24 January 2016
If you’ve read my blog post on the The Lockhart you’ll know that Seymour Place is one of my favourite places to dine. The restaurants are pitched at the perfect level – not as fancy as the Russian and Arab playground that is Berkeley Square but not as casual as the “no reservations” establishments in Soho.
So here we have Lurra. A Basque grill in the heart of Marylebone. We were sat at the bar which allowed us to admire the organised chaos in the restaurant’s minuscule open kitchen. My eyes focused in on one of the chefs who simply sliced jamon for about 15 minutes – as if entranced, blocking out the madness around him.
Lurra has been “on my list” for a few months. A special person recommended the restaurant due to its famous Galician Blond – a Spanish cattle breed that can be anything up to 17 years old when it is slaughtered. However, my fellow diner was a non-beef eater and since the plates are designed for sharing, we asked our waiter to recommend an alternative. He suggested slow cooked suckling lamb shoulder but first, a couple of small plates…
The courgette flower with cod brandada was divine. The brandada was incredibly soft and I loved the gentle flavours in this dish.
Next up was a plate of jamon ibérico charged at a hefty £20.50. I’m no expert when it comes to jamon but apparently this one was three years cured. Unfortunately it was a little chewy for me and my fellow diner.
We shared our main course – the suckling lamb shoulder, fries with smoked paprika & aioli and feo de tudela tomato salad. It was all so tasty yet wonderfully simple.
I’m not a huge fan of lamb but this was so delicate and light – both in terms of looks and flavour. It flaked off the bone and melted in my mouth.
The paprika chips were heavy on the paprika but that’s how I like it.
The tomato salad was as if freshly picked off the vines….
It was all accompanied by a lovely chilled glass of Albariño – a fruity Spanish wine.
Despite all of the above, I still felt teased by the neighbouring table’s Galician Blond. This was food envy at its greatest. Clearly I’ll be making another trip to Lurra in the near future…
Lurra has got it right. Minimalist but super elegant decor, large panel windows which make for excellent people watching, friendly yet professional service and great food focusing on the highest quality ingredients. I’m desperate to give Lurra five forks but I was little squished at the bar and the jamon was very expensive and a bit of a let down. Other than that, it’s a big thumbs up all round.
Before my blogging days, I also visited Donostia, Lurra’s older sister which is conveniently located across the road and yet another affirmation of my love for Seymour Place.
Rating: 
ForkTalk 