Pearl Restaurant & Bar

The criteria for awarding Michelin Stars are vaguely secretive but you can generally work it out. Food, consistency, service, ambience – get those to a fine standard and surely a Michelin Star is going to be yours.

Logic goes out of the window when you factor in Pearl, however. Jun Tanaka has been cooking up a storm at the Chancery Court Hotel’s restaurant for about a decade now and yet somehow those Michelin inspectors keep overlooking him. It’s a mystery that borders on vendetta as, having dined there five or six times over the years, I can’t see what else Jun and his team could do to improve matters. Food is creative and delicious, presentation is impeccable, service is efficient and smiling, and the room is a beauty that makes it easy to forget its “hotel dining room” status and my recent visit proved that it was all business as usual.

With the mind pleasantly fuzzy from a couple of creative cocktails – when dining with a fellow spice addict, it’s hard to decline the offer of something called a Wasabi Boost – we took our seats and happily traded plates mid way through each course, after admiring the presentation with assorted oohs, ahs and contented sighs.

Tanaka’s food is billed as “Modern French” which only tells part of the story. It also goes without saying that it’s seasonal: Tanaka was championing that notion long before it morphed into a “movement”. Whatever you call it, whatever the inspiration, just enjoy it. Starters – after an amuse of goat’s cheese, Jerusalem artichoke and a Parmesan tuille – teased and refreshed, from the vibrant summery joys of heirloom tomatoes (in jelly fromage frais, with a basil sorbet) to the caramelised scallops with a punch – and a pinch – of ginger.

Mains were slightly more serious, hearty affairs, particularly the Denham Estate venison, where the richness is attacked with precision and fun thanks to a beetroot tart tatin. Lamb was almost its equal, wellingtoned – if that can be a verb? – with truffle, underscored with a powerful flash of young garlic and given a pleasant textural twist thanks to pickled Jerusalem artichokes.

Tanaka’s creativity is certainly evidenced in the final course, particularly with a charming, brightly coloured and very unexpected pre-dessert of cous cous, mango foam with a walnut dusting. Yes. Sweet cous cous. Go with it, the man knows what he’s doing, as he continued to prove with a white chocolate and passion fruit mousse / ice cream combo – not my first choice but admirable – and a Kentish orchard celebration made up of apple cake, roast apples and salted caramel ice cream. Again, not a foot wrong and again, expect him to be overlooked by Michelin’s judges next January. Just don’t make the same mistake yourselves.

Pearl Restaurant & Bar
252 High Holborn
London WC1V 7EN
Phone: 020 7829 7000
info@pearl-restaurant.com

pearl-restaurant.com