The Grill at the
Dorchester - Restaurant Review
The Dorchester, Park
Lane, London W1K 1QA
020 7629 8888
www.thedorchester.com
Every so often one
needs a real treat – which
for some of us means splashing
out on dinner in a grand dining
room. The Dorchester Grill had
a recent makeover which converted
it from grand Spanish barocco to
equally grand Scottish baronial,
a transformation achieved mainly
by some theatrical frescoes of
Scottish lairds dressed up in their
full plaid monty. The reasoning
behind this nationality change
was so that the décor would
more closely reflect the traditional
grill room themes of smoked salmon
and roast Angus beef both of which
are carved on trolleys tableside
as they say across the pond. But
let me make it clear at the outset,
the rest of Chef Aiden Byrne’s
menu is bold and innovative as
you will see.
Grand hotel restaurants
have been coming back into favour
over the past decade. Gone are
boring “international” menus
the size of a broadsheet newspaper
and etched in stone; gone are maitre
d’s, obsequious waiters and
snooty sommeliers. At the Dorchester
Grill our particular waiting staff
were charming and professional
German girls who were so enthusiastic
and knowledgeable about every dish
one might almost suppose they’d
be off to the kitchen to cook them.
A third German mädchen was
sommelier Jason McAuliffe’s
deputy; she rose admirably to the
challenge of providing a different
tasting glass of wine to complement
each of the six dishes we enjoyed.
The whole front of house appeared
to be directed effortlessly by
a young American who turned out
to be standing in for restaurant
manager Daniel Pawelek.
We began by sharing
some smoked salmon which was clearly
made from wild Atlantic fish, the
firm unfatty texture in particular
differentiating it from the more
usual farmed fish. This was partnered
with a 2004 Riesling “von
blauern schiefe”. The starters
were all most tempting - fancying
fish, I chose scallops but therefore
had to reject the likes of Dublin
Bay prawns or red mullet with squid
ink risotto and tomato confit.
My scallops were perfectly caramelised,
bathing in a velvety velouté of
cauliflower and some intriguing
sherry jelly – an excellent
dish. Really good English asparagus
needs little help – some
would say the less the better.
Here a few spears were wrapped
in bacon and served with some morel
and boiled egg - very tasty but
a bit too clever. Meanwhile more
wonderful wines appeared which
I’ll list at the end; otherwise
this blow by blow account will
get tedious.
The main dishes reflect
the chef’s interest in finding
intriguing combinations of flavours
so that the principal ingredient
becomes more of an ensemble player.
So for instance, the sea bass comes
with pork belly and chorizo risotto.
My squab pigeon was sensational,
and repaid the intricate work that
had gone into its preparation.
The legs had been deboned and stuffed
with foie gras, while the breast
had been slow cooked for hours
sous-vide, (vacuum packed and immersed
at 50C in a water bath). This method
produces wonderful results and
is being adopted by many top chefs.
Unashamed meat eaters
are well catered for with saddle
of lamb, fillet of beef with braised
snails and of course the rib of
beef from the enormous silver domed
trolley, which was busily circumnavigating
the dining room. My guest’s
middle white pork was also amazingly
tender and scored a high oink factor
of 8 for sheer porkiness.
When the American
deputy manager trundled casually
past with the cheese trolley he
made sure we caught a good whiff
of the fine collection of English
and French cheeses – we were
immediately seduced (so little
moral fibre!) and we shared a modest
selection, really only to finish
up our main course wines, naturally.
The evening was unfolding most
delightfully.
I’ve long thought
that red bell peppers (which when
roasted exude a rich sweetness)
could be the basis for an interesting
and unusual dessert. I tried stuffing
them with strawberries and the
results were spectacularly tasty
but I never did crack the presentation.
Imagine my surprise and delight
when I found this on the dessert
menu: Canelloni of red pepper with
strawberry parfait and roasted
strawberries. My flavour combination
was all present and correct and
the artistry on the plate was iconic.
That and a glass of top notch Sauternes
brought a very happy evening to
a close.
Clifford Mould June
2007
The Grill at The Dorchester
is highly recommended by Dine
Online
The Cost: Starters: £13.50
- £19.00; Mains around £27.00,
Puds all £10.50
Our wines, selected
for us by sommelière Nadine
Weihgold
Riesling, Weingut
Heymann, Löwenstein Mosel
2004 (smoked salmon)
Pinot Gris, Adelaide
Hills, Australia 2006 (Scallops)
Amontillado Sherry,
Lustau (Asparagus & bacon)
Pinot Noir, Apsley
Gorge, Tasmania 2005 (Pigeon)
Grüner Veltliner,
Wachau Austria 2005 (Middle White)
Chateau Suduiraut,
1er Cru Sauternes (at this point
I must have lost my presence of
mind as I failed to record the
vintage – sorry!)
