The Walmesley: The Future Is Bright and You Can Visit It Now

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

Name: The Walmesley

Where: AudleyRetirement Village, Templeton Road, Kintbury, RG17 9AA http://www.walmesleyrestaurant.co.uk/ / http://www.audleyretirement.co.uk/

Cost: Starters from £7 and mains from £15 from the a la carte menu, or go for the lavish tasting menu of 5 courses plus amuses bouches for £55.

About: It’s not every day that I get to say this, but the other day I had an excellent dinner at one of the country’s most luxurious retirement homes.

The Walmesley is the restaurant at one of the finest retirement homes I have visited – admittedly it is the only one I have ever visited, so I am no expert. But, when my time comes I totally want to be rocking up to this gaff every evening. As well as a spa, pool and even a very classy bar, it also boasts one of the best restaurants for miles.

Retirement homes are changing; and why not? In the same way we are no longer turning into frumps in our thirties and forties, why would we expect to be past our peak in our 70s and 80s?

So, why am I telling you all this? Because, we can all get into the pensioner vibe; The Walmesley is open to all, as is the members’ club. Surrounded by some gorgeous Berkshire countryside and a stone’s throw from Newbury, it is a good option for a relaxing, gastronomic country weekend.

What’s more, they have two beautifully appointed ensuite rooms which can be snapped up for as little as £50, including a sumptuous breakfast and use of the pool and spa.

What we ate: Heading up the kitchen at The Walmesley is chef Gert Pienaar who has worked in some illustrious kitchens including that of nearby Vineyard at Stockcross (see our review here). We were treated to a four-course tasting menu but there are also a la carte options as well as a more casual bistro.

We started off with a little appetite tickler (OK, amuse bouche) of trout rillettes drowned in a silky cauliflower velouté.

Next came a Jerusalem Artichoke velouté (you can never have too much velouté) with truffle ragout and new potatoes, which was a tower of potato with a mushroom duxelles atop. To accompany, we had the Bianco di Custoza Monte del Fra 2012 from the Veneto which stood up well to this rich dish.

The fish course featured a bright and fresh fillet of Brill perched on a fricassee of tiny brown shrimp and brussels sprout leaves with a deep and toasty cognac-laced bisque. A real delight with fresh clean flavours.

The crisp Picpoul that accompanied – Pinet Domaine Felines Jourdan 2012 – had a refreshing acidity and minerality.

Local Venison Loin came in generous slabs, cooked long and low and beautifully tender, accompanied by red chard and a juniper jus which was well judged and not overpowering, often a concern with juniper. The Elderton E Series Shiraz Cabernet 2010 from Mendoza was silky smooth and had sufficient weight to accompany the game.

The pudding of Coffee and Vanilla parfait came with flecks of chocolate brownie and some bitter cubes of coffee jelly to balance the sweetness. This was accompanied by a fine glass of 2010 Beaumes de Venise (Domaine de Durban).

Everyone around our table was at least a couple of decades from claiming their free bus pass. And so the conversation revolved around current perceptions of old age and whether The Walmesley should make a virtue of its pedigree as a pioneer in retirement living in the UK. Certainly, sitting in our gorgeous dining room, I felt like a privileged member of an exclusive country club. And this feeling continued as we wandered around the place from the very inviting pool to the spa.

The staff have all been hand-picked from top hotels and restaurants and were clearly passionate about their work.

Likes: A great dinner in a glamorous setting and a chance to spend the night in a fabulous room without breaking the bank.

Dislikes: Yes, it is quiet and probably not the place for a raucous evening. But perfect for a romantic weekend.

Verdict: The Walmesley is a restaurant with the wow factor and great food in the elegant surroundings of a stately home. And, I am going to let you into a little known secret. There are two beautifully appointed en-suite guestrooms available for hire for a song; and this means you can enjoy a night of fine dining and wake up the next morning for a dip in their very inviting looking pool. A country weekend in an old people’s home? Perish the thought.

London Restaurant Reviews - Paesan

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi and Luiz Hara

Name: Paesan

Where: 2 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4PX, http://paesanlondon.com/

Cost: Antipasti from £4, small plates are around £6 and mains from £8 to £13

About: Paesan aims to extol the virtues of ‘Cucina Povera’; a cuisine styled from the humble meals of Italian peasants. Taking over from the corner site previously housing Dollar Grills and Martinis on Exmouth Market, this is a fairly large, unadorned space which caters to the drinking and dining crowds that line the pavements of this party street.

