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Patrick's Green |
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GREEN LIGHT Contemporary
Afro-Caribbean restaurants are few and far between. So when they do spring
up, they’re more than worth a gander.
Not that The Green is entirely Afro-Caribbean, but then there are
faint hints of West Indian cooking coming through, albeit cloaked in a
modern European style by the very talented Afro-Caribbean chef at the helm
Patrick Williams. Rendered more in
the style of a gastro pub than a restaurant complete with a burly minder at
the entrance there’s a large, boisterous bar room at the front and an
attractive but unpretentious dining room at the back. Mind you, whether you
call this place a gastro pub or a restaurant it really doesn’t matter
because, take it from me, the cooking here would shame even some of the more
high-flying West End restaurants! It’s hardly
surprising to learn that Patrick’s graced the Kitchens of such illustrious
eateries as The Ivy, The Greenhouse and the Criterion. Some of you may have
seen him on various TV cookery shows both Patrick and The Green will be on
our screens again soon in a new series entitled yes chef and he’s
written a cookery book called The Caribbean Cook (published by
penguin in July, priced 18.99). The Green’s
menu doesn’t give you a giant run-down of thousands of dishes. What you do
get is an adequate list of seven starters, ten mains, some sides and three
desserts, along with an excellent wine list to boot. Keeping one eye
on the calories, I avoided the caramelised onion tart with fried goats
cheese and opted for the new season asparagus, leek and wet garlic sauce as
a starter. The dish worked well, more so than the under-seasoned roast
pumpkin and melon salad. All starters are priced between £3.95 and £6.95. The main meals
were first rate. The between £3.95 and £6.95. The pan- fried black bream
with grilled potatoes and sautéed plantain, £13, is the menu’s main
salute to Afro-Caribbean cooking and it works beautifully. The deep-dish
plate arrived pilled high with lovingly prepared fish and flavour some and
pleasing-to-the-eye sweet potatoes and lentils beurre blanc was equally
worthy. The lentils in particular were a creamy and superior offering. Sides were well
executed too with an appealing carrot puree and a juicy mixed tomato salad.
Desserts of warm chocolate brownie with honeycomb ice cream and banoffee pie
may seem fairly run of the mill on paper but, trust me, here they’re not. Exquisitely presented and
delicately flavoured, they provided a perfect example of why Patrick is a
chef to watch. The interior is modern without aspiring to be hip. There’s
an open Kitchen, the high ceilings are decked out with chandeliers, the
walls are of a light chalky green hue and seating is a mixture of wooden
chairs and leather banquettes. Undoubtedly, this is northwest London’s pride and joy. Now go try it. By Humayun Hussain Source: W2W Voice Magazine May
2003
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