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Despite being an island nation, Britain did not have a reputation for seafood cuisine, until recently. Sure, they had ‘fish N chips’ and even oyster bars. Boiled cockles & whelks or jellied eels were standard Cockney fare but not high cuisine.
Then, a revolution occurred with chefs like Bill Bryce & Rick Stein (England), Martin James (Wales) and Peter Jukes & Martin Wishart (Scotland) bringing seafood to the notice of the general public. Another contributory factor was mass tourism where pale British bodies roasted in the Mediterranean sun by day and dared to try local seafood by night; they saw, they dared and they liked it.
T’was the week before Christmas and the Glashütte Original was very fat on my wrist. We had plundered the shops of London and having sated our desire for ‘shiny things’ (see ‘Lazing and Shopping with Santa Claus in London’ article), we turned to our appetites. ‘Bentleys’ is located on Swallow Street, just off Regent Street; the nearest Tube station is Piccadilly.
Brightly lit entrance.
Do not be put off by this rather glitzy exterior.
It’s a bit more subdued inside.
Downstairs, there is a bar with nifty towel rails underneath as eating seafood can be messy!
Upstairs is a little more romantic with booths for rendezvous’ and tête-à-têtes.
WINES
I must declare upfront that ‘corkage’ fees are exorbitant in the UK and the price of wine in this establishment was overtly high – at least 10 de-merits for that!
We had nondescript French house champagne (Moet&Chandon) with our starters and this Spanish white with the rest of the meal.
VIONTA Albariño, Rías Baixas 2001
This white wine made from Albariño grapes was an Estate Bottled Limited Edition (sic) and you know that I’m a sucker for anything ‘limited’  .
Actually, it was quite good with seafood, being fruity (apricot, citrus and Muscat grapes) in the nose but dry on the palate with acidity at the end.
The Rías Baixas (REE-us-BAJ-us) is located near the rocky coastline of northwestern Spain (Galicia). These wines, all in limited release, are presented by the Ferrer family, makers of Freixenet, the premier Cava of Spain and the largest producer of méthode champenoise in the world.
STARTERS
MTF: No.1 British Native Oysters
Huzzars! These succulent, large and fresh mollusca were delicious with traditional shallot and wine vinegar sauce, tempered with warm bread and butter.
Guest: Grilled Tiger Prawns with sweet chilli and coriander sauce.
Well-executed grilled Asian prawns and sauce allowed only one small criticism – the portion was a little small, but left room for the dessert course, more of which, later.
MAINS
MTF: Seared Loin of Tuna, Crab Tabbouleh, Sardine Beignet and Tomato Fondue.
I would have preferred my tuna just seared on the outside and almost rare on the inside (a.k.a. ‘tataki’ in Japan) but I guess this overcooked version is a sop to British taste. The other flavours blended together well and the crispy sardine beignet was delightful.
Bentleys Fish Stew.
Clams, Mussels, Prawns and Monkfish were amongst the ‘denizens of the sea’ to grace this pot. There was a hint of saffron to bring out the best in seafood as every morsel could be, and was, mopped up with warm bread.
AFTERS
MTF: Crème Brulee.
Classical crème brulee with real vanilla pod. I usually order this as my dessert and over the decades, I have tried many. This one was classically creamy and flavoured without the fuss and brashness of added fruit. There is nothing sadder than well-intentioned attempts to introduce raspberries, banana or chocolate into the recipe.
Guest: Cheese and Biscuits.
First, this arrived as accompaniments to the cheese, but where was the cheese?
The cheese arrives.
A truckle of Stilton and a spoon: every cheese lover’s delight. You were allowed to scoop as much as you like…Stilton Heaven indeed! My guest scooped away with gay abandon.
Alas, for an ignoramus like me, this was the antithesis of fine dining. I must admit, however, that a morsel of Stilton on a wheat cracker, washed down with fine port wine, did elicit a note of admiration from my lips despite my psychological trauma of having to taste ‘the cheese blue’, as the French would say.
“Tis nowt finer thing I do, than taste mine own demons, in service to this forum”...
Er...this was the AFTER photo.
Note the sweet quince jelly on the side to counterpoint the tangy cheese.
W&J Grahams 2000 Port wine.
Floral and berry flavours in a classy package; full-bodied, medium-sweet and very powerful. It is possibly the greatest Graham yet, young or old. Could be better than 1948 but we have to wait until 2014 to see...or perhaps “drink it now... for tomorrow, we die!”
CONCLUSION
Despite the apoplexy-inducing corkage fees, I would still recommend Bentleys for its seafood fare and location. There are few dining rooms within walking distance of the shopping triangle of ‘Bond Street-Piccadilly-Regent Street’ for a quick bite. Bentleys also profits from an almost all-day opening policy, which is a boon for tired legs and empty tummies.
Photos and Text Copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo, 2004.
MTF
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