AD12@T42

This was our first pop-up restaurant and if you like what you read then be warned: it disappears at Christmas.

SN: a diversion first - we fancied a cocktail but decided to have it 590 feet above the Earth's crust on the 42nd Floor of Tower 42. Vertigo 42 is not that scary - though with it's panoramic views of the London skyline it is breathtaking.  We were seated facing North and the view of the Heron tower was stunning.  Photography slightly marred by the interior reflections - but worth it all the same.  The view is reflected on the large curving internal wall of this cocktail bar so for those who do suffer wobbles at height, the view inwards is rewarding and less precipitous.

We both had fruit flavoured bubbly cocktails which were delicious - then it was time for our descent to the 24th floor to AD12.

From the top of T42: Vertigo Bar

The entrance to TD12 might well be the entrance to one of the grand companies which are housed in the rest of the Tower but when the bar comes into view you're reassured.  We sat in the centre of the room - which was great for people watching but we missed out a little on the view (though we made up for it later). But this allowed us to give the food our full attention (until the wine came!)

It's a set price depending on the number of courses you have and we opted for 4 courses since I must eschew sugar and Lou is no fan of a cheese course.

And for wine, I continued my little bit of localised obsession by opting for an Alsace Gewurztraminer.  A gorgeous wine - the last bottle in their collection.  Full of flowery bouquet and succulent fruity overtones but not as sweet or as rich as some from the area.  

I started my meal with an arresting combination of flavours and that was just in the tiny mousse which combined coffee and cardamom in a cream dessert-like taste enhancer.  I could make much of the salisfy: its a vegetable I prefer to encounter when someone else has prepared it so worth dwelling on.  This was divine.  I'm not qualified to say whether this was black or common salisfy - it was a delicate taste and texture and an even elongated penne form.  This is an ancient root (though the common salisfy flower can be eaten too) but out of favour nowadays because it's hard to harvest and unforgiving if broken in the process.  The vaguely oyster flavour is quite enough to savour itself but with the fungi, the coffee and cardamom to counterpoint it, the whole dish is alive with soft but varied tastes.  It's a small thing but introduces the meal with a clear signature of flavour and feeling.

Salsify baked in salted butter, trompette mushrooms, grilled sourdough, coffee and cardamom.

LM: The waiter was excellent at recommending my dishes; they had several specials in addition to the regular menu and once I'd picked four courses from these he recommended the best order to have them in, a nice touch.

Slow poached egg, warm potato velouté, pink grapefruit relish, buckwheat

I started with a slow poached egg on warm potato velouté with pink grapefruit relish. I don't really have any frame of reference to describe this; it was like a very very very smooth runny mashed potato with grapefruit crystals hiding underneath. A wonderful combination of textures and flavours, I've never had grapefruit with potato (or really in any main course) and it worked beautifully. 

Smoked Cep with Egg on Toast

LM: My second starter (or first main, but it sounds less greedy to call 'em 2 starters) was a wonderful smoked cep and slow poached egg on sourdough toast. The bread benefited from being freshly baked before being toasted and the egg exploded in the way only a fantastic poaching can do; no sauce was really needed. The cep was massive and flavourful. Simple food executed very well.

Crisp pigs head, potato purée, mustard fruits

SN: To follow my positively pious starter the next dish was explosive - right out of the box.  A dense prism of pork meats packed and well cooked - such flavour as you'd only get from very well cooked pork; lean and powerful.  The potato puree softened it some but the mustard fruits stoked up the flavours.  But wait along side - a prawn cracker, sweet but with a crispness you'd want from crackling but with none of the lingering pork fat potential.  What's more - this is a filling dish of rich savoury muscle - it ticks all sorts of boxes for originality, flavour (again) and again a nod toward some fabulous out-of-fashion English favourites.

Sheep's ricotta gnudi

LM: My main course, sheep's ricotta gnudi, was my highlight of the meal. What, you may be asking, are gnudi? Well, I had no idea but I was assured they were vegetarian so decided to chance my arm and I'm glad I did. Google throws up some slightly conflicting definitions but they essentially tasted like a lighter, filled type of gnocchi. Not as heavy as gnocchi but not quite a ravioli either. Sheep's ricotta is more pungent than whatever I usually buy from the supermarket which suited the dish; the gnudi were accompanied by roasted muscat grapes, wet walnuts and an olive crumble. There was also a slice of onion squash which, if I'm honest, didn't add much apart from a splash of colour to the dish. The biggest shock was that we managed to get a photo of it before I dove in; I would quite happily have eaten another portion straight after despite being pleasantly full by this point.

