The Eatery: The Dairy, 15 The Pavement, Clapham Old Town, London SW4 0HY
The Site: http://the-dairy.co.uk/
The Companion: A perfect date night
The Dolla: £45 per person for a delicious tasting menu - great value
MCM Rating: 4.8/5
As a Clapham local, I'd been hearing the buzz around The Dairy for a few months. Michel Roux has famously hailed it as his favourite restaurant in South London and quite rightly. What's not to love about a small, unassuming local restaurant that totally surprises you with sophisticated food and a mean drinks menu?
The seven course tasting menu; an affordable £45 per person, is definitely the way to go if you want to experience The Dairy in all it's glory. Different dishes depending on the day. Served on a mix of heavy stoneware and contrasting pretty china bowls; the food is delicate and refined.
Snacks
The meal kick starts with a flurry of small, delectable dishes, the highlights on our menu were the Homemade sourdough bread with a bone marrow smoked butter, chicken liver mousse, cellar salami served in a woven bag with the delicious smoky butter smeared over a smooth stone- very Game of Thrones! Followed by Chicken oyster; crispy skin, cellar kimichi, cimi de rapa - my favourite out of the snacks; great creamy flavour and texture added by the crispy chicken skin (every chefs favourite addition as of late).
Sea
Snacks were followed by lovely statement plate of Applewood smoked eel with heritage tomatoes topped with rooftop herbs (they grow their own herbs on their rooftop)! The other seaside plate was The Dairy's smoked trout served with Jersey royal potatoes, sorrel and radish - which I must admit, fell a little flat for me after the eel.
There was a choice of two meats on offer: 63 day aged White Park beef with comte, artichoke and onion treacle or Blackface lamb rump, smoked aubergine and pressed shoulder topped with miso. The beef was probably the winner here; tender and delicious - loved the artichoke and onion treacle.
Cheese
You pay a little extra to add cheese to your tasting menu, but when they bring over the Truffle Brie de Meaux, fig and walnut toast with rooftop honey, you definitely don't regret the decision so splurge!. A rich little plate with a combination of complimentary and delicious flavours.
Sweet
Finally, there was a unique selection of puddings to choose from including,; Lemon Leaf curd and Salted Carmel and malted barley ice cream!
To top it all off and to thank you for your custom, they bring over a worn, old biscuit tin filled with warm, mini homemade doughnuts and dollops of sharp, sour apple jelly. A nice touch.
The Dairy definitely knows how to leave a sweet taste in your mouth at the end of the night; a feeling that you've found a little gem on your doorstep. A well thought out, delightful tasting menu, maybe not quite to Michelin standard yet but not a long way off.
No comments:
Post a Comment