Foliage
special offer
Special Offer only available online - please book above
The Lunch Hour: 4 courses for £29
Offer Details: ...from a set menu, or £37 which includes 2 glasses of sommelier's choice of wine. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Available: Daily 12:00 to 14:00
Maximum people: 10
Terms: Expires 6th June 08
our review
Chris Staines has been at the cooking helm at Foliage for over five years now. We loved it when we went two years ago and love it even more now. Not afraid to introduce some of the ‘new’ cooking techniques and to constantly experiment, Chris continues to turn out remarkable fine dining that is always brilliantly plated and bold in flavours and execution. If this restaurant was anywhere but in an hotel, it would be far more famous than it is but even so on a Wednesday night it was still full, a situation most restaurants would sell their sommelier for.
And of course you get the view. On a June evening the park looks lovely through the enormous windows and Foliage continues to place a fresh leaf from the park under each glass plate. Green today of course, golden brown in Autumn. The only thing that doesn’t quite work for me are the yellow tablecloths which just don’t seem right somehow. Call me old-fashioned but I like the look and feel of white linen in a fine dining restaurant.
That quibble aside, and once the food arrives who’s looking at the tablecloth, Foliage has it all. I never tire of saying that if the wait staff are enthused about the food then you can be pretty sure it’s going to be good. Here they are positively beaming as they bring out each course, absolutely in the know about every dish and everything in it. The menu at Foliage has been reduced to pure information with no pretentious descriptions: Scallops / Tapioca / Meyer Lemon / Lotus Root for example and Sea Bass / Pumpkin / Chorizo / Ruby Endive and the idea is that you can create your own tasting menu, go for the recommended tasting menu or the Menu Surprise. The latter is perhaps the most fun, with the kitchen deciding on a daily basis what’s best. We had this six course menu which was effectively twelve as it was different for each of us, with dishes that had similar main ingredients, such as scallops or sea bass, but done completely differently. Together with this came wines by the glass chosen by sommelier Gerald Desmousseaux, who made some fun choices that were seriously good.
Twelve dishes is a lot to describe, so I won’t. The standard was so high, stand out dishes were hard to pick but the sea bass with pumpkin, chorizo and ruby endive was superb – crispy skinned fish, a large ‘chip’ of perfectly cooked pumpkin and the oily, spicy chorizo with the bitter endive made a great team. Paired with this was Wild Boy Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, California, USA, 2005 a wine that the sommelier had chosen as much for it’s hilarious label, featuring a ‘Fat Freddy’ lookalike, as anything else. All part of what was consistently an amusing and interesting wine flight.
Seared foie gras “Duck not goose,” the waiter pointed out, with an apple jelly and pain epice was classic and the duck foie gras as melting as any goose liver. Another foie gras dish featured little grains of lavender, almost like a crushed Palma Violet sweets, something which brought back happy childhood memories as the lavender invaded the nose from the inside.
If I was going to be picky I wasn’t that fond of the Pigeon with celeriac, parsnip and chocolate. The pigeon was expertly cooked, the gap between bleeding raw and shoe leather is a small one and the kitchen has to take great care, but I have never liked chocolate with my savoury. Obviously, though, had this not been a Surprise menu I wouldn’t have chosen it in the first place. I vastly preferred my partner’s Chicken with Broccoli Gem Lettuce and Gewurztraminer which was just the right weight for the final main course.
And to dessert - Chocolate with Pineapple and Tonka Bean partnered with a 15 Years Old Maury, Mas a Miel, Roussillon, France. A great finish and only a large expresso gave me enough energy to waddle outside to find a cab. A truly great evening in a restaurant that remains one for those connoisseurs in the know. Fine dining doesn’t get much finer, or fairer priced than Foliage. Always recommended.
N.H. - May 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
just had lunch on the 4 course with 2 glasses of wine per person for 37 GBP deal. The food was heavenly and the service was spot-on - we never had to wait for anything. My husband and I were really impressed with what we got for this inexpensive deal for Saturday lunch. The taste as well as the presentation of the food was top-notch, and all the staff were extremely professional yet kind. I will definitely go back - probably for tasting menu next time!
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Goody Goo
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, May 10, 2008
My partner and I went for dinner at Foliage on friday 25th April.
We enjoyed very well made Cosmopolitan and Moscow Mule cocktails and decided to opt for the tasting menu. The highlights were definitely the belly pork with scallops, the seabass and the beef with veal sweatbreads.
The service was attentive and friendly but also discreet.
OK, so it's not cheap but perfect for a special night out. Our bill came to £260 for two with a lovely bottle of Burgundy, mineral water and 2 cocktails.
I would highly recommend Foliage and would love to return.
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Antonia
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Foliage surpassed my expectations. Having been to other michellin starred restaurants in London, I can say that this one is my favourite so far, and unlike with other top restaurants in London, I would go back to the Foliage. The food was imaginative and absolutely delicious. The service was of high standard without being snobish or intimidating. The atmosphere was lively and varied ( in comparison, the Gordon Ramsey at Claridges' felt like a geriatric; Tom Aikens too serious, formal and quiet). We had a great table overlooking Hyde Park and had such a great time that spent there 3 hours!.-unheard off in a top London restaurant. The lunch menu at £29.90 is incredibly worth it, and amazing value for money. Including drinks, wine and coffee the bill came up to £60 per head, so it puts other Michelin restaurants to shame when it comes to not having to remorgage the house to have an outstanding meal. Highly recommended.
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M. Roberts
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 10, 2008
My partner and I ate in The Foliage in early January 2008 and I have to say it was outstanding.
Granted I live in Ipswich, Suffolk, where we have good food but not great food like this. The beef main dish and the banana desert where out of this world and I cannot wait to return to try some other things.
