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Fay Maschler's rating
This Trinity is almost holy
By
Fay Maschler
29 Nov 2006
I was one of the judges of The Carlton London Restaurant Awards when the Clapham restaurant Thyme won Best New Restaurant in 2003.
The restaurant critics who made up the panel had all been wooed by the intuitive, seductive cooking of the two Adams - Byatt and Oates - who had previously worked alongside chef Philip Howard at The Square.
When Thyme with Adam Byatt as chef moved to the Covent Garden media club The Hospital two years ago, all that promise seemed to get mired in pretension, nervousness and hideous décor.
A change of name to Origin last year did little, in my view, to improve matters but the prodigal son Byatt has returned to Clapham to open the restaurant Trinity on a site that was until recently Polygon Bar & Grill.
Locals can cry: "(He) was dead and is alive again; was lost and is found." At least they can when he is there. A chef who was at the original Thyme shares the cooking load since Byatt is still involved with Origin.
The menu at Trinity is divided conventionally into three courses - plus a tasting menu - rather than the many small courses that used to be favoured. A sort of telegram of ingredients makes up the titles and the treasure trove of game, nuts and wild mushrooms that autumn delivers is currently being thoroughly, conscientiously plundered.
I started dinner with a lasagne of braised rabbit with broad beans, roast onions and black truffle. It is a long time since I have tasted anything so delicate - the pasta rippling like silk - carefree and delicious.
Reg was equally enthusiastic about the distillation of the season that was soup of pumpkin and ginger with a centrepiece of buttered girolles. Mackerel-Beetroot-Horseradish bowled over our friend Joanna to a lesser extent but it was a very pretty plateful, the deep purple of the beetroot matched by sprigs of purple salading.
The Trinity approach to cooking fish is to sear the skin side fiercely. The mackerel and main course salmon had been treated this way as had the fillets of fish which were part of John Dory-Courgettes-Fish Soup. The star turn in that assembly was the delectable crushed potatoes.
The batter for courgette beignets could have been lighter and lacier. Pigeon-Figs-Chestnuts included a slice of pigeon terrine as well as rare breast meat laid out on the plate with nuts and truffle slices in a way that was described by its recipient as "very Planet Earth".
Now that chocolate with a cocoa solids content of 75 per cent and upwards is commonplace, it comes as a shock to find a milky mousse, as was the case with Madagascan chocolate soufflé with mint chocolate chip ice cream. It arrived in a specially crafted pot looking like a piece of millinery. White chocolate cremosa, yoghurt emulsion, mandarin sorbet and liquorice crisps was despatched more enthusiastically.
Staff at Trinity are unusually civil and the French female sommelier managed to show enthusiasm and nurturing even over our paltry order of a carafe of white - two of us weren't drinking. Surroundings are boldly plain. Diversion is all on the plate.
Open daily noon-2.30pm & 6.30pm-midnight. Light lunch menu £10/14 for two/three courses. Sunday lunch menu £25. Five-course Tasting Menu £35. A la carte, a meal for two with wine, about £95 inc. 12.5 per cent service.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (8)
We had booked a table for 9.30 however were told our table was not ready so had a drink at the, very overcrowded, bar and eventually shown to our table by 10.10pm. I asked the waiter for 2 different wines and was told that both were out of stock, so then asked for some advice from the sommelier and requested a good oaked chardonnay, she brought me 3 different tasters none of which had any oak at all so I ended up having an average chardonnay.
The starters came out and were fantastic - I had a sort of potted ham hock and my partner had a foie gras terrine and both were excellently balanced and very tasty dishes. Then we had the main course, I went for the rabbit with chive mash and pumpkin. Basically the rabbit and the mash were fairly bland, but the pumpkin puree was so salty it was inedible. I told the waiter and they told us that we could have any 2 desserts on the house, I had a celeriac and maple cake which was like a dry christmas pudding and my partner had chocolate souffle which was good, however the mint choc ice cream was tasteless, no mint and little chocolate flavouring.