What we ate: Paesan is one of a few London restaurants that have been spawned from the Polpo template. While I don’t think they actually share any DNA, they have a similar aesthetic and menu – although I would add that Polpo would win any bout of sibling rivalry.

The menu is broken up into manageable chunks with Antipasti, Piccolo (ie small plates) Pasta, Fish and Meat. We started with a plate of charcuterie including Coppa di Testa, Wild Boar Mortadella and Lardo. The Lardo was sweet and deeply flavoured, the coppa was also very good, especially when wrapped around spicy Puglian bread rings. The mortadella, although tasty, did not have a discernable flavour of gamey wild boar. The Caponata was rich and velvety – a great example of inexpensive ingredients given some va va boom.

The Focaccia we ordered to accompany the meats was topped with delicious caramelised onion but was woefully undercooked and doughy.

From the Piccolo section of the menu we ordered the Burrata which came with more of the delicious caponata – the burrata was fresh and bright but could have been creamier.

Calabrian Trippa & Steak Ragu with Chilli and Pecorino tried to appeal to squeamish British diners with a thinly veiled use of the Italian for tripe. The dish was peppery and both the tripe and the steak were tender.

The Crochette Schiacciatina (try saying that after a couple of Negronis) were two crispy patties with a filling flavoured with anchovy and parmesan – dense and well seasoned. It came with a tomato salsa that was one dimensional and tasted vaguely of preservatives.

The pasta dish that I had been waiting to try was Hand Cut Pappardelle with Slow Roasted Suckling Pig Ragu. Sadly it was sold out, so we opted for the Orecchiette with Nduja, Pancetta and Cavolo Nero. Nduja, the fiery hot spreadable sausage made from pork and lots of chilli, was a key ingredient for 2013, featuring in neo-Italian bacare as well as in menu-bending fusion street food stands across the capital. Here, it was tempered by the cabbage and coated the pasta ears to give a rich, pleasing mouthful.

We also tried the Fritto Misto – always a good barometer for the skill of a kitchen. Here, the batter was light, crisp and well seasoned. The fish was mostly Calamari, which was lightly cooked and tender. There was the odd chunk of Red Mullet which was also well cooked in the batter. The accompanying aioli lacked the zing of a squeeze of lemon.

For dessert, we enjoyed a large serving, best shared, of perfectly good toasted Panettone with Grand Marnier and Vanilla ice cream.

What we drank: The Negroni we ordered while perusing the menu was watery, due to the addition of soda – an absolute sacrilege. To make matters worse, the olive in the drink was raw and hard as a bullet.

With our meal we drank a 2012 Montelpuciano d'Abruzzo by Farina which lacked depth or balance, but had plenty of fruit as such a young wine would. A completely forgettable bottle.

Verdict: Paesan has a great location on a vibrant street teeming with great food. A greater focus on using quality ingredients, however humble, and more care in the kitchen and the bar should elevate this restaurant to a neighbourhood favourite.

Sushisamba - Nikkei Cuisine with a London Groove

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi and Luiz Hara

Name: Sushisamba Restaurant and Bar

Where: 38th - 39th Floor, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY, http://sushisamba.com/location/london

Cost: Small plates from £8 to £23 including sushi and ceviche, large dishes from £16 to £49, average spend per person £50 (not including drinks or service)

About: There is definitely something childishly exciting about the glass lifts at the Heron Tower, home to Sushisamba and sister restaurant Duck & Waffle. The way the city drops away as we sweep swiftly skyward is astonishing. Once on the 38^th floor the thrill continues with 360° views and a great outdoor terrace.

London Skyline from SushiSamba Restaurant

Our table overlooked the east of the city with twinkly lights stretching out to the horizon and we spent a few minutes identifying landmarks and scoring points on our aerial knowledge of London’s cityscape. The restaurant is a large buzzy space with low, curved banquettes and an enormous orange installation hovering above which makes everyone look like they have spent too long at the (or possibly in) St Tropez.

Staff are very cordial and knowledgeable and we were given a potted history of Japanese immigration into Peru and Brazil – Sushisamba is about the resulting Nikkei cuisine of the Japanese who settled in large numbers in Lima and São Paolo and incorporated traditional Japanese cooking with the ingredients and dishes of their new homeland.

