Trivet is the only 2-Michelin starred restaurant in London where you can order a la carte for dinner. No need to be “forced” into a long and elaborate tasting menu. For my first meal after getting off a plane from Hong Kong, a “short-ish” (but excellent) meal sounded perfect to me. I didn’t think my jet-lagged self could stay up much too long after an early dinner.
We also chose Trivet because we were staying in the Tower Bridge Bermondsy neighborhood this time around. Trivet is walking distance from that area – yet another reason to choose it for our first meal in London.
I really liked the ambiance at Trivet. This self-described “informal” restaurant was upscale yet relaxed and comfortable. Instead of white tablecloths, we dined on wooden tables in a contemporary space filled with modern artwork and minimalistic floral decorations. The service was friendly add attentive. Despite just getting off a plane, I felt great during the entire meal!
A Little Bite – Amuse Bouche
We began with simple gougeres, filled with goat cheese and brightened with a touch of lemon.
Starters
The menu is pretty much only a la carte, so we decided to each order a starter and a main, plus a couple sides to share.
Bryan got the Braised Poivrade Artichoke (£36), which came with artichoke prepared three ways: steamed, roasted, and as a “chip.” This came served over freekah, Cornish mussels, and a small pickled radish “flower.”I absolutely LOVED my starter, called “One has to have morels” (£39). I already love morel mushrooms, but the combination of flavors and textures here was outstanding: stuffed morels, wild garlic, parmigiano reggiano foam, and crispy chicken oyster. So much umami!On the side was a mushroom soup with a thin chicken skin “chip” on top. Even MORE intense umami in this soup, which was mazing.
Main Dishes
Pigeon and Persimmon (£67) consisted of a squab pigeon breast (cooked almost rare!) roasted over charcoal served with ribbons of heritage carrots and “cime di rapa” (rapini).I don’t think I’ve ever had pigeon cooked rare, but it was amazingly tender and really a lovely way to enjoy this type of meat. I’m not typically a huge fan of squab, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed this dish. Perhaps it reminded me of tartare of sashimi (which I love).This dish also included a second type of preparation, a skewer of a pigeon “sausage” made with other parts of the pigeon flavored with an exotic spice blend. This was fine, but it was the “rare” portion that impressed me the most.The Grilled Venison (£65) was super tender, and each piece came with a thin slice of lardo di colonnata on top. On the side, red cabbage and puntarelle (a variety of chicory/endive) completed the dish.
“2-Michelin Star Fries”
“I wonder what 2-Michelin Star fries taste like” Bryan mused. These Homemade French Fries (£8.50) were delicious and stayed crispy long after cooling down. They came with an oregano and onion ketchup. I was drawn to the Grilled purple sprouting broccoli. This generous serving of vegetables came with anchovy and lemon (£14.50).
A Sweet Ending
Simple Mignardises were nice and small, just enough sweetness to end the meal.
Trivet London – General Thoughts
Despite just getting off a plane, I was surprisingly energized by my meal at Trivet. The perfect relaxing atmosphere, the high level of execution in the food, and just being continually delighted at each course . . . it was indeed a great first evening in London. Best part was being able to walk less than 10 minutes back to our hotel after a long flight!
My favorite bites: “One has to have more Morels”, the “rare” seemingly almost raw pigeon, and the awesome fries!