In the heart of Notting Hill, Clare Smyth has branched out from beneath the shadow of Gordon Ramsay and created a lovely, inviting restaurant with extraordinary takes on “ordinary” ingredients. Working as head chef in Ramsay’s flagship, Smyth became the first and only three Michelin starred female chef in the UK. In 2017, she opened CORE and it was just announced that she will enter the Michelin 2019 guide with two stars of her very own.
The dining room is relaxed and casual but still with touches, like expensive stemware and specially engraved knives, that hint at the higher end. We were presented with a choice of three menus: a chefs menu with choices for each of three courses, and two tasting menus: a five-course and a seven-course. We opted for the seven-course with wine pairings.
The evening started with a few tasting bites: Jellied eel, toasted seaweed and malt vinegar; Crispy smoked duck wing, burnt orange and spices; Foie gras parfait and madeira; Tomato and basil gougere. The gougere was my favorite. It was airy and filled with flavor.
The first tasting menu course was an Isle of Mull scallop tartare with a sea vegetable consomme. This was salty and cool with a nice herby sauce and paired nicely with the citrusy Greek white wine from Estate Argyros. Next up was Smyth’s signature dish: “Potato and roe” with dulse beurre blanc, herring and trout roe. She served this with a Willamette Valley Chardonney from Bachelder which was fine but I would’ve liked to see this paired with a buttery California Chard. I’ve never tasted a better potato though. Seriously, it was absolute perfection. The third course was a skate with Morecambe Bay shrimps, Swiss chard and brown butter. This was paired with a very interesting white Rioja from Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia with almond and fennel notes. The brown butter sauce on the skate was delicious and the fish was prepared very well.
Another surprising star was next: The “lamb carrot” with braised lamb, sheep’s milk yoghurt and lamb brioche. The gentle tannins and soft cherry notes of the Ocean Eight Pinot Noir was a very nice choice for pairing. I’ve never enjoyed a lone vegetable more. It was a star. But I also loved the lamb-filled brioche served on the side. The main meat course of the tasting menu was the duck and nectarine with thyme, honey and Timut pepper. The little dots along the top looked like white currents but they were nectarine jelly drops. The tart on the side was confit with liver and heart and it was delicious. The Cogno Barolo with plum jam notes paired excellently with the perfectly prepared duck. The shared cheese course was next. The three cheeses: a goat, an aged cheddar and a crumbly blue were served with sesame crisps, fig brioche, jelled white wine, pickled red onions and giant raisins. I love when restaurants give bread/crisps and accoutrements with their cheese. If you have a cheese course, it better have more than just a few slices of cheese in my opinion.
The ‘Cherry Bakewell’, which featured Italian cherries, an almond mousse and sour cherry brandy was an inventive take on a classic taste combination. Such a cute little “cherry” with a chocolate stem. This was served with a cherry cordial with the same flavors. Our final tasting menu course was the pear and verbena with poire Williams sorbet served in a meringue cup. I was so full by this point in the evening but still enjoyed the crisp meringue, the delicate pears and the not-too-sweet sorbet. The final pairing was a Jurancon Moelleux from Domaine de Souch. The two Manseng grapes blended to make a sweet but not syrupy dessert wine that was quite good with the fresh pear and sorbet. To send us on our way, we were given three little bites: Banyuls port wine gel; Sauternes bonbon; warm chocolate tart. The chocolate tart had a hint of lavender and the two jellies were nicely made.
This was a very memorable and delicious dinner with surprising stars and inventive turns of humble, seasonal, local food into wonderful British dishes.
CORE by Clare Smyth, 92 Kensington Park Rd, London, W11 2PN, UK; Tel. +44 020 3937 5086; Reservations recommended; Tue – Wed 6:30PM – 10:30PM. Thu – Sat 12pm – 2:30pm and 6:30pm – 10:30pm.
Food Travel & Me 