The Capital

The second meal over my birthday weekend was at the Capital, a hotel restaurant in Knightsbridge that has 2 Michelin stars. That's not unusual - Gordon Ramsay at Claridges and the Savoy Grill had stars at some point - but the Capital is a boutique hotel. It's only got 49 rooms, but given the location, they are probably all luxuriously appointed. They have to be, to match the standard of the food. The chef at the Capital is Eric Chavot, and he's been there since 1999.

The Capital Hotel
22 Basil Street
London SW3 1AT
020 7589 5171

This was the first time I had ever been to the Capital, and only my second time to a 2 star Michelin restaurant (the first was Gidleigh Park). The decor is bright, fresh, functional and comfortable. The staff were very helpful, and the sommelier was kind enough to introduce our sole glass of wine (the Pretty Lady had decided that she had had enough for the weekend) with the same enthusiasm as if we had ordered a full bottle. It was Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir by the way, which I would buy bottles of if they were but a little cheaper...

It's now about 3 weeks after the event, so I don't remember in great detail what we ate, so I'll just summarise the food quickly and dwell on the impressions I've taken away. To start I had a dish of smoked haddock, flaked and topped with a poached egg, that was absolutely delicious. I don't usually go for fish starters, unless they are strongly flavoured, and my intuition was certainly right here. I then had breast of duck, which came presented a little strangely, sliced into three thick blocks, but was roasted perfectly - basted with honey, crispy skin, and just a little pink. It too was delicious. For dessert I had guarani (a type of chocolate) jelly and I think caramel ice cream. The combination worked very well, although the bittersweet rich guarani needed no accompaniment. I also had a cheese plate, an amuse bouche and petit fours, but I can't really remember what they were, nor what the Pretty Lady ate.

The Capital is such a relaxing place to visit. Mingling with lunchers like the Pretty Lady and myself were hotel guests, who more often than not were alone, and reading the newspaper. The Pretty Lady and I found it an extremely quiet lunch, just chatting and relaxing on the morning after a long night out. Since the place had only 12 tables, it's cosy and intimate, and at times we felt as if we were in our own sitting room. It might have been the mythical Starbucks of the TV ad not so long ago: a home away from home, except that the food was of superlative quality and (instead of coffee) the wine was so good I would have ordered a bottle and swigged it all by myself if I wasn't still slightly hung over.

I have to go back. And soon.

Scores:

30 April 2008: TFQ = 28, CS = 27, S = 17, AD = 9, VfM = 9. Total = 90 points.

What does this mean?