The Underground Restaurant: Home, comfort food. [Review]

The Underground Restaurant, Official Blog

£10 for three courses £3 per glass of wine

Shehas a warm home. As you walk through ONE , you are greeted with a room adorned with soulful black & white portraits, one can’t help but stare and wonder about the story behind each photograph but perhaps it’s better to keep things mysterious. The rustic wooden floors and the serene feel of a living room converted into a little restaurant feels homely, as it should, since this restaurant is really a full time residence. I cannot help but be enchanted by the red candles, creamy white tablecloths and the Victorian looking metal chairs with cushioned seats. The lights are low and the music is supplied by an iphone on a speaker stand playing what sounds like a personal playlist.

Have I been invited to a stranger’s home for dinner, is this where I have really made my reservations for saturday night?

Welcome Home

This kind of thing is a rarity in London. This city is so synonymous with the excessive that sometimes one loses sight of the little things. Here’s the story… And so one day I surfed on to the blog that proclaimed The English can cook and read about a chap who served up a Japanese meal to paying guests in the comfort of his own home … and how a certain Ms Marmite Lover was going to follow suit. A home restaurant, that’s a fantastic idea! How could I not jump at the chance to eat here for the opening night?

And so I did.

I must say, I was a little apprehensive as I walked up to the house and at one point I was wondering what my latest foodie escapade had led me to. Thankfully, all my fears were quashed as I thrust myself into the home of a food blogger and was greeted with a champagne reception. A dose of liquid courage - a requirement and a welcomed surprise. I scanned the room cum reception cum dining space and was happy to have met the food rambler (she’s really pretty), her friend (no names, but she’s really pretty too) and the concept that is the Bellaphon. I could see how everyone was looking a little lost at first, but as the evening wore on, we were all beginning to settle in comfortably. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to mingle as I had my restaurant head screwed on… I just wanted to sit down and eat but everybody was chatty, friendly and just really nice - for a moment, I bought into the illusion of being invited to a friend’s home for dinner.

Maybe it was one glass to0 many of bubbles. 

Arriving close to 8, we were all seated by about 815 and the first course was a tomato soup. The soup was sharp and intense , rich but midly runny. It was served with what was a huge stone baked garlic & rosemary bread. It was great for dunking and the soup was as you’d expect: home cooked comfort food through and through, yummy. If I’m being brutally honest, the bread was a little on the dry side but that’s only if we’re doing brutal honesty.

Vegequarian

Four tables of about 15 guests. one woman in the kitchen and two entertaining outside, did I also mention that food is meatless? Obviously I’m a meat dude but I can do vegequarian if it’s great vegequarian.

This was lovely. The delicately creamed potatoes were silky, I was expecting it to be really salty but it was full of natural potato flavours instead, mild and creamy. The salmon was quite nice, though I would have preferred more of it, still there’s plenty of home cooked goodness and I could feel the heart in the cooking. Perhaps my only complaint is the size, but well, if im complaining about being too big - then maybe a good thing. I should also mention the great mustard salad dressing which was intensely mineral sharp.

Wobble wobble 

There was a special guest in our midst in the form of  Jelly-man extraordinaire Bompas & Parr. The wobbly little things swayed with the music and evoked it’s own content mood and as the Jelly purveyor announced a disclaimer and apologised about how one of his wobbly creatures were not properly sieved, everybody smiled and we could all feel the quiet excitement in the room. Mine was a red elderflower flavour with tangy raspberries. I’m still wobbling.

The last pudding.

As I dug into my intensely rich chocolate mousse, I could taste the grainy chocolate bits it was made with. Fantastic stuff and to top it all off was a wonderful candied orange wedge which I wish I could have had just another one. I did steal half of her pudding and was completely stuffed by the end of the meal. Phew.

All in all, I think this was a pleasant experience and for the measly £10 she’s asking for, it really is quite a steal. I’m not so sure I agree with the £3 glass of wine because I would really just bring my own (and you can BYO) bottle of spatburgunders. I didn’t come here expecting a Michelin meal, but I did come here expecting a quiet evening with friendly people and home styled cooking and I’m delighted that’s exactly what I got.

I must say it is a brave effort to do a home restaurant and I think there will have to be alot of trust between the hostess and the guests and I’m glad it was a successful evening. She did tell me that she will be serving dinner every saturday and I think future servings of a single printed A4 menu plus a mood setting jazz collection (take five) will complete what is already a pretty cool alternative to eating in the Big Smoke.

Applause, oh and cash only and no reminders for tips please.     

 The Gist of It.

The Underground Restaurant

£10 for three courses £3 per glass of wine , Official Blog

Verdict: Yup, it really is a home restaurant at a civilian home and hearty home cooked for for a tenner. A unique experience and one that you are likely to remember.

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