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Have you also been visiting one of the restaurants that "The Michelin Club" have been to - then we would love to hear your comments and whether you agree or disagree with our view.

The Greenhouse, visited 22/10-2016

2 Michelin Stars, French Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Sat, May 27, 2017 15:25:09

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The 4th choice by Carlos was the 2 Michelin star restaurant The Greenhouse, where we managed to get a table last minute. I guess I had a few concerns about this place – as most places we have to book way in advance to get a table – so why was it so easy to get a table at The Greenhouse.

We arrived in good time at the restaurant and entering the place was really lovely. I could totally see why the restaurant has got the name ‘The Greenhouse’ as we were walking through a beautiful garden and it was a bit like entering a greenhouse in the garden. We got taken to a nice round table with a view to the garden in a lovely spacious restaurant and straight away felt very welcome.

All 4 of us went for the 10 courses Discovery menu + added the additional cheese board – so we were in for a lot of food. To get us started the restaurant served 3 lovely presented tasters from the kitchen, where again you could related to the ‘The Greenhouse’ name as they had a lot of fresh green vegetables in them – very tasty. The highlight for me was without doubt dish no. 2 – the Orkney Scallop – I can honestly say that this was one of the best scallops I have tasted in my life. It completely melted in your mouth and the taste combination with the avocado, ponzu, seaweed and rice it got served with – it was honestly a true delight. The other highlight was the additional cheeseboard we added. There was a fantastic selection on the cheese trolley and we were all able to choose 4 of our favourite cheeses. The only thing I didn’t really enjoy was the Foie Gras – as it was served warm. I normally love Foie Gras but for me it has to be the cold version – but except for that the whole menu was overall very enjoyable.

The other thing that made this a really nice evening was the service and the whole interaction we had with our waiters. Were able to have a real laugh with our main waiter – who turned out to be really funny. The atmosphere was so great that for the first time we all 4 went for the kitchen tour – where we again were made really welcome and continued to have a laugh with the Executive chef and the kitchen staff as well.

In the end of the night we got treated with some extra chocolate and cheese cake and when we left the restaurant Ingrid and I got a bag with some nice cakes – but at that point I also think we were too full to fit any more food in our stomachs.

If I had concerns before the dinner – I can honestly say that they were completely gone when we left the restaurant. Now I think we were just lucky to get a table last minute and without doubt this was a true 2 Michelin star experience where all 4 of us had a very nice evening.

Link to the restaurant….



THE SQUARE, visited 25/04/2015

2 Michelin Stars, Modern French Posted by CarlosPosted on Wed, September 09, 2015 15:04:20

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We arrived at The Square following early drinks at the excellent Mr Fogg’s down the road – so our arrival was more on time than early on this occasion. We were shown to a nice, large table in the centre of the restaurant but somehow the early minutes felt a little strained and not very relaxed. Once our main waiter took over, the mood improved and we were able to fully enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of The Square.

All of the wines were chosen with the help of the Sommelier. I thought the first was excellent but it was clearly not to Annette’s taste and the Sommelier immediately disappeared returning with an alternative that was more to her taste – a nice touch.

We all chose the tasting menu ad it wasn’t long before we sampled some very nice canapés and the first course arrived.

The first Tomato dish was excellent for something so simple, though not quite as good as the one at The Ledbury. The eel dish was not a dish I was looking forward to but I was pleasantly surprised. The dish had a huge amount of flavour and not at all what I expected. I would have certainly had seconds. The same could be said and was said about the crab lasagne. This was a really nice dish and one of my all time favourites. Annette mentioned to the waiter that this was excellent but too small for something so nice. The waiter disappeared and returned with a second helping for all of us, another great touch. It was just as good the second time around. Next was the Foie Gras. I found this a really nice tasting dish but had a texture that I did not enjoy, almost ‘fatty’. Then came the main which was Lamb. I thought this was one of the better mains I have had and was as tasty and tender as you would expect.

Annette and I now went for our kitchen tour. I am always impressed by how organised and small these kitchens are. The chef showed us around with great enthusiasm and was obviously very proud of what they were doing.

