North Road has been open a few months now but it’s not all been plain sailing. Early reviews were pretty harsh on both food and service while more recently, both appear to have improved and there seems some genuine enthusiasm in more recent blog posts. Unsurprisingly, we were intrigued to eat here and on this occasion, we arranged to get together with Twitter foodie @cityjohn for the lunch time service. Sadly, MrsCC was unable to make the lunch but @cityjohn and I persevered. Accordingly, this post is a first for the blog and is a collaboration between TheCriticalCouple and @cityjohn
As North Road’s website says, this is a restaurant that reflects chef-patron Christoffer Hruskova’s ‘Danish roots’. Digesting that idea alone, two thoughts immediately come to mind. First, why should Chef Hruskova shackle the restaurant to Danish cuisine given the potential obstruction to success that might result? Nordic Nibbler discussed this issue nicely in his blog review of the restaurant noting that ‘much of Scandinavia is a culinary desert, borne out of the harsh climate.’ I won’t repeat the case against it here but Nordic Nibbler’s post is worth reading in full and can be read here.
Second, and this might well be connected to the first point, the elevation of Noma to the pantheon means that comparisons will inevitably made between the two. Possibly brave, possibly foolhardy, guaranteed to get publicity but also a potential albatross around its neck, North Road may yet live to regret the invitation to compare. El Bulli inspired a raft of copycat restaurants so why shouldn’t Noma and given that it is rapidly becoming as difficult to get a table at Noma as it was at El Bulli, many will never get there. Advocates of North Road are already suggesting it’s a viable alternative and a lot closer to boot (if you live in London at least). Accordingly, we won’t shy away from comparison.
Given North Road’s recent opening, the place feels fresh, the whites still whiter than white. There’s a distinct Scandi feel to it, stylish but functional, adequate space and comfortable seating. With windows almost floor to ceiling, there’s plenty of natural light too during this lunch time service. What there’s not however are guests. There really is less than a handful of tables occupied at this midweek lunch service and that seems something of a shame; we hope this is just the January effect, they do deserve better.
As North Road’s website says, this is a restaurant that reflects chef-patron Christoffer Hruskova’s ‘Danish roots’. Digesting that idea alone, two thoughts immediately come to mind. First, why should Chef Hruskova shackle the restaurant to Danish cuisine given the potential obstruction to success that might result? Nordic Nibbler discussed this issue nicely in his blog review of the restaurant noting that ‘much of Scandinavia is a culinary desert, borne out of the harsh climate.’ I won’t repeat the case against it here but Nordic Nibbler’s post is worth reading in full and can be read here.
Second, and this might well be connected to the first point, the elevation of Noma to the pantheon means that comparisons will inevitably made between the two. Possibly brave, possibly foolhardy, guaranteed to get publicity but also a potential albatross around its neck, North Road may yet live to regret the invitation to compare. El Bulli inspired a raft of copycat restaurants so why shouldn’t Noma and given that it is rapidly becoming as difficult to get a table at Noma as it was at El Bulli, many will never get there. Advocates of North Road are already suggesting it’s a viable alternative and a lot closer to boot (if you live in London at least). Accordingly, we won’t shy away from comparison.
Given North Road’s recent opening, the place feels fresh, the whites still whiter than white. There’s a distinct Scandi feel to it, stylish but functional, adequate space and comfortable seating. With windows almost floor to ceiling, there’s plenty of natural light too during this lunch time service. What there’s not however are guests. There really is less than a handful of tables occupied at this midweek lunch service and that seems something of a shame; we hope this is just the January effect, they do deserve better.
The tasting menu is, alas, not offered to lunch time diners so it’s a la carte which has a good range but we’re still a little sad. Our waitress is friendly and cheerful from start to finish and is a good front of house though admittedly under less than challenging circumstances; even so, service did come with a smile and knowledge of the menu. Starters are around £8 and mains £18. Our order took us straight to the first course with neither an amuse bouche nor a petit four to top and tail the meal. This too might be a function of the lunchtime service given the reading of other reviews, and while we don’t mind, given the restaurant as a showcase for Hruskova's talent, we were nevertheless surprised.
