Restaurant review: Zoe Williams on Giaconda

Tag : mushroom & truffle

I had the marinade of raw salmon with fennel, cucumber and gratedsalt cod (£6.50). It was a triumph. At first it tasted as ifthe fennel was upstaging everything, which was OK (I like fennel),but a bit of a waste of the pricey ingredients. That turned out notto be true, though; the other flavours just chimed insymphonically, building to a wonderful crescendo of freshness,complexity, saltiness and the delicate deliciousness of the salmon.It was extremely good.
A followed with an Italian sausage stew on penne (£9.50),which I don't think I'm being melodramatic in calling a disaster.The sausage was OK, but the tomato sauce managed to taste weak yetindustrial at the same time. If they'd emptied a tin of tomatoesover the whole lot five minutes beforehand, it would have tastedbetter. I was being too kind to the sausage as well, according toA, who said it was like an Italian Wall's (a terrible insult to anItalian). I mean, it was fairly cheap, but not as cheap as ittasted. It was doubly unfair on her because she'd wanted the veal,but I had it; vitello tonnato, cold slices of poached veal, with atuna mayonnaise, over a plate of radicchio and boiled-egg salad(£11.75). It sounds and looks like the most bizarrearrangement, until you put it in your mouth, whereupon it makesinstant sense. I was sceptical about the veal. It was in slicesabout half a centimetre thick, and looked a bit like high tea in anold people's home (distinguishable as meat, but otherwise withoutdistinction). I was wrong. The taste was amazing - so much moregoing on than if it had been hot, I thought. The mayo looked likesalad cream, but had a beautiful depth, and the way it worked withthe veal was like the unveiling of some ancient wisdom. And who'dhave thought this was the moment to mention a boiled egg? Yet itwas.
Puds were so-so - A's tiramisu (£5) was good, but my poachedplums (£5) were all over the place. In a moat of custard, andabsolutely bright pink, these must have been a delight to look atbefore someone plonked on a mound of caramelised walnuts in creamthat managed, impressively, to jar in colour (beige), flavour (toosweet), texture, atmosphere, intention, the lot.
You could walk away feeling as if you'd been to Pisa for anevening, or you could feel like you'd got all dolled up for dinnerin a European transport caff. As reasonable as the prices are, itneeds more consistency before it becomes a gem.
COME DINE WITH ME
The Dining Room 59a High Street, Reigate, Surrey (01737 226650) One of ReadySteady Cook's longest-serving chefs, Tony Tobin still mans thestoves at his smart first-floor restaurant. He serves maple duckbreast and pressed confit with potato fondant and a pear-ciderreduction (£28.50 for two courses)
The Dining Room at Purchases 31 North Street, Chichester, West Sussex (01243 537352) Thisconverted Georgian town-house is home to a cheery restaurant.Pheasant breast comes wrapped in pancetta, stuffed with portobellomushroom pâté, with juniper jus (£15.75)
Clerkenwell Dining Room 69-73 St John Street, London EC1 (020 7253 9000) A jazzy redexterior is in stark contrast to the grown-up cream interior. Thechef Andy Thompson serves roast squab pigeon, with crushed swedeand a sultana and red-wine jus (£18) Giaconda Dining Room 9 Denmark Street, London WC2 (020 7240 3334)
Three courses : £25 Stella rating : 6/10