Launceston Place

I was visiting London was mainly as a stopping off point en route to a conference in Barcelona. Flying from London to Barcelona has usually involved going from Terminal 5 at Heathrow but the flight choices this time included a late afternoon flight from Gatwick. At that point my mind went into overdrive. Check in one hour ahead of the flight meant 3 pm, half hour trip by Gatwick Express meant 2:30, twenty minutes by tube to Victoria meant 2ish. Seemed like lunch somewhere first was a distinct possibility. Yay!

And the question of where meant somewhere with a set lunch and on a direct line from Victoria. It didn’t really, but it was a great opportunity to return to Launceston Place (that actually met those conditions). A previous visit two years ago was a real puzzler. Despite solid recommendations from a number of people it was a very disappointing experience. And it’s niggled me ever since that it didn’t impress. Fast forward and Tim Allen, previously of Whatley Manor has taken over as head chef and gained the Michelin star that had evaded the restaurant previously. Coincidentally, Tim Allen was on TV the weekend after I arrived and the fish dish he cooked on the show had upped my anticipation markedly.

Come the day of the reservation, the familial paranoia about missing flights had kicked in but there was no way I was bailing on lunch. Early check out, suitcase in left luggage at Victoria and I was outside Launceston Place before it even opened its doors. One stroll to Gloucester road and a cup of tea later and it was time for my noon lunch.

The restaurant with room for 60-70 covers is still weird inside as a consequence of being on the rounded corner of the street effectively giving it a V-shape. The dining rooms are all dark walls, heavy linen table cloths and formal place settings. The low key piano music in the background worked to emphasise the restrained nature of the room. Service was similarly restrained where most wait staff wouldn’t really talk. The exception was the maitre d’ who was very engaged.

Two snacks were brought to the table immediately after the order was taken. The choux pastry with béchamel cheese was wonderfully crisp and light with an oozy rich cheese filling that only had you wanting more. Good as it was, though, it was overshadowed by the truffle sandwich with its intensely truffly filling between two flaky cheesy wafers. Just fantastic. Two bites and I was pretty comfortable that what was likely to be on the plate would more than compensate for the mannered formality of the room.

A second amuse bouche followed the bread and butter and it combined a wonderful light cauliflower mousse, curried lentils and a beurre noisette sauce. The strong cauliflower flavour of the mousse yielded to the smoky sauce at the base while the tender pieces of cauliflower gave the whole dish more substance.

The first course of the set lunch was a ballotine of salmon with compressed apple, pickled cucumber, mooli and iced horseradish. There was nothing about this dish with its mix of fresh vibrant flavours that I didn’t like. The salmon was beautiful especially the horseradish salmon rillette in the centre. The iced horseradish had good flavour but little burn so it worked really well with the fish. The pickled cucumber was gently vinegary and the refreshing daikon was the best of the accompaniments for me. This was an excellent starter.

The main of hand-speared plaice with fresh linguine, brown shrimp and a crab sauce infused with tomato and sea purslane was another strong course. The plaice was served on a bed of spinach and the crab bisque was poured on the dish at the table. The plaice was a delight with its crispy finish and the tender linguine had a superb buttery finish. The tomatoes gave the dish a fresh juicy sweet note and the bisque was essential as it kicked the whole dish up a gear. A lovely dish.

The baked English custard with Cox apple cooked in caramel, glazed puff pastry filled with Calvados cream was a contender for the best dessert of the year. The various forms of apple were magnificent from the intense sorbet to the vibrant compressed slices and the superb baked apple. The kick of the Calvados made the pastry a wow.

And so the meal ended. The maitre d’ was great about making sure I got my bill promptly so I could get on the road to Gatwick and as it turned out I got there early. But most importantly, I turned up at Gatwick still smug about the lunchtime gamble that totally paid off.

 This was light years ahead of my previous Launceston Place experience and you can now consider me a full convert. The set lunch menu was superb and only served to make you want to try more of Tim Allen’s food. I’m so glad I took the time to give Launceston Place another go and you can guarantee I’ll be back soon.

Overall Rating – 4.5/5