Crocker’s Folly

Zomato Blogger’s Evening @ Crocker’s Folly

24 Aberdeen Place, St John’s Wood, NW8 8JR

020 7289 9898/www.crockersfolly.com

I was recently invited by Zomato, the international online restaurant review and booking site for an evening experiencing The Chef’s Table at Crocker’s Folly, the beautifully refurbished Victorian Gin Palace in St John’s Wood. I had reviewed Crocker’s Folly not long after it had opened (see my review here) but with an ambitious young new chef in the kitchen, Damian Wawrzyniak, the chance to indulge in 12 courses with wine flight in the company of the creme de la creme of London’s bloggerati was too good to turn down. The plan was for us to test possible dishes for the restaurant’s autumn menu and give feedback.

After introductory cocktails we dug into our first snack El Bulli style- crisp salty Chicken skins and a shot of surprisingly sweet onion juice. An intriguing beginning!

Raw lamb was subtle in flavour and in danger of being overwhelmed by the intensity of its accompanying Parmesan crisp. Maybe a more neutral base for the meat would be better?

Josper-grilled brined cauliflower topped with caviar was delicious. The saltiness of the fish eggs brightening the richness of the cauliflower.

Herring with new potato and oat cake had been brined for five days in a sugar and salt solution. This was a luxurious take on a classic that I could eat all day. Our next fish course was a Gravad Lax that had been cured with beetroot and lemon and came with a Pernod cream. I prefer the Aquavit, salt and dill version of this dish but this still had a good texture and flavour and the Pernod cream gave it an aniseed twist.

Salt roasted Beetroot with goats cheese, toasted pine nuts and rocket essence was a great dish. The earthy flavours of three types of beetroot all having the chance to shine. This was followed by a venison Pie with pickled root vegetables that was probably the favourite dish of the assembled ‘blag’ of bloggers. Rich and warm with the veg having a little acidity to cut through. A hit!

However the simplicity of a dish of Pearl Barley with mussels shone out for me. The nuttiness of the grain being complemented by the sweet juicy mussels.

Asparagus risotto was impeccably al dente-nutty with the vegetal flavour of the asparagus shining through.

We watched the Porterhouse steaks being cooked to perfection on the Josper. Already full people managed to demolish several trays full of this prime cut accompanied by impeccable skinny duck fat chips.

I had to admit defeat by dessert but the Chocolate Spheres, Baked Alaska with bergamot ice cream and macaroons all looked pretty delicious. Chef Damian has a lot of guts to invite in a crew of bloggers for feedback but the quality of the food offer now at Crocker’s Folly has clearly improved significantly and the menu is much more coherent.His cooking is technically very secure with an ability to let flavours shine. Combined with the amazing interiors Crocker’s Folly really should become a local destination restaurant. If you haven’t you should try out zomato.com for a range of restaurant reviews (including mine) and booking options.

Crocker’s Folly St John’s Wood

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24 Aberdeen Place, NW8 8JR

020 7289 9898/www.crockersfolly.com

I go to a lot of new restaurants (thanks for your sympathy..) and inevitably there are a number of design clichés that keep coming up; for instance I have probably been inside enough joints with distressed walls, white tiles and filament light bulbs to last me a lifetime, but the thing that annoys me the most is the faux antique look. However with my recent visit to the newly opened Crocker’s Folly, a stunningly restored Grade II* listed Victorian gin palace, you will be pleased to hear that my finely tuned aesthetic sensibilities were in no way disturbed.

In its latest iteration the building is a Modern European restaurant owned by the Maroush group who have been supplying Lebanese food to Londoners since 1981. It sits almost hidden down a side street in St John’s Wood but Tardis-like seems much larger on the inside than the outside.

There is a real sense of surprise when you enter with the interior featuring marble, Romanesque columns, cut glass chandeliers and carved mahogany.

Built in 1898 as the palatial Crown Hotel by entrepreneur Frank Crocker, it enjoyed over a century as a thriving pub until 2004 when it closed. By 2007 the building had been placed on the top 10 endangered list by the Victorian Society.

I had been invited to review alongside a hungry band of bloggers and after a refreshing glass of Duval Royal house champagne we were taken through to The Marble Room in what was once the building’s legendary saloon bar. Created from no less than 50 types of marble, it has been transformed into a spectacular dining room.

In my view it is always appropriate to follow champagne with cocktails as a liquid bridge to the wine. Due to time constraints I only had a couple- the Cherry Folly was like an alcoholic cherry drop in a good way and the Crockerstini was melony sweet.

Our first amuse-bouche was a butternut squash puree with coconut, paprika and shrimp that was sweet and warming and bursting with oriental flavours.

Parmesan crisps covered with watercress purée and jamon were lovely with the salt of the ham and cheese offset by the vegetal flavours of the watercress.

Grilled Octopus was meaty and tender with a deep rich flavour. I loved this dish.

Steaks at Crocker’s Folly are cooked in a Josper oven-not so the steak tartare which was made from a really good piece of tender beef extremely tender and flavoured with a soft sweet vinegar and given texture by crunchy mushrooms.

Whitebait were crisp and freshly cooked with a light batter. I just wish they would stop looking at me like that…

Lamb was tender, tasty and a glorious pink colour.

Black cod and chips was a very good piece of fried fish with excellent chips. it seem like a bit of a waste of black cod though…

Clove creme brûlée was Xmas in a bowl!

and Orange cheesecake was refreshingly citrus and light.

With a spacious outside terrace with a cigar, brandy and whisky pairing menu, Crocker’s Folly isn’t just a warming winter destination. Do I have any caveats? Well, I’d love to see them mine their Victorian heritage through their food and drink offer but as it is I think the Maroush group deserve credit for bringing this amazing space back to life and it is well worth a visit.

Zomato Blogger’s Meetup @ Crocker’s Folly

Zomato Blogger’s Evening @ Crocker’s Folly

Crocker’s Folly – Review

Crocker’s Folly St John’s Wood