Then dessert, The pick for me was the Textures of Mango which was delicious!

I have wanted to go to this restaurant for a while and it really did not disappoint. In fact it was head and shoulders above some far more well known restaurants. The food was great and matched by the ambiance and  the relaxed but professional staff. This is the favourite of my choices so far.

Link to restaurant



DINNER by heston blumenthal, visited 10/01-2015

2 Michelin Stars, British Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Wed, February 18, 2015 16:46:14

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The 3rd choice by Annette in the Michelin Club was the 2 Star Michelin restaurant DINNER by heston blumenthal – since I really wanted to see what Mr Blumenthal is all about even though I am well aware that this is a very different restaurant to the Fat Duck.

DINNER is part of the exclusive Mandarin Oriental Hotel and we therefore started the evening at the next door Mandarin Bar, where we had some very nice cocktails. Got a bit surprised when we realized in the end of the evening that we had paid more for a normal Gin & Tonic than any of the cocktails (which were not cheap either) but except for that it was a nice start to the evening. Waited a little bit to get picked up for our table – but were pleased with the location we got in the restaurant and the spacious round table, which made the evening comfortable.

For the first time in ages we got to pick the food from a A La Carte menu, so that was nice for a change but of course made the choice a bit more difficult. The menu was quite interesting in the way that all dishes were related to a specific century and there was an explanation to the sources of origin at the back of the menu. One of their signature dishes is the ‘Meat Fruit’ starter, which both Carlos and I went for and which was a true delight. Beautiful served like a mandarin with a delicious chicken liver & foie gras parfait. Unfortunately Ingrid was less lucky with her ‘Hay Smoked Mackerel’, which was not to her taste palette at all. In fairness to the restaurant we didn’t pay for the Mackerel in the end – so thought that was reasonable managed by them. We all had 4 different main courses, which were all nice but nothing outstanding. For dessert we probably made the mistake of not going for their other signature dish the ‘Tipsy Cake’, which was highly recommended by the waiter, but had to be ordered from the beginning because of the long preparation time, which put us off a bit. Again the cheese board and our desserts were nice – but we were missing the same WOW factor, which we got from the ‘Meat Fruit’ starter.

The service was nice and discrete but was missing the final attention to details, which we have found at other 2 star Michelin restaurants.

Carlos and I also had the usual kitchen tour, which we got before the desserts were served and therefore still saw the kitchen in full action. Here we got a proper explanation about their signature dishes and how they were made and also got to know about the different functions in the kitchen. Even though the kitchen is fully visible through a glass wall from the restaurant – we both still found the kitchen tour really interesting.

Overall everyone had a really nice evening and the atmosphere in the restaurant was nice and exclusive.

Link to the restaurant..



Sketch London – The Lecture Room & Library, visited 18/01-2014

2 Michelin Stars, Modern European Posted by ManuelPosted on Thu, May 08, 2014 11:02:38

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For the 2nd choice from myself Manuel I wanted to head back to the big smoke and into London again. I wanted an great experience coupled with great food so this time I chose the two Michelin Starred restaurant Sketch – The Lecture Room.

The Sketch building is broken into different bars and restaurants. We were greeted by the doorman who was suited and wearing a bowler hat. A very traditional approach for London. It was a nice touch and something which I did not expect. As we arrived early we thought we’d grab a cocktail in the East Bar and hang out with the cool kids of London . I would recommend getting a drink here and also go to the toilet here as it is an experience to say the least.

From the East Bar we went up a flight of stairs. Two majestic doors were opened to present us to the Lecture Room. I’m not one who is a man for the arts but the room was very impressive and had a feeling of Grandeur about it.

We all went for the Tasting Menu which consisted of 6 courses. I have an allergy to fish so I substituted two of the fish dishes for the vegetarian options. To my surprise I was able to chose whatever vegetarian dish I wanted from the menu. Usually I just get given what the chef recommends so this was an added bonus.

