Antipasti d'Isola

[Andy Lynes]

eGullet, in the form of myself and Jonathan Day were invited to the launch of Isola's new antipasti bar, a PR bash with all food and drink on the house. The bar is situated downstairs in the what is now the main restaurant (upstairs is a bar only) and is arranged around the open kitchen. It was completed only 30 minutes before the 6.00pm kick off and it sems that it will require a few tweaks.

As a larger man, I was unable to get my legs under the tables, but was relieved to see that most people were struggling to squeeze themselves into the bench seats. Legs may have to be sawed off. Whether from the furniture or the customers is yet to be decided.

The menu is divided into Verdure, Forno a legna e griglia, Pesce, Carne and Formaggi. You can order as many or as few of the small plates proced between £2.50 and £5.00 as you wish. There are also "gran piatto" available for each menu heading at £9.00 - £11.50, and formed from a selection of the smaller plates.

We were able to taste a selection of just about everything. Although there were one or two make-weight dishes such as roasted peppers and some field mushrooms, most of what we tried was delicious. I am not expert when it comes to Italian food, and have never visited italy, so will leave it to JD to fill in the details. However, highlights for me were some thinly sliced and fried pigs cheek (not yet on the menu), sardines al guazzetto, the lardo (in fact all the cold meats) and some truely exceptional cheeses, in particular a full flavoured mozzerella.

British chef Mark Broadbent seems to be doing a fine job, despite having visited italy for the first time a matter of a few weeks ago.

Wines are all priced at £3.00 for a 125ml glass. I tried a Pinot Grigio le Zuccole" Giovanni Puiatti 2002, a vermention "Tavaoes" Giovanni Cherchi 2002 and a Barbera d'Asti "Fiulot Alfredo Purnotto 2001, all of which were great.

The venture seems like a good idea and fills a whole in the market for casual, quick and inexpensive dining in the area. A journalist I spoke to a the end of the evening was far less impressed with the food than either Jonanthan or I had been, so not everyone was equally thrilled.

[John Whiting]

Sounds promising. Address?

[Andy Lynes]

145 Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge

London

SW1X 7PA

020 7838 1044

[Gary Marshall]

As a larger man, I was unable to get my legs under the tables,

maybe you switch to drinking wine?

larger can be fattening

gary

[peterpumkino]

larger can be fattening

Is this a typo or a terribly clever observation.

Actually I don't expect Italian but it certainly sounds my kind of plaice. Keep us posted. Thanks.

[Gary Marshall]

just a poor joke,

if you were going to spell lager phonetically you'd probably spell it larger, no?

you've not heard people say ' i'm a lager man myself' when asked what they want to drink?

gary

nb its what happens when trying to occupy myself and not get embroiled in the aa gill thread -again

Edited September 18, 2003 by Gary Marshall (log)

[Jonathan Day]

Let's start with the repeated admission that Andy and I were guests of the restaurant, on the opening night of the antipasti bar, and that we were seated next to the open kitchen where Mark Broadbent could come and chat and offer us delicious items, both on and off the menu. We later moved to a table where Oliver Peyton came and talked with us. Both chef and restaurateur were knowledgeable and interesting. So the experience was very pleasant, and it's hard to be objective about this place.

I'll also say that I am far from an expert on Italian food, though I have spent a fair bit of time in various bits of Italy. I would certainly defer to the judgement of Craig or one of our real Italophiles.

Finally, as Mark freely admitted, this was somewhat a "shopping rather than cooking" event. What was amazing about Isola was the quality of the ingredients.

All that said, I was amazed at how closely this antipasti bar hit the mark with almost every dish. This was astonishingly good food. The meats were outstanding: lardo, capocollo, two salame, and a prosciutto. All were flavourful, moist, not overseasoned, perfectly balanced. Frittata with mushrooms and white beans (fagioli) was creamy and delicious. And the off-menu guanciale that Andy mentioned had a lovely sweetness and a perfect texture.

Mark really outdid himself with the vegetable dishes, suggesting that there is more to this operation than just clever sourcing. Grilled aubergines with salmoriglio (a herbal sauce) were revelatory, as were finely sliced raw courgettes, sauced with olive oil, lemon and a bit of salt. Both were perfectly simple preparations, yet complex in the mouth -- to me the essence of great Italian cooking. I also enjoyed the mushrooms a lot.

The fish preparations were good, but not at the same standard as the rest. We were served the "gran piatto di pesce misto", small samples of all the fish offerings. Marinated octopus was fine but far from the best I've had. In general the flavours on the fish plate were less distinct than was the case with some of the others.

The cheeses were outstanding. Mozzarella was delicious all by itself, without olive oil, herbs or pepper. Pecorino di Fossa was deeply flavoured, almost smoky. And a goat cheese "caprino" was both rich and wonderfully tangy. 24 month old Parmesan wasn't as good as the very best I've tasted, but almost. I only tasted two of the breads -- good but not extraordinary pane carasau, the Sardinian flatbread, and a superb olive bread.

Finally, the wines. All are priced at £3 the glass. None was anything like a great wine, but all had character. I tasted the orvieto classico Castello della Salla, 2001, a Vermention "Tavaoes", Cherchi 2002, and a Barbera d'Asti 'Fiulot' Alfredo Purnotto 2001.

What I don't understand is how Mark Broadbent managed not only to capture the spirit of Italian food but also to connect with suppliers of this quality, based only on a brief trip to Italy. We asked Oliver Peyton how Mark had managed this little miracle. "He just has the touch," said Oliver.

However he's done it, this is a gem of an operation. They won't take reservations for the antipasti bar, so it will be interesting to see whether access requires a long wait in a queue. I will certainly be back to try this place on normal terms.

Edited September 18, 2003 by Jonathan Day (log)

[Andy Lynes]

It was very nice to meet Oliver Peyton, who can talk for England. He claims to have only recently regained his passion for restaurants, but on last nights form, its difficult to imagine him anything other than fired up and talking 15 to the dozen about his ideas and plans. He put me in mind of Danny Meyer (a deafening clanging noise is heard as Lynes name-drops with little or no compunction), a man on a mission with a need to explain it.

Mark Broadbent was equally entertaining, but I would guess that he would usually be too busy to be taking orders and chatting with guests as he was last night.

[peterpumkino]

just a poor joke,

if you were going to spell lager phonetically you'd probably spell it larger, no?

you've not heard people say ' i'm a lager man myself' when asked what they want to drink?

gary

nb its what happens when trying to occupy myself and not get embroiled in the aa gill thread -again

Ah Gary, but you missed my poor joke (my kind of plaice).

[Andy Lynes]

Isola closed its doors on Christmas Eve and will now become a Brazillian restaurant. Peyton has said that ""I will be changing the focus of my business to non-restaurant-based projects" according to theCaterer.

[Adrian York]

Isola closed its doors on Christmas Eve and will now become a Brazillian restaurant. Peyton has said that ""I will be changing the focus of my business to non-restaurant-based projects" according to theCaterer.

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I can't say I'm suprised. Having gone there for my last birthday courtesy of an egullet competition freebie I was shocked by the service (an hour between courses!), the ill-thought out concept (DJs in the upstairs bar, the sound reverberating through the downstairs restaurant) and average food.