East London gem
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| Pan fried scallops, cauliflower, peanut brittle |
In less than 2 weeks, I have returned to James Cochran EC3 for a special occasion, and the reason was simple: From my first visit, I was very impressed with the quality of the cooking and the value was outstanding. High level cooking and reasonable cost were the perfect combo for me. And James Cochran EC3 was far from being just another modern high end restaurant, James dared to do something difference with an injection of his native Scottish and Caribbean element to create something interesting, modern, fun and most importantly, it delivered remarkable taste.
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| Whitstable rock oyster |
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| Treacle cured salmon whiskey and apple jelly, cod's roe, radish and rye |
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| Poach and roasted quail, hay, wild mushroom, confit egg tolk |
The best dish had to be the Scottish scallops, moist, fresh and loaded with such a wonderful mild sweet sensation, whilst the simple garnish cauliflowers offered a pleasant soft earthy tone which lifted up the taste of the scallop to an even higher level. The main of venison was a powerful and bold dish, the meat was cooked to perfection, tender and packed with luxurious and rich taste. The addition of sweet and earthly beetroot worked as a classic garnish but done in such a refine and modern manner. My only small criticism would be the heavily seasoned meat jus as it was far too salty. The hibiscus meringue had a lingering floral aroma and I was a big fan of the sharp tone of the raspberry sorbet, which was balanced off nicely with the milky white chocolate.
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| Venison, beetroot, pressed potato, smoked creme fraiche |
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| Hibiscus meringue, raspberry sorbet, white chocolate |
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| Chocolate tart, cream cheese ice cream |
Yet another outstanding dinner at James Cochran EC3, it was completely different experience compared to my last meal, with less creative elements and stuck more closer to the classic essence of fine dining, but still delivered great results. If I worked in the city, I could see myself having lunch there at least once a week, thanks to its well priced set lunch menu. Some people might have found the decor rather soulless and too standard, plus the service could have been a touch less polish if compared to other fine dining restaurants. But as long as the food was great, and the chairs were comfortable, that was good enough for me. I am sure James has a master plan to push his restaurant to the next level.
Food 4/5
What I paid:
£70pp with wine
Average cost without drinks and services:
£50pp
19 Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7JA, UK
https://www.jcochran.restaurant/
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