The White Rabbit

This may be the Year of the Metal Rabbit, but my year so far seems to have taken a cue from the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.  2011 has started with a pathetic few days in bed with the flu, a mad dash to Manchester, stop-over in Liverpool, a treat in London and a wee adventure in Lanzarote.  Hmm... all a bit manic I thought, perhaps I should 'restart' my year at Chinese New Year.  So here we are, 11 days into the Rabbit Year, I'm finally getting a restful Sunday at home, though not before a week of adrenaline overdose in Rjukan and a work trip to Paris.  All a bit fast and furious, but certainly not all work and no play and I'm certainly not complaining.  There has been many highlights, which I will blog in the coming days.  Here's a start:

Dinner at the Savoy Grill

Kicking off 2011 with a trip to the Savoy Grill was quite a treat.  Having followed the TV documentary on the Savoy Hotel's three-year refurbishment, I simply couldn't resist suggesting the Savoy Grill for dinner with my American boss who happened to be passing London during one of my regular London trips.  Despite a Gordon Ramsay establishment, I was not disappointed.  Stepping into the Savoy Grill was indeed stepping into Agatha Christie world.  There was none of the 'Professor Plum being murdered with a candlestick in the library' type of excitement (well, fair enough, that's more Cluedo than Miss Marple), but the menu and the food definitely made up for it.  Everything on the menu was enticing (erm..  for non-vegetarians) and the food was really good.

We were really tempted by their charcoal grill (seems to be their speciality), but in the end, we went for the braised beef shoulder and roasted fillet and the special lamb saddle instead.  They do a lot of table side preparation, which is fun to watch.  To much of the stress of the young waiting staff (who were extra attentive but still have this rabbits caught in the headlight look about them), the lamb saddle (and the millefeuille!) were presented and carved on the trolley beside the table; I think they also do the lunch trolley everyday.  I recently heard Michel Roux talked of the theatre of dinning, I think I'm sold!

So if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, I would recommend lunch at the Savoy Grill.