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.