12. Medlar, Chelsea - Duck Egg Tart with Red Wine Sauce - Set menu

Birthdays are for eating. Preferably extensively and expensively. So, back in November (still), as a Hippo Birthday to me (yeah, that just happened), I decided on the Michelin-starred Medlar for lunch.

After much wardrobe stress and on best 'ladies-what-lunch-in-Chelsea-no-less' behaviour, we rocked up on a Monday lunchtime to find we were the only ones there. Cue best, reverential, indoor voices.

Actually, after I overcame my odd, peasant complex, the staff were friendly and, once the lunch time crowd trickled in, the restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere. As for the food, The List ordered the starter of duck egg tart with red wine sauce, turnip purée, lardons and sautéed duck heart.

Despite not seeing eye-to-eye on occasion (most recently in the bubble tea saga), I'm beginning to love The List. This wasn't one of those 'endure-this-in-an-attempt-to-expand-your-horizons' dishes; this was one of those 'talk-amongst-yourselves-while-I-enjoy-this-duck-centric-reverie' dishes.

Not only was it one of the prettiest dishes so far, but the flavours and textures were incredible. The sweetness of the red wine sauce, the salty lardons, the savoury, chewiness of the duck hearts, the runny egg, the crunch of the thin pastry base... *Pauses to take a breath and mop up drool*...

Having enjoyed such a delectable (a Michelin word), grown-up starter, when The List left me to my own devices, I opted for what I thought was a suitably grown-up main. However, I can't actually remember what that was because it has all been replaced with a foetal-position, corner-rocking chant of: 'I ate brain, I ate BRAIN. I ATE BRAIN AND IT WAS GOOEY!'




Brain folds

 That would be the accompaniment of crisp calf brain. It took the form of a croquette with a mozarella-esque stretchiness. I didn't really register it as brain until I spotted the BRAIN FOLDS that told me that that flavour I couldn't put my finger on was, in fact, grey matter. That was when my own brain rejected it.

Definitely an experience dish; one that will stay with me in a PTSD fashion - Michelin Scarred.

So to sum up:

1. I would come back again and again for that tart

And

2. I am not cultured enough for cerebral offal.