Best Contemporary European Restaurants in Clerkenwell

The tasting menu at Frog was mind-blowingly good and far beyond what you would expect from a single Michelin star restaurant. The manicured dishes flow at just the right speed which is important given you munch through nine or ten plates including the amuse-bouche at the start and the petits-fours. The stand out dish for me was the crab timbale with a deliciously fresh herb sauce of blitzed lovage, sorrel, parsley and apple peel. The minute crab decorations were a lovely touch. This edged out the duck served with a remarkable umami mushroom "ketchup" and turnip puree. I particularly enjoyed the use of British ingredients like woodruff (similar to vanilla) which are not perceived as luxuries but have phenomenal flavour. The only miss on the food was the temperture of the lobster ravioli. We enjoyed the premium wine pairing and the sommeliere did a fantastic job of explaining the aromas and flavours and how they matched each dish. My main criticism is that given the price point for the premium wine flight (£250) there really should be more premium wines. Having memorized the labels some cost £20-30 which is definitely not premium. That said, well chosen and fun, but wine quality should be higher. The cod would have benefited from a Pouilly-Fuisse 1er Cru or Chablis 1er Cru from a south-facing slope which captures some tropical notes. My advice: buy a bottle from the list as these are much better value than the flights. All in all, the food and experience was on a par with Lameloise in Burgundy which has three stars.

Really love restaurant, in a wonderful 5 star hotel, execellent service. The food was beautifully presented and tasted wonderfully. We all had different foods and everyone loved the restaurant, and we will be back. The bill was less than we thought so amazing value.

Can’t fault! - We arrived 30 minutes early and the venue accommodated us in the cocktail bar prior and advised when the table was ready. Really lovely waitress who looked after us very well. Food was very good and the ambience perfect. We drank cocktails and champagne all night!

Loved the experience but meal was a bit ruined by adding heavily fishy broccoli as a side to a beef cheek dish. We didn’t realise the side came with the fishy topping. :( Thought the portions of main were small for price point. Charming staff and really glad we visited! Thanks!

Best Sunday roast in London in a beautiful setting with wonderfully attentive staff