Galvin at Windows * | London (UK)
Stunning lunch at a genuine haute cuisine restaurant. Asian influences dictating the menu. Extraordinary service from waiters who understand hospitality!
Situated on the 28th floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane, in the heart of Mayfair, we find Galvin at Windows. Its stunning views over the capital, from the sky scrapers of the City, to the London Eye, Hyde Park, and Buckingham Palace, is something to boast about. They give you postcards with images depicting the view which they will post for you. So you can send your boast anywhere in the world!
The view lost them one important customer though. Her Majesty the Queen will never set foot in the building. The hotel was built in the ‘60s, against the express wishes of the queen, given that it soars above Buckingham Palace and offers guests untrammelled views into her garden.
Chef Patron Chris Galvin opened the restaurant in May 2006 and it gained its Michelin star in 2010, which it still holds. In recent years the restaurant has also gained a new star attraction, in the name of Fred Sirieix, the restaurant’s General Manager and star of TV series First Dates. Fred will also host a new tv program at Channel 4, starting October 1st, called Snackmasters. Looking forward to that!
Head Chef at Galvin at Windows is Joo Won, who hails from Busan, South Korea. After a course in Korean cuisine, Joo left Korea in 2000 to study hospitality management in London and Switzerland. He learned to cook at the prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in Marylebone, which took him to work at Michelin starred Orrey in central Marylebone. Joo left in 2006 to be part of the launch team of Galvin at Windows and worked his way up to taking over the lead kitchen role in 2013.
Galvin at Windows is open for lunch 7 days a week and for dinner on Monday to Saturday. They offer a variety of menu’s: a Menu du Jour for lunch during weekdays (2 courses at £31, 3 courses at £37), a 3-course Menu Prestige for lunch during weekdays, and dinner Monday to Wednesday (at £82), an à la carte menu for Saturday Brunch, a 3-course Sunday Lunch Menu )at £55) and a 7-course Menu Dégustation (at £119).
We had lunch two weeks ago on a Sunday and had the 3-course Sunday Lunch Menu.
White bâtard bread with onions, which was very nice and a brown pain d’epi. Served with some lightly salted butter.
The creamy risotto just had that tender bite you’re looking for. Kimchi making a bold statement with a beautiful flavour and delicious taste. A runny egg in the center to enhance the creaminess even more and enough mature cheddar to be noticed. What an excellent dish!
Tender Iberico pork with a touch of Asian seasoning. Pickled vegetables, balance with a bit of kimchi. Gentle heat from the ssamjang paste to complete this complex flavour combination. A very tasty starter! Ssamjang paste, made with doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions and brown sugar, is typically used in Korean cuisine.
The beaufort crust on the glazed and flaky hake, had a lovely herby flavour. The spicy cabbage was mild, not to overpower the fish, and the binding factor to the pork belly. A surprising combination that works beautifully. The Korean heritage of the chef very visible in this excellent “surf and turf”!
Sea bream with a good cuisson and crispy skin. Leek fondue and cider velouté around it work very well with the fish. A cod brandade croquette and the meaty prawns add complexity to the dish in a good way, as is the crunchy leek. Love this dish with so much going on on the plate.
We shared one cheese platter between us, which proved a good choice seeing the generous amount of cheese on there. A selection of cheeses from London’s well established cheesemonger Buchanans. Italian, French and Spanish cheeses, well explained by the waiter, with a plum puree, grapes and a nice variety of crackers.
Creamy rice pudding with sweet black berries, honeycomb and thin chocolate tuiles, countered by tangy lemon. It’s been a long time since I had rice pudding, and not really a fan. But this made a nice dessert, with enough additions to the rice pudding to make it interesting, even for me.
A great apple tarte tatin with an decent amount of caramel. With the ice cream and rich sweet fudge sauce, simply a joy! Good thing the waiter left the jar with fudge sauce after pouring some over the dish!
As if we still hadn’t eaten enough, a large glass pot of marshmallows arrived completely filled to the top. Lime and strawberry flavour, light and fluffy. They were excellent and a little playful, which made for a nice change compared to the usual offerings.
This was a stunning lunch at a genuine haute cuisine restaurant. I love the Asian influences dictating the menu, the Kimchi Risotto being the absolute highlight. What a beautiful dish!
This is a restaurant with many virtues. The dishes are appealing and delicious, the kitchen technique is solid, there is the view from the 28th floor of course and then there is the service, which is extraordinary! Well-trained staff delivering faultlessly warm and attentive service. Each and everyone of the waiters truly understanding the meaning of hospitality. Chapeau!
I would like to urge the Queen to give it a try, as she doesn’t know what she’s missing! Then she can also see that you can hardly make out anything happing at the palace anyway!
