You can get 3 delicious courses for £16.95...... In these straitened times, I could really leave it at that. However, Tom Ilic is located in a rather unlovely part of the unlovely Queenstown road on a site where two restaurants (that I know of) have failed in quick succession. The serbian chef, formerly of Addendum, works hard with offal and cheaper cuts to make it an affordable meal, however there is plenty there for the more squeamish to enjoy too. I have now been there several times and other than some messy puddings, have revelled in every dish. On my last visit, I was accompanied by two friends. In the interests of anonymity, I will call them Poodlefeatures and Piles. The place itself is relatively spartan. There is no table linen and the chairs are, for want of a better word, character building. However, the tables are far enough apart so that other diners don’t have to hear your every word, yet close enough so that you don’t feel lonely.
On to the food and the star of the show for me was almost certainly the Braised Pig’s Cheeks and Chorizo, set in a beautiful garlicky mash and garnished with a crisp strip of pork crackling (£6.95). This was wisely selected by poodlefeatures who chose/inhaled a bottle of 2007 Farina, Tinta de Toro to accompany. For main courses, Piles and Poodlefeatures both ate (and were reluctant to share) the Fillet of Kettle beef which came with horseradish souffle (as good as it sounds) and a sticky roasted bone marrow. The presentation was unfussy. The beef, though not necessarily the most tender piece of fillet on sale in London, was reasonably tasty and perfectly cooked. But it is the rest of the plate that make this dish. The mouthfuls of spring vegetables, horseradish souffle, bone marrow, beef and beef jus work beautifully….Suffering a little at the time from trapped wind/near fatal indigestion, I feared the consequences of more red meat for myself, so plumped instead for the Baked Fillet of Cod, Chorizo, Salt Cold & Crayfish Fishcake, which was not the beef, but was well cooked and nicely seasoned nonetheless. I have eaten the Trio of Lamb before and would recommend it.For pudding, I should have followed Poodlefeatures and Piles with a Tarte Tatin, however I eat way, way too much of it and, in the spirit of adventure, thought I would try a Peach something or other, which happens to have now fallen off the menu. I can’t remember exactly how they dressed up said peach, but it looked like it had been slapped into a Centrifuge and it wasn’t very good. However, the tarte tatin and vanilla ice cream were just the job; managegable little roundels of puff pastry with chunks of caramelly apple rather than the thin slices that is meant to characterise the tarte fine aux pommes. All in all, a lovely uncluttered place, that works hard at keeping the costs down that is worth visiting, particularly for those happy to eat some of the more unfashionable cuts and pay the price.
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