Between the characterful setting of Pier Nine at Zanzibar and the delicious, unique combinations of…read morewell presented food it feels alien to not recommend dining there.
I attended with three others for a Sunday dinner, which is a set menu with a choice of six or seven dishes per course, at the reasonable price of £14 to £37; dependent on the number of courses and dishes selected.
Starting with a cocktail selected from a slightly unorthodox and restrictive menu (martinis will always be served a la James Bond, without asking), I opted for the Shady Grove Cooler; gin and ginger beer, which had a distinct and pleasant crispness. Sadly the wine menu as a whole could have benefitted from being replaced, as it was sticky and dogeared. On a more personal note, the descriptions of the wine were written in an overfamiliar tone, in the style of an innocent smoothie bottle. The description of Laurent Chardigny [sic] Pinor Noir as "like a nun on a tightrope" was particularly grating.
For my first course I ordered gazpacho, served with a generously sized bunch of grapes stirred in. Despite this choice, it proved to be a refreshing flavour, pairing perfectly with the almond and watercress garnish.
Once I had finished this, I encountered the first of my issues with Pier Nine; the wait for my main course to be served. Whilst I understand that a busy restaurant may lead to delays in service, when our orders were placed there was only one other group of four in the restaurant. Of course, having dishes arrive in rapid succession is undesirable, but I'm thankful that I was accompanied by skilled conversationalists.
After a thirty minute wait, my main course arrived. Once here, the spinach and caramelised onion strudel - closer in presentation to being a filo pastry fajita - was delicious, and served with a sweet Greek salad, the feta providing much needed salt flavours whilst tomato and cucumber kept the dish moist.
My companions however, were not all as lucky. Both the lamb tagine and roast poussin were served on a wooden paddle, but as this was impractical for the actual eating of these dishes, a separate plate was provided. In the case of the poussin, the dish as served was served dry, with no gravy provided until requested. I fear this points to awareness of how the dishes will be eaten lacking somewhat.
My dessert, a frozen vanilla parfait with strawberry compote and stem ginger shortbread was exceptional. It is, sadly, rare that vanilla is able to be a standout flavour, and always welcome when it manages to be something more than shorthand for neutrality. The shortbread was crisp, embedded with wonderfully chewy stem ginger. The strawberry compote was accompanied by fresh, succulent strawberries and provided the perfect mid-note to the chord. Sadly it was also served alongside a 25 minute wait.
Finally we were able to select from six locally sourced cheeses; including unpasteurised, goat, and sheep's milk cheeses. These were served with "artisan" crackers, and membrillo; very beneficial to some of the selection. The highlight was the beautifully mild Molcomb blue, combining the mature tart of blue cheese with a beautiful creaminess. I would also recommend the Winterdale Shaw - a clean-tasting hard cheese and the Flower Marie - a sheep's milk cheese which bucked expectations by tasting of something other than lanolin.
The environment is interesting, decorated with a variety of coastal themed shabby-chic dressings, and hefty raw wood tables. Combined with the chandeliers and the soundtrack of royalty-free chillout classics gives an atmosphere which is as unfocused as the menu. A good example of the style-over substance nature of this restaurant is the serving of salt and pepper in Chinese soup spoons, which looks beautiful but is also prone to constant spillages.
Whilst I enjoyed my meal here, I feel that the price and the erratic nature of service detracted from my experience enough to lead me to hold from advising booking a table here. I regret this, because my experience was very pleasant for the most part, but marred by minor errors.
