Restaurant Story – Our Story night of storeos, dripping lard, orange wine and edible sweet wrappers

It’s been about 5 weeks since we have been back from our 17 – day road trip around Europe celebrating Neal’s birthday. Summer ’17 has been pretty amazing so far. After eating in some very dope places across, it was time to start tasting food in our beloved home city.

Our first taster menu in London is at Restaurant Story and this has got to be the most creative one yet. The dishes put head chef Tom’s creativity and passion on full megawatt display! Starting with pre-menu drinks, Neal ordered an old fashioned. This drink came in a flask that was put inside a box that looked like a book case? well alright then! With a menu akin to chapters in a book; which had a seal on it as well. We knew this was just going to be so exciting and one we will treasure for a long time.

Starting the with foreword – a selection of snacks that were delightful as they were quirky. Storeo; the restaurant’s spin on the much loved oreos – made from burnt hays biscuit and cheese mousse filling. It even came in a biscuit tin! The other snacks in the selection were just as cool consisting of oysters cradled in flowers, cod skin so thin, it is almost translucent and yet equally crisp, topped with goats’ cheese and flowers.

The meal begins with chapter 1 (childhood) and finishes with chapter V (the end). Every course, a journey of memories experienced by the head chef and a timeline to his younger days. The Childhood dish was a bread and lard dish but not like you know it. The lard was a candle stick! In order to melt it, it was lit and the dripping (similar to  melting candle wax) flowed all the way to the bottom of the candle stand, pool at the bottom like melted butter in which you could dip your cuts of your bread loaf into it. Colourful foam dishes with intense flavours that had you ‘ahhing’ in both delight and awe and thinking how in the world is this possible? Dishes like the onion and lovage, the tomato and vanilla looked so pretty and delicate, we almost felt bad for tucking into it! Tasty pollock, scallops, lamb so tender and foie grais to die for! i mean lawwwddddd.. This food is just unreal.

The three different desserts that made chapter V of this menu, was the perfect way to end this meal. The lemon course was served in a bowl which looked like a cake mixing bowl. For a lemon course, it did not have a strong citrus taste associated with lemon? Instead it was mellowed down with some cream and vanilla. It was a darn good lemon, actually just had an eureka moment – it could have been the palate cleanser?! When it comes to strawberry desserts, I usually think cheese cake or some cream- based type thingy magig. Well, dessert number 2 was strawberry but it was not some thingy magig! It was strawberry and chamomile with a helping of cream and cheese strings toppings. Interestingly, the strawberries were in a juice on the side – elegant! It tasted sweet and savoury depending on what you scoop up with your spoon, so good! I reckon, they saved the best for last. Dessert number 3 was almond and dill which was crushed almond, almond ice cream, crushed dill. Yep, I don’t think I need to say anymore other than it was sinfully delicious!

This is the first taster menu that didn’t pair the food with wines but provided other alternatives such a bold and innovative approach! We were served orange wine and it was the perfect accompaniment for the foie grais and if you are like me, and struggle with the so-called merits of red wine, orange wine is a fantastic alternative! The sparkling cider had enough bubbles in it to make you question if you were not having a prosecco, cava or champagne! What I also loved was that this was sourced locally and made in a distillery not too far from the restaurant location!

Bringing the meal to an end, we order tea and coffee. Whilst basking in the afterglow of the amazing food just had, our head waiter provides us with caramel type sweets and says, “you can eat the sweet as a whole”. Neal and I look at each other with a ‘huh’? expression, obviously, we need to unwrap the sweets! To which our waiter states, no! the sweet wrapper is edible! The chocolatey-caramelly sweet was soft to chew and the wrapper (I can’t believe I am typing this) gave the sweet a slightly minty flavour! Hello!!! A sweet to be eaten whole – wrapper and all! The petit fours of course were delightful.

Ahh Restaurant Story, we love how you tell a story!

Cheers

Ndidi