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Hibiscus
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RUNNER-UP - BEST NEW RESTAURANT
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Private Dining: 3 courses & a glass of Champagne £85 (Offer valid until Wed Dec 23)
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Having made the move from Ludlow in Shropshire to Mayfair, Claude and Claire Bosi have continued to gain plaudits at their small, intimate venue. The service and food hit their stride right from the start, quickly establishing Hibiscus as one of the most exciting places to eat in the capital. Claude Bosi is a kitchen magician; he plays with texture and flavour in ways that challenge and excite, but stop short of making diners feel they’re taking part in a weird science experiment. We experienced a fizzy cucumber and melon concoction as an amuse-bouche, a sharp-tasting lime ‘gel’ that enlivened an inspired pudding of beurre noisette parfait, and a purée of pea and ginger served with a rosy-pink, crisp-skinned and intensely flavoured piece of Goosnargh duck breast. The menu also lists iced morels, tamarillo powder and seaweed vinaigrette. In general, the chemistry works. Cornish sea bream, stuffed under the skin with finely chopped morels and served with a fricassee of broad beans and whole morels, was given a bitter counterpoint by an intense coffee sauce. Inevitably, not every flavour combination works; we weren’t convinced by mixing tiny sharp-sweet wild strawberries with wasabi and honey sauce to go with a starter of mackerel tartare. A meal here doesn’t come cheap, but it’s bound to be memorable. In January 2009 the UK Michelin Guide awarded this restaurant a much-deserved two Michelin stars.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
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See also
- London’s best new restaurants 2008
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 29 Maddox Street, Mayfair, W1S 2PA
- Area: Mayfair
- Tel: 020 7629 2999
- Website
- Book online
- Category: Haute cuisine
- Travel: Oxford Circus tube
- Times: Lunch served noon-2.30pm, dinner served 6.30-10pm Mon-Fri
- Price: Set lunch £25 3 courses; £70 6 courses. Set dinner £60 3 courses, £62.50 tasting menu, £75 7 courses
- Credit cards: AmEx, MC, V
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kingcreole78
Attractive and takes pride in my appearance and style. I'm relaxed with a easy going sense of humour. Always looking on the positive side of things...
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Visited here for our anniversary last night, mainly because the vegetarian menu on the website sounded so deicious.
The actual veggie meu was poorer than you'd expect from a steak house, let along a two Michelin starred restaurant. I had a plate of vegetables with lettuce on top for my main, which came with a side of bland gnocci, while my partner had a roasted kid with white asparagus and a cottage pie thing.
Hibsicus has no atmosphere at all. Very stiff, you are afraid to talk, let alone laugh. The service is amicable but could definitely be more relaxed.
Food was okay. Had a falafel wwrap from Camden market earlier that day which was better than food at Hibiscus.
Teh food was excelent, but rather meagre. Fortunately I had stopped at my club on the way and eaten a packet of crisps. One of my guest suggested we order a pizza to be delivered after the meal. The full menu seemed to offer only about 800 calories which does not go very far if you all ready have problems finding clothes to fit. The chef seemed offended when I said I could do with a curry after eating there. But what there was was very good. The wine list offered was not quite the same as was shown on the internet, and some of the best deals had disappeared. I do not normally drink foreign wine but we had an excellent spanish wine for under 30 pounds, which my visiting expert said was much better than others on offer at twice the price.
The overall verdict. Not somewhere to go if you are hungry but a very pleasant evening out. If only they offered larger portions. So four stars and no deduction from my ration card for the week.
The Lunch menu was quite forgettable, except for the bread, dessert and petit-fours. It's a shame that someone who could do so good serves some rather uninspiring dishes at lunch
On Friday 13 June I, along with three other people were "kicked out" of this restaurant because the fourth member of the group was a last minute addition. The maitre refused to add a fourth place to the round table (plenty of space) and left us with the choice of either one of us leaving (which was of course out of the question) or the four of us leaving (which we did). What an unpleasant, unhelpful young man!!
This has never happened to me before and it surely is not happening to me again in that place. One expects a certain level of courtesy when walking into a restaurant like that to spend some money, even if it has lost a Michelin star this year. Kinda see why...
Simply the best by far this year. He deserves the Michelin stars he has. Flavours have been thoughtfully blended with ingenious subtlety while letting the pure essence of his produce come through ie his lamb and pork courses were amazing!