This weekend seriously felt like Spring. Not only because the clocks change, but mainly because the sun finally peeked out to say hello. There was no more need for a coat, definitely not tights and my gloves were taken out of my handbag (finally!)
London is so beautiful in the sun; the blossom seems to be just that little bit brighter, the sun rays warmer and life’s just a little better when you don’t need a coat. It seemed only fitting that on the first day of Spring I’d be finally dining at Spring Restaurant.
On Saturday, I went for lunch at Skye Gyngell’s restaurant, Spring at Somerset House. I’d been looking forward to it for absolutely ages, not just because I can talk to these girls for hours about travel and food, but also because I’ve wanted to eat at Spring forever. Literally I remember putting it on my restaurant list the day it opened! Skye Gyngell’s success at Petersham Nurseries earned her a Michelin star and her foodie reputation is internationally known as one of Britain’s most respected chefs.
I walked through the garden courtyard into the restaurant, and honestly couldn’t think of a more perfect restaurant for such a sunny day. Light streams in through the huge windows and it’s seriously beautiful!
The sun literally poured onto our table and we toasted to the sunshine! Angie and I with Jacque Picard champagne and Eppie and Emma with beautiful blush rhubarb Bellini’s.
We started with homemade breads and salty butter – two types of which both were delicious, one nutty and more dense, it reminded me of the delicious dark rye bread we enjoyed in Copenhagen. The other was a perfect sourdough, perfectly soft on the inside, with a really crunchy, chewy crust. So good! If you judge restaurants on bread you’d love it!
For starters, Angie had the Spring artichokes with carne salata and sheep’s milk ricotta. Carne salata is an Italian cured beef which is apparently incredibly tender. The tenderness is said to be due to the process by which farmers sing to the cows so they lead more relaxed lives, giving a better texture and flavour to the meat. Now, I’m not sure whether that really has any impact but Angie assured me it was a delicious starter!
Emma had the most beautiful looking plate of scallops which gave me major food envy. They were served on cauliflower puree with a beurre blanc sauce and chives. I’ve got to try this next time!
Eppie opted for the set menu with a starter of roasted wet garlic with goat’s curd and bruschetta. Another beautiful looking starter that I’d have happily gobbled up!
Simple as it is, I went for the buffalo mozzarella with rainbow chard, broad beans and lemon oil. It was the perfect light starter, rich with the cheese but really fresh. It was simple but so delicious. The cheese just melted and the chard had enough bite to give the dish some texture.
We giggled about our other halves, compared restaurant bucket lists, chatted about the highs and lows of blogging and discussed our recent trips. Emma’s recent long weekend in Cornwall has twisted my arm. I’ve wanted to plan a trip down south for the summer and she seriously sold it to me!
As my other half is allergic to shellfish I tend not to eat so much of it anymore, so when I saw my favourite fish paired with clams on the menu I just knew I was going to have to order it! The monkish with clams, roasted almonds, rosemary and aioli didn’t disappoint! My monkfish was perfectly cooked, soft and succulent, and meaty with just the right amount of flake. It was served in a flavour-packed sauce, with clams and olives and the huge hunk of charred sourdough toast carried it perfectly. The aioli was moreish and I mopped up the sauce with the slightly sour toast – just so damn tasty! It’s one of the best seafood mains I’ve had in London and I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough to any seafood fans!
Angie went for the Roasted river test trout, which was served on a bed of braised fennel, with crème fraiche and fresh chilli sauce.
Emma had a light main of ricotta dumplings with wild garlic and ricotta salata. I hadn’t seen ricotta dumplings outside of an Italian restaurant but they seemed to be a good option for mains and Emma had hoped the broth could help fight off a cold!
Eppie’s pork and veal meatballs with yellow polenta looked hearty and well cooked – like comfort food finessed!
All of us polished off our mains without a crumb wasted!
I just loved the design of the restaurant – it is seriously the most pretty place I think I’ve ever eaten at in London! Gorgeous blush tones, cream everywhere, an opulent marble bar, fresh lemons as table centrepieces and fabulous oak flooring. It’s light and airy with high ceilings, cloud shaped chandeliers and beautiful textured art in white and pale blue on the walls. The sun draped every corner. It’s breathtakingly pretty, and if I had a restaurant this is exactly how I’d want it to look! It’s pretty, feminine, and ideal for a sunny day.
My dessert was an almond tart with sweet, French, gariguette strawberries and a vanilla cream. How could you go wrong with strawberries and cream. So good! It had a really nutty flavour and was a pretty hearty portion for something that looked light! If you love nutty pud’s this is definitely the one for you!
Angie went light with a duo of sorbets and Emma and Eppie both opted for the Hazelnut meringue with damson ice cream. I just loved how these were served – the cute cups for the sorbet were fairground-esque and the colour of that damson ice cream epitomises this season for me! Pretty as a picture!
I just loved our lunch at Spring with my favourite blogger girls! The food is faultless, service was great and it’s seriously the definition of #interiorgoals. Angie, Emma and Eppie are some of the most genuine bloggers I’ve the pleasure to call friends and the conversation flowed so much that we were at Spring for FOUR hours without conversation dying once! Such awesome ladies with incredible blogs. Check them out: here for Angie, here for Eppie and here for Emma.
I’m hoping to go back to Spring as soon as I can – there were so many things on the menu I wanted to try and I’ve noticed a very reasonable pre-theatre menu that is top of my must-try lists!
Of course we weren’t the first to have a lunch here and we certainly won’t be the last but you’ve got try it for a sunny lunch. It’s not cheap but I so highly recommend it, it would be the perfect treat for a late Mother’s day lunch or special meal.
Trust me, sunshine or no sunshine, you’ll love it!
Spring can be found at the beautiful Somerset House, in Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA.
Website link here.
Go soon and let me know what you think! Here’s hoping the sunshine lasts…
What did you get up to this weekend? Did you get any sunshine?!