This was a feast of a lunch tasting menu and to pay homage to the “greatness” that it is I’ve written it out in all its full glory for you to peruse.
note: the tasting menu has changed since my last visit but I’m sure is as good as it was when I was there.
Snacks
Nocellara del Belice Olives
Crisp anchovy, lemon
Devonshire beef tartare, English beans, fennel
Salt baked beetroot, cobnuts, house lardo, damson
Sourdough, bone marrow butter, chicken liver mousse, cellar salumi
Kentish corn, white polenta, barbecued duck heart
Sea
Willy’s mackerel, cucumber, fermented sorrel
‘Lady Hamilton’ cod, summer-dashi, Amalfi Lemon
Land
Daphne’s Welsh Lamb, pressed shoulder, coco bean, courgette
or
73 Day Devonshire Beef, Scottish girolles, caramelised tunworth
Cheese
Truffled Brie de Meaux, fig and Walnut Toast, rooftop honey
Sweet
Fig leaf and rosewater ice cream sandwich
Salted caramel, cacao, malted barley ice cream
or
Nama Yasai berries, Ivy House cream, buckwheat, lovage
or
Greengage tarte fine, frozen honey
I’ll spare you from an in depth commentary of all its intricacies but generally low points were few and far between and most dishes displayed the chef’s meticulous pairings of flavours and textures.
Devonshire beef tartare, English beans, fennel
The beef tartare was one of the first “snack” dishes, an amuse bouche if you must. I’m not much of a beef tartare fan myself but it was an apt introduction to the chef’s considered approach to textures within a dish.
Salt baked beetroot, cobnuts, house lardo, damson
I have never had salt baked beetroot but this technique brought out the subtle flavours of the beetroot. The thin slivers of beetroot held together well and were complimented by the accompaniments and allowed to shine.
Kentish corn, white polenta, barbecued duck heart
Polenta and duck hearts aren’t generally what I fancy ordering separately but the combination of the two with the sweetcorn was generally well considered and had a range of textures and flavours.
Willy’s mackerel, cucumber, fermented sorrel
Willy’s Mackerel was one of the less memorable dishes but was executed well and beautifully presented.
‘Lady Hamilton’ cod, summer-dashi, Amalfi Lemon
This was a rather odd dish for me, not least by the difficultly in finishing the dashi. The only other time I’ve had dashi was part of a Kaiseki dinner in Kyoto so this was a much more modern incarnation of it. I’m not sure it worked entirely but the cod was delicately handled and I praise the effort.
73 Day Devonshire Beef, Scottish girolles, caramelised tunworth
The beef was served beautifully pink with a moreish and rich tunworth sauce. This might be a bit heavy after the ton of food on offer prior to this dish but this was irresistible.
Salted caramel, cacao, malted barley ice cream / Nama Yasai berries, Ivy House cream, buckwheat, lovage / Greengage tarte fine, frozen honey
The trio of deserts! All had particularly interesting points about them. The salted caramel and malted barley ice cream dessert was a decadent treat whilst the lighter berry dessert was a refreshing dish for some very full stomachs. The frozen honey was also rather fascinating.
And to finish off the petit fours to go.
Overall The Dairy offers fantastically curated tasting menus with produce right from their roof garden. The back can get a little stuffy in the summer but you have Clapham Common right outside for some fresh air for a lazy afternoon treat. Go if you have a few hours to while away.
Address: 15 The Pavement, Clapham, SW4 0HY
Telephone: 0207 622 4165
Mind The Gap:
Tue: 6pm – 10pm
Wed – Sat: 12pm – 3pm . 6pm – 10pm
Sun: 12pm – 3pm
Besides The Dairy chef Robin Gill also has two other restaurants, The Manor also in Clapham and Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green which I’ve heard equally good reviews for.
/10
PANDA EATS LONDON 