In the heart of the village of Marylebone we found a very unique restaurant, The Providores and Tapa Room. We knew about this restaurant because my brother-in-law used to work with the chef of Providores in London and he also spent three years as Chef de Cuisine in Public, Providores' sister restaurant in New York. Having had an excellent dinner in Public, we were curious to try the Providores itself. Peter Gordon, the head chef of Providores comes from New Zealand and offers a very interesting fusion style of cuisine featuring exotic ingredients and flavor combinations. Downstairs is a very busy casual Tapas style café, while the upstairs seating area features a more formal dining room that offers a fantastic tasting menu.
Providores’ tasting menu features small plates that can be ordered as desired, customizing the experience in a creative fashion. We ordered five different dishes to taste and chose one of our favorite New Zealand wines, a Reserve Pinot Noir from Gibbston Valley that we hadn’t seen available since we had enjoyed it at the winery on our visit to New Zealand nearly a decade ago.
To start, the plantain coconut fritter was light and delicious, with a touch of sweetness that contrasted perfectly with the bright tangy flavors of bababanoush, artichokes, pomegranates and pea shoots that accompanied the dish.
Next, we tried a sesame-battered nori-wrapped Yellowfin tuna with beetroot dashi jellies, candy beets, and yuzu horseradish dressing. The explosion of sweet and sour flavors produced by this unique combination of ingredients was incredible. I especially enjoyed the different preparations of beets in this dish.
As a main course, we ordered kangaroo loin, which was perfectly cooked and very delicate, accompanied by a crisp spiced aubergine fritter and a Harissa and celeriac remoulade. The lean, flavorful meat is reminiscent of farm raised venison, very satisfying and delicious.
The Providores’ cheese plate was outstanding, and far superior to Gordon Ramsay’s which we had tried the same week. Appleby’s Cheshire was a terrific opener. Cheshire is a classic English cheese, and perhaps the oldest, mentioned in the Doomsday book from 1086 and probably dating back to Roman times. Appleby’s Cheshire is made from unpasteurized cow's milk, is golden in color, and compares favorably with Cheddar, slightly moister and tangier, with an acidic bite that is its most pronounced feature. This cheese paired fabulously with the oatcakes, fig-anise bread, and fruit chutney on our cheese board.
Next, we enjoyed Ragstone, an unpasteurized goat’s milk cheese made near Hay-on-Wye at Neal’s Yard Creamery. Creamy and soft with a hint of lemony tang, it too paired well with the oatcakes and chutney. Two blue cheeses followed; the first was Picos de Europa, which is a creamy Spanish cheese made from cow's, sheep's and goat's milk, with blue-green veins and a slightly salty taste. The final cheese was Stichelton, a raw-milk version of Stilton. Since Stilton is required to be pasteurized, leading cheesemakers Joe Schneider and Randolph Hodgson of Neal’s Yard Dairy joined forces to make a classic blue cheese from unpasteurized milk at a new dairy built on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. The new cheese is called Stichelton, which we found full and complex, with a buttery tang and a mild blue taste.
Unable to choose a single dessert from the ample choices available, we opted to share a sampling of three of the desserts on the menu. Our favorite was a malted white and dark Valrhona chocolate mousse cake with banana caramels and malted ice cream, a heavenly decadence. Poached rhubarb with vanilla bavarois cream, satsuma jelly and ginger doughnut was very unique and delightful. A mini toasted-coconut panna cotta was very enjoyable as well.
The Providores and Tapa Room offers a fun culinary romp, featuring Asian-fusion and New Zealand influenced dishes, as well as an outstanding English cheese board and delightful deserts. With the option to customize one’s meal with as many or as few tasting plates as one desires, this restaurant is highly recommended to locals and visitors alike.