SN notes: I have come to recognise the value of fast reaction times by taking photos of fast moving birds - kingfishers in flight are positively slovenly when compared to my gorgeous companion when on a mission with a main course or in pursuit of a pudding :-)

SN: I had something that started like this:

 

Went on like this:-  

 

And ended up like this:-

Wild halibut, butternut squash, girolles,

shrimps and red quinoa salad,

salted butter

This was utterly glorious and one of the best fish courses I have had in ages. The last time I had halibut was on the harbour side in Anstruther, Fife - a terrible watery and tasteless affair which was fried with no subtly and tasted more of the freezer in which it had spent too long.  This was billed as Wild Halibut and yes, I do know about the sustainability problems there are for this fish.  Demand for halibut is not what it was so it's a precarious balance - methods of sustaining the fish can destroy the livelihoods of fishing communities if incomes aren't maintained.  On balance I decided to maintain demand and leave sustainability to Government's and fishing communities.

This a beautifully planned and presented dish the details of it's pictorialism are captured above: girolles presented gills up, curling shrimps amongst curling quinoa and a lozenge of squash against another prism, this time of prime, succulent, delicate halibut.  The tastes were fantastic - the idea and it's execution were delicious.

 

LM: As it happened I was happy to have left room for dessert; an English custard tart highlighted again the skill of the chefs working at AD12. Custard was just the right blend of sweet and nutmeg-y and had a lovely firm texture. I'm not usually a fan of raisins but in this case they added beautifully to the dish with a scattering of cobnuts and a sweet syrup; it was a lovely mix of flavours that managed to remain classical but interesting and most importantly not overpoweringly rich.

SN: Five cheeses made up my fourth and final course - I'm afraid the names escaped me but the variety was wide and again the advice from the my guide to the cheese trolley was sound.

Served with fruit bread (with a substantial hazelnut presence in the softy fruity dough), quince jelly and a preserved fig - this was a very acceptable alternative to a sweet sweet.
 

We ended the meal with a rather gorgeous Tokaji - lighter than some I've had but busting with flavour - sadly of unknown provenance. As I'd ordered a coffee we were presented with this little exercises in solid geometry in sweet form.  The explosive concentrated tastes were something quite marvellous: under-stated, unexpected even, but such appealing combinations and strong bold flavours.  Like the rest of the meal itself.

Petit Fours: White Chocolate, Salted Caramel Truffle and Pear Jelly

But this is a pop-up restaurant and it closes in a matter of weeks.  To taste this menu you must move quickly.

The news is not all bad though.  There are plans afoot to re-open in May-June 2014 with a permanent establishment in the same spot.  I will be eager to go back there - not doubt it will be a success - such confident dishes, served with style and elan in such metropolitan circumstances deserve support and more of our custom.

Grainstore: Garden of Earthy Delights

GRAIN STORE

Granary Square
1-3 Stable Street
King's Cross
London
N1C 4AB

NOTE: since we visited Grainstore the menu has changed to reflect Autumn produce.  We will review that menu when we've got over this amazing trip round the garden of of Earthy Delights (with some but not many apologies to Hieronymus Bosch).

Roman Country Wines (in hats)

SN: We've been to Grainstore before and we were so pleasantly surprised by the surprise menu that we decided to go back again.  As fate would have it in early October, I was travelling through King's Cross and needed a break, so I popped into the bar and persuaded Lou off her sick bed to come and join me for drinks and bar snacks: we booked our third visit to Grainstore on a high of chips (me) and Roman Country wines (Lou).

Grainstore is a busy, bistro type establishment in the Granary Yard at King's Cross - it has competition in the area, it has competition in the City but it my view it yields to none of them.  It is comparable to none of them.  In between visits it's been voted the UK's Most Sustainable Restaurant in the National Restaurant Awards and is 9th on their list of the best establishments. There's a bar and plenty of tables outside when the weather is clement.  It is notable as the idea of Bruno Loubet and has only been open since June and yet already it is acclaimed.  Loubet interview in the Guardian explained the vegetable emphasis (but it's not a vegetarian restaurant is the usual rider to that).

