Super talented chef Ollie Hansford, formerly of Stokehouse Q in Southbank, combined his redundancy with that of two of his workmates in Aleks Balodis and Stephen Overty, and they opened an unassuming pasta place in Teneriffe. The starched white table cloths and extensive wine store of their past are replaced by a very cute, pastel coloured, minimal fuss venue. But rest assured, this is no suburban hack
I want to start at the wine list - a limited number of 12 options and some cocktails. A bloody clever choice so the venue is not holding a truck load of wine, and allows them to be far more agile in the way they choose and select what you might enjoy - think changing menus, changing seasons and the availability of small batch and limited releases. It's very smart.
Hansford always had a clever eye and an excited palate. You'll find a small selection of 6-7 starters, and given how quickly the menu changes, we might suggest you see what's on offer for your visit rather than considering what we enjoyed. For us, we started with some fried olives and black garlic mayo - salty and ever so delicious, with an almost but not quite sweetness from the black garlic. Hansford also loves the use of local seafood where he can, so expect to find a lobster spaghetti, local scallops or prawns, oysters, kingfish and more, like tropical crayfish with pumpkin seed pesto, Ora king salmon and pickled rhubarb crostini. The food is exceptional, fresh, and honours both tradition and contemporary dining. Far from Nonna's spaghetti, but superbly done
This trio have nailed the idea - their intention is very clear and the pastel venue shows little fussing from its previous life as a Cuban bar, excepting the enormous Fidel Castro mural, now gone. Overty has nailed a short but very on trend cocktail collection and a few cool beers, while Balodis keeps wine choices to a sensible few whites, reds and a rose, with a sparkling and something to challenge for good measure. Well played.
Service is five star - they didn't miss a beat and in this era of a skill shortage and a lack of staff, they've created a good team. There are a handful of indoor seats with the rest outside in the old London Woolstore building, it's well worth a visit to this groovy 50 seater. Oh and if you can't get a table, take away one of their pre packaged offerings of which there are four, also available in GF options.
Images supplied @dextakesphotos
Siffredi's is at 36 Vernon Terrace, Teneriffe
Open Tues - Thurs from 5pm, Fr & Sat 12 noon - late and Sunday lunch from noon - 2.30