When presented with a menu of delicious sounding food all dreamt up by the enigmatic Irish head chef Robin Gill of Restaurant Sauterelle, I was only too happy to sample a selection of courses suggested to us by the celebrated chef himself. I have to be honest, the nicer the food, the harder I find it to choose from the menu. I usually end up lusting after my partner’s choice of dish until he inevitably gives in and lets me swoop down on his plate. Not this time though. A five-course tasting menu (with the addition of a palate cleanser) – each dish chosen by Robin Gill! To say I was looking forward to it was an understatement. My mouth had started watering from the first mention of Cornish crab.
Of course, a great menu should ideally be enjoyed in a great location. And what a location! The restaurant has to have one of the grandest backdrops in London. The Royal Exchange building is formidable in its splendour, having survived three fires and hence three renovations, each renovation returning the building to its former glory with the respect it deserves. Even paintings dating back to the late 1800’s remain, huge and remarkable, lining the wall closest to the restaurant. The Royal Exchange now houses some of the world’s most luxury of brands, including Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Hermes.
Situated on the mezzanine level of the formidable Royal Exchange, the Restaurant Sauterelle is run by D&D London (i.e. the Conrad collection), the people responsible for notable restaurants Skylon,Quagliano’s and indeed the Royal Exchange Grand Café, a predominantly breakfast and lunch bar that sprawls across the lower section of the building. Its popularity with city workers grows in the evening, and from where we were sitting in the restaurant above, we could watch the buzzing activity without being irritated by the noise – thick glass protected us from any sound pollution that may have come from outside.
Gill’s menu is described online as ‘contemporary French’ – and it is, with the addition of imaginative and innovative nods to Italian and Asian flavours and a very definite attempt at using seasonal produce. Each dish was as light and fragrant as the last – Robin Gill says that he “likes to substitute butters and creams with oils and spices to make lighter dishes” – and what a difference that makes. A starter of roast courgette flower, stuffed with ricotta cheese, courgette, pine nut and basil puree was delicate and intricate in its display – each flavour popped with a freshness you can only get with carefully chosen ingredients and precise cooking. The Cornish crab raviolo was packed fat with tender, moist crab and samphire that tasted of the sea, and complimented with a lemongrass reduction. My favourite dish of the evening was the lemon sole fish dish, so light and dainty on the plate I felt like a (very happy, very greedy) giant devouring the morsels. We finished our main dining experience off with an assiette of Devonshire lamb – rump (gorgeously tender), the sweetbread and the belly – that came with fresh borlotti, Sicilian tomato, kalamata olives and salsa verde.
Each and every dish was accompanied with a separate 100ml glass of wine (so as to not get so completely sozzled and ruin the experience completely) that complimented the dish, as suggested to us by a friendly sommelier that answered our (quite obviously very ignorant) questions about wine.
The Restaurant Sauterelle is a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stuffy London restaurant scene. The food was delightful and fresh, the service impeccable, the surroundings absolutely gorgeous and the prices aren’t out of this world (a dinner for two cost £75 without wine, or you can pick a set menu deal for two and three courses). It really truly ticked every box for me.
Please note: I don’t usually like to list every ingredient of every course I’ve eaten at a restaurant. In my humble opinion that can probably get quite dull. But with grub this good I felt rude not acknowledging each dish I consumed and every flavour I savoured.
I could go into more detail but I won’t. I’ll allow you to find out for yourselves. My tip would be: let Robin Gill do the talking and you just concentrate on the eating. He’s definitely one young chef in the know.
Live. Love. London. 