REVIEW: Ferdies Food Lab, The London Cooking Project, Battersea

I just can’t get enough of The London Cooking Project right now. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – but something about this space is very attractive. You always meet new friends, the place is warm & inviting and the kitchen is completely open, meaning you can see exactly what’s going on – the smell is incredible too. So with a new year and a new pop-up I made my way over the bridge to see what Simon and his supperclub, Ferdies Food Lab was cooking up one Saturday night.

I’d never even heard of this supperclub or chef Simon Fernandez for that matter, where has he been hiding all my life – in Battersea it would seem. With a welcome glass of bubbly on arrival we started our supper with a 5hr slow roasted rib of lamb which had been pressed, cubed and coated in golden breadcrumbs – served with a dip made up of fresh herbs and squeeze of lime. Being the first thing in front of us we had rather high expectations and it didn’t disappoint. Jam-packed with so much flavour and succulence I could have eaten these little beauties all day long. Slices of Turkish garlic bread were on hand too, perfect for soaking up the rest of that creamy and very moorish dip.

Morcilla and applet tart – I worried if it were going to be a little sickly, given all the buttery rich pastry and big bold flavours packed into a few bites, but I was pleasantly surprised. Served in very generous portions, these thick slabs were incredibly well-made. The morcilla wasn’t overpowering in the slightest and the sweet, tart apples acidity cut through everything like a razor and quite literally left me salivating for more. A little messy perhaps but all part of the fun I suppose. That’s the beauty of these types of supperclubs. They’re informal, casual and my favourite – offer BYOB – who doesn’t like the idea of bringing your own booze? You always meet some terrific characters.

Green bomb with hot’n’sour green spaghetti definitely needs a name change. I’m not sure why but it didn’t sound one bit appealing, yet it was everything but. Essentially this was a large arancini (of sorts) filled with herbs, spices and vegetarian haggis and served beneath was a huge pile of shredded cucumber dressed with Asian herbs. It’s different, a little quirky – and most importantly very delicious. It’s unexpected finds like this which make supperclubs so interesting – it also means the chefs get to experiment more so than they would if in a full-fledged restaurant, creating heavenly dishes such as this

But the best was still yet to come. Oh-so succulent roast ribeye of beef with liquorice salt was an absolute stunner, sitting in puddles of intense meat juices and a good bark round the edges for bite. We got to watch this meat cooking and the smell it left off only added to the experience. Head chef Simon had a bit of technology (the oven) fail on him that evening and the gas shut off – yet that didn’t stop him from perfectly executing this dish. Served with some very impressive roasties and caramelised carrots (which the table agreed a bit overly sweet) this was a dish I only wish was cooked for me every Sunday.

I was a bit worried about dessert, I’m not sure why but perhaps with every dish flying out the kitchen as good as they had been, I’d expected at least some part to be less enjoyable – but no. Simon still continued to surprise us. A very moist pistachio olive oil cake was served with almond gelato and black olive chocolate sauce. I’m not sure how the olive was incorporated into the sauce but I couldn’t really detect it. Still, that cake was so delicious and that gelato so smooth and silky it was the least of my worries. The bottle of Tokaji we brought went perfectly too.

Salted caramel and peanut butter temptations. He’s just showing off now. Two of my favourite foods encompassed into a single mouthful and wrapped in bitter-sweet dark chocolate. Some cocoa almonds were served at the end but I really had no more room – I’m sure they were lovely.

As far as supperclubs go, Ferdies Food Lab is without a doubt the best I’ve been to so far. The food is exciting, the menu boasts some big flavours and everytime it delivers on the plate. A rare occasion in my book. For only £45 this really is a bit if a bargain and one I can honestly say is worth every single penny of it. Go, you’ll love Simons food – it’s honest and god damn delicious. But just remember to save room and skip lunch.

8.5/10