Lloydie The Foodie

We first visited Caractere back in October and was so amazed by the experience it became my choice for Top London (non michelin stars) restaurant in my personal 2019 Lloydie Food Awards and so therefore couldn’t wait to return. Now I can honestly say that after our visit on saturday they have set the bar very high and I seriously think it’s going to be very hard for someone to stop them holding on to that title. We arrived on Saturday and received the same delightful friendly greeting as last time. We were then escorted to our table where we were welcomed back to the restaurant by not only manager Eugenio but also other of members of staff. We started with an aperitif which was a Gin & Tonic and a Negroni while we looked at the menu which to our delight there were a lot New dishes. They set the menu out in to six categories and where apart from the cheese course there are three dishes in each section. This gives you the opportunity to create your own personal tasting menu by choosing a dish from each section or you can choose any three courses and create your own A la Carte menu. We decided as before to opt for the Tasting Menu. So after enjoying some delightful snacks & bread it was on to the first section.

CURIOUS

For our first course we both decided to choose the New Ricotta stuffed pappardelle with lemon zest , trout and herring roe & sturgeon bottarga which was cooked to perfection and tasted absolutely delicious.

Ricotta Stuffed Papperdelle

SUBTLE

So on to the second course and two more heavenly dishes. The first was the fantastic signature dish a Celeriac Cacio e Pepe with balsamic vinegar. The second was the Acquerello Risotto with kabocha pumpkin , black crumble & red wine reduction which was amazing.

Celeriac Cacio e Pepe

Acquerello Risotto

DELICATE

Now it was on to the fish section where we chose the Roast Monkfish with parsley root , squid , lemon condiment and foraged leaves and the Grilled Stone Bass with roast fennel , citrus and crisp wild rice. These were once again two excellent dishes where the flavours were absolutely fabulous.

Roast Monkfish

Grilled Stone Bass

ROBUST

It was now time for the main course and for this we decided to choose the Roast Rib of Veal which is for two people. The veal came with confit potatoes , pied-de-mouton , fresh horseradish & veal jus and was a real taste sensation and one that I would highly recommend if you decide to visit.

Roast Rib of Veal (before)

Roast Rib of Veal (after)

STRONG

This is the Cheese section where they only one option. The cheese on this occasion was a Vacherin Mont D’or with a baby leaf salad & homemade seed crackers

Vacherin Mont D’or

GREEDY

So now it’s time to finish with desserts. My wife chose her favourite the Passion Fruit Choux with craquelin & chantilly while I chose the truly amazing and New Bergamot & Lemon Tartelette with hazelnut praline & preserved lemon a truly dessert lovers dream. My dessert was matched with a fantastic Italian sweet wine recommended by assistant manager Antonella. It was a Pieropan 2015 Soave Classico which although a rich golden colour was only slightly sweet and with flavours of exotic fruits & apricots made this a perfect match for the dessert.

Passion Fruit Choux

Pieropan 2015 Soave Classico

Bergamot & Lemon Tartelette

We finished with tea & coffee to bring to an end a fantastic return visit. The food here is absolutely amazing which is matched by excellent service led by Eugenio & Antonella. I would highly recommend a visit here and I definitely can’t wait until I return once again.

My 2019 Lloydie Food Awards Winner – Top London Restaurant