Wellbourne Brasserie, located in the heart of White City Place, features a unique all-day dining menu designed by head chefs Ross Gibbens and Michael Kennedy. Formerly Head Chef and Senior Sous Chef of Dabbous, respectively, Gibbens has also worked at Launceston Place and two Michelin-started venues such as Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, The Square and The Vineyard in Berkshire, and it was at Launceston Place where the pair first met.

The all-day menu begins with breakfast choices, moving onto lunch and then dinner, with the dinner options proving to be simple yet refined. The Brasserie and Bar area collectively accommodates about 70 covers, but it was the al fresco terrace area which worked a treat on a sunny summer’s evening. But the location itself in White City Place is somewhat off the beaten track and slightly hidden away, so it feels more like a neighbourhood spot than a venue that can be easily reached after a bout of shopping at Westfield’s.

We went for dinner and began our meal with a trio of vol-au-vents. Seemingly a dish from the past, it happened to be one of the specialties of the house and were filled with contemporary fillings such as broad beans, ewe’s cheese & mint; salted cod brandade and pulled lamb shoulder with violet mustard. All the fillings were delicious and were encased in a perfectly flaky pastry (1 for £2.5, 2 for £4.5 or 3 for £6).

Wellbourne Brassiere – Vol-au-vents

The list of starters was quite compelling and there was a huge temptation to try more than one each. We ordered three to share. First was the chicken liver parfait with toast, grape chutney and white balsamic (£7). The presentation was tasteful and the parfait itself was velvety and creamy. The white balsamic jelly layered on top of the parfait was however slightly overpowering against the parfait so perhaps the grape chutney alone would have been enough to complete the combination as the acidity element of the dish.

Wellbourne Brasserie –
The starters

Wellbourne Brassiere – Chicken liver parfait

Spatchcock quail with freekeh, tahini yoghurt and preserved lemon (£9) was a delight. The quail was cooked to perfection and moist, and the whole starter worked wonderfully together with the vibrancy of the freekeh, the acidity of the lemon, and the addictive savoury overtones of the tahini yoghurt.

Wellbourne Brassiere – Spatchcock quail

‘La Latteria’ fresh burrata, shaved white asparagus, extra virgin olive oil and smoked black pepper was another wonderful dish. Sourced from La Latteria, London, the creamy deliciousness of the cheese paired with pale shavings of white asparagus proved to be an elegant pairing of simple, yet natural high-class quality ingredients.

Wellbourne Brassiere – Burrata

The main courses had a strong focus on dishes cooked over a Mibrasa charcoal oven which had been imported from Spain. We chose a dry-aged Simmental bone-in sirloin (£25) (Simmental is considered to be one of the oldest cattle types in the world!) and a whole lemon sole with sea vegetables and brown butter (£17).

The lemon sole was probably the knockout dish of the evening. The flesh of the fish was delicate and sweet and beautifully counterbalanced by the richness of the brown butter and the crunchy bite of the well-cooked samphire.

Wellbourne Brassiere – Lemon sole

In contrast the sirloin had a very distinct, aged flavour. It was nicely cooked and boasted of being a quality cut, but it probably wasn’t quite to my taste.

Wellbourne Brassiere – Sirloin

We struggled to choose a dessert as we were quite full by this stage, but on the recommendation of the waiter we went with the most popular items on the menu, a dolce de leche ice cream sandwich (£6) and a millionaire’s shortbread (£4).

Wellbourne Brassiere – Desserts

It makes a huge difference when ice cream is made in house and here it proved to be so. The ice cream was rich and creamy with a luscious caramelly flavour, and the wafers serving as the sandwich were crispy and thin. However the portion was quite big and half the size would probably have been sufficient.

The millionaire’s shortbread consisted of a crunchy, buttery biscuit base topped with a wonderfully rich layer of decadent chocolate. A golden leaf completed the presentation. This dessert was also very tasty.

Overall this was a delightful dining experience. The quality of the cooking embraced many fine dining techniques which were on full display. The quality of the produce also shone through. The service was also attentive and generous. Wellbourne Brasserie is worthy of a visit, especially if you happen to be in the neighbourhood.

Summary Information:

Food rating: 4/5
Service rating: 4/5

Price: About £35 to £40 a head excluding drinks and service.

Website: https://wellbourne.restaurant/