Luckily in its wake a beautifully decorated (and modern) new restaurant has opened, named Source. Its name – tells all, focusing on local, well sourced and seasonal quality ingredients. But perhaps its most astonishing fact is the working well underneath the building. Behind the new restaurant is head chef James Adams (formerly of River Cafe & Fifteen) and husband and wife duo Johan & Elsa De Jager. Both Johan and Elsa were warm, friendly and lovely restaurateurs who perhaps couldn’t have done any more for us if they tried. Service throughout our meal was all very relaxed, proper but informal.
The wine list the restaurant has put together was small, but perfectly formed. Delicious wines, at delicious prices. A great reason to come back alone for some al fresco drinking in the summer. I ordered a bottle of house sauvignon blanc (for myself), which went down a treat. We started with some crab toast smothered in lemon aioli which tasted so fresh you’d have thought they’d plucked it straight from the Thames (i hear the Thames has some very lovely Chinese mitten crabs, if a tad hairy). But i was faced with quite a bit of shell.
Shellfish broth with brown crab choux and langoustine morsels looked a little small for my hungry belly, but taking my first mouthful and i was transported to a shellfish heaven. The broth had a lovely deep colour and shiny glaze,very well structured and its flavour was incredibly rich. Rather delicious, and actually just the right size.
Grilled bitter leaves with mozzarella and blood orange yet again tasted very fresh, with all those
sweet, salty, juicy elements and a little bit of crunch. The dish wasn’t particularly exciting, and wasn’t plated very well either. The blood orange in this dish did work very well and that i did love, especially once it leaked all over the grilled leaves.
Mains came in the form of dishes such as the ricotta gnudi (a sort of goats cheese gnocchi) with parsnips and sage – this was ravaged upon. It’s the first time I’ve eaten gnudi and it certainly won’t be the last, it has that extra depth of flavour and texture that gnocchi can sometimes be missing. The parsnips were lovely and sweet and the sage – well that always wins me over. It makes any plate of food exciting. My favourite dish of the evening. A side of winter greens ordered separately were far too salty and unenjoyable.
The food here at Source is simple comfort food. Forget 42 degree, souse vide, grilled with a scattering of hazelnut dust (though that does sound nice), you’re not going to get that here. This is hearty food, made for us British who love a good full plate. Our venison dish was cooked exactly how we asked, medium rare – though a little cold. Its accompanying side of swede gratin was sweet and creamy, and rather delicious but was lukewarm. I didn’t have a problem with the gratin being the way it was but because of its lukewarm temperament, i could quite work out if this was how the kitchen wanted it served. Cavolo nero (also known as kale) was juicy and mouthwatering. The jus it came in could have been little thicker but the flavour was there. What really let this dish down was its temperature.
The dessert menu felt very seasonal and so pairing it with their incredibly priced dessert wines, a glass of Sauternes and pedro ximanez couldn’t be refused. An incredibly tart rhubarb compote served with palette searching ginger ice cream and delicious praline shortbread was a real mixed bag. The ice creams texture was perfect, but i struggled to get much ginger with all that rhubarb overpowering it. I liked the dish, i just wanted more from it.
Cheese (of course) is my perfect way to end a meal, and ordering per slice here could be a dangerous game. I don’t quite remember by this point exactly what i had (after all the wine), but i believe the rich and nutty semi hard cheese was a Comte (or similar) and a very potent blue. That said they were both great examples and a bargain at only a couple of pounds each.
We left Source very full, satisfied but kind of wanting to come back as i think this place still has more to give. Service is good, wine is delicious and its current menu serves food which really should be eaten in front of a warm fireplace. With its seasonal approach I’m really excited about coming back here in the summer and seeing what they come up with.
7/10
