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One Blenheim Terrace

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1 Blenheim Terrace, NW8 0EH Full details & map

Restaurant: British

 

Time Out says   4 Users say 5/5 Rate it

Posted: Oct 26 2011

Some restaurants pride themselves on their pretentiously written menus. A thin slice of anything becomes a 'carpaccio'; a pig's parentage, life story and favourite music must be detailed.

Not so at One Blenheim Terrace, where the menu is such a retro read that, at first, you're not sure if the kitchen's genuinely stuck in 1970 or if the menu's author is just having a laugh.

This may be the last restaurant in London where you can order Scotch egg, liver and onions, ratatouille and trifle from the same menu. But if you're expecting 'Abigail's Party', you're in for a shock, as the execution is cutting-edge modern.

Duck à l'orange was fashionable in the 1960s, an Anglicised version of a French dish where duck is served with a sharp orange sauce to counter the fattiness of the meat. This modernised version had the duck fat already rendered away, but more strikingly, the dish has been Hestoned.

What looked like tiny egg yolks scattered on the plate were liquid-filled beads of orange that have undergone spherification - one of the techniques of molecular gastronomy unknown four decades ago, but now you can buy DIY kits online or from the pages of Delicious. On a bed of spelt with braised endive and blood orange sauce, it was an excellent, mischievious main course.

'Lobster thermidor' was another 1960s classic, in this case deconstructed into a large raviolo, topped with a bisque-flavoured foam and microgreens: lovely.

The deconstruction of heritage dishes continues through every course, with 'leek and potato soup' - blobs of starch in a consommé - to an 'apple crumble' that was a corral of fried doughnut batter balls.

The cooking at One Blenheim Terrace is fun and of a high standard - but the catch is that you pay the price, with most main courses in the £15-25 range, and some starters just under a tenner.

Dinner for two here will easily top £100, which may explain why most of our fellow diners were old enough to remember the fashion for profiteroles or wellingtons (meat baked in pastry, not the waterproof boots) the first time around.

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One Blenheim Terrace details

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Address

One Blenheim Terrace

1 Blenheim Terrace NW8 0EH

Transport St John's Wood tube

Telephone

020 7372 1722

One Blenheim Terrace website

Open 6.30-10pm Tue; noon-3pm, 6.30-10pm Wed-Sat; noon-3pm Sun

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £100

One Blenheim Terrace map

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Comments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 4 ratings)

By Frances - Mar 27 2012
5/5

Had a wonderful birthday lunch here. The food was out of this world .... I had mussels and chips which were the best ever. Delicious desert and on my elegant fruit salad and raspberry sorbet plate were the words "Happy Birthday" which the chef had written in chocolate. The attentive waiter gave me and my three friends a
glass of champagne each on the house .... I can't wait to go again.

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By Jane - Nov 4 2011
5/5

Brilliant, simply brilliant. Love the food, been a couple of times, and we're determind to eat our way through the rest of the menu.

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By Hilly - Oct 22 2011
5/5

I recently visited this restaurant and the food was superb. It was genius, not just clever and creative, every course was delicious. The restaurant is decorated in warm colours and is inviting and the staff were very attentive and knowledgable. A real bonus for St. John's Wood. Well worth a visit and I can't wait to go back.

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By Evie - Oct 17 2011
5/5

I went with my partner and the food was excellent. I'd definately recommend it.

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