London House

This Little Piggy went to London House - Battersea - London

The latest Ramsay venture in the leafy depths of Battersea with chef Anna Haugh-Kelly in charge was a slight mission to get to but I would gladly accept that mission again. The embossed ‘London House’ in the brickwork on the roof made it seem like it had been here for a good many years but in reality it’s only two months young. The small entrance is lined with candles which invites you into the dimly lit lounge and it’s magnificent copper topped bar.

Proceedings were kicked off with an extremely mature cocktail named ‘Into The Dark’ (Zacapa 23 Rum, Vermouth, Maple Syrup, Baked Orange and Bitters) which in hindsight should have been taken post dinner in the drawing room with a large Cuban but I’ll know for next time. However, the baseball sized ice cube did keep my nose cool and sober for the duration of the drink!

The smart waiting staff showed us through to a nice window table and shortly a little bag of warm freshly baked bread was delivered. The choice on the 3 course prix fixe menu for £35 was nice and varied but the piggy in ‘Pigs Head Croquette, Quails Eggs, Pickled Carrot & Caper Mayonnaise’ jumped out at me so my choice was made. Three chunky croquettes of soft shredded pig were nestled in a curly endive and beetroot salad with lovely soft runny quails eggs perched on top. The yolk from the eggs were a perfect condiment for the croquettes, I didn’t feel the caper mayonnaise went as well with them. Delicious first course.

For the main course I switched baby animal and went for the seasonal ‘Saddle of Lamb, Wild Garlic Puree with Pressed Lamb Hotpot’. The saddle, beautifully soft and pink, was presented atop roasted carrots although the fat could have been cooked slightly longer to ensure it was more crisped and not flabby. The garlic puree was a fantastic green green grass colour but had only a subtle flavour so the flavour of the lamb shone through. The element I loved the best was the square of hotpot. Perfect layers of potato, onion, carrot and shredded lamb that tasted like it had been dipped in a bath of lamb gravy, so much flavour.

I was careful to leave room for the ‘Chocolate Tart, Lavender Ice Cream and Honeycomb Caramel’ that I had spotted on the menu earlier.

I would normally go for British cheeses but I was hankering after something sweet and this ticked all the boxes. The sheen on the tart made me think an edible polish had been used in the kitchen as it seemed to twinkle under the lights. I was expecting a heavy and claggy filling but it was surprisingly light in texture although with a rich flavour. A hard feat to achieve. The exceptional element on this plate was the lavender ice cream. So perfectly balanced with the floral taste but not sickly. A great British flavouring.

I can’t recommend this neighbourhood restaurant enough. From the friendly staff who presented us with the cork and label of the exquisite wine we’d been drinking, the interesting and varied menu of outstanding value to the personal touch of being presented with a ‘Happy Birthday’ plate from an overheard conversation by the wine waiter.

This Little Piggy Approves as I’m sure the local who sat knitting at the bar all night does aswell.