The London Restaurant Festival is up and running all over the capital with tasting menus and other gastronomic experiences. Last night I enjoyed one of the Restaurant Hopping Tours over at St Katharine Docks, writes Michael Holland.
The tours combine a plate of food at four different restaurants, paired with a reasonably-priced wine. Our epicurean group gathered at Kilikya, a Turkish restaurant overlooking the marina, where we were served a colourful dish of cold meze with warm bread. I was quite impressed with the dolmades for their fresh taste, and the crispness of the Börek. Everything is made in-house and it showed. My tour companion Julia refrained from the bread as she knew there were three more venues. I didn’t fully take that on board so dived deep into the bread basket and the cacik dip. The fruity Pinot Noir was a great pairing.
Next on the tour was Honest Burger. We didn’t expect any great surprises here, just hoped for a good burger. On arrival we were given a table and a glass of Léon Perdigal Côtes-du-Rhône, a classic French red with subtle spicy notes.
The British beef is butchered and cooked from scratch in house, and the potatoes are sourced from Sussex. And that is where the magic happened. Cut thinly, triple-cooked and tossed in rosemary and salt turned those potatoes into something divine. They perfectly matched the thin beef patty with its good cheese and delicate pickles.
On the other side of the table, Julia was singing the praises of her vegetarian burger and coleslaw, sensibly forgoing the chips and declining my offer to try mine.
And once again I had ignored the fact that we were on a tour and that there were two more meals to eat. Towards the end of plate two I slowed down. Not because I had begun thinking strategically but because I had ate too much too quickly.
We took the scenic route to Bravas Tapas, taking in the stunning surroundings of the docks, the boats, the old and new architecture and the evening sun adding a glittery sparkle to the water. Plus, I was not quite ready to start eating again.
After a few laps of St Katharine’s we entered the family-run Spanish restaurant for a refreshing glass of a Belle Angèle Sauvignon Blanc that their sommelier had paired with a Pan Con Tomate. The wine spoke volumes for all that was good about French vintners, while the dish of bread, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil showed how simplicity can become something special. The waiter talked us through the process of how the tomatoes were prepared and marinated in the oil with the garlic before they met the bread.
Fortunately, this was a small plate and allowed us – as Julia was now wondering how much more food was coming – to take a rest from gluttony.
Côte Brasserie was the final destination where a bowl of rather beautiful to look at Calamari came with a Provençal mayonnaise and a glass of Ormarine Picpoul Pinet, a crisp, dry number from the South of France.
The calamari were delightfully crunchy to the bite with good, soft squid cooked just right inside. The wine topped off a wonderful time in a fantastic part of London and set us up nicely for our stroll back over a lit-up Tower Bridge.
For more gourmet events check out the festival website:
