Dinner at Dock Kitchen

Some time ago I heard about a pop-up restaurant that had recently opened very near where we live, in Queens Park. The location was on the Grand Union Canal and the restaurant was said to employ ex-River Café chefs in the kitchen, was utterly dedicated to local, seasonal food, featured a small, ever-changing menu, and cost a fraction of a sojourn at the RC.

I was completely intrigued and delighted. Such a restaurant as this within easy walking distance of our house? Could it really be more than just an impossible dream?

Sadly, my informant did not recall the name of the restaurant and vague googling of ‘river-café-grand-union-canal-small-seasonal-menu’ and variations thereof brought absolutely no enlightenment. We spent a few Sundays over the months forlornly wandering round the general vicinity, iPhone aloft and open at the App that very helpfully tells you exactly what facilities are in your immediate vicinity.

The App was indeed very helpful in pointing out Sainsbury’s, a handful of dubious pubs and the Cobden Club but fabulous pop-up places serving incredible food were distinctly absent from all lists.

We more or less gave up.

And then, on my recent trip to Italy, I mentioned the search to Nick, one of the Liberty reps. Turns out that he had recently resigned from his job at Liberty in order to take over as GM of the very place!   Thanks to its huge success the restaurant was due to be refurbished and would soon be a bona fide, permanent eating place, bigger and better than ever.

It was a great moment and as soon as I told Jude, we decided that this was to be the venue for our anniversary dinner this year. Walking distance from home, apparently great food and on the same road as the Cobden Club where we had our wedding reception. Could it be any more perfect?

It could.

When I phoned to book a table I tentatively enquired about corkage; my speech about sulphur allergies at the ready.

I didn’t need it.

“No problem”, the cheerful, friendly man said. “We charge £10 corkage, but that is fine”.

Instantly, Dock Kitchen (for this is the name of the fabled destination) became one of my most favourite places in the universe.

It was also almost ridiculously easy to find. So much so that we both couldn’t quite fathom how it was that we hadn’t previously stumbled upon it. Situated right on the canal, it is a long, high ceilinged room which looks out over decking bearing more seating and containers full of herbs

and plants, all used on the menu.

I love it so much, it almost makes me cry.

The menu is  short and to the point.  There is no choice although you are asked about dietary requirements etc when booking so that they can cater for these and my no red meat and no dairy stipulations were registered without any skipping of beats.  The cost is a flat £35 a head for 4 courses and the whole fact of not spending any time at all deciding was actually incredibly relaxing.  We could get on with watching the other diners - a collection of mainly media-ish looking types, stylish gay couples of both sexes and a couple on on early date although his habit of eating his food and most of hers hinted that the relationship may not be one destined to prosper.   Not when food is that good.

The theme last week had apparently been Mexican, so this week’s menu was clearly devoted to using some leftover Mexican ingredients in a much more generalised way. Nick – who was there – said it was a kind of ‘modern food’ theme which could of course mean a whole number of things. Happily, in this context it meant utterly delicious with some spicy, smoky flavours.

We had taken a bottle of beloved Gautherot Blanc de Blanc's along and happily this was absolutely the most perfect wine in the world to go with one of the starters :- Deep fried courgette flowers, sage leaves, sweet corn, rock samphire and wild fennel flowers with chipotle and guajillo salso.

The Chipotle and guajillo was bit much for the wine – sticky and intensely smoky with a considerable chilli kick. But the feather- light sticks and clumps of various plant matter encased in gossamer-thin batter were utterly right. The Courgette flowers and the wild fennel flowers were both apparently cropped from the deck and the latter in particular was one of the nicest deep fried things I have ever eaten. Crunchy, light and distinctly perfumed. It picked up the white flower aromas I always love in the Gautherot and ran with them. I could have very easily just eaten a mound of that.

Red and Yellow Beetroot Thoran with Chapati next. This was completely fabulous too. Earthy, smoky delicately spiced with mustard seeds for extra crunch, this was served with hot off the griddle chapati’s and a blob of sour cream.

Grouse from Yorkshire with Scottish Girole, Polish Porcini, Kentish Polypore and Feekeh. The Grouse incurred a £5 supplement but never was a fiver better spent as I can honestly say that this was possibly the finest game bird experience of my life.  Perfectly cooked, the meat melted and the gamey flavours were brilliantly offset by the smoky flavour of the Feekeh ( a Lebanese smoked wheat) which had a touch of citrus running through it and of course nuggets of meaty mushroom.

As far as the first three courses went, the menu could justifiably have been sold as a selection of varying degrees of smokiness,  but the pudding ruined that theme. In the most delicious way possible.

Blackberry, Wild Bilberry & Discovery Apple Pie came whole in an earthenware pie dish with a glass bowl of crème fraiche on the side. We had, funnily enough, been talking about doing pies to share at Green & Blue just 2 days before and this sealed the deal. It looks great and it really is a lot of  fun tucking into the same pie with someone you love, although if I had not been quite so full and so very ready to concede larger chunks to Jude than is usual, the meal to celebrate the strength of our relationship may have ended rather differently.

It was seriously damn fine pie. Incredibly light, super short pastry encasing both tart and sweet fruit. The use of added sugar was sparing, allowing the flavours of berries and apples to shine through unimpeded. At a hungrier time I could have happily polished off the lot without any help from Jude.

I finished with a fresh mint tea, the mint orignating from the containers on the deck as well.

Have I mentioned how much I love this restaurant?

The bill was an astoundingly fair £95 including corkage, outrageously fresh mint tea, and coffee. It was cheap at the price. I cannot think of another place in London doing this kind of food at this level that would come in at under £100 for two; although I can think, sadly, of many that only aspire to this level of assured and creative cooking  where you would pay a lot more.

Post refurbishment, when it should be even easier to find as there will be an entrance on Ladbroke Grove, the Dock Kitchen will undoubtedly become a bit of a West London institution. I certainly hope so – it thoroughly deserves to be and Jude and I deserve an eating establishment on our doorstep that we can regularly fantasize about visiting.

Sadly, it will remain mainly a fantasy as we are almost always at work or recovering from almost always being at work; plus while £95 for a special occasion meal in a really good restaurant is a bargain, it is not, for us, within a regular eating out budget.
 
But still, dreaming the impossible dream just got easier, thanks to Dock Kitchen.

Dock Kitchen
344/342 Ladbroke Grove
London
W10 5BU

0208 962 1610