Updated 7/12/15 with a preview of Aulis
We were very lucky indeed to be invited to one of the first to try out the tasting menu at Aulis and it lived up to pretty much every high expectation.
To start with, we had to to walk through the main kitchen in order to get to the mini room at the back which houses Aulis (this alone really makes you feel like you're having something beyond the traditional Fera experience). There we went through 15 courses (which included 5 snacks) - all of which may end up on the main menu at Fera (indeed a couple were about to be added). There were many highlights throughout - but chief among those were:
- Parsnip bark with parsnip puree, baby fried parsnips, plus honey and ale gel with agar plus parsnip shoots - about the most wintery snack you could get
- Lamb cooked on the bone (roasted in the oven), rosehip purée (with sloes too) celeriac purée, purple cabbage leaves, black radish - just a gorgeous piece of meat and a lovely creation
- Bonfire night birch sap mousse, Coxs Apple and meringue, 48 hours freeze dried cheese - an astonishingly good dessert, a great way to end.
But that's just cherry-picking really, and it's cemented our belief that Fera is a restaurant very much at the top of its game at the moment - and Aulis is the very best way to experience it all up close. Check out the gallery below - and further down, more info about Aulis.
Original story follows
We're big fans of Claridge's and Fera so we're really looking forward to the imminent opening of the next from Simon Rogan, Aulis at Fera.
The hi-tech development kitchen had been promised ever since the opening of Fera - and now it's nearly upon us. It's going to have two uses (much like the L'Enclume original) as a development kitchen for Fera but also as a VERY exclusive Fera private dining experience. You'll be able to book either all six spaces or grab them individually - either way it'll be the closest that you can get to the Fera chefs.
Then you'll have a ringside seat for an ever changing menu that will be completely different from the main Fera menu - but still take its influences from seasonal produce, including all the deliveries from Simon Rogan's farm. It's all being looked after by Alex Beard, who comes from the Waterside Inn while Simon Rogan and Fera’s Executive Chef Dan Cox will be overseeing the menu.
It'll definitely be one of the hottest tickets in town - and we'll be heading along to check out Aulis on Friday evening ourselves for a sneak preview. So make sure you follow us on Instagram for all the latest pics.
Aulis will fully open January 7 in Fera at Claridge's - Brook St, London W1K 4HR. It'll be £150 pp + £130 for the optional wine pairing. For more, follow them on Twitter @aulisrdfera.
