The
Phoenix, Lower Richmond Road, London
SW15
Clifford Mould returns to this upmarket neighbourhood diner after ten years!
I think the opening of
the Phoenix in Putney was one of the
first I ever attended as editor of
the then infant Dine Online. Ten years
ago we had a job explaining to restaurateurs
what the web was all about and how
people could access it from anywhere
in the world. After the success of
her Barnes restaurant Sonny's, Rebecca
Mascarenhas opened The Phoenix, then
followed on with Sonny's in Nottingham,
and most recently 11
Abingdon Road which we reviewed
last month.
The head chef at The
Phoenix is Roger Brook, who until 2004
was sous to the renowned Franco
Taruschio, former Head Chef and
Patron of the famous Walnut
Tree Inn in Abergavenny. Franco has
lent a guiding hand to The Phoenix
for some time now, so although The
Phoenix is not exactly an Italian restaurant,
it certainly sports an Italian accent.
Take,
for instance one of Roger's signature
starters - it's his take on Franco's
magnificent Vincisgrassi Maceratesi,
a veritable Maserati of pasta
dishes, with layers of home made
lasagne and creamy sauce with Parma
ham and fungi including a liberal
dose of truffle. Franco made this
for us at the opening of La
Cucina Caldesi, and Roger's was
just as good. A puntarella and rocket
salad with anchovy dressing and plenty
of shaved parmesan was good and fresh,
as was the octopus, whose tentacles
were tender, though the dill dressing
reminded me a little too strongly
of gravadlax. If I hadn't been having
a really meaty main course I might
well have gone for the warm salad
of pigeon with artichokes, hazelnuts
and pancetta.
There
were three interesting fish dishes
on the main course list: monkfish
and scallop spiedini (skewers
to you - by the way a dictionary
would be handy at The Phoenix) -
Pan fried skate wing, and roast cod.
We had the cod, and it was a really
good piece, paradoxically flaky but
firm, with very delicious barbe
di frate (a seaweed not unlike
samphire). Meanwhile I had difficulty
choosing between the slow cooked
pork belly and the salt beef. In
the end I chose the beef, which had
been home cured. It was fine, but
the texture wasn't quite unctuous
enough for my taste. Incidentally,
the meat dishes were the most typically
British things on the menu, albeit
having subtle little twists in the
garnishes.
To
finish, I relished a lemon posset,
which was chilled, super smooth in
texture and very lemony - full marks.
The duet of passion fruit parfait
and chocolate sorbet also made
its mark most successfully. There's
a relatively short but effective
wine list chosen by Master of Wine
Emma Maurice, starting with house
wines from £11.95, to a £62 Barolo,
and plenty of quality to choose from
around the £20-£30 mark. The Phoenix
is more than just a neighbourhood
restaurant, it sets a high standard
and contrives to offer value for
money too. Starters
cost around £6, mains range
from £11.50 to £14.50, and puds cost
from £4.50 to £6.50 for cheeses.
Lunch £15.50 for three courses. 12.5%
service added.
Clifford
Mould March 2006
The
Phoenix, 162 Lower Richmond Road,
Putney, London SW15 1LY
Tel: 020 8780 3131
Email: thephoenix@sonnys.co.uk Web: www.sonnys.co.uk/phoenix.htm
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