Eating Out

Darby’s At Embassy Gardens 3 Viaduct Gardens Road, Embassy Gardens, London, SW11 7AY Telephone: 020 7537 3111

A stone’s throw from the iconic building that houses the American Embassy there is a pretty impressive transformation taking place. This area, known as Nine Elms, is part of a massive regeneration project that ultimately will establish a totally new community within central London, wrapped around the new US Embassy. It is here that Darby’s oyster bar, bakery and grill is located on the ground floor of Embassy Gardens; the same building that later this year is due to open the first ever ‘Sky Pool’ -a glass swimming pool suspended between two buildings 35 metres above the ground.

Opened in May last year, Darby’s is set to feed, water and entertain the new community that will evolve here. As a bakery, oyster bar and grill featuring live music and entertainment, Darby’s is a versatile, one-stop venue, catering for everything from breakfast through to late supper and everything in between, in stylish, comfortable surroundings. Inspired by Manhattan bars from the 50s and 60s which were frequented by the owner’s jazz musician father: Earl ‘Darby’ Gill, Darby’s reflects the sophisticated elegance of a bygone era. The interior tiled walls, bespoke furniture, burnished glass lampshades, fluted velvet banquettes and foliage dangling above the central oyster bar give this place a laid back, stylish vibe.

Headed up by Robin and Sarah Gill, who own the much-loved neighbourhood restaurants The Dairy, Counter Culture and Sorella in nearby Clapham, this IrishAmerican restaurant and bar prides itself

on the highest quality produce, sourced through Robin’s close network of suppliers, and a belief that ‘home-made’ is King. All the bakery items are baked in-house, (their sourdough bread is pretty memorable), the meat is prepared in the upstairs butchery, and cured in-house too - there’s even a homemade Vermouth to wash it all down with.

It was a bitingly cold evening that we made our way across the stepping stones of the ornamental pool that sits just outside, and into the warmth of Darby’s with its open kitchen and bustling central oyster bar. The menu features some delicious sounding snacks - and we devoured the Truffle Arancini (£2), Beef Nuggets and tarragon mustard (£3) along with sourdough and cultured butter - washed down with a glass of something bubbly. The oysters (£10 for half a dozen with a Guinness) looked tempting, but I’ve never been quite brave enough to try them, and wasn’t quite ready to buck this trend! For those that are, the impressive oyster bar has its own menu, featuring Jersey Rock oysters (£2.75 each), Achill oysters (£3.75 each) and a delicious sounding lobster-roll (£13.50). With appetites whetted, we couldn’t wait to see what would follow.

To start, I opted for the Cacklebean Egg Yolk, charred kohlrabi, lardo and miso (£8.50) and my partner chose the Truffled Baron Bigod (raw milk brie) with fig and walnut sourdough (£13.50) This was a step outside both our comfort zones, trying something completely new and different, and we weren’t disappointed. Robin mentions “obsessing over the best quality ingredients” on the website, and it’s possible to appreciate this for yourself from the first mouthful.

To follow, from the grill, it was Turbot for me (£27) and Medium Sirloin on the bone (£32) for my partner. We chose to accompany

Darby’s At Embassy Gardens

these with bone marrow gravy (something of a house speciality), barbecued cabbage (£5), squash with blue cheese sauce and seeds (£5) and the completely delicious crispy beef fat potatoes (£5). I am a huge roast potato fan, but nothing I have tasted quite compares to the crispy, crunchy satisfaction of biting into these finely-sliced-yet-still-whole roasties. Also on the menu is Welsh Lamb (£24), Pollock Fillet (£17) and Beef Short Ribs (£18). The richness of flavours from the dishes, made it hard to eat without physically smacking our lips, and in spite of over-ordering, it was difficult to admit we were full and relinquish the knife and fork. To finish, I found the Rhubarb Sorbet the perfect antidote to my previous gluttony, cutting through the richness of what had gone before with its perfect sweet/sour ratio. Tempted into submission by the sound of ‘Pump Street Chocolate Mousse with Guinness gelato’ (£7) my partner continued down the path of rich flavours. This pairing of stout and chocolate was a complete winner in his eyes, and a mouthful later, I tended to agree. I think it’s safe to say that Darby’s is winning when it comes to its self-professed single philosophy: “We have a wonderful product, let’s try not to feck it up”.

Cinnamon Kitchen, Battersea Power Station

Cinnamon Kitchen, Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station, 4 Arches Lane, SW11 8AB Telephone: 0203 955 5480

This was our first visit to London’s Battersea Power Station since work began on this stunning Grade-II listed building, and the regeneration of this area many years ago - and what an amazing place this is - and is going to be! Only a short walk from Chelsea (over Battersea Bridge), you can really appreciate the extent of the development that is happening here – mostly comprised of stunning apartments, surrounded by a number of trendy restaurants, shops and offices – most right by, or overlooking the Thames.

