One O One

02-04-2009
Andy Hayler  0 

101 is a seafood restaurant in the Sheraton Hotel in Knightsbridge. Pascal Proyart is from Brittany, so his love of the produce of the sea is natural. The dining room has (not surprisingly) something of the feel of a hotel but is smart and well appointed. Starters are £14 - £19, mains £23-£29, with the nice touch of being able to put together a tasting menu of 3-6 smaller versions of the a la carte dishes, from £38 - £68.

The wine list is substantial and reflects a lot of thought in the choice of growers. Examples are Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006 at £66 for a wine you can buy for around £16 in the shops, or at the higher end the superb Didier Dagenau Silex 2005 at £134 for a wine that you can buy for around £70 or so retail. New Zealand’s excellent Pinot Noirs are represented by Felton Road Pinot Noir 2006 at £83 for a wine that costs around £19 retail, and Ata Rangi Crimson at £50 for a wine that will set you back around £14 in the shops. Bread is made from scratch, and was either white, brown or foccacia, the latter fresh and with agreeably soft texture (5/10).

A nibble of brandade of cod and salmon with a little toast was a pleasant if slightly bland (3/10) way to pass the time as we browsed through the menu. Norwegian red king crab ravioli was cooked “Thermidor” style with cheese, served with duxelle of mushroom and a little crab bisque. The crab flavour came through well, and worked nicely with the earthy flavour of the mushrooms (5/10). Green asparagus risotto was capably executed, with quail egg “onzen” (a Japanese term for hot spring; in this case a slow cooking process) was a nice take on a classic ingredient combination, with chervil as a garnish and some rather superfluous dried morels (4/10).

My main course of guinea fowl and pigeon was roasted, still pink, and with careful seasoning. This was served with a little pancetta, broad beans and peas with sage, with a port-based jus (4/10). My dining companions’ fish dishes involved sea bass cooked in a salt crust, which had good taste but was cooked a fraction long, and an enjoyable sea bass fillet with tapenade. We didn’t make it to dessert, but coffee was strong and top-ups were offered without any greedy supplements. Our bill was very low mainly because of a half-price offer on the food from Toptable.

Service was attentive and dishes arrived at a steady pace. It is a few years since I have been to One O One, and it is as I recall: good quality fish, cooked generally well, without the dishes ever being really exciting. That may sound like faint praise but I don’t mean it to be; good cooking is a rare enough thing these days, and I have had all the “excitement” I need from a culinary perspective recently in some London restaurants. This is enjoyable food, well executed.

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05-12-2008
Valentina Sutto MyVillage  0 

Breton Chef Pascal Proyart has created what I believe to be quite simply one of the best restaurants currently on the London scene.

Great attention to detail has been given to the immaculate and glossy decor. Earthy colours have been matched to deep blue sea tones, giving an overall elegant yet relaxing atmosphere. The lunch menu, which includes a great selection of petit plats (small dishes), is divided into an a la carte and business set menu, with a selection that varies from two to six dishes. The menu has a strong Breton influence with fish as the predominant dish, however there are a couple of meaty choices also on offer.

Both waiters and sommelier are very attentive and professional, offering expert explanations for individual dishes and good wines to pair them with. The a la carte menu has an excellent selection of cold and hot starters and four mains. We decided to opt for the Three Tsarskaya Oysters and Pan-Fired Norwegian Scallop with Onsen Quail Eggs. Each dish was presented with artistic perfection and tasted sublime, as well as looking pretty on the plate. The oysters served chilled and in tempura, offered an explosion of textures and flavour. Whilst the pan-fried scallops were incredibly meaty and brilliantly paired with the soft and creamy poached quail's egg.

After such a good start we were eager to try our mains. The Pan Roasted Norwegian White Halibut, also known as Atlantic Halibut, was served on a bed of coco beans with a delicious Langoustine dumpling on the side. Norwegian seafood is known for its quality, especially White Halibut after it's presence in the 2007 Bocuse d'Or competition. The fish had an incredibly soft texture and distinctive taste, which was well complemented by the truffle and coco bean side. We also ordered the Poached Norwegian Cod Loin that was accompanied by a chorizo carpaccio and squid. The chorizo gave the cod a creative twist, whilst the squid with anchovies complemented the overall texture and taste of the dish.

Cheeses and desserts were brought to us at the end of our mains. Equally superb in choice and taste I could have not been happier with our lunch at One O One. I had great expectations for Chef Pascal Proyart and have been magically satisfied with this surreal but real Sunday lunch.

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10-03-2008
maggie tweedley

We had dinner on Saturday 8th March.We had booked a table for 7 people the name of Millward looking forward to what we had gbeen told would be a great dining experience.We arrived to be told that they only have a maximum of 6 to a table in the restaurant and we wou;ld have to eat in the private dining room and that they would waive the fee! We were then told that we would all have to eat the same so no choice we asked why seeing as it was their mistake and were told it is the rules in the private dining room (which we did not ask for) why would the chef care where we sit and why could we not order what we wanted.We were upset and as we had no where else to go we stayed.We then paid ???110.00 pounds each and went home hungry as the portion sizes were tiny.I would never go back and we as a group feel very cheated.

08-02-2008
Valentina Sutto Myvillage

Breton Chef Pascal Proyart has created what I believe to be quite simply one of the best restaurants currently on the London scene. Great attention to detail has been given to the immaculate and glossy d???cor. Earthy colours have been matched to deep blue sea tones, giving an overall elegant yet relaxing atmosphere. The lunch menu, which includes a great selection of ???petit plats??? (small dishes), is divided into an a la carte and business set menu, with a selection that varies from two to six dishes. The menu has a strong Breton influence with fish as the predominant dish, however there are a couple of meaty choices also on offer. Both waiters and sommelier are very attentive and professional, offering expert explanations for individual dishes and good wines to pair them with. The a la carte menu has an excellent selection of cold and hot starters and four mains. We decided to opt for the ???Three Tsarskaya Oysters??? and ???Pan-Fired Norwegian Scallop with Onsen Quail Eggs???. Each dish was presented with artistic perfection and tasted sublime, as well as looking pretty on the plate. The oysters served chilled and in tempura, offered an explosion of textures and flavour. Whilst the pan-fried scallops were incredibly meaty and brilliantly paired with the soft and creamy poached quail???s egg. After such a good start we were eager to try our mains. The Pan Roasted Norwegian White Halibut, also known as Atlantic Halibut, was served on a bed of coco beans with a delicious Langoustine dumpling on the side.Norwegian seafood is known for its quality, especially White Halibut after it???s presence in the 2007 Bocuse d???Or competition. The fish had an incredibly soft texture and distinctive taste, which was well complemented by the truffle and coco bean side. We also ordered the Poached Norwegian Cod Loin that was accompanied by a chorizo carpaccio and squid. The chorizo gave the cod a creative twist, whilst the squid with anchovies complemented the overall texture and taste of the dish. Cheeses and desserts were brought to us at the end of our mains. Equally superb in choice and taste I could have not been happier with our lunch at One O One. I had great expectations for Chef Pascal Proyart and have been magically satisfied with this surreal but real Sunday lunch.