Friday, August 05, 2005
Tapas and Neo-Tapas
Thanks to the generosity of the pharmaceutical industry I've eaten on consecutive nights at Fino and Maze. Fino is often suggested as London's best spanish restaurant, serving traditional, yet delicate refined tapas. Maze is the newest Gordon Ramsay restaurant. The chef Jason Atherton trained at El Bulli, earth's second best restaurant. They serve a very distant relative of tapas, consisting of many many small courses of immaculate fusion dishes. I was determined not to like Maze, ever since an unpleasant encounter with an abrasive Gordon Ramsey when I used to be a waiter. The food is however really good. We got treated to a 12 course whirl through the menu. Every dish is a really clever unobtrusive fusion. There's nothing too showy-offy, nothing to shock the taste buds; but each dish is intelligent. I was disappointed that it isn't quite the same virtuoso buccal explosions as Keller/Feria/Blumenthal, but it all tastes great. I'm a little hazy about the 12 courses, but I distinctly remember finishing up with a tiny baked alaska on a stick. We also got to sit adjacent to the kitchen, and through panoramic windows got to watch the sous-chefs getting a Hell's Kitchen style bollocking. Last night I moved onto Fino. The strange thing is, though I could hardly fault Maze, Fino was better. Tucking into a plate of morcilla blood sausage and fried duck egg, I realised that it was more "real" than anything served at Maze. I know I'll be going back to Fino for sardines, pimentos de padron, and giant langoustines. Having experienced the performance that is Maze, no matter how polished, I doubt I'll ever feel like trying it again.
Thanks to the generosity of the pharmaceutical industry I've eaten on consecutive nights at Fino and Maze. Fino is often suggested as London's best spanish restaurant, serving traditional, yet delicate refined tapas. Maze is the newest Gordon Ramsay restaurant. The chef Jason Atherton trained at El Bulli, earth's second best restaurant. They serve a very distant relative of tapas, consisting of many many small courses of immaculate fusion dishes. I was determined not to like Maze, ever since an unpleasant encounter with an abrasive Gordon Ramsey when I used to be a waiter. The food is however really good. We got treated to a 12 course whirl through the menu. Every dish is a really clever unobtrusive fusion. There's nothing too showy-offy, nothing to shock the taste buds; but each dish is intelligent. I was disappointed that it isn't quite the same virtuoso buccal explosions as Keller/Feria/Blumenthal, but it all tastes great. I'm a little hazy about the 12 courses, but I distinctly remember finishing up with a tiny baked alaska on a stick. We also got to sit adjacent to the kitchen, and through panoramic windows got to watch the sous-chefs getting a Hell's Kitchen style bollocking. Last night I moved onto Fino. The strange thing is, though I could hardly fault Maze, Fino was better. Tucking into a plate of morcilla blood sausage and fried duck egg, I realised that it was more "real" than anything served at Maze. I know I'll be going back to Fino for sardines, pimentos de padron, and giant langoustines. Having experienced the performance that is Maze, no matter how polished, I doubt I'll ever feel like trying it again.
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