Dining in a new restaurant operating in a familiar location is always a challenge, as memories of many previous visits come flooding back. Nostalgia has a way of playing tricks on you. I was transported back many years as my mind tried to overlay memories of restaurants, shops, and the daily hassle of parking the car in the street many years ago.
Anyhow, back to the future, or rather, back to last night. The team at Volta do Mar have put their own stamp on the bijou premises at 100 Draycott Avenue, SW3, with their fusion of culinary influences from the Global Portuguese World.
As all you worldly TLE readers know, the Portuguese spread their colonial influence far and wide, and this is reflected in Vota do Mar’s chef patron Isabel Almeida da Silva’s rich familial heritage of Portuguese, Angolan, Cape Verdean, and Goan ancestry. Isabel has based many of her recipes on generations of family recipes passed down to her creating her distinct style of cookery.
Front of house is managed by welcoming and experienced restaurateur Simon Mullins (ex-Salt Yard), with his extensive knowledge of wine, including discoveries from the Canaries and Azores.
My guest and I decided to share dishes from the menu to taste the variations of culinary influences. We started with excellent croquettas, meaty with a satisfying crunch.
Then, Macanese African chicken: who knew such a combination of Portuguese, Chinese, and African spicing and ingredients could be combined in one dish? A satisfying Brazilian fish and tiger prawn stew, with Mozambique green rice as a side, followed for the main course. We washed this down with a Tinto Vulcanico from the Azores.
By the end of the meal, we truly felt we had been on a journey.
Prices are typical for central London, with starters ranging in the teens, and most mains in the twenties, with a good choice of wines by the glass.
So, if you want to go on a focused culinary journey then do try Volta do Mar.
Volta do Mar: 100 Draycott Avenue, London SW3 3AD
For reservations visit www.voltadomar.co.uk/book-table
Tel: +44 0203 0512352