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2015-05-02
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I booked The Principal for my wife and I on a fairly last minute whim/psuedo celebration on a deal completed....I will admit I tried to get a reservation in a couple of other restaurants prior to the Principal (Bombana and the new Gordon Ramsay amongst them) none of which could not give me the time I needed (we needed a fairly early time (7pm) to get back to the suburbs for the Kids babysitter to get home on time)...the Principal was easy on the time, which did slightly worry me for a 2 Star es
Arriving for our 7pm reservation the restaurant was all but empty however, as may be apparent, I am a yokel and prefer to eat earlier than my more sophisticated counterparts and it was a Thursday after all so it did not worry me too much.
The design and ambience of the restaurant is very comfortable, not so stiff that you feel you need to whisper and the sofa booth they showed us to was ideal for the mildly romantic and celebratory mood my wife and I were in.
We selected off the Principal menu
with my wife selecting the suckling pig and I taking with Wagyu beef as the mains. The journey through the menu that followed was equally as delicious for the eye as it was for the palate...actually no.... it tasted even better than it looked and this was really hot looking food.
The preamble to the starters was delicious in the extreme and I should beautifully presented and well explained by the waiters...who I should also say were friendly and professional and not rediculously attentive....anyway back to the food if there was a star in the pre hors d'oeuvres it was the quails egg (and spoon race..sorry)...perfectly cooked and perfectly timed it seems when eaten...it really melted in my/our mouth(s)...The Japanese influence to the cooking added a layer of subtlety throughout the menu was particularly strong in the starters
The main hors d'oevres we no less eye catching and delicious...I accepted the Crab only because I knew my wife loved Crab as I am mildly allergic however I could not resist eating one and living dangerously....my wifes' favorite course....and I am glad I sampled it and survived
The 360 degree egg (along with the advice to mix it schoolboy fashion)..foamed potato and all was delicious to the extent that I mopped it up with bread to the last morcel...resisiting manfully the temptation to lick the plate...seriously hard to resist for a yokel enjoying his nosh.
The mains, in particular the Suckling pig, were delicious and almost equally shared between us and when this was followed by the beautifully plated desert...Lotus with the incredible pear sorbet, that I was convinced was a delicious miniature pear, the night was rounded off superbly
This is a restaurant that surprised me, and it shouldn't as it has two stars already, but for this Yokel it deserves three. Perhaps all the planets were aligned that evening but I could really see and appreciate the skill and artistry put into the food and its presentation...a delightful experience.Post
