Plantain, kombu, ginger and thick-cut honey truffle ‘cookies’.

Mackerel, langoustine oil, the greatest cuisson on mack ive ever come across.

Tetra squash, Ikoyi’s own-made pumpkinseed miso, husk cherries, juicy like a roast steak with a brûlée top of honeyed butter. Supreme vegetable cooking.

Steamed monkfish wrapped in fresh kelp, roast chicken wing and Bieber chilli sauce and two purees of quince and salted citrus.

Grouse with fried onion crust, elderberries, carrot puree and an incredible beetroot puree made like a mole with dried spices. With Jeremy’s iconic crab custard jollof rice on the side. Great game dish, one of the best grouse ever, especially with Jeremy’s style.

Ice cream of ceps, overripe plantains, with frozen berries, seabuckthorn and coffee.

⁣⁣With angus sirloin, shallots, chives, pickles, capers, lemon, salt, pepper, sriracha, mayo, touch of brandy, balsamic, aged rice vinegar, sesame oil, evoo. Topped with crispy onions, more chives, egg yolk.

Then smashed, mixed up and covered with endives.⁣⁣

Prep

Assembly

we’re all on IG these days, and my blog has really become a bit of a digital museum. I do treat it like one as well, and upload my favourite memories here. Mainly because this is my own url and I get to keep them at their full resolution.

you might know that i keep a long running hashtag on IG for my homecooking, and so here it is replicated here for those of you who prefer to view photos and websites in all their hi-res glory on full sized monitors.

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Egg(s), watercress sabayon, English asparagus, lemon, evoo and pressed brioche

My humble home-cooked recreation of a classic dish, which I absolutely adore. You know where it’s from guys.

Recipe:

1. Blanch watercress in boiling water with some sugar and salt for 30s, then plunge in cold water and chill down in fridge to lock in the chlorophyll.

2. When it’s fully cooled, blitz the cress it in a food processor with a little neutral oil.

3. Meanwhile, boil the egg for 5mins with some salt in the water, peel and leave aside.

4. Make a standard sabayon/hollandaise, i.e., Egg yolk with knobs of clarified butter over a bain marie. Whisk continuously until it emulsifies and thickens. I season with salt, pepper, lemon and rice vinegar in mine.

5. When the sabayon thickens, mix in the blitzed cress, tweak the seasoning to your taste as you go along. If it’s a little runny, add more fat in (butter or neutral oil) and continue whisking until it thickens up again.

6. For the pressed brioche tuile, cut with a ringmold, and cook it in a pan in a little foaming butter, with a heavy object over it. Flip until it is golden brown, thin and crispy all over.

For assembly:

7. Steam asparagus for about 3mins, then cover in olive oil, sea salt and squeeze of lemon, and also some lemon flesh in too. If you have confit lemon, use that.

8. If it cools, stick the sabayon back on the bain marie and whisk to warm up. For the egg, either chuck it back in hot water for a few seconds to warm through, or throw some a few spoonfuls of hot water with the egg in a small bowl.

9. To plate, Asparagus first, egg, and drape the sabayon over the egg and also some over the spears (or all spears if you prefer). Then balance the broiche tuile on the egg.

10. Carefully place caviar on the tuile, finish with fresh cress, salt, pepper & evoo. If you have also prepared a cress soup, you can pour it around the spears – egg & cress!

I used Kaluga hybrid from n25caviar, 2nd only to their schrenckii.

Photos and videos below

Pressed brioche

Cress pesto and sabayon

Assembly

I finally made it here and can genuinely say that I totally believe all the fanfare bandied around Christophe Pele’s gem in the house of Haut Brion. His cuisine is one of modernity, subtlety and clarity. Decidedly French with flourishes of Asian influence in a non-intrusive way (quite unlike say Barbot’s love of citrus-charged flavours), his lightness of touch across the dishes is inspired stuff and I find it extremely appealing.

During lunch there are three choices of carte blanche menus, starting at 90euroes for a short 3 courses and going all the up to 190euroes for the six course menu Le Clarence. In the evening, there is the epic 8 course which can be had for 320euroes. I went for the 6 courses plus the white truffle supplement (60euroes), and arranged a little wine flight comprised of Haut Brion’s 2nd wines and their non first growth labels.

Every course here is delivered as sequential multi-plates a la Gagnaire, and as a surprise. In some regard, the spontaneity of Pele’s creative cuisine feels much like a grand version of Parisian bistronomy, played out in a most opulent setting. I think it is every bit worthy of its two star rating and I would compare Pele’s idea of a carte blanche to that of Passage 53. Both Chefs’ frame their menus around a string of balanced and light dishes that flow from the start to finish.

