After an evening of Spanish wine tasting at Old Billingsgate Market (watch this space for the review!) myself and my partner in culinary crime, decided to go and grab a bite at Gordon Ramsay's latest offering, Bread Street Kitchen. Don't be fooled, this place isn't as quaint as it sounds. Standing tall on One New Change in the city, Bread Street Kitchen covers two floors and is New York loft meets 1920's Italian chic. We by passed the cocktail bar (very unlike us) and headed to the first floor to be seated.
The restaurant floor is amazing and immediately made us feel very 'Carrie & Samantha' on a night out in the Big Apple (which one of us is which, I'll leave up to you!) We were seated in a cosy corner which could have benefited from another light. Squinting and waving your paper (don't get me started) menu in front of a candle, is an accident waiting to happen. Though this is usually Katy's gripe, I do have more of an issue with a low light situation when you can't see the food you've been given. I only know it was there, because I took a picture of it. Plus, anyone who knows me, knows that I check every inch of my plate and cutlery before I start eating...who KNOWS what could be lurking in the depths of your 10 times infused jus!
Our table was the perfect people watching spot - and the clientèle ranged from city slickers entertaining clients, right though to twenty something couples (squinting over their candle to make eyes at their beloved).
We decided to bypass starters and headed straight for the mains. I went with the roasted cod, with crushed potatoes, artichokes and capers while Katy went with the braised creedy carver duck leg, cabbage and beetroot chutney (or chut-er-naay if you're into Schmidt-isms).
The service was very fast and within minutes of ordering, our food had arrived. So, where do I begin? Cod. Cod isn't that exciting at the best of times but with the right love and attention, you can add a little sparkle. For me, it was tasty and beautifully cooked, but really, it's nothing I couldn't have whipped up myself one night after work. It was very oily and in all honesty, a little too salty for my tastes (chill out on the seasoning Mr Gillies and Co).
Katy opted for the duck and let's just say that if she hadn't of been a bottle (or two) of Rioja down and knackered, that plate of food would have gone straight back to the kitchen. Apparently it was an experience akin to consuming chewy salt water.
In true TGOC style, we decided to let the dessert do the talking. Katy went with the blood orange baked alaska - the separate elements of which were lovely but the citrus and meringue didn't quite work together - and I opted for chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream. Did it blow our minds? No...but the bar has been set (and frankly Gordon, me old mucker, Jamie is doing it better).
So the questions remains. Would we go back? Yes, because I've heard too many positives to rule it out, so perhaps we were just unlucky. However, I think next time I'll head there to try the ceviche bar and to see if that restaurant floor really is as amazing, with a little more light on the situation.
Good for - Client wining and dining and a very dark (in some areas) romantic meal.
Ambiance - Great with the added bonus of great music.
Bad for - Gourmet with glamour. It's a little bit meat and two veg, which we weren't expecting at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment