Restaurant Story

Here's my meal at Restaurant Story, in pictures.  This place has been on my list for some time, since it opened to rave reviews around a year ago.  I just had to try before I leave.  We opted for the 10 course tasting menu for £80. SO_MUCH_FOOD. 

Cod skin with cod emulsion, really crispy and fishy.  Establishing the theme - pretty on a plate.
(Or in some cases, on a napkin on a plate).

Radish with kelp butter, FG.  BG - oreo, smoked eel and vinegar.  

Nicest of the amuses.

Can't for the life of me remember what this one was.  Bad blogger.

Frogs legs!  I got to eat both of these because Art couldn't stomach them.  

Tasted like chicken, obvs.

 Signature beef dripping 'candle' to accompany the bread.  

 Razor clam with puffed rice and some kind of 'snow'.  Excellent. 

Boudin noir bites.  So dark.  Everything is rather beautiful.

Little rabbit sandwiches with carrots and tarragon.

To go with the dripping - bread and cubes of tongue with consomme.

I somehow neglected to photograph what came next.  Onion, apple and old tom. It was, unsurprisingly, very pretty indeed.  The old tom (tomato juice) was my favourite thing about it.

This was great too, scallop, cucumber (the balls), dill ash.

 Foie gras, pear and thyme.  Brulee topped.  A tad sickly, over sweet.

Wild stems, squid and pine honey.  Squid was amazing.  

You can just see it, white bits.

Loved this - heritage potato, turnip and coal oil.  Smoothest mash ever.

My out and out favourite dish was the beef with grains, 

watercress and sloes.  Just lovely.

We had cheese, it was great. £10 supplement from (poor) memory.

Pre dessert - something citrussy.  Crunchy and zesty.  Refreshing.

Pretty levels got ridiculous with the almond and dill dessert. 

Lovage, borage, milk and apple.  This was really interesting,  Crunch, stickiness,

creamy frozen milk, milk wafers and leaf garnishes, bizarrely brilliant.

Porridges on a goldilocks theme.  Sweet, salty and just right.

I liked the salty best.  Really fun.

slightly disappointing end, pear, artichoke and lemon.  

Will savoury desserts go away already.

Then these came and I was happy again.  Rhubarb shakes. 

I was really very full at this point.  You can supplement the 10 courser with extra dishes, beef with truffle and veal sweetbreads for £15 each.  We really didn't need them.  There's also a 6 course option for £60.  At the time, we felt the meal was a touch style over substance, but looking back and reviewing the pictures, I feel like there was a lot of skill demonstrated in these dishes.  Each amuse bouche was fun and there are a lot of them.

I'm glad to have made it at last, but it's not the kind of restaurant I would choose to revisit.  Didn't see anyone else bringing and leaving a book, which was the gimmick when they first opened.  Like the colour organised book shelf lining the far restaurant wall.  And the open kitchen is cute.  We drank martinis, wine and more wine and this was not a cheap meal.  We paid £150 each with booze and tip.  I do have a lot of time for chef Tom Sellers though, the menu is very seasonal and brimming with British produce.  We ate a lot of flowers!

Restaurant Story

201 Tooley St

Bermondsey

SE1

9/10