One small grumble. The waitress was too much of an arse kisser. I don't need someone fussing around me so much but that is what other dinners expect so I guess it is not really her fault.
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Richard Cooke
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, January 26, 2008
I went with a friend for dinner in late December 2007 in the Foliage.
There was a very nice and polite hostess at the entrance, and she brought us to our table nearly the windows.
The table was not really impressive and it was a very small one as well!
Anyway the Assistant Manager introduced us in the menu, he was very polite, very friendly. I sure, that this was the best waiter i´ve ever seen!
We both took the Surprise Menu for 75 Pounds excluding the wines for 56 Pounds extra. Compare to other Michelin starred restaurants in London it´s quite cheap.
But then the first thing to complain about:The wine and water glass full of water spots. We complained immediately to the sommelier and he gave us some new and clean ones.
After that we got out Amuse Bouche. It was very tasty as well as the starter.
But then we got our main course, which was beef with some stuff. Of course, it´s a surprise menu but someone has to ask us about the cooking temperature before they serve the beef. The beef comes medium rare, but we didn´t like it. So we gave it back to the kitchen to cook it medium well. Between this waiting time we got a very delicious sorbet. But then the schock: The beef was the nearly the same than before?!
We tried to forget about that and finished the beef.
The wines were perfectly for each course, including the Moet Rosé to the Pre Dessert.
Alltogether the food was not that we expect before. Sometimes we thought that we are not in a Michelin starred restaurant.
Another point to complain about: Two of our five courses were served by other waiters, I think like Commis Waiters or something like that. Those were not very professional and friendly. I don´t know why the Foliage took them in their team, because the rest of the team ( Manager, Supervisor ) were the best i´ve ever seen!!!
So, the Foliage is alltogether a good restaurant but for my opinion not good enough for a second michelin star, sometimes not really for one! Disappointed about the food, was very easy, without any ideas! The suprise menu was quite similar to the á la carte dishes!! I´m sorry but we expected totally different dishes! Service was superb, except the "commis" waiters.
Atmosphere was a bit boring. Not really relaxing because of the close bar and the small tables.
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Overall rating 
Food 3 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
we visited foliage on 12th jan for our anniversary and had an absolutely wonderful evening. Had a really nice table with very friendly waiters who were happy to explain everything as the menu options are a bit complicated and liting food by ingredients rather than dish name was a little daunting. We opted for the tasting menu (or rather my husband did - I wanted the surprise menu - but I'll definitely be going back to try that one) - had it without the matching drinks but with hindsight as the food was so amazing I now wish we had got the matching drinks too.
Highlights were the chorizo tempura in mushroom soup which was sublime, scallops and foie gras were beautifully done and the dessert which i didn't like the sound of at all blew me away as it was so gorgeous. I think it was about £75 per head which yes it is pricey but i think for the quality of the food is actually very reasonable. We had been to the gavroch only a couple of weeks before which i didn't think could be beaten but this did it. I commend the chef for his artistic talent as everything was not only yummy but an absolute work of art, and for his bravery with the unique way of presenting the menus and for the combination of ingredients. Have told everyone we know how good it was and can't wait to go back.
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denise mchale
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 18, 2008
We went for a dinner on Friday evening and chose 4 courses out of 5 options. It is fun that one can have two/three starters and have the dessert while skipping the main. Personally I get bored of too much of the same piece of meat so this was perfect. In fact, the food was as good as a polished restaurant can get. It was delightful.
I have, however, some observations. The bar is right next to the restaurant. Perhaps this is a Friday evening thing but the noise - drunken people laughing and shouting started to become rather irritating later so if you are after a romantic dinner, perhaps avoid Friday until the restaurant builds a wall or move the bar further away.
I was rather scared as I walked down the stairs to the hotel bathroom as I had to pass by a drunkard holding on to the balustrade and looking very uncomfortable.
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Jo
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Booked this restaurant for friend's 40's birthday.
Very attensive service - from the receptionist to the manager to the whole team. Very relax and not too formal.
Didn't find the decoration bland - when you have the fantastic view of Hyde Park I don't think that interior matters.
Food is really good. I had the tuna and my friends had ox tail soup. Both top quality. Desert is another highlight and I would recommend those exotic options (passion fruit, mango etc).
Would definitely go back!
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J Tung
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 29, 2007
My huband treated me to a meal at Foliage last night for my 30th birthday - and what a meal to remember. We had the special tasting menu from Norbert Niederkofler who was was a guest chef for this week only. I was happy to sit-out the pork course as i dont eat pork but the staff were really helpful and accomodating and invited me to substitute it with any other main course off the aa la carte menu.
The meal was absolutely delicious and the service faultless - we were made to feel so welcome and we really had a fantastic evening.
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Alex Cook
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Yesterday I went to Foliage for lunch to sample the cooking of their guest chef, Norbert Niderkofler, from the well-regarded St. Hubertus restaurant in Italian South Tyrol. I had the Tasting menu and it was a very worthwhile experience.
The food has Austrian and Italian influences, with good and fresh flavours, and was very good value at £55. I had a glass of wine with each course, selected by the sommelier. All Italian, those produced by Jermann and Lageder were especially good. The sommelier obviously knows his "business" as it can't have been easy to find wines to accompany so well dishes such as a pine needle risotto or pasta parcels filled with Graukaese, a sharp mountain cheese from the region. The menu was autumnal in taste and "feel" and the experience was enhanced by a view of the trees in Hyde Park, an attractive picture of green, brown and gold.
Special mention for the service which was unfailingly professional and polite, yet friendly: a combination which some other restaurants of the same class can't seem to manage so successfully.
I would very happily return to sample the regular menu.
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JohnP
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