Vivek Singh, and his talented brigade of chefs, this year celebrate the 10th anniversary of Cinnamon Kitchen in Devonshire Square, having spent the past decade serving up inventive modern Indian cuisine, where we have very much enjoyed dining on previous occasions. Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea is the third Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant (following Cinnamon Kitchen Oxford which opened in October 2017, the first outside of London), and is a welcome addition to this location.

Situated in Circus Village West, Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea has a minimalist industrial décor to complement the stark backdrop of the historic Power Station. You enter through the dramatic railway arch opening and discover an edgy, modern dining room with exposed brick walls and a cool monochrome colour palette offset with pops of jade green and luxe finishes such as marble, and brass. Added theatre comes from the expansive open-plan kitchen. A private cage style mezzanine, overlooking the restaurant, is an ideal space for celebrations whilst a large outdoor terrace with sweeping views across the Thames will certainly be a sublime spot come summertime.

The restaurant serves contemporary Indian dishes, many unique to the Battersea restaurant, and we should also mention the imaginative cocktails by award-winning mixologist Tony Conigliaro, and bar bites inspired by the dishes found on the Mumbai Jaipur Pink City Express train route.

For Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea, Conigliaro has created distinctive cocktails inspired by fire, ice and spice. The Coconut Kir (£12.50), a twist on the traditional Kir Royale made with toasted coconut liqueur and champagne, is the perfect aperitif and was a much-appreciated welcome for us; delicious and very easy to drink. Other cocktails that have been concocted by Conigliaro include the Vodka Chaas, a vodka spiced version of the classic Indian drink ‘Chaas’ made with lemon juice and yoghurt; the Mezal Verdita, an Indian take on Mexican Sangrita using mezcal and tomato verdita; and the Assam Manhattan, blended with assam black tea, vermouth and a touch of black cardamom – all highly mouth-watering in their description alone!

The railway arch location reminded Vivek of the amazing food experiences on train journeys in India, and the bar bites are inspired by the spices and delicacies found along the Mumbai Jaipur Pink City Express route, one of the very best train routes as far as Vivek is concerned! The menu is split into train stops, where guests can enjoy authentic dishes from those very areas including Duck Heart Tak-a-Tak with ginger and chilli found at Mumbai Central and Bhel Puri Chaat from Surat Junction. This would certainly be an experience worth considering.

Cinnamon Kitchen are known for their inventive dishes, and pushing culinary boundaries, and this was evident during our lunch. There are special menus (including a lunch set menu, tasting menus and vegetarian menus); we chose from the à la carte menu.

The appetisers all sounded highly appealing, but we chose the Tandoori Chicken Breast Tikka with red chilli and fenugreek and coriander chutney (£8) and the Railway Style Vegetable Cake with beetroot and raison, and kasundi mustard (£7). We shared the plates, and they both provided the perfect start to our lunch; both dishes deliciously spicy and warming, whetting our appetite in preparation for our main course. Signature appetiser’s also include Malabar Mussels and date pickle on toasted brioche with curried yoghurt, and Kerala Spiced Lobster Soup with flamed cognac.

As recommended by our waiter we opted for Clove Smoked Lamb Rump with fennel, saffron rice and nutmeg sauce (£24) and King Prawns in Bengali Turmeric Curry with ghee rice and spinach poriyal (£25) for our main meals. Both dishes were wonderfully fragrant and full of flavour. Paired with a Peshwari Nan (£5.50) and Stir Fried Greens with cumin and garlic (£4.50), this delicious and appetising meal provided the fire and spice promised.

A number of veggie and vegan dishes options including Pink Aubergine with sesame, tamarind and peanut crumble, and Bharwan Courgette filled with spiced vegetable ratatouille demonstrate the versatility of Singh and the team.

With an ample wine and drinks list to complement the cocktail choices, we enjoyed a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with our meal (from £22.50 a bottle). A cold, white wine was the perfect match to our meal, especially our main course choices. There is also an enticing Fine Wine and Champagne selection.

With a little room left for dessert, we were tempted by the Sticky Ginger Toffee Pudding with garam masala ice cream (£7), and the Hot Dark Chocolate Mousse with cinnamon ice-cream (£7). I did, of course, have to sample both dishes, which were both deliciously sweet and comforting in equal measure.

If you want to enjoy delicious modern Indian cuisine from the laid-back and edgy surroundings of a quirky railway arch, then I couldn’t think of a better place to go than the Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea! The excellent food and drinks are just the icing on the cake.

