Bella W.
Yelp
The Greenhouse is almost like a secret hideout, tucked away in the back alley mews of Mayfair. It is so obscure, we almost walked right past it. No flashy signs to depict its status as a top class restaurant - at first glance, you could hardly be faulted for thinking this is the entrance to a quiet private park, or a patch of someone's beloved garden. From the moment you step in, you get transported away into a world of peace and tranquillity away from the stress, and the hustle and bustle that makes up exclusive Mayfair. Your magical journey into the gourmet world of The Greenhouse begins. The restaurant served me the best lunch I've had in a long while and it came at a truly wondrous value of £25 for 3 courses + a glass of wine. However, neither me nor my friend took wine, so the charming waiter offered us to make us some delicious mocktails. The 2 refreshing concoctions he came up with were indeed impressive - one with mango/orange and ginger ale and another with apple juice, lemon grass and a hint of mint (much like a non-alcoholic Mohito). I was quite surprised by this service as most restaurants leave you to your own devices if you even dare to suggest forsaking the wine. They then gleefully get you to order more drinks in place of alcohol, and that still chalks up a hefty bill towards the end of the meal. Thus, I was quite impressed (and grateful) by the thoughtful service rendered by the staff at The Greenhouse. You are given 3 choices for Starter, Main Course & Dessert (although you pay a £5 supplement if you have a selection of cheeses). Prior to serving the food, they pamper you with a variety of canapés - on this occasion, they had some Cheddar & Almond crackers, wedged together with a thin layer of sour cream and cracked pepper. There was also a more exotic looking gel-like bubble, which we were told contained the juice of pineapple and lemon (two of the more pronounceable ingredients). Slurp it like we would an oyster, we were told. A true French restaurant prides itself for delivering heavenly rolls to each table - The Greenhouse did not disappoint. They have the usual selection of white baguettes and browns loaves, as well as tomato focaccia and an onion & cumin bun. I went for the latter two. I found my tomato focaccia tasty on its own without the necessity for butter. The aromatic onion and cumin bun was lovely with just a smidgeon(you can be more generous with the butter if you like, but the bread was truly good on its own!). The restaurant had thoughtfully placed two different types of butter on separate slates - one salted, the other unsalted. At this point, I was happily halfway to getting full, and we hadn't even been fed our courses yet! My starter of guinea fowl, veal sweetbread and foie gras ballotine was ambrosia food for the Gods. The portions were healthy, and the black and white figs with tarragon added an unusual but refreshing twist to the palates. My main course of slow-cooked monkfish with peanuts, coconut and lime was obviously very much Thai influenced. I was a little disappointed, altho it was well created and very appetizing. However, if I had wanted something resembling a lighter version of Thai green curry, I'd have gone to a Thai restaurant instead of The Greenhouse. Still, I was lucky because my friend and I always swap our courses so we get to sample half of each other's dish. His choice of salt marsh lamb shoulder with couscous, sultanas, and trumpet courgette was definitely superior. Needless to say, that is a dish I would recommend highly to anyone who decides to dine at The Greenhouse. Unless you decide to opt for the salmon and prawn ravioli with pomelo chutney and herb salad (a choice which we both skipped at yesterday's lunch). To complete the meal, we were fed the most mouth-watering desserts. I chose the white peach and fresh almonds with verbena spume, peach liquor jelly and sorbet - a delightfully refreshing creation which I was loathe to part with (well, I had to give half of it to my friend..). But his confit of banana with passion fruit, salted caramel and milk chocolate mousse topped with a dainty scoop of praline ice cream was equally delightful. I practically wiped my plate clean! As with most French restaurants, we were treated to a selection of petite fours at the end of our meal. They generously gave us four small plates of different sweets to sample. There was a homemade liquid chocolate with a hazelnut centre, red and white current macaroons, chocolate with passion fruit, as well as a raspberry marshmallow to remind us of childhood. To say I was impressed with the food, service and hospitality at The Greenhouse is an understatement. Ordinarily, one would have to pay twice the price for the quality of food served at this location. The normal dinner menu is £65 for 3 courses, and while one could easily dine elsewhere in Mayfair for the same price and more, you'd be hard pressed to find many restaurants serving better food with the same