Restaurant R E V I E W S
IN SEASON Restaurant writer Hilary Armstrong celebrates the joys of spring in the city
Rochelle Bar & Canteen at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
A
stroll through a sun-dappled St James’s Park on a bright spring day will make wide-eyed outof-towners of us all. Who knew London could be this beautiful? And where better to toast this perennially satisfying observation than over an uplifting Black Velvet at the new Rochelle Bar & Canteen at the Institute of Contemporary Arts? It was suet pie season when Rochelle Canteen founder Margot Henderson (wife of St John’s Fergus) and Melanie Arnold opened this sequel to their 12-year-old Shoreditch original last year. As they enter their first spring season on The Mall, it’s joyous to witness the luscious braises and rib-sticking puddings make way for
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The Mall, St James’s, SW1 arnoldandhenderson.com the life-affirming bounty of the new season. Green means go as wild garlic, nettles, peas in their pods and the anxiously awaited St Enodoc asparagus arrive in short order. Wild garlic first, in the pungent butter concealed within retro chicken Kiev. (If anywhere can rehabilitate chicken Kiev, Rochelle Canteen can.) Peas in the pod are enjoyed just as they are or in one of Rochelle Canteen’s fetching salads with broad beans, fennel, lemon and tangy Berkswell cheese. ‘Keep it simple’ is the mantra, clearly expressed by young nettle risotto, the season’s first spears of asparagus anointed with butter and a grating of powerfully savoury bottarga, and by Henderson’s ‘desert island dish’ of lamb sweetbreads, morels and peas. This is fearless
cooking, ideal for the bibulous diner who will find happiness on the all-French list. Where Rochelle mark two lacks in outside space (the old schoolyard at the original is a favourite al fresco hang) it makes up for in location. The patrician setting contrasts winningly with the scuffed, studenty vibe of the bar, and seals its credentials with a cool, creative crowd blown in from the East. Long live the West End. MEAL FOR TWO (WITH WINE): £70 SIGNATURE DISHES: Suet crust pie, roast Old Spot chop, quail escabeche. WHAT TO DRINK: The Margot Rita – mescal and fresh lime over ice.
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15/04/2018 12:32