L’oud Des Eurasie

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED !!!

Want to know something about BW? He’s a self-confessed workaholic, and he loves it. His daily work schedule starts at 7am on the dot allllll the way until 9 pm where he’ll finally move his nerdy eyes away from his laptop, and on to his little blackberry. This work blackberry seems to have taken precedence over his social phone, and even tends to make a cheeky daily appearance when we’re away on holiday. 

Of course, all of this drives me nuts. However, I found out I was not alone in this predicament; my cousin too is also in the same boat! Remember these guys from Bombay Palace? Well, we met up with them a few weeks ago for a good ol’ catch up over some yummy food. Obviously I chose the restaurant for dinner, and wanting to venture into a new part of town, I brought everyone to L’oud Des Eurasie in Chelsea.

This french-lebanese establishment has been opened since the summer, and what can I say, their menu looked really delicious. Promises of quail, mallard, and duck, sucked me right in, and I made a booking for 6 pm on a Sunday.

The almond and pistachio lassi [2x£4.50] was a nutty, frothy, and sweet lassi that had a strong pistachio undertone. Whilst I was not a fan, BW drank mine plus ordered another. The mango and mint lassi [2x£4.50] was the favourite of the evening. A sweet, delectable mango lassi with spikes of refreshing mint blended in.  L’oud Des Eurasie serve strictly 0% alcohol, wines, and champagnes so making the most of rare opportunity, I went for the Ambience D’esuraise [£6.95] that consisted of pink champagne, vermouth, elderflower syrup, whole berries, and  gold rose petals. Over the top but really yummy – just like me!

Soft pillowy ravioli consisting of pureed pumpkin and topped with shreds of juicy langoustine on top. The ravioli then lay upon a bright orange pool of sorrel and gruyere veloute. Everything just worked really well together; the sorrel added a slight tartness to cut through the intense creaminess of the veloute, and the ravioli was deliciously plump. A great dish.

My favourite dish of the night. Shreds of green leafs mixed in with creamy dollops of duck foie gras, sweet duck pieces, and cassis jus which is a blackberry juice that had been drizzled all over.The juicy satsumas scattered around the plate added a nice contrast to the tartness of the raspberries and cassis juice. It really was something else!

Juicy prawns clustered together on a pile of refreshing, fruity salad that reminded me of summer. The prawns were cooked perfectly and dusted in aromatic spices to make the perfect combination with the mango salad underneath

Okra that had been dipped in batter and fried to give crunchy little tubes, that had been drizzled in a creamy herb sauce. The crispy lady fingers were arranged on a bed of crushed wheat, lentils, and olives.

Two flaky pastries were served upon a bed of salad, and consisted of either lamb and feta, or halloumi and herbs. The halloumi sambousek had a lovely squidge with the aromatic herbs adding a ton of flavour to the cheese. The lamb had been paired with feta, making it a little creamy, but I feel could have fared even better as shredded lamb as oppose to pieces.

The waiter informed us that this was one of the popular dishes along with the salmon, so of course, we had to order the roast lamb. The lamb chunks varied in texture; some fell apart whilst others were quite chewy. The additional sauce that was used to cover the lamb, although being quite aromatic, was not enough to cover the lambyness of the meat. However, the accompanying rice that had been served with crunchy pomegranate seeds added a lovely sweet element to the overall dish. The tabbouleh was a refreshing change and the roasted pumpkin added a subtle smokiness.

I had envisioned the five cuts of lamb to be completely different to what I was served. The chops, although asking for them to be cooked to a medium, were cooked to a well done and once again, the taste of lamb was quite overpowering, so much so that I could barely taste the flavouring of the marinade.

The best main meal dish we had received. The salmon had been deliciously encased inside a puff pastry, that did an excellent job of remaining in tact, and lay upon a potato and spinach galette. The fish had been well flavoured and was not overtly fishy, plus made a great accompaniment to the wonderfully cheesy potato stack lying underneath.

Wanting to add a vegetarian option into our mains, we opted for the squid ink risotto with sundried tomatoes, butternut squash, and shreds of a variety of cheeses. The addition of the cheese made the dish incredibly creamy and quite rich, with the butternut squash cubes adding a nice surprise in every few bites. However, the risotto had been overcooked and not served al dente as it should have been, and the cheese was quite a prominent flavour in the dish.

For some reason, I assumed this would come as a tart but was mistakened when a bowl of steaming hot stew appeared in front of me. The stew was piping hot and spiked with delectable spices such as cinnamon and cardamom, with poached figs and plums floating a top. Two dollops of halwa ice cream were melting away inside the bowl. The plums were really sweet, however the figs were quite soggy which were a shame. Perhaps serving this on a plate would have been better.

I cannot remember the name of this dessert but my cousin and I had chosen it from the dessert selection in the front of the restaurant. It was a choux pastry filled with delicious chocolate cream, and served with dreamy coffee ice cream – yummy!

The total bill amounted to £165.09 for four people with a 30% discount of the final bill if you book via OpenTable, and so approx £41 per person. Definitely not the cheapest affair but then again, we over ordered on everything, so perhaps an affordable meal within reason or for a special occasion. They also offer afternoon tea, as well as a delicious sounding brunch every day. The atmosphere, although quiet, was nice, cosy, and intimate which would be perfect for a catch up with friends or family.

The starters were beyond excellent and left us extremely impressed. There were an array of colours, textures, and flavours that all worked together so well. A promising start for L’oud Des Eurasie however once the mains came, they just were not up to the same standards as the starters. Surprisingly, the fish and vegetarian main courses were the best out of the five, which does not really reflect well for a halal restaurant trying to win new clientele.  Perhaps, instead of going full carnivore, we will opt for the chicken or mallard options next time! The desserts were also sadly a hit and miss. Having said this, I really appreciate L’oud Des Eurasie trying to offer something different in the heart of Chelsea; maybe a few tweaks here and there, and they’ll be up to scratch.