Cornus

I have written previously about the background of Cornus and about its kindly priced wine list. Tonight, we went for the tasting menu at £185 per person. The meal began with an array of canapes. Aged Comte gougère was stuffed with Gruyere fondue, brushed with beurre noisette and shavings of aged gruyere. This was lovely, served still warm, a comforting delight. Also terrific was Iberian pig's head croquette with pickled walnut & burnt apple ketchup, finished with Italian fennel pollen. This had excellent depth of flavour. Mallard liver & foie gras Cornetto had a base of hazelnut praline, topped with parfait of mallard liver and foie gras, garnished with plum ketchup and shaved chestnut. The acidity of the plum ketchup nicely cut through the richness of the liver. A malt pastry tart case was filled with a fondue of Burford cheese, onion ketchup, chestnut mushroom puree and lovage emulsion and dusted with dehydrated mushroom powder. The dish was topped with crispy cauliflower fungus and finished with grated Burford Cheese. Again, this dish worked well, the onion ketchup balancing the richness of the cheese. The final canape was prawn and squid ink cracker with smoked cod's roe and espelette pepper, which had a crisp cracker and pleasant topping. This was the least interesting of the canapes, but the pork croquettes and the gougeres were a joy (average 17/20 canapes).  

For the first formal course of the meal, raw sea bass was diced, and mixed with crème fraiche, shallot, chives, white soy sauce, lemon zest and pickled pink ginger. The white soy sauce is used here to season the dish instead of salt, bringing an umami flavour without altering the texture of the fish. The sea bass mix is placed on top of pickled white radish and topped with dots of oyster cream seasoned with seaweed powder. The dish was finished with crispy shallot, julienne of granny smith apple and purple shiso leaves. This was a very enjoyable dish, the acidity of the apple and the flavour of the shiso leaves providing balance to the sea bass (16/20).

This was followed by an old favourite here, crab with apple. Handpicked large Devon crab from Top Catch in Devon was slowly cooked at 75C (half roasted, half steamed) until translucent. It was then chilled, picked over to remove any shell, then mixed with wasabi mayonnaise, spring onion, nashi pear, chives, lime juice and zest. This was then topped with Hass avocado puree, quenelle of green apple sorbet, and a disc of green apple jelly. The dish was finished with dots of avocado puree, finger lime, Japanese cold pressed wasabi oil and coriander shoots. This was a superb dish, pretty and with a classic flavour combination. The sweetness of the crab and the richness of the avocado is balanced by the acidity of the apple and the gentle bite of wasabi (18/20).  

Next was foie gras terrine. The Hungarian foie gras used here is pre-deveined and blast chilled immediately after the duck is slaughtered to prevent the liver breaking down and to preserve the quality. The foie gras is cured for four hours in salt (a technique taken from Guy Savoy in Paris), then washed off and marinated in plum sake for a further hour. The foie gras is then pressed into a terrine and layered with semi dehydrated Myatt plums. The dish is finished with plum puree, plum chutney and toasted brioche on the side. The terrine had good flavour and the plums had enough acidity to cut through the richness of the liver (16/20).

This was followed by Cornish red mullet, with creamed potato, chanterelles, Créance leeks from the Manche region of France, hazelnut butter and Jura wine. The gill net-caught red mullet was supplied by Simon De Courcy in Cornwall. The fish was pan fried and finished with hazelnut butter. It was accompanied by creamed potatoes and Créance leeks. These leeks are from the Manche region of France, a specific variety known for its long, tender white part and refined, slightly sweet taste. There were also yellow leg chanterelles, and the dish is finished with a creamy mullet bone sauce made with mullet stock and finished with Jura wine. This was another very good dish, the fish having excellent flavour and the leeks working well with it (17/20).

The final savoury course was roast Highland venison, creamed cabbage, sour beetroot, forestière sauce & plum. Roast Highland venison was slowly sealed then roasted at 110 degrees, served with creamed cabbage that was finished with Alsace bacon and the roasting juices from the venison. The dish was completed by sour beetroot puree, a rich venison sauce finished with plum vinegar and forestière mushroom sauce, a creamed mushroom sauce with chanterelles, girolles and ceps. The venison had excellent flavour and the sauces were lovely the woodland flavours of the mushrooms working well with the richness of the venison (17/20). 

Pre-dessert was a plum, sake and vanilla sandwich. A brown sugar biscuit was rolled very thin, and filled with a vanilla and yoghurt parfait. The middle is stamped out and filled with damson jam, plum and sake gel, and topped with a plum powder from the plum skins (which are dried out and then blitzed). Another gel is made with the liquid that the plums were poached in, along with more sake. The dish is finally dressed with red basil and watermelon plum. This worked very well, the sharpness of the plums cutting through the richness of the vanilla, with the mix of textures creating a layered, complex taste experience (17/20).

Apple tart tatin was served with plum kernel ice cream and creme anglaise. Kissabel apples (a red apple developed in France) were layered in a blood plum caramel and baked with puff pastry, glazed with a blood plum juice and served with plum kernel and ice cream, finished with crème anglaise. I have always been a big fan of tart tatin and this was a very enjoyable version, the balance of sweetness and sharpness just right, the pastry being delicate (17/20). 

Coffee was from Difference Coffee, accompanied by Delica pumpkin macaroons filled with pumpkin cream, milk chocolate and clotted cream fudge. Service was charming throughout the evening and the bill came to £266 per person. Cornus provides one of the most enjoyable fine dining experiences in the capital.  

Further reviews: 27th Jun 2025 | 22nd Jan 2025 | 20th Dec 2024 | 08th Nov 2024 | 16th Aug 2024