After attending the official launch party on the 18th of March, I was kindly invited back to the latest Pimlico hangout, No.11 Pimlico Road to get a taste of what their menu has to offer. Occupying the former home of the Edbury, No.11 Pimlico Road is an all day bar and restaurant serving a variety of dishes from breakfast to late night nibbles.
The place looked completely different to my first visit when it was packed full of people on a dark evening in March. This time, the space seemed bigger and the bright and airy interior had a country kitchen feel to it. I wouldn’t say it was cosy, due to the open plan layout, but there was a sense of homeliness in the restaurant which was mirrored with the friendly and personal service we received. Dani and I were placed at a small table by the window and each handed a paper menu which displayed a number of all-day dishes perfect for lunch and dinner. The menu is inventive with the majority of dishes containing one or two unusual ingredients. Almost everything on the menu contained a flavour I dislike, such as ginger and blossom, which dampened my spirits and made my choice of food incredibly difficult. However, after sampling the food I found that each of these flavours worked incredibly well with the other ingredients in the dish and I found myself enjoying flavours I had disliked for so many years!
I ordered a small plate of honey marinated chicken skewers served with artisan bread and a feta and tomato side salad. The chicken skewers were nicely cooked but there could have been a little more dressing, although this would have turned a perfectly healthy dish into something far from it! The skewers were served with toasted ciabatta drizzled with olive oil which was both tasty and filling and turned a small plate into an evening meal. The tomato and feta salad was tasty too, although I think £4 is rather a lot to pay for a small bowl of sliced tomato and feta cheese, it was a nice accompaniment to the chicken though. Our meals were hearty, flavoursome and somewhat healthy, just like you’d expect from a traditional country kitchen but our first course wouldn’t have lead us to rush back especially as Dani found a hair in hers (this mistake was quickly rectified by the kind waitress which we agree is the most important factor).
Dani and I ordered two desserts, the first being the brown sugar rice pudding with toffee pecans. We were surprised to see this somewhat forgotten dessert on the menu and we hadn’t had rice pudding for years so we just had to order it! The rice pudding was thick and stodgy with a strong essence of nutmeg. I happened to love it this way, whereas Dani would have liked the rice to be less thick and a little creamier; I guess we all have our personal preferences and the chef is unable to cater for all. Dani enjoyed this dish just as much as me though and described it as “a childhood favourite with an adult twist”. The toffee pecans won us over and we would have loved to have seen more in the dish as they were so sweet and tasty! This was good home comfort food; something I rarely experience since moving to London.
Totally different to the winter warmer we’d previously ordered, our second choice of dessert was the Roulade Nº 11 which consists of house made meringue, roast rhubarb, candied ginger & orange blossom cream. I was a little unsure about ordering this one as I don’t like ginger or floral flavours such as blossom but I was pleasantly surprised and this was in fact my favourite dish of the evening. The roulade was made up of layers of traditional crumbly meringue and soft marshmallow-like egg whites which I’m not too sure what it’s called but the two different textures worked beautifully together. The ginger and orange blossom cream has a very distinctive taste with both floral and bitter citrus flavours which to my surprise was incredibly moorish. Hidden in the middle of the meringue was a small dollop of rhubarb which we would have loved to have seen more of. As with the rice pudding, the roulade was well presented and smelt divine. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced two desserts that smelt this good.
We had a lovely evening at No.11 Pimlico Road and if I lived nearby, it would no doubt become my regular hangout. The food was good, menu creative and atmosphere relaxed plus the bill was fairly reasonable considering the neighbourhood. Whatever time of day, No.11 Pimlico Road is a place where you can enjoy homely food and drink with a difference. Read our other restaurant reviews here.
Living life, loving cake,
H x
