Fig & Olive

Lastnight we had dinner at Fig & Olive on Upper Street, What an absolute gem to find. My meal was absolutely amazing. I had a goats cheese souffle which is probably the best thing I've tasted in years, followed by my main of stuffed chicken breast with a Parma ham. Mmmm, absolute heaven. It was really hard to choose from the menu. It all sounded superb. Will be trying Fig & Olive again sometime soon.
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Simon Davis
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 25, 2011

Well, the F & O has mixed reviews doesnt it. I guess all restaurants can have good and bad nights. I have only eaten there once but as somebody who tends to frequent Michelin-starred restaurants and other very good quality restaurants in the UK, France and Italy (it's my work........) I have to say I was more than impressed. The wine list was brief, but contained a couple of very well-priced gems (both red and white). A 2005 red chassagne montrachet for £30? You would pay closer to £60 in most restaurants offering similar. The bread was extremely fresh, crusty on the outside, very soft but nicely spongey on the inside. My chorizo starter was ungent, a touch unrefined in presentation but tastier than most chorizo tapas I have eaten in Spain - a very, very delicious dish. My steak (ordered rare) was of a decent quality, although I have eaten better. It could have been rarer. It was accompanied by very well-cooked chips, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and a huge helping of garlicky spinach. All in all, I would have wanted more but for the simple fact that I had eaten so much! Dessert was a rich, buttery gooseberry tart - the pastry was found a little wanting (not quite concentrated enough) but overall it was a really good, refreshing balance of sweet and tart. If the marks below seem inconsistent with what I have just said, it is because I am benchmarking this restaurant against the best. Taking into account the cost, there are only a handful of places I would rather eat either in London or for that matter Paris....
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James Bone
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, April 23, 2009