Petrus, London

It's taken me a while to pluck up to courage to start this blog, so I thought for my first review I'd talk about a restaurant close to my heart - Petrus in London.
For my 21st birthday I decided that instead of opting for an almighty night on the town, I wanted my first taste of Michelin star dining, and after much researching on my Mothers part it was decided that Petrus - situated in the swanky area of Knightsbridge in London, would be the ideal establishment to wet my appetite.

Since our first visit in 2011 (I visited once again for my 22nd birthday and I mention both trips within this report), Petrus has moved to number 1 of 11,000 odd restaurants in London on the ever popular 'Trip Advisor', which in itself must suggest an experience unlike any other, and hopefully throughout this review I'll hope to shed some light into the numerous reasons for its many glowing reviews.



The Exterior of 'Petrus'

The name 'Petrus' - a Bordeaux Wine Estate, suits the interior of the restaurant perfectly, with funishings in Champagne and rich Burgundy, however the real show-stopper inside is the wine cellar. A circular vault, right in the centre of the restaurant floor, serves triple purpose, obviously it stores the wine from the extensive wine list, looks incredibly beautiful and also splits the restaurant into two halves making the experience feel all the more intimate.

I booked in for lunch both times I have attended, once eating from the A la Carte menu (which was £60 for three courses) and another time choosing from their excellent lunch menu (an absolute steal at around the £40 mark). Unfortunately I do not have photographs of all of the courses however I can assure you, that of the 6 dishes I have tried (plus lots of little extras, including the cheese course - well it has to be done doesn't it?), the food at Petrus has been truly outstanding.

Terrine of Foie Gras and smoked chicken with apple and toasted almonds

Prior to the starter both times we were bought freshly baked bread and butter, and an Amuse Bouche - on our initial visit we had some sort of pea veloute with smoked salmon - absolutely delicious (and even bought tears to my eyes) and on our second visit we had a crispy pork ball on a kind of tartare sauce.
1st visit: I opted for Pan-fried sea scallops with cauliflower, anchovy and caper beurre noisette. The scallops were cooked absolutely perfectly, and the sweetness of the cauliflower puree complimented the salty anchovies extremely well, it was like a party on the tongue.
2nd visit (see photo): I chose the terrine of foie gras. It came with a kind of apple sauce puree and caramelised nuts which as well as adding texturally to the dish, worked brilliantly on top of their homemade bread!

Fillet of Pollock, with broad bean risotto and pea veloute

Its definitely worth mentioning now that the service at 'Petrus' is impeccable. It was as if the waiters moved around you like ghosts, one filling your water, the other sweeping your table of crumbs and another making sure your napkin was retrieved from your seat and re-folded into its original shape before you returned from the toilet. And while this could seem rather fussy, they did it with such elegance that it came natural to them, due in part to the fact the waiting staff work as an extremely well oiled machine.

Another area where service was outstanding was upon arrival of my main course on my first visit to the restaurant; 'Roasted Vendee pigeon with creamed cabbage, pancetta and prune sauce'. I did not realise before ordering the dish that it would be hand carved at the table - but it was such a spectacle the distraction meant I didn't even think about photographs unfortunately! The food matched the surprise, being meaty and rich with a perfectly star shaped potato crisp to add some height to the dish.
I opted for the fish option from the lunch menu on my second visit (see above) and as you can tell it screamed the flavours of spring with pea shoots (my new favourite thing) a wonderfully creamy risotto, parmesan shavings and this bright green soup which was zingy with fresh herb flavour.

It's definitely worth mentioning here as well that this was a large portion of food! Both times I have been to Petrus the quantity of food you get to try throughout the courses is outstanding...and definitely not something I was expecting before visiting such a highly acclaimed 'fine dining' establishment. For this reason in my opinion Petrus is the perfect restaurant for people unsure of the sometimes 'mamby pamby' impression these kinds of eateries give. It never ceases to amaze me how chefs of this callibre can judge the amounts perfectly so that you feel just capable of a few pieces of cheese, and a dessert, without needed to be rolled out of the door, although you definitely will not leave hungry!

Pre-dessert - Passionfruit mousse with popping candy

We opted for the cheese course both times, which I am absolutely gutted we did not get a picture of as it really is unbelievably impressive! Just hearing the waiter recite them all and then tell you all about each of them in detail is a show in itself - but unless you really do hate a certain type of cheese, I advise just leaving it down to them. They will of course ask for your personal preferences, but both times I have tried some of my all time favourite cheeses just through giving them free reign, and of course it comes with homemade jellies and chutneys, grapes and crackers.

Prior to our desserts the waiter bought us a teeny ice cream filled with a passionfruit and cream mousse, complete with a sprinkling of 'fairy dust', it not only did a great job of readying our taste-buds for the delights to follow but also gave me a bit of a giggle watching the faces around the table when the popping candy started taking effect, something the waiters clearly liked to see too - really enhanced the, already lovely, atmosphere.



Banana Millefeuille, Caramel creme patissiere and peanut ice cream

The choice of desserts at both of my visits have been really impressive. This is coming from a person who really doesn't have a sweet tooth - give me a starter, main and starter anyday! However, as an avid fan of 'Banoffee...anything' I opted for the Millefeuille. It was lovely and light, although I did keep eyeing my mothers chocolate sphere (a dessert which seems to be a firm favourite of the restaurant!) and toying with the idea that I may have made the wrong choice, however the peanut butter ice cream was totally scrummy so that thought soon left my mind!

Vanilla Ice Cream and White Chocolate lollipops

To finish with food, a bowl of ice cream lollipops was bought out adding a unique and theatrical element spilling out dry ice onto the dinner table - something I will never forget.
Finally we opted for coffees, so in turn was bought out a miniature box containing little sleeves of chocolate each with varying strengths of cocoa, and pistachio and coffee macaroons.

Just to include a little about the wine list - it is absolutely huge (to be expected if you see the size of that cellar I mentioned at the start!) With prices to suit every budget, and an excellent sommelier if you need any advice or wish to have a glass matched to one of your dishes you shouldn't have any problems finding the perfect glass.

So, to conclude, if I was to advise anybody at all of a place to visit in London for fine food 'Petrus' would be it. The decor, and the service really gives you a sense of occasion without being pretentious or judgemental, and if you go at lunch the option of the lunch menu is fantastic value, especially considering you get a few little extra surprises thrown in.