With London House, Gordon Ramsay ventured out of his usual central London locations to set up in Battersea. London House is a neighbourhood bar and restaurant and resonates with suburban chic. The restaurant overlooks the lovely Battersea Square and boasts of a décor that is modern and classy, yet intimate and welcoming. The menu offers a comprehensive range of modern British dishes, but also boasts of a cocktail lounge bar and a beautiful garden for al fresco drinking (and dining) for those who simply want a tipple.

I recently visited London House as part of a bloggers dinner, and the evening began with some tasty canapés of ham hock and Keen’s cheddar croquettes with mustard mayo and veal Scotch eggs with homemade piccalilli. Both were abundant with flavour, well seasoned and perfectly crisped.

Dinner consisted of three courses including some delectable sourdough bread to nibble on before our starter of Wye Valley asparagus with kale pesto, poached duck egg, wild garlic and hazelnuts. This was an accomplished dish, with each element being extremely well executed. The asparagus maintained a nice crunchiness and the kale pesto was alive with freshness. The poached egg was soft and runny, but had not been seasoned. The wild garlic and the hazelnuts were also lovely and added a nice dimension to the dish.

London House – Bread basket

London House – Wye Valley asparagus

There were two choices for main, one fish and one meat. The fish main was roasted monkfish (£19.50) with tenderstem broccoli and a mussel laksa. I liked the meatiness of the monkfish and thought it was well cooked and well seasoned. I also enjoyed the creaminess of the mussel laksa. However the laksa, with its strong flavours, had the effect of overwhelming the monkfish. Also, the dish was quite dry and needed a sauce – a lemongrass broth perhaps – to really bring it together. So although the individual elements of the dish were nicely cooked, the dish didn’t quite work as a whole.

London House – Monkfish

The second main of roasted lamb cannon with calcot onion purée and artichokes (£22) faired better as a complete dish. The lamb was respectable and tender, the artichokes were perky and the purée provided the lamb with a lovely richness. It was an enjoyable plate on the whole, but here again, I would have liked a little more sauce.

London House – Lamb

Rhubarb and custard donuts (£8) had the potential to be fabulous. The diner on my right had a lovely portion, with each donut being fat with creamy, luscious custard. This contrasted greatly with my serving which disappointed with virtually no custard filling at all. On this front, there seemed to be a consistency issue.

London House – London Food Blog – Donuts

Overall the food was really tasty. Although various elements could have done with a little tweaking, the cooking showed off an accomplished skillset using quality ingredients. It’s a beautiful venue and a lovely place to wine and dine.

SUMMARY INFORMATION:
Likes
1) The asparagus starter was really lovely even though the egg was underseasoned.
2) I enjoyed the lamb dish.

Dislikes:
1) Not enough custard in the doughnuts.

Food rating: 3.5/5
Service rating: 3.5/5

Prices: About £30 to £42 a head.

Website:https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/london-house/