These days with the cost of living spiralling out of control, Dr L and I try to save more refined (expensive) dining experiences for special occasions. Penelope has been on my radar for some time and we were keen to go but wanted the right reason which is why we waited for our anniversary to make a booking.
Arriving for a late weekday dinner, the bistro was still reasonably full and we were promptly seated. Service was very good that evening, our waitress was friendly and had a very high level of attention to detail.
The menu wasn't very long but contained a significant number of items that I wanted to try. I might have gone a bit overboard but I ordered with no regrets.
Starting with the appetisers, we had the Oysters Penelope, Champagne and Strawberry Mignonette. The oysters were definintely on the smaller side but we really enjoyed the sweet tang of strawberries and champagne.
We also had a bite of Scallop, Potato Scallop, Oscietra Caviar and Chives each. These were also consumed in one mouthful but very decadent and indulgent with the rich mayonnaise and caviar atop the scallop and freshly fried potato scallop.
Next to arrive were my two picks of raw dishes, being the Kingfish Ceviche, Pickled Fennel, Citrus Vinaigrette and Lime Pearls and the Wagyu Beef Tartare, Pecorino, Horseradish with Pickles. Both were executed well with respective proteins. Between the two, I definitely preferred the rich creamy tartare more but Dr L liked the sharp tang of Kingfish.
During our dinner we also had a couple rounds of cocktails. I had the sidecar and the martini. Both were reasonably strong and I liked that the sidecar wasn't particularly overloaded with syrup. They were expertly crafted and well enjoyed.
In spite of protests from Dr L, I couldn't help myself from ordering a serve of Chicken Tenders, Hot Honey with Buttermilk Ranch. The downside of tenders is that they're often served fairly dry. This was definitely not the case. They had a light crisp batter and a juicy meaty interior. The added honey and ranch made it a bit more unique compared to the usual tenders you might get elsewhere.
Earlier on, we had forgotten to order the Barbecue Lamb Skewers, Sumac, Green Sauce with Yoghurt. I only remembered this when I was halfway through my tartare. The waitress put the order in immediately and it was served with the tenders without much delay at all. I liked the lamb skewers, they were fairly were well charred albeit a bit dry. This was made up by the tangy sharp yoghurt it was served atop.
I was most interested in the Steak Frites, being the crescendo of our meal. The steak was a tad chewy but I really liked their peppercorn sauce and the generous amount of fries on the side. Perhaps it was because we had already eaten quite a few dishes but this was a good portion to share. My opinion may differ if I had had this on an empty stomach.
We ordered a Waldorf Salad to accompany the steak and expected a reasonably small portion but instead we had a huge plate that was almost the size of the plate the steak came on. I don't usually enjoy my salad with walnuts and grapes so this was quite a new combination for us, one that we didn't mind at all.
Not wanting to leave without dessert, I ordered the Cafe Noir whilst Dr L had the S'mores soft serve. As with the previous cocktails, the cafe noir was a delight to consume. The soft serve was a minor let down though with the texture being fairly coarse which was far from ideal. Dr L didn't mind it though, but for the price, it was probably worth going to Messina around the corner instead.
Although there were a few minor hiccups in our meal, we still had a fantastic anniversary dinner at Penelope. It was a meal well worth waiting for and would gladly return to for another occasion.
Taste: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10
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