insideKENT Magazine Issue 48 - March 2016 | Page 47

FOOD+DRINK

innovation and intrigue at

AQUA NUEVA
Located on the 5th floor of a former department store, Aqua Nueva, London’s third Aqua restaurant
offering, underwent a thorough redesign just last summer with Robert Angell Design International
creating a destination of two halves: a social, sleek drinking space and a seductive dining room full
of dark wood, copper, leather and intricate tiles – a clear nod to traditional Spanish heritage and
culture but with a cutting-edge London loft feel. BY SAMANTHA G
The concept at Aqua is about small plate dining;
this is social food but as a fine dining concept
delivered in a carefully constructed menu by head
chef Alberto Hernandez whose aim is to showcase
seasonal produce, classic technique and
contemporary flair. The menu is simply structured
into four parts: classic, vegetable, fish and meat,
allowing you and your dining companions to
select a complementary yet eclectic mix of dishes
that are perfect for sharing. Having worked our
way through the cheesy, creamy oozing-middle
croquettes with delicate chunks of Iberian Ham,
we were ready to sample the rest of our chosen
dishes.
Now this is classic Spanish dining, not a structured
3-course system. Dishes appear almost randomly
but never sporadically to the table and just as
the last morsel of one dish is devoured another
arrives. Go with it – it allows you to enjoy each
dish on its own merit rather than tasting everything
at once, and to relax and enjoy eating as an
experience in its own right.
And so with this in mind my guest and I set about
our first dish, the cheese board (we know right?!)
with a variety of classic Spanish cheeses, a soft
delicate cheese, a deep rippled blue from the
North of Spain and my personal favourite, a rich

Manchengo, served with a sweet chutney and
crisp crackers. Then onto our next choice, the
classic patatas bravas. Forget every previous
incarnation, this dish was a slate piled with thickcut skin-on wedges of potato; soft, hot and fluffy
on the inside, crisp on the outside with a shot of
spicy tomato sauce to the side. As quickly as it
had arrived we had devoured it and were tempted
to ask for more until distracted by our next dish:
vieiras con txangurro. The large, juicy hand-dived
scallops were served perfectly seared with a
delicate San Sebastian crab gratin, and were
simply divine.
We were carefully sharing our way through each
dish, washed down nicely with a bottle of Marques
de Murrieta Reserva 2010 Rioja until our next
dishes were presented together: the Iberian pork
choice of my guest and the oxtail, my pick; and
suddenly I didn’t want to share quite so much
anymore! Whilst the pork was delightful, served
lean and slightly pink with green beans and a
chickpea purée, my oxtail was a triumph! The
24-hour marinated oxtail was a slice of heaven
as the rich glazed beef dissolved in the mouth
and then exploded with sweetness from the
pumpkin purée with hints of mango, passionfruit
and orange. If I could have licked the plate, I
would have!

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And so with one final sharing opportunity we
opted for dessert, picking a traditional Spanish
favourite of bread with olive oil and chocolate
and the textures of lemon. The bread dish was
a bitter, savory surprise, enjoyed by my breadloving companion whilst the lemon dish came
with pineapple ravioli, pumpkin bread with a
cardamom glaze and lemon ice cream, and
served as a great palate refresher.
Each little dish perfectly, yet simply presented,
almost belies the creativity and ingenuity that
goes into making it, but time and time and dish
and dish again we were impressed and intrigued
by the flavours on offer and the setting in which
we enjoyed them.
With an aim to harness traditional Spanish heritage
but with a clear nod to contemporary culture,
this little gem, with its hidden rooftop terraces
looking out over our iconic Capital, truly delivers
on its aim to provide quality fare in a sleek setting.

Aqua Nueva
020 7478 0540
www.aquanueva.co. Z\]X[ۙۂ