Friday, oh glorious Friday. The end of the working week, time to rejoice… over a good meal, of course! Picture has been on my radar for a while, when it was a single restaurant in Fitzrovia. As my university was right around the corner, I found myself passing it on a regular basis and even found my way in for a drink too. However, I never got as far as tasting their food. When they opened their second branch in Marylebone, it felt like a no brainer. I had to try it now.
Sheepa and I used our Friday night to have a much needed catch up. 7:30pm reservations were in place and we were both extremely excited to see what Picture had on offer for us. The lovely Seetal popped us across her blog post from her visit and it only made me want the day to end quicker.
Alas, the evening was soon upon us, even though London decided to opens its heavens and get us with some glorious (typically British) rain. Racing down the back roads from Fitzrovia, managing to reach Picture without getting too wet luckily. Rapidly drying in what was a cosy, warm atmospheric restaurant, I was ready for some good food.
A glass of ice cold Brut for myself and a spectacular looking lemonade for Sheepa. Just what the doctor ordered.
To start we were brought over two crusty bread buns with a generous helping of butter. I also ordered a pair of beef bites, soft tender well seasoned beef that was coated in bread crumbs and deep-fried. They went down a treat. Especially as I was already super hungry and needed something to nibble on whilst deciding what to have.
We decided to have the a la carte menu and ended up having the same dish to start.
Simple, light yet so scrumptious. Ravioli of caramelised onion with peas, lettuce and a shaving of pecorino. The sauce served gave it that extra flavour and the onions added a sweet element to the dish that was just amazing.
We were recommend to order three dishes, but we felt two plus dessert would have been sufficient. Sheepa doesn’t eat non-halal meat, where as I am not that fussed about it but also she is a real seafood fiend and i’m the complete opposite. For that reason, the menu worked in our favour, as it was split up into veg, fish and meat. As we already picked something from the vegetarian section, Sheepa chose two fish dishes and I picked two meat dishes.
My first meat dish was the 28 day beef with bone marrow crumb and a red wine sauce. The meat just melted in your mouth and was so easy to cut into. Cooked medium-well, it was just ideal. The red wine sauce paired with the meat so well and the crumb added a nice crunch that the seasonal greens didn’t.
Sheepa’s Hake brandade with provençal vegetables and black olive was the prettiest dish ever. I don’t think I have seen fish served in such a way before, but it is definitely Instagram worthy! Best of all, Sheepa loved it. She did mention it wouldn’t be my cup of tea though as it was quite ‘fishy’.
My second meat dish was the Daphne’s lamb neck with sweetbreads, ricotta, tomato and anchovy & chilli paste. I have to admit, I couldn’t finish it because I was really full. However, I made an active effort to finish the lamb which again was perfectly cooked. It just came apart by itself, as soon as you ran your knife through it. I think the dish could have done without the ricotta, but that is my personal taste.
Sheepa had the stone bass with Charlotte potatoes and green beans, drizzled with a herb puree. I felt this was the more traditional way of serving a fish fillet but looked equally as delicious. It’s times like this that I was I was more open to seafood. People claim it will grow on me as I get older, but we’ll see…
Sheepa ordered the warm almond cake with Tulameen raspberries and frozen lemon thyme yoghurt (that of course melted as we papped it!) I promised Sheepa that I would have one spoon of it, just to try it. Until Tom, one of the co-owners of Picture brought out an extra dessert for us to try. The dark chocolate mousse with salt caramel crumble. When something so yummy gets put in front of you, it is so hard not to have some. Let’s just say, it tasted even better than it looks – that’s saying something!
Once we had finished, Tom offered us a tour around the kitchen where we got to meet other co-owner and chef, Colin. I love seeing chefs who are so passionate about the food they serve, hard at work.
Overall, Sheepa and I had a brilliant evening have a good ol’ chat over some fine food and great service at Picture Marylebone. A must try for all you food enthusiasts.
Picture
9 New Cavendish St
Marylebone
London
W1G 9TZ
Until next time…