Kerridge’s No. 10 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AE Telephone: 0207 321 3244

It seems at present that whenever you look around there is a new restaurant popping up from a plethora of celebrity chefs who promise the dishes and the care people see when they cook on the TV. The unfortunate reality is the majority of these have just had that chef give their name to their restaurant rather than giving their time and effort to provide a quality product, but that cannot be said of Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, as Celebrity Chef Tom Kerridge, is clearly very involved. This involvement not only extends to the food and service, but even to the décor as many of the pieces of art, including a headless bronze figure in a golden suit, which dominates the centre of the restaurant, are designed by Tom’s wife.

Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, along with Head Chef Nick Beardshaw, have created a menu which harks back to classic dishes and traditional techniques and is a wonderful tribute to all that is great about traditional British food.

Kerridge’s is located a stone’s throw from Trafalgar Square in the plush Corinthia Hotel. On entering the restaurant on a cold winter’s evening, we were hit by a blast of hot air (in a pleasant way!), along with a lovely atmosphere created by the buzz of people talking contentedly, which always gives one a positive feeling about a restaurant.

Having had our coats whisked away we were able to look around the restaurant and see what an amazing space Kerridge’s takes up. What is clever, is that the vast, highceilinged dining room has been cleverly designed to maintain that feeling of space without making it look too cold and empty. To the left there is an imposing art deco bar which dominates one side of the room from floor to ceiling, and in front of it leather seats with marbled topped tables which actually gives the feel of an exclusive London Club. All seating is unreserved, so is perfect for dropping in for a drink and snack, and there are over 600 wines to choose from. Having seen some of the snacks being eaten I was certainly tempted despite already having a reservation in the restaurant.

Having enjoyed our drink in the bar, we moved across into the restaurant where the leather theme continues, but the colour changes from a sedate London club brown to a richer burgundy red.

Most people know Tom as the chef who has lost approximately 12 stone via healthy eating and exercise, and his latest TV appearances build on this, but fear not food lovers, as the menu here I am sure would be a break from dietary food as his take on some of the UK’s most celebrated dishes are more geared to letting go rather than eating sensibly which is, for me, exactly what you want on a night out.

We started our food journey with a luxuriously smooth Chicken Liver Parfait Tart with marinated prunes, stem ginger, hazelnut dukkah and roasted poultry jelly (£15.50) and the wonderfully named Claude’s Mushroom ‘Risotto’ with Daniel’s crispy egg, aged parmesan (£15.50). The latter dish is a rice free risotto. The ‘rice’ here is finely chopped oyster and button mushrooms, which are laced with chives and a lot of cream and then topped with a oft-yoked egg encased in a light batter. Not at all dietary, but absolutely delicious.

The far side of the restaurant houses a rotisserie of such magnitude you can only stare in wonder and admire it, and it is this that provides the cooking method for two of the mains, the wonderful Beef Fillet Roasted in treacle with stuffed onion (£45) and the Lamb Rump with Merguez sausage (£36.50). Rotisserising (is that even a word?) allows access to the meat so it can be basted in its own juices, making the meat even more tender and tasty and the tastes it produces are almost a big as the Rotisserie itself. Despite these temptations I chose the Braised Beef Pie with sauce ‘Diane’, clotted cream mash and fried ox tongue (£28.50) and my wife the Deep-Fried Fillet of Sea Bream and chips with pease pudding, tartare and matson spiced sauce (£29.50). The beef was ‘melt in the mouth’ and the rich sauce was lovingly soaked up by the velvety smooth mash and warmed me perfectly on a cold London winter’s night. My wife selected what she believed was the poshest fish and chips she had ever ordered, and this dish has elicited many discussions as to whether fish and chips is worth this kind of money. I will leave you to decide, but will add to that debate that the fish was delicate, the batter light and crispy and the chips a masterpiece, as they were light and fluffy inside and crispy on the outside.

The dessert menu is enough to add pounds on by just looking at it, but are truly worth every glimpse as my wife’s Tonka Bean Panna Cotta with rhubarb sorbet, honeycomb and ginger (£13.50) was a glorious combination of smoothness, sharpness and sweetness in every mouthful and I, as a chocoholic, was equally satisfied with the Dark Chocolate Pudding with crystallised malt biscuit and malted milk ice cream (£13.50). Both providing a wonderful end to the meal.

Vegetarians and vegans are also well catered for with specialist dishes, as are wine lovers, as Kerridge’s has an extensive selection of wonderfully unsung English wines which deserve to be promoted, as well as those from the rest of the world.

Tom Kerridge has moved many of his popular dishes from his Michelin starred restaurant in Marlow to his new London one, and if our visit is anything to go by, this London newcomer will be here for many years to come, and I, for one, am glad.