Chancery Lane
8.5/10 on Wednesday March 17 2021.
THE SCENE
The Walrus: Nice re-fit of the space previously taken up by Iki-jime, but much more open with a great bar feel to it. 8.5/10
The Carpenter: Refurbished Iki Jimi - all black on black. Felt like walking through Hot black’s ship. Got lost going to the toilet - they were stunning when I found them. Not a great space for aging eyes! Comfy chairs though. And very spacious. Confusing to find the front door. 7.5/10
POTATIONS
W: Opened with the usual dirty Gin Martini. Citadel Gin was a good match for the briny version of our go-to starting point. 9/10
C: Lovely Citadel French gin in our traditional slightly dirty martini. No complaints. 9/10
ENTREE
W: We decided to grab a few of the entrée items to make sure we got a good feel for what the menu was offering. The cured scallop sounded tasty, but when it arrived, it was diced to within an inch of non existence…so the texture was odd and it didn’t really taste of much. 2/10. A Foie gras toastie was next. Really nice, not oily at all but loaded with cheese to the point of making it hard to notice the Foie gras, but still a great toastie 8/10. We shared a charcuterie board for two that was loaded with a very nice selection of meats with some equally good pickled onions - this made it a great start to the meal 8/10.
C: A few little bights to choose from. Cured harvey bay scallop cubed nice and small. pass. 3/10 Fois gras toastie - very rich pastry, gruyere cheese - strong flavour. unnoticeable fois gras. 4/10 and equally lost truffle. Another pass. then a charcuterie for two - three absolutely outstanding duck pieces - sausage, and duck ham sort of stuff. The pickles and pickled onion were also stellar. Definitely a keeper. 8/10
MAIN
W: We shared the whole duck for main. This was breast roasted and presented to the table sliced along with a berry jus. The breast meat was delicious, tender and the fat was rendered just enough to ensure the taste was still there but the texture wasn’t getting in the way of things. The legs were confit and we were each presented with a bowl of the leg and thigh which was again, delicious. A side of tartiflette brought some much needed carbohydrates to the meal to soften the blow of all the rich duck meat. All up, a very generous serve of deliciously prepared duck - would highly recommend to all 10/10
C: A whole duck. Presented at the table before heading off to be dissected. An interesting but absolutely useless piece of theatre. The duck breast was amazing. The potato tartiflette was ok but nothing outstanding. The mixed leaf salad extremely bitter. Matched nicely with a Bannockburn Chardonnay expertly chosen by the Walrus. 8.5/10
DESSERT
W: The Raspberry Baba that we chose for dessert ended up being my new favorite dessert dish! The baba itself was very light and tasty, raspberry’s were ever present as a mouse, an alcoholic cordial poured over the top and fresh to add a bit of tartness. Absolutely delicious and highly recommended - could have eaten at least another two of these 10/10
C: Raspberry baba - the baba was good, but not Carlton Wine Room good. 8.5/10
STICKY
W: A nice glass of Le Tertre Du Lys D’Or (Sauternes) with dessert went down a treat, great selection from the staff 9/10
C:. Le Tertre du Lys d’Or - very nice. 9/10
SERVICE
W: Good service. We were well looked after during the meal. 9/10
C: Very nice service, nothing extraordinary, but certainly no missteps. 8/10
OVERALL
W: A much better fit for the space than the last tenant. Great open feel and the food and service are top notch. The bar and outside area are also great for just catching up with people for a drink and will no doubt be a new regular spot for some in the warmer months. 9/10
C: Yet another attempt to revamp the old Cafe Vue space - not there yet in amongst increasingly tough competition. 8.0/10
THE CAP
W: Home and no cap.
C: No cap tonight.
