Evening Standard Menu at The Orrery

I love the new Evening Standard. Better features, fantastic campaigns, a newer funkier ES Magazine - especially under Andy Barker. And most of all I love the special deals that they offer at certain restaurants. The current offering is in association with D&D restaurant group as well as Piper Heidsieck Champagne. So we went en famille avec boyfriend to The Orrery, which was at the higher end of the scale - £30 for three courses and Champagne. I've been once before for my father's 60th and brother's 30th so knew that it would be a good bet, although probably not as good as the tasting menu with wine I had last time!


In reality if you drink (alcohol) then you'll probably end up spending double that price - especially when you factor in the 12.5% service charge, which is well worth it here. Even with the Evening Standard menu, you are showered with amuse bouche and pre courses - cheese gougere balls - think cheesy mini profiteroles, the sweetest french onion soup, apple jelly crumble and fresh assorted chocolate truffles. All divine although I wasn't keen on those particular truffle flavours.


It was a decent paired down menu with about five options for each course. This included amongst the starters a type of venison terrine with betreet chuntey consisting of betroot and jelly chunks, seafood raviolo in a bisque broth with a rich but not overpowering flavour as some bisques can be and a caramelised onion and goats cheese tart with perfectly ripe goats cheese. And the breads that accompanied these were to die for. I'm not normally a bread girl unless they are beautifully fresh like these and made without preservatives, so you can really taste the ingredients.


The main courses were not quite as enticing once they arrived as they were on the menu. As the crown of partridge was sat atop puff pastry whilst the mushroom feuillete with poached egg with hollandaise appeared on the same base - bit too much pastry for me - perhaps I should have ordered the sea bass with citrus fruits which looked amazing that a couple of the others enjoyed.


The service is incredible - they didn't seem to bat an eyelid when I asked to check my snow boots into the cloakroom. And you're defintely not left wanting for anything. They kindly let us order a cheese and the sorbet & ice cream selection and waved the supplement for these cheese as we only wantd those two puddings out of our allocated four. The cheese cart is a must for fanatics - you can see why it s worthy of a supplement - with pretty much something for all. Mild goats cheese, mature manchego and stinky gooey cheese the could run off your plate. As offers go - this far outsrips any of the others on the discount sites where you end up paying the normal price for a rather rushed and often not enjoyable meal (Marco Pierre White's Kings Rd Steakhouse springs to mind)


You have until 19th February to check out the resaurant at these special prices.
http://www.orrery-restaurant.co.uk/offer/evening-standard-at-orrery/350
020 7616 8000

www.trisori.com