Everyone is saying how great this restaurant is, and I don’t agree with such ridiculously over the top praise, when next door at Kima is far superior. Anyway… We started off with a cocktail, the bartender was attentive to our preferences and came back to check if the drinks were to our liking. What a great guy. We took the sourdough bread quickly to curb the hunger pangs. It was very good- So similar to the bread at Casamia. (Now closed) I always used to think it was the best bread ever there. Be warned- They do not provide any gluten free bread here so be prepared to have no bread to dip into anything if you have an intolerance. To all the French reading this, you will not be happy… This was one of the cons for this place.
To start- Fuentes bluefin tuna, corno peppers, coriander, capers- The tuna itself was pleasant, a light start to the meal but there was too much going on with the rest combined. Let the tuna breath and show itself, it’s perfectly fine just as it is. Show off the product… Less is more.
Pan con Tomate, cantabrian anchovies: Instantly it was reminding me too much of Barrafina. The anchovy wasn’t coming through as much as I would have liked. The balance between the tomato and the rest of the ingredients could have been better. More garlic, less tomato. A pinch more seasoning? The bread stood out, springy well made, with olive oil. It had good height and texture. But overall, the snack didn’t tantalise my taste buds.
Salad of Provençal asparagus, peas, broad-beans, Braddock whites duck egg- I did not like the fact the salad part of this dish was fridge cold. (It seemed as if it had just been taken out of the fridge) And then the warm duck egg placed on the top. I appreciated the good ingredients, but a very cold salad with a warm duck egg made me slightly agitated.
Next- Veal sweetbread, pomme puree, Tropea onion- Sweetbread should be treated with the utmost respect and care. Yes, it was tender, the sauce was well made but it was overpowering the sweetbread itself, killing it. The Tropea onion I enjoyed, for me they are the best onions. I didn’t care much for the pomme purée. It wasn’t memorable.
Morels, wild garlic, lardo di colonnata- First things first, there was grit still left in the morels. No no no… Unpleasant to eat and the morels themselves were not looking or tasting like the best ones you can source. They should be the highlight, but they were swamped with the combination of sauces. We didn’t finish this dish. We are miles away from the morels at L’ambroisie! (I couldn’t hold it in sorry)
An important observation: I was noticing that everything was being sent out in super record time and our table was getting full, with hot dishes being left to sit there getting cold whilst we ate the previous ones. This is a detail that should be considered for the guest. It is not a race to eat as fast as a McLaren, can I enjoy my food without being rushed?
Then the situation changed. The next dish we thought was good- Scottish langoustine baked rice, cuttlefish, aioli. If only we had just taken this from the start! The sweetness of the cuttlefish nestled within the baked rice was a pleasure to pick up and eat with the beautifully cooked langoustine. A typically Spanish dish, there were so many reasons this was working here. It was incredibly flavourful; the aioli was delicious. We could have taken two of these only and be satisfied for the rest of the night, not bothering with anything else on the menu.
Norfolk Quail, burnt pear, duck hearts- They bought this out at the same time as the previous dish, so we had to ask for it to be kept warm. Fast service is not good service…. This obviously spoiled the cuisson. The sauce making again was good, but it overpowered the dish. The pear was subtle.
Gariguette strawberry Meuille feuille- The sweetness in the vanilla cream was at the right level for me. It worked well with the strawberries. I enjoyed it in its entirety.
