Tag Archives: British

Kitty Fisher’s, Shepherd’s Market

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Kitty Fisher’s is the restaurant of the moment, and I expected a clientele of a similar ilk to the social climbers and celebs at Chiltern Firehouse. But I was very wrong. This traditional and charming little restaurant is tucked away in the historic Shepherd’s Market in central London. The diners tend to be older and wiser, foodies who love fine cooking but don’t appreciate a paparazzi flash in the face.

Squeezing into our seats at this traditional and cosy restaurant, I was amazed by the boutique size of the venue. I quickly learnt about our neighbouring couple’s children and their holiday dilemmas. They were one course ahead of us, so conveniently we had a preview before our dinner. I overheard too, who the restaurant is named after – an infamous 18th century courtesan apparently.

The menu features modern British fare with a Spanish twist.  The eatery has a wood grill used for a number of the dishes and chef Tomos Parry illustrates his talent through bold and brilliant flavour combinations. The menu varies slightly depending on the seasonal produce available, though tends to feature hearty meat dishes involving indulgent ingredients.

My burrata was the meal highlight, a creamy white cheese, decorated with emerald green peas, delicate peapods and mint. The fresh flavours worked perfectly together, a lovely springtime plate of food. My dinner guest chose the Breaded Cornish mussels which were fragrant, light and delicious, and served with a wild garlic mayonnaise.

Ox cheek is a rich main course – slow cooked meat falling apart, a sticky caramelised edge and tender inside, it had a depth of flavour that comes from lengthy expert cooking. The meat was accompanied with champ (mashed potato and spring onion) a scrumptious combination, totally addictive. Beef Sirloin was a more standard British plate of food, cooked meticulously again and served with onion, pickled walnut, pink fir and tunworth. The thick potatoes were topped with an intense mustard and strong Tunworth cheese, it was all a bit overpowering, especially next to the delicious meat. Despite the hefty £6.50 pricetag, I decided on Blood Orange Sorbet for dessert. A refreshing and palate cleansing pudding, if a little simple.

With understated charm and historic allure, Kitty Fishers is the type of restaurant where you may see a famous face, but everyone is far too civilised to make a big fuss of it. A meal for two will be pricey and, although much of the food we tried was really tasty, I think there are some recipe improvements to make before this establishment completely deserves its cult status.

More information on Kitty Fisher’s here: www.kittyfishers.com

Peckham Refreshment Rooms, Peckham Rye

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I moved to Peckham less than a week ago and I have already found my favourite local restaurant. Peckham Refreshment Rooms opened recently, just behind the train station, amidst the vegetable stalls and hairdressing shops. It is easy to miss with a plain exterior and no sign, but inside the chic basic dining room and bar is nearly always packed. On the occasions I visited I was pleased to find it full of keen foodies rather than ‘cool kids’ needing a place to hang-out, they seem to stick to the Bellenden Road area. As word gets out about this hidden gem, I’m sure the clientèle will change.

The restaurant offers a concise and tasty menu… Modern British food, done simply and priced reasonably. There aren’t many choices, but what is on offer is delicious. Big flavours and inspired ingredient combinations cooked by a few talented chefs in the open kitchen, which seemed remarkably calm when I peered inside. To start we gorged on a few plates from a tapas style ‘bar food, charcuterie and cheese sections’ – the Confit Shallot and Mozzarella with Salsa Verde were particularly memorable. They used the best quality products and were modestly prepared in ways that emphasised their best qualities.

For meat fans, Bavette (also called skirt of flank) is a great cut to sink your teeth into, cooked immaculately with a caramelised crispy edge and a velvety texture inside. It was served with the quirky tasting pickled walnut and vinegary parsley salad. Duck Confit is unmissable, perhaps the best duck I have ever tasted, it had a generous amount of meat on the bones and an indulgent crispy skin. Paired with soft simple carrots that have been flavoured with the duck fat, it was a brilliant dish.

I couldn’t decide what to drink, there is a precise and thoughtful list of sensibly priced wine, and a list of inventive cocktails ideal as an aperitif. I opted for the Spiced Sidecar, a short strong drink made with cognac, calvados, homemade spiced syrup and lemon, it was wintry, carefully balanced and smooth. Costing just £8, you can afford to have a few.

We were very disappointed to discover the chocolate pot with biscotti had run out, but dark chocolate salted toffee tart was a fine substitute. A thick and gooey delight topped with sea salt crystals and a small dish of single cream to cut through the cocoa richness. It was divine, and finished in seconds.

As a restaurant reviewer I rarely get to try an eatery more than once, but I have already broken this rule for Peckham Refreshment Rooms, where I hope to spend many more delicious evenings.

More information and book a table here: peckhamrefreshment.com

The White Horse, Parsons Green

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The White Horse is a pub I have visited occasionally for a drink. Situated on the corner of Parsons Green, it is a lovely place to hang out in summer, enjoying the barbecue and a glass of Pimms in the sunshine. In Winter however this venue has a very different feel, it is chilly inside and the atmosphere is lacking energy.

There are two options for guests who wish to dine: the open pub area or the discreet small dining room at the back. Our decision to sit in the more formal room was in hindsight a mistake, cold and drafty and totally empty (aside from us) for the whole of lunchtime.

The menu offers a host of British classics, as you might expect from a London pub. Ham Hock, scotch egg, bangers and mash and burgers are all available for visitors needing a hearty meal. We chose the board of Trealy Farm cured meats with ham hock terrine, sausage roll, piccalilli along with a small portion of the Roasted squash, endive, slow roasted tomato and thyme salad with pine nuts. The cured meats were of a good quality with a woody flavour but were too cold and had obviously come directly from a very cool fridge. My salad was unnecessarily huge but had a lovely mix of ingredients, and with the warm roasted squash, it was the ideal hot salad for winter. A quick mention must go to the bread which was surprisingly delicious… soft olive loaf and farmhouse butter were a dangerously good combination.

Our waiter was eager to please but rather uninformed, recommending dishes on the menu without much understanding of the recipes. I will admit I am a harsh burger critic, and those less fussy may find the White Horse’s offering perfectly acceptable. I found the meat very dry and flavourless, with a mediocre garnish; the only saving grace were the triple fried chips which were deliciously crunchy. My guest chose the interesting sounding Chicken with chorizo stuffing on a bed of mashed potato with green beans and pan gravy. He seemed satisfied but a little uninspired by the dish, the pan-fried chicken was bland with nowhere near enough of the delicious chorizo stuffing.

Potted Custard Caramel was a bizarre dessert… we assumed it would be similar to creme caramel but it was quite different, a very strongly flavoured jelly accompanied by floral lavender short bread. My Apple and winter berry, pistachio and thyme crumble was very untraditional, with the fruit and crumble cooked entirely separately, a sprinkle of pistachios and a dollop of thick vanilla cream. The flavours were very pleasant and together made a nice comforting pudding.

The venue is atmospheric, the location is great, but the White Horse needs to improve the quality of food to qualify as a go-to gastropub.

More information here.