Restaurants

If the test of a good restaurant is a negative answer to ‘could I cook this at home?’ then the Pacific Rim fusion at Providores passes with rocketing colours. It’s not just that Peter Gordon dazzles with such epicurean obscurities as barrel-aged Banyuls vinegar, from a French seaside town better known for its fortified wines; it’s also that some produce is imported from his native New Zealand and is a rarity in London, as is the case with kumara (a uniquely flavoured sweet potato). Factor-in that dishes – even starters – are so complicated their descriptions snake down several lines of the menu, and you could feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, the flavours work in blissful harmony: witness the robust wild hare fillet, accompanied by a creamy cabbage purée with toasted walnuts, goat’s cheese and tangy pomegranate. Cocktails are commendable, the wine list a New Zealand tour de force. In the past, service has been excellent, but this time staff were unsmiling – a small slip, perhaps, yet with mains around £25 and elbow room at a premium, no lapses should be tolerated. The ground-floor Tapa Room, tailored to extravagant breakfasting and exuberant evening drinks, was quieter than usual too.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009