Andy Mossack eats at the Pot Luck Club at The Waldorf Hilton and realises what all the fuss is about.
The Waldorf Hilton is something of an icon in the heart of London’s theatreland. Designed by Alexander Mackenzie, the brother-in-law of Rennie Mackintosh, it’s been hosting the stars of stage and screen for decades.
But this storied grande dame has suddenly shed its classic lines and gone all trendy on us. Well at least during its dinner service over the next 6 months. Thanks to British born chef Luke Dale Roberts whose Pot Luck Club restaurants have been causing something of a stir in South Africa since he opened his doors in Cape Town and more recently Johannesburg.
Chef Luke’s Pot Luck Club concept of full flavoured sharing plates and his cocktail-inspired Wild Monkey Bar are now enjoying an extended dinner residency at The Waldorf’s cavernous restaurant.
“Not been here before? Well, you’re in for a real treat”, server Beatrice told me as she handed us menus, chopsticks, an order sheet and pencil. Yes, that’s correct, an order sheet and pencil. “Don’t worry about the order of dishes, we’ll figure that out. Four or five plates should do it”.
It’s a relatively short menu of intriguing-sounding dishes with specific sections for family favourites, mains, vegetarian and a ‘sweet ending’ so, picking up my pencil I got on with scribbling. Each dish had a calorie count to it, but in our case that was the only thing we ignored on the menu.
Actually, part of the fun was not knowing what was coming up. We made a guess that Tacos 2.0 (£15) was going to be a couple of small bite-sized creations which turned out to be just that. Two crispy tacos stacked with a line-fish ceviche, black bean puree, charred corn salsa and a chipotle emulsion. Really tangy and deliciously crunchy. No wonder it was in the favourites box.
Next up was Tuna Tartare (£22) for which we unveiled the chopsticks. An absolute belter of a dish with avocado, yuzu dressing and yuzu mouse, topped with a generous slice of toasted nori dried seaweed. Full of fresh citrus notes this dish stole our hearts and seemingly Beatrice’s too, as she returned with a knowing smile casting her eyes at our scraped clean plate. “Liked that huh? I’ve tried them all and that one is one of my favourites to.”.
A small pause in proceedings and Waldorf restaurant manager Nuno took the opportunity to pay us a visit. “What do you think of the concept? I spent ten days over in Cape Town to understand how the concept works and merge it into our service here in London”.
So far so absolutely excellent as far as we were concerned.
Another dish was triumphantly delivered. Duck samosa (£32). Sounded simple but was probably our most complex yet. Two crispy coated spring rolls filled with smoked duck breast, a slice of pan-seared foie gras and two more slices of duck, roasted Jerusalem artichoke and a hoisin dressing with five spice. Another smash hit from chef Luke.
We were beginning to understand how these numerous shared dishes can quickly fill you up, and having our own order list that we could add or subtract from was a novel idea.
Our two vegetarian choices were up next. A duo of Pot Luck Club cauliflower sliders (£12) first, delightfully soft Japanese steamed buns with a chunk of tempura style cauliflower, miso mayo, green mojo sauce and red onion. A small package but bursting with flavour. Then, a generous plate of broccoli Penang (£19) full crunchy long stem broccoli doused in a peanut and coconut curry and topped with a lime pickled red onion salad. This came exotically armed with plenty of coconut and chilli.
Beatrice again as she cleared away our plates: “showstopper’s up next”. And it certainly didn’t disappoint.
This was the Family Favourites headliner; smoked beef fillet (£34) something of a South African fine dining staple, beautifully cooked and melt in your mouth soft, with black pepper and a truffled café au lait sauce. For steak lovers, a fitting top of the bill act.
The encore arrived at the table with a flourish directly from the sweet ending box of goodies. Roasted pineapple (£12) with a coconut and lychee sabayon – a type of zabaglione with coconut meringue and a mint and sake jelly. So utterly moreish we could have devoured another had we not indulged in so many other dishes.
Running alongside this main menu card are a couple of other options. A six-course prix fixe menu (including a vegetarian alternative) at £59 for two, perhaps a perfect pre-theatre option, or indulge in the full nine-course prix fixe loaded tasting menu at £99 for two.
Along with the Pot Luck Club at The Waldorf Hilton residency is the aforementioned Wild Monkey Bar curated by the Waldorf’s own in-house mixologist in collaboration with Jameson. I can personally vouch for a particularly memorable Old Fashioned using Jameson Black. Chef Luke has also introduced, for the first time, a dedicated bar snacks menu to complement the cocktails. The bar runs Wednesday – Saturday from 4pm until late.
It seems Pot Luck Club at The Waldorf Hilton has certainly put a contemporary spring into this fine old lady’s storied steps. I can imagine theatreland is all in a bit of tizzy.
What is clear to me on this showing is Luke Dale Roberts has worked his culinary magic now in London, an impressive addition to his growing portfolio. Bring me another sharpened pencil!
Tell me more about the Pot Luck Club at The Waldorf Hilton
Pot Luck Club at The Waldorf Hllton, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DD
T: 44 20 7836 2400
