It’s been a good while since I’ve had a meal out in London which has really got me excited. In the past couple of months I’ve had some good meals, but with probably only one I’ll really remember – until now. I starved myself at lunchtime and completely skipped breakfast on the day I visited Goode & Wright. The menu sounded so tantalising I wanted to make sure I made some room – although I had no idea I’d enjoy it this much. A chilly walk down Portobello Road after 6pm feels like a town outside London. I thought this tourist attraction of a road would be bustling just as much in the evening, but strangely it isn’t. Goode & Wright sit right at the end of it too, very out of the way.
The restaurant has been here for a few years now but I’d never heard of it, and neither had anyone else I know. Recently undergone a revamp and under new management it’s now run by Alex Herb and the kitchen still run by the insanely talented head chef, Finlay Logan. Only a few tables seated inside the gorgeous 1920’s esc décor and we settled in with a cheeky cocktail to warm us up from those Arctic breezes outside. A neatly looking cocktail dubbed 4466 Miles From Delhi was made with peanut butter gin, coconut water and curry leaf – a revelation in my books. But then the food arrived. I took my first photo, and moments after the aperture setting on my camera crashed – total meltdown. From the small plates section of the menu we started with this confit of parsnip with creamy Roquefort and apple. I could use foul language on here but I won’t – but some strong words are needed to describe just how delicious this dish was. The parsnip was melt in the mouth good – where have you ever had such a parsnip? The cheese was a full of flavour, richly flavoured and its soft texture balanced perfectly against this amazing vegetable so beautifully. The apple also brought some acidity which left us salivating for minutes after. Simple yes – but so perfectly executed.
Surely things couldn’t get any better, could they? Of course they can when you’re dining at Goode & Wright. Next up from the small plates part of the menu again was this just as amazing salt baked beetroot, wrapped in nori seaweed and served with a dollop of creamy goats cheese. I can’t ever imagine pairing goats cheese with seaweed – but it all worked so well together, more than it probably should have. Salty seaweed, sweet mouth watering beetroot and creamy goats cheese – where have you been all of my life? In Notting Hill apparently.
Easily one of the best creations I have eaten this year was the pan fried foie gras with gingerbread ice cream and aged balsamic. I’m a huge lover of foie gras and if I’m quite honest this concoction of flavours and textures sounded like a disaster, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It may look a mess and my camera didn’t help make it look any prettier but this is one dish that’s about substance over style – and it doesn’t stop giving. The warm chunks of foie gras were perfectly cooked, still soft and gooey in the centre. The race is then on to eat everything before it melts – an easy chore. The ice cream was like a spoonful of Christmas and was perfectly smooth but with that thickness and slightly chewy edge that every good ice cream should have. Goode & Wright change their menu very regularly so I only hope this is their signature dish.
We moved into the larger plates and ended up having the BEST schnitzel we’ve ever tasted. At this point the aperture control on my camera popped back into action, but not for long. Buttermilk, yes buttermilk fried chicken schnitzel with avocado puree and a wedge of lemon according to the menu, although I’m sure it was lime. The crisp fried coating was perfectly browned and well seasoned, plus a good level of pepper heat sat comfortably on the end of the tongue. I was recently in the Netherlands and we had a lot of schnitzel, yet Goode & Wright somehow seem to know how to make this classic dish better than ever.
Halfway through a delicious bottle of Viognier, some chunky chips with truffle mayonnaise went together like a dream. The chips (skin on) had that rare, but perfect balance of fluffy centre vs crispy outside. Another large plate we ordered was the charred octopus, draped over the top of some sweet salt baked onions and a healthy measure of nduja (spicy Italian sausage). The octopus cut through like butter and every element of this dish was a success, although each ingredient on the plate had so much flavour they were at times battling with each other. That said it didn’t manage to deter any enjoyment from this dish in the slightest.
If you want to eat lots of food here at Goode & Wright (and you will) you’ll struggle to fit much on the tiny tables. It’s a small restaurant and after a few glasses of white wine (bottle(s)), moving the salt and pepper pots, drinks, plates and candles becomes a bit like a game of chess. Again my camera went haywire and managed to do what a camera should never do – make good desserts look revolting. With mille-feuille on the menu I had to wonder – where do they keep the hidden army of kitchen staff!?! Surely it can’t be just these three or four chefs putting all this great food together, could it? The pear mille-feuille with hazelnut chocolate and a hazelnut cream was so unbelievably good I sat with my hands on my head at one point, in that sort of poise in astonishment. Flaky pastry, sweet juicy pear and a decadent praline inspired layer of toppings. This is serious stuff. I want to marry who ever the pastry chef is (my numbers on the website).
We took a bite out of our other dessert, which was the delightful queen cox apple and pistachio tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was faultless. The inside of the perfectly cooked tart had been lined with a a pistachio crumb, which had seeped its way thorough to the sweet, soft apples. A sweet syrupy dressing and perfectly made ice cream was made a ten folds better paired with a luscious glass of dessert wine. I couldn’t think of a better way we could have ended our meal, except for perhaps eating every other dish they had on the menu.
I’ve loved food all my life but only started writing about it little over three years ago. I’m not entirely sure what started my obsession with food but I’m pretty sure it must have looked something like this meal at Goode & Wright. If these guys were anywhere else than where they are right now they’d be mobbed with queues spiralling down the street. You may think Soho or Shoreditch is where it’s all going on, but with the likes of Goode & Wright around you’ll soon discover there is only one place to travel too – Notting Hill. I may as well just give up writing now and eat here for the rest of my life – it’s not a completely ridiculous idea.
9/10
How exciting, another local-ish place for me to try, the menu has me drooling. Thanks for sharing.
Rosie xx