FEED YOUR CREATIVITY AT THE WALLACE RESTAURANT
The Wallace restaurant is walking distance from busy Bond Street, set within the little green oasis of leafy Holland Park. The moment I walked through the doors of the architecturally stunning Wallace Collection I felt transported into a world of ornate gilt, decadence and grandeur. Just behind the grand staircase is the central glassed ceilinged atrium that houses the Wallace Restaurant.
Distinct architectural features of round arches and tall pilasters draw your eyes up to the sky. Flooded with natural light; ornate urns, trees and plants are placed around the spacious courtyard creating an outside feel.
As we perused the quite extensive French inspired A La Carte menu we were served a prosecco aperitif selected by our waiter Artur. It was light and refreshing with citrusy notes, a great way to whet the palette. For starters I chose the Pan-fried mackerel with pesto and tomato salsa, whist my dining companion selected the Crab, prawn and cucumber Salad with a citrus yuzu dressing.
Both starters were beautifully presented, colourful and with a good combination of flavours and accompanied by slices of soft fresh bread. My mackerel had perfect crispy skin with delicate flesh and was well seasoned. There was an unexpected array of spicy flavours, which although pronounced, did not overwhelm the dish. The pesto was complimentary and the sweetness from the fresh cherry tomato salsa added a nice contrast.
My companion’s salad combined cucumber ‘spaghetti’ with tomatoes, red onion and watercress topping a plentiful amount of prawn and crab. The combination of flavours worked wonderfully with a subtle presence of mint balancing out the chili. However she found the citrusy essence of the yuzu dressing was slightly lost.
Our curiosity got the better of us and we queried with Artur the inspiration behind the menu, as the spicy flavours were not typically French. We were informed that the chef deriving from India; has (much to the delight of both our taste buds), added a spicy fusion of flavours to the dishes.
A red Pinot Noir was recommended as an accompaniment to our main. It was light with a pleasant strawberry aroma and vanilla notes. Even my dining companion who is not a fan of red wine found it complimentary.
For our main we selected Pan roasted Lemon sole Grenobloise and Poached Turbot with coconut broth and prawn ravioli.
The Lemon sole was seared golden brown and served whole, drizzled lightly with a butter sauce, garnished with capers, lemon flesh, parsley, mini croutons and topped with baby red chard. The sole was delicately cooked with an even balance of acidicy from the lemon and saltiness of the capers. There was also a subtle sweetness coming through, I’m not sure if honey was added into the sauce but it added a pleasant contrast.
My dining companion enjoyed her poached Turbot dish, the different elements and flavor combinations complimented well. The broth was flavoursome reminiscent of a Thai curry, rich, spicy, sweet subtle coconut flavours combined with chili and coriander. The ravioli’s were a decent size, soft pasta with a minced prawn filling speckled with chili flakes giving them a slight kick. The poached turbot was cooked to perfection, firm enough so it did not break up in the broth yet delicate flaky flesh once you cut into it.
For dessert we ordered the Passion fruit and coconut cheesecake and lle flottante with praline. The cheesecake was creatively presented, rich in colour, flavour and texture. Different elements made up the dish, the passion fruit cream dotted on the plate was deliciously sweet whilst the mini meringues had a perfect crunchy shell and melt in the mouth texture. The cheesecake was luxuriously creamy with a very subtle coconut taste, a thin layer of passion fruit jelly glaze, quenelle of passion fruit sorbet, and cubed pineapple adding a refreshing tanginess, complementing the richness. My dining companion was won over by the dessert, which is surprising for someone who is gym obsessed.
The Ile Flottante was decadent, beautifully assembled with the meringue island floating in a pool of Crème anglais and drizzled with toffee caramel sauce, topped with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream and scatterings of praline. It was rich, sweet, and creamy with the different textures playing on my palate. The poached meringue was Light, fluffy and melted in the mouth, whilst the nuttiness and caramel added a nice earthiness to the vanilla flavour; both desserts where a perfect if not indulgent finish to the meal.
The full coffee menu was unfortunately not available during our visit due to a fault with the coffee machine, so we settled for a filter coffee which was unadventurous but palatable and provided me with just enough caffeine to give me the boost I needed to explore the gallery.
The service was extremely efficient and the sommelier Earnest and our main waiter Artur were very personable, attentive, and knowledgeable.
Overall a very relaxed dining experience with a wonderful ambiance, I could have happily settled in the sublime surroundings all afternoon. We didn’t feel rushed but we did notice that from 1pm the restaurant started to get very busy.
One thing to bear in mind is that the glass traps the heat and during the summer it can get very warm and there is little by way of ventilation. Luckily we were sat by the door to the gallery and managed to get some intermittent breeze. We queried about this; it is a recognised problem, however due to health and safety reasons fans cannot be used as they cause obstructions. It won’t however deter me from visiting again and in the winter you can dine under the stars with the added bonus of under floor heating.
Open from 10:00 – 16:30pm Sun – Thur, 10:00 – 22:30 Fri -Sat (last booking 21:30) With several menus to choose from, why not treat yourself to all weather alfresco dining.
The Wallace Restaurant 020 7563 9505 www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk
By Eboni
