Pork jowl with persimmons puffed rice, Milk Beach
Pan roasted Hake, Smoke and Salt
Buttermilk fried chicken, The Pickled Fork
Grilled native oysters, The Rose Deal
Various, Pali Hill
From The Elder to The Rose. Here are the best things the CODE team ate this week.
The Elder, Bath
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t missed going on a ‘proper’ holiday this year, but I’m getting quite used to a nice staycation. My latest trip took me to Bath to stay in the beautiful, newly-renovated Hotel Indigo right in the centre of the city. The independent restaurant located in the hotel The Elder is the latest venture from Mark Robinson, co-owner of The Harwood Arms. Seasonality and sustainability are more than just buzz words, rather they dictate the restaurant’s entire philosophy. With a vegetable forward and flavour-packed menu, the artichoke soup with crisped artichoke skins was both smooth and creamy, whilst the sweetcorn and mushroom pie was a real highlight. The light dessert options (we went for a caramelised pear mille feuille) are the perfect end to a quite honestly perfect meal. *Books another trip to Bath…*
Harriet Prior, editorial assistant
Pork jowl with persimmons puffed rice, Milk Beach
Milk Beach
Queen’s Park gets a restaurant worth a detour with the revamped, extended Milk Beach back in business. It’s still got the aussie brunch vibes it always had, but a substantial evening menu and optional wine tour are most welcome – I loved seabream crudo, mortadella with VB mustard (a down-under in-joke apparently) and other ideas, but the dish of the night was pork jowl with persimmons puffed rice. Rich and soft meets crunchy and tangy – yes please.
Lisa Markwell, editor
Pan roasted Hake, Smoke and Salt
Smoke and Salt
Smoke & Salt has been on my list of places I need to visit for a while, and it was certainly worth the wait. Setting up permanently on Tooting High Street this September after four successful years as a pop up is no easy feat. We sit down to enjoy the six-course sharing menu at 17:30, and by 18:00 the restaurant is full, with eager eyes watching Aaron Webster & Remi Williams do their thing in the kitchen. The roasted pheasant breast with woodland mushrooms is fantastic, and their ethos of smoking, curing and preserving are at the heart of all their dishes. With veggie options to boot, and a punchy cocktail list I’ll certainly be going back soon.
Tom Pilgrim, partners & memberships
Buttermilk fried chicken, The Pickled Fork
The Pickled Fork
Monday evenings used to be reserved for nights in but with WFH the new norm and general lack of excitement in our lives I’ve decided to leave the TV dinner behind and get out the house. This Monday I made the trip south to check out The Pickled Fork Catering company’s new residency at Streatham Wine House. Speaking to Head Chef Alex Motture and the team at SWH it was clear they had been working on the menu and accompanying wines for months and it has certainly paid off. The Cornish monkfish sliders paired with the French Muscadet are definitely a must and the dark chocolate and sea salted tart with lime crème fraiche to finish paired with Duchesse de Bourgogne Flanders Red Ale has to be a standout.
Molly Wade, partners & memberships
Grilled native oysters, The Rose Deal
The Rose in Deal
After reading Marina O’Loughlin’s review of the Deal hotel The Rose’s new restaurant offering, in collaboration with Nuno Mendes, I quickly booked a table. Double-luck ensured as my booking coincided with the chef being in-house to launch the autumn menu. Things started in a stellar way with lobster doughnuts, seaweed tart with trout roe and grilled native oysters. A Smashing Pumpkin Sour cocktail lit the blue touch paper!
Lisa Markwell, editor
Various, Pali Hill
Pali Hall
Delighted to be have any excuse to head into central London these days, we eagerly wound our way through Fitzrovia to the newly opened Pali Hill. Upon entering we were swiftly steered downstairs through an unassuming hidden doorway to an underground cocktail bar know as Bandra Bhai – a playful take on the illicit smuggling dens of India’s past. After a few dangerously tasty cocktails we found ourselves back upstairs and lost in a menu of regional sharing plates from chef Avinash Shashidhara (formerly The River Café). Indecisive and appetites piqued by the aforementioned drinks, we ended up ordering so many plates an extra table was pulled up. Chettinad style veal shin with black pepper, fennel & chilli alongside the flaky flat bread for dipping had to be a favourite.
Molly Wade, partners & memberships
To read more of the best things the CODE team ate this week, click here
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