Leicester House in London

There's this particular London PR firm that occasionally invites me to a blogger's table to review a restaurant.  I never say no to their invites because I know I'm going to be treated to a wonderful meal and great company.  They introduced me to both Gaylord London and Le Garrick.  They've also helped this picky eater get completely out of my comfort zone and try some wonderful dishes that I've always been afraid to try.  My most recent invite was to try some French Vietnamese cuisine at Leicester House. 

Leicester House is a boutique hotel located in a five-story Georgian Building.  But you'd never know this is a hotel restaurant.  The colors and decor are chic and welcoming.  The terrace is the perfect place to people watch. Being at the junction of Leicester Square and Chintatown the people watching doesn't get much better. 

The menu says they serve French Vietnamese but it was a little more eclectic than that.  It's a simple menu with a combination of small plates and bigger plates, a few sides and desserts.  But there is nothing simple about the flavors.  Once we had all arrived and settled in with a glass of wine, the dishes started pouring out of the kitchen. We would get to taste a little of everything. 

We started where every good meal starts... bread.  Grilled sourdough brushed with a bit of olive oil.

When spread with a dollop of the duck liver parfait it was melt in your mouth heaven. 

Next was the blackened squid with salt, pepper, lime and chili piled up in a nest of samphire.  Have you tried samphire yet?  Marsh samphire is crunchy and salty and comes from the sea.  The perfect veg for the squid.  I particularly loved the tangy lime taste and the squid was cooked perfectly.  

The steamed buns stuffed with crispy pork belly, pickled cucumbers ad chili mayonnaise were next.  The bun was fluffy and warm and the flavors were great although a little more pork belly would have been welcomed.

Everyone raved about this salad.  I saw all of those chilis and wasn't brave enough to try it. 

But with my newfound adventurous taste buds I did try the scallops with seashore vegetables and bone broth.  Samphire again plays a role in this seafood dish.  I wanted a spoon to scoop up that bone broth. 

This was my favorite dish, the Cod XO sauce and BBQ'd lime.  XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong.  The flaky white meat of the fish and a squeeze of the grilled lime were a scrumptious combo. 

One of my new favorite things is a crunchy slaw and this one with green papaya, daikon and cashew was extremely moreish.  So many flavors and the textures were perfect.

It was time to put down our forks and chopsticks and just grab a rib with our fingers.  These smoked ribs with kaffir lime and coriander were sticky and tender and so good.  Kaffir limes are from Asia and are extremely fragrant and did you know that coriander is the same thing as cilantro? 

Nope that is not a plate of fried chicken.  That is a plate of fried quail.  It tasted lovely, but in my head, I was expecting to bite into a firm white meat.  Quail is a darker meat and a little more exotic than I'm used to.  I opted to have another rib instead of more quail.  Again, it's this thing I have with textures and food.  But, I'm glad I tried quail for the first time.

Time for dessert and they have some terrific options.  The beignets disappeared as fast as they could put them on the table.  Fluffy and light with a dusting of sugar.  And that mug is not a cappuccino.  That is a bitter chocolate pot with hazelnut cha fee.  I dug that spoon all the way to the bottom of the mug and pulled out a biteful of decadent dark chocolate and hazelnut foam.  It was an amazing treat.

It was another fabulous meal.  I tried new dishes and flavors and found another great  restaurant to recommend. 

I would never call myself a foodie.  I mean I do love food!  But I don't know how to wax on eloquently about flavors and textures.  I'm so fortunate that every so often I get invited to a Blogger's Table to try something new.  Next time you're near Leicester Square, pop around the corner to Leicester House for a cocktail and some zingy flavors.  

Have you tried samphire yet?  What did you think?

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | SUBSCRIBE | BLOGLOVIN


 *I received a complimentary meal from Liecester House Restaurant for the purposes of review.  
 All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.


You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide.