Bob W.
Google
Visiting from the USA, and our first time visiting LONDO, my wife and I went with the set menu (NZD$90 per person) to experience as much of the menu as our stomachs could allow.
We began with the hamachi crudo with avocado and finger lime. Very fresh and tasty, although a touch of salt was needed to bring out the subtle flavors of the fish.
Next was the anchovies in olive oil, served with fresh-baked sourdough bread and compound butter. This was perhaps my favorite dish. The bread was crusty on the outside and pillowy soft in the middle. The anchovies and oil paired nicely with the bread, providing a wonderful salty pop.
Not on the set menu, but we had to add the fig with labneh appetizer. The figs were perfectly ripe, and topped with a grape gatrique reduction. The labneh was creamy and had just the right tartness.
Our first main was the rigatoni with pancetta, and was by far the most disappointing dish of the night. The vermouth butter sauce was watery and salty, with no depth of flavor. It sat at the bottom of the pasta bowl while the other ingredients lay bare. The pancetta was no more than a poor man's bacon, not too far removed from something you'd find at a grocery store.
The second main, however, was a marked improvement. The 55-day aged ribeye was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and paired well with the creamed courgette (we call it zucchini). The dish also came with grilled courgette but, sadly, this was limp and overcooked.
The set menu concluded with two desserts: a chocolate cremeux (mousse) with strawberry sorbet, and madelines with custard and rhubarb sorbet. Both were very rich and flavorful, although we were far too full to finish either one.
Knowing that we would not be able to consume everything, we politely asked our server (also the owner and main chef) to package up our leftovers for takeaway. He seemed offended by this, claiming that "we don't do takeaway" but then offering to sell us a takeaway container (we agreed). The takeaway was then presented to us in a single container, without any of the sauce that accompanied the dishes. He clearly packaged these up reluctantly and without much thought.
We enjoyed our meal but we would not recommend the set menu. The portions are very large, and without takeaway we would have to send back half of the food to be discarded.
