Good Eats at Dorsett Shepherds Bush!
While
staying at Dorsett Shepherds Bush in
West London, I also enjoyed some really good eats at the two restaurant located
in the hotel. From breakfast to lunch and dinner, both restaurants Pictures and Shikumen Bar & Restaurant offers diners a treat from Western
and Asian cuisine set in an elegant and stylish ambiance.
Pictures
The
all-day dining contemporary brasserie restaurant is located on the ground floor
of the hotel. Managed by the hotel, Pictures
serves European menu liven up with a touch of Asia from breakfast to lunch and
dinner. The restaurant has two dining space. The main dining room is spacious
and design with an elegant contemporary flair. Themed in muted grey wall
contrasted with rich wood and black tables and wall panels, Pictures also has
lots of framed mirrors and black & white photos of yesteryears movie icons.
Silver velvet chairs paired with black tables for contrast blended into the
theme beautifully.
The
second dining space is a private room named Red Room. Located discreetly behind the well-hidden door next to
the Audrey Hepburn corner in the hotel. A gorgeous vibrant red lite up the room
with the combination of grey, silver, black and white themed colors. The room
echoed the classy themed from Pictures’ main dining room with lots of yesteryear movie icons in black and white. This room is perfect for private
parties and gathering whether it be business or personal!
Every
morning before we start our day, we visited Pictures for the spread of luscious English breakfast. I enjoyed
the spread of buttery pastries and croissants, mini muffins, cold cuts and
cheese, cereals fresh fruits and creamy yoghurt. From hot buffet warmers are
thick grilled Cumberland sausages, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes
and baked beans. Order your eggs freshly prepared at their egg station.
Since
Dorsett Shepherds Bush pride
themselves in theming the whole hotel with an Oriental touch, Pictures also serves up some classic
Asian breakfast favorites of dim sum, porridge and congee with pickled vegetables and
Fried Noodles. The overall breakfast spread may not have a long list like our
typical Asian hotels but the spread is definitely delicious and consisted of
quality dishes that will leave you satiated happily.
MAB Pilot Parker and Dorsett Bear met for the very first time and joined us for our
breakie!
Service
is another plus point here as every morning, the staff greets you with lots of
smile, perking up your mornings with much pleasantness.
For
lunch and dinner, Pictures serve a
la carte menu of European dishes. We were hosted by General Manager of Dorsett
Shepherds Bush, the gracious Hilary Cross for an unforgettable lunch. The whole
restaurant looked even better during noon time as the natural lighting lite up
the room beautifully.
We
started our lunch with a wholesome and creamy Carrot & Pumpkin Soup. A bowl of thick and comforting flavours
of root vegetables served with freshly baked crusty bread rolls did wonder to
warm up our appetites for more to come.
Our
main course was a delectable Barbary
Duck Breast with Red Cabbage & Plum Sauce .
Barbary duck, also known as Muscovy duck, is famous for their rich plump and
firm meat despite it being leaner that the usual local ducks. A whole duck
breast is skillfully rendered on its skin till crispy and finished in the oven
for medium doneness. The flesh is so succulent and has a light pinkness on the
firm meat. Served with a tangy and fruity marmalade and plum sauce, the duck
slices were superb in flavours. Accompanying the duck was fondant potatoes,
tangy braised red cabbage and some micro greens. A must- order if you love
duck!
For
those who prefer a vegetarian option, there is the Pea Risotto. A creamy risotto studded with pea shoots, asparagus, broad
bean and carrots cooked in vegetable stock and finished with lots of shavings
of parmesan cheese.
Dessert Platter of Pineapple Upside down
Cake, Crème Bruleé Cheesecake and Brownie took our lunch ending to the sweetest heights. I couldn’t
be any higher on cloud nine! Three sumptuous and sinful desserts won many
hearts that day, including mine.
From
warm caramelized Pineapple Upside down cake of moist cakey batter with whole
cherries and juicy pineapples, each bite of this cake with vanilla ice cream
was heavenly on my sweet sense. The star of the plate was definitely the Crème Brulee
Cheesecake, another heavenly concoction showcasing the best of both worlds of
cheesecake and crème brulee. The cheesecake literally melts-in-the-mouth with
rich silky sweetness contrasted with creamy layer of cheese and buttery biscuit
layer. The brownie was decadent with dark chocolate notes and went well with
the ice cream too.
The culinary team behind Pictures
There
are many more dishes on the menu that looks tempting at Pictures. From Crayfish Cocktails, Potted Duck Salad
to Slow Cooked Pork Ribs, 28 Day Dry
Aged Cattleman’s 8oz Striplion, 21 Day Aged 6oz Scotch Fillet, Point Brewery
Grimsby Baby Haddock and more, there are also new age sandwiches with
hearty fillings!
