Artean
San Sebastián, a city in the basqueland region of Northern Spain, is known as a culinary hot spot. It is therefore not short of plenty of pinxtos restaurants, fine dining, and a galaxy of Michelin stars.
Artean is a small restaurant in the Gross area, not far from the beach. It has twelve seats, at the bar only. The bar chairs are comfy, and sitting at the bar creates an intimate atmosphere. The chefs are from Peru, and have worked in Michelin starred places, but the person serving was Danish. Artean does not have a start (yet?).
We were the first customers that evening and got to choose our seats, which we did, near the kitchen towards the end of the bar counter.
They offer a seven-course tasting menu (at €90), but also have an à la carte menu. We picked our meal from the latter. As our starters, we picked a selection of tapas. While waiting for them to be served, a lovely bread and a shot glass of a fresh and flavoursome gazpacho got us in the mood. A lovely crisp white Leirana wine made it to our table too.
Our selection started with dressed oysters, and topped with salmon roe, served in a boat shaped bowl. They were slightly acidic, but the dressing toned it nicely down. Fat and juicy anchovies on toast, with a nice layer of butter in between then followed. And finally a duo of scallop gildas. Each consistent of two scallop halves slightly seared, on a bed of creamed parmigiana reggiano, roasted tomato, and topped with an olive, some anchovies and pine nuts. It was plated up right in front of us.
After the starters we each chose a different main. My wife selected the catch of the day, a moist piece of hake on a pea oil, served with a couple grilled shrimps with a piece of samphire on top, which was delicious. I decided on the grilled octopus with green beans and pine nuts. It was a little sticky from a dressing, and cooked perfectly with a little bounce.
After we finished our meal, we moved to a separate set of stools in front of their window for our dessert. That was all our doing as we had probably been a little slow with dinner. Here we enjoyed a dessert wine each, and a sheep's milk curd, topped with blue cheese, cider ice cream. Yum!
Artean was a perfect meal, incorporating local flavours and ingredients with hints of Peru. And all at a very reasonable price. We would certainly return if we're in town again.
Le Garrick
We have been to Le Garrick several times over the last decade. Once for my birthday, where I learned that Cassoulet is based on beans, not my favourite category of food. Although it is not a fine-dining restaurant, the meals we had there, have always been solid, albeit a little rustic.
They also do a pre- and post-theatre menu, which is what brought us here this time. With a play in the early evening, a post-theatre menu is often good value, and usually speedily served.
We both opted for a main and dessert. My wife chose the Onglet steak with a Béarnaise sauce, and I had the Moules Frites. While waiting for our meals to arrive, we enjoyed a lovely glass of Cremant — we had something to celebrate.
The steak was juicy and served with a good amount of fries. My Moules were well-prepared in a rich and flavourful broth. The accompanying fries were excellent for dipping into this bowl of flavour.
We picked the same dessert, the Tarte au Citron (lemon tart). This came served with lovely dollop of cream.
Le Garrick was reliable as always, and after our meal we walked to our theatre. If you're in the neighbourhood for a similar reason, Le Garrick is a safe choice, with good food.
Sicily
After a trip, we wanted something more relaxed and non-fussy. Sicily, close to Victoria Station, seemed to fit the bill on a warm summer evening. My wife commented that the restaurant had been here for many years—and like Chakra a few weeks ago—she’d walked past many times without ever visiting. Something we were rectifying.
We were seated upstairs, and when we arrived, it wasn't very busy with only two other parties seated in the upstairs area. However, within half an hour, the place was full, with nearly every table occupied. Despite the influx of diners, the service was attentive and speedy.
For her dinner, my wife chose the Fiorentina pizza, with tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, spinach, oregano, free range egg, and flaked parmigiano reggiano. The crust was crispy, the spinach wasn't overly wilted and dry, the cheese flakes across the top were generous, and the pizza wasn't too humungous overall. I picked the Rustichelle Salsiccia pasta—twisted pasta with pork and fennel sausage, with mushrooms, saffron, and cream. The sausage is what gave it the flavour, and the pasta and mushrooms the texture.
We both had a glass of their Sicily Pilsner on draught to enjoy with our meals, which paired well with both our dishes. We decided against dessert.
The price for the meal was very reasonable, the ambiance great, and the food well worth going back for again.
Veeraswamy
Through the media, we discovered that London’s oldest Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy, might have to close due to a building redevelopment that will remove their entrance. The restaurant has been operating in its current location for 99 years, but unless they manage to change the building owner’s mind they will have to move out. With that in mind, my wife had booked dinner for us on a sunny Friday evening.
After going up by lift, we were shown to our table overlooking Swallow Street. The atmosphere was full of light. We had booked a fairly early table, at 18:15, which meant we could still order from the pre-theatre menu.
I probably would have ordered these dishes anyway, as I fancied the Anglo-Indian Muligatawny Soup as a starter from this menu. It was just the right thickness, with good levels of spice. My wife ignored the pre-theatre menu for her starter, and instead ordered the Calcutta Beetroot Croquettes. These were crunchy, served with Stilton cheese and the sweet beetroots inside—it sounds like an odd combination, but worked surprisingly well.
Before and with our starters, we enjoyed some signature cocktails. I had the Citrus Burst spring special, and my wife had a new Old Fashioned.
As my main, I chose the Grilled Fish Exotica. Which was both spicy and sweet, with the sweetness coming from small tomatoes. The fish's skin was crisp, and a serving of plain rice and the crispy naan bread were great for lapping up the juices from the plate. As her main, she picked the Chicken Dilkush, a chicken supreme served with a sauce of almond extract, which was also on the pre-theatre menu.
With our pre-theatre menus we were also given a choice of dessert. I selected the dark chocolate and raspberry sorbets, and she enjoyed the pistachio and salted caramel gelato. A great way to finish our meal.
With the rumours of Veeraswamy having to close, we might not have the opportunity to go back, but if they stay open, we would very much recommend a trip.
Chakra
We have walked past Chakra many times, as it's almost next door to bottle shop and beer bar, Real Drinks that we frequent. Although we have often eaten at The Red Pepper, an Italian restaurant on the same street (which we also recommend), we've never ventured into Chakra, an Indian restaurant. Chakra also have other restaurants in Kensington and Kingston upon Thames.
Although we had booked, there were very few customers inside, although this was probably because it was still fairly early. The menu at Chakra has plenty of options, but isn't overwhelming and includes all the Indian dishes you'd expect. Classics like a chicken tikka masala, plus biryanis, and tandoor dishes.
My wife went for one of the tandoor dishes, the Chatpata Chicken Tikka — which was without sauce, as our waiter explained. It was however not just a dry piece of chicken, and still coated in something, giving a good level of spice and flavour and the chicken was still nicely moist. I picked the Kashimiri Lamb Rogan Josh as I was hoping for something a little spicier, which this dish delivered.
With our dishes, we also had a plain naan and some steamed rice. To help us deal with all the spice, we had the customary Cobra to go with our meal.
Chakra is a good neighbourhood Indian restaurant, and I'm sure we'll be back some time.
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