Located just off Marylebone High Street, Xavier Rousset's newest venture "is the kind of place where lunch makes things better and the sort of restaurant that, increasingly, London does really well," says Jay Rayner in The Guardian.
As is to be expected for a restaurant set up by a former sommelier, Blandford has an exhaustive wine list, but you do not have enjoy wine to appreciate the cooking.
"Everything looks exceedingly tasteful and refined, but once you dig into the menu, you realise there is much more to this place than presentation," says Time Out.
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The section entitled Raw includes offerings such as "Sicilian red prawns bathing in Amalfi lemon oil have that paintbox crimson and surprising sweetness" while the Vegetable section offers up a gazpacho "in which the flavours of lemongrass and ginger subdue the metallic clang of raw green peppers," says Fay Maschler in the Evening Standard.
The courgette flowers stuffed with goat's curd are "remarkable," says Grace Dent also in the Evening Standard, while the risotto served al dente, buttery and earthily fungi-strewn was also "very impressive".
"Don't expect volume even with the big plates. But do expect to want to lick your plate," says Time Out.
The menu is essentially "Italian without feeling the need to bulk things up with pasta" and while full size dishes can set you back £14, they remain a bargain, says Rayner.
Blandford Comptoir, 1 Blandford Street, London
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