What really makes Le Clarence rather unique of course are that you can opt for the HM and LMHB first wines – both the whites and the reds – by the glass, and indeed fashion a wine flight based around them. They would still cost a ton, at 130 – 200 euroes a glass, but not thousands if you were to pop the cork on 4 bottles of each of the white and red Graves.

Is it a candidate for 3 stars today? Probably not, as I feel that Pele is still tweaking his ideas about Cantonese flavours in his cuisine. Also, a couple of docked points for presenting tourists with a sub-standard white truffle that is at the moment (mid Nov 2019) showing very well near its peak season. However as it stands, his cuisine is very attractive, the cuisson is generally spot-on and I would love to revisit to see how he is progressing in due time.

Photos and some comments below.

1. Kadaif of langoustine, pig ears, citrus and green chilli cream.
A light and fresh start, and all about textures, crunch of the filo, the dense fleshiness of the langoustine, and the softened bite of the pigs ears, tied together with a light chilli sauce that’s punches more with acidity than spice.

2. Scallops

Scallop part 1, lightly grilled, buffalo milk, cep, sorrel leaf and a sort of rolled sheet of bottarga.
Classic earth & sea combo, but the modern and light prep was to me a joy to eat. The scallop is mi-cuit, and the kiss of the plancha infusing it with an all encompassing smokiness, lifted by the lactic creaminess of the buffalo milk.

Scallop, part 2, is raw, with beetroot, almond butter and vitello tonato.
If the first way was lightness, this was to emphasise the scallop’s richer profile. The flavour combinations here harmonious and complex, earthy sweetness, with the nutty, buttery richness of the tonato sauce, but carefully judged to not overwhelming the delicacy of the scallop’s natural sweetness.

Clam with garlic butter gratin.

3. The fish course comprised of two servings:

The first was seabass roasted skin side down. Flourished with capucine flower, anchovy, tarvido radicchio that’s been gently rolled on the plancha, softening its mild bitterness , and an exceptional squid ink sauce that has lovely sweet-vinegar gastrique contrasting with the bitter-sweet of the endive and the fish’s umami. A dish that seems so simple, but with everything so measured and so carefully cooked, it was dancing on the palate.

The second, steamed shrimp bao on pumpkin purée; poached oyster with Jerusalem artichoke, beef broth and lemon. While the seabass was superb, I actually enjoyed the second serving more. The bao was very good indeed, the richness of shellfish melding especially well with the buttery, sweet and seamlessly smooth pumpkin purée – a successful marriage of French and Chinese flavours. This was followed by a warm finish of classic beef and oysters.

4. Next up, veal sweetbreads presented two ways.

First was lacquered with soy sauce and the cuisson on this was phenomenal, wobbly and the perfect shade of light pink in the centre. with beurre blanc and daurenki wrapped in spinach and lightly toasted on the pan. Joyfully elegant and precise cooking.

The second was battered and deep fried, KFC sweetbreads on top of a very airy, whipped sabayon that was subtly sweet, I’m guessing with a little Madeira drizzled in.

5. Quail and Alba white truffle

The mains in three plates, with Alba truffle, paired with a glass of HB’s 2nd wine, the Le Clarence from 07. Clockwise from the centre:

1. BBQ spatchcock quail, with squid ink sauce, confit egg yolk.

2. Ravioli of ceps, aged parmesan cream and quail slivers.

3. Foie gras, tare glazed eel and trompette de la mort.

Slick cooking on the quail, accompanied by rich flavours both with the parm drizzled ravioli, and the squid ink sauce, which I believe is made with some of the gizzards folded in, giving rise to a meatier sauce, as compared to the much lighter version that came with the seabass.

Although, my favourite component was the eel -which IMHO easily rivals good Kansai style unagi- and the pairing with lightly cooked foie gras melting into the sweet savoury glaze was absolutely delicious.

The only downer perhaps was the white truffle itself. Not the best example, a little dry with its aromatic powers waning, and unable to keep pace with the array of flavour across the plates.

6. All the puddings

Mont Blanc; beetroot sorbet with poached ginger; lemon custard with vanilla jelly.

Modern tarte tatin, spiralised and caramelised apples on an almond frangipane base, and tiramisu cream.

Cigar of lemon cream, homemade (and extremely light) waffles with a beautiful chestnut syrup (like liquid marron glace) and stiff vanilla chantilly.

