Bennett Oyster Bar & Brasserie

I had a great evening last night at the "friends and family" pre-opening evening at Bennett Oyster Bar & Brasserie (which opens fully on 8th March). Ray, who owns the restaurant was charmingly welcoming and so too were his 1950s-clad waiters. The music was upbeat and jolly, and there was a great atmosphere.

The bread, which they made there, and served in cute little flower pots which reminded me of René Redzepi's flowerpot dish, was delicious - really fluffy and light.

I was very impressed with my starter, the red mullet soup with Gruyère, rouille and croutons. It was a really rich, deep red colour, and the fishy taste matched that intensity - exactly what you want with a fish soup. The rouille, which is made from garlic and olive oil, gave a good kick to the soup, and the saffron flavour was nice and piquant. Together with the crunchy croutons, and one of my favourites cheeses to sprinkle on top and watch melt, I was wary of sharing it!

For mains, I had pollock, which is a great alternative for cod and is much more sustainable, and probably tastier as well, especially how this was done. It had a crusty top, and was cooked perfectly through, so it flaked away easily. The potatoes could have been more crispy, but they tasted fine. I loved the mustard velouté - the velvety and creamy sauce went well with both the fish and the potatoes.

Finally, after two delicious courses came dessert. I was hardly ready for the generous portion of sticky toffee pudding! Unfortunately, it wasn't served quite warm enough and I found it a bit dense, but I liked the toffee sauce, rich and sugary, of course, and the vanilla ice cream was fine.

So, all in all, a very impressive meal, especially for only their second evening running. And I'm sure I'll be going back, if just to try their other fish soups, and maybe even to taste some of their other produce which they sell, like fresh fruit & veg, and home-baked bread and cakes.

Entrée

I had a great meal at Entrée Restaurant & Bar (http://www.entreebattersea.co.uk/) tonight. It's in a prime spot on Battersea Rise, so the buzz of the road gave an added great atmosphere to the already busy restaurant. The decor was very tasteful, with railing reminiscent of a Parisian balcony, ancient pages from a 1910 French newspaper covering one wall, and a sneaky window to peek into the hectic kitchen!

For an appetiser, we were given some delicious rosemary bread, with a refreshing pea and mint soup. Then, it was difficult choosing from such, a good sounding menu, but I eventually settled on some Pea Arancini, which were little balls of pea risotto. They had a great pea flavour, with a slightly sweet touch, although I couldn't figure out what gave them that, however I found the texture of them slightly too mushy and glutinous. They were also accompanied by guacamole and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. We often make guacamole at home, and it's one of my favourite dips, and this one was perfect, and also great with the risotto, which is a combination that I wouldn't have considered before. The vinegar (I love vinegar! :D) gave a great tang to the dish.

Following that, I chose the vegetable ravioli and tomato fondue, following the vegetarian trend (although there were some great fish and meat dishes as well). The plate resembled a summery garden, with coriander, pine nuts and sultanas bordering ravioli topped with Parmesan and pea shoots, and a moat of tasty tomato sauce. I found the vegetables slightly bland, and the pasta a bit watery, but the tomato fondue, as it was called, was fantastic. It tasted fresh and tomatoey, and had a great, clean finish. I also liked the pine nut and pea shoot garnish.

And for my dessert, I had tiramisu. This was my favourite course, because it was one of the best tiramisus that I've had. It was light and creamy, with a hint of vanilla, and a subtle taste of chocolate and coffee, whilst not being too boozy!

My mum had a basil panna cotta, which she says was great, but I'm not a great fan of panna cotta myself, so I wouldn't know. I tried it anyway, and the basil taste was delicate and interesting and the accompanying shortbread was delicious, albeit crumbly!

The food was overall really good, and there was a great atmosphere.