Review: The Frog, Covent Garden

For full disclosure: this was my 50th birthday meal, so I was inclined to be pleased. Yes, yes, I know I only look about 30 but it’s true, I’ve been on the planet for 50 years (and writing this blog for 12 of those)! Anyway, it makes The Frog by Adam Handling a tough review to write, because I thought we had an absolutely splendid meal, a good candidate for best this year… and so how much of that is the birthday boy talking?

The photos might help, because the dishes were all absolute stunners with insane attention to detail. We eat with our eyes. Tell me you don’t want to taste these dishes?

Our meal was in the private dining room below the streets, a lovely chamber done up as a chef’s library and looking onto our own kitchen. So while I think our menu was essentially the same as the main restaurant I can’t really comment on the room or the service. We had warm and friendly service all evening. So let’s talk food…

A whole party of exquisite snacks came out first, including a pea and basil tartlet that must be the prettiest thing I’ve seen on a plate all year. The whipped cod roe under a clever little black charcoal wheel cracker looked astonishing and ate scrumptiously. Best snack for flavour was cured trout with ponzu and fennel, again as a tiny tartlet and a real flavour bomb.

The first starter was a classic crab salad, but dressed up beautifully and with a delicate but pronounced smoked cream that carried the whole dish. I’d have liked more brown crab flavour, but I’m splitting hairs. A barbecued scallop came really full of the beautiful caramelised flavours I love but with the centre still tenderly cooked, coated in a gorgeous chilli glaze. Then the fish course arrived as yet another stunning plate, this time seemingly simple. In the centre a snow white piece of cod, cooked as light as a cloud, in a foam that conjured all the flavours of a fish-and-chip supper (except perhaps curry sauce). Hidden underneath, a warm tartare-kinda sauce and batter scraps. Clever but also can-I-have-some-more-please delicious.

Main course was Balmoral chicken, a dish I hadn’t come across before. Normally it is chicken stuffed with haggis, but here the piece of chicken was encased in haggis. The haggis coated with a spicy and herby sort of dukkah which added great pep to the warm offally flavours of the haggis. A dollop of spicy aubergine puree had a really brave level of heat, all warm earthy Indian spices, which complimented the haggis and chicken perfectly. Wonderful dark, shiny gravy pulled it all together. I can’t think of many chicken dishes I’ve ever enjoyed so much.

The meal was polished off with a dark, full-flavoured and elegant chocolate dessert shot through with a powerful miso flavour and balanced with the sweet herby-hay flavour of woodruff. We were walked through a great set of wine pairings by our sommelier Georgina with some interesting new world choices. As I say, I was very inclined to love my special meal, but I’ve eaten enough fine meals to also be sure that this is objectively right up there with the very best. We paid £200 per head for private dining – if you’ve got a special occasion coming up, go for it!