Name: 12:51 by James Cochran – London
Brand: diningandcooking.com
SKU: diningandcooking-com-3
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12:51 by James Cochran – London

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12:51 by James Cochran – Londonby mutedroyal_ Fine Dining Recently, I had the chance to visit 12:51 in London and it was a fabulous experience! I’m no stranger to fine dining, I’ve had the opportunity to visit some brilliant Michelin-starred restaurants and I’d say this is on it’s way there! I had the 8 course tasting menu with the drinks pairing and it was such a fab experience!**Food**The quality and freshness of the food was exceptional, it was all UK grown produce, and tasted like it came straight from the farm.I loved the twist on classic British dishes – the mussels in chip shop curry sauce was my favourite dish by far! The mussels were tender and a little sweet and the curry sauce was amazing. I was even lucky enough to meet the chef who wrote me the recipe because I loved it so much!My second favourite dish had to be the dessert. Usually, I’m not wowed by them but the brown sugar ice-cream was like a delicious cloud and I wanted to eat a whole tub’s worth. I also really enjoyed the snack at the start – the fried chicken and truffle combination was so clever and worked!All of the courses were innovative and delicious and I liked that they swapped between hot and cold, warm and refreshing – it was a great way to keep my palate on edge. I also thought the portion sizes were reasonable except for the venison which I think was a little small.I wasn’t the biggest fan of the cheese course but perhaps the taste just wasn’t for me.**Drinks**I opted for the pairing and I think they smashed it out the park in terms of choices – all of the drinks were complementary to the food. You also got a complimentary glass of Prosecco upon arrival.The hashbrown and eel with the grape sour was the perfect mix of savoury, salty and the drink cut through the richness with a refreshing tang. I also liked the Sauvignon Blanc Loire with the mussels in curry sauce, it was rich with a little bitterness that balanced out the sweetness of the mussels.Though I didn’t enjoy the cheese course, I thought the port was a classic and it worked to balance out the creaminess with a deep, rich flavour. I’m a port fan so I was happy to have it on it’s own and it was the perfect way to end the meal.The Riesling was forgettable to me as was the dessert wine but I was okay with that because I like my food to be the star of the show.**Service**The service is what holds it back from being a Michelin-star restaurant because I found at the start I was being hurried through the first few dishes but then I had an almost 40 minute wait between the scallop and the venison. I think the pacing is uneven and could be improved. I also didn’t like that sometimes I was waiting for my drink to accompany my course or vice versa where I received the drink but not the food.The staff were lovely and friendly and quick to resolve my issues (when I mentioned that I had been waiting, they got me another complimentary glass of Prosecco and a snack). As a solo diner, I felt like they were attentive but not overwhelming and I appreciate that they didn’t ignore me or put me in a corner which has happened before to me. I had a lovely table in the middle in the comfortable booth.The complimentary jar of chilli jam at the end was a great touch! I opened it the other day and it’s the perfect blend between sweet and spicy.**Overall, I had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend it!**You must be logged in to post a comment.

12:51 by James Cochran – Londonby mutedroyal_ Fine Dining Recently, I had the chance to visit 12:51 in London and it was a fabulous experience! I’m no stranger to fine dining, I’ve had the opportunity to visit some brilliant Michelin-starred restaurants and I’d say this is on it’s way there! I had the 8 course tasting menu with the drinks pairing and it was such a fab experience!**Food**The quality and freshness of the food was exceptional, it was all UK grown produce, and tasted like it came straight from the farm.I loved the twist on classic British dishes – the mussels in chip shop curry...

12:51 by James Cochran – London

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