Last update: 28th Nov 2019*

best of the best, in my book
The Ledbury, Notting Hill
The Greenhouse, Mayfair
Claude Bosi at Bibendum, South Ken

unique cuisine
Endo at Rotunda, White City – Amazing guy, fantastic non-traditionalist Edomae sushi using European fish
Tayer + Elementary (Chef’s table and Bar menu), Old Street
Ikoyi, Piccadilly Circus
Maos, Shoreditch

specialty
The Sea, The Sea, fish shop and seafood bar, Chelsea
Black Axe Mangal, Islington
Max’s sandwich shop, Crouch End
Monty’s Deli, various around London
Goodman Steakhouse, various around London
Homeslice Pizza, various around London
Pizza Pilgrims, various around London
Bleecker Burger, various around London
Tommi’s burger joint, various around London
Burger & Beyond, Shoreditch – Currently my fav burger in town..
Prufrock coffee, Leather Lane

shops
O’Sheas Butchers, Spa Terminus
The Ginger Pig Butchers, various around London
The Chelsea Fishmonger, South Ken
Andrea’s vegetable shop, South Ken
Neal’s Yard, cheese monger, various around London

modern British
Wild Honey, Pall Mall – Anthony D’s relocated classic working wonders
The Clove Club, Hackney
Lyle’s, Shoreditch
Perilla, Stoke Newington
Elystan Street, South Ken
Angler, Moorgate
Lorne Restaurant, Victoria
Six Portland Road, Holland Park
*Orasay, Notting Hill – Jackson Boxer’s latest digs
Brunswick House, Vauxhall
The Ninth, Fitzrovia
Quality Chop House, Farringdon
Anglo, Farringdon
Medlar, Chelsea
Brat, Shoredtich (be mindful of the turbot grilling – its inconsistent)
Trinity, Clapham – Adam Byatt’s classic with a top team performing wonders at the moment.
*Allegra – Paddy Powell and co blazing a trail with modern dishes underpinned by classic technique. Great all-round menu, including a stellar pastry section.

gastropub / wine bar
40 Maltby Street, Bermondsey
Noble Rot, Holborn
Sager & Wilde, Hackney
The Marksman Pub, Hackney
Harwood Arms, Fulham
Holborn Dining Room for Weds Welly, Holborn
Parlour, Kensal Rise
Flor, Borough Market – Lyle’s team new digs, a ‘wine’ bar with Anna’s pastry skills on full display. Love this place.

Middle East
Berber&Q – Shawarma Bar

European
River Cafe, Italian, Hammersmith
Theo Randall at the Intercontinental, Italian, Park Lane
L’Amorosa, Italian, Chiswick
Cambio de Tercio, Spanish, South Ken
Gauthier, French, Soho

Chinese
A.Wong for the ALC dim sum, Victoria
Goldmine for dim sum and siulap , Bayswater
Duddell’s for dinner, London Bridge
Pearl Liang for dinner, Paddington
Yauatcha for dim sum, various around London
Bunhouse for HK bao, Soho
Bao London for gua bao and London variants, various around London
Reindeer Cafe for chicken rice, Wing Yip Cricklewood
Three Uncles, Liverpool Street – quality siu lap here and banging Hainanese Chix rice.

Malaysian
Noodle House, Sutton

Japanese
Umu Restaurant, Mayfair
Yashin, High Street Kensington & Gloucester Road – Pay attention to their lunch deals
Atariya Izakaya, Swiss Cottage
Sushi Tetsu (if you can get in..), Farringdon
Takahashi South Wimbledon

Indian
Dastaan, Ewell West

Korean
Kang Nam (best KFC here), New Malden
Yami, New Malden

outside London
Sorrel Restaurant, Dorking
Tom Kemble at The Pass, Horsham
Matt Worswick at Pennyhill Park, Farnborough
Restaurant Coworth Park, Ascot
The Sportsman, Kent
Fordwich Arms, Kent
The Crown Burchetts Green, Maidenhead

Paris tables
Table d’Aki
Abri
Passage 53
L’Arpege
L’Ambroisie
L’Astrance
L’Inconnu
Clown Bar
Dersou
Boutique yam’Tcha
*Le Clarence, modern, elegant cuisine from Chris Pele, French with flourishes of Asian inspiration.

