Marco
Above: Marco
Glamour isn’t a word synonymous with football stadiums. Footballers wives maybe (but even that’s questionable) – but if one word could sum up Marco, Marco Pierre White’s new restaurant at Stamford Bridge, it would be exactly that. Conspicuous consumption is the obvious intention in both decor and service, symbolised centrally in the Swarovski crystal column that sparkles lustily at you on arrival.
We – Lauren and I – began our night with a pre-dinner cocktail at the bar. The bar tender served up an Americana (Martini rosso, Campari and soda) for Lauren and a French Gin Martini (Bombay sapphire gin and Noilly Prat) for me. Evidently, I’d ordered the strongest cocktail on the menu – but didn’t I feel sophisticated at the time.
Time for food. The generously sized booth tables are the best; marvellous for people watching, yet far enough apart to ensure the privacy of your conversation – a must if you happen to be a Russian billionaire who doesn't want anyone ear wigging his dinner chat. The menu offers up a selection of Anglo-French cuisine (where French food meets British classics in Marco’s signature way) and on our visit the main courses chiefly consisted of meat or fish dishes.
To start: Sea Scallops à la croque (£9.50) were served with a subtle, creamy sauce and delivered, pearl-like, in a pastry-encrusted shell, and lived up to its promise of a deep-sea treasure within. These scallops were the plumpest, most delicately prepared fellows I've ever tasted (says Lauren) and the Parfait de foie gras en gelée de truffe (£10.50) was light yet rich and complemented perfectly by the cranberry-esque gelée de truffe.
For our mains we opted for Roasted rump of lamb with clams, parsley and roasting juices (£16.50) – a tender delight and, at least to me, a surprisingly good combination – and Pigeon from Bresse with foie gras en chou (£19.50), which was cooked perfectly to medium, as ordered, and smothered perhaps over-generously with foie gras, so rich was the effect. The accompanying creamy mash with both meals, classic Marco, was deserving of the fuss it generated in Hell's Kitchen.
We didn't really have room for dessert, but for the good of the review, we forced ourselves. The Tarte sablée of chocolate, glace au lait was, in keeping with the rest of the meal, darkly rich, but not sickly; the glace au lait complimented it perfectly, as did the dessert wine cleverly recommended by the waiter. And the Feuillantine of fresh Raspberries Coulis de framboise (£7.50) was fresh and sweet at the same time, somewhat relieving the usual dessert guilt factor.
The bathroom had a wow factor of its own (fresh towels and Molton Brown for all) and you know you've gone somewhere fancy when they re-fold your napkin while you're in the loo.
A word of warning - the French martinis are not for the lightweight!
Lorraine Crighton-Smith
Dinner for two including wine £100
Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road SW6 (020 7915 2929; www.marcorestaurant.co.uk)