Texture – Michelin Starred Food at Brasserie Prices

Well for lunch at least. There’s a quiet confidence about this intriguing restaurant on the Oxford Street side of Portman Square, London. A decade-old mystery was solved as why Robert, the Maître d’ at Texture was still receiving mail addressed to Michael Caine – the actor, not the chef. Years ago, Sir Michael and Lady Caine had part-owned a restaurant there called Deya, a dazzlingly lit, bejewelled Indian with mughal murals, uncomfortable chairs and a confusing journey to the lavatory in the hotel next door. I know, I was there for the opening and had a touch of the deja vus. Now it’s Scandic cool with limewashed floors, eau de nil leather chairs and lots of stripped birch branches for a thwacking in the Hilton’s steam room after the meal.

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Texture was created by Agnar Sverrisson and Xavier Rousset in 2010 and is a Michelin starred Modern European, restaurant and Champagne bar with Scandinavian influences. They are also well-known for 28-50 wine workshop and kitchen. The menu uses British produce with ingredients from Sverrisson’s native Iceland served alongside a varied wine list. So you’ll get lava salt washed down with a glass of interesting wine – you’ll be gently steered away from a default sauvignon blanc to a fruitier, more interesting Kerner. Everything about the place is considered – from hand painted stones to rest the cutlery, to bizarre egg cup table decorations with some drift wood glued on. There’ s also a lot of mossy turf like the oasis approach to flower arranging.

The food is sensational. Light and healthy food that doesn’t make you feel uncomfortably full. The three course lunch at £29.90 is incredible value as it also comes with slices of perfect bread with sour and sweet olive oils, crisp slivers of cod and potato skin, an amuse bouche – a cute foamy broth and funny looking petit fours.

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The ‘texture’ comes from each ingredient being treated differently or it being presented in different ways – often five things or five ways of serving it. There is so much going on, but whatever the maths it adds up well.

Lunch Menu

Winter Vegetables – strangely served cold with a vegetable nage – a cold consommé of herbs and vegetable juices brewed for 24 hours – would have been lovely to have this warm.

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Smoked Scottish Salmon – you will never ever serve salmon again as a cold piece of flesh on brown bread with a dollop of sour cream. Here it is a warmed juicy fish with cucumber snow and Icelandic cream skyr with pungent horseradish, diced apple, pickled vegetables and a cheeky nod to tradition with dill and a crumb of bread topped with caviar.

Main Courses

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Cornish Skate Wing with watercress, barley with the pleasing texture of a sea gravel and spears of salsify, seaweed dust and sorrel sauce so perfectly green you think it was from a Farrow and Ball colour chart.

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Shoulder of Nord Pas-de-Calais Piglet moist layers of pork and fat marbling with a crispy skin with quince, celeriac and bulgur wheat soaked and juicy in vegetable stock.

Desserts
New Season Yorkshire Rhubarb with poached granita, granola and honey ice cream.

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Baby Brogdale Pear which was presented as poached, in fresh slivers, caramelised and in a cake that any grandmother would be proud of along with cardamom ice cream.

Then as if it wasn’t amazing enough these appeared.

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A celeriac macaron, toasted pistachio Madeleine, cold chocolate ginger and a mint meringue. Served as an encore it recaptured the meal and finished it with a Mint Imperial on a stick. See how they got their Michelin star? A round of applause for Chef Sverrisson and his team. I hope they mark the mail Return To Sender as this restaurant is staying put.

Texture Restaurant and Champagne Bar
34 Portman Street
London
W1H 7BY
Tel: 020 7224 0028
www.texture-restaurant.co.uk

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Read more restaurant reviews here:
The good:

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Four to Eight
The bad:
Pachamama
The ugly:
The Factory

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