Reviews of L'ortolan

This was our first experience of a tasting menu and one that we really enjoyed. The food was presented beautifully and each course was carefully explained by the server. Some dishes really stood out over others, particularly the terrine and fish course, however we both found that some dishes were surprisingly lacking in flavour. We ordered the truffle dish (which had a supplementary charge of £25) and found it very disappointing and had only a very subtle truffle flavour despite the shavings on the top of the dish. It also lacked quite a bit of texture as it was presented as a creamy mousse. There was about 10-20 minutes between each course, however for one of the courses we waited over 40 minutes which felt a bit long. The dining room was relaxed and not too formal, but it was missing a little atmosphere. All in all it was a good experience with some unique dishes and concepts. There is also a fantastic selection of wines.

Visited here with the family to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I mean what's not to like when you're having an 8 course tasting menu. Absolutely delcious... every course a triumph... looking good enough to eat, but a work of art too. We were treated very well, service was excellent, setting great too... drinks a bit pricey, but this is expected. Not a bad word to say. Scrumdiddlyumptious!!! They also charged the Tesla whilst we spent the best part of two and a half hours dining. Thoroughly recommended for a real treat of a meal.

We had a lovely family birthday celebration here. Food was so interesting and our teenage kids experienced something very different to what they normally eat. The 8 course tasting menu took 3 hours to get through, and level of service wasn't too overbearing as can be in top end restaurants. Classic flight of wines 2 of us enjoyed, and learnt about new wines as they were introduced. 1 star dropped as after already opting for flight of wine and truffle course supplement, was then offered a wine at extra cost to go with the truffle course; that felt like too many upsells! Overall though, would recommend as not just a lunch but a lovely way to spend time with family chatting and trying new flavours

We went for The Chef’s Table experience - a 7 courses lunch which was absolutely delicious! We were sitting literally in front of the kitchen watching the chefs cooking and sending the plates. Every single course was more and more tasty, big applause especially for the carpaccio, the cod & the lamb! The service was amazing, the whole team was very friendly & polite. 👏🏻 to the Chefs! Will definitely be back!

Food was exception, atmosphere was great and whilst the servers were very attentive unfortunate the entire meal took 4 hours in total (but the wine flight helped!). However the staff did inform us that it was their busiest night of the year so far. Would still definitely recommend for a special occasion!

Was taken here for a surprise birthday lunch by my fiancée. She knows I love fine dining. This french restaurant did not disappoint. We had the £49 set lunch menu and ever dish was presented exceptionally and made my taste buds dance. The service was excellent and staff very friendly. If I had to nitpick - the lunch was slightly rushed and the drinks are let's say £££. Anyway this is part of the experience, been to many places in London - this is a really amazing place to enjoy outside of London. The setting of the restaurant is also divine. Go and try this place, you will not be disappointed. An exceptional birthday present.

Lovely venue. Good was delicious and the cocktails were good too We had the tasting menu with the classic wine pairing. Was amazing and left absolutely stuffed. All in the meal was around 3 hours but we had a drink in the lounge before our meal We didn't feel rushed at any point and the service was very attentive. Our night was just over £400 when you add in service. Not a regular trip based on this but well worth the visit for s special occasion

It was wonderful that they accommodated us after our voucher had expired a long time ago. Thank you for that. We had the tasting menu. The waiting staff were obviously trained to a very 'old fashioned' standard which made them seem quite aloof but they did loosen up as the meal went on which was good. The food was very good but not amazing. Drinks very expensive, 2 small aperitifs, 2 coffees and the service charge came to £65.00.

Apologies for a lack of posts. With our wedding coming up very soon, there is plenty to sort out – from table plans to ensuring people get paid. Between wedding stuff and work, there is just not enough hours in a day for me to blog consistently. . I have visited L’Ortolan in the past. Twice to be exact. On my previous visits, Alan Murchison was in charge of the kitchen. Both visits were 5 years apart. What I can remember from both meals was that the food was overworked and the pricing was very ambitious, for a 1* restaurant. On my more recent visit, I was also particularly annoyed with the wine service – we were presented with a dusty bottle and the waiter did not have a Scooby how to handle the wine with a lot of sediment poured into the glass. There was strangely no sommelier around that night. Perhaps it was an off night or perhaps it was because L’Ortolan, then under Murchison’s 10 in 8 Group was heading towards liquidation. Murchison eventually left L’Ortolan after 13 years and in his place is his former protege Tom Clarke.

L’ortolan is, as I’m sure readers of a food blog will know, a small bird that is both a delicacy and an illegal meal in France. The bird is drowned in Armagnac plucked, oven cooked then eaten whole, bones and all, under a napkin. This 'under a napkin' lark is said to be either i) to fully capture the aromas, or ii) to hide your crime of eating a tinnyn songbird from the eyes of God (though personally I think if God is worth his name, he can probably see through napkins; just saying). It is said that Francois Mitterrand’s last meal was two of the birds, after which he didn’t eat again for 10 days before passing. L’ortolan is not on the menu at L’ortolan as far as I could see, though perhaps there’s a secret password that when uttered with a nod and a wink in the right direction... The restaurant today is under the direction of Executive Chef Alan Murchison who will likely be familiar to Great British Menu fans having reached the finals this year where he demonstrated a meticulous attent

Overall the menu was carefully devised and built up the intensity of the flavours. There was a good combination of very traditional and modern techniques, and given the restrictions of working in an unknown kitchen, the team managed to deliver a very varied and delicious meal. The wine pairings devised by the equally fabulous Hotel TerraVina team ratcheted up the enjoyment levels, and it was an excellent opportunity to have dinner devised by a michelin starred chef, and the worlds best sommelier.