The Ledbury - The Two-Michelin-Starred Restaurant in London Where I had My Best Meal of 2023

 

Discerning Londoners with a penchant for the finer things in life will definitely have been to, or at least have heard of The Ledbury in Nottinghill. The brainchild of famous restaurateurs Brett Graham, Phil Howard and Nigel Platts-Martin have held on to the two-Michelin-star accolade for years before they shut their doors during the pandemic. They reopened to much fanfare, with tables booked up in a jiffy. I was in the UK for 7.5 months and I heard of The Ledbury from a friend who has been in the UK for 11 years. He told me he had the best meal of his life at The Ledbury back in 2015. I was really excited when I managed to get a reservation. Because I was dining alone, and plenty of Michelin-starred restaurants do not take lone diners, I was pretty certain that I wouldn't be able to give myself a birthday treat here. I decided to try my luck and I sent in an email to the team, and thankfully, they welcomed me with open arms!

I got there at 6pm, right on time, handed my jacket to a staff, and was ushered to my seat. There was an envelope with the words 'Happy Birthday' on it sitting on my table. I looked around and realised that most people were celebrating a special occasion that evening! I was given the menu for the day, and also an extensive beverage menu. I thought I would get just a glass of wine but changed my mind when I saw a bottle of French cider(Le Pere Jules  75cl) on the menu for 15 pounds. The enthusiastic and smiley sommelier highly recommended it and I'm so glad that I listened to him! The cider was delicious and I had no issues polishing the entire bottle off on my own!

I'm a picky eater and there are loads that I don't eat. From this menu, I don't eat lamb, and berries, and I'm not a fan of fruits too. The super nice server told me that they would be able to switch lamb to venison for me, and that because fruits are in season right now, most of their desserts are fruit-based, so he said that the restaurant can do a duck egg custard, and also a mango mille feuille. I was okay with the two options — definitely better than berries!

 

The selection of amuse bouche was simply outstanding. Every dish was an umami bomb! If the start of the meal was this amazing, I was confident that the rest of the meal would be showstopping.

Ike lime Chalk Stream Trout, Isle of Wight Tomato, Spruce and Green Shiso

 

I love the brioche! The molasses sugar was interesting but I typically prefer a savoury butter to go with my breads.

 

Poole Bay Mackerel, Elderflower, Gooseberry and Partner Cucumber 

Many might not enjoy the strong smell and taste of mackerel but I love it! The distinctively deep natural flavours of mackerel was carefully balanced out by refreshing notes and sour hints.

 

Veal Sweetbread, Scottish Girolles, Sauerkraut and Field 28 Onions (Australian Black Truffle - £20 Supplement)

Wild Sea Bass
Crab XO, Courgette and N25 Kaluga Reserve

Mushrooms from the Cabinet, Shiitake, Black Truffle and Silken Tofu

 

Venison done in various ways. So good! I love how the versatility of venison was brilliantly portrayed in this dish. Every component was dolled up in different flavours but yet, they were all part of a harmonious symphony.

Venison dumpling

Duck egg custard

Textures of chocolate, complete with vanilla, caramel, and truffle. 

I really appreciated how the staff at The Ledbury went above and beyond to craft this special chocolate dessert for me. It really made my day, and made this one of the best birthday meals I've ever had in my life. This was so so good, and it even came with a handsome lashing of fresh black truffles. How lucky was I!

 

In all honesty, every dish was good, some better than the rest of course, and I enjoyed the meal thoroughly. It was pretty flawless from the beginning to the end — the experience made even more memorable by a stellar team. A meal like this(without alcohol) would cost around $500 - $600 SGD in Singapore I reckon. So, my dinner at The Ledbury which cost 195 pounds before a 12.5% discretionary charge was really exceptional value in my books. I will highly recommend that you check out The Ledbury if you're looking to have an incredible meal in London!

127 Ledbury Rd, London W11 2AQ, United Kingdom

https://www.theledbury.com/