Our two starters were Galloway short rib beef & milk skin, wild herbs & leeks, together with Raw cured hand dived Scottish scallops & smoked bone marrow, raw root vegetables & unripe elderberries. Both dishes we loved and these plates were definitely the highlight of the meal.
Our two starters were Galloway short rib beef & milk skin, wild herbs & leeks, together with Raw cured hand dived Scottish scallops & smoked bone marrow, raw root vegetables & unripe elderberries. Both dishes we loved and these plates were definitely the highlight of the meal.
Galloway short rib beef & milk skin
The short rib was simply fantastic. Superb beef, brilliantly cooked, tasty as hell in a super sticky sweet barbecue sauce that made you want to lick the plate after. The quality of the beef was second to none and with just the right fat content, I can’t remember eating a better dish of its kind. But here’s the issue I had: the beef and the sauce are brilliant but are effectively a universal cuisine; wild herbs, leeks and the milk skin are used to give it the Danish influence, but to what purpose?
At Noma, there’s a dish called potato and dairy which contains potatoes (obviously), chervil and watercress with a milk skin the size of the plate. It works incredibly well and each of the elements contributes to the plate’s success. Here though, with my lovely short rib and sticky sauce, milk skin doesn’t stand a chance to be recognised and struggles for a reason to be on there. I can’t help but feel they would be better off freeing themselves of having to claim barbecue short ribs for Denmark by dressing it in greens and milk skin. But I did love the dish and could easily have enjoyed a plus size portion as a main. This was also ten times better barbecue than Barbecoa’s offering the previous week; who would have thought?
At Noma, there’s a dish called potato and dairy which contains potatoes (obviously), chervil and watercress with a milk skin the size of the plate. It works incredibly well and each of the elements contributes to the plate’s success. Here though, with my lovely short rib and sticky sauce, milk skin doesn’t stand a chance to be recognised and struggles for a reason to be on there. I can’t help but feel they would be better off freeing themselves of having to claim barbecue short ribs for Denmark by dressing it in greens and milk skin. But I did love the dish and could easily have enjoyed a plus size portion as a main. This was also ten times better barbecue than Barbecoa’s offering the previous week; who would have thought?
Raw cured hand dived Scottish scallops & smoked bone marrow
Across the table, despite cured or raw scallops running the risk of being overwhelmed by other, stronger flavours, the rich flavour of the smoked bone marrow really complemented the delicacy of the scallop and elevated a dish that could very easily have been bland. The soft texture of the scallops and marrow was nicely offset by the fresh crunch of the root vegetables and there was just a hint of bitterness from the unripe berries. Both starters were excellent, we’re happy diners and with good humour borne of good food we debate who got the better plate.
Slow cooked leg of Gloucester old spot in hay
For the main course, I had chosen Slow cooked leg of Gloucester old spot in hay, celeriac in textures, Kent truffle & crispy pork sauce. The dish came across as a little dry which was a shame. The pork was plenty flavourful, pulled apart nicely with the fork but left you chasing the sauce around the plate to add a little moisture to it. The celeriac partially worked though the gratin was a little undercooked and the Kent truffle in small quantities had little noticeable effect. This dish was close to being a fantastic main but just fell short.
The other main was Norfolk venison & salsify, dried berries and smoked sauce. Again, the venison was also a touch dry; more of the smoked sauce would have been nice as what sauce there was quickly became absorbed by the salsify before it could compliment the venison. Given the quality of the meat, falling short here was a real disappointment.
The other main was Norfolk venison & salsify, dried berries and smoked sauce. Again, the venison was also a touch dry; more of the smoked sauce would have been nice as what sauce there was quickly became absorbed by the salsify before it could compliment the venison. Given the quality of the meat, falling short here was a real disappointment.
Norfolk venison & salsify
For dessert I chose the Liquorice & caramel textures (soft, crispy and cold). Not entirely sure from the menu description exactly what I’m going to get here but it has multiple caramels so can’t be bad is my reasoning. It turns out that the soft is a mousse like caramel, the cold is ice cream and crispy is crispy caramel and liquorice sprinkled on top. This is not a bad dessert but it has one basic flaw – every spoonful is a repetition of the previous spoonful. The soft, crispy and cold form a singular caramel lava on the plate so come ready mixed on an almost consistent flavour and texture.
