Menuwatch: Marcus, Knightsbridge, London

02 September 2022 by
Menuwatch: Marcus, Knightsbridge, London

Crowd-pleasing classics jostle with riskier options at the Knightsbridge restaurant where the chef likes to have fun with constantly evolving dishes

In 2017 Craig Johnston stepped out of his comfort zone and into the MasterChef: The Professionals kitchen where his cooking was scrutinised by the discerning eye and palate of Marcus Wareing of Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus. A few months after Johnston was crowned champion, Wareing invited him to join the team at his eponymous restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

The 27-year-old was out of his comfort zone when, just two months after he was promoted to head chef in November 2021, long-term chef-patrons Mark and Shauna Froydenlund stepped away from the business. Once again, he's looking to impress.

He says: "It was a baptism of fire, I guess. Mark and Shauna had been here for 15 years, they knew this place inside out and there's been a lot more to take on. I'm embracing all of it and taking each day as it comes. It's good."

Cornish sea bass, courgette, prawn, basil
Cornish sea bass, courgette, prawn, basil

Johnston works with senior sous chef Jack Hazell to design modern tasting menus. He says: "We don't try to rewrite the book. At the end of the day, we use the best suppliers and want to showcase British produce at its best. We don't want to overfuss the ingredients; we do the best we can to make those ingredients sing."

It might sound like a traditional approach but Johnston is not confining himself to crowd-pleasing classics (although Wareing's custard tart is never removed from the menu). "We sell a lot of tasting menus and we like the tasting menus to be really exciting, so we try to put dishes in there that are not safe options. We have a raw scallop dish, we have sweetbreads, caviar – not the normal go-tos that everyone would pick. We have a little bit of fun with the variety of dishes."

Raw scallop, apple, bisque, Thai basil, lime
Raw scallop, apple, bisque, Thai basil, lime

Raw Orkney scallop is dressed in a shiso, apple and lime, then garnished with a ponzu emulsion, pickled green chilli, compressed Granny Smith apple and puffed rice. At the centre of the dish is an aromatic fresh lobster bisque, which has been set and coated in a crispy tomato shell.

The bisque is "zinged up", with the traditional brandy swapped for white rum, and tomato juice and coconut cream added. It is then strained and reduced before a cold infusion injects coriander, lime, lemongrass, ginger, green chilli, lime leaves and Thai basil. Johnston says: "The bisque always stood out as a great condiment to go with seafood, and this dish evolved from a hot lobster dish, which we turned into a scallop dish through the winter. As we came into spring and summer, we thought we'd like to do a ceviche with the scallop, so we changed the whole concept of the hot dish and turned it into this really fresh, vibrant raw scallop dish."

Citrus, tequila
Citrus, tequila

Johnston is now about to add a new dessert to the tasting menu, an evolution of a dish he served during the MasterChef final.

He says: "Marcus was very keen on one of the dishes I did in the final. It was a lemon, verbena, bergamot and yogurt mousse. He was always interested in those flavours and thought there was a great story behind that dish. I've taken some of the flavours and put a different spin on it; it's very close to my heart."

The evolved dish sits on an olive oil sponge, on top of which is placed an olive oil jelly seasoned which lemon juice, citric acid and fresh vanilla. On top of that sits a lemon verbena semifreddo. The whole dessert is then encased in a mousse made from a bergamot curd, cream and Greek yogurt. The mousse is covered in crispy yogurt and garnished with lemon verbena and lemon balm leaves. The dish is finished with lemon zest and a tuille made from flour, egg whites, a touch of olive oil, ground verbena and some citric acid.

"It's unusual to have a biscuit that's almost a little bit acidic," Johnston says, "but it's a really interesting touch. You smash through the dessert with the tuille on top and it all marries together and stays really fresh rather than being heavy."

Johnston is now finalising summer dishes showcasing the season's best strawberries and tomatoes, and says he is focused on continuing to evolve both the menu and himself.

"Marcus always says ‘you're still young, you'll find your unique style'. I'm just constantly trying to evolve and refine my food. I'm fully invested in the restaurant here and really excited to build on its great history."

The Berkeley, Wilton Place, London SW1X 7RL

www.marcusrestaurant.com

From the menu

Seven-course tasting menu, £165

  • Snacks
  • Raw Orkney scallop, apple, bisque, Thai basil, lime
  • Potato, caviar, seaweed, Champagne
  • Waterloo, cuore del Vesuvio, black truffle
  • Sweetbread, celeriac, mustard, lovage
  • Galloway beef, carrot, pine nut, garlic
  • Citrus, tequila
  • 61%:33% chocolate
  • Petit fours

Three-course lunch menu, £60

  • Snacks
  • Chalk stream trout, rose, cucumber, dill, gin
  • Herdwick lamb, courgette, ricotta, pine nut, olive
  • Nutmeg and custard
  • Passion fruit ras el hanout

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