The Observer
Jay Rayner enjoyed himself at a new “grills and frites” operation in Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court, from the Brittany-born brothers behind the bistro Blanchette. Unlike other newish ‘live fire’ restaurants (Lita, Ibai, or Tomos Parry’s Brat and Mountain) this one is not dependent on hugely expensive raw ingredients which push the bill into the stratosphere – which is why “we should celebrated the arrival of Goldies”.
It is named after its signature golden ‘pommes frites’ (hence no possessive apostrophe), which are served with four sauces. While Jay admired the decision to offer them fried in both animal and non-animal fats, “it seems like a lot of trouble for not a vast advantage”.
Leaving the chips aside, Jay was impressed by “flame and smoke used less to prove authentic caveman credentials and more just because it makes things taste nice.” A slab of aged sirloin comes in at £22 and half a spiced and blackened chicken with smoked yoghurt at a reasonable £15. The good-value hits continued: fat prawns skewered with hunks of taut-skinned chorizo and grilled until smoky, so that their various bodily juices combine”; beef short-ribs tender enough to be carved with a spoon; rustic ground-pork sausage filled with boudin noir in a sticky, sweet-sour apple cider sauce.
All in all, Jay reckoned, “as propositions go, it’s not a bad one”.
Jay Rayner - 2024-09-22