This is a busy place mostly and the bar was chocker when we went.  We whetted our whistles with two of the delicate, delectable Roman wines (as the name suggests these are to ancient recipes) - Lou had a cassis and clove (which is available with red or white wine), I had the warming smoked paprika.  These are home made with staff working Sunday mornings to prepare the supplies for the week.  They are delicate, refreshing and neither too sweet or too alcoholic to blur the edges of your meal.  But if you are wanting something more exotic savoury cocktails flavoured variously with pumpkin and maple syrup or hay and butter, and all equally surprising.

LM: We decided to start with onion bread with creme fraiche butter. Subtly flavoured and freshly baked and cut at the side of the restaurant it was every bit as good as we remembered from before and we wolfed the lot down in seconds.

Onion Bread with Creme Friache butter

SN: To be fair we had been there over and hour and I was acting with that involuntary hunger that fresh bread always seems to provoke.  We were well looked after at our table: the staff at Grainstore know the food, gladly give you an opinion or some options and are attentive but not overly so - they do not simple wait on your table, they are attendants, cabin crew and connoisseurs too. We opted for a three course option.  For starter I went for the Courgette, Broad Bean and prawn falafel with rocket leaves and raita is a wonder to behold with its greens and whites and flecks of sesame seed against the rich crispy taupe coating.  It was divine - and I'm sure veggies would pine for a all veg option of this dish.  The prawn are a sultry highlight against the rich deep spices.  This is a sensual pleasure too in the texture of the pure white crunchy cucumber raita against the crisp delight of the falafel coating.  It's a winner.

We have no problems choosing wines for our meals since neither of us is especially bothered if on occasion the wine doesn't match the food.  But with sausages in mind a strong red presence was called for and I opted for a Jura wine reflecting the roots of the restaurant.  This Ploussard came out of the bottle (once the pleasing heavy wax seal had been penetrated) a little lively and immediately fruity - but as it settled its great vistas of depth, warmth and variety came out.  A lovely fruity tone mellowed deeper and darker and matched the changing tastes we'd order rather well.  I've not explored many wines of this region but the middle lands of Europe are yielding great pleasures for me of late.

LM: My starter was handmade butternut squash ravioli with sage and mustard apricots and pumpkin seed oil. It's worth noting that lots of the dishes can be served in either small or large portions which means if you're as indecisive as me you can easily pick two main courses but have them in different sizes. I tend to avoid pasta dishes; especially vegetarian ones have a tendency to be rather heavy and in massive portion sizes. My faith in Grainstore paid off though; silky handmade pasta filled with butternut squash so well pureed it dropped out of them if you held them upside down was classically accomplished but the idea to pair it with a sticky apricot sauce was just a stroke of genius. Could have eaten a bucket full of it! [SN: she could!] Pretty sure some of the salad leaves were deep fried as well which made them melt in the mouth.

SN: As those who know me will testify, I'm a great lover of sausage, and as it happens pie (evidenced here) and the two ovens at Grainstore serve food off the menu and the choice between rabbit and game sausage was a hard one.  This game sausage was served with roughly mashed carrot and potato, pear chutney and cabbage.  Very straightforward - but the tastes were heavenly - from this earth Bruno has produced the most angelic cabbage I've tasted, rich, concentrated, intriguing but still cabbage.  The sausages were rich too but not too gamey, textured and delicately flavoured in many ways.  As a sausage maker (lapsed), I salute this dish of bangers and mash as the finest I've been served anywhere ever!

LM: Second course for me was vegetable merguez with lemony vegetables. The 'sausage' had a lovely texture and just about as much chilli kick as I can manage (I'm a notorious wimp though, so it's mild by most peoples' standards). The vegetables were the star of the dish though; firm, flavourful and spiked through with an intense lemon dressing.

