Not that your reviewer knew it at the time, but it seemed kind of fitting that DJ Seinfeld’s club classic “These Things Will Come To Be” was playing when he walked into Island on a recent evening. There is a lot to like Island, but there are also some major flaws. Island feels kind of stranded at present, in need of a more coherent gameplan.
The concept is admirable. Take a pair of chefs with Michelin restaurant pedigree, give them a cool spot in King’s Cross and let them name their venue in homage to our country and the diverse produce of both its land and seas. Ideas, however, do not a venue make. Yes, the music may have resonated, but the sound system was playing to an almost empty room when your reviewer entered. The front of house still had the temerity to ask if I had a reservation and agreed to my suggestion of a different table with only bad grace.
The venue never filled up. With no more than 10% of the available covers filled at any time during the evening, diners in the restaurant inevitably might feel somewhat stranded. Exceptionally warm London weather may have played a role. Potential guests might have preferred to dine outdoors on such a pleasant evening. The bigger problem might be that the Island concept seems to fall between the stalls of fine and informal dining, being neither one nor the other. Visitors coming to the nearby Mare Street Market located just below might baulk at the prices being charged by Island.
All this is a pity. The space occupied by Island is beautiful, decked in dark green hues with a resplendent set of chandeliers. The food too was superb. Think of Island as offering elevated surf and turf, with novel twists on conventional dishes. An oyster combination (pictured) is a good indicator of the venue’s schtick. Across an innovative trio where the bivalved molluscs were topped with jungle mignonette, lamb doner and crisped spices, there was a wonderful interplay of brine with spice. Grilled shawarma prawns showed another clever crossover between land and sea, as did a peri peri chicken dish served with crab sauce. The culinary team is not afraid to be bold. The risk-taking pays off.
With food this good, guests might justifiably want something decent to wash it down, especially given the prices Island charges. Why then, does Island have such a brief and underwhelming wine list? We were left wondering and forced to deliberate between just four whites and a similar number of reds. A Portuguese white pleased, while a Spanish red underwhelmed. Surely a £45/head mixed grill or £55 300g ribeye steak deserves better. As DJ Seinfeld notes, these things will come to be.