If you’re missing the sea and want a reminder of how tasty UK seafood can be then there’s a restaurant in Fitzrovia that’s just for you. Inside you’ll feel as though you should be able to look through the window and see the sea, although actually the view is a typical London street with hairdresser and pizzeria. TBH, we only chose the restaurant because it was pouring with rain and it seemed a good place to shelter. Seafood Shack sounded fun and the menu looked unusual. It was a good thing we did, as the meal was delicious. Except for the clams – which was no fault of the restaurant. It just turns out that I’m not a clammy person.
Bonnie Gull is a fish restaurant where they can tell you precisely from where everything comes. There’s even a map on the wall to make it clearer. We started with clams, oysters and langoustines. There was a choice of three types of oysters. I chose a Dorset Blue, having been told it was from the coast where the river enters the sea. It was therefore less salty and with the chilli sauce and a squeeze of lemon it was the nearest I’ve ever come to eating an oyster and thinking that was delicious. It was elegantly served, though most impressive was the Scottish Langoustine which arrived on a bed of seaweed looking as though it wanted a chat.
A quote from Nirvana was written on the wall. ‘It’s OK to eat fish ’cause they don’t have any feelings.’ Kurt Cobain’s pre-suicide monotone entered my head. I ought to dig out Nevermind, but I’d have to buy a CD player to play it. Technology marches on, 2014 will be the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death. Was he murdered? The lyrics are from a song about being homeless, living underneath a bridge and surviving on the drippings from the ceiling… What would Cobain have thought about being quoted in a restaurant selling oysters for three quid a pop?
I don’t think the quote is supposed to set off that train of thought.
The menu changes on a daily basis according to the day’s catch, which itself depends on the weather conditions at sea and the seasons. There is a good selection of mains, from which we chose the Beer Battered North Sea Haddock and the Organic Spelt ‘risotto’. They took a while to arrive but it was worth it. The batter was light and the beef dripping chips were well-salted, the whole dish served attractively with the fish curved to stand up. Mark Kermode might not like the 3D trend in filmmaking, but this looked good, and you didn’t need special glasses to appreciate it.
Risotto is one of the tastiest imports of all the tasty imports from Italy, but it usually struggles to look attractive. This version managed the trick, the large grains of spelt staying separated more than a typical risotto, the mixed nuts and roasted chestnuts giving a pleasant bite.
The Bonnie Gull has developed from a pop-up Seafood Shack in Hackney and aims to be a showcase of the best produce from British shores. Britain is lucky to have a lot of coastline (11073 miles of it at the last count) and its waters contain superb seafood, from Wester Ross Lobster to stunning local fish. With such high-quality ingredients the chefs aim to keep things simple but add ‘a little touch of creativity’. It’s an approach that works well.
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