Update: Nathan Outlaw is no longer a chef at The Capital. Their restaurant is now known as the Restaurant at The Capital.
A stone’s throw away from Harrods, The Capital is one of London’s most charming luxury hotels. It’s also home to Nathan Outlaw’s Michelin starred Outlaw’s at The Capital, his only London restaurant.
Nathan’s 2 Michelin starred Cornish restaurant has just been awarded a perfect 10 out of 10 by the Waitrose Good Food Guide. We were therefore delighted to be invited to experience his London outpost and to review their set lunch menu.
Paul was relaxing in the stylish bar area of Outlaw’s at The Capital when I arrived.
We stayed in the bar to sample what I thought at first was champagne…which was actually a sparkling wine from Cornwall’s largest vineyard.
Camel Valley 2013 ‘Cornwall’ Brut is a fruity delight that shows how far British wine has improved in recent years.
We then moved through to the light and airy dining room where a window table awaited us. Before our first course, our friendly waiter brought us some homemade bread which tasted delicious. It’s known as Doom Bar Beer Bread and is one of Nathan’s signature recipes and also widely available in Cornish bakeries. Made with beer, fermented peach juice and topped with Cheddar cheese and rosemary, it was hard not to eat it all in one go!
We also enjoyed a complimentary appetizer, a very moreish cod’s roe dip which opened our appetite nicely…not that mine ever needs any encouragement ;-). Head Chef of Outlaw’s at The Capital, Tom Brown, works closely with Nathan, who spends time each week in London with him.
The owner of The Capital Hotel, David Levin, has a vineyard in the Loire Valley of France which produces his own private label wines for his hotels and restaurants. Having lived in this area, I know that it produces some really fine wines. David and his Australian wife Lynne have introduced new viticulture techniques, by shipping a whole winery over from Australia to France. Levin Wines have won many awards for their organic Sauvignon Blanc.
My starter of smoked mackerel was served with a tasty mix of well seasoned cucumber, dill, capers and oyster mayonnaise. Sometimes, mackerel can be rather overpowering in taste but this was delicate and the skin was perfectly crispy.
Paul went for the special of the day, a risotto with fresh crab. Nathan is particularly well known for his seafood and this certainly didn’t disappoint. Portion size is generous here, you won’t go away feeling hungry but then again, you don’t feel overloaded either.
For my main, I chose a hearty dish of duck with an accompaniment of pink grapefruit, pistachio and chicory tart. I’ve always enjoyed the combination of duck with a citrus or red fruit but never tried it with grapefruit before. It works really well and the meat was very tender. Normally I’d discard the skin but this was too good to miss and not at all fatty.
Paul was tempted by the hake with a distinctive curry sauce, accompanied by cabbage and shallots. The flavour of the vegetables really shone through and the curry made a great change from the usual sauces.
Our sommelier recommended an unusual Elysium Black Muscat 2014 to go with our dessert. This Californian wine is made from one of the rare black-skinned Muscats by Andrew Quady and deserves to be better known.
As you can see, it has a stunning blackish-red colour and the taste is rich and velvety with notes of red fruits.
For dessert, great minds thought alike as we both opted for the passion fruit ice cream sandwich. The tuile sandwich gave it a satisfying crunch, contrasting nicely with the unctuous ice cream. Topped with fresh coconut sorbet and drizzled with a passion fruit coulis, it was a fantastic finale to our meal.
We found lunch to be very reasonable for the quality of food at £24 for two courses and £29 for three courses. If you want to reproduce Nathan’s cooking at home, you can also purchase his cookbook, Nathan Outlaw’s Everyday Seafood.
I’ve been drooling at all the delicious recipes! Alternatively, head to Dubai where Nathan’s new restaurant at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Al Mahara means Oyster Shell in Arabic and it’s set to be as big a success as his Port Isaac and London restaurants.
Outlaw’s at The Capital, 22-24 Basil Street, Knightsbridge, London SW3 1AT
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I went to Nathan’s signature restaurant in Cornwall and I was really blown away by his seafood tasting menu. I was also lucky enough to meet the man himself on the night. I will definitely try this one soon, I love mackerel!
The mackerel was delicious, you’re sure to enjoy this place, Angie
Wow can’t believe how good the value is for the quality! The duck sounds incredible x
The duck was a real treat, Eppie – highly recommend it
Beautiful restaurant and the food looks delicious!
www.leftbanked.com
It’s in a great location and the food was lovely
A passion fruit ice sandwich sounds right up my street! I’ve walked by this hotel countless times, but need to venture in next time 🙂 xx
It was utterly delicious, Ayushi! Hope you are keeping well
It definitely has your name on it – hope you had fun in NY
You look amazing, love that dress and yummy what a swanky place
xo
www.laurajaneatelier.com
That’s very kind, Laura – hope your week has started well
What great value given the quality to price ratio. I love that they serve English sparkling wine – restaurants all too often only serve Champagne or Prosecco so it’s nice that Outlaw’s give a nod to UK sparkling wine producers too. Bread is one of my weaknesses – the Doom Bar Beer Bread looks delicious…I think I would have devoured the whole lot on my own 🙂
The UK sparkling wine was definitely on a par with champagne – I’d love to visit the winery! As for the bread, it was so moreish
I’m pretty much drooling over your meal right now!! I’m a huge fan of duck so I would definitely order your main course!
http://thecourtneydiaries.com
I love duck too, it’s not something that I cook much at home so nice to eat it when out to dinner!
For some reason, I really love the teal bucket chairs shown in the bar area! The food looks really tasty, especially the duck 🙂
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x
The bar area was so cosy, and very handy after shopping at Harrods!
Oh my word- this all looks so amazing!
Georgia | The Weekend Attic
It was a lovely afternoon, Georgia
The food looks absolutely amazing! Nicely paired with that gorgeous bottle of Sauvignon Blanc!
The Sauvignon Blanc did go very nicely, Miriam!
David looks like the perfect man in waiting very dapper in his suit. The mackerel looks delicious and passion fruit in a dessert is always a yes Lucy x