Pearl Restaurant, London (From Hampshire Society)

Pearl Restaurant, London

4:32pm Thursday 10th December 2009

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Pearls cascade like raindrops down long, elegant windows, and fall in glistening curtains between sophisticated lounge areas running the entire length of the dark walnut bar.

Tiny tealights flicker on mother-of-pearl inlaid tables, and cool marble columns in shades of grey rise to lofty ceilings.

This is Pearl; one of London’s most glamorous dining rooms, with an equally glamorous chef at the helm.

Jun Tanaka, a regular on Saturday Kitchen and host of his own Channel 4 show Cooking It, has worked at some of London’s finest restaurants, and now creates spectacular modern French dishes at the former Pearl Assurance headquarters in Holburn.

Even the cocktails are glamorous. The signature Pink Pearl is perfect for Christmas, with its dark base notes of spiced berry and elderflower, finished with rose champagne and cognac. And a new range of chic winter cocktails has been created to warm up these cold, dark nights.

But it’s the food that’s the real gem in this sparkling setting. Even the tables are cleverly lit from below to give the beautifully presented dishes their own spotlight.

Appetisers come on four curved white spoons, each carrying a tiny explosion of flavour. A sweet duck spring roll with a sliver of crunchy apple is followed by mushroom risotto; a soft salmon rillette with capers sets the scene for piquant mackerel, ginger and fennel.

Next comes a tiny bowl of brilliant fuchsia beetroot jelly, set to a melting softness and topped with an earthy celeriac foam.

We could have started with Maldon rock oysters served with a pearl barley and watercress risotto, or thrown caution to the wind and tried the smoked eel, pigeon and foie gras terrine, which came with raisins, pickled beetroot and sea aster. Many of the intricate dishes sound like they can’t possibly work – but somehow they just do. Our red-leg partridge with creamy soft jerusalem artichoke puree hits just the right spot and the curry warmth of translucent scallops gives way to beautifully sweet parsnip and apple. This is a dish that is as much about texture as flavour, with sharp crunch, soft foam and sticky jelly.

Main courses feature turbot with almonds, and roast monkfish with caramelised chicken wings; beautifully bronzed wild duck is brought to the table to be carved.

The lobster and guinea fowl fricassee features sweet delicate meat balanced with spikes of tarragon and rosy chunks of lobster. Amber tubes of macaroni look beautiful but are somewhat superfluous.

Elsewhere, twists of wafer-thin vegetables weave around slabs of tender pink venison, and sharp plums evoke memories of autumn.

All around us as we eat, there are exclamations of delight as dishes arrive. Waiters flit between tables carrying ever more beautifully presented dishes: a twist of finely sliced courgette here, a glass-thin slice of pear there. Pristine white bowls are followed by dark slabs of slate, there are bubbled glass rectangles and chic china oblongs. No detail is overlooked.

Choosing a wine to complement our chosen mains of meat and fish was beyond our limited knowledge – there are more than 200 to choose from on Pearl’s renowned wine list – so we enlisted the help of the sommelier, who recommended a Chilean chardonnay. We weren’t convinced, but he was spot on. It had just enough acidity to bring out the flavour of the fish, but gave way to warm buttery depths that were perfect with the venison.

Puddings are prefixed with shot glasses of a sweetly floral concoction made from the muscat grape. Topped with a cloud of zesty lime foam, we slurp at them through tiny black straws and hope no one notices the noise as we attempt to get every last drop out of the glass.

Then come sticky caramelised apples with salt-caramel mousse, and a delicately-scented thyme ice cream; classic flavours given a new lease of life through modern interpretation.

A warm, puddle-centred chocolate fondant is wittily presented in a kilner jar, and comes with softly poached pear and vanilla icecream.

There’s barely room for coffee, but we’ve seen handmade sweets coming round on glass sheets, and it would be rude not to try them.

As with everything else in this remarkable restaurant, these are no ordinary confections. There’s a foamy light strawberry marshmallow and a ruby cassis jelly. White chocolate fudge sticks to the teeth, and a crisp sesame tuille is almost a relief after all the gooey sweetness that’s gone before.

Our meal over, we spill out of this beautiful oasis of twinkling light onto the dark, rain-splashed streets and reflect that we’ve just had a remarkable adventure.

The dishes on Pearl’s menu are challenging and unconventional. Monkfish with chicken wings? Eel and pigeon? The unusual combinations might not be instantly appealing but the results on the plate are magical.

Vist Pearl with an open mind, and you’ll discover a gem.

FACTFILE:

Set lunches feature a choice of six starters, six mains and five desserts and cost £26 for two-courses and £29 for three. The dinner à la carte menu is £32 for one course, £46 for two and £55 for three.The five-course Tasting Menu is £65 without wine, £85 with beer and £115 with wines to accompany each course.</>

Pearl Restaurant, High Holburn, London. Tel: 020 7829 7000 Email: info@pearl-restaurant.com

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