Review: Medlar, King’s Road

The guys who run Medlar spent many of their formative years at Chez Bruce and other Nigel Platts-Martin establishments, so if you think that might give you a clue to the kind of meal to expect at Medlar, you’d be exactly right. Think top-notch classic French cuisine without too much fuss and with the odd spot of invention, in a clean and modern dining room with informal yet faultless service.

My starter won me first by scent: the pungent green notes of ravigote sauce as it warmed itself up on my testicles. I had crispy fried lamb’s testicles, a lovely texture like very firm liver and a great medium for the sauce – much like a salsa verde. Maureen’s ceviche of halibut included some lovely slivers of translucent fish, but the word “ceviche” comes with an expectation of punchy citrus and chilli flavours while this was a much more delicate affair. Across the table a tart of duck egg and duck hearts was received with rapture as was a crab ravioli.

For main I enjoyed an assiette of pork three ways, served with a sauce vierge which I found a very delicious idea as it kept the whole plate light and allowed the pork to play its own tunes. Maureen’s lamb rump and sweetbreads was a stickier and richer offerings, with marrowfat peas as an unusual ingredient. It was every bit as delicious as the pork. Our friends enjoyed roast John Dory and a thick fillet steak respectively, the steak served with a bearnaise sauce that I can testify was scrumptious as I pinched quite a lot of it.

Yet my favourite course was the last. An individual parkin served with roast pineapple, walnuts and a blob of crème fraiche. The warmly gingery parkin was divine; while not a moist cake, it was of such a carefully light texture that it ate deliciously without needing any of the accompaniments. They were delicious too, but the cake was enlightening. By contrast Maureen’s banoffee tartlet seemed strangely at odds with the rest of our meal. Apart from the use of a filo pastry case, it was in all other regards a banoffee pie. Nice enough, but something to enjoy after

steak or lasagne at a comfy country pub, surely?

Throughout the meal service was informal but excellent. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves at their work. I noticed that the staff weren’t asked to wear any particular uniform, a good touch to enhance the relaxed atmosphere.

You couldn’t fail to enjoy a meal at Medlar; the cooking is exceptional, the service brilliant and given their postcode it isn’t exorbitant. I can’t rave much beyond that: it lives comfortably in a stable of other London restaurants all delivering top-notch classic French cooking with enough modern ingredients to keep us interested. Within that stable Medlar is one of the thoroughbreds.