What’s the draw
We’re not in London anymore… Well, we are, right in the heart of it to be precise. But at Aggi Sverrisson’s Michelin-starred restaurant and champagne bar – where a pared-back Scandi aesthetic meets Nordic cooking techniques and refined, French-style service – it certainly doesn’t feel like it.
What to eat
True to its name, Sverrisson and his team’s cooking is all about textural plays. A Norwegian king crab starter pits tender shellfish against the crunch of hazelnut and smoother-than-smooth lemongrass-infused coconut milk. While the organic Icelandic lamb main – served on a smoking ‘boat’ of hot charcoal and moss, no less – unites a gamey cut of saddle and delicate shoulder over sweet and melty calçot onions.
What to drink
You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t indulge in a little wine pairing here. Texture’s extensive list is overseen by head sommelier Cyrielle Mascaro – formerly of Michelin-starred La Tour D’Argent and two-Michelin-starred La Table du Lancaster – and, if you want to try something a little different, she’s on hand to help you put your palate to the test. We tried everything from a flinty Pouilly-Fumé, La Moynerie 2015, with our aforementioned crab to an almost chocolate-rich Bukkuram Sole D’Agosto, a dessert wine from the Italian appelation of Passito di Pantelleria, with our cherry and chocolate pudding. But a real standout was our 2015 Californian chardonnay from the Bogle Estat – starting out with peachy, honeysuckle notes, it transformed into a buttery, oaky and thoroughly sippable proposition next to our chargrilled, textured Anjou pigeon.
Dishes from £18, wine from £8 by the glass; 34 Portman Street W1H 7BY. texture-restaurant.co.uk
