Post Vernal Equinox
After the elevating experience of Messiah in the Royal Albert Hall we’re off again to The Standard, a short cab ride away in King’s Cross. Fusion food or at least that of twinned origin is the whole rage right now. Japanese Peruvian is still going strong at Nobu Park Lane. Mexican Japanese at Azteca Öme has just opened on Battersea Rise. And then there’s Spanish Mexican at Decimo reflecting the Michelin starred Bristolian Chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’s family heritage. “Decimo” is Spanish for 10th. We’re back in the red bubble lift to the 10th (of course) floor.
We have friends in high places: all the staff greet us like long lost relatives thanks to a rather lively party in the hotel on the Monday of the same week. “More Veuve Cliquot?” You mightn’t have to be a model to work here but it certainly helps. The best table in the house, the southwest windowed corner, is even better this evening thanks to a golden sun setting over the rooftops below. The cacti and beading of the Andalusian meets Pacific Coastal interior is all aglow.
How can such simple ingredients taste so good? The clarity of the evolving tablescape just emphasises the perfection of the food: smoky marinated red peppers on a marble block; spicy monkfish and pimentón on a wooden board covered with parchment paper. There is bread and oil and there is Decimo bread and oil. Same goes for the fried potations and alioli. Pear with Foursquare spiced rum (Trés Leché) deserves a Michelin star in its own right. This restaurant is next level.
