Italian wine brand, Zonin, has teamed up with the South Bank’s premier Caribbean restaurant, Limin, to pair its Cuvée Rosé with Chef Sham Mahabir’s Caribbean menu. What’s not to like, asks Michael Holland.
With trouble on the train lines, I and my dinner companion arrived at different times, but this created no problem for the maître d’. She led me to a central table close to the air con, and brought me sparkling water and ice – ideal for the latest hottest day of the year in a month of hottest days.
This allowed me time to check out the menu. But I wasn’t too bothered about the main menu; I was here to taste this wine and the dishes the chef had paired it with. As soon as Julia arrived, we got down to business.
And that was to survey the paired dishes. We quickly agreed to try all four on the list while touching glasses to our first taste of the rosé. It was somehow sparklingly perfect for the weather and our surroundings – it had a good fizz to balance out the flatness of the early evening’s heat. Limin has been made to look and feel like a beach hut on a sun-baked island – Sand included. Summery music laid down a nice backdrop to conversation, aromas of curries wafted in from the kitchen, and a cool breeze blew in from the machine humming away on the side. I’ve not visited the Caribbean islands, but I could see a lot of people from that part of the world here in Limin, looking like they are having a good time. So that was a good thing.
The calamari landed on a platter with a dip that did its job. Each one was enticingly cut to look like a starfish. Nice touch, Chef. They were cooked just right so the squid, in its crispy batter, was tender and not overcooked.
I had been excited about the Puri Bombs since asking the maître d’ about them. Her description, that took me from how they looked, to how you eat them (‘All in one go’), to how they ‘exploded with flavour’ in your mouth, was enough for me. I had been salivating about them for half an hour before they hit the table!
Read this bit out loud and tell me you don’t want one in your mouth: Crisp puri shells filled with cumin potatoes, tamarind, Scotch bonnet mango jam, green chutney, pomegranate and mint.
They were everything we were told – and more. The Scotch bonnet left an aftertaste that let you know who was boss. But not too severe.
After another glass of the delectable wine, our main courses were delivered. Maslaa Fish: Three huge chunks of salmon in a creamy, herby, curry sauce. The fish fell away in flakes as soon as it saw my fork coming.
On the other platter was a sizeable half of barbecued chicken on a huge bed of salad, which was good because we were sharing all of the food and this meal needed some vegetables.
The meat was nicely moist and the jerk glaze was enough to make your lips tingle. And that’s all I ask for.
Myself and Julia loved the meal, loved Limin and I personally enjoyed feeling like I was on a white sand beach, singing about Montego Bay.
Alas, Gabriel’s Wharf is closing on September 15th, along with all the places there that London has grown to love. I spoke to Chef Sham who couldn’t say whether Limin would open up elsewhere or not, and that would be a shame, because I reviewed it in its early days and have seen the restaurant grow and evolve to the South Bank mainstay it is today.
Make sure you get down there before Limin closes, get a glass of rosé, get some puri bombs, get your toes in the sand, and enjoy the summer like you were in Trinidad, Grenada, Jamaica or in the part of the capital that you love the most.
Gabriel’s Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, London, United Kingdom SE1 9PP
