A couple of months ago, a friend and I were walking up Tooley Street when we happened across a sauna-esque glass and wood building with no name. Investigations were undertaken back in the office and we found it that it was Restaurant Story, raved about as London's hottest new restaurant. We don't actually care about such things, all we knew was that they served a ten course tasting menu and are staggering distance from our place of work. So, the table was booked (for two months in advance), and we settled into a state of heady anticipation.
I confess, I wasn't going to blog about Story. I had planned to go, enjoy myself, not take photos and have a bit too much to drink. After all, ten courses, two loveable rogues, and an afternoon off work, what could possibly go wrong?
But the food was so beautiful, and so gorgeously presented that I found myself taking pictures. And wanting to write about it.
The ten course tasting menu:
We got cocktailed up and settled in. And then the food started coming. Tiny little gorgeous mouthfuls of amuse bouches, including an incredible crisply fried cod skin and the beautiful peas and truffle pictured below.
Upon being seated, the waitress had bought over and lit a candle at the table and we'd noted that it smelt ever so slightly garlicky and then thought nothing else of it. Until out came the sourdough bread and we were informed that the candle was in fact the dripping in the bread and dripping course: genius! It's tastes fantastic too, as indeed that much fat should.
Nick puts on his American anchorman face for the bread and dripping photo.
Caramelised gorgeous blackened onions and sweet apricots follow, then on to the scallops, at which point the whole table went quiet with the appreciation of perfectly mingled flavours, fresh shellfish and dill ash. Please note the beauty of the presentation, in particular the tiny courgette, complete with flower.
Onto the mackerel and carrots. Lots of carrots: Tiny baby carrots, slivers of carrot, carrot tops, fish poached in carrot juice. The sweetness of the carrots works perfectly with the oiliness of the mackerel. More appreciative silence, broken with the occasional 'oh wow'.
The next course is my favourite, and I never thought I'd say that about mashed potato. Newmarket potatoes, with dandelion butter and charcoal oil, served with broad beans. It's rich, creamy, interesting and just perfect. I want a whole plate of it.
A little palette cleanser is next up, beetroot, raspberries and horseradish, simple and straightforward, even though the horseradish is a white powder that gives a delightful tingle in the nose (ahem).
The veal is next and it's slightly overdone, but we still wolf it down, even though we're seven courses in by this point.
The come the desserts, which I can't write about, because not having a sweet tooth and being somewhat full, I didn't eat them. I sip a glass of dessert wine and watch the boys wolf their own, and then my, puddings. They tell me they are excellent.
This is fantastic cooking, done really well and using seasonal products without being pretentious about it. It's quirky and fun, such as in the case of the dripping candle and the horseradish powder, and I loved it. We'll definitely be going back as the menu changes from high summer into autumn. Oh, and if that's not enough to inspire you, you can see the chefs cooking in the kitchen. And they are rather hot......
