6 months ago
Sea Garden has a tasting menu running until the 26th. We tasted it and- cancel your plans- because we think you should too.
Sea Garden is one of our favourite spots to visit. It’s a relaxed vibe but the food is elevated. It’s some of the best seafood that you’ll find in Tooting and though the quality of what you’re getting reflects a central London restaurant the prices really don’t. So when we heard about their tasting menu we, obviously, had to book in. They’re showcasing their brand new dishes on this 4 course menu so you’ll get a good sense of what’s to come at Sea Garden in the next few months. You’ll get a starter, 2 small plates, 1 large plate, a side and a dessert to share between a pair and the whole thing costs just £37pp or add on the drinks pairing for £45pp. You’ll be hard pressed to find such a generous menu for that price within the M25. And if you do, let us know.
To start- in the classiest way- we were served a glass of Italian Processo with our salty, slightly spicy Cornish oysters. Even if you don’t love an oyster we beg you to give these a try. They are some of the best you can get and we think could convince any oyster skeptic. Then there was the fish platter which was ladened with a zesty and fresh tuna tartare which was lifted by some sweetness from the pomegranate seeds. A creamy gin cured smoked salmon and an octopus pico de gallo salad made for a lovely trio. We had a French Côtes de Provence rosé which went perfectly with the fish. It was silky smooth and sat lightly on our stomachs which was exactly what we were after pre-dinner.
Our small plates was the creamy salmon arancini which was served with a curry sauce mayo, which we imagine would be the result of a fling between your chip shop and The Ritz. Honestly, we weren’t expecting the flavours to work as well as they did, especially with a glass of the Waterford sauvignon from South Africa. But they really did. The scallop gratin managed to be cheesy and light at the same time and the crisp crumb added a bite of texture.
The large plate was our favourite of the night. A lobster tail in a creamy garlic sauce that made us order some extra bread to soak it all up. There were some mussels, prawns and chorizo in the volute which added a little bit of saltiness which cut through the buttery richness of the rest of the dish- alongside a sharp, vanilla essence-d Chardonnay to drink, it managed to be moreish rather than ‘too much’ very, very well. Beef dripping chunky chips were our side of choice and, ok, we’ll admit it: we had to order more of the curry mayo because it was that darn good. Dunking the chips into it felt both obscene and… exactly what we had to do.
Finishing up was a sticky toffee pudding. Unlike many STPs we’ve had this one was moist, light and had a yummy crunchy brown sugar topping and was made even more beautiful with edible flowers and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. An Argentinian Malbec really rounded off the whole meal and we left full, content and a little merry…
This corker of a tasting menu on until Thursday (26th) so make the most of it whilst you can. And make the most of the ice sculpture that you can do shots out of too. Obviously.
