Elegant in every aspect, 1 Lombard Street offers fine cuisine worthy of its Michelin star and an unparalleled air of sophisticated simplicity that creates a wonderful dining experience.

The Venue
Step in off the street into the impressive building that shelters many London sophisticates as they dine on haute cuisine. The grandeur of the high ceilings and glass dome combined with a sleek decor of clean lines and soothing colours like cream, beige and red creates a refined venue without any of the usual fuss. There are two areas to enjoy; the hustle and bustle of the bar has the lovely chatter of relaxed City workers resounding off the white stone walls, but venture into the restaurant and you’ll find a peaceful haven complete with graceful diners and exquisite food.

The Atmosphere
There is a perfect balance of formality and sociability within the restaurant, with groups of friends, business associates and couples, all of them young professionals feeling relaxed enough to unbutton their collar, but a level of quiet sophistication remains in the air, allowing you to relish your food and the company you are in. The service is impeccable, with helpful polite waiters regularly attending to your empty wine glass and serving each dish at just the right time without ever intruding on your meal, which only adds more charm to the hassle free environment the restaurant has created.

The Food
With such a delightful array of delicious dishes, the best way to sample all that head chef Herbert Berger has to offer is to try the nine course degustation menu. For only £45, you can take pleasure in each individual dish made with the finest seasonal ingredients, beautifully presented and each becoming successively richer and encouraging your appetite for more until you a left feeling happily satisfied. Because of the seasonal ingredients, the menu occasionally changes and it's not available during Christmas.

The light carpaccio of tuna is a delicately balanced dish with the refreshing ginger and salty soy derived from the sauces perfectly complementing the rare fish. To follow, quail’s egg is the sweetest, most delicious egg you will ever taste, is combined with a well cooked salty smoked haddock and a gently warming mustard sauce to give the dish an exciting kick. The salad which follows gives you a refreshing boost of textures, as the crunchy French beans, crisp wild mushrooms and soft artichokes work well together, with the pumpkinseed oil and sharp balsamic vinegar giving just the right injection of mellow nuttiness to bring out the freshness of the vegetables.

Classic seared foie gras with a rich creamy sauce of white truffle oil and parsnip cream is extremely decadent and the foie gras has a hint of sweet garlic. Meaty scallops with aromatic saffron flavoured vegetables is an interesting contrast in flavours, whilst the lamb noisette is simple food at its best, with a tender cut of lamb, fluffy potato and sweet carrot to accompany it. The Angus beef particularly is the star of the show, with meat so tender it melts in your mouth and is packed with rich beef flavour, which is complimented by the rich beef reduction and salty morel sauce.

Luckily the desserts are delicate and light after such a rich meal. The combination of bitter chocolate mousse, sharp fresh raspberries and sweet whisky jelly is a dream, and the granny smith apple combined with a unique sweet ice cream flavoured by Guinness is a treat.

The Drink
The ideal and recommended way to drink wine with the taster menus is to allow the experts at the restaurant hand pick wine to suit each dish. You’ll sip some clean, dry white wine from Victoria, Australia, a more complex fruity Pinot Blanc from Alsace, a heady, rich red from Provence, and to finish, a sweet desert wine. The wonderful journey around the world sampling delicious wines is a must to fully appreciate the quality of the wine list.

The Last Word
It’s difficult to fault such an effortlessly chic restaurant, so don’t try, just sit back and bask in the gentle murmur whilst devouring the heavenly food.

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