Bar Boulud is a French restaurant serving Lyonnais cuisine at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. Having read a lot about the decadent burgers at Boulud, we headed to Knightsbridge for lunch. The menu is full of mouth-watering Lyonnais charcuterie and it is quite tempting to try everything. However as this was not a realistic option, we went for the three-course lunch menu which sounded like a excellent deal at £20.
The starters were simple: a lamb terrine served with gherkins, and pickled mackerel with gribiche sauce, a mayonnaise style cold sauce with pickles and tarragon. The lamb terrine was pretty original with a good balance of spices and meat. It was delicious and unexpected.
Lamb, aubergine and sweet potato terrine
Pickled mackerel with gribiche sauce
The main courses were a little bit too oily. The Coq au Vin was not as I was expecting, it tasted fine but the wine flavour was almost nonexistent. It was served with a little casserole of spätzle which were too greasy and far from being as good as the one I had in Germany. The sole was extremely disappointing. I like when fish is served fresh and almost untouched. Here it was between pan and deep fried. So greasy it would not taste like a sole anymore. Vegetables were fine but the portion was small overall. We know from other people who went before that a lot of dishes on the menu are delicious, including their burgers. So we hope it was only bad luck for us on the mains.
Coq au vin
Almond crusted lemon sole
For pudding, we tasted a few things. Everything was good and nicely presented.
Vanilla and raspberry ice-cream
Basque cake
Coupe Mont Blanc:
apple and tonka compote,
chestnut ice cream and chantilly
Mme and Mr Sardine would warmly recommend for various reasons: (1) it serves some very good food for a decent price (2) it is very central and can be a good spot for lunch while spending the day in central London (3) the venue is warm and cheerful with a spotless service.
Cost: £20 for the lunch 3-course menu
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