, Simply Nico; Drakes
SIMPLY Nico (48a Rochester Row, Lon- don SW1. Tel. 630 8061) must have been open for over a year now, and though I have had a most marvellous dinner there I have never tried the set luncheon. So using the excuse of a visit from my Cumbrian friend Patricius Senhouse off we went.
The restaurant is one of the prettiest in London, giving a rather Edwardian air. The lighting is very good; you feel it is always sunny outside even when pouring with rain. All is comfort.
I never understand the reputedly fierce reputation that Nico Ladenis has earned, he seems to me most charming with a beautiful skin and nature to match. His equally beautiful wife Dinah-Jane and their daughter look after the customers with loving care and helpful attention.
For the set luncheon you have a choice of four plats for each of the three courses. My friend chose the mussel soup flavoured with saffron, a steaming bowl of golden delight. I had an exquisite mousse of chicken livers au vieux porto containing all sorts of goodies like foie gras, cream and brandy, not to mention the port. It was served in one of those little pots, as in chocolate, and sealed with a dense port jelly to be eaten with a teaspoon.
For the main course Patricius had emince de foie de veau au cassis, which he pronounced perfect — tiny little strips of calves' liver (but plenty of them) in this succulent cassis sauce, surrounding a little castle of rice in the middle. I had a very distinguished chicken breast stuffed with pine nuts and basil, flavoured with a touch of garlic in an aromatic rosemary sauce; superb. A tiny mould of pommes dauphi- nois and one of gleaming spinach accompa- nied the dish with excellent taste.
For pudding there was a tarte du jour, which was lemon on this jour, astringent and crisp, a delicious foil for the crème anglaise orange that surrounded it. I had le fraisier which was a ravishing little castle concoction of strawberries and some form of baba, cream and heaven knows what else, topped with sugared mint leaves. Quite a little luncheon all in all. The price for the lunch is £16.50, including VAT. Coffee and petits fours are an additional £2.50. There is a ten per cent service charge. The cheapest bottle of wine is a white at £14. We had some very nice Crozes Hermitage at £14.75. This is not cheap for lunch but it is all so good, the perfect place for a treat. Open Monday to Friday.
Drakes in Pond Place (2a Pond Place, SW3. Tel. 584 4555) describes itself as 'the loveliest English country house restaurant in London'. They have obviously been to some pretty weird country houses; this is more like the stables -- one large room on different levels and below street level, and really rather gloomy. We were given a table in a corner with another level just over our heads where the customers seemed to be about to tumble over into our laps. Very odd.
I took another of the uncles along, a consultant ecclesiologist and gentilhomme to the last six cardinals of Westminster, five under the sod, one to go. I had English snails to commence with; curious soft little creatures out of their shells in a rather too sweet sauce (honey I think). The uncle (Anthony Bartlett) chose a tartlet full of quails' eggs covered in a celery and cream sauce which was all right but no great shakes on flavour, which those little eggs really need.
But he had some very good and fresh scallops, lightly grilled and served with a white wine and mussel sauce spiked with a touch of ginger. They were plump and plentiful, unlike the very meagre and practically too raw mangetout. I went for the sweetbreads which I can never resist. They were fine quality sweetbreads and well prepared, with no nasties lurking, but the idea of cooking them in Guinness is a mistake. It is far too strong and bitter a taste for this delicate offal, which is far more suited to a sauternes.
The gentilhomrne, who has a sweet tooth, finished off with an exciting- sounding but really rather disgusting pra- line mousse which arrived in the shape of a heart covered in some good plain chocolate with a stawberry plunged into its bosom. With coffee and some chocolate petits fours, a bottle of the house red, a vin de pays l'herault at £6.85, the bill came to £59.95. This includes the service.
We were given a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge champagne on the house for cocktails which was very kind of them. I wonder why. Advertisement? Drakes is open for dinner seven days a week and for Sunday lunch.
Jennifer Paterson
Previous page
