Modern (Insert Adjective Here):Magdalen

152 Tooley Street
London, SE1 2TU
Tel: 020 7403 1342

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, June 16, 2007

The Victims: Too many to mention.

The Damage: £82 each. With wine pairings.

The Background: Howard has organized lunch for us at Magdalen on Tooley Street. The restaurant no longer opens for Saturday lunch, but they've opened special just for us. I, for one, feel special. As I should. Because I am.

The Starter: Is artichoke soup, served with a lovely crostini with goat cheese. (I think.) The soup is perfect and creamy and smooth and simple.

The Salad: That is IT in the picture. It is full of duck and foie gras. It is one of my most wonderful things I've ever eaten. It is jam-packed with stuff.

The Main: Is a whole poached baby salmon, served family style. Baby salmon apparently goes by Sea Trout when it's just a baby. Who knew. (I think there's more to it than this...something about fins and spines. But that's enough for now.)

The Dessert:  A concoction of jelly with  a meringue top. Nice, but not my thing.

The Cheese: Pears and blue cheese. I don't normally like pears. (They bring back bad memories of my time in northern Germany with distant relatives when I felt obligated to finish my dessert of home-tinned pears...uggghhh...I am ill just thinking about it.) But these Magdalen pears, they are okay. Washing them down with port probably helps.

The Loos: Super clean!

The Verdict: I love it. And I'll take my parents here. And my co-workers. And my friends. Any myself.