i like casual places to eat, with simple and fresh flavours and a happy atmosphere. but sometimes i like to try out restaurants where i am surprised with the experience,  the mix of flavours and the textures i would’ve never thought of.

viajante is one of these, it has been on my bucket list for a while, and i finally got to try it out on my last trip to london. plus, it makes me proud, to try out a michelin star restaurant in london, by nuno mendes, a portuguese chef.

we booked for sunday lunch, and since we were on a lower budget, we went for the three course meal. if you add up the different amouse bouche before and the petit fours to end the meal, it wasn’t such a small lunch after all.

there were three amouse bouche – thai explosion (not pictured) – amaranth with sorrel, the tamarind and popcorn made a surprising texture – and potatoes with yeast and lardo, would have never thought of yeast flavour, and it’s good!

bread and butter, a reminder of how good bread can be, with smoked and ham flavoured butter.

the main dishes were warm mackerel with red pepper juices and soaked bread, and turbot with seaweed sofrito and seafood rice broth.

we were then served a sorbet to clean the palate, pickled and raw cucumber with reduced milk sorbet, another amazing surprise.  and dessert was milk in three textures, which i thought was simple, yet perfect to allow for a couple of petit fours to follow.

to end the meal we had a freezing olive oil toffee snap frozen in liquid nitrogen that melted in our mouths (sorry, it was too hard to wait to be pictured), and the chocolate and cepes mushroom truffle.

i specially liked having lunch with a view to the kitchen where our lunch was being prepared in total silence, as if the chef’s work was all synchronized. the service was very friendly, attentive and discreet.

viajante, 3 course meal for lunch – GBP 35 per person

note – i am no food critic, i simply enjoy food and sharing meals with friends.

first photo by conde nast traveler, all other photos by myseastory