Paris patisserie and boulangerie
Mori Yoshida
Des Gateaux et du Pain (Claire Damon)
Du pain et des idees
Pierre Herme

Donostia
Etxebarri
Bar Nestor
All pintxos in the old town

Lisbon
Prado
Ramiro
A Taberna da Rua das Flores

Tokyo
Sushi Saito
Sushi Ishiyama
Florilege
AlterEgo
Abysse
Pizza Studio Tamaki
Tonkatsu Hinata
Tonkatsu Tonta
Tonkatsu Narikura
Menya Abumi, Chigasaki, Kanagawa
Shima
Ramen Yoshimaru, Takadanobaba, Tokyo
黑5 Yakiku Kitchen Stadium Kurogo

Taipei
Yu Ding Xiang roast duck
logy
Yuu Nikkaku
Nomura Sushi
Ice Monster
燈亮有餅-忠誠山東蔥油餅 (amazing Taiwanese flatbread)
Gi Yuan 驥園川菜餐廳
Dong Yi Porkchop 東一排骨 (best porkchop rice in taipei, IMHO)
Shin Tung Nan 新東南海鮮餐廳～松山店
Yang Ming Xi 陽明溪美食館 for poached ‘white-cut’ mountain raised capon
Mitsui 三井 Cuisine M
Shi Yang Shan Fang 食養山房

I am so glad to finally see Endo san in his own digs. I’ve been waiting 3 years since my first taste of Sushi Endo courtesy of @natsukipim‘s Hoxcup sake bar popup, and knew then that he had something very special to offer. I love his style, makes sure punters have fun, feel good and masks the fact that he’s got killer tekkers and products up his sleeve – true hospitality flows through his veins.

His menu doesn’t follow a strict Edomae sequence, in fact he starts with miso soup and diced 3-cut tuna and negi temaki before diving into nigiri. And there I was bowled over. To describe generally, Endo’s sushi is all about balance. The sushi opens bright, finishes clean, umami peaks just as the textures dissipate into soft luxuriousness.

To neta, gleaming ikejime Newlyn seabass (landed by Kernow) clean in flavour, and jelly-like in texture, served triple sliced; Ultra sweet English squid made with hundreds of cuts to fully tenderise; Scotch salmon smoked with Yamada-nishiki for 30s, more akin to subtle aburi than overt smoke, making the natural fish oil purr with savouriness. Served with a little taste of Shuhari Ultra made from the same rice, top drawer. The best was perhaps the scallop with Scherenkii – sweet, creamy briny umami, like Uni indeed!

The Shari is airy and creamy, with a harmonious salt-vinegar ratio. I didn’t ask for provenance, but inherent rice quality was clear. He tweaks the temperature of the Shari to suit each neta. Warmer for rich, body temp for white fish. No eyeballing, he fires his IR gun to check – theatrical precision.

On tuna, like his peers, Endo san uses Spanish farmed bluefin, based on a number of visits between late August and early November, he had procured lovely fish beginning to build up their fat reserves for the winter ahead. My last visit there in early November, Endo san presented akami from a 200+kg Spanish maguro which he -alongside his supplier- had selected, cut, aged over ice for six days and trimmed down to the core for service. I especially loved the chutoro, with fine strands of intramuscular marbling and a sweet flavour, foiled by the pure salt of his Shari. Expect no less from the Yokohama native with generational ties to the vaunted maguro.

The final bite, an ALC add-on (£6.5), was his humble seabream sandwich. All elements made from scratch with attention paid to the tiniest details. The tai is Cornish, and has been aged in kombu for a few days prior to being fried in panko. The tartare sauce made with pickled ginger and garlic, it is topped with last of Oz winter truffles and finally, his milk bread is made in house.

A banging meal all round. The charismatic Chef thoroughly deserves the limelight, his sensationally choreographed menu, a wonderful performance taking place across his lavish Hinoki counter top.

I am totally ecstatic for his well-deserved he has earned for the 2020 guide. The dinner menu is far from cheap, weighing in at £185. It’s a ton of cash, but there is enough luxury products to justify it. Otoh, his lunch omakase, priced at £60 (+ ALC topups) offers great value. I’ve been there 4 times now, and I recommend you to start with the lunch. The menu is shorter, but all the major sushi pieces make an appearance (including the chutoro and the salmon), so you won’t feel like you missed out. If you do, you can still ALC a few extras pieces anyway. Make this your next destination.

Pictures from two recent visits there:

6 day aged tuna belly

Endo’s ‘business card’

A reflection of Endo san’s sushi heritage, his business card therefore is a temaki of 3 different cuts of tuna (Kama, toro and akami) and negi, warm nori (from same suppliers as Sushi Saito – but made to his own specs).

In-Season Cornish mackerel, English beets (including badger flames)

Aged cornish squid and soy

5 day aged monkfish tempura

Chutoro

Ikejime Southcoast seabass

Salmon smoked in Yamada-nishiki

Zuke Akami

A precious nigiri comprised of micro-seasonal and noble Autumn gear. Canadian matsutake, white truffle, aburi Spanish otoro and sudaichi zest. Absolutely top notch.

