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Bacchus to the ‘Main Event’
EVEN though it has kept the name Bacchus (The God of Wine), great thought has been given to the food.
They opened a week ago in a refurbished l9th-century pub The Bacchus. The interior is in contrast with the Victorian features of the façade. It has a 1950s/1960s Scandinavian style with custom made tables and 50-year old English school chairs.
A curved entrance with a wooden door leads you to a brightly lit exhibition kitchen on the left hand side and a bar in the middle. Diners can choose their favourite songs from the restaurant’s music library – a huge MP3 player containing more than 10,000 songs which acts as a jukebox.
Portuguese Chef Nuno Mendes trained in the Culinary Academy in San Francisco and has had vast experience in catering working around the world. He has joined Philip Mossop from Lancashire to open Bacchus.
They are both passionate about food and want to emphasise the importance of having dishes prepared with fresh produce, little cream and butter which are not only light and healthy but enhance the taste of the dish.
They have adopted the ‘sous-vide’ cooking technique. Fresh lean filets of meat or fish are seasoned and put into small plastic bags, sealed and then submerged in high temperature water. The bags are held around the edges of the large ‘Bain Marie’ and cooked for 20 minutes. The equipment was developed from laboratory technology for this new application in the catering industry which gives unparallel evenness in cooking.
“In this way the meat, fish or vegetables are gently massaged making them tender and retaining their goodness,” chef Nuno tells me. He is proud to show you how the dishes are prepared and how he achieves the incredible blend of flavours.
The tuna ribbons with sweet cherry tomato juice, wild rocket and olive-oil crostini melts in your mouth and the fresh rabbit mousse in potato leaves is beautifully decorated with fresh cherries marinated in cassis syrup, reduced milk, hazelnuts and sprouts. It has a similar taste to foi gras. Quite delicious.
For a main course (which they call Main Events) the Warm Codfish and Wild Mushrooms (each cooked in their own juices), Fresh Soybeans, Lemon Puree, Spicy Seaweed Powder and Ginger Ale Spray and the Loin of Lamb cooked at low temperature with Vanilla Onion Soubise, Figs Brulee, Bitter Cocoa and garden herbs are recommended.
But what is really worth a trip to Bacchus is their Chocolate Snowball with Port and Quince filling, Iced Peanut Powder and Vanilla yoghurt. It is simply gorgeous. And indeed a very good ‘Sweet Ending’ to an evening of a vast selection of exquisite food.
Their house wines come from Chile: Agostino’s Sauvignon Blanc (£16) and Pinot Noir (£17.50).
The Pre-Fixe Menu costs £28 for two courses and £28 for three.
Bacchus
177 Hoxton Square, N1
020 7613 0477 |
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