Following the success of the pop-up ‘On the roof with Q’, Selfridges have continued in seasonal style in conjunction with Des Macdonald (Q Grill) and opened up ‘Le Chalet’ another pop up which is open until February 2015.
Instead of having the summery vibe on a roof top, the roof has been transformed to have a ski chalet theme, which makes you feel like you’re in Aspen. The décor has a wintery feel, that’s very warm and cosy, which makes it suitable for a romantic meal with your other half, or a great hang out with friends.
The drinks menu consists of winter favourites, Gluwein – Le Chalet’s twist on the classic winter mulled wine and Hot chocolate but this time spiked; ‘Choctails’ which are a must try. Also the main menu had the same winter theme going on with dishes like the Oxtail and winter root broth, and herb dumplings, Spit roasted suckling pig, with apple & black pudding fritters, Buttermilk chicken schnitzel, with blue cheese fondue amongst other great main dishes. I tried one of their choctails The Cuban also referred to as El Dorado, and this was a nice hot chocolate with the kick and warmth you get from the rum topped with whipped cream. My friend ordered the Double Choc, a mix of white chocolate and hot chocolate with Brandy. She was raving about it, and would definitely recommend trying this drink.
Prior to Le Chalet opening, I checked the menu out and was really excited about it, especially their Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese, but unfortunately this was removed from their menu, I’m not sure why, so I decided to go with the USDA beef rib eye, grilled jumbo shrimp and my friend decided to go for the Barked short rib, with caramelised parsnip mash. She loved the short rib, and was quite surprised at the parsnip mash, as she doesn’t like parsnips and she really enjoyed this, I’ve had the short rib previously when it was served at ‘On the roof with Q’ and I can testify that it’s one of the best meals on their menu, the portion size is quite sufficient and it’s good value for money.
The USDA beef rib eye, grilled jumbo shrimp, didn’t come with any sides, so I ordered a side portion of seasoned fries. The rib eye was really tender, cooked to medium perfection, the jumbo shrimp also was perfectly grilled with a nice charcoal taste to it, all topped off with a garlic butter sauce. Unfortunately my seasoned fries were too salty and since this was my accompaniment, it didn’t go well with my steak, which was a shame as the steak was cooked really well.
We ordered another round of cocktails, this time my friend ordered the Gingerbread Slipper which was a mix of Havana rum, gingerbread, lemon, egg white and vanilla bitters. Initially she was a bit sceptical about the drink having egg white in it, but the drink tasted nice, as I was able to taste it as well. She described it as a sip of the winter sun. Unfortunately, Le Chalet needed their table back after 2 hours due to pre booked reservations and demand, however the waiters were really pleasant and showed us to terrace which had been transformed into a log cabin that offered a great view of the city, and we were given blankets to keep warm. We stayed and chatted here for a while until British weather decided to dampen the situation and unfortunately there wasn’t a roof so we had to leave, but it was a nice experience, made me feel like I was in my ‘ski lodge in Aspen’.
I would recommend trying ‘Le Chalet’ this winter, as they have a lot to offer, they also have a nice Christmas menu, which would be great for those planning Christmas parties, and they do breakfast and afternoon tea, which would be nice to catch up with friends before or after your day of Christmas shopping. For those who are daring enough, they also offer cigars, which could be a good chill out session with the guys, smoking Cubans and drinking cocktails or choctails should I say.
http://q-grill.co.uk/selfridges/
Overall Experience: 4 stars
Customer Service: 4 stars
Meal: 3.5 stars
CONSUME LONDON 