I don’t know why, but my dining habits seem to be changing ever so rapidly at the moment. For as long as I can remember, my eating choices have always been high-end and mostly Michelin star-studded. These days however I seem to be dining with the underdogs – those restaurants you rarely hear about, tucked away in alleys, side streets or in city centre suburbs. London is still very much going through its foodie boom and I feel the capital is starting to lose some its passion and love for good, honest food. A chefs passion is no doubt still in the kitchen, but not always does that reflect fully with the diner – that’s why we all need to remember that passionate places such as Rotunda in Kings Cross exists. Full of passion, lovely staff and indulgent food. It’s not the most refined place in Kings Cross – but its memorable and I want to return. That’s always a good sign.
Rotunda is located in Kings Cross – tucked away at the back of an office block, perched on the edges of its private waterside terrace. I’ve already envisaged my self here in the summer – soaking up the rays with a glass of wine in one hand, juicy steak in the other and quietly laughing to myself knowing the rest of London has no idea of this hidden gem. Talking of steak, Rotunda is most of the time all about the meat and works very closely with farmers and butchers. We came here however one mid-week evening to sample its five course Catch of the day; South Coast Fish Supper. While a complete fish menu isn’t something they normally serve, Rotunda wanted to show people that while cooking meat may be their strong point, they can also cook fish and seafood just as good – and they’ve certainly showed me they can. The evening was jointly hosted by Chapmans – the supplier to Rotunda for their fresh fish and mind blowingly amazing oysters. While sipping a pre-dinner drink on the terrace, we sampled a few of the oysters. Incredibly fresh and full of flavour. Sitting down for our meal we had more oyster goodness in the way of a deep-fried oyster with saffron aioli and red wine butter sauce. It may have been small, but it was every bit as sublime.
While our mouths were still salivating, a lovely plate of smoked mackerel with heirloom beetroot, horseradish, watercress and beetroot crisp arrived. I kept thinking to myself before this dish arrived that it could be great, but only if the beetroot was drop dead gorgeous and that mackerel was incredibly juicy – but guess what, it was. In fact the mackerel was the best I’ve tasted all year, no exaggeration. I always hate using the words “the best I’ve tasted” but if it’s true, nothing else can say it so well and so bluntly. The roasted Newhaven cod with puy lentils, bacon and brioche crumb was just as succesful. Perhaps the fish was ever so slightly overcooked but the flavours were all there.
Star dish of the evening was the pan-fried brill with native lobster, tagliatelle pasta and truffle bisque. Portion wise the dish was completely out of control and balance. Huge chunks of sweet lobster were in abundance, the tagliatelle was of gargantuan proportions and the fish was absolutely huge. The depth of flavour to the lobster infused truffle broth however was really special – it was rich and full of decadence. If this was my main course over a three course meal I’d have been very happy, but for a tasting menu it was a little generous. Still, I’d rather have more food on my plate than less. If Rotunda were to want to add a new fish dish to its a la carte menu – it should be this.
After almost entirely consuming our last course, we barely had room for dessert – but gave it our best attempt. A hearty plate of blackberry parfait with Worcester apple sponge and honeycomb. It wasn’t the most technical of dishes and the cubes of sponge looked a little simple, but again it was all full of flavour and the parfait very moorish. It’s the sort of thing you imagine digging into at home, wrapped up in a furry throw on a Saturday night with X Factor booming in the background. Sadly I can’t tell you what Rotunda is like on a usual evening, dining from it’s a la carte menu – but if this fish supper is anything to go by, it’ll no doubt be utterly delicious.
8/10
