#33 Eat at a Michelin starred restaurant

On the 29th of January I belatedly celebrated my 50th birthday over lunch with a small group of friends at The Glasshouse in Kew, a restaurant with one star in the Guide Michelin. As a food enthusiast this fine-dining experience was one of the first items to be added to the list and had been impatiently anticipated for most of the previous twelve months!

The Glasshouse is quite a small restaurant, just a few steps from the station, and we were given a warm welcome from the moment we walked through the door. The front of house staff were friendly but not gushing, every table was full and the dining room was warm, bright and buzzing with conversation.


Drinks were ordered. Kir was my choice of aperitif and then with the main course I shared a bottle of Corbieres which I chose purely because it was the cheapest red wine on the list, although it did not disappoint! Our attention then turned to the menu, which was a set lunch for £50 with a limited selection of options but still something to make each of us happy.

I chose the Halibut sashimi with pickled rhubarb, white soy, creme fraiche, pistachios and lemon oil to start. It was refreshing but I did have some order envy when a friend's burrata made its appearance.


For my main course I opted for Iberico pork cheek and grilled pluma with creamed polenta, green mango, endive, chilli and crackling. The pork cheek could have been eaten with a spoon, the polenta was buttery and comforting and the crackling was so thin and crispy that it melted away to nothing on the tongue. 



Dessert was the most challenging choice because frankly I wanted to order all of them. Most of the table went for the baked alaska but I can rarely resist a chocolate pudding if I have the option and our waitress recommended the Warm chocolate croustade with milk ice cream and roasted nuts, so that is what I had. It was rich, crispy and delightful. However I am still mourning the loss of the beautiful Tarte Tatin that I almost chose, which looked so delicious on its way to a neighbouring table.


It was a wonderful day with lovely friends made even better by the great food and excellent front of house staff, who by some magic were always there when you needed them but invisible when you didn't. A fitting feast for my half century celebration.















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