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The Hedonist

Freakscene – Review

December 2, 2017 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Freakscene                                       Clerkenwell

91 Cowcross Street

London, EC1M 6BH

+44 7561 394 497/http://freakscene.london/

The chef behind FreakScene is a chap called Scott Hallsworth who was head chef of Nobu in Park Lane, London for six years. On returning to his native Australia Scott opened Nobu Melbourne and then came back to London and created Kurobuta, a fashionable Japanese Izakaya on Chelsea’s King’s Road.  Kurobuta called itself a ‘Rock’n Roll Izakaya’ and with neon lighting, flight cases strewn artfully around the space, AC/DC on the turntable and Japanese tapas style plates it lived up to its billing. Other branches opened as the group expanded but Hallsworth is no longer on board and no-one is spilling the beans as to what happened between Hallsworth and his backers. Freakscene exterior However he has swiftly made a comeback with FreakScene, a pop-up café near Farringdon station that continues the Kurobuta narrative but in a more low key and more amusingly put together space that avoids some of the rock’n roll clichés of its predecessor.Freakscene posterThe cooking is apparently ‘inspired’ by The Pixies, Nick Cave and The Ramones though how that that translates on  to the plate is beyond me and I’m doing a PhD in popular music…! I guess it’s meant to be about attitude…but I’ve been asked to review and want to see and taste what his next move is.Freakscene cocktailThe menu is short and sweet and is Hallsworth’s latest take on Nikkei cuisine, that South American/Japanese fusion that is he majors in.The manager amused us with stories of his Jamaican grandmother and seduced us (not hard) into trying a delicious Sake cocktail (£9.50) – sake, pink grapefruit, sugar syrup with its light citrus notes not overwhelming the delicate sake flavour.Freakscene tuna tacoChili crab and avocado wonton bombs (£6.50) were first out. Spicy mouthfuls of crab, with a good mix of the more flavourful brown meat, and soft avocado sat in the crunchy wonton wrappers. Crunch, heat and flavour – a combination that set the theme for the evening.We sank a glass of floral Konishi Silver sake to accompany the ‘bombs’ which was an elegant match.Freakscene bookMiso grilled black cod taco came with sushi rice, scorched red chili and tomato salsa (£10). The cod was sweet and melting and it was interesting to have the taco with the rice in a nod to Okinawan cuisine which melded Tex-Mex with Japanese food in the mid-1950s. The celery and pepper notes of Autumn Leaves premium sake sat well with the fish.Freakscene salmon truffleA signature Kurobuta dish of Loch Duart salmon sashimi pizza with truffle ponzu, Jalapeño and wasabi tobiko (£11) was probably the most exciting plate for me. The smoked salmon was good quality with the hint of truffle flavour, saltiness of the tobiko (fish roe) and hot peppers with the crunch of the pizza (taco) base all colliding to provide an amazing mouth sensation. It shouldn’t work but it does!Freakscene aubergineNasi Dengaku is the classic dish of Miso grilled aubergine with caramelised walnuts (£8). I remember it as a favourite off the Kurobuta menu and the aubergine still had that sweet and luscious taste and texture with a hint of walnut crunch that I loved when I first tried it. Freakscene cocktailWe matched it with a Monkey Goes To Heaven cocktail, a smoky mix of ginger, sugar syrup and apple with Monkey Shoulder blended scotch. Seared beef salad with pomegranate, onion-peanut Ponzu and garlic crisps (£11.50) had a perfect char on beef which was beautifully tender with flavour bursting from the garlic, pomegranate and peanut.Freakscene int 1FreakScene advertises itself as selling ‘curious Asian plates’. The food is a smash and grab raid on Asian cuisines with flavours colliding and exploding in a way that shouldn’t work but does in an exceptional and idiosyncratic way. The pop-up is a low budget operation with the cooking taking place on two portable burners; but if you crave Hallsworth’s brand of fusion food you really should check out FreakScene while it is still there.

