DINNER AT CLARIDGES

We’ve just returned home after our posh nosh night in London, and what a fabulous evening it was.
Top hatted concierges, black tied waiters, photos of famous Claridges’ patrons such as the Duke of Windsor and Winston Churchill.
And now Barbara and I!!
We met up with Fritha and Anthony in Claridges’ bar. The place is just too elegant to be true. The moment we walked in the door, we were welcomed by an immaculately clad young man gliding across inch thick carpet. He quickly found us a table and called the drink waitress. We ordered champers and that came with a range of beautifully presented nibbles. Then when it was time, we were conducted to our table in the dining room, all crisp white table clothes and subdued lighting. The service was perfect. You were hardly aware of the waiters until you finished one dish and suddenly you’d notice the plate had been removed. The wine waiter really knew his stuff and chose wines ideal for our choices of food. And even though the room was full, the tables were far enough apart to give you a sense of private dining. Between courses, if there were any crumbs on the table, a waiter would produce a brush and whisk them away. This was a six course meal, but with each course quite small so you didn’t feel bloated or over fed.
Over the next two hours we enjoyed:
Cold consomme of tomato and chopped peppers and basil
Ballottine of foie gras marinated in white port, pear and saffron chutney, with a toasted brioche
Ravioli of Dorset blue lobster and salmon, with basil dressing

A main course of perfectly cooked Chateaubriand in a peppery crust with asparagus

A pre dessert of French and English cheeses chosen from a trolley /or strawberries, raspberries and something creamy

And finally Valrhona chocolate and honeycomb fondant, with an orange yoghurt sorbet .

All of this accompanied with champagne, a good pinot noir and with dessert, a not too sweet chenin blanc. They even presented me with a tiny little muffin with a lit candle and “Happy Birthday” spelled out in chocolate.

If this is what Gordon Ramsay does in all his restaurants, then he can drop the F word as often as he likes. It was the most delightful meal I think I have ever enjoyed, and the others all agreed.
When it was at last time to leave, we walked into the street just as a dark colored Ferrari was pulling up, and out came the great chef himself. We didn’t get a chance to tell him how we had enjoyed the meal, but it was something of a buzz to have him arrive as we were leaving.

We slept late on Saturday morning, before taking the tube to Knightsbridge. We wanted to take a look at Harrods, the famous department store, now owned by Mohammed al Fayed. There was a sale on and the place was packed. There were thousand pound sports jackets knocked down for a mere five hundred pounds. What bargains!!!!
And then there were the tacky memorials to Dodi and Diane. The picture speaks for itself.
We’ll be taking it easy tomorrow (Sunday) before heading off to the Lakes District and Scotland.