Thursday 2 June 2011

Alistair's Brasserie - Stoke Newington

A few weeks ago we went for dinner at my new favourite restaurant in Stokey; Alistair's Brasserie. Situated on Church St, I've walked past it a hundred times but never really noticed it among the dozens of menus vying for my attention. The food has been excellent both times I've been, although it is reasonably pricey it's well worth it (starters are £6-10 and mains are £10-20).

Scallops
To start I had asparagus with a poached duck egg, hollandaise and parma ham. It was a simple dish done well if not particularly exciting! Chris had scallops with pancetta, cauliflower tempura and a caper and raisin sauce; which was my favourite dish of the evening. It's not a combination I'd ever think of myself but it worked perfectly.

Asparagus
For my main course I had a delicious venison dish, served with poached pears, pancetta, braised red cabbage, parsnip puree and a red wine sauce. The venison went perfectly with the sweetness of the pears and the salty pancetta, and the parsnip mash was incredible. Chris opted for steak with chunky chips, portobello mushrooms, roasted shallots and Cafe de Paris butter. The steak was perfectly cooked and went brilliantly with the shallots.

Venison
One of things I love about Alistair's is that the food is well made and inventive without being pretentious. Whilst they serve several classic meals, they also offer plenty of dishes with an interesting culinary twist. The staff are friendly and attentive, without being overbearing and despite the strange green wallpaper the decor is nice. It offers a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of most eateries on Church Street, although did lack a little atmosphere as we were the only diners for most of our meal.

Steak

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