I have never had a meal that has left me as confused at the end as this did. Trust me when I say that some food combinations should just be left well alone.
For our wedding, the husband and I were given a few ‘experiences’ and a tasting menu lunch at Ametsa was one of them. The restaurant is located a few minutes walk from Hyde Park Corner within the impressive Halkin hotel and markets itself as a ‘one Michelin star Basque restaurant.’ Basque to me indicates rich, rustic Spanish flavours which need little tampering with. However, what we got was something quite different.
The layout in Ametsa is pleasing with large windows flanking one wall and a ceiling covered in test tubes filled with different coloured sands (have a look at the website to get an idea). The room was light and bright and the waiting staff were exceptionally helpful and personable. We were handed the menu and were instantly baffled. Courses included ‘Tomato and Raspberry soup’ and ‘Colourful Crystals’ when all I really wanted was Spanish classics like ‘Patatas Bravas’ and ‘Gambas Pil Pil.’
The aforementioned soup was the first course and oh my God was it interesting. Not only was the soup made of the unusual combination of tomato and raspberry; not only was it chilled; but it also contained MUSSELS. As in, throw them in a paella or steam them with white wine and herbs: MUSSELS. My stomach flipped and I tentatively picked up the spoon.
I still couldn’t tell you now, eight days on, if I enjoyed it, however, my husband certainly did.
Being raised by a father who wouldn’t let me have my pudding until I had finished my main, I did finish the fateful soup but it certainly traumatised my taste-buds for the rest of the meal. I approached every dish with trepidation after that and searched the plates feverishly for any unwelcome sea creatures. The next two courses were (fairly) conventional with butterflied shrimp and hemp (which seems to be this years hottest ingredient) followed by a melt in the mouth cube of belly pork on bamboo with a roasted pepper.
Next we were asked to choose are ‘main’ courses. The menu had three options: a piece of hake, chicken or mushroom. After the muscle debacle I was in no mood for fish so I had the mushroom and the husband had the chicken. My mushroom dish was a form of a risotto with mushroom and chilli. The Chef (Elana Arzak- Veuve Clicquot World Best Female Chef 2012) had cooked the chilli in a number of ways and each added a different (hot) element to the dish. The husband’s chicken was comprised of juicy breast and a crispy confit leg accompanied by seed crackers and they each came with a pretty pointless side salad. (I don’t know about you, but I never eat the side salad…ever!)
By the time we had reached pudding, I had almost forgotten about the soup fiasco and was being lulled into a false sense of culinary security. However the ‘Colourful Crystals’ came and brought me straight back to the feeling of self doubt. At the beginning of the meal, before we even took our first bite, the waiter was talking through the menu and he had described how this dish was a cheesecake. Eagerly listening and smiling, I nearly choked on my wine (not Pinot– the husband doesn’t drink white!) when the waiter said the fateful words:
‘you like cabbage in your dessert, yes!?’
I forced out a harsh fake laugh at his silly joke. At least I thought it was a joke, until the dish came before me and I was informed that each of the dehydrated colourful shards around my cheesecake were all made up of different ingredients, namely: Pineapple, Beetroot, Carrot, Cabbage and Milk. Who in there right mind puts CABBAGE in a pudding! Also it wasn’t just a hint of cabbage, oh no, it was a smack of the mouth hit you where it hurts stewed red cabbage, which, when mixed with a cheesecake, was pretty grim. The husband had a much more palatable chocolate ring filled with apple compote: tasty but not very exciting.
On reflection, I can’t help but think that these odd combinations were simply on the menu as a novelty to shock diners into thinking they were eating something truly wonderful and inventive. There is a reason that no other chef has put raspberry and muscle together or put cabbage in a dessert, however, I haven’t managed to stop talking about the meal since we went so maybe Chef is onto something?
Your table is ready 