Tucked away on a quiet square near Pimlico lie The Brasserie and The Escoffier Room, a sensational restaurant and private dining room as you would expect to find anywhere in London with an elegant interior and a fine dining menu, but with one marked difference. For this particular spot lies within the walls of Westminster Kingsway College and everything served is cooked by the students studying its courses.
A sensational history and purpose
The Escoffier Room was named after Auguste Escoffier, one of the college’s founders and a celebrated chef. His principles are followed by those studying for their Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Professional Cookery (Kitchen and Larder). A weekly menu is designed, tested, and cooked by the students using seasonal ingredients, along with unique additions from brands that partner with the college.
That was just what we experienced during a recent dinner hosted by Italian-based global luxury truffle brand, La Rustichella and Italian wine brand Antica Cascina dei Conti di Roero, with a menu built around the truffle (plus a thankfully truffle-free pudding…). Each dish was a masterpiece in how to weave the sometimes overpowering flavour in with other ingredients to enhance flavour and create a synergy on the plate.
The chefs of tomorrow created a sensational menu including an amuse of butternut squash soup with lemon cream toasted pumpkin seeds and white truffle oil, followed by a starter of venison carpaccio rolled in herbs with black truffle caramelised truffle walnuts and bitter leaves.
The fish course included a nori-wrapped Coho salmon fillet, accompanied by a delicate sole truffle mousse and salmon skin crackling, and then arrived an aged English rose veal loin Rossini with winter vegetables and a sauce Perigueux. Each dish centred around La Rustichella’s premium range of truffle products and paired with a wine from Antica Cascina dei Conti di Roero, a vineyard in South Piedmont which grows only local grape varieties native to the area.
With over 30 guests in attendance, it was a busy evening for those students serving at the front of the house, some of whom I had the pleasure of chatting with during the evening. Zac, aged 18, told me how much he’d enjoyed learning the butchery module and his dream of securing an internship in Paris after completing the course while his classmate Tamsin, mature beyond her mere 17 years, wants to travel the world and work as a pastry chef. With the dishes served up to us this evening and the quality of service in the restaurant, it’s clear these students will go far.
La Rustichella’s truffle products, from sliced truffles and infused honey to balsamic vinegar, oils, salts and more, are a delicious addition to so many dishes. With a host of recipes on the website, it’s easy to be inspired.
The Escoffier Room
Westminster Kingsway College
76 Vincent Square
London
SW1P 2PD
