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Staines Delivers without a Blemish.
by Daniel Darwood, Co-Editor

If asked what is the greatest meal I
have ever eaten, my reply would be
Marco Pierre White's gastronomic
menu at The Oak Room: Ballotine of
Salmon with crayfish tails and caviar;
grilled lobster with sauce mousseline;
breast of Bresse Pigeon with foie gras
and pomme puree; brie with truffles
and feillantine of raspberries with
sauce Cardinale. The quality of these
luxurious ingredients, the precision of
the cooking and the intensity of the
flavours made me return several times
to indulge in these heavenly creations,
or others from the Carte. However the
Oak Room closed abruptly and all
foodies must lament the passing of this
great restaurant and of Marco's
inimitable style of cooking.

And yet his legacy is still evident on the
national eating scene, not just in his
surviving restaurants - Criterion, Quo
Vadis, Belvedere, et al - and in the
phenomenon that is Gordon Ramsey,
but also in more quiet, understated but
equally talented proteges.

Chris Staines is an excellent example
of this. He used to be Sous Chef at the
Oak Room and has succeeded Hywel
Jones as Chef at Foliage, in the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Indeed many
of the staff from the Oak Room joined
Foliage when the Oak Room closed.
With one Michelin Star to its credit, but
deserving of more, this restaurant is the
natural successor to The Oak Room in
the quality of its cooking, value for
money, and efficiency of service, if not in
the grandeur of its setting - No oak
panelling, grand chandeliers or Louis
XV style chairs. Nor are they needed.
The food speaks volumes.

Everything is top notch, from the salted
or unsalted butter offered, the trio of
canapes - which included a deep fried
frogs leg with curried mayonnaise -
through to the pre puddings and petits
fours. Attention to detail is immaculate
in all the courses, which often embrace
five or six components. Consider, for
instance, my starter: a dome of
exquisitely light scallop mousse topped
with truffle, encased in an open raviolo
of perfect freshness, was surrounded
by seared scallops of caramelised
sweetness and three plump, freshly
cooked langoustines. Tiny al dente
asparagus spears and a foaming
artichoke veloute completed this
magnificent dish. Similar skill and care
was lavished on the main course of
saddle of rabbit with wild mushroom
pithivier, Alsace bacon and vanilla
cream. Pot roasting the rabbit retained
its moistness, whilst the
accompaniments enhanced its natural
blandness. Overall the dish was a
triumph of tastes and textures. The
puddings are architectural in structure
but harmonious in their combinations.
The tangy dentelle of lemon and
passion fruit, a caramelised citrus tart
and mascarpone sorbet proved a
refreshing final course.

This is serious cooking of the very
highest order and reasonable prices for
the West End (£50 for three courses for
dinner). I hear the set lunch including
wine is a steal at £32. My only - minor -
grumbles are chairs without arms and
mineral water at £5 a bottle.

Nevertheless, Foliage deserves much
more recognition than its fashionable
but noisy neighbour, the Bar, and the
hotel itself, both of which have attracted
more publicity. All those involved in
cooking and serving are to be
congratulated on maintaining what
must be one of the best restaurants in
London, and certainly the best hotel
restaurant in the capital.

Low Profile but High Powered.
by Simon Carter, Co-Editor

It wasn't so long ago that Marco Pierre
White was a 'meteor hurtling through the
firmament' at Harveys (now the site of
Chez Bruce). We saw the precocious
would-be-rock-star preparing
'semi-reality' televised meals for each of
his mentors - Raymond Blanc, Albert
Roux, Nico Ladenis and Pierre Koffman.
A rare young talent taught by the best,
destined to become the best. And there,
in his kitchen, he barked his orders to
"Gordon", a lad who would follow, in turn,
to Michelin Three Star greatness.

You may not see Chris Staines doing a
'Hell's Kitchen' or a fly-on the-wall but this
media shy talent does share something
with these bastions of the art - Chris has
served an apprenticeship with the best.
Time in the kitchens of Nico Ladenis
and Marco Pierre White and time well
spent. When Marco 'gave back' his Three
Stars at The Oak Room, Chris was
instrumental in regaining two of them.

In March 2002, at the tender age of 27, he
took over from Hywel Jones at Foliage
and has subsequently pushed the
restaurant to the verge of a second
Michelin Star.

I've always associated The Mandarin
Oriental Hotel with travelling celebrities,
particularly from the music industry,
looking for a fashionable retreat. This
impression is reinforced by the media as
well as the loud, trendy and high profile
Mandarin Bar.

The irony is not lost as you walk through
this din to get to Foliage (and again each
time you take a comfort break). The
contrast is exaggerated by the open
archway to the hushed gastronomic
dining room.

On this occasion we were running late
after a torrid journey on the M4, thankfully
a table was provided at the furthest point
from the bar. The new Assistant
Manager (Nick Liang) organised a much
needed drink while we considered the
menu.

I started with a brandade of frogs legs
raviolo, poached langoustines, shallot
tempura and a vegetable nage. Like the
amuse-bouches before, this proved
luxurious, labour intensive, generous
and understated. As with great artists,
something so apparently difficult and
complicated was made to feel easy - in
this case the sensation was delivered to,
rather than from, the palette - a natural
harmony of ingredients executed
perfectly with a touch of genius in the
collaborations on the plate.

Bresse pigeon with foie gras, puy lentils,
Savoy cabbage and vegetable confit
followed. This was similar to a dish I
had at the Oak Room in its hey day (the
combinations of pasta and shellfish on
the menu also remind of Marco). Here,
the pigeon and generous slab of foie
gras were steamed and wrapped in a
blanched cabbage leaf. An inspired
coupling of textures with the richness
balanced by the earthy cabbage and puy
lentils.

For pudding I opted for the concoction
that included a chocolate fondant - I was
not disappointed. This section, like the
rest, was on form.

All in all, a truly memorable experience.
A modern spin on classical French
cooking with a theme of understated bold
brush strokes that mask the complexity
from the customer. The hallmark of a
master of his trade; everything natural
and just so...

Media profile or no, Chris Staines and
Foliage can look forward to Two Michelin
Stars, and for what it's worth, my
patronage for some time to come!