Open Tue–Sat 11am–10pm; Sun 11am–5pm
The best evenings begin with a drama, I find. Last Saturday evening, the vintage and well-loved cinema, The Electric, suffered a fire. Having survived two World Wars and 100 years of wear and tear, an electrical fault caused it to go up in flames. Two hundred people were tipped out onto Portobello Road, along with five fire engines, scores of firemen and the obligatory rubberneckers.
As I arrived at the scene, a policeman kindly informed me that I needed to stand back. But I had a review booked further up the road and, quite frankly, nothing stands in the way of me and my food. Needless to say, I made it and, thank goodness, it was well worth the effort.
The duo behind Goode & Wright are Finlay Logan, a Scottish chef and Jimmy Tardy, a French restaurant manager and, as a team, they are passionate about their typically French bistro cuisine, with a local British twist.
I hadn’t chosen my date for the evening; she had chosen me. Let’s just call her Girlfriend-in-need (of a good time). We all have those moments when we are desperately in need of the fun times – I’m just flattered that she picked me as her fairy godmother.
Jimmy greeted us as warmly as long-lost friends, with overwhelming enthusiasm – but in a good way. He left us to make our menu choices, but then couldn’t help but pop back to our table to tell us more about the different options. One of their signature dishes is duck egg in a basket, topped with chorizo and truffle honey (£7.50). It was sweet, rich and utterly delicious. Layered on top of a thick slice of brioche, I’d quite literally swim the Channel for this dish!
Girlfriend-in-need drank Chardonnay (reserve St Jacques 2010 £18.50) for me as I had the tank parked outside, having had a week of alcohol over-dose. For my main course, I had the half roast chicken, frites and salad (£14.50). The portion was huge and, after the very rich starter, I hardly dented it. What I did eat, though, was really, unusually good.
We force-fed ourselves the shared lemon posset Eton mess (£5.50) for desert. Though it was light and fluffy on top, we agreed the cream was a little thick nearer the bottom of the dish.
All in all, Goode & Wright is a winner and a welcome addition to Portobello Road. Well-priced, non-complicated, mid-Channel cuisine, served with an energetic and enthusiastic attitude. Pas mal, non?
