Almeida
N1 - Very French
and
Louise Elgin liked it a lot!
This
review is the first of a mini-series
about French restaurants we've
enjoyed lately.
Having
recently returned from a wonderful
holiday in the south of France, I
found myself yearning for another
taste of Gallic cuisine. I got my
chance last night when I dined at
Almeida in Islington. This part of
town is certainly not short on restaurants,
in fact I got the feeling that in
this heartland of the champagne socialists,
Tony's cronies can find plenty of
flesh-pots to dine out in!
Almeida
is a spacious restaurant with low
lighting that creates a convivial
atmosphere for its patrons. The large
dining room is owned and designed
by Sir Terence Conran, and includes
an open plan bar area and kitchen,
although neither is intrusive in
either smells or noise for its diners.
A feeling of privacy is created as
each table is well spaced whilst
the atmosphere is of a relaxed yet
well run establishment. There is
no music playing, just the gentle
of buzz of conversation mixed in
with slight tinkering in the kitchen.
The
highly professional French staff
guided us through the evening, making
their presence subtly felt without
intruding. After a crisp and refreshing
glass of the Alexandre Bonnet house
champagne, we turned our attention
to the menu. There was a definite
touch of brasserie about it, as apart
from the usual selection of starters,
main courses and desserts there was
a crustacea section and a daily changing
plat du jour.
I
was also happy to see some really
different starters, including a trolley
of charcuterie and a rillettte de
truite de mer, ficelles toasties.
I began with a French classic, six
Escargots a la Bourguignonne. They
were as they should be - squidgy,
buttery and garlicky - heaven on
a plate. My guest, being a foie gras
fiend chose the terrine, which he
said, was traditionally made and
particularly good. We were drinking
wines by the glass as almost every
selection on the Carte du vin was
offered by either glass, pot Lyonnais,
(half carafe) or bottle.
I
selected a 2002 Menetou Salon, from
Domaine H. Pelle, a famous producer
in the Loire. It was very crisp,
light with an aroma of greengages
and lychees. My guest had a wonderful
red Bourgeuil 2002 also from the
Loire. It had a velvety nose, was
quite dry but with a full bodied
flavour and long finish, the perfect
accompaniment to his terrine. The
traditional French cuisine continued,
with both guinea fowl and pigeon
included on the menu. I choose some
wonderful lamb, it came elegantly
served, a generous portion that was
pink and tender, the meat having
a buttery texture, accompanied by
a generous helping of beautifully
cooked root vegetables.
My
guest was very happy with his choice
- a substantial helping of halibut,
moist and latticed from the grill,
simply served with watercress and
half a lemon. To accompany this he
had some very good pommes Lyonaisse
and - what else - French beans! He
accompanied this with a glass of
Vouvray, Le Sec de Gaudrelle, Cut,
Gaudrelle, Loire - a total contrast
to my white, being oaked, with a
strong nose and dense flavour, the
perfect accompaniment for fish.
The
desserts had us lamenting the fact
that we had very little room left
for anything else. Eventually we
settled on a helping of strawberry
sorbet which was a little on the
sweet side with a rather squelchy
texture, the only thing we ate that
wasn't particularly memorable. As
for the plateau de fromages, it had
me salivating from across the room.
It looked so inviting, a large, substantial
selection complete with all the aromas
that should go with a serious cheese
board. I was also highly tempted
by the riz au lait et pruneaux
d'Agen, and the trolley of tartes
maison. So I've decided the only
solution is to return just to eat
everything on the dessert menu!
Starters £6-12.50
Mains £11-£19 Desserts £5.50-7.00
House champagne £7.75 per glass, £38.50
per bottle White & red wines from £14.50
a bottle
Almeida
30 Almeida Street London N1 Tel:
020 7354 4777
Louise
Elgin, September 2004
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