This is a long over due review of Eneko at One Aldwych, located near Covent Garden. The restaurant is brought to you from Chef Eneko Atxa who is known for his three Michelin restaurant in Spain.
We started our meal with bread with herb butter.
Starters are categorised from the sea, from the land and from the garden. From the sea we tried Memories of the Bay of Biscay (£15) – Oyster, crab and wild prawn tartare. This was the highlight of the meal. It was not just the taste and the presentation, but the experience of this dish with sight and smell. I could sense a bay with dish, with the smell of the salty sea and the taste of fresh seafood.
We also tried the Squid Marmitake (£12) which is made up of squid stew with courgette ribbons. It was on the spicy side and had a distinct flavour that did not favour my tastbuds.
From the land: Txerri Boda Pork Festival (£13) – Chorizo on milk bread, glazed sweetbread and suckling pig brioche. The presentation of the dish in a wooden box with a pig face was the winner than the actual food in the box.
Mains include a selection of fish, meat and vegetarian. I ordered the seared duck breast served with julienne of king oyster mushrooms and pickled red onion (£25). It was a dish I was disappointed as the duck was over-cooked. Otherwise the presentation of this dish was beautiful and skills in the combination of all the different ingredients.
The other mains that was ordered I felt was better executed than the duck.
Slow-cooked oxtail, mushroom emulsion (£20)
Roasted iberico presa served with wheat in chickpea sauce and garlic cream (£24).
Along with our mains we also ordered a range of sides. The mash potato (£4) was a smooth puree and I could not find a single lumps.
Piperrak (green gernika peppers) (£6)
The Sauteed garden vegetable (£5/£7) was beautiful with all the colour and truly reminded of a colourful garden.
There was a dessert trolley with a selection to choose and each one £9 each which are all served with traditional Basque ice cream.
Dark chocolate with biscuit crumble base.
The only dessert that was not found on the dessert trolley is Torrija which is a Basque vanilla sponge.
Overall every dish was beautifully presented but the dessert was the one course where I felt was the least exciting.
I was dining there during their soft launch period where the price of the starters and mains were tagged at almost double of the price then on their current menu. Even with 50% off food we felt it was expensive and I would not consider it as an everyday dining.
(Price and menu are correct at the time of dining. Not sponsored)
Eneko at One Aldwych
London,
WC2B 4BZ
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