Open Tue—Sat 6pm—11pm
The style:
CANVAS, near Sloane Square, is actually the second incarnation of Michael Riemenschneider’s restaurant, having moved from their original Marylebone location in order to gain space. The restaurant concept is to provide a bespoke experience, whether via a multi-course (up to 16) tasting menu, chosen from a selection of fish, meat and sweet options, or at the experimental cocktail bar running sleekly along the side of the restaurant.
You can also choose single courses à la carte—and expect larger versions of them—but it would rather be wasting the opportunity to have a parade of perfectly packaged delights dance across the table in front of you, though I can see why it might make sense for a lighter or quicker lunch, for instance.
The crowd:
When we arrived, on a Tuesday evening, the restaurant was quietly busy, with a handful of tables settling in for the night, although by no means crowded. This is a good thing, as it means even more attention from the utterly delightful staff, who are one of the best parts of the experience, whisking you from champagne at the bar to your table in the sophisticated, understated dining room with friendly conversation and charm.
The mix of customers was varied; the unifying factors probably just being that you need the budget, time, and stomach real estate to indulge in an evening at CANVAS.
The food:
Sitting down, we were swiftly presented with a crab and avocado mousse amuse bouche with which to begin our culinary journey—I have always had a soft spot for the delicate tease of the amuse bouche at the start of a meal, and this was no exception, the frothy avocado beautifully balanced by the slightly salty crab meat.
Scallop, star anise & pumpkin soup was our first course proper, the soup’s delicious mustiness filling your throat and sending waves of smell up to your nostrils, a perfect accessory to the scallops and fruitiness of the star anise. The joyful, masterful brushstrokes of the kitchen merely continued from there on in, from the graceful mackerel with flaked crab and avocado, to a well-balanced cod with petit pois and mushrooms.
Our menu was heavy on fish, as my companion was pescatarian, and the whole table is supposed to receive the same dishes throughout, but for our final savoury course they deviated from this rule for us, plating up halibut for my friend and venison on my end of the table. The fish, accompanied by a stippling of potato and cauliflower, was beautifully flavourful, and my meat ideally juicy alongside its onions and asparagus, another high point in a meal that was full of them.
The drinks:
We had the paired wines with each course, which is highly recommended, replete as it was not just with a beautiful selection of wines as creative as the food that they complement, but also with interesting morsels of information from fantastic maître d’ Alis. Our Riesling’s apricot undertones, for example, originated in Washington state—but from a traditional German producer who had decamped over Stateside.
Other particular pleasures were a citrussy Muscadet and the South African Chenin Blanc that was served at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations, and was, in its almost treacle-like richness, my favourite type of white. Malbec smelled of blood and passion and melted into the venison in my mouth.
CANVAS may be intended to evoke a blank slate, on which to paint your own version of your ideal bespoke meal, but from the staff and service—not only are Alis and the other floor staff impeccably personable, but Michael seems to pop out to say hello to every table that sits down—to the perfect juxtapositions of food and drink, it is a restaurant experience that already has the makings of a masterpiece each time.
1 Wilbraham Place, London, SW1X; 0207 823 4463; info@michael-riemenschneider.com; www.canvaschelsea.com
If you would like to stay up to date with our restaurant reviews, subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.
