Fallow take-one was a pop in Heddon Street. Such was its success, that take-two has seen the restaurant move to a larger (and more bling) premises just off Haymarket in the very centre of London. While it may have lost some of its original intimacy and vibe, none of the ethos underpinning the restaurant nor the quality of the offering has changed. If it’s modern (and sustainable) British food you’re after, then Fallow is the place.
Much of the background to the Fallow concept was explained in my previous post, but to summarise, it’s two ex-Heston chefs having a lot of fun in the kitchen and layering in a green angle. Local, seasonal and sustainable are seen in spades at Fallow. The only pity is that nobody seems to have informed the design team. Maybe the idea is simply to bring in the punters and wow them with the food – which Fallow does – but you could almost be forgiven for thinking Fallow was a nightclub, or at the least, a clear pre-loading venue. There’s no shortage of black marble and shiny surfaces. The hum of an atmosphere my comrade and I enjoyed at a recent lunch is almost certainly decibels louder on weekend evenings.
Back to the menu and it’s mercifully short with many of the proven classics from the original Fallow still on display. Testament to the venue’s quality is the corn ribs. They do what they say on the label and are deliciously flavoursome; charring married with lime zing. Whether a plate if them is worth £7.50 – think of the margin – is, of course, a different matter. Value for money should not be the key factor when contemplating Fallow, but what it loses in this respect, it certainly makes up for in terms of quality. Among the other smaller plates my comrade and I shared, the clear stand-out was the smoked sausage served in a cider and sage sauce. As with the others, it’s all about flavour intensity ramped to the max; take simple ingredients and elevate. The same principle is at work for the mains. Consider the humble cabbage and marvel at its elevation by Fallow. Maybe it’s the classic French trick but cover the vegetable in butter (lots of), add garlic and the end-product is divine. This is genuine melt-in-the-mouth eating, even if you’re paying £16 for it. There’s no quibbling about Fallow’s piece-de-resistance: the cod’s head. Last time we visited, it had sold out, but there were no such issues on this occasion. It has to be seen (per the photo) and tasted to be believed. There is far more fish meat than one might imagine – ample for two – and the Siracha butter sauce really brings the fish to life. We paired our whole meal with an interesting bottle of Mencia, chosen from a thoughtful (if again, not cheap) list. For a splash-out experience, come to Fallow and you won’t be disappointed.