Pierre Koffmann, a name synonymous with the very finest french food in England in the past 37 years. A man who once cooked alongside Michel Roux at the Waterside Inn in Bray. Pierre Koffmann. A grand chef that then held no less than 3 michelin stars at the legendary La Tante Claire, also the most romantic of restaurants in London. I didn't know this. Well... ok I needed reminding after I'd committed to going. When it closed it doors I had just entered my twenties and pretty much unaware of this man and his cooking. Finding the entrance to the restaurant was easy enough, when I walked in, the Selfridges store guide actually walked with me to the designated elevator and introduced me to the accompanying statuesque guest list lady stood opposite the brightly lit Chanel perfume concession at the front of the store. Clearly, if your name (or your host in my case), wasn’t on the list you didn’t have the privilege of riding in this elevator. Being first to arrive, I was joined by
a property tycoon, who I can thank for the invitation to join his table, a
Viktor and Rolf foot model, and later
a 70s photography book collector.
The elevator jerkily whisks you to the 5th floor. I assume this is normally a staff only floor, which for the pop up restaurant has been white cloth draped from floor to ceiling. A corridor leads to the entrance and steps lead up to the front of house, essentially a temporary structure with a bouncy seagrass covered floor. Hospitality is promising tonight already. I like it. We’re made to feel welcome.
First on the agenda... Cocktails. I opted for Beefeater 24 special cocktail. Of course, I forgot to make a note of exactly what the concoction was. And so did my waitress the first time around. It was also time to get some photos in and so out came the multiple cameras. We struggled to cope with the poor lighting conditions as the sun set. A blonde lady spotted me and shot me a friendly smile as she started to walk towards our table. I thought she was going to sell us to stop taking photos but instead she spoke about her lack of photos herself and how she was surprised that were number of younger diners. Only then did she introduce herself as Claire Harrison, Pierre Koffman’s partner/wife. I do hope that she likes some of the photos we’ve taken! Onto wine, guided by LondonEater (one-time wino) and an equally knowledgeable Sommelier - Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot Volnay 2006 from Burgundy. Described as feminine. I’m learning.
The amuse bouche provided to kick start our palates was the
Pigs Head and Celeriac Remoulade. A few slices of salty pigs head on a bed of the celerica remoulade with some truffle shavings and dressing. The remoulade was creamy and well balanced against the saltiness pigs head meat. The truffle shavings were perhaps there for visual rather than palate impact, as I was unable to get anything from them.
For my hors d’oeuvres I chose the
Pressed Leeks and Langoustines with a Truffle Vinaigrette. A superbly light and fresh dish which I thought was great but somewhat overshadowed by the guest chef’s Langoustine Bisque with a Herb Crème Chantilly. It turns out that there are several guest chefs including the likes of Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot and Tom Aikens and tonight was the turn of Bruno Loubet, who holds a Michelin star in his restaurant “Baguette” in Brisbane, Australia. Bursting with depth and hitting every taste bud on my tongue, that was a great dish.
Onto the entree which unfortunately due to mix up of table orders arrived almost an hour later. I suppose this would normally be an issue but Jay Rayner was sat next to us so we let it slide. My choice of
Royale de Lièvre with Red Cabbage was made before I’d even arrived (after studying the menu that was forwarded to me a couple of days prior and deciding not to go with the signature "Pig’s Trotter stuffed with Veal Sweetbreads and Morel Mushrooms"). I was simply intrigued as I’d never eaten hare before and I had read a long time ago that this was a haute cuisine classic. I just didn’t know what it really was. It wasn’t as gamey as I thought it might be, but it was quite tart. I learnt today that the dish itself was once called a culinary masterpiece... In 1898. Apparently the detail required in making this dish is such that the multiple and diverse flavours (the saved blood of the hare, goose fat, bacon, vinegar, huge amount of garlic and even more shallots, and stock vegetables) are so harmonious that neither flavour dominates. Liver with the texture of sausage meat. That’s what I thought. The lovely hare meat was tender too.
I finished with the
Gascon Apple Pie. By name that only dish directly inspired by his Gascon grandmother. A caramelised tart with sweetness beyond my usual tolerance for sweet things. It really needed the accompanying vanilla cream to take the edge off it. Apparently this was supposed to be one of the highlight dishes, it was just too sweet for me. The Pistachio Souffle was simply the winner when it came to the desserts on our table. I love pistachios but that aside, the souffle and the ice cream were both simply amazing.
So what did I make of the experience? Most of all I had fun, from arriving, the spectacle of the restaurant having it’s own lift to the top floor of my favourite department store, the imposing pieces of art that adorned the entrance, the friendly always smiling waiting team, sometimes bumbling but always forgiveable, Claire Harrison’s hospitality, and the food. I can not personally say what I feel is the difference between 1, 2, or 3 Michelin Stars but I enjoyed my food and the food that my dining companions that were kind enough to share. But £75 for a 3 course set meal is expensive. I feel that
tehbus hit the nail on the head. I feel that by the sense of occasion, bringing a retired master chef out of retirement, and perhaps exclusivity by temporary nature of the event that this in fact justifies the price. If this was a permanent restaurant I would be expecting to pay perhaps two-thirds. I’m definitely pleased I went and this is an experience I won’t forget. At least now I’ve written this...
Pierre Koffman - Restaurant On The Roof at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7318 7778
UPDATE (15/10/09): Here are some
bloggers who were also at the restaurant on the same night:
•
A Rather Unusual Chinaman
•
Cheese & Biscuits
•
Eat Like A Girl - Lunch Service
•
Silverbrow on Food
UPDATE (17/10/09): Jay Rayner emailed me...
Hello Mark
Nice write up but I am baffled. Why in god's name should my presence at a neighbouring table have, in any way, inhibited your complaint about your dishes taking an hour to arrive? I'd have bloody complained. I almost did when
our mains took 30 mins.
jay
--
My reply:
Hello Jay,
Allowing for some comedy and quite poor storytelling, we did actually complain after 45 minutes. We are apparently very patient people. Almost saintly... (edit) and so on...
