Mango Tree, Harrods
This weekend was quite a special one, because on Friday night, myself and Stew were treated to a banquet of luxurious Asian food at Mango Tree, in Harrods. Having visited Harrods many times before, we had never eaten at one of the restaurants located in the impressive Harrods Food Hall. Having arrived a little earlier than expected for our booking, we wandered around, taking in all of the delicacies Harrods has to offer, before finding our way to Mango Tree.
On arrival we were seated at the low bar that loops around Mango Tree, giving us a fantastic view of the chef, bar and surrounding Harrods Food Hall. Once seated we began to peruse the menu with a glass of still water and a fresh papaya salad. After a short while, the wonderful manager of Mango Tree gave us her personal suggestions and very kindly decided to make up a platter combining her favourite dim sum and fried bites. This gave us a great opportunity to begin the evening by trying a variety of different meats, fish and vegetarian foods, as well as trying some of China's most popular dim sum and Mango Tree's incredible ingredients.
The dim sum basket was quite the showstopper, with treats such as wagyu beef topped with edible gold leaf and caviar. Plus prawn with white truffle, lobster and king crab. We were directed to eat the dim sum clockwise, beginning with the wagyu beef, and ending in the centre with the vegetarian option. This was a genius way to eat, as we started with what we would describe as the best dim sum at it's perfect temperature and freshness. Normally I would save the best to last, but that would've meant compromising it's incredible flavour, so I'm very glad we started with that one. The attention to detail in the presentation was also second to none!
Although dim sum may look small in size, with the addition of the fried platter (which included lobster popcorn and duck and cucumber spring rolls), it was very filling and we weren't sure how we would fit the main course in! A sip on Stew's Sancerre white wine and my hibiscus sparkling cocktail, soon had us craving more of Mango Tree's fantastic food.
For our main course we decided on sharing the black cod with a sweet soy glaze and a bowl of jasmine rice. However, the attentive manager pointed out that the cod was really only a portion for one, and suggested also choosing the duck curry. This had also caught my eye on the menu. This red curry was made with grape, pineapple and cherry tomatoes, and was served inside a pineapple shell. For the presentation and unique ingredients alone, I was excited to eat (and photograph) this fantastic dish, and it didn't disappoint. Both the duck and the black cod were cooked to perfection. The duck was succulent and the sweetness from the grape and pineapple, perfectly complimented the spice of the curry. The black cod quite literally melted in the mouth. It was cooked to perfection! I would highly recommend both of these dishes - plus a portion of Thai prawn crackers! I just had to add these to our meal.
If you enjoy Asian cuisine and are looking for a special place to eat, perhaps for a birthday or anniversary, I would highly recommend Mango Tree. They have an a la carte restaurant in Belgravia too, but although the Harrods location is small, I found it had a great atmosphere, and who wouldn't want to head to Harrods for dinner?!