I went back and forward on whether I wanted a dessert or not; some reviews have been less than complimentary and after two outstanding main courses it seemed a shame to risk a disappointment. Then I remembered where I was and begged for recommendations from our lovely waitress. I went for the goats milk pannacotta with candied tomatoes. I'm not usually a particular fan of pannacotta but I think because of the goats milk it wasn't too sweet, had a lovely firm texture (without being jelly-like) and contained CANDIED TOMATOES. I've never had these before; it was a revelation. Like...jam but with tomatoes but with something dark and sticky...even a week on my mind is still blown. Yes, it takes a little mental work to get past the concept of a savoury dessert, but well worth it.

SN: The cheese on offer was a rare treat.  I chose a mild creamy goats cheese coated in ash and a harder milder French cheese with ash running through it.  The marvel here is not only the gentle benediction to the cheese makers art but a heap of phrase and thanks to the breadmaker's art too.  Delicate, tasty sweet potato flour wafers  provided a crisp alternative preferable to a wheat flour alternative.  Beneath the uneven folds lie a rich date and walnut bread - or at least that what it appeared to be - it was jolly tasty, but who knows what combination Loubet would use to match the cheese.

A glass of heady dessert wine sealed the deal like a cooled mobile light honey, this Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine les Enfants Sauvages 2012 each provided a conclusive end to the meal...or at least would have provided an end if I hadn't held Lou up with an Americano which was worth a trip up the road from Kings Cross by itself.  The savage children put to bed by a divine (for London) reminder of French coffee sophistication.

I bought the cookbook to try and keep the high - Lou's dishes fare better than mine in terms of coverage, but Bruno Loubet continues to inspire not just with his exquisite tastes but his reminder that vegetables, fruits, berries, seeds and the produce of good earth can be as exciting, entrancing and immediate as meat, fish or fowl.

Outside Grainstore, Kings Cross has been transformed into something of a water and light wonderland.  Adults, sober adults at that, play, watch, film and chat about a glorious set of water features and boulevardiers reminisce in mini Parisian avenues, with authentic street furniture supplemented by wall friezes to mask the building still going on.

Grainstore represents a change for the better: I love it.

We paid £155 for two - all drinks included 

Paesan

Paesan

2 Exmouth Market, 
London 
EC1R 4PX 
United Kingdom
 
020 7837 7139

LM: After an expensive month following Galvin la Chapelle we decided to try something a little lighter on the purse and visited Paesan on the recommendation of several other food bloggers. The premise is rustic Italian food and the decor of the restaurant is stripped back and dark, boasting (maybe) fake animal heads and...err...traditional neon sign advertising the cocktails.

We turned up early hoping for a drink in the bar downstairs but unfortunately it isn't open every day so worth checking on the website if you're planning to do that.

Nonetheless, staff were more than happy to seat us early and we had a pre-dinner cocktail in the restaurant without being hurried to order food which is always nice. The cocktail list is short with a few specials on the board; I had a Paesan te Freddo, which was lemony, amaretto-y, punchy and basically fantastic. Great flavours and not overloaded with ice which seems to be happening more and more often. We were served bread on the side, freshly made and studded with explosively tasty sun dried tomatoes. So far so good...

SN: There was something admirably relaxed and maybe slightly off-beat about this restaurant, but it felt comfortable the moment we sat down.  Paesan is bright and intimate at the same time.  The staff are friendly and the menu is interesting but it's not a place designed only to appeal to foodies.  Moreover when my first two choices of Italian red wine weren't available the suggestion was for something considerably cheaper, I fell back in my seat and enjoyed the warm inner glow of someone who is not being fleeced....

The decor is quirky and I can excuse my fellow diner's inexperience in assessing the provenance of boar's heads - that one was real - the look of shock at ramming it's head through a wall was authentic in my view.

My cocktail was a very strong chili Bloody Mary and frankly I was left a little woozy by its effect.  My bad.

The Antigniano Sangiovese 'Convito' 2012 which I was recommended is a lovely drink but very much a standard sangiovese taste - warming and rich cherry flavour.  Nothing special but it was half the price or what I'd planned to buy and made real sense against some robust flavours too.



LM: We shared a selection of plates tapas style rather than going down the 'starter-main' route and it worked really well. The website has an idea of the menu but there were plenty of specials on the day as well. {SN: and the staff were happy to advise on portion sizes}

The standout starter for me was burrata with aubergine caponata. Really simple food but done so well; the burrata was rich and creamy and the caponata cut through beautiful, a darker and smokier taste than I'm used to but absolutely delicious.

