Dear Simon Rogan...

It's not very often that I shell out my hard earned shrapnel for fine dining, so when I do, it's done in the hope that it will be worth every sturdy penny. I always judge the experience and food by equal measure, anywhere I go, but when you fall into the best of the best restaurant category, when you open a restaurant in one of London's most established and aristocratic 5* luxury hotels, and when you have such a prestigious chef at the helm, the judging criteria becomes wholly more than just a price tag or menu. Simon Rogan, welcome to your London base: Fera at Claridges.

With two Michelin stars at L'Enclume in the Lake District and originally from Southampton (incidentally also my home town, which achieves nothing else but to make me feel a little bit more fuzzy about the organic food loving forager!), Rogan has already earned Fera its first Michelin star in the same year it opened and will proudly appear on the 2015 Michelin Guide, so I'm super pleased to have gotten through the doors before pandemonium hits over his latest attempt to sensationalise local, organic, natural and/or wild produce.

If you can't bear to miss out on a privileged dining experiences like this, but if like me, you're not an investment banker, hedge fund manager, luxury property developer, overachieving consultant, adored celebrity, the Prime Minister himself or royalty (not forgetting those pesky independently wealthy types!), lunch is often the most cost effective way to enjoy fine dining. Set menus will almost certainly give you a delightful sample of an otherwise knock-you-socks-off al a carte selection, and Fera at Claridges is no different. 3-courses will cost you a mere £35 all seven days of the week, so I urge you to lace up your shoes and leave intimidation at the door...the staff are welcoming, polite, extremely proficient and impeccably invisible in the manner often only seen in places of exquisite service.

Given a complimentary glass of Champagne upon seating, everything was delivered with timely precision! The water was immediate, the bread was warm, with notes of sweet but bitter black treacle; the butter was rich and the unexpected amuse bouche was inventive, fresh, clean and light. The starter of Buttervilla tomatoes would have been lifted by some more texture for my palette, but their delicious sweetness was complimented sublimely by both lightly pickled cucumber and salty marrow, and the garlic custard really brought everything together while the marigold made the plate look like culinary art. The main course of Goosnargh duck was rich, tender and prepared superbly, with a vibrant sweetcorn puree and sweet caramelised cabbage. Dessert is not really my thing I would traditionally be happier with a cheese board, but this again looked stunning and tasted balanced, fresh and inspired.

At just over £80 between two people, I am over the moon about the affordability of this venture, the food was delicious, service flawless and open kitchen delightfully calm to watch. The ambience was refined and calm, though not hushed or staged. The décor was elegant and simple enough to reflect the organics of the natural life I think Rogan wishes to breathe into Claridges' new addition. Fera means 'wild' in Latin and while not outwardly so to the eye, both the food and design are reflected by earthy tones and captivating wilderness, most definitely allowing it to stand out from the traditional art deco opulence of the remainder of the hotel.

If only I was one of those aforementioned independently wealthy types, then maybe I could justify an evening tasting menu, complete with complimenting wines. I can't just yet, but if you can, book a table and let me know how it went!

Amuse Bouche

Starter: Buttervilla tomatoes, marigold, bone marrow and garlic custard

Main Course: Goosnargh duck, caramelised cabbage, sweetcorn, yellow beans and hyssop

Dessert: Marinated raspberries, buttermilk, verbena and frozen yoghurt

 

Lunch menu £35 per person

Dim Sum Den!

Discounting the swathes of taramasalata on butter-drenched toast, or every inch of the worlds cheese on a sweet Digestive biscuit and the suchlike, one of my all time favourite snack foods would have to be dim sum and if I could make them at home, I would positively be in trouble. Much like the addictive canapé, dim sum incessantly serve to deceive you with their miniature allure - I can devour 3 mini pork buns before lids on the dim sum baskets have even been lifted, and before I know it, I've inhaled more than the average 2-course meal! It's only my minuscule sense of social decorum that prevents me from blatantly scoffing everyone else's portion too I'm afraid. Anyways, if you muddle all of that bite-sized joy with a bulging cocktail menu in Chinatown, you will get to Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum Parlour.

Located on Gerrard Street, behind an unassuming open door (given away by the mildly conspicuous doorman lurking outside of it), you will find 3 floors of darkened sanctuary. Climbing up the stairs, smothered in incense smoke, spirits are decanted into old apothecary bottles and cocktails are served with associated twists in The Apothecary (a far brighter dining environment that the remainder of the venue), while the Den is a perfect private dining room, tucked away around a corner and on a split level and more dimly lit, making it feel like you're in an old school smoking lounge. The Tea Parlour on Level 3 rejoices in a sumptuous selection of tea atop of the staple cocktails and dim sum on offer; it's romantic lighting and comfy chairs, coupled with cosy corners and relaxed buzz, this is my favourite spot! Note that there is no formal dining table in this place, rather only small tea-tray type centre pieces - perfectly adequate for what you need because this is a parlour afterall, not a restaurant per see (did you not read the sign?!).

Wishing I could order at least two of everything from the menu, I again succumbed to social etiquette by ordering only one Dim Sum Platter (£16), but with the extra single baskets of Cantonese Barbeque Pork Buns (£6), Pork & Prawn Dumplings (£6.50), and King Prawn Dumplings (£7), perhaps this is still a lot between 3 girls! Now, this is not the cheapest venture I've had into dim sum, but for the mildly secretive location, the scented ambient décor and inventive concept, I'll hold my tongue and prepare the plastic! That said though, not unlike any other establishment of its kind, you could definitely eat here without breaking the bank if you stay sober and opt for one of the many wonderful teas. If however, you eat while guzzling cocktails (like me), be prepared to have your bank manager on speed dial as you flex said plastic! With cocktails ranging from £10.50 to £18, you should probably sip instead of swim, but despite the prices, each glass is a lovingly prepared and well invented concoction, some admittedly more theatrical and flamboyant than others, but all undoubtedly tasty.

My only minor point about this place is that while the staff were super friendly and never slow to produce, they could've checked in on us a touch more regularly. Noone wants to be bothered every 5 minutes, but my glass was empty more than once without anyone thinking to ask me if I wanted a top up and while I'm not sure I wanted my purse to be pillaged further, I certainly didn't want to go dry (I'm British afterall!). Aside from this tiny gripe, I loved it the first time and continue to love it!