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2011-01-02
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With the ‘rents in town for Christmas, my wife and I seized the opportunity to leave the lad at home with his grandparents and spend some quality time together with a (gasp) evening meal out – a table at the 2-michelin starred Amber was hastily secured for 8:30.Low lighting in the dining room made for a warm and inviting environment and the tables were nicely spread so there was no feeling of being ‘packed in’.We decided on the 8 course degustation menu (with a selection of ‘pre-courses’ to get
Low lighting in the dining room made for a warm and inviting environment and the tables were nicely spread so there was no feeling of being ‘packed in’.
We decided on the 8 course degustation menu (with a selection of ‘pre-courses’ to get your taste buds tingling). Rather than a blow-by-blow account, I’ll rattle through the highlights. From the canapés and amuse bouches, I loved the light-as-air teeny-tiny olive muffin and quirky foie gras lollipop. The first ‘real’ course of sea urchin with lobster jelly and caviar served alongside much needed crispy seaweed waffles was a belter – heart-stoppingly rich, but excellent nonetheless. The main course of Wagyu beef, cooked two ways, was one of the most accomplished meat dishes I’ve had the pleasure to eat. In particular, the braised short rib with contrasting sharpness of fruit-glazed root veg was heavenly.
An impressive selection and knowledgeable waiter made the cheese course (served with a choice of fruit or ‘country’ bread) stick in my mind. I (boringly) selected brie (deliciously creamy), a rich salty Dutch hard cheese and (bravely) a spectacular (and extremely whiffy!) strong blue. What followed was one of the best sweets I can remember eating – orange and subtle rosemary flavoured wafer thin meringue balls filled with frozen yoghurt with a fantastic citrus zing – the balance of sweet and sharp was perfection and a welcome palate cleanser. For the 5 glass wine pairing, the standouts were a crisp white burgundy paired with the sea urchin and a cab shiraz that was bursting with fruit and soft on spice that was paired with the beef. An additional glass (so 6 in all) of complimentary dessert wine was presented with the superbly light chocolate soufflé with rum butter.
My least favourite course was probably the confit salmon with avocado sauce and a mini apple roulade. This arrived under a transparent smoke-filled dome – which was removed at the table for a little drama. The smoke made the first mouthful of salmon a little acrid, in my view, and struck me as a little gimmicky – more suited to the Fat Duck or Bo. But in fairness, the dish tasted better as I went on and the salmon was clearly top quality.
The meal was rounded off with a selection of petite fours that were ultimately packaged up for us and taken home – an offering to my parents as my wife and I were stuffed to the gills. Presentation for every course, as you’d expect, was striking, and service was flawless.
So here’s the bottom line: there’s no denying that at 2k a head (even after a 10% discount – thanks HSBC) Amber is almost obnoxiously expensive. However … it was genuinely one of the best (albeit pricey) meals I’ve had.
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