Kurobuta Harvey Nichols – Review

June 24, 2016 by Adrian

Kurobuta Harvey Nichols                          Knightsbridge

109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ
020 7920 6443/www.kurobuta-london.com/location/harvey-nichols/

IMG_6635Chef Scott Hallsworth’s Kurobuta brands itself as a ‘Rock’n Roll Izakaya’ and with its low neon lighting, flight cases strewn artfully around the space, AC/DC on the turntable and Japanese tapas style plates it lives up to its billing.IMG_6638Sitting on the 6th floor of Harvey Nichols alongside other popular restaurant brands such as Polpo, Burger & Lobster and Yo Sushi it’s the mean big brother in a leather jacket to the other cleaner cut occupants.IMG_6656Style is always important but I’ve been invited to review the food. Before Fiona and I start fighting over our sharing plates we hit a couple of cocktails. A Sake Caipirinha (£10) is a Nikkei take on the Brazilian classic. Smashed limes and fresh lychees blended with signature brew, plum sake and Kwai feh Lychee liqueur give it a beautiful balance. The Porn Star Martini (£10) was obviously Fiona’s choice-a citrusy blend of vanilla vodka, passion fruit and lime with a shot of Prosecco on the side.IMG_6643Sweet potato and Soba-Ko (buckwheat) fries were crisp and moreish with a lightly spiced batter and a couple of piquant sauces.IMG_6644Even more delicious were flamed edamame beans with sake, lemon, butter and Maldon salt. The beans were charred with a real sweetness and were the best I’ve had. (£4.50)IMG_6645A deep-fried and crunchy kale salad sprinkled with crumbled nuts had great texture and came with a savoury and citrus sesame ponzu dressing (£8.50).IMG_6647With our mains we were drinking a carafe of light and elegant Konishi Gold sake (£17.50) with its citrus, cucumber and pear flavours.IMG_6646Spicy BBQ Octopus was smothered with a hot chilli Aji Panca sauce (£9.50). The octopus was really tender and was give a real kick up the backside by the chilli.IMG_6649Wagyu sliders turned up in a sweet doughy oriental-style bun with a crunchy onion, Umami Mayo and Yaki Niku barbecue style sauce (£17).IMG_6652I loved the sticky miso grilled aubergine with candied walnuts (£9.50). Big juicy chunks of aubergine were slathered in the sweet sauce and topped with the crunch of the nuts.IMG_6650Kombu roasted Chilean seabass with spicy shiso ponzu (£18) had lots of flavour, a crisp skin and a beautifully flaky texture.IMG_6655A dish of honey and pistachio ice cream (£9) was served with a honeycomb crunch, pistachio cake and Japanese Suntory whisky jelly.IMG_6653A selection of mango, yuzu and coconut ice-cream (£7) had an unusual outer skin covering the delicate tropical flavours.IMG_6636The food at Kurobuta is vibrant and exciting. I didn’t have one dish that was weak and the robust flavours sing out over interesting textures.The space at Harvey Nichols is dark and moody, great for a date, taking your teenagers or larger parties of friends or work colleagues.1603_Kbuta_028

Chef Scott Hallsworth has worked with Nikka Brand Ambassador Stef Holt to expertly pair a selection of Japanese dishes to a range of Nikka whiskies, including the brand’s newest single malts: Yoichi and Miyagikyo. The seven-course menu features whisky cocktails as well as the option to try neat whisky serves, and dishes to complement the flavours in each whisky, such as scallop sashimi, malted nasu amd Koji cream; hot smoked salmon, onion miso sauce and nashi salads; grilled unagi and foie gras with puffed soba and green apple balsamic; and confit duck with gen Mai cha broth. The menu will launch at Kurobuta Harvey Nichols on Monday 13 June and will be available for customers enjoy for two weeks, just in time for Father’s Day weekend. The menu costs £55 for seven courses and the whisky matches.

Kurobuta Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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