Very modern French food. Regional – South West terroirs, this sort of experimental cooking isn’t associated with that many French restaurants in our capital. Today was a media lunch, today was a treat.
WHIPPED CHANTILLY BUTTER & SMOKED BUTTER WITH SALT
First up – butter. Smoked & salted cube with a whipped chantilly one. Along with the bread (which took too long to arrive) these were superb. The level of both smoke and salt in what looked not unlike vanilla fudge was just right for my tastebuds.
CRACKLED CAPON WINGS, SCALLOPS BALLOTINE, NUTS AND LOVAGE
Very interesting this. The capon wings were like pork crackling from a roast dinner, with minimum meat attached to the fatty crisp parcels. The scallops seemed to have been braised in goats milk. White all through but will a delicate scallop taste somehow peeking out through the goat notes. A green – the lovage – foam was liberally spread about, adding celery notes, as well as handful of nuts set in soft cheese. Quite odd, but delicious and a little remeniscent of Tuddenham Mill.
SOME SORT OF SMOKED MACKEREL (HAY?) WITH OTHER STUFF
Two fairly huge mackerel fillets, served with celery (also nestled in amongst my starter) and a frankly huge volume of pearl tapioca. So many little red balls. Another foam (I was the only person on a table of seven to get a foam & I had it twice, so you don’t think the place is some kind of early noughties anachronism) – again liberally applied. A big main course, and packed with strong smoke and fish flavours. I wanted light thanks to some frankly absurd Wednesday evening dining with Dad and this sort of hit that note. No red meat at least. I also left a decent bit of tapioca as there was so much of the stuff.
CHILLED MANGO SOUP, FROSTED KIWI MOJITO & CRUNCHY SESAME
Divine. I speculated the sesame element would essentially be a sesame snap, and it was, arranged like chopsticks with the ball of kiwi mojito sorbet balanced precariously on top. Underneath the mango soup was a revelation – top notch desserts all round here. It was basically thick fruit juice but not smoothie, but it tasted like some next level shit I tell you. Paired up with the slightly bitter sesame and the icy mojito this dessert will last long in the mem.
1st – RED HOT CHILLI BERRIES, 2nd – PLUM POSSET
We got a free dessert (one of our tables mains was missed and came 5 minutes late) which was the superbly name spicy berry dish. Again, like my own, this was a fruit fantastico. Subtle chilli spices paired with excellent red berries and some creamy stuff. Very good, worth having. The birthday girl from the recent KERB trip chose Plum Posset, and also gave glowing feedback.
SOME KIND OF GASCONY COFFEE AND AMARETTO THING
With ‘confiture du lait’ at the bottom (toffee) this was a tidy little coffee drink with which I finished my meal. Boozy with amaretto, bitter with espresso and sweet with the soft toffee in the bottom, it was the envy of the table. Along with the cheese and excellent white wine that Craig, our host, practically forced upon me, I was quite replete.
A superb meal all round, definitely one of the highlights of my year, which wasn’t expected. Perhaps not up to the aforementioned Mill, but really daring and consistently successful food. Ridiculously good value for a michelin star – this lunch was £25 for the food – and combined with more than affable company and celebratory news, this has really lit up a grim old November week.
HungryHungryHumpo
The Lunch Club 