Marcus and Pétrus or Pétrus and Marcus, “It’s in my DNA,” is one of the ultimate dining experiences in London, encompassing every necessary ingredient for completecuisine- cornucopia.
The staff here are faultless; better than that, they are guided under the playful eye of London’s favourite Maitre d’, Jean-Philippe, one of the key ingredients in making dining at Pétrus an unforgettable occasion. So too is Mathieu Gaignon, the head sommelier.
It gets off to such a good start at Pétrus that you really can’t help yourself from sliding into a utopian gastro-bubble.A faintly familiar, irresistibly delectable ‘amuse bouche’ flute, of tarragon foam atop a flavoursome sweetcorn soup was followed with muffled squeals of delight along with Mathieu’s choice of a glass of ‘96 Banyuls Grand Cru, Val D’Aunis. You keep telling yourself that things can’t get better when inside the gastro-bubble, but they do.
The Scottish scallop, hooded with a weightless bacon foam, that followed was so strikingly presented, it reminded me of a shooting star: even the food is personifying Marcus. It was a heavenly scallop: spot on in texture, faintly sweet, with caramelized braised onions and woody Alsace bacon, inducing a serious bubble-swoon. We sipped a young and tangy complementary ‘06 Kerner Praepositus, Abbazia di Novacella, one we would never have uncovered ourselves.
Then, the most delicate, soft and tender, lightly poached then expertly roasted quail in a perfectly pitched symphony of tarragon. We enjoyed a natural drinking partner, ‘03 Gigondas, Domaine de Montrius. Next, a light delight of caper-and-golden-raisin-puree-charged Dorset turbot, on a bed of gently peppered, lightly cooked baby gem lettuce, along with a small glass of this sea-dream’s natural companion, ‘04 Meursault. Fantastic!
The two ‘main’ courses, of either best end of salt-marsh lamb, or roasted saddle of Cranborne Estate venison, varnished the bubble with a luminosity obtained only from utter perfection. The exacting flavour from both meats was so pure that all the mouth-watering entourage alongside just enhanced, though never smothered, the naturally flavoursome host. Mathieu gave us a sip of ‘01 Barbara Fores ‘Coma d’en Pou, and ‘99 La Chappelle de la Mission Haut-Brion.
We strode gallantly into the gentle onslaught of dessert. Not a lover of puddings, I thought I would resist, not possible: a tornado of beckoning vanilla cream, encased in a wall of crunchy caramel on a bed of honey-poached plums in spiced plum sorbet, reverted resistance.
Our newly refurbished suite 215, above the brightest stars in London’s cosmos-kitchen, was sensational. The avant-garde suite is washed in soft steel-blue tones, with a glorious triple aspect over Wilton Place. In elegant urban-chic-style it offers lashings of contemporary comfort. The magical combination of suite retreat together with cuisine-cornucopia kept our Pétrus-bubble well and truly sealed.
Find out more and book direct with the hotel at www.luxuryexplorer.com
