Fay Maschler reviews Clifford's: Just the place to laugh, drink and get full

Name: Fay Maschler reviews Clifford's: Just the place to laugh, drink and get full
Item: Clifford's
Rating: 3
Author: Fay Maschler

1/7

Fay Maschler4 September 2019

Marco Pierre White, whom I continue to admire as the George Best of the kitchen playing field, has been stirring things up again with a clumsy spoon. His recently stated contention is that female chefs are emotional, they take things more personally than their male counterparts and absorb pressure less well. And then, of course, there is the business of the heavy pans.

Judgments such as these are inadmissible these days — get out your Hashtags and your Gladrags, ladies (preferably the Chris Farlowe version, although I am going to see Rod Stewart at the O2 in December) but note that in the same interview given to promote a new series of The Restaurant, women chefs are praised by MPW for their receptive palates, more acute sense of smell, better punctuality, consistency, and egos held over a low flame.

Gender balance in professional cooking is thankfully improving; no longer are most businesses run like the Army Catering Corps. Gemma Ellis, chef at Clifford’s, has come from The Harwood Arms where Sally Abé, married to Matt Abé, head chef at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road and in receipt of his surname, rules the roost.

Clifford’s, a basement wine bar and restaurant in the heart of lawyer land, is named after the 12th century Clifford’s Inn that originally occupied the site. It is my second visit because the first time in a winter month, a vicious icy wind whistling down the stairs, blowing aside the velvet curtain with contempt, rather took the shine off the evening — but I left impressed by the general approach.

This time the temperature is as mellow as the music and conversation level. A new front-of-house, Myles Davies (no trumpet, different spelling), adds considerably to the spirit of conviviality. Three of us are choosing from a relatively short menu that capitalises on not too much intervention into well-sourced ingredients.

Astringent: A cherry-laden Duck Montmorency

Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd

A crispy egg served on a puree of cod’s roe is maybe a cheffy in-joke — crispy egg cooked by Daniel Clifford, chef-patron of two-Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, has starred on the telly. The crunchy coating and molten centre works its magic on pungent fish roe softly let down by mashed potato. We who take violet artichokes, red onion and hazelnuts — an assembly that lacks any lusciousness — and the classic French dish of lamb breast St Menehould that, however fiddly to construct (it is), should not have been fried for so long, are jealous; both regret not going for crab cocktail.

Duck Montmorency (duck with cherries) is mine because it was darling Reg’s favourite dish. He might have liked the sauce to be more sweetly syrupy. I prefer the fruit astringent as it presents here. Roast and confit chicken with new potatoes is a clever conceit.

“Some people like sole all white like perfect dentures,” says my chum Kate Spicer, “But I like it browned.” That is how it is served with a pile of samphire at one end. Duck fat potato cake is a proud accompaniment. Croissant bread and butter pudding is outrageously rich, almost like a kind of drug. Affogato reminds us of what constitutes a sensible and furthermore efficient dessert.

Kate worked with Gary Barlow on his best-selling autobiography A Better Me. She reminds me about his moment standing in for A A Gill reviewing a restaurant. Gary loves to eat out. In his review he recounts that with his wife “we talk, plan, laugh, gossip, drink and get full”. Isn’t that brilliant? That is the point of a meal surely, especially the get full bit. You can do all that at Clifford’s and also have fun with the drinks list, including playing Guess the Mystery Wine. Naming the grape variety and country gets you a glass for free. We fail that test but win pleasure with the choice of Volnay 1er cru, Champans, Côte d’Or 2014.