Aspirational but Unlikely

Across the river to Battersea Park.

Huge chicken tikka samosas at the Battersea General Store, along with all the typical and wonderful British sandwiches like Coronation chicken ie. curried chicken salad, chicken tikka masala ie. differently-curried chicken salad, eggs mayonnaise ie. egg salad, cheese and pickle (“pickle” always a coarse, brooding chutney), and everything else imaginable that can be bound with mayo and spread onto soft bread.

Wrongly, this wet pile of Caesar salad to-go appealed to me but I couldn’t manage a salad while walking, so: Caesar for lunch.

Gordon Ramsay Bread Street Kitchen & Bar

With pancetta and two kinds of anchovy. 

And rare roast beef tonnato with a tuna and anchovy dressing spiked with tart caperberries. 

My London list has subcategories titled “Aspirational but Unlikely” for each neighborhood, meaning things I want to eat but probably won’t eat due to my forecasted timings and locations. 

So while I was very full when I walked by Noci, I felt morally obligated to go in and try a thing from my list: the ricotta and brown crab raviolo with spring onion and cayenne in a lemony brown butter sauce. 

It was great, but the lighting in the restaurant was poorly designed, like a kineograph with the pages flickering/..out/

  …of/ ….  ..

order/.

My dad had made other plans, and I was not hungry for dinner, but The Five Fields’ zero-tolerance cancellation policy forced me to cobble together the stamina: aspirational but unlikely. Glad I succeeded because it ended up being one of the most profound solo meals of my life.

Don’t have the words yet, so here are just photos and descriptions of the dishes. Wish I could bring Peter here, but this was their last service before a three-week summer break.

There are two tasting menus every night: vegetarian and non. Guests are encouraged to customize them if desired. I chose non but swapped out the lamb for the mushroom.

Secret salt if you’re too shy to ask for salt.

Leek tartlet with hay emulsion and fried leeks.

This was my first and favorite bite of the entire meal- the humility of earth while somehow transcending its utility.

Savory cheese and onion biscuit.

Tomato cup with smoked salmon and red onion crème fraîche.

Velvet crab tea infused with jasmine.

Sparkling rosé from Kent.

Tomato confit with chamomile oil and green tomato gazpacho.

Homemade Irish soda bread (left) and sourdough (right) with homemade cultured butter. 

Carrots three ways. 

Roasted lobster tail with rose petal glaze and beetroot cups.

Lobster cake made from the claws.

Confit of Dover sole with a sauce made from garlic scapes.

Turnip cake. 

Field mushroom and spinach.

Raw British cheeses with little dishes of the farm’s own honeycomb, preserved pine cones, blackberry jam, pickled crognes, and celery sticks for palate cleansing. I took extensive notes on the cheeses but the notes are very boring. Especially loved the ash-wrapped goat cheese from Ireland (far left) and the oozy washed rind stinkbomb from Surrey (second from right).

Pickled crognes, and I can’t believe I finally got to eat crognes.

Sourdough crackers and treacle bread.

I passed on the three dessert courses, but this brown butter and honeycomb tart was everything I wanted when I asked for nothing. 

Somerset cider brandy. I love Somerset deeply, and this was the best brandy I’ve ever had. 

On the brisk 20 min walk back, I felt euphoric. Stopped to talk to three different dogs and their people. 

This bag was full when I left Santa Fe. So far, London has been very successful for social dog networking. Carrying around a ziploc bag of dog biscuits helps!