Fera at Claridge’s
Champagne. Four surprise amuse bouche. Pinot Noir. Starters. Mains. Surprise pre-dessert. Dessert wine. Dessert. Petit fours. And a tour of the kitchen. Today we dined at Fera in Claridge’s. And we did it well.*
*Was told recently by a self-confirmed wording expert that you can in fact start a sentence with ‘and’. I am now adopting this rule when and if I choose to do so. We make the rules. Language is evolving. A Post Grad in Journalism specialising in Sub-editing is irrelevant.
There’s nothing I would have changed about lunch, no slight disgruntlement, no poor company or conversation and definitely no qualms with the service or offering. I can end my review here. Only you need to hear the detail, as detail is entirely the concept at Fera.
Already a Michelin starred restaurant, and open for just six months, Fera is a showcase of Britain’s finest seasonal wild produce. Developed by Simon Rogan, a hot name in the current restaurant scene, with L’Enclume (the predecessor to Fera) boasting two Michelin stars and the Best Restaurant in the UK by Good Food 2015. Simon plays a heavy part in every aspect of the restaurant including the sourcing of the ingredients, the majority organic and many hailing from his own farm in the Lake District.
So on the mildest 1st of November I can remember, I stopped to cool down after marching through Berkley Square and rearranged what felt like my ‘Sunday best’ in the foyer of this iconic 5 star Mayfair hotel. With a subtle smell of incense I tottered in my heels through a maze of curtains to enter Fera, and was greeted by a warm genuine smile that bizarrely took me by surprise, from the front of house manning reception.
He politely walked me across the restaurant to our table where the ambience was comfortable, considering I was a little after time. The design was cool and contemporary with a strong in-house hotel feel rather than a stand alone restaurant identity. My water glass was filled almost immediately and a glass of Laurent Perrier followed. My obsession with beautiful glassware was in its element as no component had been overlooked amongst our various table implements.
The service team couldn’t do enough for us, and did everything with a gracious likable attitude. Before we had ordered, the first of four surprise amuse bouche had been left on the table, introduced as a blue cheese foam on a wafer crisp with an elderberry jus. It was so pretty it was easily food art, light but with an insane punch of flavour, and finished far too quickly.
We then ordered our courses, but three more fun pre-starters appeared one by one, all as visually pleasing as the last. Stewed rabbit with lovage in the style of a Ferrero Rocher, Mackerel oyster and seaweed presented on a bed of pebbles and a smoked roe and red cabbage type of mousse. Delightful small tasters of the experimental courses that were to come.
By now the champagne had run dry, and it was time to pick a wine to pair with such diverse dishes. The decision was so hard we turned to the careful opinion of the Sommelier who knew just the wine following our descriptions of taste. 
He didn’t disappoint. A light cherry red Grippsland Pinot Noir, William Downie 2010 hailing from Victoria in Australia. There was a slight effervescence to the wine that danced in the mouth, and it sincerely complemented the courses that came next.
My starter was a piece of art, an organised mess of colour, made up of a smoked Bantam yolk, salt-baked kohlrabi, cavolo nero, Isle of Mull and truffle. 
I followed this with Goosnargh duck leg, cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke, oakwood mushrooms and savoury. Perfectly portioned, the flavours and presentation were spot on, and the waiters oozed a sense of pride as they presented each dish.
Barely stopping for breath before dessert, or so it felt, a palate cleansing pre-dessert was in front of me. A small glass pot filled with crumbly chocolate malt nitro, prune and dandelion. It was time to change wines, and indulgently we went for an amber hued Renaissance dessert wine from 2010, Domaine Rotier, from Gaillac in France. I don’t have the sweetest tooth, so often I prefer dessert wine to a dessert, but today I was all in.
Out came a chocolate cream, apple marigold, shortbread and rapeseed jam. The shortbread crumbled around the dish, and a caramelised crisp sloped across the fruity/ chocolate collaboration.
Turning down coffees to finish, one last surprise ended what was a perfect weekend lunch; pumpkin and whisky petit fours and elderberry marshmallows. Seasonal and cute, exactly on point to leave satisfied smiles on our faces when being faced with a heightened three figured bill.
At this point it was confirmed that they knew we were from the London Restaurant Network (we did wonder due to the many treats), as we were then asked if we wanted a tour of the kitchen. Something we hadn’t seen of fellow diners. We did of course.
The kitchen was as carefully designed as the dining room. Large and spacious, and so clean and tidy, even when chefs were in full action at their stations. Rafael talked us through the areas, processes and answered all our questions. Simon had been there merely five minutes before, and apparently is present Mondays to Thursdays every week, and then back up to the Lake District for weekends.
With such a slick positive operation and atmosphere, I can see why the place is fully booked for dinner tonight and how easy it is for customers to see off half a day (and half your wages) indulging in such clever courses. I can’t wait to return at Christmas, as a cheeky present to myself, and whoever might wish to accompany.
Whose Boots Are Those Shoes? 