Emma McAlpine reviews 'the bistro with a British accent' on Portobello Road.
I’ve walked past Goode & Wright a few times before. New restaurants don’t open on Portobello that often and its huge vintage sign (an original from the 1920s) and wood-panelled interior attracted my beady (and greedy) eye to its menu. I thought the restaurant – for all its panelling – seemed rather uninviting from the outside; the room itself being a narrow corridor shape with a sterile chequered floor and a lack of patrons. Now it’s been open a few months, it’s beginning to pick up more custom and the presence of two French-speaking tables I clock on entry looks promising.
Goode & Wright markets itself as ‘an anglo-french bistro’ serving up French classics made with seasonal, British ingredients. The menu is succinct and no nonsense with a refreshing lack of provenance detail, around five dishes for each course and a small specials board. Charming restaurant manager Jimmy Tardy recommends we try the signature ‘duck egg in a basket’ to start with and the minute it arrives, we can see why. Served on a bed of watercress and radishes, a soft-boiled duck egg is encased in a thick slice of toasted brioche, decorated with thin slices of crisp chorizo, a Dijon dressing and a drizzle of truffle honey. It looks, smells and tastes incredible; the flavour savoury, tangy and sweet; with both a crunch and softness in texture. The crab French onion soup is less successful. Although the white meat on toast it comes with is fresh and light; the soup itself is overpoweringly salty and pungent.
Jimmy tells us Scottish chef and co-owner Finlay Logan is passionate about his seafood, so I order a braised octopus, prawn and crab velouté off the specials board. Studded with fat, king prawns and wild garlic flowers, it certainly looks pretty but there is a lot more going on than first meets the eye. Gnocchi, sweetcorn, crab, octopus, watercress, whelks, prawns, artichoke and namely a LOT of butter – this is French cooking alright. It also comes with chargrilled peas in the pod, which I’ve never had before and after taking around 20 chews to digest one, I now know why. There’s nothing that wrong with the ingredients themselves, there's just an abundance of them and it's too rich to finish (and I always finish). My friend’s slow-roast pork with pineapple and sweetcorn mash is equally tasty but the massive wodge of pig is hard to conquer, as is the mash, laden with cream.
The last thing we feel like is pudding, but in the line of duty, we agree to a medley of crème brûlée, chocolate fondant and lemon posset with Eton mess. Just a small palate cleanser really. The crème brulee is excellent, the ‘crème’ flecked with vanilla seeds, its consistency more like a panna cotta than a thick cream, but it’s a welcome anomaly. The fondant is slightly overcooked and dry and we call it a day at the lemon posset which is a creamy step too far. The quote from Luciano Pavarotti on the menu – about "devoting our attention to eating" – isn't helping either. There may have been too much devotion in his case, and I'm not feeling too far behind.
There is a lot to like about Goode & Wright. The wine list is excellent, and reasonably priced (we had some delicious chilled Beaujolais with the pork and house Chardonnay with the fish – both glasses were £5 each). The ingredients used are also first rate, from Brindisa chorizo to Monmouth coffee. Some of the dishes just seem a little muddled; stuck somewhere between simple bistro cooking and fancy pants restaurant. I suspect we have ordered some of the heavier, creamier courses on the menu and I’d be keen to come back and try something like the assiette of spring vegetables or the steak bavette. As it is, I loosen my belt and waddle home.
A meal for two with wine, coffee and service costs £87.69
www.goodeandwright.co.uk
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