by Guy Dimond
< back to reviews page
(Cont..)
One of the men behind The Island, Olly Daniaud, has a history of pioneering ventures in unloved areas. He was one of the founders of The Westbourne in Notting Hill, before that corner of Westbourne Park became intensely fashionable. Daniaud then left The Westbourne, and for the last couple of years he has been one of the people behind The Pig's Ear pub and dining room in Chelsea. But he likes Kensal Rise because, as he told me on the phone: 'It's the new frontier'. 'The people who would have lived in W2 or W11 now move up here, because it's affordable. You've just got to look at what's happened in Queen's Park to see what will happen here next.' His optimism is shared by John Devitt, his business partner in this latest project.
A venture like this is a gamble. The site used to be an early 1970s bar called The Buccaneer, a sticky-carpeted pub which was tiled on the outside and looked like an armadillo. So they've re-rendered it outside to give a softer, almost North African finish. Inside, Moroccan lamps rub up against a map of the world, plus old prints of tropical shores. It could verge on tacky, yet somehow the mismatch works.
From the open kitchen, chef Neil Parfitt turns out well-executed, reliable dishes. He also used to work at The Westbourne, but this menu goes beyond the usual gastropub clichés. Terrines have been making a comeback lately, and it's easy to see why when this slab of chilled meats includes pigeon, foie gras, bacon and chicken liver, served in the French way with some perfect toasted brioche and pickles. The return to British ingredients is another prevalent trend, picked up here in a dish of smoked mackerel served with a salad of beetroot and spinach, horseradish cream and a just-right soft-boiled egg.
The main courses also have an easy appeal. Risotto of gorgonzola with garlic leaf was the correctly creamy consistency, not too sloppy or granular. Fish baked in a bag was a fun fad of the 1970s, here revived for a prime piece of halibut served with artichoke, Puy lentils, mushroom, white wine and thyme. Desserts share the broad appeal of the savoury dishes: baked blueberry cheesecake, lemon tart with crème fraîche, poached pear charlotte with nutmeg custard. Around us, family groups and nesting couples were lapping it up.
Back in the bar the choice of beers on tap is restricted to nitrokeg lagers and Guinness, plus one token real ale: Flowers Bitter. The wine list is more comprehensive: a diverse and interesting list with most of the bottles costing under £20, including a Georgian red at £15.50.
As we were leaving, a cooing couple were congratulating themselves on such a nice place opening up nearby, just months after they had moved into the area. It seems likely they're not the only ones in the neighbourhood feeling pleased with themselves.
Guy Dimond
Time Out London Issue 1863: May 3-10 2006
< back to reviews page
|
