New London Restaurant – One Blenheim Terrace review

Set just off one of St John`s Wood beautiful, residential streets, One Blenheim Terrace is very inviting. The faǟ¶õade is glass and it has a lovely outside patio which must be wonderful in the summer. We were greeted at the door by the restaurant manager and head waiter. The restaurant manager has a lovely personality, very warm and he is very good at his job.

On entering, our coats were taken. Down a few steps from the cloakroom area there is a very inviting looking bar with some cosy seating – it looks the perfect space when waiting for a table.

We were seated at a corner table, with a nice view over the restaurant. One Blenheim Terrace is a new London restaurant so the décor is very clean and colourful. Very nice overhead lighting and beautiful little glass candle lamps adorn each table. The starched white table cloths and napkins always lend towards a nice evening ahead!

The manager brought us the a-la-carte menu`s along with the wine list and a beer list. I`m not a beer drinker, but there was a very extensive beer list. Apparently the beers are very popular on their Tasting Tuesday menu. Quirky! We decided on a glass of the house champagne to get us started, but were served the Pol Roger, even better! We also ordered still and sparkling water.

Both of the waiting staff (manager and waiter) were very attentive all the way through the evening. They asked if we needed help with menu. I explained my dairy intolerance and on choosing my starter and main course the manager very kindly advised the chef. Having ordered, a small but perfect selection of bread was brought to the table. My guest and I both had the brown rolls, which were delicious! We were then served an amuse bouche to open the taste buds. I found the fish taster to be intensely flavoured, but nonetheless a very nice touch.

The A-la-carte menu is small but perfectly formed with 6 starters and 6 main courses to choose from, (British favourites as the menu states) offering meat, fish, chicken, wood pigeon and vegetarian choices. The menu changes with the seasons, so the taste is always fresh. Prices tend to be on the higher side but this area of London can manage this.

My starter of organic cured salmon was delicious. Nicely cut, cured salmon, oak smoked with tiny pieces of pickled cauliflower. A miso caramel stripe of jus – slightly sweet, but it complimented the salmon perfectly. My food was covered with a glass dome which was removed by the manager to a puff of the oak smoke – very impressive. My guest had the lobster Bolognese: a very good portion of spaghetti mixed with lobster, served with a parmesan `air` – a light fluffy infusion of parmesan, again very impressive presentation and very tasty.

Our main courses consisted of Surf & Turf for me and Bouillabaisse for my guest. The Surf & Turf – a delightful combination of roast halibut and confit chicken, served to me with the chanterelles (minus the cream), samphire, baby leeks and watercress. I am not a great fan of sauces, so choose to have it without the red wine sauce. This dish was truly delicious, the chicken pieces were small but tasty and the halibut was perfectly cooked.

The Bouillabaisse was a very clever modern take on the traditional dish. A great selection of fish served with baby fennel, saffron potatoes, leek – all in a rouille, that classic Provencal sauce. My guest enjoyed the dish very much and again the portion size was good. We chose a selection of vegetables served in individual dishes: broccoli – perfectly cooked, salad leaves – a good selection of leaves, nicely tossed in a delicate dressing, and roast potatoes – by this stage I had eaten quite enough, so the manager wrapped them for me and I took them home!

We chose a very decent Pinot Grigio with our meal, from the well stocked wine list, which has good price variations. We were then offered dessert. My guest, being a small eater, declined but I enjoyed the fruit salad – a good combination of fruit served with a raspberry sauce, very refreshing after a very tasty meal. We enjoyed a further glass of Pinot Grigio to round off a very pleasant evening.

During the evening there were various other tables of two in the restaurant. One Blenheim Terrace is a very good neighbourhood restaurant and I got the feeling that quite a few of the diners had eaten there before – always a good sign – as the restaurant manager was very au fait with them.

All in all, a very good restaurant: comfortable and inviting with very flavoursome food, well presented and served by lovely staff.