Berner’s Tavern, Fitzrovia (London)

To me, Fitzrovia is that strange, albeit posh no-man’s land in between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road.  Does such a tiny amount of space really need a name? 

Berner’s Tavern is very lovely, slightly fancy restaurant in the London Edition Hotel.  Its claim to fame is its head chef, Jason Atherton who has been previously awarded a Michelin Star (for different places).

It has high ceilings covered wall to wall with ornate portraits and landscapes.  The glass cabinet stocked with liqueurs is also an impressive sight.

We started off with some complimentary bread served with a small square of butter.

My entree was a quirky take on an English classic.

It was surprisingly very tasty.  I liked the crispy, salty ham and the goeey centre of the duck egg.  I wasn’t expecting the mushy peas to be minty but they were.

My friend had the pate which was also tasty.

 For our mains, we both decided to take the fish option which was served with squid ink risotto on the side.

We both agreed that one should never order squid ink risotto when on a date, given we both had black ink in our teeth and around our mouths!  The halibut could have done with just a little bit less cooking time as it was firmer than we both would have otherwise liked.  The crispy bits of fried squid on the risotto offered a nice contrast.

The risotto was extremely filling but we could not resist dessert.

Both desserts were as pretty as a picture.  I really enjoyed my eclair, particularly the vanilla bean flecks in the cream.

After we also shared a bottle of wine, the bill was not cheap but I found this restaurant to be a quiet delight – very classic, refined London.