Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

Lambs' tongues in rhubarb bouillabaisse was a signature dish of Regret Rien, the ill-fated restaurant in Mike Leigh's 1991 film, 'Life is Sweet'. Aubrey, the chef, considered himself a creative genius but failed to understand what customers wanted to eat; his array of hideous dishes had no takers. So it was with some apprehension that I waited for my grilled lambs' tongues in Notting Hill's latest restaurant, hoping I wouldn't regret it.

I needn't have worried. A fine-grained meat, there's nothing off-putting about lambs' tongues when they're simply grilled and served with a green bean, anchovy and caper salad. They don't even look like tongue unless you peer closely. But there is a distinctly offally, slightly unsettling aspect to this whole menu, which may seem very familiar.

Hereford Road's chef, Tom Pemberton, was previously head chef at St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields for four years, and a chef at St John for two years before that - and the echoes of St John are clear. This is bold British food and flavours of the best sort, showcasing seasonal, indigenous ingredients and using them imaginat-ively. Tiny sand eels (a staple of many British seabirds) are served whole, breaded and fried like whitebait, but with an aioli dip. Cockles come in a wonder-fully savoury broth flavoured with cider and laverbread (a native seaweed) - we didn't want to waste a drop of the broth.

Many have tried to copy the St John approach, with variable results. But Hereford Road is no me-too restaurant; although not as well-known as St John's founder Fergus Henderson, Tom Pemberton nonetheless helped shape that restaurant. Every dish we tried on the daily-changing menu at Hereford Road was so assured, so well thought through and so delicious, it gives the original St John in Clerkenwell a run for its money.

Take the oxtail. This retro cut of meat has always had a devoted following for its deep, rich flavours when slow-cooked, but it's usually served in segments. At Hereford Road, we got the whole thing - enough to feed two - on a huge platter, looking not so much like the head of John the Baptist as the Devil's tail (a chap at the next table asked if he could photograph it). But this meat on the bone, braised in beef stock and red wine, satisfied deep carnal cravings in a way that a prettier dish might not; the only accompaniments were whole roasted carrots and shallots.

Veal is another meat the British tend to be squeamish about, on the mistaken assumption that all veal is cruel to calves; it's not. Some veal production in Europe can be, but British veal like this is a by-product of the dairy industry that would otherwise go to waste as male calves are surplus to requirements. And veal chop with a perfect celeriac dauphinoise is a great combination for a satisfying dinner.

There's game on the menu too (mallard on our visit), but if you're not a big meat eater, alternatives might include lemon sole with chard and lentils, or girolle mushrooms with anise-tasting wood sorrel on toast. And the puddings are a delight: the lightest and most perfectly conceived treacle tart I've had in a long time, and a perfectly juicy but still slightly tart apple and blackberry crumble.

Hereford Road is sparse but comfortably decorated and furnished, with some deep leather banquettes to sink into in the lower dining area. If you prefer to be closer to the action, the upper level - effectively, the entrance corridor - puts you right next tothe open kitchen, where you can watch oysters being shucked and the mesmerising choreography of four chefs at work. You'll not regret coming here for a scrumptious, if slightly unorthodox, meal.

Time Out London Issue 1939: October 17-23 2007