DSTRKT LONDON
Written by Hanna-May White // July 08, 2012 // Restaurants
Down a grey stairwell and into the unknown. When it comes to fine dining in London I wasn’t expecting the holy grail of cuisine to lead me underground. With star chefs cooking up glamorous dishes for the likes of Rihanna, Jay-Z, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian- I was eager to see what all the fuss was about this LA style restaurant.
When I finally reached the end of the stairwell it was clear why so many people had fallen head over heels with DSTRKT. The use of space and light has certainly been thought out by the owners, and the fact there are no windows doesn’t upset the interior design, with a large light reflecting chandelier that also acts as a centrepiece amongst the high ceilings.
Our table was situated on a balcony with great views of the open plan kitchen and were presented with the menu by our waiter. He then took time to explain the concept, and the menu was very straight forward and designed with the customer in mind- it was also nice to have such attentive staff. After some deliberation, we decided to go for the taster menu featuring some of DSTRKT’s speciality dishes.
To start, we had the foie gras lollipops coated in Willy Wonka style popping candy, which added a delightfully retro twist to the sour cherry flavours. Although enjoyable, I would have preferred this more at the end of the meal instead of the beginning.
Sour Cherry Foie Gras Lollipops
Grilled Flat Bread Salad with Macadamia Nut Pesto
The grilled flat bread salad with macadamia nut pesto almost had us out of our seat to worship the chef, a simple, yet popular dish that is a perfect summer indulgence.
My favourite was the sea bass with baby fennel, and at the risk of sounding cliché, it was perfect. The fish softened on the tongue releasing the flavours of chive and lemon, but did not overshadow the sea bass, and was amongst the best I have ever tasted.
This was a hard act to follow, and the adventure continued with Grilled Octopus. I was slightly apprehensive as octopus is not usually a favourite of mine, but the side of caramelised garbanzo beans brought a new zest and kudos must go to the Chef.
Devon Crab Cakes
Wild Sea Bass with Confit Baby Fennel
Grilled Octopus
Barbequed Baby Goat
After a mammoth 12 courses, we were fit to burst, but left just enough room for an olive oil sponge drenched in salted caramel, which brought a pleasant conclusion to a divine evening.
Olive Oil Sponge with Salted Caramel
DSTRKT is an exclusive venue, but does not have the pretentious atmosphere of other prestige restaurants. It is easy to see why DSTRKT is one of the hottest venues in London, and it actually delivers on its promise of A-list service.
For more information and bookings, visit http://www.dstrkt-london.com/
