insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 23 - January 2017 | Page 40
LONDON
Laid back Australian charm in a
sophisticated London setting? It can only be
DICKIE FITZ
IT FELT A LITTLE LIKE HEADING INTO THE UNKNOWN AS I VENTURED JUST NORTH OF OXFORD
STREET TO TRENDY FITZROVIA (HENCE THE FITZ) IN THE HEART OF LONDON’S WEST END, AND
I HAVE TO SAY I WAS MORE THAN A LITTLE IMPRESSED AS I OPENED THE SLEEK DOORS TO
DICKIE FITZ, THE FOURTH OFFERING BY LONDON RESTAURATEURS AFFINITY GROUP LOCATED
COMMANDINGLY ON THE CORNER OF NEWMAN AND GOODGE STREETS. BY SAMANTHA READY
I walked into a light,
bright dining room,
beautiful art deco
windows, white walls,
sleek tables with pale
grey bucket seats and
long mustard colour
benches, and a
contemporary bar
with high mustard
stools all set off by the
most captivating
chandelier lighting.
Australian influenced?
Yes. Sophisticated?
Without doubt.
Yet the best bit is that this really is an all-day dining room – perfect, in
fact, for the all-day menu inspired by the fresh flavours and ingredients
of the Pacific, carefully crafted by Sydney-born head chef Matt Robinson.
Relaxed breakfast by the window: check. Working lunches with
colleagues: check. Intimate table for two: check. Perfect cocktail drinking
at the bar: check, check, check.
Taking a pew on a bench at a table for two, my guest was easily tempted
by the cocktail menu, our resulting Dark N Stormy (Bundaberg Red,
ginger beer and Gosling Rum) and She’ll Be Apples (Eucalyptus Finlandia
Vodka, apple juice and lime juice) were an ideal accompaniment to
our menu browsing.
First up my guest opted for the Tempura soft shell crab, nam jim and
coconut and was presented with a great textured dish. The tempura
was melt in the mouth and the delicate coconut was tropical taste bud
heaven. I opted for the truffle macancini – a dish which falls under the
40
‘looks can be deceiving’ title. The
tiny blackened balls arrived and
my taste buds were prepared for,
well frankly, a burnt uninspired
beginning, but in fact they were
a delicious concoction of pasta,
cheese and truffle and were
promptly devoured.
Next up we had evidently been
swayed by the Aussie ability to
grill, opting for the Aussie burger
and the Australian sirloin. My
guest’s burger arrived as a
heaving mound of beef, cheese,
salad and relish in a brioche bun
with a bucket of cris