[London] Ollie Dabbous' Henrietta Restaurant in Covent Garden ** CLOSED **

I’d been reading quite a bit about the impending closure of Ollie Dabbous’ Michelin-starred namesake restaurant in Fitzrovia at end-June, and the opening of his new restaurant by the end of the year. So, I’m pretty intrigued by this latest venture of his at the Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden which just opened last month. No name - other than the hotel’s address on its name card.

The food was as inventive as Dabbous’, again showcasing some very fresh ingredients and adorned with pretty edible foliage, something I’d associate with Noma years ago, but which has become de rigeur in top London restaurants these days.

Henrietta’s flatbreads are pretty interesting - we tried two of them:

  1. Grilled flatbread with crushed avocado, toasted angelica seeds and fresh mint. Whilst I liked the textural combination of mashed avocado and avocado chunks, the whole ensemble tasted a bit bland to me. Plus, avocados in the UK don’t seem to have that coconuty-like richness which I find in properly-ripened avocados in Australia or the US.

  2. Grilled flatbread with freshly-picked crab, garlic butter and coastal herbs. This one was absolutely delicious, with the freshness of the crab really showing through. Don’t miss this.

Appetisers:

  1. Spring vegetables, wild garlic & Graceburn cheese in a light lamb broth. I found the lamb broth a bit too intense, but the dish was still enjoyable overall - again, the wonders of foraging, love the little interesting edibles I find when I dig into the bowl.

  1. Sheep milk curds with spring onion, pistachio, lime & marigold shoots. While I do enjoy the crunch from the generous amount of pistachios at the bottom of the salad, the heapful of sliced spring onions on top did put me off a bit at the beginning.

Main course options

  1. Roast seabass, warm tarama broth & dressed courgette. Perfectly cooked, with the freshness of the sea bass being showcased by the simplicity of the dish.

  1. 7-year grass-fed Simmental rib-eye, crushed green herbs, fried agria potatoes & garlic mayonnaise.

Dessert
We were stuffed , but decided to go for their much-recommended madeleines, baked to order. These were so delicate and fluffy - literally breaking apart on our fingers as we hold them to dip into the Chantilly cream. Do NOT miss these!

Our wines: David Duband Burgundy 2014 and Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2014.

Address
The Henrietta Hotel
14-15 Henrietta Street
London WC2E 8QH
Tel: +44 203 794 5314
Opening hours: Lunch from 12 noon, dinner from 6pm (reservations made between 6pm-7.30pm will have a return time).

4 Likes

Sadly, this beautiful spot didn’t last long - Ollie Dabbous has moved onto his new venture, HIDE on 85 Piccadilly (which took over the spot of the former La Brasserie Mayfair).

Henrietta Hotel has terminated their relationship with Ollie Dabbous and opened a casual French eatery, Henrietta Bistro, in its place in June 2018 with chef Sylvain Roucayrol (coming over from Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels) helming the kitchen.