L'étranger, South Kensington, and the Glory of a Set Menu

Some foodies might think they will never be able to see the light inside a Michelin starred or well-renowned restaurant, simply because it is far too expensive. But this is not the case. Many offer set menus, which are a great and cheaper alternative to a la carte menus. You may not get as much choice or it maybe subject to terms, such as dining between 6-7 Mon-Fri (usually the pre-theatre times), but that is a small price to pay for what is essentially a great deal for foodies and great value. We are able to taste what the restaurant has to offer and may be tempted in the future to save for the full experience. For example, for £36 you can have a 3 course lunch at the 8th best restaurant in the world, Dinner by Heston Blumethal or for £35, plus petits fours and an amuse bouche, you can dine at South Kensington's Michelin starred The Ledbury. 

My sister and I were heading to the Royal Albert Hall one Friday night to see a performance of Swan Lake by the English National Ballet. It started at 7.30, so obviously we needed no excuse to go on the hunt for good early bird menus in the area. We went for L'étranger in South Kensington, a much-talked about French-Japanese fusion restaurant which also serves a wide range of sushi and sashimi. It also does an excellent deal of 2 courses for £22 or 3 for £25!

We were the first table in so I could take a good look around the place. The main dining room is fairly small, but modern and decorated in a dark, chic style. The tables were elegantly set out and the cutlery reminded me of a designer's sketch of a dress; a sexy lady wearing a  flowing dress - yes, I can deduce that all from a knife. The windows are covered by boudoir style beading, allowing privacy. To the side is a private dining room that doubles up as a wine cellar.

First up, drinks. I had a seriously good cocktail. So different and interesting, however I'm still not entirely sure what was in it. The menu simply said "a blend of ginger and mandarin liqueurs". It went down far too easy.

-All dressed up for the Royal Albert occasion as you can see. Not awkward at all for travelling on the underground at 5pm....

They very kindly offered us an amuse bouche to start, which consisted of crab and crayfish with seaweed, sesame seeds and lemon. A taste of the fusion to come. I'm afraid I was not a fan of eating a lemon, with skin on and all, it was all a bit too sour for me, completely obliterated any taste there might have been of crab and crayfish.

After giggling over a myriad of spelling mistakes on the menu, it was so time to decide my main course,  a hard task because they all sounded so enticing. A wagyu beef burger with sumo polenta truffle chips and cheese fondue was very tempting but in the end I went for confit chicken and nori salt with stuffed courgette flower and monkfish cheek with a pea purée and xeres reduction.

So stylish, neat, precise, colourful and appetising. Marrying French and Japanese might sound like a near on impossible task, but let me tell you this dish was incredible. I actually moaned when I put the food in my mouth. The flavours coming from the oh so tender chicken along with the monkfish and the Japanese salt were incredible. It has to be tasted to be believed. The dishes turn out accomplished and classic but the Japanese lends a modern twist to each dish. An exciting, interesting and new take on things.

My sister had pan fried seabass with sweet corn purée, grilled baby courgette and squid ink. She too said it was excellent.

Unfortunately I had spied a dessert on the a la carte menu, which trumped all others, the Earl Grey and dark chocolate crème brûlée. However, I had to settle for a mango nougat parfait with caramel sauce, not a bad second choice!

It was very nice, a very nice nougat parfait, for I don't remember tasting much of the mango. But the pure caramel sauce made me quickly forget about that!

My sister had a trio of ice creams and sorbets. She ordered mango and lime and strawberry sorbets and a blueberry ice cream. The prettiest pops of colours arrived in front of her:

Candy colours!! I got to taste these and the flavours were not subtle in the slightest! Really just what you want from ice cream and sorbets. Flavours that pack a punch.

The service was attentive and not over-bearing. Our water glasses were always filled without us asking once. Although my waiter had a tiny bit of an issue with a very shaky hand when he was handing me my cocktail! I felt bad for him because I didn't mind or even care at all, I didn't want to pay much attention so he didn't feel too embarrassed but I think he was a little.

L'étranger definitely succeeded in enticing me back in the future for another meal, which is what the set menu is there to do. In fact, I would be willing to fork out £90 (when the money starts rolling in though, of course) to see the tasting menu in action (also includes the crème brûlée!) I really was that impressed.