Cornerstone

It was good to be back at one of our favourite restaurants on saturday when we made our Magnificent 7th visit to Cornerstone. I’m also glad to say the standard of food and service that we felt was raised to the next level on our last visit was easily held in place this time as well. Of course on this occasion our visit like everywhere else would be a little bit different than usual but I’m happy to say this felt about as normal as it could be. We arrived on saturday in the trendy and even more popular area now of Hackney Wick and were given the usual friendly welcome. Our hands were sanitised before being shown to our table. Once seated you could see how many covers had been lost in order to keep everyone a safe distance apart. I was pleased to see that the staff were not wearing any face masks which to me personally is great as you can clearly hear when they speak to you and can also see any facial expressions. We then looked at the menu which apart from one were all new dishes so there was only one thing to say to our waitress Elina and that was we would like the whole menu please.

We started with a snack of puff pastry filled with cod roe before we moved onto the Bread & Butter that came along with the first courses of Salmon Pastrami and Treacle Cured Ling Ham. These were closely followed by the amazing oysters. One of which was raw with green tomato & seaweed salsa and the other was pickled with celery , horseradish & dill.

Puff Pastry with Cod Roe

Bread & Butter

Salmon Pastami & Treacle Cured Ling Ham

Oysters

We then moved on to a fantastic Sea Bream Tartare with egg yolk & soy that when you mixed it all together was absolute heaven. I would definitely say you need a slice of bread with this. Next to come was the Cured Gurnard with a roast onion dashi , red chilli & smoked anchovy that really plays with your palate but I’m pleased to say that it was delicious and the flavours really compliment each other. Last in this section was an old favourite and personally a mackerel dish that I love the most. The Mackerel Pate with cider and the fabulous Treacle Bread is devine.

Sea Bream Tartare

Cured Gurnard

Mackerel Pate & Treacle Bread

A little break and a nice chat with our waitress Elina who was a credit to the restaurant and was very friendly throughout our lunch. Also nice to see Francesca again and talk about the new menu as well as how things have been during these tough times. This led us onto the highlight of any visit the Crab Crumpet which this time came topped with cauliflower & old winchester that I’m delighted to say was another stunning creation. We then moved to the John Dory with the famous chicken butter sauce , sweetcorn & leeks. We felt the sauce was lighter and a bit more herbaceous than usual but complimented the fish perfectly. The final fish course of the day was my personal favourite of the day the Hake Kiev with a wild mushroom butter & black truffle hollandaise was an absolute taste sensation.

Crab Crumpet

John Dory

Hake Kiev

Now it was time for one of my favourite pastry chefs Kelly to takeover which started with a fabulous Cheese Course of Baron Bigod , carrot & walnut cake & golden raisin chutney which I was having the pleasure of accompanying with an excellent Old Fashioned cocktail.

Cheese Course

Old Fashioned

Now onto the desserts starting with a Creme Caramel with blackberry jam & poached pear. Then we enjoyed the Jivaro Chocolate Mousse Cake with orange jelly & Milk Ice Cream and finally the Blackcurrant Sorbet with fig leaf oil & honey liqueur. All these desserts were absolutely delicious which I have to say is personally no surprise to me as I always enjoy Kelly’s wonderful dessert creations.

Creme Caramel

Jivara Chocolate Mousse Cake

Blackcurrant Sorbet

We were also in for a little surprise when Kelly sent over a slice of Plum Tart with yoghurt ice cream. This is something new their trying at weekends. Basically she will make a different tart each weekend so the next time you visit don’t forget to ask for a slice and honestly it was amazing.

Tart of the Weekend a Plum Tart with Yoghurt Ice Cream

We finished with coffee and a petit four to bring to an end another fantastic visit to Cornerstone and although Tom was otherwise engaged today he would be very pleased with the overall performance of his team. The food was excellent and matched by fabulous desserts. The service was also very friendly and professional once again especially from Francesca & Elina. This really is a must visit so put it at the top of your dining list. Definitely looking forward to my next visit already.

Thank You all for an amazing lunch and see you all again soon

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