Boulestin, St James’s – tried and tasted

The restaurant’s 23-year-old head chef has been let loose on a tasting menu, and it’s breathing fresh air into this long-historied favourite
Satisfying main: Basque sirloin steak served with oxtail-stuffed snails
Alexander Jenkinson
Ben Norum28 November 2017

French restaurant Boulestin has been open on St James’s Street for less than three years, but has a history which goes back much further.

It takes its lead from a restaurant of the same name which sat in Covent Garden from 1927 to 1994, run by legendary TV chef, author and restaurateur Xavier Marcel Boulestin. It was known for much of this time as being the most expensive in the capital.

There was something about the restaurant and the cook that captivated Joel Kissin — a restaurateur with an impressive pedigree of his own, having worked with Sir Terence Conran to launch sites including Bibendum and Quaglino’s, themselves not known for being cheap — and he launched Boulestin in his honour in 2013.

Now the restaurant has launched a new tasting menu, put together by 23-year-old head chef Elliot Spurdle. It’s a definite departure from the traditional French cooking the site has been known for, and feels almost as young and fresh as the person putting it together.

Boulestin: High-ceilinged grandeur in St James's (Alexander Jenkinson)

Style and surrounds

There’s nothing subtle about the high-ceilinged grandeur of the place: it’s a case of art-clad walls, plush banquettes and shiny fixtures galore. There are no tablecloths, but apparently they were a recent sacrifice in a bid to dial down the formality a few notches.

Sunset orange: Confit egg yolk in wild mushroom consommé (Alexander Jenkinson)

On the menu

The five-course menu — bookended by amuse bouche and petit fours — isn’t short of highlights.

It kicks off with confit egg yolk in wild mushroom consommé, with asparagus, salt-baked celeriac and truffles. The slow-cooked yolk, resplendent in sunset orange, is almost raw and adds a creaminess to the light soup when broken and mixed in.

Musky: Charcoal-grilled octopus with blood orange, beetroot and rhubarb (Alexander Jenkinson)

Another clever course comes in the form of charcoal-grilled octopus, its musky, smoky flavours mingling seductively with bright-but-earthy blood orange, beetroot and rhubarb.

A quail breast glazed with miso and served with a coconut emulsion marks a clear intention to deviate from the firmly French, though the subtle flavours and delicate execution mean it remains more corden bleu than curried.

Elliot Spurdle: Boulestin's 23-year-old head chef (Alexander Jenkinson)

Slices of tasty, fat-rich Basque sirloin steak (pictured at top) make a satisfying main, served with oxtail-stuffed snails in a nod to the restaurant’s heartland, and a searingly — almost wincingly — strong wild garlic purée. It’s admirably bold and it pays off, bringing excitement to an otherwise well-accomplished but safe dish.

Deconstructed: Blueberry cheesecake mousse with jelly, a liquorice meringue and elderflower sorbet (Alexander Jenkinson)

Something sweet

The menu concludes with a blueberry cheesecake mousse (deconstructed pudding alert!) presented with jelly made from Brockman’s gin, a liquorice meringue and elderflower sorbet. All delicious, if not as exciting as some of what has gone before.

The best food in London

1/17

Liquid libations

The menu comes with the option of paired wines for £37 — including a gutsy Pomerol to match the steak, with strong notes of earthy Cabernet Franc, and a floral Sauternes to finish. Alternatively, Boulestin’s list provides plenty of choice — there are around 200 bottles ranging from £20 to £650.

Boulestin: The Lowdown

Final flavour: Fine French dining with a vibrant injection of joie de vivre.

At what cost? The tasting menu costs £45 for five courses, plus extras and an additional £37 for wine pairings (five small glasses). While this may not be a bargain, it’s good value given the quality — all the more so for a restaurant of this ilk in this location.

Find it: 5 St James’s Street, SW1A 1EF; boulestin.com

Follow Ben Norum on Twitter @BenNorum

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in