A4 Miyazaki wagyu

Homemade Sandwich. Kombu aged English tai, fried in panko wirh ginger garlic tartare sauce, last of Oz winter truffle and house made milk bread.

Mr Kazutoshi with his tuna belly.

It’s now been over a year since Alex Dilling took over the reigns from Arnaud Bignon, and what year it has been for this this charming little restaurant that has survived the decades with its series of chefs. Alex has been working non-stop upping the ante with each passing season, and most recently was rewarded by the bib in maintaining the two star rating of afforded to Abela’s crowning glory since Bignon first won it in 2013.

I’ve visited Alex about 5 – 6 visits in this past year since he took over and with each successive meal, I’ve observed the supremely talented Chef seemingly outdo himself at each turn, knocking out astounding and exciting dishes of true technical excellence that in my view makes him a legitimate recipient of a future third star. Alongside Claude Bosi and Brett Graham, IMHO, these are the three guys currently sitting at the very apex of London gastronomy. That is, if the guide awarded their stars based purely on the performance of the kitchen in that snapshot in time.

If you have something to celebrate, you should certainly consider The Greenhouse, including the n25 aged caviar supplement when presented with the choice. Photos and a few comments from my latest meal there.

Canapes spread – the best in town IMHO

1. Katsuobushi royale, cornish crab and aged Kaluga caviar

2….

Just when I think these guys have set the bar, they find another way to level up, never resting on their laurels. The craft involved blows my mind. This dish – an entree and not pudding – actually works best as a surprise…

….but if you need to know, then it is in fact tartare of Scotch lango with caviar. One of my favourite classic combos, often presented in various guises by others (Passard’s nouvelle classic is one of my all time favourites), but none quite like this.

It is encased in a set creme crue that’s soft, and somewhat gravity defying in keeping its perfectly spherical shape. Served with an ultra clean apple and bergamot consommé, its freshness and acidity counterbalancing the cream and shellfish. No modernist trickery here, just good old fashioned high level craft.

Alex did mention that they are still tweaking the ratios (less cream, more caviar core), but as it stands, I think it’s already absolutely top notch stuff. Simplicity, product quality, refinement, precision.

3. Pickled Cornish sardines, sake, English cucumber and dill

4. Andignac Foie gras, Buddha’s hand and a puree of black truffle and xeres vinegar

A preview of the winter black truffle season to come..

5. Alex’s Croque Madame.

With an onsen quail egg, thinly shaved matsutake, 18mo mimolette, jamon Iberico, watercress puree, a deep roast chicken jus. The noble mushroom (this particular specimen being Canadian) now entering its last days of the season, but losing none of its distinct and unmistakable spicy, pine flavour which more than stands up to the mature cheese.

Oh yeah my kind of sandwich, I loved this so much, being reflective of Alex’s approach as the core of his cuisine is all about unadulterated satisfaction.

6. Brittany turbot grilled over bincho, oyster veloute split with parsley oil, oyster leaf and Aged kaluga.

Such an elegant dish that is squarely about product and precision of cooking. The trinity of flavours entirely marine, juicy grilled turbot with golden caramelisation, a satin smooth sauce imbued with oyster minerality, and the rich rush of creamy brine from the caviar… refinement and simplicity – my kind of fish course, loved it.

Noble fish + caviar is a winning combo when done right imho. And the key is the ratio for it to fly, like at L’Ambrosie or P53 and indeed as is this dish right here.

7. Lievre a la Royale ‘Moderne’, foie gras emulsion and tokyo turnip

8. Hunter style Landes chicken with ceps, glazed boneless stuffed chicken wing, daikon salad roll, pomme souffle, and Alba white truffle.

I’m certain you’ve already seen piccies of this elsewhere, and it does indeed taste every bit as epic as it looks . The outermost chicken and Alsace bacon farci is soft all the way to the incredible crust; the detailing and the finishing of which simply astonishing. The corrugated grill lines, the shiny glaze, the thyme and shiso flower adornments, and the seamless albufera sauce. For me, the best white truffle dish of the season so far.

9. White truffle cheese toast made of Vacherin Mont d’Or cooked with vin jaune

10. Game season pate en croute.

And then of course, there’s Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng, the his and hers of TaTa Eatery, who have thus far garnered a sterling reputation for themselves, migrating from one residency to other across town. I must admit, I tend not to bother so much with pop-ups these days, as they are by definition fleeting and not set up for consistency with the myriad of limitations. But I’ve heard only good things about the pair’s ever improving offering, and with their latest residency looking as good as bricks & mortar, I thought it time to finally give it a go.

