110 Whitfield Street,
Bloomsbury,
London,
W1T 5ED
0871 971 6487
The ViewLondon Review
Jen had been warned that it was a “different” restaurant, which had her more than a little worried. As she stepped through the front door she glanced down to confirm that she was, in fact, standing on a tray of pebbles. Looking up she was silent for a split second and then…“Oh, my God.”
I can imagine that the staff at Archipelago are pretty used to this sort of response. After all, this has to be the most “different” of all restaurants I have been to in London.
We were a few minutes early so were invited to have a quick drink in the “bar” below. I am hesitant to describe it as such as the room was about the size of one of the bathrooms in an average London restaurant, but that’s OK. The decorations down there are exactly as they are upstairs, eclectic, interesting, sumptuous and decadent.
After a quick game of “what decoration you like from each wall” (my choices were the renaissance painting actually on the wall itself, an African mask, a very small hookah and something that looked vaguely like the Turin Shroud) our waiter came to see if we were OK and took us to our table.
We were left to decipher what would definitely be the most interesting meal I’ve had in this country since I was last here. After a lot of help from our waiter and some delicious canapés we decided to pass up the Reindeer carpaggio, the Cricket and Locust salad and a dish that I can remember no more about other than it had a frog in it.
What we did start with was something called the Afro-Asian Triptych, which was a medley of pastries from all over world and Peacock and date parcels. The Savoury Baklawa (one of my pastries) stood out as being delicious, sweet with a hint of cheese which worked confusingly well. The Peacock however was amazing. It was succulent, tasty and less gamey than I thought it would be, there was also just the right amount of date - not to be overpoweringly sweet but adding an extra dimension to the dish.
After some sorbet to clear the palate we moved on to the entrées. Jen went for the Blackened Kangaroo, cooked au point, spicy and tangy accompanied by a delicious sweet potato and lentil melange. My Seafood Laksa was one of the “interactive” eating experiences that I love. I was armed with a spoon and fork, some chopsticks and a finger bowl. I ended up using all three. The food was delicious and my only complaint was that I would have happily swapped one of my many enormous greenlipped mussels for another baby octopus as I only had one.
Throughout the entire meal the waiting staff were wonderful. They were well choreographed, whilst one waiter took the order another delivered knowing who had ordered what, without asking. A small point but the type of attention to detail that adds up. You can have all sorts of fun screwing your napkin into a ball and hiding it when you nip to the bathroom, only for it to have been found and folded for you on your return.
Our waiter was happy to answer as many questions as we could throw at him about our meal: what does Tilapia taste like? Is that real gold leaf in that dish? Etc. We went with his suggestion from the wine list and were happily rewarded (I really should try more Portuguese wine). He was very apologetic when he was away from our table for 10 minutes or so while he seated a larger table and was answering their questions. It was the perfect combination of non-invasive service whilst always being on hand should they be needed.
We only had room to share a bowl of herbal and fruit ice creams to finish (accompanied by a delicious dessert wine and a digestif), which was the perfect culmination to a wonderful meal.
And so to the bill, the overall damage was steep at £140 for two people, which included the service charge and a donation to StreetSmart.org.uk. However it has to be considered that this is possibly the most unforgettable double rosette restaurant that you will go to in this city. Save it for that special occasion, that special person and you will be given a very special evening.