Dinner at Motcombs, Belgravia

 

Motcombs, Belgravia

I love a good old fashion glam dining now and then. It reminds me when we use to go to restaurants, and we understood the menu straight away – No fuss and no fancy wording.  I enjoyed an animated and incredibly beautiful dinner with my friends Tracey, Jeanne and Alan at Motcombs.

Eating at Motcombs in the  Belgravia area of London is quite an experience. It is nestled between 5-star hotels, Harvey Nichols and designer shops, the likes of Christian Louboutin.  This eatery has been going since 1982 and the decor it seems it hasn’t changed much since.  There are large original paintings covering much of the walls in the formal dining room in the basement.  Vases with beautiful and fragrant tied flowers arrangements on every single table.  Big candles and proper white table setting – love it!  The decor is conservative and the service is friendly with lots of smiles. Our waiter and restaurant manager, Tatiana, was incredibly attentive.

The menu at Motcombs consists in good traditional, straightforward dishes with portions that brought tears (of happiness) to my eyes. No small skinny portions at ridiculous prices. Their portions match the price of the dishes, big and not cheap.  There was quite a bit of movement in the dining room on a Wednesday evening.   We started with a glass of bubbly at the basement area which is quite formal, but It doesn’t feel stuffy.  The atmosphere had a relaxed elegance about it.

Loch Ryan Oysters

We started with half a dozen each of seasonal Loch Ryan Oysters Bed. These oysters came from South West Scotland and the Lock itself is 12km long and 4 km wide and it’s been in the Wallace family since 1701.  This supplier careful breeding programme has won quality awards over the years including  ‘Scotland’s Best Native Oyster’.

Loch Ryan Oysters

The oysters were served naked and swam in their shells. They were fat, firm and plump with a crunchy bite–they don’t need anything at all. But we did have the traditional trimmings including a delicious ketchup and horseradish sauce that I spread all over the buttered triangular cut bread on the side – delicious!  We drunk a cold glass of Sancerre “Les Jeanettes”, Etienne de Laury, 2012  from the Loire Valley and just enjoyed the experience. If you are not a fan of oysters, there are quite a lot of options in the menu including nice looking vegetarian dishes – I had a peek of the tables around us.

The main course was a resounding ‘yes, please!’ to the Lobster linguini with fresh chopped tomatoes and coriander – divine!  The pasta could ‘ve done with a minute less cooking for my taste, but still good and tasty as it were. I drunk a glass of robust Bordeaux Red.

Alan had the grouse with all the trimmings, which tasted fabulous – I couldn’t resist and had a cheeky sample of it… Grouse season is finally upon us.  We also had side salad – rocket and Parmesan and tomato  and onions.

 

Desserts were, as usual, shared between of us.

Sexy and food porn worthy Flourless Chocolate Cake chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream

Tiramisu Italian made with Kahlua, mascarpone & sponge fingers

Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding – served hot with a scoop of rum & raisin ice cream – so comforting!

A trio of delectable ice creams – always a winner in my books!

There are quite a few items on the menu- something for everyone – they all sounded good. Motcombs seem to focus on fish, shellfish and game.  The Sunday Roast is a great value for £29.95 per couple – a Fore Rib of Scottish beef cooked to order 20 minutes.   They also have an excellent wine selection.
Highly recommended – great for family gatherings, parents treat, a romantic rendezvous and a bite to eat after shopping at local designer shops.

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Disclosure: I was a guest of Motcombs, all views are my own.

For more views on the lovely Motcombs: Cooksister  and Alan AKA Man in London