A dandelion and walnut salad was a first for me and was perhaps a little heavy on the dressing but that might just be my taste; either way lovely to see unusual vegetarian dishes on the menu.

SN: The third starter - a lemon and courgette Arancini had a real flavour and gratifying crunch to it, not at all soggy as reported in one review I've seen.  I recall much sadder affairs in swankier restaurants.  I loved the dandelion salad, I was reminded of the meadows of my youth and unhealthy pre-occupation with kicking the heads of dandelion clocks.  No immediate diuretic effect was forthcoming despite what herbalists might say.

Pizza fritto

LM: Pizza fritto came from the specials board, and was a deep fried pizza base with a gut-busting covering of goats cheese, butternut squash, rosemary and roasted red onion. Healthy it ain't but when it tastes that good it's worth the guilt.

SN:  Our "side" dishes were substantial both in quantity and quality: Cabbage with chestnut was sweet and not a hint of wateriness.  The braised fennel lacked a strong aniseed taste - but that was fine by me.  The potatoes were a substantial presence in aroma, taste and calorific contribution - but it had been a long hard day and carbs were called for.

My main course was grilled chicken with aoili (quite mild - or at least it seemed so).  Very simple, super succulent and filling.  We perhaps ordered one dish too many in view of the size of the main courses but it was nice to sample a range and we were both starving! These things happen when you go into the hinterland.

My sweet was a fanatically acidic Raspberry-y and Lemony Sorbet which frankly I could have done without but it probably aided my digestion. Lou's I think was better....

LM: indeed - I'm fairly easily pleased when it comes to chocolate cake, but this was really wonderful. This one was flourless, but without the soggy middle that sometimes comes with that. Served with fresh fruit and (from memory) vanilla marscapone it was a sensible sized portion and tasted like it had been freshly made within the hour which is (sadly) unusual in London restaurants.

Because I'm a firm believer in gluttony, I followed up with a limoncello shot. Aside from nearly blowing my eyebrows off with its strength it was delicious - very fresh without too much sugar that it became syrupy.

SN: I'll conclude by saying that you will find better food, better wine and better value elsewhere in London - but you may have to search them out and you could will struggle to do better for a reasonably priced hearty meal anywhere within the area.  The Paesan feel is ultimately a million miles away from rural Italy or indeed rural anywhere else - despite the wild boar lodged in one of the high walls. This kind of manufactured effect is done elsewhere in London - the saving grace here is that you won't go hungry, the wine does the job without breaking the bank and everyone is helpful and smiley.  Service is quick, discrete and we stayed at our table for nearly an hour after we'd eaten without any pressure to surrender our table.

There's a slightly over the top feeling to Paesan - if signs like this help you feel at home - its probably for you :-)

Galvin La Chapelle

Galvin La Chapelle

Address:
35 Spital Square
London, E1 6DY

Galvin La Chapelle is in Spitalfields and is just off the A10, a five minute walk from Liverpool Street Station.  There are lots of classic London townhouses in these nooks and crannies.  And GLaC utilises a converted chapel to very good effect.  It's airy and quite spacious though as with most London restaurants the premium of space requires the figure of a ballet dancer to get in and out between tables.  It is great to see these old spaces being re-used and yet in the reassignment there's something of the older purpose still resonating in the stones and beams and forms.  This is still a chapel and some of the serenity, calm and sense of community linger but thankfully not the temperence.

There are set menus which are very reasonable and at the time we went subject to attractive offers eg a three course Sunday lunch for £30, a la carte menu which was very tempting with dishes such as Assiette of Herdwick lamb, ratatouille, San Marzano tomatoes & fennel.  There were appealing veggie options and the obligatory Iberico Pork in both starter and main form.

We went for the tasting menu with matched wines which was £120.  I know some will wince at that kind of spending - though compared with a Premiere League football match, a box at the Proms or a night at the opera it probably works out at about the same £/hr figure.  Not for weekly dining but if you want somewhere special, with atmosphere and service and creativity then this is an excellent option.

The Starters
Veg to the right

SN: It's seldom that I've been so bowled over by the very first plate I'm offered in a tasting menu: Lasag.....

