Review of 'The Perfectionists' Cafe'

A nice surprise to see Heston Blumenthal present in Heathrow and, not only that, with food priced in the realm of reason for mere mortals. But these mere mortals get to touch the face of God…Ok, Heston is not really God but he certainly cooks like him.

The Perfectionists' Cafe is located just after you come through security in Terminal 2 (on the same level, just ahead on the right) overlooking the departure lounges below. Various of their food offerings are on display with particular notice of the nitrogen-cooled ice cream area as you enter the cafe (you don't have to eat here to have the ice cream - they have it for take away as well). You can also see into the kitchen and a wonderful haunch of ham is also on display.

Our interest peaked with these delightful sights we were shown to our table towards the back (and close to the edge of the balcony).

The menu is quite small - just a single page (front and back) - Prominently on the front in the middle is “The Perfectionists' Grill” which describes the ethically sourcing of their meat and the provenance thereof. Suitably impressed, I ordered the first item listed here: The Perfectionists' Cafe Burger (£14) with “Hafod cheese” (£1 more) Hand my companion's eye wondered only a short distance down the page to order The Perfectionists' Cafe Fish and Chips (£14.75) - also described with a great deal of care and attention.

Not a drinker, I ordered a “Virgin Mary” (£6) that had the intriguing description: “Tomato, Lemon, Maldon Salt, White Miso, Smoke, Hellfire”. It was the later that most intrigued. When it arrived the “Hellfire” was a shot of super-hot sauce in a thin pipette used as a stir-stick. I tried the drink first without the hot sauce and found it to be quite good indeed (if only a slight bit salty) but with the hot sauce it became an object of wonder - Wonderfully tangy and thirst quenching.

The burger was simply amazing. It literally melted in the mouth so much so that I was done before I knew it. The flavour was subtle and almost overpowered by the full-flavoured Hafod cheese slice I ordered on it. The brioche bun was delicious with just the right amount of give (though did end up falling apart towards the end…) and the accompanying fries (not chips) were heavenly - Perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside without being greasy. Those went quickly too.

My companion's fish and chips were the best she had ever eaten - Extremely crunchy batter on the fish with an atomizer containing “malt vinegar pickled onion juice” which added a lot of flavour but did not make the crunchy batter soggy. Her chips were also amazing as well - Chunky cut, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and not greasy. Amazing. She also appreciated the side container of mushy peas that were gone as soon as the plate arrived in front of her (great, true flavour of peas with a slight hint of mint).

Impressed and almost, but not completely, full, we decided to give the “Nitro Ice Creams” a go (how could we resist?). We split Hazelnut and Vanilla scoops that were served in a wafer basket (£4.95). The use of liquid nitrogen in making the ice cream means the ice crystals are very small so the ice cream is very very smooth. It was delicious though after trying some of the “blackcurrent sorbet” while we were leaving the restaurant (we had a chat with the person making the ice cream) we think this would have probably been the better choice - The hazlenut was OK but the vanilla was extremely bland to the point it just tasted like ice milk (if that makes any sense to you).

The decor is understated and quite comfortable. We saw a number of people spending a lot of time reading, eating and drinking with the staff being in little hurry to see them off.

An amazing experience…Now we have to try the rest of Heston's empire…

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2015-01-15

Cuisine: American/British

Address: Terminal 2, The Queens Terminal, London Heathrow Airport TW6 1EW

Public Transport: Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3

Location: London (England) - Heathrow Airport

Map:

Telephone:

URL: http://www.theperfectionistscafe.com/