Whitehall

Yes, this blog is still alive, sort of. I took hubby out for his birthday dinner about a month ago to Whitehall. I was looking for something different; and a modern take on British influenced cuisine fit the bill. Whitehall has been around for a couple of years and I’ve always been curious about it. It’s a restaurant that has a Michelin starred touch, thanks to its chef.

I enjoyed the decor; “The Other Room” sign was hung over the entrance to well, the other room. Service was very good, with the attention to  detail that could be expected of a place with such a pedigree.

After a lot of thought, we both decided to go with the Chef’s Tasting menu as shown in the pictures below. The whipped pork rind was topped with chili which added a nice pop. The butter tasted like, well, butter.

I do like fine food without the pretentiousness of fine dining. This place fits the bill. The bread was served fittingly in a paper bag.

Whipped pork rinds, cow butter

The salad course came with an interesting twist. Stilton snow. I’m not a big fan of Stilton cheese, but the snow added a hint of subtlety to tone down the flavour.

Salt baked pickled shallot and beets with stilton snow

Hen of the Woods mushrooms are a British thing. My husband told me so. They are also a Japanese thing, known as Maitake in the Land of the Rising Sun. This dish is a nod to the Japanese influence, with the tartness of the yuzu complimenting the earthiness of the mushroom.

Maitaki (Hen of the woods) mushrooms with pickled ginger and yuzu sauce

The risotto was my least preferred dish, through no fault of the chef. Each of the previous dishes had one bold flavour with a supporting cast. The main act didn’t come out in this dish, but perhaps that was the intent.

Toasted barley and watercress risotto with cured salmon

This course was by far my favourite. The potatoes were crisped in a rich, buttery skin. I could have ate them all night long. The lamb was done to a perfect medium rare. The kebabs were herby spicy and the chutney complimented the lamb sirloin nicely.

Lamb sirloin and kebabs with cucumber pickles, mint chutney and fingerling potatoes

The pine parfait was interesting. The undertones of pine flavour matched well with the richness of the chocolate.

Pine parfait with pine oil cookie crumble, chocolate wafer and cranberry coulis honey crackle wafer

I really like the bold flavours which takes a cuisine not known for boldness to another level. Hubby would love a return visit.

Poppy seed parmesan biscuit

Whitehall Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The making of a nice roast beef dinner

My mother-in-law is visiting, so I thought I’d make a nice Saturday roast beef dinner. Since hubby is British, I better impress or I may get thrown out of the house. 😉 I bought a nicely marbled Spring Creek Ranch prime rib roast, I suspect it is at least Canada AAA. It’s very tender when roasted and hands down the best prime rib I have ever bought.

The Yorkshire puddings, I usually struggle with, but using a high altitude recipe makes for really good results. They doubled their size. I think I will use the leftovers for popovers. Fill with peanut butter and jam. Tasty.

Spring Creek Ranch prime rib roast
Spring Creek Ranch prime rib roast
Yorkshire puddings
Yorkshire puddings