pride working in Roux. When we had paid, they did not hurry us to leave. Just a little pushy on the order for wine. I understand why, but I do not like to be rushed into anything.
Overall, Roux at Landau was a very pleasant experience. Food was straightforward; every element on the dish was perfectly cooked and portions were just right. Not exactly top end fine dining but on the more formal yet casual style. I have to admit that I had slightly higher expectation of the food. I guess I had expected a flair with fancier presentation, fussier cut of vegetables and some flavour combination that I was going to remember. After all, it was a menu du jour.
The food:
1. light nutmeg scented Paris mushrooms soup with Isigny crème fraiche
2. smoked salmon with chives beurre blanc – the beurre blanc sauce was just right; smooth and buttery with a slight tang. I would not mind a bowl of that sauce with their lovely warm bread.
3. pork belly, mashed potatoes, jus, cabbage – I was a surprise to see the pork belly served this way. It was crisps on the edges and tender and moist in the middle. The cabbage was fresh and the potatoes had just the right texture, creamy smooth, with a buttery taste.
4. pan fried sea bass with beetroot, pickled turnip, grapefruit, avocado sauce – the flesh was moist, done just right paired with a warm bitter grapefruit and pickled turnip. Although it was a very well cooked dish, I did think that it was the least exciting of the three main courses.
5. very dark and bitter chocolate millefeuille with salted caramel ice-cream – the chocolate was intensely dark and bitter with layers of the different textures of chocolate, I'd really enjoyed it. I swapped my salted caramel ice-cream (because I simply dislike caramel) with the pistachio ice-cream.
6. selection of ice-creams or sorbets – vanilla, pistachio and treacle. The presentation though simple was elegant. The temperature of the ice-cream was at the point where it becomes custard once in the mouth.
7. cheese platter – ooh, if you like cheese, this is the platter to have. A selection of mostly French and British cheeses plus a couple of others. Among others, I had the French blue, similar to our stilton, Apfenzeller, a rustic goats cheese and some mature cheddar, along with membrillo (quince jelly), all were first class.
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