Why So Yummy?

Belvedere

Elegant, light and spacious with tall ceilings, Belvedere is a wonderful culinary delight in the middle of Holland Park. Belvedere is one of my staple 'go-to' restaurants. I came here for my 18th and 24th birthday. Friends I've introduced to this place have introduced their friends and family. In the summer, they open the terrace seating area and eating outside (or with the large doors open) is marvellous. Overlooking the flower gardens whilst eating your smoked mackerel rillettes in this stunning Jacobean mansion is simply divine.

We had some lovely friends from Kuala Lumpur staying with us for two weeks and we decided to make a trip to this W8 restaurant for dinner.

So, what to eat? The portions here are decent. From time to time, the menu changes only a little. For the starters, you must try the seared scallops. Juicy and sweet, these perfect little mollusks are full of flavour and will please all taste buds.

For mains, the spaghetti with dover crab was good. The roast wild halibut with sautéed Jerusalem artichokes was also a great dish. This time, I had roast duck breast served on this amazingly tasty bed of potatoes with green beans and cherry tomatoes. I love duck and it did not disappoint! The sauce was ridiculously good. My dad had the rib-eye steak which was excellent, and their fries are perfect! (Addictive even! I kept stealing them from his plate ... at which point he got a little irritated). Only one bad thing, don't eat the watercress. It tasted a little funny.

Dessert. So we were a little greedy and ordered four. The melted chocolate pudding with mint ice cream was okay. The orange tart with sorbet was alright. The tiramisu with pistachio ice cream was good. But the winner had to be the cheesecake. Be still my little heart. It was AMAZING!? Dad ordered this (he always picks the winners). Out of everything we tried that night, this was everyone's favourite.