review: Foliage

Foliage, The Mandarin Oriental

I was running 15 minutes late for my own birthday lunch. C and M were already seated next to the lovely view of Hyde park (I had specifically requested a window table), and the lovely spring greens, pinks, yellows and purple tulips were waving from just outside the gracious bank of windows. L had texted earlier to say she had missed the train and would be running late, and V got a little lost but found us eventually.

I love Foliage. It is the most unpretentious restaurants I have had the pleasure to dine in, bright and tranquil, just the right venue for a girly lunch. And the set menu for lunch is an unbelievable steal - one of the best kept secrets in London, I believe. Well, there was a little scare at first, actually. Our tables had been set with the tasting menu (the more expensive one) discretely placed beneath our glass plates, causing a momentary confusion in my head. Then very calmly, I asked to see their "other menus" (including the cheaper du jour menu) and the wine list (to assure the head waiter we weren't entire cheapskates). Not a blip of change in expression, just a smile and an 'of course, madam'. How charming.

On the sommelier's recommendation, we went for a Pinot Noir - light but still robust. I had a choice of two French bottles (fruity) and a New Zealand bottle (robust), and decided it would be interesting to try a New World version. M and I also ordered apertifs - go slow on these please: the bartender mixes a pretty strong cocktail in this place!

Amuses consisted of a tomatolline (none of us liked it - fish sauce and tomato jelly don't really go), sashimi (my favourite) and rarebit. For starters, three of my companions selected the 'Veloute of cauliflower, cucumber and smoked salmon with Oscietra caviar', which they reported as exquisite with such a delightfully light touch. I had the '‘Oeuf mollet’ garnished a la Bourguignone, red wine sauce, with herbed croutons' to start - it was just totally sexy to break the half-boiled egg and watch the runny yolk melt over the bed of bacon/onion/mushroom it was resting on. L reported her 'Warm terrine of goat cheese and red pepper with herb salad, red pepper sorbet, and olive croquante' as just what she wanted and delicious.

For the main courses, all five of us went for the roast rump of lamb. What was truly surprising was how generous the portions were - I actually got two fist-sized chunks of meat! M found the lamb a bit stringy, and I agreed that the roast could have been carved more scientifically. However, the side bed of cabbage with cherry tomatoes and caramelized lemon went great with the roast indeed, I thought.

For pudding, I simply had to have the 'Bitter Valrhona chocolate tart with blood orange and cardamom sorbet', come on! I loved how the bitter-sweet of the Valrhona chocolate was balanced out by the sour-sweet of the sorbet. Together with girlfriends conversation over coffee/tea, complimentary pastries (including a blueberry macaron!), a beautiful sunny day outside, and charming service, this birthday lunch was exactly what I was looking for.

The reading in church afterwards was a wonderful experience. It truly made me very happy to be able to read God's word to so many people on my birthday. Ex-boyfriend stopped by to hand me a card for my birthday after the service. Read it on the way back. I think he meant what he wrote. We have good memories, and that's something to be thankful for. Then I thought of Aa again and texted him, but think there's no mobile reception in Tunisia. Came home, changed out of my blue dress into jeans, and met up with some colleagues in Shoreditch for some pulsating Afro music and a pint (wisely, no tequila shots). Cool place. Grabbed a lamb shish kebab - was hungry. Drizzly bus ride home. Bed.

In conclusion, a perfect birthday. I think everything has really fallen into place, and more importantly, I now have the confidence of knowing that God is always there, continually conforming us into the image of Christ. He is doing beautiful things.