Gone fishing: lunch at One O One

One of the delicious oysters

Pascal Proyart knows his fish. You could say it’s in his genes. The grandson of a Brittany fisherman, he’s quite open about the fact he will one day retire back to the region, swap the big smoke for sun and sea, and spend his days out on his boat, fishing rod in hand.

But in the meantime he can be found in his kitchen at One O One, serving up some of the finest surf and turf on the scene, fusing international influences with delicious ingredients into imaginative combinations for the benefit of us lucky Londoners. Recently, on a trip to Rungis market the chef marvelled at my whelk eating capacity, so of course I was keen to visit his restauant and show him my other well-polished eating skills.

Though a fine dining spot and no mistake, One O One is currently offering fantastic offers off its lunch menu on the website and it’s well worth taking advantage of, if, like me, you’re on a journalist’s wage. I kick start the meal with the ‘oyster experience’ – a trio of big, juicy rock oysters served three ways:  with shallot vinegar, yuzu sorbet and vodka and tempura.

The oyster experience

They’re all lovely (except for the fact that I get brain freeze from slurping back the yuzu sorbet) but my favourite is definately the tempura – crunchy and creamy all at once, with a pipette shot of intense soy that is squeezed inside the batter by our waiter. I could have eaten about ten. Next comes red tuna tartar with soft shell crab tempura, sushi rice and wasabi sorbet. Just look at it:

Red tuna tartar with soft shell crab tempura

Looks nice, doesn’t it? Well it tastes even better. Anyone who’s seen me in Song Que on the Kingsland Road will know that I have a bit of a thing for soft shell crab tempura. I think it’s the same thing that lots of women have about chocolate – if I’m feeling down, for example, I’d much rather curl up on the sofa with a bowl of soft shell crab in garlic and chilli, than eat a bar of Galaxy.

But here the crab is just one element of the dish. The contrast between the soft, cool tartare and the hot, crunchy tempura crab is wonderful – both fresh flavours igniting on the palate. The wasabi sorbet is a strong component, its green, pungent ooze melting into the squishy sushi rice as I eat my way through the dish. The clean, Asian influence of this dish makes it a perfect starter – incredibly tasty but not over-powering, and leaves me basically salivating in anticipation of the next course.

For the main course I was tempted by the Brittany sea salt crusted, roasted seabass for two (which is carved for you at the table) but my eating compadre wouldn’t play ball, so I go for the slow cooked skrei Arctic cod from The Barents Sea, which comes with joselito chorizo carpaccio and squid a la plancha.

Slow cooked Arctic cod with squid a la plancha

The cod is light and dreamy and falls apart into the creamy saffron sauce, while the chorizo and squid gives the dish a colourful Spanish tone. There are complex flavours at work here – the spice of the sausage carpaccio and the richness of the squid, but it’s a stunningly light and balanced dish.

My new found respect for desserts means that for once I opt for a sweet finishing course of poached pears with liquorice ice cream, chocolate sauce and delicious meringue thins and it’s exactly what I want my pudding to be: devilish and sophisticated. The poached pears remind me of my mum, who is forever poaching stewed fruits in alcohol, and the chocolate sauce is the sort of thing you want to lick off your finger with vigour. And I do.

Poached peaches

All in all then, a very nice lunch. May I suggest you get yourselves down there and have a go at either the half price a la carte, or the business menu, where you can make yourself a little tasting menu of some of Proyart’s dishes for under £20.

Pascal proyart knows fish. You could say it's in his genes. The grandson of a brittany fisherman, he's quite open about the fact he will one day retire back to the region, swap the big smoke for sun and sea, and spend his days out on his boat, rod in hand.   

But in the meantime he can be found in his kitchen at one o one, serving up some of the finest surf and turf on the scene, for the benefit of us lucky londoners. Recently, on a trip to rungis market -link- the chef marvelled at my whelk eating capacity -link blog- so of course I was keen to visit his restauant and show him my other, well-oiled eating skills.

Though a fine dining spot and no mistake, one o one is currently offering fantastic offers off its lunch menu on the website -link- ...