Manson - Fulham Road SW6

There seems to be a new restaurant opening every week in London! Food is somewhat recession proof purely as it's a necessity and then of course 'good' food makes us happy right?.. and so the recession will find it difficult to stop Londoners enjoying themselves. 


I've decided to start blogging some brief restaurant reviews on here and will try and find a way to archive better.


So, first review - Manson on the Fulham Road. 
Head chef Gemma Tuley worked under Gordon Ramsey and she really has put some yummy dishes on the menu. 
A couple of dishes are really imaginative like the mackerel with golden sultanas and orange dressing which looked wonderful and tasted sublime. Then there was a special, the wood pigeon with a pomegranate salad and walnut puree which reminded me of that wonderful combination of roast duck and pomegranate molasses. 
The Roast chicken was good, (but to be honest, not as juicy as a nandos) It came with two perfectly cooked polenta chips with what tasted like brie encased inside.


The lamb dish with 'pea custard' was cooked nice and pink with freshly shelled broad beans and peas, pea shoots. Sadly it sat in what tasted like a cold diluted consume.. this dish needed something to pull all the delicate flavours together with a little contrast of texture and the 'custard' was merely a mound of mushy peas!


I had the cod on samphire and spinach with a gratin of potatoes I imagine to look like the scales of the fish. This cod was beautiful, it's flakes just slide easily off with my fork and it was really flavourful and would have been ruined with a sauce. 


Pudding - if you like cheese, go for cheese. Manson have a fantastic selection of English cheeses to choose from at £2 each and the board is brought to your table with knowledgeable staff to guide you. I went for the flourless chocolate cake which I was surprised looked more like a thin brownie, and the presentation was lacking any of the finesse from previous dishes. It did however, taste great and accompanied by fresh raspberries and raspberry mousse, ended the meal on a comforting sweet note. 


The bill came to £123 for three people and wine, (wine list is fab) and although other reviews comment on the interiors looking like a chain wine bar, I couldn't disagree more. They had the most wonderful lighting from Parisian street lamps bought at auction and a bar the staff help make out of old fruit and veg crates. The Manager Toby, was more than happy to fill us in on the background of the restaurant, the man behind it all and where certain things came from and he led a restaurant of charming staff who seem proud of what they have achieved - and rightly so!