La Luna
Clifford
Mould discovers a serious Italian
cucina in Godalming
I'm
very unfair about Godalming - it
doesn't have quite the civic pride
and tangible history of Guildford,
nor the antique shops and the vineyard
of Dorking. It's somehow the epitome
of the soft commuter underbelly of
Surrey. But never mind, it's got La
Luna, which is definitely the
best Italian restaurant this side
of Barnes. A notable addition to Giovanni's
brigade has been Erik Michel,
who sold up his eponymous restaurant Michel's in
Ripley, known more for its excellent
cooking than for its accueill.
La
Luna is housed in a characterful
old building just off the High Street,
and it has been simply but effectively
decorated using plenty of plain white
paint. It looks stylish: even in
safe Surrey things have come a long
way from those familiar but terrible trattorie with
their tiresome trolleys laden with
bought in tiramisu.
Every
month La Luna features a regional
tasting menu, so to make it a hat-trick
of degustation dinners in one week,
we made up a foursome and ventured
forth. The theme was to be the food
and wine of the Veneto. The cooking
of this region is deceptively simple
- indeed it used to be called le
fantasie dei poveri (the fantasies
of the poor), and departures from
staple grains and pulses mainly derived
from the rivers, canals, lakes and
salty lagoons. My memories of fishy
antipasti have never dulled.
So
what would Veneto alla Godalmingo
bring forth, I wondered? First:
bread and olive oil - a good start,
this oil was green and peppery, the
focaccia well flavoured with rosmarino.
The
first course proper was a neat triangle
of polenta served with a sauce made
from porcini mushrooms. So simple,
but so effectively and beautifully
done, the comforting blandness of
the polenta a perfect vehicle for
the richness of the mushrooms. With
this we drank an aromatic Due
Uve, made from the two grapes
Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.
Our degustazione had begun
well!
After
just the right amount of time, out
came risotto with peas, risi e
bisi. The rice was creamy and
the peas pureed, again utter simplicity,
nothing showy, but marvellous flavours
and soft textures. I really wanted
to savour every mouthful. This time
the wine was a tre uve from
San Vincenzo, three grapes - Trebbiano,
Garganega and Chardonnay, made a
good partnership that did not overwhelm
this quite delicate dish.
The Venetians don't eat a lot of
red meat, preferring offal, chicken
and game. Appropriately then, our
main dish was Fegato alla Veneziana,
calves' liver
wrapped around spring onion and radicchio. I'm not sure that braising is my
favourite way of cooking calves' liver, but the rich combination of flavours
made up for the lack of caramelisation that a quick grilling might have achieved.
And anyway, one ought to try different ways of doing things! A deep red wine
from Colli Treviginiani, a lesser known IGT, had sufficient power to take
on this rich food.
So,
no fish this time, but perhaps a
taste of the marsala flavoured sponge
cake from around Verona, or the miracolo
del miele, a mandorlato made
with almonds and honey. There might
also be tiramisu, said to
have been invented in nearby Treviso,
or so the locals there will tell
you. Perhaps La Luna makes their
own definitive tiramisu. Often, Italians
will forgo what we'd call a pudding,
and mull over the meal with a glass
of Vin Santo and a few biscotti to
nibble on. That's what we had to
do, only I thought it was a bit of
a cop out, as we had no choice in
the matter. Visions of zabaglione
with fagottini di riso, or
even little fritelli scattered
about, receded. But that's all greed,
because for £48.50, we had been well
looked after.
Without
a doubt I shall be back for their
Menu di Natale, Christmas menu, three
courses for £22.50. You'd like a
sneak preview? OK, one dish only
from each course: puff pastry filled
with broccoli, spring onions, black
olives and provolone cheese and a
lentil vinaigrette, followed by a
slow stew of boar drowned in Barolo
with parmesan and potato gnocchi,
then white chocolate and toasted
hazelnut tart.
Clifford's
three tasting menus (in no particular
order as they are so different!):
Jaan at
the Swissotel Howard London WC2 £65
five course, five wines
Benares in
Berkeley Square, London W1, £55
four courses, four wines
La Luna 10
Wharf Street, Godalming, Surrey,
GU7 1NN £48.50 four courses, four
wines
Reservations: 01483 414155
Clifford
Mould November 2003
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