38 � squaremeal.co.uk

PHARMACY 2

Newport Street Gallery, Newport Street, SE11 6AJ

020 3141 9333 £££

It's like a chemically-induced flashback to the late 1990s:

Damien Hirst has resurrected his long-closed Notting Hill

restaurant Pharmacy, opening it in Vauxhall and coming

into partnership with Mark Hix - whose lusty, ingredientsled

influence on the modern British menu is apparent.

You'll find the new dining room within Hirst's Newport

Street Gallery, tucked down an anonymous Vauxhall

road, facing the train line from Waterloo. Its bright, crisp

interior is stuffed with Hirst's work, from the butterfly

Kaleidoscope paintings to the Medicine Cabinets. Bar stools

have been transformed into giant tablets; colourful pills

are embroidered onto bright blue banquettes.

On our midday visit, the venue was half-full with ladieswho-lunch

and hip young art-lovers. Staff were congenial,

but service was leisurely - we waited ages for main courses.

Hix's menu highlights top-quality raw materials, simply

served: Glenarm Estate beef; Hix-cure smoked salmon;

and snacks including delectable cuttlefish croquettes with

inky-black centres, in a pool of wild-garlic mayonnaise.

A long list of starters is as bright and airy as the venue

itself. �e soft white polenta with Braddock White duck

egg and shaved Norcia truffles was a silky, rich bowlful;

our friendly waitress shaved the mound of black truffle at

the table. It was earthy, inviting, incredibly moreish. Hix's

classic 'heaven and earth' starter also appears, comprising

softly spiced black pudding atop a contrasting pile of sweet

mashed apple and potato. �e mains focus on marine life;

our smoked haddock with poached egg and colcannon was

comforting, if over-salted. Mini puddings (reasonable at

£4) are designed to share; don't miss the refreshing poached

Yorkshire rhubarb with saffron ice cream.

Add the well-edited wine choice and concise cocktail

list, and Pharmacy 2 might well be a prescription for

success - if it overcomes the isolated location.

NEW OPENINGS

MUST ORDER Soft white polenta with duck egg and tru�es

FRENCHIE

16 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8QH

020 7836 4422 £££

Gregory Marchand is in demand. We ate at his Paris wine bar (there's

a six-month wait for the much-lauded bistro) and were seduced by

his assured cooking. So we were chuffed to discover he was opening a

London outpost with the same name. In fact Frenchie is a nickname.

As well as training at the Savoy Grill, Marchand worked with Jamie

Oliver at Fifteen, who coined the moniker for this Nantes-born chef.

Set designer Emilie Bonaventure's stylish interiors combine city

chic with a hipster vibe. It's polished but laid-back - much like the

welcoming service. �ere's no six-month wait for tables either: the

ground-floor dining room features 18 bar seats for walk-ins, while

the basement with its open kitchen accommodates larger groups.

�e fixed-price lunch menu (£22/28 for two/three courses) offers

three options for each course, but dinner choices are more extensive,

with plates designed for sharing. Deceptively simple menu listings

translate into artful dishes, where every ingredient plays its part.

Silky textured hot-smoked trout is backed by rustic Brussel

tops and a scattering of micro-herbs. Al dente pappardelle ribbons

are wrapped in a meaty Elwy Valley lamb sauce, given depth by

Kalamata olives and Espelette pepper. Juicy chicken sits in a pool of

rich jus, with a brilliant dot of Meyer lemon purée adding citrus zing.

To finish, bitter-sweet chocolate tart was topped with flakes of

Maldon sea salt and accompanied by lusciously smooth bacon ice

cream for a thrilling combo of sweet and savoury.

�e sharing concept works for two; with more you may feel shortchanged.

However, that's our only gripe. When Frenchie launched

Marchand said: "I wanted to create a lively, yet relaxed place where

you want to return again and again." We'd say he's succeeded.

This list from head sommelier

Bastien Ferreri is one for

thrill-seekers. Take a punt

on the orange wine, perhaps, or

bottles from interesting boutique

producers. It's a quirky selection but

has enough safe choices to please

the traditionalists too. BEST BUY Ciu

Ciu Bacchus 2014, Marche, Italy, £28.

MUST ORDER Lamb pappardelle

WINE

LIST