LM: Before we even talk about that,  one of the best first impressions a restaurant can give me is friendly service, free olives, copious bread and butter and eye-wateringly strong aperitifs - and it's important to note that GLaC blew my mind on all of the above. The olives were some of the best I've eaten, and my expanding waistline will tell you that I eat a lot.

The other point I'd like to comment on before I talk about the food was how incredibly quick and happy the staff were to put together a vegetarian tasting menu with literally no notice  - not only this but they printed me a copy and arranged wine pairings. Exceptional service.

My first dish was a chilled tomato consommé with mozzarella and basil. Beautifully done - absolutely clear and colourless and that wonderful summery tomato flavour that you really only get from a masterfully executed dish. I had a 2012 Pittnauer Rosé with it which was a lovely compliment - full bodied without overpowering or fighting against the consommé.

By this time we were both getting quite excitable about the quality of food and booze, fair to say. The next dish genuinely made my eyes cross with delight; a salad of heritage beetroot, heirloom tomatoes, candied walnuts, goats cheese and balsamic. None of those ingredients will particularly shock vegetarians but the candied walnuts did...well, good things...to me. Beautiful compliment to the goats cheese; I quite happily could have eaten it all over again. This was paired with a gorgeous white, (2012 Les Trois Poules Rouge, Languedoc) which a post-dinner exploration through my texts shows me I raved to my dad (a bit of a wine buff) about. Here's hoping for a bottle for Christmas...

SN: as I was saying, Lasagne of Dorset crab, beurre Nantais & pea shoots.  This first dish had dramatic impact too - it was a pure white ghostly presence beneath the sauce.  The components all impressed: pale, paper thin pasta, bright white succulent crab meat and a flourless white sauce that was highlighted with herbs and crunchy pea shoots to top it off.  It was easy to take my time over such a rich dish - especially with such an excellent counterpoint of 2012”Luccarelli", Verdeca Ampelo, Puglia. Next up was the Landes foie gras, Provence nectarine, pistachio, lavender jelly & brioche served with 2010 Pinot Gris "Les Elements", Domaine Bott-Geyl, Blebenhiem.  This was a banquet in itself and maybe a bit too much for a second course: the wine (it's paired with a Sauternes on the online menu) and those accompaniments help it but I have to confess foie gras wouldn't feature on my longest culinary wish list. I know it's shocking but there you go.

Warm smoked eel, caramelised pineapple, Alsace bacon, parsley & horseradish: I'm rather partial to the taste of fresh water eel. The firm meat is always satisfying on the tongue (perhaps I should review that whole sentence) but anyway I was intrigued how the smoked eel combined with the rest of the strong tastes on the plate and how they could possibly find any wine with which to pair it. The edgy taste of 2011 Malagousia, Domaine Gerovassiliou, Greece cut through it...it would cut through anything - the sommelier described it as impossible to pair with anything else.  Needless to say it hit the right balance between ground clearing clarity and the kind of zing you expect from Greek wine which can overwhelm some foods.  But for me there is a bit of a balance problem with this dish overall - nuanced fish, bright pineapple and dark bacon - each mouthful an event with wine that sets you puzzling on what will linger.

Cornish Red Mullet, salsify, sea aster, sweet corn w 2012 Tircollis, Pannonhalmi Apátsági Pincészet, Hungary Wow - what a combination!  All the subtle tastes we associate with the sea are here. The sweet corn (sic) is a bit of a no-no generally for me but it's creamy taste works well against the strong green flavours.  The beauty of Hungarian wine is that, tokay aside, it's not well known - but this a fine example of a subtle blend that lights up a meal but doesn't overwhelm it.  The webpage gives you of the idea of the history behind this winery and the price of this wine.

"Fish" courses (veg to the right)

LM
First for the non-carnivores amongst us: caramelized shallots, hazelnuts, balsamic and lavender accompanied by a glass of 2011 Chateau de Fontenille Blanc. I have to admit my memory of this is a little more hazy - I remember making slightly undignified noises of happiness at the wonderful mix of sweet and smoky, and the crunch of hazelnuts but it was something of a precursor to the risotto.

I think it's fair to say most vegetarian diners I know are sick of the sight of risotto by now. A lazy, claggy half-arsed staple, usually mushroom or butternut squash based, usually with the consistency and taste of Polyfilla (other brands available) - it's got to the point where risotto on the menu can quite often be a deal breaker for me, because really with all the other possibilities I feel any decent restaurant should be able to do better.

