While I laze around in my bed, feel poorly and overall sorry for myself- I can’t help but think about the 100 layer lasagne I had at 35 New Cavendish.
First of all can we just talk about what a hidden gem is Marylebone High Street? It’s never too packed or busy- be it the weekend or week day and that’s what I love about it. Everyone’s so busy hogging Oxford Street and Bond Street that they forget about Marylebone High Street. From the Peruvian Pachamama to down and dirty burgers at The Joint… Yum!
Don’t get me wrong- I’m NOT complaining at all! In fact I’m delighted, albeit being a little selfish that I get to roam the high street without complaining how busy it is :p
So back to 35 New Cavendish! It’s not a new restaurant and they’ve been open since 2014. As the name suggests, a modern brasserie located on New Cavendish Street. Modern exteriors and you’re marooned by the warmth of the place when you enter. Downstairs has a cool bar/modern upmarket Pub vibe where you can dinner while seated on high chairs or just have good ol’ ‘chin wag’ (I hope I used that term right, haha!) with your friends. Upstairs is a little more proper and just a teeny bit “racy”, with booths you can share with a group of friends.
They’ve just launched their new summer menu and behind this revamp is their newly appointed Italian Head Chef Douglas Santi who worked under the acclaimed Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. The menu is quite diverse and there’s something for everyone. It has an Italian vibe, Mediterranean pizzazz and European textures…to name a few.
We got to sample a variety of dishes such as the Steak Tartare which was made to perfection. I wasn’t a fan of the lobster and avocado brioche as it lacked seasoning for me and the avocado was quite dominant. I would’ve liked the lobster to shine!
I could tell everyone was desperately waiting to try the 100 Layer Lasagne. We were wondering, it is REALLY 100 layers or is it just some marketing gimmick?! How would you plate it? How would one even finish it!? So many questions with a simple plate of pasta 😀
The problem with having food bloggers over for dinner is by the time they’re done taking photos, the food is already lukewarm. Such was the case with the lasagne dish. All that expectation and sadly did not match the hype. There could be a lot of factors why this was a case so I’m not going to pass a judgement on just one visit.
The beef sliders were wayyyy better than the lobster sliders. The beef was seasoned well, it was moist and the cheese was gooey. I always overdose on sliders because they’re so small and you don’t realise you’ve eaten a whole burger (4 sliders=1 burger in my book) By the 7th I’m like, why am I so full again?!
Never been a fan of quinoa. May be it’s because of that one time I tried to cook quinoa on an empty stomach and it took FOREVER to boil it and the end result was not what I was expecting. Haven’t voluntarily touched quinoa ever since.
But this dish was different because A. I did not make it. B. It seemed like it was cooked VERY well and C. Those juicy prawns on top- well who could resist them?!
A dish well constructed and definitely ticks the ‘healthy’ box in keeping with YOUR bikini diet (not mine- I’m wayyyyy past these bikini diets :P) The only thing for me- lack of seasoning which is quite subjective. It did lack a punch. I wanted to eat it and have fireworks go off in my mouth…
A surprise dish I actually did like was the Artichoke Gratin. Haven’t had it cooked like this before and I loved the soft and crunchy textures of this dish. The menu has a good balance of meat only, vegetarian seafood dishes. There really is something for everyone!
What menu is complete without a good steak dish? Although I don’t think this steak dish can be shared between two people!? I mean I eat this for starters ALONE. (joking!) But I really could have finished this dish on my own if I hadn’t sampled gazillion other dishes that night. They cooked the rib eye in their Josper oven which kept the meat super tender from the inside- so tender that we didn’t even need steak knives. Does it kick Goodman’s or Hawksmoor’s ass? Not really, but it’s a good plate of steak for sure.
There was an assortment of desserts which was the final nail in the coffin for my food coma…I don’t think the folks at 35 New Cavendish realised how generous they were being with the food nor did I realise I was still a fat ass who can devour copious amounts of food…God save me!
All in all- a very enjoyable evening meeting some new faces over delicious food. Was it mind blowing? No. I’m going to play is safe and say it was good. But it definitely deserves another visit in a ‘normal’ setting to really sell itself to me.
Do visit if you’re around Marylebone High Street and looking for a place to hide away from the rain!
Hours of Operation
Mon – Sat: 8am to 10:30pm, Drinks until 11pm
Sunday: 8am to 6pm, Drinks until 10pm
Reservations Contact:
35 New Cavendish Street
London
W1G 9TR
T: 020 7487 3030
reservations@35newcavendish.com
Reservations can be made via telephone, website or Opentable
Instagram: @35NewCavendish
Twitter: @35NewCavendish
