London - The Providores

Is this the best restaurant in London?

That depends upon how you determine what makes a good restaurant.  Is it the food?  Is it the ambience?  Is it a blend of both?

If the answer is the food, Providores is arguably a candidate for the best restaurant in town.  The food is utterly exceptional. Having said that, you have to be a fan of fusion food.  There are massive combinations of flavours here.  Too much for some palates perhaps?

Starters include:

- Coconut, black cardamom, crab and galangal laksa with lime leaf marinated squid, a fried quail's egg, a grilled prawn, green tea noodles, crispy shallots and coriander.

- Grilled Scottish scallops on avocado sesame puree, pickled tomato, hijiki and peanut sprout salad with wasabi tobikko ginger dressing.

- Pan fried foie gras on a mango and chilli filled taro pancake with spiced saag and tamarind caramel.

On the main course menu:

- Brown shrimp and coconut crusted Sea Bass on fennel, orange, green olive, smoked eel and dill salad with ponzu dressing and soy tapioca.

- Roast Elwy Valley lamb chump on parmesan celeriac puree, rocket and oven roast tomato with pickled garlic, broad bean and mint salsa.

- Roast Gresssingham duck breast on jersey royal, green bean, shallot and shiitake salad with a pomegranate cumin dressing.

- Roast New Zealand venison loin on smoked barley, cranberry, caraway, edamame and feta risotto with salted cucumber and braised daikon salad, den miso and crispy bean curd.

New Zealander, Peter Gordon, sells cook books by the lorry load and yet he runs one of London’s most understated restaurants. Sitting anonymously amongst a row of shops and cafes in Marylebone High St, most people walk by Providores without giving it a second glance.

The restaurant is simple, white, clean and basic, with a New Zealand tribal tapestry downstairs on the wall of the tapas restaurant.  There are no frills, no cocktails and no champagne pushed under your nose. It’s all about the food.  Downstairs is very much a ‘drop in’ eatery, and upstairs there are simple linear tables. The wines all come from New Zealand.  We enjoyed a bottle of Michael Seresin’s Pinot Noir priced at £32.

If the dishes detailed above intrigue you then give it a try. 

The Providores
109 Marylebone High Street
London W1

0207 935 6175

http://www.theprovidores.co.uk/