Authenticity was much like a badge of honour when I started writing this blog (now going on 11 years), but these days, I like that its pretty much the norm for modern cuisine freely cross pollinating in pursuit an end goal of flavour, rather than simply pulling a five star replication of a classic recipe. What remains the same however is a respect for classic technique and if anything it requires mastery of fundamental craft before you start riffing off new ideas (David Chang was on to something all those years ago).

We now have chefs in Japan successfully applying French technique on local terroir, meanwhile in Europe, dashis are quickly replacing butter in the kitchens of many practitioners of classic cuisine. Sure, I too admire the 80s golden age of Nouvelle masters (and still do, the last bastions L’Ambroisie and L’Arpege are still apex), much like now, those pioneering French chefs in their heyday also sought to break new ground in with minimalist and natural flavours, in place of heavy butter and roux. Gastronomy moves forward as it always does, with the changing tastes of a new generation.

So this melange and melting pot of cuisine is very much what Zijun and Ana are about. East meets West, a marriage both in life and of cuisines, Portuguese and Chinese, and also everything else in between that interests them in pursuit of Deliciousness, and to create something that they can call their own.

This is how I came away with my first brush with Meng’s food; Uniquely his own, with a lot of care in product procurement, attention to detail, technique in cooking and above all delicious food.

Specifically for produce, Meng is keenly focused on his protein – both land and sea – with his specialty being atypically long length of dry ageing. For meats, carcasses are hung for over 6 months at source, meanwhile he dry ages noble fish from the South West on premises in a dry fridge with salt slabs.

I should speak about the major part of this site, it is first and foremost a cocktail bar, open by Alex Kratena, formerly of Artesian Bar, or most widely known as the World’s best bar. The design is lovely with unbroken, smooth Scandi lines and it is split across two spaces. The Elementary bit more casual, and the Tayer bit, hidden away at the back, and I suppose it entertains the more informed cocktail enthusiasts. I drank two cocktails – and I’m hardly a mixed drink kind of guy – and both were excellent.

Meng’s chef’s counter (and kitchen) resides in between the two spaces, and they pump out the all-day bar menu (the sando, the solders, flatbreads), and also this taster menu at the Chef’s counter, only available by booking directly with Meng and Ana, do it through DM on Instagram, or failing that email.

As for the food; it sure is banging. At his Chef’s counter, he prepares the food by himself and all dishes are whipped up a la minute. It’s rather an intimate dining experience, and Meng delivers food that’s family style, soulful, familiar and comforting. So much so, it actually masks the fact that he’s applied considerable craft make his cuisine.

From the bar food menu, we asked for one of his now famous pork sandwich, with the breaded Iberico pork collar brined until lusciously moist and tende. It is supremely well made katsu, brightened with a joltingly fresh sweet/savoury jam, the TaTa version of a tart katsu sauce. Undoubtedly delicious, as London has already attested to, though I did feel that the crusty brioche to be a jarring contrast. I get why he’s gone for a crusty bread, as this is in fact Meng’s take on Bifana, born from a collab dinner with Prado Restaurante early last year. Personally, I think milk bread is the choice bread for a fully melt-in-your-mouth sandwich. All about the soft textures, though that is more fittingly Japanese in spiritm than a Portuguese sando. Saying that, I get the hype, it is legit.

Will be interesting to see how Tou develops whenever that launches this year.

One of the best new meals I had in London this year no question, TaTa is so much more than a simple reflection of the couple’s heritage. I’m so happy for London! Don’t miss it, if like me, you’ve not yet experienced TaTa eatery till now, right now, it is gorgeous.

We paid £149 for all food and drink for two. The taster menu was £55pp, but actual price varies based on produce on the day. Taster menu requires you to DM them to book.

Pictures and descriptions below.

IG: Tata Eatery • Tayer+Elementary

1. Tartare of aged turbot, with tobiko, sesame, soy sauce, leek oil. Topped with pickled kolrhabi and mustard leaves.

Like all good food, it starts firstly with product – here the Southwest’s most noble flat fish treated well. Hung on premises in a dry fridge for five weeks, the turbot’s natural umami intensified, becoming round, mellow, complex, its textured softened and tightened, with the loss of moisture and the protein fibres gently denaturing from dry aging. I included a video of @ana_357 dicing the turbot – the fillets positive glisten in the light. Beautiful fish.

