FALLOW – ST. JAMES
Tonight, in the height of summer, it seemed like the ideal time to redeem a voucher we were gifted by my daughters and their partners at Christmas. They know us well.
We arrived into Victoria by train and meandered our way towards our destination, via Buckingham Palace, the Mall, Pall Mall and St James Square. London was busy, but not overly so; it was a Monday night after all, half full of commuters heading back via watering holes and half full of tourists enjoying the mild English summer evening. With every passing minute the weather was improving, the rain clouds had passed, leaving a beautiful blue sky behind. We took full advantage of the conditions and being a little early, we popped into a couple of pubs along route – why not!
The table was booked for 8pm and we couldn’t wait as we’d heard nothing but good things about this place.
For a Monday night Fallow was bustling with hardly a table spare. It was in stark contrast to many other neighbouring restaurants which were empty by comparison. The outdoor terrace was also full, so it was lucky we had booked in advance.
We were escorted to our table by our waitress for the evening and sat down. We recognised the restaurant immediately as we’d popped in here for a pint of ale a few years ago whilst waiting for a movie to start in a nearby cinema. I’d seen the first showing of Top Gun in Leicester Square back in 1986, so wanted to see its sequel Maverick in the same place in 2022. Quite how we’d ended up here rather than a pub is a mystery, but we did and it was a lot less busy then!
Our table was ideal, half inside and half outside, and gave us plenty of room to experience the atmosphere, it also gave us some space to breathe some fresh air.
As soon as you enter Fallow you can’t help but notice their large open-plan kitchen area. These appear to be all the rage these days and provide restaurant goers with a first hand account of what’s going on and demonstrates just how busy things get. Our waitress was lovely, not too pushy, but assertive enough to explain how things work and the best way to order a meal for two. The wine waiter was brilliant too, she knew her stuff allowing us to order the right bottle for our meal (although the prices are definitely “London”).
We started with off with Smoked aubergine bread, with black garlic, truffle and focaccia, which turned up shortly before two starter plates of Burrata and Cornish Monkfish crudo. The crispy chilli dressing on the Burrata had us both heading for the water! Both were delicious but I was thankful for the Monkfish’s “Tiger’s milk dressing” which helped to calm things down in the mouth a little.
We had a moderate wait for our main course, but it was worth it as it was equally scrumptious. We both went for the “safe” dairy cow options as opposed to the sea options which had us intrigued but not enough to risk it. Smoked cod’s head just didn’t appeal on the night, although I am told it is delicious (maybe next time). Our shared pudding was a Chelsea tart (no jokes), it was divine!
We ended the night with a walk to Embankment via Trafalgar Square and a train back home.
I would definitely recommend this place, It’s on our list to return.
❤️❤️Thanks for the gift, it was a great night❤️❤️