Service was good although we could tell our waiter was a little inexperienced. His confidence grew within the service which made us feel more comfortable. The sommelier was very friendly and knowledgeable. As such we had wines from around the world which included wines from Turkey and the UK. Annette has a dislike of wines from France for some reason however the sommelier was even able to recommend a dessert wine from France to her which was was great. I never thought I’d see Annette drink a French wine so this is one for the record books.

Food was good if not spectacular. Key highlights were the lobster and the Venison. The highlight for me was the desserts. I have a sweet tooth so to see not just one or two desserts but 6 mini desserts was amazing.

The staff at Sketch Lecture Room and Library were nice and not too formal. The food was good and it does deserve the two Michelin stars. Where Sketch stands out from other Michelin starred restaurants for me is the building. What a beautiful location and you can see that a lot of effort has been put into making the venue look unique and you forget that you are in London and seem transported to another place and time when in the Lecture Room

Overall a good evening was had by all.

Link to the restaurant…



The Ledbury, visited 22/06-2013

2 Michelin Stars, Modern French Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Fri, September 13, 2013 14:04:01

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The 2nd choice by Annette in the Michelin Club ended up with 2 Star Michelin restaurant The Ledbury in Notting Hill, London.

After being quite successful for a while with turning up early at the restaurants – we this time got a bit unlucky. Literally walked into a staff meeting that for some reason was held in the restaurant just 10 minutes before our reservation – so didn’t seem quite right. At least the woman at the door had time to seat us and provide us with the menu – but had to wait for the staff meeting to finish before we were offered a drink. Didn’t took long – but still not quite what we expected.

We all 4 went for the Tasting Menu with 9 courses, which actually looked a bit better than the one they had advertised on the internet. The real highlight was however the Sommelier, who was extremely knowledgeable and not only took his time to find the right wines for us – but who was also able to tell us the stories from the regions were the wine were from – so a great experience and probably the best Sommelier we have met so far. Furthermore the taste of the wines were brilliant and went really well with the food.

The food experience was a bit mixed and not all the members of the Michelin club were happy with all the dishes. However the main Pork dish was excellent and we all agreed that this was some of the best Pork we have ever tasted. Unfortunately the service slightly failed – since for the first time the waiters didn’t seem to pay attention to whether everyone were seated at the table when the food came and twice a dish was served when someone was at the toilet – so seemed a bit unprofessional.

The kitchen tour was really nice and we came down when they were still quite busy. However the main chef still took his time to talk to us and actually showed and explained how they cooked the amazing pork. Overall a very nice evening.

Link to the restaurant…



Le Gavroche, visited 2/2-2013

2 Michelin Stars, French Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Thu, September 12, 2013 15:05:39

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In the beginning of 2013 we started the 2nd round in the Michelin Club, so took Ingrid a while to decide on her 2nd choice, but finally we ended up with the 2 Star Michelin restaurant Le Gavroche in Mayfair, London.

The restaurant is located in the basement but have a nice bar at the ground floor, so when we turned up early – they seated us in the bar area, where we got a drink before going downstairs to the table. Was nice to try the bar area – so the early bird experience worked out very well.

We all 4 went for the Menu Exceptionnel with 9 courses, which looked really interesting. The Sommelier was also this time helping out with the wines – even though he was holding a bit back and seemed a bit unsure about his recommendations.

The food was a lovely experience and particularly the cheese dishes, where we started of with a beautiful Cheese Souffle and later on also got some excellent selections of French and British Farmhouse Cheeses. The service at the table was also very good – however it was at bit stiff and we were missing some of the usual interaction with the staff. When Ingrid booked the table she was told – that because we had an early seating – we would have to leave the table after 3 hours. Luckily they didn’t stick to that – since that would have been a very rushed evening and not enjoyable with all the food and wine.

We also got a tour of the kitchen this time – but because we were eating a lot earlier we actually saw the kitchen when they were really busy and in full action, which was really nice. Overall a very nice evening.