PICTURES
Dorsett Shepherds Bush
58 Shepherds Bush Green,
London W12 8QE, United
Kingdom
Email:
info.shepherdsbush@dorsetthotels.com
Tel: +44 (0) 203 262
1026
Website:
http://www.dorsetthotels.com/unitedkingdom/london/shepherdsbush
Business Hours:
Daily 6.30am to 10.30pm
Shikumen
Bar & Restaurant
If
you’re in London and hankering for Chinese, visit Shikumen Bar & Restaurant at Dorsett Shepherds Bush for a feast of fine dining Asian specials. Shikumen, owned by Malaysian born Simon
Chai, has already created quite a buzz in the dining scene when it was awarded
the Bib Gourmand in the 2016 Michelin
Guide. Shikumen (石库门) translates to “stone gate” and is a
style of housing blending Chinese and Western structural styles that is unique
to Shanghai. Echoing its denotation, Shikumen
Bar & Restaurant showcase their Chinese cuisine injected with a touch
of modern Western creativity. Serving a list of house signatures and a
selection of handmade Dim Sums daily, it is now a popular hot spot of many who
enjoys fine dining cuisine with an elegant flair.
The
restaurant has 150 covers with a further 16 covers in the bar area, is
beautifully designed with a classy and modern Oriental Shanghai theme. The
handsome and bold restaurant has an overall cherry wood themed paired with
cream, muted greys and black. Oriental art pieces completed the elegant
ambiance at the restaurant.
Dinner
commenced with the much famed 18-folds of beautifully pleated soup dumpling of Xiao Long Bao. Sufficiently impressive
and delicious in flavours, we sip our broth from the dumpling gently before
savoring the delicate savory note of the minced filling encased in the thin
dumpling skin.
A
house signature of Legendary Roast Duck seemed
to be a favorite as seen on many of the tables that night. A whole gorgeously
lacquered duck carved at our table side with précised knife skills and quickly
sandwiched into hot steamed mantao bun and thin pancake with hoisin sauce,
cucumber and scallion. I would have certainly love a bit more crispy skin with
the duck, nevertheless, the duck was moist and tender. I also enjoyed the
option of the pancake skin and mantao bun for a different texture.
As
with most Chinese meals, soups are a must and ours was the classically famed Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup. Piquant and
spicy in heat, the thick soup has all the usual ingredients of the classic
soup. A solid balance of sour, savory, sweet and spicy flavours, whetting the
palate for more dishes to come…
Our
next dish paid homage to the king of crustaceans in Stir Fried Lobster with Chili & Garlic. A generous portion of pieces
of lobster cooked in house signature chili and garlic sauce was definitely a
crowd pleaser. Despite the robust flavours of chili and garlic, I can still
taste the sweet flesh of the tender lobster. It was certainly a delicious
finger-licking good moment while enjoying this dish!
We
also had Shikumen’s Legendary Roasted
Lamb Rack. A trimmed lamb rack cutlet was well marinated with savory and
sweet Asian flavours. Served with an unusual pairing of wine poached pear, I especially
enjoyed the caramelized bits of the lamb.
Our
last savory course was a big filler of Pan
Fried Tofu with Seafood in Pumpkin Sauce, Stir Fried Asparagus, Lotus Root,
Mushrooms and Pumpkin and Vegetable
Fried Rice with Edamame. While the fried rice and stir fried vegetables was
decent, it was the pumpkin that was deliciously yummy. House made soft egg bean
curd smothered in a lightly creamy and sweet pumpkin sauce also had the popping
sensations of flying fish roes to give this dish another textural component.
Dessert Platter of Mango Grapefruit
Tapioca Pearls, Sweet Black Sesame Ball and Green Tea Pudding highlight all the favorite classics of
Chinese desserts on a plate.
Highlights
for me were their Xiao Long Bao,
Legendary Roast Duck and in Stir
Fried Lobster with Chili & Garlic. Do call for reservations as this
restaurant garners a good crowd with all its scrumptious dishes!
SHIKUMEN
BAR & RESTAURANT
Dorsett Shepherds Bush
58 Shepherds Bush Green,
London W12 8QE, United
Kingdom
Email:
info.shepherdsbush@dorsetthotels.com
Tel: +44 (0) 208 749
9978
Business Hours:
Monday to Saturday:
12:00pm to 11:00pm
Sunday: 11:30pm to 10:30pm
This trip was made
possible by Malaysia Airlines, UK Visit
Britain and Dorsett Shepherds Bush
London. All stories and comments in my posts are purely derived from my own
experiences through the trip.
*Look
out for more posts coming on UK Visit Britain sites!
