Located in the very heart of the city, just a two-minute walk from Piccadilly tube lies DSTRKT, one of London’s finest food accolades. Fine dining, with a relaxed and stylish attitude – the venue itself is truly stunning, with glass panels, jellyfish-esque light installations and textured wallpaper. There really isn’t anything else like it.
Having visited on two occasions previously, I was excited to return, this time for a dinner reservation – having promised my boyfriend Sion that it was simply the best restaurant in the whole of London. After a tiring day sight-seeing, we were famished in the run up to our 6.30pm reservation – so were delighted that the 12 course tasting menu offered some new additions.
Although you can choose which dishes to have based on your preferences, we let the chefs decide what to serve us – leaving the only difficult decision for us to make – choosing a cocktail. With an extensive menu and some of the finest ingredients, we eventually opted for a ‘Gummy Bear’ (a mix of fruits and sours) and a ‘Berrissmo’ (manzana, strawberry, raspberry crème de cassis, Peach, Moet & Chandon), the latter of which we loved so much we re-ordered several times over.
After a short wait, the first few of the dishes arrived – a selection of breads, crème fraiche and caviar, lobster and endive and oysters. The breads, as always – were absolutely delicious, with a mix of chilli, sourdough, focaccia and carrot, complemented by salted butter. I could have quite easily devoured another platter. The caviar, although not something I would normally opt for, has an amazing al dente, yet creamy texture, maintaining it’s exquisite flavor without being too salty. The lobster was incredible (the photographs really don’t do it any justice) and unlike anything you’ll ever taste. The oysters, as something I’ve never tried until now, were a very unusual experience. I’ll never say no to trying new foods, but I’m not sure I’ll taste them again. An acquired taste, the dressing and preparation looked stunning, but they’re a little too slimy for me – if I’m being honest.
What I love about leaving the menu choices open to the chef is that you never quite know what is coming next – and each course is a very interesting and engaging talking point. After the enthralling starters, we had very high hopes for the dishes to follow and luckily, we weren’t disappointed. Baked artichoke with cheesy crab dip was one of my favourite stand out courses, with crispy salted leafs swirled in lots of crabby goodness. Mmm. The scallops were incredible, with a pea pesto dressing and a melt in the mouth texture. If I had any complaint to make, it would be to have one more each. They’re too good to scrimp on!
I’m not a huge fan of prawns, but Sion happily devoured all four on my behalf – followed by a fillet of Halibut each, boiled in coconut milk and sprinkled with macadamia nuts – such a healthy yet delicious dish, of which I’ve spent the past few days desperately trying to recreate.
Since I’m a non-meat eater, but didn’t want Sion to miss out on all of the amazing dishes DSTRKT had to offer, the next two courses were for him – Rabbit Croquettes and Ostrich stewers. Presented amazingly, he informed me that they tasted even better than they appeared!
After a final few dishes of crab cakes with yoghurt dressing and grilled pomegranate broccolini with basil & garlic, it was time for my favourite part of any meal – dessert. Previously, my experience with puddings at DSTRKT had consisted of one of the most amazing sweet treat masterpieces I’d ever seen in my entire life – Marshmallow liqueur followed by a glittery gold chocolate soil garden. Essentially chocolate brownie pieces, strawberry and white chocolate mousse and chocolate chips.
Opting to try something new – we sampled a modern take on apple pie, with creamy baileys ice cream followed by a fruity soufflé with sorbet. Both were absolutely delicious, as with all of DSTRKT’s dishes, however we couldn’t resist ordering a plate of chocolate soil to round off an absolutely incredible evening meal.
If you’re venturing into London anytime soon, or even if you’re a local and haven’t yet tried DSTRKT’s amazing menu, all the information you need to know is on their website here. Perfect for romantic anniversary dinners, first dates (the courses are certainly an ice breaker and a talking point), family get togethers and special occasions. They quite often offer a pre-show dinner offer if you sign up to their emails, and with a variety of different dishes at varying prices, there is certainly something to suit everyone. You won’t want to miss out.
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