acciuga with zomato

16 December 2014

If you've read my previous write-ups about the Zomato events that I'm lucky enough to attend (Pacata, Pont St.), you'll know that they are great fun and very delicious. This was no exception!

We gathered at the Italian restaurant Acciuga on Kensington High Street, somewhere I'd actually passed more than a few times but never noticed. The word Acciuga means anchovy in Italian, a staple ingredient in Liguria, where the head chef Guglielmo Amulfo hails from. I know that anchovies can be a love/hate thing, but I for one am a fan of them. 

We started downstairs for some nibbles and cocktails - what they call Madness of Gold, made with cognac, grape marmalade and basil. It was unusual, potent and surprisingly delicious. The drinks were accompanied by focaccia (loved it), and a couple of other fried snacks that got eaten up very quickly.








After which we were hustled into the kitchen, to watch the head chef at work on their signature dish, the poached egg with black truffle. You're thinking, "They made you watch him poach an egg? What a snoozefest." - but no! This was no ordinary poaching. He whisked the whites into a meringue, placed the yolks in the meringue nests, topped them with black truffle, and put them in the oven for 4 minutes exactly. The chefs at Acciuga import the eggs directly from Italy, where the standard for checking and passing eggs is of the highest level, ensuring them to be as fresh as possible (proven by their bright orange yolks).

It's always fascinating to go behind the scenes at restaurants - it's easy to forget about where the work really happens, when you're sitting comfortably in the smart, calm dining room. 









We were all pretty hungry by this point, so were more than happy to take our seats and get eating! We had chosen our courses prior to the event - I had picked the fried anchovies for starter, the Piedmontese ravioli for main, and the pistachio and raspberry millefeuille for dessert.

It seemed like a popular combo - quite a few of my neighbours had chosen the same dishes. The starter was right up my street, the fish was fresh and the tomato sauce was so flavourful and they worked together beautifully. The main was also delicious, but I definitely could have done with a few more raviolis! The portion seemed quite small for a main, but the taste was just what I expected and wanted. The dessert was a strange one - as pictured, it clearly didn't look like a traditional millefeuille, but the concept was there with the pastry flakes and cream. The pistachio flavour was excellent, but none of us could detect the raspberry - perhaps they nixed it? It was a little confusing, but I quite enjoyed it for what it was.














As always, I had a lovely evening chatting with blogging buddies and fellow foodies (wow, I won at alliteration right there), and it was great to meet some new faces too. Thank you to the team at Acciuga for welcoming us, and to Zomato for yet another wonderful event. I am so impressed with their new app which I'm sure I'll mention again soon - I genuinely use it when I'm out and about and stuck for ideas. 

You can follow my reviews on Zomato if you'd like to, and let me know if you're a user so I can stalk your reviews too!



7 comments:

  1. Great review and photos! I'll have to check out the Zomato app - sounds useful! That poached egg looks amazing! Did you get to try it? The rest of the food looks good too, although the dessert does sound a little bizarre! xx

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  2. Ahhh... I couldn't make this one cos I was away! Sad not to see you! I also love going behind the scenes of the kitchen and I really enjoyed it at Pont Street. The food looks good - if a little meagre - I've heard mixed things about this place but I've invited in so I'll see soon :)
    Lots of love,
    Angie
    SilverSpoon London

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  3. Just checked out your profile on Zomato and checked out their main site and I love their approach in personalizing food reviews! Do you know if Zomato has plans to branch out into US territory?

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  4. I love Zomato!!! its a shame the app doesnt exist in all the european cities so far. Its a shame that I haven't managed to attend any of the lovely events, as I was away from London. Love your pictures

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  5. Wahhh so nice to be part of this happening c:
    This poached egg sounds nothing a like the ones I make
    at home! Xx

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  6. Oh my goshhhh... so much deliciousness!

    <3 Kelsea | Kels Shark

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  7. That guy in the third photo down has incredible hair haha. And this sounds like such a fun time! I would love to see chefs at work like that...even if they're "just" poaching eggs. And of course the dishes look amazing!

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