The
Salisbury Tavern, Fulham
SW6
Clifford
Mould and friends enjoyed a great
finale to the Golden Jubilee holiday
I've
recently returned from a very
disappointing visit to Normandy,
gastronomically, that is. The
worst meal of five mostly indifferent
ones was at an hotel in Caudebec,
a charming riverside town on
the banks of the River Seine.
The main course consisted of
a duck leg, not actually described
as Confit de Canard,
but that was essentially what
it was. A pathetic wee limb came
doused in a dull brown gravy
with a few pieces of floury old
boiled potato scattered carelessly
over it. Such a ludicrous, amateurish
offering would be laughed off
the plate in London. Last night
I chose the confit duck leg,
one of the day's specials, at The
Salisbury Tavern down the
Hammersmith end of Fulham, where
the chef is the talented Micky
O'Connor. Here, the leg
was of generous size, tender
texture and tasted of duck -
I'd give it a quack factor of
8, which is very good. Its sauce,
a Madeira jus, was intense and
clung passionately to the meat
without any trace of gloopiness
- good cooking I'd call it. It
was supposed to come with rosti,
but the supporting cast seemed
more likely to have been the
honey soused vegetables that
accompany the glazed breast of
duck on the permanent menu. Rosti
or not, the complete dish was
professionally done and a delight
to eat. It was better than anything
I've eaten in France on three
trips since Christmas.
The
carrot and ginger soup had a
good stock behind it, even if
the use of ginger was just a
bit timid. My Caesar salad was
excellent, (purists might complain
that it was meandering toward
the Nicoise), but with the right
kind of lettuce, plenty of shaved
parmesan and a lovely soft egg,
the presence of fresh anchovy
didn't bother me one bit! Other
starters included crispy fried
squid in long strips dipped in
tempura - enhanced by a tangy
salsa. The wild mushroom ravioli
was tasty, and the capuccino
sauce impressed my guest. I wondered
if the decoration of prawns was
a garnish too far, but she said
she loved it, so who am I to
quibble? Her partner's Roquefort
salad included two roasted red
peppers stuffed with spinach
which worked rather well offsetting the
piquancy of the cheese.
My
companions' main courses were
every bit as good as my confit
duck leg. The seabass had a marvellously
crisp and caramelised skin that
would have broken my heart if
it had been left uneaten on the
plate. It wasn't. The lamb rump
came on a bed of white bean puree
(another great idea I must copy),
but it was just a little too
rare: there's a delicate divide
between a juicy pink interior
and almost raw meat. But it too
had a delicious dark reduction,
which was definitely not the
same as that on the duck. No
short cuts there, I'm pleased
to report! My wife's tuna steak
was meaty and the timing here
was perfect, seared on the outside
and sweetly rare within. There
are side vegetables, should you
need them: we shared a tasty
plate of mash and some very green
beans and mange tout peas.
The
wine list is concise and well
chosen. We particularly enjoyed
a domaine bottled Fleurie "Les
Moriers" from Michel
Chignard, at £23.00. All the
wines on the list are available
by the glass at prices ranging
from £2.80 to £10 for a domaine
bottled Puligny-Montrachet. One
could arrange an interesting
wine dinner, the thought strikes
me!
Puddings
are simple classics, well executed.
We had a sticky toffee pudding
of which Delia would surely have
approved, a nice chocolate mousse
with a tiny helping of caramelised
orange (must've been the last
spoonful!) and an exceptionally
well made lemon tart with a crunchy
wholemeal base and an intense
lemon flavour pervading the eggy
centre.
Like
many such establishments, the
service seemed to be almost entirely
in the hands of young antipodeans.
They were obliging, charming,
pretty and looked after us diligently
and without attitude of any kind.
They mended our self-destructing
table, apologised for being out
of South African Sauvignon Blanc,
but brought a bottle of Kiwi
Sauve instead, (and waived the
difference in cost!) From the
street you could be forgiven
for thinking that the Salisbury
Tavern is just another up market
pub. The bar is buzzy, with club-like
seating on a higher level. But
the restaurant is comfortable
and totally un pub-like, as one
might expect from an interior
designed by Nina Campbell. You
need to know that it's there,
and now you do!
Clifford
Mould June 2002
Dine Online Highly Recommends:
The Salisbury Tavern
21 Sherbrooke Road, Fulham SW6
tel: 0207 381 4005
email: longshot@dial.pipex.com Open
every day for lunch and dinner
The
cost of your meal: Starters around £7,
mains £9 to £13.25, sides £2.25,
puddings all £4.95, wines from "11
for Berry Bros' good ordinary
claret.
There
is a sibling of which we've heard
good reports:
The Admiral Codrington
17 Mossop Street, Chelsea SW3
Tel: 0207 581 0005
