Why you should try a Michelin starred Restaurant

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

Why you should try a Michelin starred Restaurant

L'ortolan is a Michelin starred restaurant in Reading, Berksgire, If like me, you are a bit of a foodie, you will have probably eaten in a Michelin starred restaurant. If you haven't then I think you should give it a try. It can be expensive, but if you go for lunch or dine on a weekday evening, there are usually some good offers to have.


I have visited L'Ortolan a number of times, for lunch and dinner and never been disappointed. My husband received a gift voucher as a leaving present from work and on Saturday we had a  fantastic meal which was hard to fault in any way.

We started by having a drink in the bar area. Even better than my Mojito were the canapes. When it comes to eating in a Michelin starred restaurant I have one rule. To try what I have been given whether I like the sound of it or not. I can tell you that I am not a major fan of pigeon from my meal at the Fat Duck, but I can say I have eaten chicken. Under normal circumstances I don't eat raw fish, black pudding or crackling. I ate all of these at l'ortolan and enjoyed them.

canapes at l'ortolan

We opted for the A la Carte Menu which is £65 + 12.5% service plus drinks. Wine can cost as much as you want to pay. My husband liked the look of one, until he saw the price. £600 was a bit steep for us! Thankfully there are wines in the £40-60 a bottle too.

As an amuse bouche we were presented with a parsnip soup. I say soup, but that is doing it an injustice. It was the most amazing parsnip flavoured soup with pickled pear and roasted onions.

Then they gave us some homemade breads. The onion one was to dye for and the waiter bought us out an extra piece as we liked it so much.

Both of us opted for the Hen egg ravioli, butternut squash and truffle. It tasted as beautiful as it looked.

For main I opted for the pork. The belly had been cooked in a variety of ways for over 40 hours! It was amazing. As I mentioned before, there were aspects that I wouldn't have normally eaten, but they were cooked to perfection and complimented each other perfectly.

pork main course at l'ortolan

The pre dessert was a coconut foam with pineapple and once again delicious.

Finally I ended my meal with the rhubarb and buttermilk mousse, poached rhubarb and rhubarb and champagne sorbet. I actually squealed when it was presented to me with "oh it is so pretty."

rhubarb and buttermilk mousse, poached rhubarb and rhubarb and champagne sorbet

We had an amazing meal. The dishes tasted fantastic, were presented beautifully and service was seemless. I really would recommend trying a Michelin starred restaurant if you haven't already for a special occasion. The talent of the chef shines though and it really is a meal to remember.

I have also tried the Italian wine lunch at L'Ortolan which you can read about here.
If you are in London, we have also dined at L'Atlier de Joel Robuchon which is amazing too!

Have you been to a Michelin starred restaurant? Which would you recommend?





No comments:

Post a Comment