L’ATELIER DE JOEL ROBOUCHON (Covent Garden)

Category:Haute Cuisine (££££)

I love pre-theatre menus. How else would one be able to regularly dine at Michelin starred restaurants in London without for instance being a stock broker (before the credit crunch) or a professional footballer? One of these restaurants is L’Atelier de Joel Robouchon in the middle of the theatre district in Covent Garden just next to The Ivy which offers a 2 course set menu for 22 pounds,3 courses for 27 pounds. The French chef Joel Robouchon who has achieved more Michelin stars than any other chef (25 if Wikipedia is to be believed) has restaurants all over the globe. Two of these stars are held by the London joint of L’Atelier Joel Robouchon. So believe me –my expectations were higher than high and I was looking forward to a stunning meal.

The restaurant is impressively beautiful. The elegant and stylish dining area is dimly lit and decorated in a red and black theme (I was not so sure about the apples in the big bowl (see below) but what do I know about interior decoration?). There are high tables and bar stools and,around the central kitchen area,patrons are seated at the counter and can watch the chefs preparing their dishes.

Sometimes the service in high end restaurants can be a bit patronizing but the service at L’Atelier Joel Robouchon was absolutely perfect. Obliging and polite and,when they brought as the wrong main course,three people came one after the other to apologise (which was maybe slightly over the top…). Also a very nice touch was that,when the wine we had ordered was not available,the somelier exchanged it with a  (very delicious) cheaper one. Even though we ‘only’had the pre-theater menu,they did not rush us at all to leave after we had finished.

Unfortunately the food was not as enjoyable and exceptional as I had expected. Of the 3 starters and 3 mains to choose from a very autumn-style,mushroom-based menu we commenced our meal with Egg Cocotte Topped with Wild Mushroom Cream. The soft-boiled egg was at the bottom of the glass topped with a very tasty mushroom cream. It was nice but did not blow me away and I did not like the consistency too much.

The second starter also embraced the autumn theme:Wild mushrooms served with Puff Pastry consisted of perfectly cooked,delectable wild mushrooms on light pastry. This was rather enjoyable dish but again not terribly special.

We choose two different mains:RS really liked The Razor Clams served with White Wine Emulsion and Leek Fondue. I only had a small taste of it,far too much dill for my liking.

The Crunchy chicken breast with Curry Sauce and Pilaw Rice was rather mediocre. The nicely cooked chicken was too salty and the combination of elements of chicken katsu curry and the Indian influences of the Pilaw rice were not convincing,especially for a 2 star restaurant.

Now the question is –if you have a pre-theatre/ good value set menu in a Michelin star restaurant,would you expect the set menu to be of the same quality as the a la carte?  I do,and L’Atelier Joel Robouchon did not deliver. Does this mean now I have to save  and go back to try the a la carte (assuming that the Michelin inspectors know their job)? Or do I just give up on old Joel?

• Food:6/10
• Service: 9/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Value for money: 6/10
• Chances of returning: 10%
• Verdict: beautiful restaurant with flawless service,the food however was a disappointment.

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