‘How lovely would it be to eat exactly what I want?’: Hardeep Singh Kohli tests his limits

Why eat out at only one restaurant when you can sample the delights of three? Our galloping gourmand Hardeep Singh Kohli tests his limits as he embarks on a gastro-tour of east London
Start right: Hardeep Singh Kohli samples the divine buttermilk chicken at The Clove Club (Picture: Matt Writtle)
Matt Writtle
Hardeep Singh Kohli3 October 2014

There’s a fulsome fecundity about the current food phase in London Town. It’s never been so visceral, so vibrant, so vivacious. The choice is the stuff of consumerist dreams. From my last Dalston abode I could eat top-notch Jamaican jerk, devour delightful dim sum and gorge on home-styled Gujarati food; all within one hundred yards of my couch. And new places are springing up daily, across the metropolis. (News reaches of a new Soho pop-up called “Tincan”, serving the world’s best canned seafood.) Fulsome. Fecund.

I embrace, whole of heart and stomach, all the city has to offer. But sometimes the choice can be flummoxing. Often I want to eat at three or four different places all at once. I know... impossible. Or is it?

At this year’s London Restaurant Festival the Laurent-Perrier Gourmet Odysseys delivers a genuine, whistle-stop gastronomic tour of London, cutting a swathe through protocol and bringing fun to food over three easily digestible, delicious courses and a glass of Champagne Laurent-Perrier. My triumvirate of treats concentrated on the bearded bastion of city chic, East LDN. Before my starter at the newly Michelin starred Clove Club, I thought it churlish to not enjoy a glass of fizz at the hippest of hotel hang outs in the ‘Ditch.

The Ace Hotel aspires to be just that. The former non-descript chain hotel has been given the polished concrete and understated cool one has come to expect of this part of London. The seventh floor offers terraced views back across to the West End and the City. The Hundred Room is breath-taking; almost floor to ceiling windows ensure an all – year – round vista.

Daniel Willis, general manager at Clove Club, used to be my favourite waiter at St John Bread and Wine, back in the days when I dated the most amazing Yorkshire redhead. He has since teamed up genteel Glaswegian chef, Isaac McHale and presided over one of the buzziest openings of 2013. In little over a year The Clove Club has secured a devout following and a Michelin Star. The most talked about dish has to be the Buttermilk Chicken and Pine Salt. It’s succulent, it’s sensuous, it’s superlative. McHale has something approaching an obsession with charcuterie, smoking on the premises, and the meat is delicious.

Merchant Tavern was a short walk away and there main course madness awaited. Head Chef Neil Borthwick cut his culinary teeth at The Square, possibly one of the city’s most under-rated restaurants. The Tavern is my go-to gaff in the East End whenever I need something a little bit special. It never fails to deliver. It’s an amazing room that manages to separate the bar from the dining room without breaking the flow of ambience. The open kitchen is pure theatre and the food feels dramatic in its own right. The loin of venison was mind-blowing. Served with a caramelised pear, baked celeriac, and red cabbage the whole dish is somehow unified with lardo. It shouldn’t work, it really shouldn’t. But it is exquisite. Also on the menu a little-known French dish, Forgotten Carrots, now served as a starter with blue cheese.

I’m old enough to remember the first flush of fashionability that launched Hoxton Square into the common consciousness. Talvin Singh was the sound of the musical underground, blending Hindi film beats with drum and bass and hard house. That was two decades ago. I was young, my clothes were cool. Now, I’m older and enjoy comfortable shoes. But Hoxton has morphed into a modern Mecca for the food lover. 10 Greek Street was a Soho game-changer; great food at reasonable prices. I love that place. Following in those footsteps, 8 Hoxton Square extends the ethos of its older, Soho sister. Elegant, simple but thought-provokingly delicious food. Lemon curd, raspberries, basil and meringue. Now that’s what I call a pudding. Classical components combined in an innovative way. The perfect way to end the day.

While Gourmet Odyssey may be a one-off event during the festival it has started me thinking... why don’t I eat like this every now and again? How lovely would it be to eat exactly what I wanted, where I wanted, when I wanted? Well, there is my waistline to consider...

To book a Gourmet Odyssey, visit londonrestaurantfestival.com/events

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