The pickled kolrahbi is gentle rather than sharp, smooth, soft flavours to match that of the fish, resulting in mercurial balance.

2. 200+day aged Dexter sirloin tartare, popped barley, wild strawberries, egg yolk and a dashi of mushroom with sesame, coriander and chilli oil.

Meng talked about his sourcing of long aged protein while he prepared this dish, when his supplier rings him up about potentials, he trials a fillet after a standard 3 week hang time to taste first prior to purchasing. Once he’s made up his mind on quality, he buys the carcass whole, and they hang it whole, for the long haul. In this case over the 6month mark.

The beef has tremendous flavour persistence but importantly, it hasn’t lost too much moisture, which undoubtedly is down to careful dry ageing. To balance, he’s composed an earthy broth to match the grassy funk, popped barley for texture and wild strabs to pull in freshness and acidity. It comes together like clockwork on the palate – a dance of richness and lightness. The Chef has an instinctual palate, creating a taste that is both familiar and new at the same time. Top notch.

You might wonder about the two tartare dishes to start the taster menu, and partly this is because their grill isn’t fully in operation yet at these early days. Right now, Meng relies on a single portable induction hob for source of heat. The show must go on of course, as with any good chef, he’s resourceful and adapted his craft to suit his tools at hand. Which is to say, there is even more to come when his grill gets up to speed !

– 160day+ aged old spot pork two ways –

3. First – the fattier end, as a sort of bossam, wrapped in purple komatsuna grown at Namayasai, with some spicy red bean paste.

4. Second – the loin end, with seaweed caramel, onion, shiso and sage flower, coriander stems and it is finished with a umami bomb sauce of garum made from trimmings from the iberico pork that goes in their sandos.

The cuisson is perfect – edge to edge pink. We saw him slowly roasting to, in a covered dry saucepan on his portable induction hob at low heat, occasionally poking holes in the skin. Then prior to carving, Chef placed it skin side down on a hot pan. Juicy like a water balloon, bags of flavour, melting tender, and the fat disintegrates like cotton candy on the palate. Seasoned with salt and a superb spice mix consisting of cumin, coriander seeds, sesame, dried seaweed amongst other things, which acted to foil and contrast the fat.

Amazing pork. This right here is one of the best things I ate this year.

5. The Sando (supplement £14.5)

And of course, you’re well acquainted with this one – TaTa Eatery’s take on bifana. With breaded iberico collar and toasted brioche in place of milk bread.

This firm city favourite was born from a collab with Prado Restaurante. I remember my meal there vividly during my Lisbon trip last year, as it was one of the best.

6. Rice bowl of aged Dover sole and herb rice.

Meng’s piece de resistance for this taster menu. The dish that perhaps best signifies Meng and Ana’s cuisine a melding of Portuguese and Chinese, in this case Chinese steamed fish, and Portuguese coriander rice.

The fish has been dry aged for 3 weeks, then is steamed la minute with ginger and fish sauce, on the bone and skin on. When he pulled the spine out (swipe ), I was bowled over, a little translucency, a light pink blush on the spine. Moist and shiny flesh pressed against the bones – this is perfect cuisson.

The dry aging has tightened the flesh, giving the flakes both softness and a light firmness, steaming it like this accentuating the best attributes of its aged texture, whilst keeping it moist.

At the same time Meng got going with the rice, steamed overnight, then cooked out like a risotto in a supercharged vegetable stock/mix, resulting in something that was redolent of xi fan. Finally it is topped with chopped mizuna for freshness.

A spoonful of the rice… wow the fullness of flavour, a pure vegetable umami, warm, comforting, familiar, luscious, simultaneously a dish prepared with precision of technique. Banging bowl of fish on rice. This is what its all about – Pure Deliciousness!

7. Pain perdu with creme fraiche

Though as one door closes, another one has opened, behind it is Alex Hunter, one half of the Bonnie Gull ownership. Sited at Pavillion road in the fringes of Chlesea…. a little like Chelsea’s version of Spa Terminus. There’s a Natoora and Bread Ahead, a butcher that carries Galician Blondes and Iberico and there’s this fish bar that seemingly fits right in the crowd.

The Sea, The Sea – so named after the Irish Murdoch book – for all the jazzed up interiors is actually a rather modest proposition – a fish shop by the day, and a (mostly raw) seafood bar by night.

Leo’s role here is as Executive Chef for the food menu (which is to say he’s not here everyday), though expectedly he brings with him some of his ex-staff from Londrino. The major difference between then and now is that he and his kitchen team are now handicapped in terms of kit, as compared to the spaceship laboratory kitchen that was Londrino. But such is the irony of life, sometimes less is more. With only a couple of portable hobs to steam shellfish and a few blowtorches to aburi and to quick smoke fillets, it has channeled Leo’s creativity in a focused manner, resulting in some smart, simple but no less creative dishes.

