Restaurant Review
Vetch
29a Hope Street, L1 9BQ
By Will Carr | British| £££ |
Sometimes choice is overrated. Far too often we get stuck in routines that keep us from experiencing the unusual half of the menu. There have been many times I wished a chef would just say, ‘Here! Eat this. Trust me, I’m a chef’, and hand me the most delicious thing imaginable. It’s okay, Vetch understands and is here to offer that very service.
The debut restaurant by Liverpool-born former Great British Menu ‘Champion of Champions’, Dan McGeorge, Vetch offers five courses for £85 or seven courses for £105, with an extra £45 and £65 respectively if you want to add paired drinks to each course.
The conveyor belt began with smoked cod’s roe, a crispy-coated flower of chilled cod. The aebleskiver, gruyere and Wiltshire truffle was next – a battered ball coated with grated cheese. Then Korean tofu, cabbage and seaweed. Each ‘snack’ was as delicate and delicious as the last and set a wonderful tone of decadence that we hoped would last the evening.
The Shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, tasted like warm, fresh brioche and was served with delicious sweetcorn and miso butter. I was impressed with the scallop, turnip and dill, poached and coated in dashi sauce, the tender cuts were incredibly delicate and the flavours complemented the diced turnip. Presented like a blooming flower, the beet, eel and soy was a work of art. The flavour, though cut by creme fraiche, was tangy and demanded attention. It was agreed that the cauliflower Chawanmushi with onion and parmesan was the hit of the evening, however. Hiding beneath a layer of foamed parmesan was a world of buttery flavour in the form of egg custard. The tangy onion mixed well with the cream and the fried florets offered a unique texture.
Chicken Katsu was the most well-presented of all dishes and must be seen to be believed. The chicken wing, breaded and coated with Katsu curry tasted incredible, however, it suffered from the curse of all chicken wings, a lack of meat. The cod loin with sake sauce was the mildest of the courses which was a welcome break from the stronger flavoured dishes. The pak choi was pleasant and the sake sauce added an interesting sweetness to the overall flavour. The beef, aubergine and nasturtium course, a slice of sirloin, beautifully cooked with a marrow and miso glaze, was an inspired finale to the savoury dishes.
Meanwhile, the blueberry liquorice yoghurt was a wonderful surprise. Neither my partner nor I enjoy liquorice but the tart blueberry flavour paired marvellously well and tasted sublime alongside the creamy yoghurt and meringue. The milk chocolate, miso, caramel and rice was a mixed experience. The chocolate and creamed rice, or rice cream as we called it, was superb. However, this dish was hamstrung slightly by tough caramels and an odd tang that tasted like how a speed bump feels.
Vetch isn’t for everyone, it’s not meant to be. The price alone would scare off most people and if you’re looking for dinner it’s not really that either. It’s a crafted evening for an extremely refined taste. Make sure you’re happy with the courses beforehand because you will be experiencing them all. This includes a great deal of fish and if that’s not your thing then you’d be happier elsewhere. It would also be a good idea to cancel any other evening plans as the whole dinner lasted a good three and a half hours.
This is a curated treat and a must for the real gourmet who is set on taking their taste buds for a journey. I would totally recommend it as you’ll taste every penny going into each course… I just hope my landlord doesn’t mind waiting for this month’s rent.
