Viajante: The Travellers and New Journeys

Bethnal Green at night. It doesn't conjour the nicest of images. After a long hot stuffy ride on the tube, packed by revellers heading home from the Notting Hill carnival, we headed up to street level and greeted by the grittiness of the East.

This was meant to be a farewell meal for a group of close friends who had been in London for the last 3 years, making their move back to Sydney after their adventures in the UK and Europe. I had wanted to organise something really special to send them off, but walking along the streets here I wasn't quite sure I had made the right choice anymore. So heads held low so as not to attract any unnecessary attention we headed towards our destination.

A few minutes walk from the tube we were greeted with the Viajante, nestled within the refurbished Town Hall. The venue was indeed a diamond in the rough! The dining room itself was welcoming with its hues of blues and reds, artworks across each wall from East London artists, and perched on one side a view into the open kitchen, and Nuno Mendes and his small posse of chef de partie's like live theatre, cooking up a storm right in front of you.

As the name suggests, Viajante (Portugese for 'The Traveller') describes the story of Nuno's journeys around the globe, bringing the flavours from Portugal, the US, Japan, New Mexico, and a brief internship in Spain (El Bulli), bringing it together in the dishes he creates.

Amongst the 12 course meal we chose (which if you include our amuse bouche and pre-desserts actually ended up at a whopping 19 courses!) there were some wonderful dishes, including a surprising house sashimi, thai explosion, the intense sweet and savoury tomatoes with mozzarella and strawberries, scallops with cucumber, dreamily asiatic braised salmon skin and fried aubergine, and pannacotta ice cream with yoghurt.

And as we left Viajante satisfied after 5 hours of eating, so too were our friends, satisfied with their journey through Europe, and taking their next steps on their own new exciting journey!

12 Course Tasting Menu - August 2010
Amuse Bouche

House Sashimi













Grilled Broad Beans













Thai Explosion II













Razor Clams, Beetroot granita and Pumpkin Seeds













Bread with Brown Butter and chicken skin













Botan Ebi, Smoked Yoghurt and Rosemary powder














12 Course Tasting Menu:
1. Tomatoes, water, mozzarella and strawberries
Large tomato vinegary, cherry tomato is sweet and buffalo mozzarella takes the edge away.













2. Scallops, radish, dill, cucumber latte, and celery juice: light













3. Artichokes and honey wine, cured belly, and pine nut milk













4. Charred leeks, white asparagus, hazelnuts, and milk skin













5. Braised salmon skin, fried aubergine with agedashi sauce: tastes like miso aubergine this is beautiful, the salmon comes out after the agedashi sauce













6. Octopus, chorizo, potato, and egg emulsion













7. Iberican pork neck, langoustine, and iberican broth: tender melts in mouth, beautiful with a languostine, which was very flavourful













8. Cod, confit yolk, courgette ribbons and sofrita: egg yolk takes the edge off the tomato, very Mediterranean













9. Squab with grilled radishes, stracciatella and pine nut salt: The cheese balances the gaminess of the squab. Reminds me of the chinese fried squab with the spices













Pre-dessert
Green Tea and shisho granita: very wonderful slightly sweet


10. blueberries, goats curd, lemon thyme, and caramel
Goats cheese a little tart but mix it with the caramel and it's actually really nice.













11. Pannacotta ice cream, yoghurt, crumbled oats, thai basil and apple: very refreshing. Crispy bits but love the creaminess.













12. Catalan Cream, chilli truffle, passionfruit marshmallow. Catalan cream like an unset creme brulee with nutmeg and cinnamon.













Vıajante
Patriot Square,
London, E2 9NF
+44 (0) 20 7871 0461
http://www.viajante.co.uk/index.html