In some ways this is like his days cooking in the outdoors kitchen at Climpson’s Arch, working within confines to liberate his cuisine, with seafood being close to his heart, due in no small part to his coastal upbringing, and then latterly during his time cooking in the Basque.

It is a joy to see Leo C back in the game, he has such deep knowledge, with his creative streak, it will be exciting to follow his continually developing cuisine. As mentioned, there are no stoves here, it is very much like Leo’s sushi ya, you’ll see him shucking oysters, dishing up his crudos, showcasing his tsukemono (all pickled in house) and opening up fillets of fish which he dry ages over salt right here in the shop.

There is something special about this place. Maybe it’s because of the kitchen limits, perhaps it is that Alex himself is also committed to the site. Like a pet project, it has great energy, the simplicity of their food menu exactly the right counterpoint and confines for Leo to apply his intervention. Most of all at the sharp end of the business, it fits right in the neighborhood. If you love the odd seafood binge with your bubbly, you might like it here, and also be pleasantly surprised encountering the occasional flavour pairing revelation in Leo’s various cold preps.

They’ve only just opened (in late April) and I’ve visited twice already. The first in late May during lunch time, where they do a short snacks menu with oysters, sashimi and a select few dishes. Dinner has the longer ALC menu with a bit more cooked food, and puddings.

I paid about £45 for the first lunch visit.

The second time was on the first monday of June , when Leo and Alex ran their very first masterclass – on native lobster. Led by Leo, giving commentary as he killed, cooked and prepared the dishes live and on the spot for an small group of 8 (strangers). It was intimate, priced well (£120pp all in, including booze and service), respectful of the mighty native lobster, now in peak season, and it was banging. The first of many I’m sure, well worth your time going to one.

I paid £120pp for the lobster masterclass, all inclusive.

Ok then, enough rambling, pictures and descriptions below.

Restaurant website • instagram

Lobster Masterclass – June 2019

For this masterclass, Leo started things with his tsukemono and some Jersey rock oysters, with the house pickled beet vinaigrette and crushed hazlenuts.

Live native lobsters from Cornwall were used for this masterclass. Very healthy ones too, all females.

1. Lobster sashimi with pear and kombucha vinaigrette.

Leo killed the lobster in front of us, humanely knife down the head, and then made sashimi after shelling the tail.

2. Lobster ‘sandwich’

A lobster “sandwich” made from sushi rice that sat on a squid ink spring roll dough, with lemon and orange zest, apricots dehydrated and rehydrated in kombu, toasted garlic scapes, a “pate” from coral tossed with lobster tail meat. Blows my mind how Leo manages to create all these dishes, the layering of flavours, textures, non conventional but all grounded in extracting max umami.

3. Steamed lobster with onions and egg sauce

Whole lobster tied tail to rostum a la L’Arpege and then steamed la minute to a perfect mi-cuit. After shelling the tail and claws, he cut the tail and claws up into large chunks. The frontal tails were roughly chopped up – with traces of green from its coral – like a tartare and placed this at the bottom of each plate. The rest of the tail and claws were returned to the pot for one final steam prior to plating up, with all the residual juices also poured into the plate.

Served with steamed onions and an illuminating non-sabayon of yolks cooked at 66degC with dashi and just a touch of raw ginger. Low intervention, exceptionally healthy lobsters, and a phenomenal sauce with the rich flavour of yolks, light texture and the subtle ginger just tempers everything, leaving a clean finish. Superb.

4. Seaweed waffles with lemon curstard and olive oil

May 2019

1. Potatoes, cod and coriander oil

You know this, one of Leo’s genius dishes, and one of my all time favourites. Cod, coriander oil, potato noodles, so simple but utterly amazing – salt, the acidity, the sweetness and the textures, a dish that has it all.

2. Sashimi platter

3. Scallop, savoury nutella tart

A little crisp topped with fresh, sweet scallops, salt, and a savoury nutella (hazelnut, cocoa, coconut, rice vinegar, etc) made in the morning by Leo. A simple but sensational exercise of layers and texture!

4. Tuna belly and smoked horseradish cream

An amazing dish of tuna belly, cherries, asparagus with a lightly smoked horseradish cream and a ‘water’ of pimento. Gently tingling the front of the palate, cooling sweetness and then the fat of the belly, a revelation by Renato, Leo’s right hand man here.