London 2008 - Tom Aikens

Tom Aikens probably hates me. No, definitely. It turns out that last night I was that obnoxious guy who reserved the private room for a small group (less than "allowed") and then proceeds to actually drink the aperitifs, wine pairings, and dessert wines that fold into the "Classic Menu", so as to become very drunk and further boisterous. Luckily, the private room reservation allowed them to sequester me in the back of the venue with no contact with the more upstanding patrons.

I have to say, as both a testament and a critique (for its own sake), that the wine pairings menu was more robust than any I have seen. At El Bulli, Alinea, WD-40, Moto, etc they typically pour a 1/3 to 1/2 portion of wine per course. At Tom Aikens, the *very* attentive servers probably tipped the bottle closer to a full glass + . . . which pleased me, but as we approached dessert, we were still trying to catch ourselves up to all of the fine wines that were served.

As you can tell, the night didn't end up quite as civilized as expected, but that can't erase the memory of the inventive and strongly-flavored dishes that Tom Aikens (owner and chef) pumped out of the kitchen. Despite the language barriers (I think they hire exclusively French service staff), the dishes were on the point - stark, strong reflections of the concept that was articulated on the menu. I also must complement the strength of the service staff not only on describing and delivering the menu, but also accommodating the less experienced / less adventurous diners at the table. Despite the blasphemy of changing the "Tom Aikens Classic" menu, with fluid ease the servers helped our friends navigate away from Foie Gras and Pig's Head dishes.

As a side note, the Pig's Head dish was actually not a pig's head. This was quite a surprise to me, but it was more of a "Tour de Pig"; excellent trotters stuffed with marrow, perfectly flavored and textured pig's cheek, fried pig's ear and seared pig's belly.

The fish dishes were elegant but overpowering in flavor - stay for the sauce but don't mistake it for healthy. The more savory dishes were true to form and paired well with the heavier wines that came toward the end of the progression. As my friend AC will say, the "pop rocks" lollipop dessert thrilled (enough for a repeat).

Definitely a place to return; two Michelin stars well-deserved, and kudos for allowing a group of Yanks to go wild on a Friday night, with impeccable service to cover our faux pas . . .I need to put a special note out to the server who *attempted* to bring in the cheese course to this inebriated ship of fools; thanks for the discretion.