The Long Wait at Dabbous

When did I make this reservation...? Ah Last September. It's crazy. Their automated message at the moment is that they are booked up to October for weekday and till end of year for weekends. Yea, I know.

Dabbous was an instant hit since last January, but the waiting list is ridiculous - I went through 2 relationships since I made the reservation, only to secure a late lunch seating at 2:30 on a Saturday. But it all made sense when I saw the restaurant only seats 35 covers max. It makes sense.

Sourdough bread came in a bag, still warm, and freshly churned butter. Perfect.

Mixed alliums in a chilled pine infusion

I read this a few times and still had no idea what it was. Seeing James went for scallop, I had to go for the alternative.

It turns out to be a clear soup with basil extractions with two types of onions (alliums). The infusion was nice with a pleasant acidity that got the palette going, though it wasn't spectacular.

Scallop tartar with eucalyptus

Just when I thought I knew what scallop tartar is supposed to look like, this arrived. Under blanket of shaved milky ice were diced cubes of soft scallop, which was relatively subdued in flavour as the oyster emulsion roamed in with its distinctive minerality. The combination was very refreshing, unlike the more trial and tested addition of cucumber for coolness, the milky ice did not carry an earthy tone that could intrude the delicate shellfish. It was deliciously clever.

Coddled free range hen egg with smoked butter & mushroom

Ah I loved it. It was a spoonful of scrambled egg in half a spoon of butter with another spoonful of concentrated fungi fragrance. The egg was indulgently rich and smooth, I could do a dozen.

Barbecued grain-fed beef short rib with mustard & molasses; dill pickle

This reminded me of the short rib we had at Dinner by Heston at Mandarin Oriental, which pretty much sums up how good this was. My knife effortlessly cut through the muscles like a hot knife slicing through butter. There was a thin layer of fat and another thin layer of melt-in-mouth cartilage, the texture was decadent. Flavours were controlled and structured; the subtle sweetness from molasses balanced well with the punchy mustard, which amplified the smokiness of the rib, just as an undertone leaving an aromatic oaky aftertaste. An incredibly sophisticated creation.

Poached cod with palourde clams, artichokes, basil & mustard

Just how I like it, a tad uncooked and glowingly translucent, soft and flakes off to submerge in the sauce. It's a very crisp dish with cleaner and purer flavours. The sauce was thin and almost broth-like, slightly acidic with mustard seeds. The clams were meek, which was somewhat disappointing, I was hoping for concentrated shell fish juice, but these were more for decoration purposes. It was nice, but I preferred the short rib.

Warm buckwheat waffle, smoked fudge sauce & sour cream

Waffles are often seen as a rather juvenile sweet treat. The insanely smokey fudge sauce brought it a few levels up and added elegance and finesse. The smokey fudge was so much fun too, the unlikely pair made us question our taste buds while savouring the lingering smokey essence. Ingenious.

Camomile brioche, crushed apple, almonds & clover

It was like a reversed apple crumble, where crushed apple replaced the heavy, crunchy crumble and the buttery brioche soaked up the custard. The clover was a beautiful touch to lift the sugary weight. This was less exciting by comparison, but still scrumptious.

Dabbous reminded me of Roganic when Ben Spalding was still heading the kitchen. I'd say it's haute cuisine - contemporary, elegant and experimental. What I loved was the intimacy in the atmosphere paired with sophisticated, elaborate recipes. Every dish had a unique touch, a bit of quirk, a bit of cheek and a healthy dose of vitality.

Now that you have heard me yapping on about food you won't get to taste for another month, I'll feed some good news. Ollie Dabbous is looking to open his second restaurant to cater for the hungry waiting list. It was still in the planning stage a couple of months back, let's hope he makes up his mind soon.

Dabbous

39 Whitfield Street

London

W1T 2SF

Tel: 0207 323 1544

You may also like: Duck & Waffle, Corner Room, Social Eating House

Tramshed Hijacked by Cow and Chicken

Mark Hix is back in the East. I have only been to HIX in Soho and Mark's Bar. I remembered the food being very manly, traditional British dishes beautifully executed but lacked surprises. I kept telling myself to go back for a good Sunday Roast, but never really got round to it.

Then Tramshed came, with a completely stripped back menu that only offers roast chicken and steak. He really drives the point home with Damien Hirst's cow and cockerel, submerged in water, bang in the middle of the shed. The venue is impressive enough with the vaulted ceiling and lots of natural light. I wouldn't mind a tad more privacy with a bit more space from our neighbours though.

Lamb Scrumpets

This was pulled lamb meat, breaded and deep fried as little sticks. It reminded me of the pig's heads dishes, except these roughly chopped lamb carried a beautiful milky, weany flavour. Probably could do with better control on the oil temperature, as these were glistening with grease, but still a good nibble with drinks.

Yorkshire pudding with whipped chicken livers

The yorkshire pudding was more or less the size of my head. It was baked to airy fluffiness with a crispy shell, so bits nearer the top were slightly burnt and brittle, just like how they should be done. The small pool of oil at the bottom of the pudding a little alarming though. The chicken liver cream was ultra light, perhaps a tad too light on the seasoning though.

250g Sirloin - medium

The sirloin steak was already sweating its juices, leaking its flavours when it arrived at our table. So the steak was inevitably drier than expected. It probably wasn't rested for long enough too, given it started sweating even more when we cut into it. I am not a sirloin fan and this didn't convert me; the flavours were somewhat diluted, texture was grainy - simply not my kind of steak.

250g Rib - medium rare

My rib was much more like it - no leakage. Oddly enough the centre of the steak was cooked more than the edges, it was perfectly medium rare around the side, but slightly overdone in the middle. Nonetheless, the meat was juicy, tender and faultlessly seasoned to bring out the natural bovine flavours of the steak. 

I am guessing 500g would have been the perfect thickness.

The chicken looks good. I love the comical presentation of the chicken doing a head-dive into the fries, with their claws all out. It smelt pretty tempting too, maybe next time.

Ronnie's apple pie

It was alright. I don't usually eat apple pie so I can't say if this was particularly great, I liked the vanilla cream that came with it though, packed with vanilla seeds. 

The food here at Tramshed isn't spectacular, there wasn't anything outlandishly memorable and the steak is still a fair way behind Goodman  or Hawksmoor. But it's good enough.  Most importantly it generates noise and strikes up conversation, whether it is the massive cow in the middle of the dining room, or the head-size yorkshire pudding or the diving chicken... whatever it is, It's a fun place to eat. I'd bring my friends back to share more meat next time and I reckon it'd be a Friday night well spent.

I hope Mark Hix does a Pork and Cod next...

Tramshed

32 Rivington Street

London

EC2A 3LX

Tel: 0207 749 0478

You may also like: Hawksmoor, Upstairs @ Ten Bells, St John Bread & Wine