Hugely creamy, by the end, it’s almost sickly sweet and overly heavy and needs something to lift it. Again, there were elements very similar to a Noma dessert that had a brown runny cheese centre and a similar strong creamy note; what Noma did though to lift the dish was to enclose it in a blackcurrant and beetroot granita which refreshed the mouth leaving you ready to enjoy the creaminess from fresh all over again. What we have here then is not a bad dessert but one which is not fully evolved.
Some will disagree with this assessment for sure and last December, Jay Rayner suggested that this same caramel dessert was a strong candidate for his dessert of the year. We’ve been disappointed by desserts across the board at restaurants in 2010 and we appreciate that this dessert is original. Even so, it still feels like a part of a dessert rather than a complete plate in its own right.
Hugely creamy, by the end, it’s almost sickly sweet and overly heavy and needs something to lift it. Again, there were elements very similar to a Noma dessert that had a brown runny cheese centre and a similar strong creamy note; what Noma did though to lift the dish was to enclose it in a blackcurrant and beetroot granita which refreshed the mouth leaving you ready to enjoy the creaminess from fresh all over again. What we have here then is not a bad dessert but one which is not fully evolved.
Some will disagree with this assessment for sure and last December, Jay Rayner suggested that this same caramel dessert was a strong candidate for his dessert of the year. We’ve been disappointed by desserts across the board at restaurants in 2010 and we appreciate that this dessert is original. Even so, it still feels like a part of a dessert rather than a complete plate in its own right.
Liquorice & caramel textures
At Noma (dessert pictured above), the rich creamy centre is lifted by the granita to sustain the enjoyment
The other dessert was Chestnut, apples and milk, (sponge, raw & ice cream). This was more of a complete dessert and was very much enjoyed, but it still lacked an overall wow factor. With that, the meal drew to an end.
Chestnut, apples and milk
Overall, how does North Road fare? First, it does, sadly, bear a poor comparison to Noma and if the motive for eating there is to try to understand the buzz around Noma, it simply won’t deliver. North Road offers good food but Noma offers a stunningly complex offering reflecting Redzepi’s individual genius. Accordingly, the Noma comparison should be parked here and the restaurant assessed on its stand alone merits. We do see a lot of potential with North Road and nothing in the meal was bad, our starters were above excellent and the other two courses only just fell short. @cityjohn felt likewise on the meal overall though I think I got the better of the first course options, @cityjohn disagrees.
In a year’s time, this could be a really excellent restaurant, the potential does seem there and by all accounts, they have already shown they can take on board constructive feedback and have made good changes from the early weeks. @cityjohn and I both hope they succeed and both of us said we’d return.
Rene Redzepi, who previously worked in the kitchens at El Bulli, said he was taught there by Adria to think freely for himself as a chef; but he then said it was only when he could free himself of what he learned at El Bulli that he could use that freedom. I think North Road has to free itself of Noma to deliver an outstanding meal. The brave but probably right move would be for North Road to pare back the need to claim such a strong Danish connection and be more confident to do its own thing; only in that way will North Road’s offering becomes truly original but perhaps that’s not what Hruskova wants. Right now, it feels like North Road is riding Noma’s USP but I for one would much rather see them develop their own cuisine; the potential really is there, they just need to realise it.
Related posts: Noma
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In a year’s time, this could be a really excellent restaurant, the potential does seem there and by all accounts, they have already shown they can take on board constructive feedback and have made good changes from the early weeks. @cityjohn and I both hope they succeed and both of us said we’d return.
Rene Redzepi, who previously worked in the kitchens at El Bulli, said he was taught there by Adria to think freely for himself as a chef; but he then said it was only when he could free himself of what he learned at El Bulli that he could use that freedom. I think North Road has to free itself of Noma to deliver an outstanding meal. The brave but probably right move would be for North Road to pare back the need to claim such a strong Danish connection and be more confident to do its own thing; only in that way will North Road’s offering becomes truly original but perhaps that’s not what Hruskova wants. Right now, it feels like North Road is riding Noma’s USP but I for one would much rather see them develop their own cuisine; the potential really is there, they just need to realise it.
Related posts: Noma
Return to home page
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