Michael Nightingale
Google
There is a risk, when cooking (or eating) exquisitely subtle and refined French food, that all of that exquisiteness and subtlety can blend into a meal that is somehow unmemorable - too refined, too subtle to stick in the mind. Presquile avoids that trap with elan. This is world-class French food with a fine Japanese sensibility.
Standouts? The delicate buri tartare starter with bamboo; that meaty foie gras with a poached disc of daikon; the deeply flavoured lobster and oyster ragout; a single pure-flavoured rum baba pre-dessert; and the “just odd enough that it’s delightful” mille-feuilles of strawberry, mascarpone and cabbage (with (to all appearances) dried cabbage in place of the pastry), with cabbage ice cream. An out of left-field idea done beautifully.
Add in a gorgeous room, a generously laden cheese cart, and an extravagant array of mignardises, and it all adds up to a truly memorable meal.