A visit to The Cocochine last week, after seeing it being recommended a fair bit
Sri Lankan fine dining, some really impressive dishes. the BBQ lobster was stunning.
Start off with a celeriac consomme with pink lady apple and lemon verbena oil. This was light and fresh, a good start
On to the snacks. Curry cashews had a nice spice level, and a different type of snack to normal. Coronation langoustine had a nice curry flavour, with added sweetness from the langoustine.
Nice curry flavour, sweetness from langoustine. Last was a cheese and onion crisp, with caviar. Cheesy and soft filling, with a nice crisp and pop from the caviar
Crab salad
Light and tasty, crab came through nicely despite the spicing. A warning spice level, well rounded
Bread course – Sourdough and a Caramelised Onion Brioche
A good sourdough, sticky and sweet glaze. Brioche was special, rolled with caramelised onion and pandan, lovely flavour and great soft buttery texture
Scallop
Plump and sweet, perfectly cooked. Nice depth in the pandan sauce, pickled mushrooms cut through nicely
Turbot
Meaty turbot that stood up well to the spice. Coconut added balance and sweetness, prawn head sauce packed a spice and prawn punch.
Lobster
Wow. Amazing. Comforting, the depth of flavour in the rice was top tier. Lobster itself was sweet and meaty, a stunner of a dish
Beef
Beautifully cooked fillet, rich red wine jus. Parsley puree added some herbaceous notes. Pepper chutney added lovely spice, like a posh steak au poivre
Pre dessert
Mango sorbet on fresh mango and lime, with chilli, salt, finger lime and coriander
Lovely sweet mango, pops of tartness, salt and chilli. Well balanced and a good cleanser
Dessert
Sri Lankan Creme Caramel
Spiced with cardamom, perfectly balanced. Slightly sweet from the caramel sauce, then tart from the creme fraiche ice cream, slightly salty from the caviar. Well balanced dish
I'd definitely recommend a visit. My only concern is that, on a Saturday night, there only seemed to be around 10 to 12 people dining. I wonder how long they can stay open if that's normal
by TheYorkshireSaint
3 Comments
Great review of a lovely restaurant. I loved the crab salad and lobster rice in particular – fantastic examples of how you can marry up classical technique and untraditional ingredients.
But I share your worries about the viability – it’s why I give it a thumbs up every time anyone mentions it!
That is the most beige/brown tasting menu I’ve ever seen.
£189 for a non-star tasting menu is obscene. No wonder they are struggling for covers.