Jay, Diane, Jay and I went to Fifteen, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's East End restaurant. The tasting menu dinner was one of the best meals of my life and stretched over three hours.
Fifteen is a short walk north of the Old Street tube stop at 15 Westland Place off City Road. The restaurant, the subject of a documentary last year, is staffed by cooks trained by Jamie and friends and drawn from the ranks of unemployed youth. Profits from the restaurant go to Oliver's Cheeky Chops charity.
We started with scallop crudo -- a scallop ceviche with yuzu lime, pomegranates, fresh coconut, shiso cress, crispy ginger and coriander shoots -- and a West Mersea oyster with scallop crudo. After that, came a salad that included special mozzarella and broccoli di rape. Next was one large, perfect ravioli containing an egg yolk and fava beans and covered with a balsamic vinegar-based sauce. It was wonderful.
We had pan-seared sea bass, line-caught sea bream and then some tutti fruiti sorbet to cleanse our palates. We had a wild mushroom risotto, Snowdonian (i.e., Welsh) lamb and, finally, dessert -- a panecotta flavored with grappa, a dab of white chocolate topped with a thin chocolate cookie and a deep, deep chocolate tart (my favorite of the three).
Joann accompanied her dinner with the wine tasting menu, meaning she had a small glass of wine with each course. Diane and I settled for two big glasses of wine -- one white, one red. The sommellier's recommendations were on target (We learned he is an American!).
After dinner, we took the tube home. The next day, Joann went back to Philly. It was the perfect dinner for a great visit from a great friend.
Fifteen is a short walk north of the Old Street tube stop at 15 Westland Place off City Road. The restaurant, the subject of a documentary last year, is staffed by cooks trained by Jamie and friends and drawn from the ranks of unemployed youth. Profits from the restaurant go to Oliver's Cheeky Chops charity.
We started with scallop crudo -- a scallop ceviche with yuzu lime, pomegranates, fresh coconut, shiso cress, crispy ginger and coriander shoots -- and a West Mersea oyster with scallop crudo. After that, came a salad that included special mozzarella and broccoli di rape. Next was one large, perfect ravioli containing an egg yolk and fava beans and covered with a balsamic vinegar-based sauce. It was wonderful.
We had pan-seared sea bass, line-caught sea bream and then some tutti fruiti sorbet to cleanse our palates. We had a wild mushroom risotto, Snowdonian (i.e., Welsh) lamb and, finally, dessert -- a panecotta flavored with grappa, a dab of white chocolate topped with a thin chocolate cookie and a deep, deep chocolate tart (my favorite of the three).
Joann accompanied her dinner with the wine tasting menu, meaning she had a small glass of wine with each course. Diane and I settled for two big glasses of wine -- one white, one red. The sommellier's recommendations were on target (We learned he is an American!).
After dinner, we took the tube home. The next day, Joann went back to Philly. It was the perfect dinner for a great visit from a great friend.
posted by Jonathan at 7:36 PM
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