Galvin at Windows

I had a wonderful dinner at Galvin at Windows last night. The view from the top floor of the London Hilton fantastic, especially with the city lit up at night. I thought it was a lovely gesture that we were presented with two postcards of the view which they would deliver anywhere around the world!

The menu sounded great, full of bold flavours but also interesting combinations. I couldn't resist starting with the wild mushroom risotto. It both looked (sorry, photos didn't come out!) and tasted intense, with an unrivalled earthy flavour from the mushooms and truffle cream, with occasional piquant bites from the pickled walnut. A perfect risotto.

For mains, I had poached brill, which was served in a Japanese-style with a shellfish and dashi broth and enoki mushrooms. I really loved the flavoursome broth, and the fish was beautifully cooked. The brill was topped with a herb potato crust, which was delicious and made the plate look like a pebbly island surrounded by the dashi sea, however I'm not sure that it went with the rest of the dish.

We had a fantastic cheeseboard which ranged from a grassy goats cheese, to a very strong Vacherin, to my favourite cheese, Comté, and a very good Stilton. They were served with great restaurant-baked crispy thins.

I finished the meal with a buttermilk panna cotta: with lychee granita and thin slices of pineapple it made for a refreshing dessert.

The charming waiters very kindly brought me a congratulatory post-dessert, and then I was lucky enough to meet André Garret and peek into the kitchen where the immaculate dishes were being prepared.