This week Arkady Novikov, the man behind famed Berkeley Square restaurant Novikov, opened a new joint in town. Rextail is a steak, game and seafood restaurant on Albemarle Street in Mayfair. Albemarle Street is becoming a bit of a foodie hotspot - Hix and Gymkhana are both almost opposite Rextail. Rextail had a soft opening this week, offering 50% off to everyone who managed to get a reservation between 7th-10th November. Thankfully I was on it like a rocket, and managed to get a booking for 8:30pm on Saturday night. Booyah!
Dr J and I haven't caught up for a couple of months, so I decided he deserved my company and the 50% off at Rextail. Before dinner we went along to The Wine Gang's Christmas Fair at Vinopolis in London Bridge, but sadly due to the traffic we didn't get there until 20 minutes before it finished :( I did find an incredible dessert wine there though!
After the Wine Gang event we had a couple of hours to kill before dinner, so went to The Shard for drinks in Oblix and Aquashard. We started in Oblix, and although the view was nice, it was so full of tourists and my cocktail was to put it bluntly....vile. I had the Acapulco Gold. It tasted like tapestry's smell...musty. The smell of tapestry's always makes me sick, I once threw up on the steps at Hampton Court Palace. Soz, TMI. Anyway, I took a few sips then made Dr J swap drinks with me. He had a glass of Bollinger. Much better.
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After the disastrous cocktails at Oblix, we went across the hallway to Aquashard. Sadly the drinks didn't get much better, I had a tasteless glass of wine, however it may have been because I was completely spoilt with the wines at The Wine Gang event earlier.
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| We could see London Bridge and the Tower of London |
Finally we went to dinner, and it really was something special. You go down the stairs into a basement restaurant, it feels very homey and country chic. The staff were fantastic; they couldn't do enough for us, the restaurant was buzzing and yet the service was excellent. We didn't order starters as I really struggle to eat three course meals, however they brought us baskets of bread and a wooden board with cured meats on it.
For mains I had the Grilled Wild Seabass with Girolles Mushrooms, with sides of Butternut Squash and Potatoes. The Seabass was beautiful; thick chunks of white meat full of flavour. It reminded me of eating Barramundi at seafood restaurants in Australia. Dr J had steak, and wouldn't stop praising it. Apologies for the awful photos, I never feel comfortable whipping my camera out in restaurants unless I've specifically been asked to do a review for them. It just feels so wrong interrupting everyone else's meal with a flash and snap, so I got a few cheeky photos with my phone.
After our delicious mains I just about had enough room for a dessert. Creme Brulee is such a simple dessert, but is one of my favourites. As soon as I saw Lavender Creme Brulee on the Rextail menu I knew I had to have it to compare it to the Royal Automobile Club's version. It was incredible; the top crisp and caramelized to perfection.
With Adrian Martin as Head Chef, I was expecting great things from Rextail. Adrian was previously at Annabel's, The Ivy, and Le Caprice (my favourite restaurant, ever), and he didn't disappoint. The damage for a two course dinner and drinks with 50% off, was around £30 each; not cheap, but also not as expensive as it would have been without the discount (around £60 each without discount). Soft launch offers are a great way to try a restaurant out - I probably wouldn't have visited Rextail without the offer, but with it I now know how good it is, and that actually, I probably would go back and pay the full price for a special occasion or a treat, as the food and service was so exceptional.
I'd definitely recommend a visit if you're a foodie or really love meat and fish, my Seabass was so full of flavour, and Dr J's steak was huge and looked delish!
I just got home to this snugglemonster all tucked up in his bed with his toys, so naturally had to disturb his peace and quiet for a selfie before blogging about my fabulous evening at the hottest new restaurant in town!
