Medlar is a Michelin starred restaurant situated on the Kings Road in Chelsea. It’s owned by Joe Mercer Nairne (chef) and David O’Connor (front of house) who both have pretty impressive CV’s between them, having worked in many of the countries top restaurants.
We didn’t find it the easiest of restaurants to get to as it’s a good 20 minute walk from Sloane Square tube station and we struggled to find pay and display parking close by but boy oh boy was it worth the faff to get there.
We arrived at 12:30 and were the only one’s there but by 1:30 the restaurant was packed – clearly a popular choice by many. The dining room was a lovely space with white table cloths but a relaxed atmosphere with very friendly service.
The only menu available was the prix fixe priced at £30 for 3 courses.
My gentleman companion chose to start with the duck egg tart with red wine sauce, turnip puree, lardons and sautéed duck heart. This dish recently featured in a Time Out list of London’s top 100 dishes and I can see why. Other than looking stunning, it tasted delicious. Meaty soft duck hearts, buttery thin pastry and a perfectly fried duck egg really was a brilliant combination.
I started with the middle white pork boudin blanc (sausage) and croquettes with carrot puree and crackling and I absolutely loved it. It was a porky delight. The succulent sausage contrasted the crunchy croquette and crackling perfectly – and there was loads of pork too – it was almost a main course sized dish.
My gentleman companion’s main of chargrilled English veal rump with violet artichokes, aubergine caviar, crisp brain, gremolata (lemon zest, garlic & parsley) and roasting juices had lots of flavour combinations but they all complemented each other really well. We’re not sure what aubergine caviar is as we certainly couldn’t see anything resembling it on the plate. As soon as my gentleman companion realised what the brain actually was he couldn’t finish it so donated it to me and I wolfed it down. It was rather nice – coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried with a crispy outside and a very fatty inside.
I went for the roast mallard and confit leg, buckwheat pancakes, beetroot, star anise and pear. There was plenty of duck and it was all cooked perfectly – with a seriously crispy skin. The buckwheat pancakes were heavenly and something I’ve never had before. The sweet pear went really well with the duck and tangy beetroot.
For dessert we decided to share the tart tatin with creme fraiche ice cream (for two to share). It was huge! I don’t think I could ever describe just how phenomenal this dessert tasted. The sweet apples were soft and the flakey pastry beneath was still a little crispy and the dark sticky caramel topped it all off perfectly. I could have done with another couple of scoops of the refreshing ice cream though – but otherwise this dessert was faultless in every way.
As we paid the bill we were served some delicious chocolate truffles and we were also given a mini bag of them to take away which was a lovely touch.
The portions at Medlar were rather generous and we left feeling really full – for the amount we ate it was really good value. The food was tasty and presented beautifully. It’s a popular restaurant and I can totally see why.
9/10
