Review by Quintessentially at Somerset House

Tom’s Terrace

Monday, July 26th, 2010

When the temperature soars in London, everyone heads outside and I am no exception; the city has some truly beautiful outdoor hideaways to escape to and avoid the fiery heat of the tube and the office. One of my personal favourites is Tom’s Terrace at Somerset House – I fell for its neo-classical charms long ago and its combination of sartorial fashion Mecca, rock concert stage and drive-through cinema makes it the ideal place to while away these long hot London nights.

When I heard that Somerset House had added Michelin starred al fresco dining to their accomplished repertoire, I was there faster than you can say heat wave. Tom Aiken – celebrity chef, entrepreneur and marathon man – has set up shop in the space formerly occupied by the River Terrace Café and turned it into his latest experiment – serving up the great British BBQ with a Michelin twist.

Walking down The Strand hand in hand with my beau, the sight of the river, the cool breeze and the lights of The South Bank conjure up a heady atmosphere of summer romance. We enter Somerset House to find that Aiken has transformed the terrace, covering it with a futuristic white canopy that clashes brilliantly with the classical surroundings. Whisked past the queue of people waiting for a space (always a good sign) our table is to the side of the terrace where we can catch glimpses of the river through the trees and have a perfect view of the action from the open air grill in the middle of the room.

The temperature certainly calls for a drink to start the evening and the wine list does not disappoint; we opt for the 2008 Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc which arrives icy cool and tastes pretty wonderful – a good suggestion indeed. The menu is a combination of Mediterranean rusticality with classic British Summertime and our starters reflect this – a fabulous tartine of sweet red onion and aubergine compote with Osau-Iraty cheese and a peppery rocket salad for moi and a classic Caesar salad served with delicious homemade ficelle bread for my date.

As we wait for out main courses to be flame grilled to perfection, the atmosphere of the evening is enhanced by the soulful sounds of resident DJ Carlo Rossi who is channelling the summer vibe with his sensual Latin and minimal beats, assisted quite splendidly by a live trumpet – an unusual but highly welcome complement to our dining experience.

My beef burger arrives cooked exactly how I like it and the side of chunky big chips with shavings of truffle on top are quite literally deep fried heaven in a bowl. I also manage to steal a bite of my dates open steak sandwich (much to his chagrin) and I can confirm that it too is to-die-for, especially the sour dough bread.

As the sun sinks the light changes from vibrant red to a soft violet and I try to prepare myself for my favourite part of any meal – dessert. My choice was obvious – lemon curd and blackberry pavlova with fresh blueberries and mint. My date opted for a more modest vanilla pannacotta with raspberry jelly. When my dish arrived it was clear that my eyes were bigger than my stomach as our server jokingly placed a steak knife at my side to help me tackle the mountain of meringue I was facing. But it was definitely worth it: the meringue was flavoured with subtle hints of vanilla and the kick of the lemon curd went wonderfully with the sweet tang of the blueberries. As for my dates’ pannacotta, it too looked lovely and I’m told he enjoyed it immensely, but this time I declined to sample his as there was no way I was sharing mine in return.

Summer food, summer sounds and summer love are all on offer at Tom’s Terrace and with plans for a permanent restaurant due to launch soon, perhaps we can turn this flighty seasonal affair into a year long romance.

For more information, please visit http://www.tomskitchen.co.uk/tomsterrace/.