THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
68 Regent Street, London, W1B 4DY
When I was waiting on tables in New York in the early '80s I would throw dinner parties and, without a recipe, try to re-create the culinary delights I had been serving. My success rate was quite high and my soirees have been regular events ever since. Had I been serving at Alex Dilling, I would never have set foot in the kitchen!
The grade II listed Hotel Café Royal is one of London's grander landmarks. Entering Alex Dilling's dining room, I was struck by its staid elegance. Muted tones, no artwork and white linen clad tables, set with only crystal water glasses and a single candle provide a blank canvas for the culinary art of this extraordinary chef. Soft jazz hits exactly the right note. Only the mirror covered ceiling seems to belong elsewhere.
From the get go, one is treated to impeccable service, as meticulous as the astonishingly beautiful array of food that appears in an even, leisurely pace. The price of this experience is £215 for the tasting menu with flights of wine starting at £145. Clearly, dinner here is meant for the few, not the many. It was a privilege to be one of the few.
The menu is in constant change according to availability of ingredients and the creative whims of the kitchen, with caviar all but certain to make an appearance …or two! With a glass of Ruinart Brut Rosé, 3 canapes appeared like a presentation of crown jewels. A cloud of potato cream with smoked sturgeon and aged Kaluga caviar has been a recurring dream since I tasted it. A "bonbon" of Iberico pork shoulder with an elegant gribeche and cured salmon with horseradish and gelée completed the trio.
Bread is a course of its own for good reason. Crusty baguettes and a light-as-air roll flavored with shallots and garlic, nearly dripping with butter, still give me goose flesh!
Kaluga caviar, smoked eel and a brown butter Hollandaise was perfectly balanced with the slightly bitter crunch of white asparagus and will surely be requested as my last meal! A glass of 2019 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay from Napa was a complex pairing with a nice balance of minerals, butter, light oak and grapefruit zest.
Pâté de Campagne has been a staple of every menu and rightly so. Layers of Iberico pork shoulder, black pudding and foie gras could easily be mistaken for the finest patisserie. Served with a smooth, sharp-as-Coleman's honey mustard and a perfect rose of lightly pickled cucumber petals, this is no mere country pâté. At least, no country I've ever been to! A brown and black striped "conch" of a croissant crowned this glory.
A perfect "loin" of brill was wrapped in Thai basil, adding an herbaceous hit of anise to an intense shellfish blanquette. Heavenly!
Hunter Chicken, one of Dilling's signature dishes, has been in demand since he re-created it. The original is basically chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Dilling's version is a near Wellington, encrusted with crispy skin stippled with bee pollen and gorgeous hits of black pepper. It's carved at table, revealing layers of mousseline and mushroom duxelles. The dish is finished with a sauce Albufera – finished with foie gras it resembles a salty caramel and is perhaps, the most divine sauce I've ever tasted. On the side, morels stuffed with confit pigeon leg made this poetry on a plate.
A 2019 Weingut Stenner Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Rheinhessen was clean with light spice but neither the complexity nor depth I would expect.
Gariguette strawberries are one of the earliest spring varieties and full of bright flavor. Married with elderflower and vanilla and a glass shard of strawberry essence, made a perfect pre-dessert of floral tang. Following this, Guanaja 70% chocolate, sour dough, sherry and caramel had a brilliant mix of bitter, salt and sweet.
In truth, this meal was indescribable. You have to see it to believe it and more importantly, taste it! It is indeed, culinary art of the highest form.
Note to reader: Do not try this at home!
