I had just arranged to go for a walk with my mate Tom when he asked if we had time for lunch at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant. Well, as a man who can resist anything but temptation, I of course said yes.
Like many of these celebrity chef places it is in a hotel, the Mandarin Oriental at Hyde Park
Nothing understated about the interiors, or the Christmas decorations.
I had arrived early so popped into Hyde Park behind. Not too busy
Except in the water...
Anyway, back to lunch. As I say, a plush establishment. None of this being crowded in to maximise covers. This is high ceilings, widely spaced tables and a nice view over Hyde Park. And of course both of us wanted to photograph our high quality luncheon!
We both ordered the hot salmon to start. Beautifully presented and I have to say it was ever so good. Almost the perfect appetizer, light and very tasty.
I went for the cod with brown prawns as a main course. Now one feature of these sorts of fine ding establishments is that you don't exactly get overfed for your money. Nice food but the portions are small. It was lunch and certainly we didn't go hungry, but could have been a little more generous I felt. Actually the star for me was not the cod but the buttered sprouts side dish.
Duly fed and watered, we went off on a little walk through Belgravia. Didn't have that much time so concentrated on the walking rather than photos. I will do this again when at more leisure, and on a nicer day, but just one sample below, the back of the Cadogan Concert Hall, looking for all the world to be Italian Renaissance Palace.
Anyway, a nice break from isolation. Always a pleasure meeting Tom. Next time in 2021....
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