Seafood lunch at Parsons, Covent Garden
Since I moved to the Kent coast from London I feel a lot closer to the food we eat. The butcher sells meat from nearby farms, the lamb grazes on heritage land, if you follow the seasons there is plenty of locally grown fruit and vegetables and you can buy locally caught, sustainable fish off day boats.
Having all this on my doorstep inspires me to cook more, especially seafood as it is so fresh.
A friend of mine suggested a catch up at a seafood restaurant in London, Parsons in Covent Garden. I had a look at the menu online beforehand and couldn’t wait to go. No matter how much I cook and try to challenge myself I sometimes get stuck in a bit of a routine and I thought I might be inspired.
We couldn’t really make our minds up so went for some starters and the first one out was an anchovy flatbread. Anchovy is a bit marmite, you love it or hate it but I love it. The bread was soft and the anchovy deliciously salty.
We continued on the bread theme and the next dish was smoked cods roe. Smooth, creamy, just a hint of smoke, served with delicious crackers.
We couldn’t resist the Brandade, egg and Avruga caviar. Brandade is one of the ultimate French comfort foods and the caviar is a delicious addition.
Potted shrimp courgettes. I love the idea of these and they were cooked to perfection but I might have liked a few more shrimp in there.
My favorite was the sea trout tartar with Bloody Mary jelly. It was inspired and absolutely delicious. I would happily order just two of these and a glass of wine.
We enjoyed the dishes with a light red wine and covered a vast array of topics, politics included. We live in strange times and there is a lot to cover.
When we finished we went to an Italian wine tasting. I didn’t know but there was a vast array of Barolo wines.
We made our way through the wines and there were a few I can easily say I fell in love with. I had a flash vision of my Christmas involving a case of delicious wine, a few lobsters, a cheese selection and a stack of books and movies. I have a completely different plan for Christmas but I might make it a mission to take a few days off in the new year as a staycation, sounds tempting.
Everything looks divine. 👀🍃
It was a treat! 🙂