Ever since I read the restaurant review by Marina O'laughlin in The Guardian's Weekend magazine, I have always wanted to go to this place and finally the time has come!
We booked our table for 12.30 in case we could not get in. It turned out that we were the first customers and we could choose any table we wanted. There was a booth next to the kitchen. It looked nice and cosy but we opted for a table by the wall as it was a lovely day and we would be sitting in a natural day light from a warm sunshine.
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| Cosy corner ..... |
We sat down and perused our menus.
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| Nico and his Head Chef Modou |
Eventually we decided. Emily and I ordered Smoked Mackerel for starter and Stone Bass for main course. My husband ordered Langoustine and Squid for starter and Artichoke for main course.
We also ordered Warm Bread Loaf, Paprika Butter.
Emily and I were really excited to try their food.... and then the Warm Bread Loaf and Paprika Butter arrived.
The bread was delicious AND paprika butter was really creamy texture and flavoursome.
Whilst we were enjoying this, the staff brought us demitasse cups of mushroom veloute with rapeseed oil as amuse-bouche.
According to Wikipedia (What do we do with internet!), the word, amuse-bouche, is 'mouth amuser' in French, offering a glimpse into the chef's approach to the art of cuisine. We did not expect this at all and this was met by our absolute delight; mouth amuser indeed. I almost wanted to clap my hands with huge grin on my face. This was really delicious and we could not wait what comes next.
Our starters then arrived.
This is Emily and my Smoked Mackerel with Asparagus, Quail Egg and Radicchio. Beautifully presented on a beautiful plate. Look at the contrast of vivid colours of purple radicchio and fresh green of asparagus. It's like spring has come!
My husband had Langoustine and Squid with Farfalle Pasta, Olives and Shellfish Bisque. This was gorgeous to look at and gorgeous to taste. Shellfish Bisque came separately and the staff poured it onto the plate at the table in front of us. I love the blue plate too. It just make me want to go to The Mediterranean Sea.
When all the stuff on the plate finished, you still just can't help not finishing up the bisque too. Yes, that's why the staff brought him a spoon with the dish. It was really flavoursome.
My husband didn't want to lick the plate clean [Yes, we were in the restaurant] but it was so tasty he managed to polish the last trace of the bisque with his spoon.
Wow, everything was really delicious so far and we still have main course and dessert to go. We can't wait.....
Whilst we were waiting for our main course, other customers started to come in. Some of them ordered Smoked Ham Hough that came in a glass dome piped full of applewood smoke over the ham hough. When the staff lifted the dome, the white smoke escaped and wafted throughout the restaurant, enveloping around the diners. I bet Emily would order this next time.
Our main course arrived.
Emily and my Stone Bass with Miso, Cucumber and Horseradish Cream. Beautifully presented again.
The staff then poured light miso flavoured broth over the dish ....
... and is ready to eat! Love the plate again. Fish was cooked to perfection.
Of course, you finish off the broth to the last drop .... yum.
This is my husband's Artichoke with slow cooked egg, sprouting broccoli and leak. Artichoke was really tasty so was sprouting broccoli and this is a fusion of different flavours and texture. Love the plate again too.
Underneath, there was a slow cooked egg hidden....
My husband loves artichoke. He really enjoyed this dish and finished all. He said he would order this again. Look how clean the plate is!!! Even the empty plate looks really good...
We love the plates. They compliment the dishes they serve really well. Emily looked at the back of the plate and learned that they are Steelite plates (http://www.steelite.com).
We thoroughly enjoyed our courses so far. What we liked about this place is that the portion size of each course is just right. Not too little, not too much, and timing and pace between the courses are also just right. This means that we still have some room left for desserts....
My husband tried Chocolate with salted caramel, hazelnuts and rhubarb.
I tried Pear with cheesecake, lime and amaretti. This is a deconstructed cheesecake with lovely pear and tart but lovely lemony jelly.
Emily had the flaming Coffee creme brûlée. This was really tasty.
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| Macchiato and cappuccino |
When you visit their website, the first thing you notice on the Home page is Nico's philosophy:
"A JOURNEY OF PASSION"
"My vision is simple:
Firstly to create a unique dining experience for my guests.
The second is to give young people who've faced
enormous challenges the opportunity to share my
passion and drive for cooking, to teach them
my gift and philosophy and hopefully
change their life for the better.
This is my vision
This is my passion
This is our journey"
Apparently Nico has a training academy for young people to give them the opportunities to gain skills to be a top chef one day. On the wall it says ....
However, such altruism aside, the restaurant serves fantastic food. You eat their food with eyes - colours and contrasts, and then aromas of different ingredients and then taste - flavours and textures, etc. And some fun too .... a glass dome filled with applewood smoke and a flaming creme brûlée.
All staff were very courteous and friendly too.
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| 111 because the restaurant is at 111 Cleveden Road .... |
We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch today. We realised that we were in the restaurant for 3 hours!!!
We did not even realise that we were there that long. Such a leisurely lunch, what a fantastic dining experience. We would definitely go back.
We went outside and walked back to our car. Emily noticed a cherry blossoms. Beautiful. What a fantastic day we had today.
Have a nice day and that's all forks!
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