…I asked again. ‘No but seriously, when’s the last time we ate out and I didn’t have a single negative comment to make?’ The Silver Fox is sitting opposite me at a candlelit corner table in Blackfriars’ neatly unfussy dining room. He admits to drawing a blank on the question at hand. Our dinner, it turns out, was a case of love at first and last bite. In this specific case, to start, a chunk of warm treacle soda bread covered in butter, and home-made madeleines to finish.
The menu offers a succinct selection of four starters, mains and puds and each night there are a couple of specials too. To start, I chose the cosy-sounding baked eggs (£6) which were indulgently creamy, with pleasing sweet and saltiness from the Italian guanciale ham, and a little colour and texture contrast with a chiffonade of winter greens. Fox opted for the clean lines of cured mackerel, a delicate dish of Scandic simplicity with sliced green apple, black radish and watercress.
A rib-eye steak special (£23), which our friendly host told us would be charcoal-grilled on their ‘big green egg’ BBQ, held true the equation that quality meat + high heat = huge flavour. The well-seasoned steak was succulent as you like, and the house-chipped chips and tangy béarnaise put this at the highest end of bistro classic. To contrast, Mr’s choice of roasted roe deer (£22) revealed a nod to the chef’s fine-dining pedigree, an elegant winter dish of tender pink loin with a pumpkin purée, red cabbage and jerusalem artichokes.
Given that dessert choice is where I occasionally (sometimes, literally) ‘nod off’ when it comes to selection time, there was considerable delight when the first item listed (all priced £6.50) sparked a pang in my ‘pudding tummy’. The individual not-too sugary crisp pastry tart with pear and quince frangipane, a dollop of clotted cream and a scoop of perfumed honey granita cemented this dining experience as impeccable. Over the table, Mr was equally delighted with his pick of chocolate cake, a light but rich sponge with a smooth malted ice cream and hazelnut praline.
Throughout our meal, the simplicity and quality of ingredients shone through each dish. No faffy garnishes, just great seasonal ingredients, and true flavours. The future’s definitely bright for Blackfriars.
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