Fabulous Pierre Koffman at the Berkeley

Pierre Koffman of Tante Clare fame has reopened a restaurant in London at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. It has taken over the old Boxwood cafe and they have made quite a transformation, it looks more formal but brighter, whereas Boxwood seemed very dimly lit.

I was invited for lunch here a while ago and must say they have certainly made an impression. I saw that Christina Ong, the Singaporean socialite who owns half of Bond Street and the Met Hotel was lunching there too. Although she is very low key, she is a trendsetter and this certainly gives Pierre Koffman’s the right kind of endorsement.

Pierre Koffmann Berkeley Hotel

The tables are A table with a view of the kitchen.

Pierre Koffmann Berkeley Hotel

On my recent visit for lunch with a couple of friends, I was quite interested to see what dishes were on offer but had no expectations. This tiny morsel was a gentle introduction to the genius of flavours that was yet to come.

Pierre Koffmann Berkeley Hotel

Superb bread, I especially liked the bacon croissant thingy and I could have happily eaten my way through the bread basket.

Pierre Koffmann Berkeley Hotel

Herb Risotto with snails Pierre Koffmann Berkeley Hotel
Herb risotto with snails

A superbly rich Langoustine and crab soup.

Langoustine and crab soup Pierre Koffmann

As I was dining with friends who knew the management, we got a couple of surprises that we didn’t order, to begin with, a taste of the famous Scallops with Squid Ink. It certainly lived up to its reputation. Delicious.

Scallops with squid ink Pierre Koffman

The Beautifully pink duck breasts with green peppercorns.

Duck Breast with green peppercorns

Wing of pheasant with potato pancake and pumpkin

Wing of pheasant with potato pancake and pumpkin

Even the side dishes were great, lovely crispy pommes frites and slightly sweet carrots with cumin seeds.

Pierre Koffman Berkeley HotelCarrots with cumin seeds Pierre Koffman

All through the meal, we kept getting a waft of a very ripe cheese. We had to have a taste of this and had a selection of English cheeses.

Cheese Board Pierre Koffman

A great lunch is of course not complete without a great pudding and these did not disappoint. Lemon Tart with light flaky pastry and tangy lemon filling.

Lemon Tart Pierre Koffmann
Lemon Tart

The apple tart with calvados ice cream.

Apple Tart with calvados ice cream Pierre Koffman
Apple Tart with calvados ice cream Pierre Koffman

A word about the wine list, there is a very large selection and as I was with some wine experts, they had several outstanding wines served by the glass, including a very stunning bottle from the old La Tante Claire cellar (saved for the special customers, I think).

Never ending goodies – delicious Madeleines with the coffeee.

Madeleines Pierre Koffmann

As expected, the service was professional, attentive but not overbearing. The food was excellent, fabulous cooking, brave flavours, delightful combinations of unexpected ingredients.  If you have not eaten here, don’t wait, book a table soon. Koffmanns is a superb addition to the London Restaurant scene.

The set lunch menu is a very reasonable £25.50 for 3 course, especially for this quality of food.  Will definitely be back again very soon.

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Pierre Koffmann

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2 Comments

  1. I had a lovely lunch at Koffmann’s just when it opened and have been intending to go back as we really enjoyed it! Sounds like you were thoroughly spoiled! Hoorah!

    1. LondonFoodie says:

      It was absolutely delightful meal and we should go back for another lunch there soon.