Restaurants

Although he has split from the Gordon Ramsay group, Marcus Wareing is continuing to run his own restaurant (formerly called Pétrus) in the Berkeley hotel. The spacious dining room, with its plush claret velvet wall coverings and soft leather, has an air of sophisticated bonhomie. Wareing’s menus continually evolve and are given a modern edge with combinations such as scallops and cod confit with cauliflower, macadamia nuts, fourme d’ambert and white chocolate. We chose from the lunch menu which, although more expensive than last year, at £35 still represents good value. Cornish crab arrived with a mirepoix of marinated tuna, celery, apple and avocado. Sticky duck bun, blood orange and toasted cashews created a wonderful juxtaposition of textures to foie gras and sauternes mousse. Next up, a spectacularly good pork belly, which had been slow-cooked then quickly glazed, adding watercress, lemon and almonds for extra dimension. A rump of perfectly roasted Cornish lamb came with braised baby artichokes and asparagus, finished with a hint of fennel pollen. Desserts are especially good. The friable pastry of baked egg custard tart was a blithe companion for the ambrosial filling. Apricot tarte tatin displayed the full spectrum of sweetness and tartness. There are many pleasurable inclusions to meals here – an amuse-bouche of roasted tomato soup with basil crème fraîche; sauternes jelly with apple granita and vanilla cream at the pre-dessert stage; a delectable bon bon trolley. Restraint is needed with the serious and expensive wine list, which is an oenophile’s treasure trove with prestige labels from leading producers.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009