The thing was that I’d much rather have paid full price for a good meal than to have had a below average meal for free. I think their floor management should control the book a lot better, the sommelier should order and know her wine list better, floor staff should be more alert and attentive and the kitchen could do with tasting everything that goes out the door.
- Max, Wandsworth, UK, 27/03/2007 12:42
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Probably the best value in town (and out of it for that matter). Where else are you likely to get such well sourced ingredients, so beautifully cooked for £25 a head for Sunday lunch? My game rillettes were sublime - and the sea bream with its crispy skin and melting flakes underneath were perfect. My husband's Middle White pork with matchsticks of crackling reduced him to silence. Extraordinary! Nervous eaters might find the huge portions of Sunday roast a bit scary, but those with serious carnivore pretentions will be in seventh heaven. We are looking forward to a return visit to sample the Tasting Menu.
- Fiona Rolt, Oxford, 12/12/2006 20:09
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I ate in Trinity on opening night, and again last night, and on both occasions I have been mightily impressed.
The food - first and foremost, provides some of the most rounded, balanced combinations of flavours, smells, colours and textures I have experienced in any restaurant.
Plates are presented with crisp precision and style. Portion sizes are perfect. The bread rolls are simply the best in London.
Service is sharp and attentive, but totally unpretentious.
This is a place that Clapham has been crying out for. Amazingly reasonably priced - where else in the world can you have a 5 course tasting menu for £35 or £55 with wine - and at this level, that's saying something. I had a starter of Cured Seabass with pea puree and pomegranite seeds - beautifully delicate but crisp, clea flavours. Second course of Roast Quail with Hazelnut Gnocchi - rich, rounded flavours - nutty and fresh. Followed by Scallop Ravioli - impossible to fault. Pork Belly with black olive mash and cockle vinaigrette was the most tender, juicy peice of pork I have EVER eaten. Flavours that surprisingly worked increadibly well.
And then there was the desert -
A chocolate souffle with a scoop of mint choc chip ice cream that was a masterpiece. The mint tasted like it had just been picked. A perfect end to an amazing meal.
How can a dining experience be so simply perfect?
These guys can cook - AND HOW!
- Andy, London, UK, 06/12/2006 08:41
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I came here expecting great things from Mr. Byatt and his new head chef, and was not disappointed. A truly wonderful gastronomic experience. Friendly and attentive staff coupled with genius in the kitchen makes this one of the best restaurants of the year.
- O-Town, Fulham, 29/11/2006 14:47
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PS's review surprises me. I have eaten at Trinity twice and had a great meal on both occasions. Staff very friendly, atmosphere convivial, thoroughly recommended.
- Rd, London, 29/11/2006 14:46
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What an absolutely fantastic evening! Everything was superb from start to finish - food was faultless, would definitely go back!
- Oli Barnett, London, 29/11/2006 14:13
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Looks great from the outside but that's pretty much where the positives end. The service is desperately slow and at less than half full we were asked to wait over an hour as the kitchen was too busy. After eventually getting our order in we had mediocre rabbit and red snapper starters both of which were salty. For mains we had chicken and duck - the chicken was so salty as to be virtually inedible and the duck was cold. On notifying the staff they took the duck away and after 5 mins it came back hot - had just been under the grill and all sauce and decoration had melted which ended up with just a mess on the plate. At that point we gave up and just asked for the bill. I was slightly suprised when after all of this there was 12.5% service charge on the bill and I had to ask for my returned main course to be removed! Not even a word of apology which I really think sums up the arrogance of this place.
The wine waitress was friendly and knowledgeable but the reception and bar staff and the manageress were not. It was amazing how little they knew or cared for what was going on. Venue and location are great but food and service were awful - I hope they can sort this place out as it is my local but I will not be back there until I here some positive news (friends have all had the same problems). Definitely a candidate for Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares within a few months if it doesn't sort its act out - handy really as he doesn't live far away !!
- Ps, Clapham, London, 29/11/2006 12:46
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Delicious.
- Esteban, Wandsworth Town, 29/11/2006 12:15
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