Fay Maschler certainly won’t agree with all of what we have to say below, but that’s the joy of restaurants: everyone has a different opinion. We went for dinner at Restaurant Ours at the weekend and truly, there is no better time for us to share our verdict than today…
With the Absolutely Fabulous movie hitting our screens, there couldn’t be a more perfect time for the rebirth of the former site of The Collection – the quintessential 1990s fashion restaurant now transformed under the stewardship of wunderkind chef Tom Sellers.
The snaking, Norman Foster-designed catwalk entrance remains, and the interior is as stylish as ever. The 1990s industrial chic of exposed bricks and skylights has been softened by tactile details such as slate walls and velvet banquettes.
Sellers is famous for his modernist cooking at Bermondsey’s Restaurant Story, but here shifts gear into brasserie-style, appointing fellow Tom Aikens alumnus Daniel Phippard as head chef. Nevertheless, a CV boasting stints at Noma is often evident; prices are high, portions small.
Reasonably priced and delicious ‘snacks’ were our favourite choice – especially when accompanied by knockout cocktails served at the bar. Ibérico ham croquetas were yielding and gooey, and best of all was a shrimp and yuzu toastie (a creamy prawn cocktail mix interleaved with citrusy yuzu in a crisp grilled sandwich).
Starters proper include a comforting orb of burrata lubricated with good-quality oil, and a pretty arrangement of crab and apple overlaid with avocado: expertly handled flavours, but in a smaller portion than the snacks for twice the price.
To follow, charred without, pink within Galician beef sirloin was excellent and as au courant an ingredient as a smoky side order of roasted cauliflower. Four king prawns (for £25) with garlic and seaweed were prepared sous vide with that raw-yet-cooked texture, and the garlic present as an overpowering aïoli. For pudding, îles flottantes balanced rather than floated on a passion-fruit sauce.
Service was faultless and the vibe from the green-tiled open kitchen engaging, but we left feeling that a boundary-pushing chef in casual mode doesn’t make for an entirely comfortable dining experience.
Find out more and book a table at Restaurant Ours here and definitely don’t forget to take a look at our recent SquareReel News video filmed at Restaurant Ours here
This article was published 2 June 2016