An exceptional dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

In 1989 Joël Robuchon was named ‘Chef of The Century’ by Gault Millau. He has many restaurants all around the world and has accumulated a total of 25 Michelin Guide stars – the most of any chef in the world.
So to say he knows his stuff is a bit of an understatement.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, an enormous building set over several floors, is on West Street, a short walk from either Leicester Square or Covent Garden station in the heart of sparkling Theatre Land.
So it was the perfect location for pre-theatre dinner when LM and I went to see Derren Brown’s show ‘Miracle’ a couple of weeks ago at the Palace Theatre… (which was very good but I’m afraid I have been sworn to secrecy!)

We ate in the ground floor restaurant, where we sat up at the long, black and super shiny Japanese-inspired open counter, where we could watch the food being prepared before our very eyes. The kitchen was a real hive of activity and the food that was being created was utterly exquisite.

We had chosen a tasting menu, where every course that arrived was more beautiful and intricate than the one before. We were really and truly blown away.

The mashed potatoes were so so SO smooth and creamy… and made us both agree once again that we need to buy a ricer. These were mashed potatoes to aspire to and even came with a little extra pot on the side in case we wanted more. We did.
The mashed potato is, I believe, world famous and is whisked by hand until it becomes something of a mousse… it was unbelievable.

And then it was time for dessert… and for the bar to be raised even higher seemed impossible. We were wrong.
We were presented with an incredible ‘Mango Bubble’, which seemed to glow under the lights…

It was incredibly delicious and delicate… So many fresh textures and flavours with the gorgeousness of mango in every part of it.
And then dessert number two arrived and somehow, we found room to eat it. Heaven.

The entire experience at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is one of elegance, decadence, style and expertise. The meal was one of the best I’ve had in my life and I have been raving about it (as has LM) to everyone I have subsequently come into contact with. Even if they don’t know me. I have chased strangers down the road, wrestled them to the ground and yelled at them “YOU HAVE TO GO. IT’S AMAZING.”
After dinner we walked across the road to see the show (loved!) then came straight back to the restaurant and headed upstairs to the bar and outside terrace, where holed up with a few little sweet treats and cocktails and chatted late into the evening…

This was the perfect way to end a phenomenal gastronomic evening.
We read the menu again on the train home, recalling our favourite parts… which appeared to be every single course, in one way or another.
It was a truly sensational meal and we loved it.

www.joelrobuchon.co.uk
13-15 West Street,
London
WC2H 9NE
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LM and I were guests at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, and if I hadn’t loved it I wouldn’t have written about.