REVIEW: MATER1A

13 hours ago

3 min read

Victor Garvey’s New 16-Seat Tasting Menu Restaurant is London’s Missing Ingredient

I wanted an extraordinary birthday meal, and there are not enough superlatives in the world to describe what we experienced at Victor Garvey’s 16-seat dining room in Notting Hill.

We almost walk past the entrance - there is no written signage, but like Squid Games contestants, we recognise the intriguing alchemical symbols above the door, heralding the culinary sorcery we will soon experience.

It serves a Japanese-inspired tasting menu, and its raw, seasonal ingredients are displayed like art works on softly lit shelves at the entrance - MATER1A is a love letter to ingredients and its name is based on the Latin phrase "materia prima" meaning "raw material.”

We’re led downstairs to a cosy and luxurious room, softly lit by rattan lights and backlit, veined marble walls embedded in moody wooden panelling.

Wax sealed envelopes await us at our table, where we are seated with glasses of Champagne beneath Victor Garvey’s Michelin statue - his SOLA restaurant next door is Europe’s first Californian restaurant to earn a Michelin star, and MATER1A will undoubtedly follow suit.

Then the real adventure begins, as the first of our 12 courses arrives.

It’s a refreshing, late season tomato soup - made when they are at their high-sugar, seasonal peak - with translucent, gelatinous noodles, in an umami rich Sakura miso broth.

Next comes a real showstopper - October in five bites. It’s a tray laden with stunningly plated, technically earth-shattering dishes, heavily inspired by the Japanese techniques Garvey fell in love with, while living in Tokyo.

Adorned with edible flowers and foam, they include a heavenly poached Lindisfarne oyster with sherry and Yuzu Kosho butter topped with toasted walnuts; the perfect crunch and zing of the salmon, wasabi and shallots dish; and an ingenious, bite-sized take on a smoky, pumpkin pie, topped with glittering caviar.

They scour the world to find the best - and most mind-bogglingly difficult to source - ingredients, and these are the stars of the show, and conversations of every diner in this room.

Next comes the premium Balfegó bluefin tuna, served as two dishes - one is a silky, raw tuna with rich and bright leeks, avocado and kinkako. The other appears (quite rightly) on a plinth, cooked and encased in crispy, buttery pastry.

Golden milk bread slices arrive steaming, for us to top with the wonderfully buttery wedges of Andignac duck liver, with cranberry to cut through its velvety richness. By this point, we are making noises better suited to an X-rated film shoot.

The next course is high theatre, flavour and creativity.

A stunning ginger dashi is prepared at our table, and another table is wheeled beside us, where two delicate Scottish langoustines are cooked over individual coals in dramatic flames.

A plate of artfully arranged quail eggs, wild mushroom and vegetables are arranged, so the leaves spin, like pinwheels when the dashi is poured over them.

As a final flourish, the bowl has a spout, welcoming us to neatly drink the remaining dashi at the end.

Next, comes the Cioppino, their take on the San Francisco fisherman's stew, with Cornish turbot, saffron and tender razor clams.

Our penultimate course is a blood red dish of sensational Fallow Deer Venison - lean, sweet and soft, and perfectly paired with black truffle and sticky blackberry.

Rich and jammy Solliès figs form the heart of our dessert, paired with the deep umami and floral acidity of the mizo and yuzu, and anchored by the creamy nuttiness of white sesame.

Our wine pairings are cleverly curated by Head Sommelier Christian Vega de Arruda, from a wine list showcasing small producers from Spain, France and America. And they close with a fabulous dessert wine, which we sip slowly, not wanting the experience to end.

MATER1A opened earlier this year, and is one of the most extraordinary and unforgettable tasting menus we have experienced.

It has our heart and every other organ, and Victor is welcome to use them all as ingredients.