“Were in the south Pacific and it sure feels good”( Neil Finn)……Well not exactly,as you may of noticed I was in Switzerland for the first half of my vacation and I made a pit stop over in Britain to London via Wales for a bread meeting with Dan Lepard and other home bakers.
My first and foremost thought on arriving to London was to stop by The Providores at Marleyborne High street to visit Peter Gordon and try his food once and for all!
So finally dropping my bags I consulted my Eat in London book and sort of figured my way through the streets of the town eventually landing at the front doorstep and inquiring about the man himself. It just happened that after making a reservation for later in the evening  Peter was walking just down the street and I introduced myself. He told me he had been to a food show and had been up since 4 am in the morning so he hoped to see me later that evening and would instruct his staff that I was coming for dinner.
Camera in hand I was escorted to the dining room upstairs where Peter sat at my table and asked what I wanted, I asked him to decide and he suggested a small degustation with some New Zealand wines to accompany my meal. At his mercy and not feeling worthy at all, Peter excused himself to go home for some rest but assured me he would leave me in the hands of his staff and his chef. He offered to pay for the meal and I would take care of my wine bill, a fair and courteous exchange I concurred!( Sneaky Peter, he gave me the whole meal for free, what a perk!)
The window seat was a nice way for me to take in the London view and soak in the grey wet sky, this has been a dreary summer all over Europe, what is it like in New York I wonder? A basket of bread was offered, I chose the morrocan spiced roll that was speckled and sat impatiently waiting the first course!

My Providores Menu

Crispy tofu and pomegranate roast grape salad
with ricotta, yuzu pickled bean sprouts and
soy-toasted pumpkin seeds.

Tataki of line caught Yellowfin tuna on jicama,
green mango and fresh coconut salad
with sweet nori puree, green peppercorn
lime dressing and crispy buckwheat.

Coconut, black cardamom, crab and galangal laksa
with lime leaf marinated baby octopus,
a fried quails egg, a grilled prawn, green
tea noodles, crispy shallots and coriander.

Cassava quinoa crisps with aubergine and
moromi miso salad, asparagus, wild mushroom,
black bean and cherry tomato ragout,
sumac labne and ginger rosemary dressing.

Roast Gressingham duck breast on new potato, green
bean, shallot and shiitake salad with a crispy spiced
foie gras pastilla and pomegranate cumin dressing.

As if not already overwhelmed by Peter’s wonderful invitation, I took a moment to absorb my wine and soak up the atmosphere in the low
key and yet warm room I saw my server coming with a glass of wine and
quickly took note of its bouquet and all those other wine sort of
terms. Losing sight I was  forgetting to write down the name of each wine, I couldn’t wait to see the
next plate of food and snapped away! So I got serious and tasted each wine and dish while studying the menu to keep me on track with the ingredients. it seemed hopeless though, I am a lazy reviewer and just soaked up all the goodness on my plates. As each course was brought to me I started to focus and kept mental track of what it was I was going on with my palate! Peter’s wonderful staff  took care of me but didn’t smother me like in some other places, later as the dining room was filling up and I lazily finished my macchiato,  I  felt as if my tongue had been literally bombarded with subtle but intense flavors that were lingering as I walked back through the wet streets of London. Thank you Peter, your a gentleman!

Facts
Location:  109 Marylebone High Street,  London, U.K. W1U 4RX
Telephone: (+44) 020 7935 6175
Fax: (+44) 020 7935 6877
Nearest Tubes: Baker Street, Bond Street, Regents Park
Smoking not permitted
Bookings are taken

Hours

Monday – Friday
12:00pm – 2:45pm

6:00pm -10:30pm
Saturday Brunch
12:00pm – 2:45pm
Dinner
6:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunday Brunch
12:00pm – 2:45pm
Dinner
6:00pm – 10:00pm

Providores