31/7/2010

Elliots in the Park is the brainchild of chef Isaac McHale, formerly of the Ledbury... a pop up version of his proper restaurant-to-be, Elliots Borough Market. It's been up and running on Friday nights through the summer in Victoria Park, Hackney, inside the Pavillion cafe.
I went along this evening and it was just incredible. The 5 course tasting menu - plus beautiful canapes - was inventive, surprising and totally delicious. From a tiny kitchen, they managed to cope with 52 covers flawlessly.  It's worth describing the menu in full - I've certainly never had anything like it before.
We stood outside on the balcony beside the lake scoffing the canapes - buttermilk fried chicken in pine salt,, crystal lemon cucumbers with Indian salt - Ogleshield cheese gougeres, and oat crisps with smoked cods roe... it was hard to stop eating too many of them and leave room for dinner.
Inside, another canape - a huge dish of vibrant green mayonnaise with radishes and what looked like soil - but was in fact powdered black sesame. Very clever - and again, delicious. There was also some really lovely bread and salty, creamy butter.
Course number one: salad of peaches, bobby beans and toasted almonds - the meat eaters had some air dried ham on theirs too. The peaches had been poached and were sitting on a swirl of peach puree. Really fresh and summery. Then came a piece of perfectly grilled mackerel sitting on some creme fraiche, with blobs of celtic mustartd and discs of pickled cucumber. I'd never tried fresh mackerel - if it's always as good as this I'm coming back for more! The meat folk had lamb  for their main - which they all said was amazing, cooked sous vide and then roasted off... I had plaice - again, never had it before - with 2 kinds of puree which we decided was possibly cucumber and plum - and some little wedges of steamed patty pan squash.
A pre dessert came - a sort of foam of lemon, on top of a very intense lemon puree - I don't normally eat lemon things but had to try it - and it was actually really amazing.
Then dessert proper - a sort of deconstructed cranachan: a slick of raspberry puree, fresh rasberries, a quenelle of thickened cream and some ground toasted oats...
to finish, great coffee - and a jar of home made cherry compote to take home.
The wait staff were all really friendly and helpful and sorted out my alcohol free, meat free requirements with no fuss at all.
If you missed a chance at the pop up - you've only got to wait till october for the restaurant to open in Borough Market. Go. On these standards - it'll be brilliant.

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