With all this talk of fashion, it’s easy to forget another one of London’s great accolades. The food. With some of the world’s top restaurants, chefs and menu’s residing in the capital, there is an unbelievable amount of choice when it comes to post-LFW day cool downs. My favourite place however, which I gave a trial run after the first day of this season – is DSTRKT, located a three minute walk from Piccadily Circus, among the hustle and bustle of London’s most fashionable district – but set back far enough (and down two flights of stairs) for a much needed calm, collected and chilled atmosphere.
Decorated to an extremely high standard, with luxurious furniture, decor and centre pieces, DSTRKT is not only fashion forward in itself, but a cut above the rest – offering an amazing array of tasting dishes, glamorous cocktails and stunning wines. The service is absolutely impeccable, checking up on your meal, tailoring the menu to your specific preferences and making sure that you are happy with everything on offer.
Max and I, starved (well, almost) after a hectic first day at London Fashion Week, opted for the tasting menu, which starts at £45 per person and I can honestly say is worth every single penny. £45 seems like a lot, but when you consider how many dishes that includes, and the attentiveness of the staff and the creativity of the chef (who makes the dishes based on what your preferences are), it’s really not an awful lot. In fact, I’d highly recommend it, especially if you’re celebrating a special occasion and really want the royal treatment!
After a watermelon mojito (you’ve honestly never tasted something quite so fresh and fruity) and a it-will-blow-your-head off Jamie’s Fever cocktail, our waitress brought out the first of many dishes – a wooden platter of deliciously freshly baked bread (assorted) and homemade salted butter. Bread and butter might seem like a normal accompaniment for a meal out for two (so please excuse the superlatives) but this bread was unlike nothing else I’ve tried before. Crisp, fresh sourdough bread with seeds, bread sticks with currants and wholewheat baguette. I could have eaten a whole plate. Oh, I did.
Next to blow our minds was the amazing baked blini, with creme fraiche and London’s finest caviar. You can’t do London Fashion Week without caviar, don’t you know! I will be honest here and say that caviar is an acquired taste. I remember being served it at a relative’s birthday party several years back and sneaking to the toilets to spit it out (classy, yes I know) but this time, pushing myself to try it again – I ate the whole thing in two delicious bites. Salty, but not slimy, the caviar was absolutely exquisite. It was a really creamy texture, with a little retained bite and it went down a treat with both Max and I.
Although I probably could have stuffed my face with more of both of the two courses so far, I was soon eating my words (not literally) as the courses kept on coming. The great thing about a tasting menu is you never know what is going to turn up next, so each dish was a pleasant surprise for our taste buds. It sounds cliche, it really does, but I mean it. Opting for the tasting menu is so much more interesting (and more of a talking point) than ordering a regular one or two dishes. It’s a great ice breaker if you’re on a first date and similarly, a fantastic evening spent with friends, family or your partner.
Having read about the famous Yellow Fin Tuna Cubes with soy air and avocado mousse (yes, that’s right – air), I was extremely excited to give them a go once they’d arrived on our table. The cubes of tuna themselves were a little bit chewy for my liking, but the soy air (basically frothy soy) was an amazing touch and it really made the dish unique. In fact, I liked it so much I scooped up all of the ‘air’ and ate it. Nothing like a bit of air for a LFW meal!
Following on from our three already amazing dishes were devon crab cakes with yoghurt, dill and pumpkin seeds, lamb cutlets and lamb pancetta with white bean puree and grilled brocollini with pomegranate and garlic (amazing, I ‘reserved’ the entire dish for myself). We also enjoyed sea bass with a delicious lemon sauce, asparagus with a cream sauce and black truffle, pesto flat bread and salad, in addition to green peppers topped with macadamia nuts. I’m not entirely sure my rather strange (and maybe disturbing) ‘mmm’ sounds whilst eating really do it as much justice as the dishes deserve. But the pictures do, so I’ll let them do the talking.
After feeling thoroughly full, having exercised all but one (the sweet one) of our taste buds, I was eagerly awaiting the most exciting course of any meal. Dessert. Again, in true DSTRKT style, it was an extravaganza in itself, with freeze dried liquid nitrogen strawberries being served at our table – and placed into our mouths using a special spoon, enabling us to ‘breath like dragons’ as we crunched. To say it was a unique experience is definitely an understatement. I tried to capture this moment on camera, but this didn’t quite go to plan. All I have to say is – amazing. The liquid nitrogen makes the strawberries so very cold that they basically dissolve into your mouth, creating this gorgeous, unusual strawberry sweet flavoured powder.
But whilst dissolving strawberries are fun, my dessert side still had room for more – so I was delighted when the finale dish landed on our table for two – strawberry and chocolate truffle, edible chocolate soil and strawberry mousse. Topped with edible gold flakes. There are no words. Honestly, there aren’t. It’s officially my new favourite dessert ever. Over-taking Millionaire’s Shortbread Cheesecake. And that’s saying something!
Overall, Max and I had an extremely positive, no scrap that, an amazing experience at DSTRKT and I cannot wait to return again soon. It was a lovely end to a fabulous day and equally – a really nice farewell dinner (in a way) as we are both heading off to University this weekend and parting ways for a few weeks until we’re settled. I cannot thank the kind team at DSTRKT enough for how pleasant they made our evening, they honestly did cater for every requirement and made us feel right at home. If you are in London this season for Fashion Week and are looking for an equally as fashionable hot spot to dine in, this really is the place to be. After dining hours, the club next door often plays host to VIP parties and nights – and the cocktails are worth visiting for alone.
For more information, please visit their website – here.
