Last Thursday I visited 74 Charlotte Street by Ben Murphy with two good friends, Angela and Maureen. Rather than navigate the menu ourselves, we were invited to trust the kitchen and enjoy what was explained to us as Ben’s Choice.
All three of us enjoyed these six dishes:
Aged Comte Gougeres, Black Garlic, Chive
Egg & Soldiers, Chicken Liver, Brioche
Seared Tuna, Watermelon, Apple, Sesame
Cornish Cod Loin, Squid Bolognese, Bisque, Kaffir Lime
English Duck, Apricot, Beetroot, Chicory
Salted Caramel, Caramelised Coconut, 70% Dark Chocolate
It proved an excellent way to experience what Murphy and his team are doing.
The first impression comes before any food reaches the table. The restaurant is chic and understated, with a confidence that doesn’t need to announce itself loudly. It feels cool in every sense of the word, contemporary, comfortable and relaxed. On what was a very warm day in London, the air conditioning was also very welcome.
Then came the food.
The Comte Gougeres provide exactly the sort of opening you want from a menu like this, something relatively small that immediately makes you pay attention. From there, Egg & Soldiers takes something instantly recognisable and turns it into a far more sophisticated proposition.
That combination of familiarity and invention runs throughout Ben’s Choice.
The Seared Tuna with Watermelon, Apple and Sesame brings a lighter counterpoint before the menu moves into its two principal dishes.
The Cornish Cod Loin with Squid Bolognese, Bisque and Kaffir Lime was outstanding. There are a lot of ideas contained within that description, but the achievement lies in bringing them together as one dish rather than allowing any individual element to dominate.
The English Duck with Apricot, Beetroot and Chicory followed and maintained the exceptionally high standard. Again, it is the balance of the dish that impresses. Different flavours, textures and contrasts are brought together with apparent simplicity, although you know considerable skill lies behind making it appear that way.
Dessert combined Salted Caramel, Caramelised Coconut and 70% Dark Chocolate. It was a true delight, super yummy, and a fitting conclusion to a menu that throughout demonstrated both technical ability and an understanding that ultimately the purpose of cooking is enjoyment. We enjoyed it enormously.
Across all six dishes, what struck me most was not one clever technique or fashionable ingredient, but the consistency. The food was stunningly good. There wasn’t a point where the menu seemed to lose momentum, nor did any dish feel as though it had been included simply to demonstrate what the kitchen could do.
Just as importantly, the hospitality matched the cooking.
Service throughout lunch was attentive without ever becoming fussy. We were looked after extremely well, but given the space to enjoy the food, the restaurant and each other’s company. That distinction matters. Great service often shows itself through knowing when attention is needed and, equally, when it isn’t.
There is considerable ambition at 74 Charlotte Street, where Ben Murphy’s cooking is allowed to do the talking.
Taking Ben’s Choice also revealed something that ordering individually might not have shown quite as clearly, there is a distinct thread running through the cooking. Classical skill sits alongside imagination, rich dishes are balanced by lighter ones, and recognisable ingredients are presented in ways that make you look at them again.
Excellent food, delivered with assured but relaxed hospitality, in a restaurant that is both stylish and genuinely comfortable.
74 Charlotte Street is somewhere I will be very happy to return to.
Denis Sheehan, Publisher, H&C News