Link to the restaurant…



Hibiscus, visited 22/9-2012

2 Michelin Stars, French Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Mon, September 09, 2013 21:26:41

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The 4th restaurant in the Michelin Club, where we went to the 2 Star Michelin restaurant Hibiscus in Mayfair, London chosen by Manuel.

The restaurant handled our early appearance very well – seated us right away and immediately took the drink order – so 4 x G&T were on their way. A really good first impression.

The menu here was a very different experience – because you literally got a list of ingredients, where you had to exclude anything you were allergic to or anything you really disliked – but otherwise you just told the waiter whether you wanted 3, 6 or 9 courses and then it was up to the chef. Manual had to exclude some fish he is allergic to and Carlos and Annette excluded beetroot as something we disliked – but other than that we went for the rest. All 4 of us also picked the 9 courses of course and then we could just sit back and wait with excitement. This time the Sommelier was back to the usual high standard and he had no problem recommending some good wines outside the French region. However for the dessert wine, we ended up going French since he was so convincing and picked an excellent choice, where only 12 bottles are made every year and which was perfect for the desserts we got. However based on the price – we only had 1/2 bottle.

The whole food experience was really exciting and they mixed some things together that we would never have thought of, but which really worked and showed us some new and interesting taste. Most of the courses were absolutely top class and really enjoyed that all the dishes were a surprise. The service at the restaurant was also very professional but at the same time they kept the atmosphere down to earth so we could also have a laugh.

In the end of the evening we also had a really nice tour of the kitchen, where we spoke to the staff and could really appreciate all the hard work they put into all the food. When we left the restaurant the ladies got a bag of bread to take home – but even better – in the bag was also a letter showing all the food we had eaten that night – so were very pleased by that. Very nice evening so can only highly recommend a visit to Hibiscus.

Link to the restaurant…



Marcus Wareing, visited 1/6-2012

2 Michelin Stars, Modern European Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Fri, September 06, 2013 21:26:37

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The Michelin club had a bad year with illness and had to cancel our reservation twice at Marcus Wareing before we finally succeeded the third time to visit this 2 Star Michelin restaurant at The Berkeley, Knightsbridge, London chosen by Carlos. The restaurant however was very understanding when we had to cancel a few times – so have to give them some credit for that.

The restaurant is located in the very nice Berkeley Hotel and therefore when we turned up early as usual we got directed to their lovely cocktail bar, which was a really nice experience with some gorgeous cocktails. When we got seated in the restaurant a waiter immediately came and asked if we wanted a glass of champagne, which was nice in away – but you also felt a bit like you didn’t had any choice and when we later found out that we paid £17,- for a glass – it seemed a bit like a rip-off.

This time we had the choice between the Chef’s Menu or the Taste Menu – so 3 of us went for the Chef’s Menu and 1 picked the Taste Menu, so really nice that there was a choice and not the whole table had to pick the same – so something for everyone. Unfortunately the Wine experience completed failed – because as soon as we said we wanted something different than French wine – the sommelier had no idea what to recommend and literally left us to it. Seemed very unprofessional and not what we expected at all based on our previous experiences. Also meant that we didn’t get the best of wines matching the food – so ruined a bit the whole wine and food experience.

The food however was really nice and the 3 of us having the Chef’s Menu all agreed that this was the best Foie Gras we have ever tasted. We also got a really nice surprise when Marcus Wareing himself in the end of the evening suddenly came out of the kitchen and went around to all the tables to talk to the guests and to make sure everyone was pleased by the food. The only low point at the table was again the wine waiter, who did not pay a lot of attention to when the glasses were empty and several times forgot to pour in time.

In the end of the night we furthermore got a tour of the kitchen, which was a really nice experience and really make you realise how hard they work at very little space. Overall it was a very nice night but also the most expensive restaurant we have been to so far. Was quite disappointed when we saw that they even charged us £27.50 for 5 bottles of water, something we never asked for but which they just poured in our glasses – so not something we would have expected to pay for at all at such an expensive place.

The ladies left the evening with a bag of homemade chocolates – so a nice present to bring back home.

Link to the restaurant…



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