However GLaC is making me reconsider my perspective. GLaC has illustrated that when done properly, the risotto can be a thing of joy and wonder. Rich and creamy, spiked through with peas so fresh it evoked childhood memories of scoffing them fresh from the pod and earthy girolles, it was everything wonderful Italian food should be and more. The Sauvignon Blanc (2011 'Single Vineyard', Clark Estate, Marlborough) was round and fruity and cut through the richness beautifully. Consider me converted (to risotto, not Sauvignon Blanc - that ship sailed years ago)

SN: speaking of sailed ships, pigeon is being offered up now as some great rich delicacy and yet it is usually on the gamey end of the spectrum when offer in London - this is all a long way from pigeon pie of legend or indeed the idea of a plate of pigeon breasts of my youth.  It is cheap rich meat and so I'm delighted to see it on menus - but don't push the game aspect chefs!  Here was a novel way to approach this strange meat a Tagine of Bresse pigeon, cous cous, confit lemon & harissa sauce served with 2009 Swartskaap, Hermanuspietersfontein, Walker bay.  This wine from the very bottom of Africa is as classy a glass as I've tasted in a long time. It breathes the sunshine and wind of the high hillsides facing the Atlantic coast.  I thought it one of the best things about this extraordinary meal.  And the food in this course was a fine rich foil to what had preceded it.  The harissa sauce was perhaps a little too potent to work as a side offering, but against the subtle spices of the tangine.  Replace the pigeon with lamb and you have a standard dish - but done so well it's hard not to swoon and elegantly paired with that very special wine it was fantastic centre piece...a high class offering. 

LM
Next up, summer vegetables en cocotte, parmesan gnocchi, baby corn, celeriac consommé and almonds.  I must admit I had to look up what 'en cocotte' meant after the meal - can't take me to these high end places. In case I'm not the only one:

cocotte [kəʊˈkɒt kə- (French) kɔkɔt] n

1. (Cookery) a small fireproof dish in which individual portions of food are cooked and served

2. a prostitute or promiscuous woman\

While I'm intrigued by the idea of cooking with option 2, it was clearly the small fireproof dish. I've never eaten anything quite like this - a surprisingly intense celeriac consommé bathing rich, fluffy parmesan gnocchi and an assortment of summer vegetables, done to perfection. It was a surprisingly light main course (although packed with flavour) and just what was needed after the rich risotto. The wine was a 2012 Tricollis and I'm ashamed to say that although it was delicious I remember very little else about it!

SN: Fourme d’Ambert & pear chutney - 2005 Rivesaltes Tuilé, Domaine des Chênes, Languedoc-Roussillon:  The Reverand Sidney Smith declared that Heaven was eating Fois Gras to the sound of trumpets and I hope he's enjoying it but were I defining Heaven this glorious tritych of tastes to the sound of a busy restaurant and Louise's pessimism at the prospect of Man Utd's forthcoming season would be up there.  The cheese had been soaked in white wine and that 'blue' edge had melted away into something with a creamy heart and luxurious pear chutney soul. That said this Grenache blend wine from near Perpignan was just about the sexiest thing on this exciting menu - sweet, deep dark colour and an explosive aroma.  A formidable, eye-popping exciting wine.

The finale was an Apple tarte Tatin with a crème fraîche served with a exquisite port - NV Pedro Ximenez 30 YO, Dandelion Vineyards, Barossa Valley.  Quite beautifully made and presented but with that volcanic effect of caramelised apple spilling over the pastry.  It would never be my first choice on a menu but this was so well done I'd struggle to see how anyone could do it better.  But my lack of expertise - plus the cumulative effect of these gorgeous but hefty wines and the gorgeous must-try chilli mojito - had me waxing lyrical from the first mouthful.

The atmosphere and service at this restaurant is convivial and brisk: the staff are young, busy, knowledgable and polite.  Our fellow diners chatted to us - which was nice but unique in my experience of London dining.  They were interesting and funny - which helped a lot.

For me it went immediately into my top 5 London dining experiences and I suspect it will be a treasured experience for anyone who invests the time in it.