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Restaurants

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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.

Hide Above, visited 10/12-2022

1 Michelin Star, Modern European Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Sun, June 04, 2023 20:17:26

The 3rd choice by James was the 1 Michelin star restaurant Hide Above in a beatiful location in Mayfair overlooking Green Park.

The restaurant is a big place spread over 3 floors – but if you are there for the Michelin experience you will be seated at the first floor where we got a beautiful table in the corner with floor to ceiling windows providing us with a great view of the lively street below us just opposite Green Park. We were slightly distracted in the beginning as England was playing France in the World cup – so we kept checking our phones for the first 45 minutes but unfortunately England lost.

We got presented with a massive wine list and the Sommelier said – that for some of the wines – they would be picked up in a wine cellar down the street – but it should be possible to deliver any of the wines to our table within 15 minutes. Our Dessert wine was one of the ones that needed to be picked up and yes I believe we had it within the 15 minutes promised. We got some help from the Sommelier to pick the wines and they were all OK but I think the wine list was a bit overwhelming.

There was a choice of a 5 courses or 7 courses tasting menu – so 3 of us decided to go for the full 7 courses experiences whereas 1 person just wanted the 5 courses. What was slightly annoying when being presented with the menu was that for nearly every course you had to choose between 2 dishes – but one of the dish would have an extra charge – so for a 1 star Michelin restaurant the prices were quite high compared to other places we have been. The dish that really stood out for us on this evening was the Venison, which was so tender and just melting in your mouth – so that dish made it to our Dream menu. We were also really impressed by the Cheese Trolley, which had a great selection and some delicious cheeses. 2 plates were enough to share between us and ended up being voted as our 2nd best Cheese course ever.

We had a tour of the kitchen at the end of the night but it was so late that we didn’t really see much. What was much more interesting was that they have their own bakery on site, which worked throughout the night – so there we saw 2 very busy bakers. Also need to compliment the restaurant for their bread, which was really delicious.

So despite England losing in football we had a nice evening. Although we believe the restaurant was overpriced for being a 1-star and the service could have been more attentive – but that is what sometimes see when the restaurant has only got 1-star.

Link to the restaurant…



Portland, visited 15/12-2018

1 Michelin Star, Modern European Posted by Annette JorgensenPosted on Tue, December 18, 2018 19:47:05

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The 5th choice by Carlos was the 1 Michelin star restaurant Portland an interesting and different choice.

We arrived at the restaurant about 15 minutes early as always but for the first time we experienced that the restaurant was not able to accommodate an early arrival. Basically the restaurant was tiny and didn’t have a bar area or even a space where we could stand and wait – so the only thing the waiter could do was to direct us to the pub on the opposite site of the road. Told him that this now meant we would be slightly late – but he was fine with that.

When we did get back to the restaurant we got seated next to the also very small and totally open kitchen – so had a great view to all the action in there. The whole restaurant was very different to any other Michelin restaurants we have tried before. Very relaxed atmosphere including the waiters outfit as everyone was running around wearing aprons. The restaurant don’t have a sommelier – so our waiter helped us with the wine list – but got some really nice wines, which were very fairly prices compared to other places we have been to.

However the restaurant does have a Tasting menu, which we all 4 went for and we got a big cheer from the kitchen next to us when we ordered the Tasting menu – so clearly also a highlight for them. There were 9 courses on the Tasting menu – but the first 4 were served together as they were smaller plates – but a really nice surprise actually. I particularly loved the Crispy Chicken Skins and the Lobster & Miso rolls, which were just delightful. The Cured Ocean Trout was also a lovely dish and the whole experience was just great value for money. They don’t have a cheese trolley – but we were able to add a few cheese plates in between our main and dessert – so did get a bit of a cheese experience as well.

The kitchen was too tiny to really ask for a kitchen tour and we could see the whole thing anyway. However we did ask for the main chefs to come to our table – so we could say hello and get our picture taken with them – which they were very happy to do.

Our final bill was one of the cheapest we have had, which was an added bonus – and despite that the whole place didn’t have the ambience of a typical Michelin restaurant – we all had a great evening. Continued the night at The Churchill Bar with some great whiskies and cigars as we thought it was time to introduce our newest member of the Michelin club James to this special place.

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…



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…