What We Ate: The menu is divided into Small Plates, Raw, the Robata grill, Samba rolls            and Nigiri & Sashimi. We started with some Green Bean Tempura from the Aperitivos menu. The batter was crisp and it was a good, salty starter while we perused the menu, although the truffle in the black truffle aioli was only just discernible.

Crispy Taquitos followed which were bursting with flavour – yellowtail marinated in lime and served with aji panca and miso infused with the flavour of roasted corn. Aji Panca features frequently on the menu and is a vibrant red paste made from a smoked, mild red pepper from Peru. Chillies gave the dish an extra kick.

Wagyu Tataki was layered with a silky coat of foie gras and topped with a fried quail’s egg – a small but perfectly formed mouthful.

The Chicharon de Calamar was a satisfyingly large mound of crispy fried rings of squid which had been tossed in a sticky coating of tamarind, lime and a zingy pico de gallo sauce. Crunchy, sweet and sour, I could eat this dish every day.

Dishes from the Raw menu include slices of Yellowtail Sashimi Tiradito with a zesty sauce of jalapeno and lemongrass and Sashimi Seviche of Tuna with watermelon and tiger’s milk which was a little wan – lacking in the mouth puckering zing of limes and chilies.

Chilean Sea Bass Anticuchos (let’s hope it was sustainably caught as there was no information available) came as two generously portioned skewers of exquisite fish anointed with miso and served with a drizzle of sweet dulce de leche on a bed on giant Peruvian corn.

Poussin, also from the Robata grill came as a teriyaki, served with a delicious yuzu kosho mayonnaise.

From the large plates we chose the Moqueca Mista and we were not disappointed. A large earthenware dish brimmed with seafood cooked in a rich coconut sauce, coloured with dende oil, a bright orange palm oil typical of Brazilian cooking. In a nod to neighbouring Argentina, the rice that completed the dish was mixed with chimichurri herbs and seasoning. And, crowning it was one enormous prawn.

This was a lot of food but we did it justice and almost all of it was very good. And we still managed to make room for some sushi. The São Paolo Samba Roll, ordered in honour of my dining companion’s hometown, was complex and delicious. Perfect sushi rice encased scallop, masago, tuna, salmon yellowtail, avocado and sat up provocatively, dressed with hacho miso soy and chive oil and topped with a morsel of truffle.

We weren’t done yet. Desserts here are worth the short lived discomfort of overeating. A bright mango mousse which came alongside a zingy kiwi-mojito sorbet and a lime and coriander sauce made for a refreshing end to the meal. With Love From Rio was rich and decadent, an intoxicating mix of valhrhona dark chocolate ganache, coffee mousse and a silky tonka bean ice cream. Organic Red Chocolate Chili Peppers featured a Peruvian chili mousse, which was sweet with a fiery kick, alongside a raspberry and red pepper sorbet and a bright red tuile.

What We Drank: The wine list at Sushisamba is long and priced at the top end, as you would expect from a City restaurant of this calibre. And the cocktails make the most of the restaurant’s unique blend of Japanese and South American flavours. But the real winner, to my mind, is the extensive sake collection. One of the largest and best kept sake cellars (if sake is stored in a cellar, must find out one day) in London should not be missed, especially as it provides the perfect accompaniment to the food.

Maurzio Palomba, the head sommelier, knows his sake and expertly paired our dishes. We chose to go by-the-glass and received a short and insightful introduction to each sake. A highlight was the Takara Mio Sparkling sake, which was bone dry and minerally, lifted by the effervescence. Kokuryu Black Dragon was complex and rich, while the Dassai 39 would make for a fabulous evening of sipping – although your wallet will not thank you for it.

Busy City crowd

Likes: delicious Nikkei cooking, good service, fantastic range of sakes on offer, we thoroughly enjoyed the food and the London views from the 38th floor.

Dislikes: it is a pity that bar was positioned where it is, it is seriously overcrowded and noisy and it detracts from the food experience at Sushisamba.

Verdict: Sushisamba is more than just a fabulous view with a restaurant attached. Chef Claudio Cardoso’s kitchen delivers well executed dishes full of flavour and complex combinations - this is not to be confused with gimmicky fusion. The crowd is a mix of moneyed City workers and couples on a special night out. And the stonking view fills my heart with the joy of being a Londoner.