Restaurant review: CORD by Le Cordon Bleu

CORD by Le Cordon Bleu has all the swagger that high end classical cuisine demands, but delivers it with generous helpings of fun.

It’s surprisingly down-to-earth. The entire restaurant, just off the Strand, has a clear view of the calm, highly functional kitchen through a broad pane of glass, and is softly lit with jazzy, globular bulbs suspended from the ceiling; all very tastefully modern. It feels comfortable and relaxed, without needing to show off.

A glance at the wine list also confirms the sense that CORD does not confine itself by convention. Chinese riesling and Cypriot xynisteri sit alongside more familiar burgundies and sauvignon blancs.

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The sommelier, who clearly loves her craft, offers an adventurous set of wine pairings and prefers to unveil each at the end of the course, giving you the chance to appreciate it without any preconceptions and to play the guessing game.

It’s a playful take on wine pairings, and that joie de vivre is born out in the food.

Two canapés are served to start; a black truffle and parmesan arancini with a red onion jam, and apple and crab served on a delightful, crispy wafer. The crab is especially delightful, with a zingy apple powder sprinkled over what is almost a meaty crab-flesh ragu, and comes with the added theatre of being served atop a sculpted conch shell.

Next up is a slow poached hen’s egg with truffle, asparagus and sweetcorn. A really intriguing dish; a cloud of potato foam and crispy, salty potato skins conceals hidden treasures within, inviting you to dig around for gooey egg and sublimely crunchy asparagus. This is as much a play on textures as it is on flavours.

After a bite of bread (baked by students of Le Cordon Bleu school, downstairs from the restaurant), the next dish on the tasting menu is a scallop tartare served with Oscietra caviar, kaffir lime and an inspired dill and white chocolate oil. This is delicate, laced with citrus from the lime – not unlike a ceviche – and you get a hint of creamy, dill-infused chocolate before your palate is swept away by the salty caviar. By itself, the oil is deliciously sweet, so much so you wonder how it will work with scallops, but in fact it is the element that brings everything else in this superb dish together.

A little garden then appears at our table; a miniature, plated shrubbery which is all for show besides a neat little pile of lamb cutlets, sous vide to a perfect, tender pink. Accompanying them are sweetbreads stuffed into a salty morel mushroom, and a stack of delicate pastry, braised lamb shoulder with pea and mint purees, and a rich sauce with something approaching deep toffee sweetness. This is a celebration of the harmony between lamb and mint, and for something so delicate on the eye packs a real punch on the palate.

Finally, a black forest dessert consisting of a dark chocolate brownie, kirsch mousse, white chocolate and Amarena cherries, with morello cherry sorbet. The sorbet is sharp and acidic, the mousse fluffy and inviting – a wonderful way to round off a sumptuous meal.

All in all this is very high quality of food, delivered with theatre but also a sense of fun – as if, despite all the accomplishments of the chefs and the dishes, it still doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Dan was a guest of CORD by Le Cordon Bleu. The chef’s tasting menu described here costs £125, plus £70 for wine pairings. Le Cordon Bleu cookery school is accepting applications for its Pâtisserie scholarship competition until 29 May.