Noble Rot was a restaurant by the people behind the wine magazine of the same name. There are 3 different locations all serving slightly different food. We went to the one in Soho which serves modern European food and wines and opened in 2020. We were on the first floor but there is a second level about half its small size and a private dining room on the third level. It was fairly dark lit by ball globe lights on the walls and had no music in the background. Art was on one wall of the long space and the opposite one had mirrors. A series of bench seats are along the wall with small marble-topped tables matching them. The ceiling was low and carpet was on the floor which kept the noise level pretty good considering it was packed and turning tables on a Monday night. We were there to try their roast chicken and the server pointed out that it takes about an hour to prepare so we ordered that immediately and then settled in to pick some starters to fill the gap. It was a fabulous evening of seriously good food served in a cozy environment.
Set-Up
Food
Choux Bun was filled with chicken liver parfait, then topped with tokaji jelly and walnuts. They were additionally topped with some grated cheese. These are ordered by the piece and are about 1.5 inches in diameter. The texture was wonderful – the light rich parfait was so tasty even a non-liver lover would like it. The pastry was light and moist and then the sticky sweet drizzle just completed the picture of delicious.
Lamb Sweetbreads were on toast with smoked bacon and artichokes. The small sweetbreads were perfectly cooked and nestled next to small fresh artichokes with a yummy sauce that soaked into the wonderful bread. The flavorful bacon perfectly punctuated the harmonious combination. This was another totally yummy starter and plenty to share for 2.
Pissaladiére was a slice of onion and olive tart. The well-cooked sweet onions were on a divine buttery, crisp crust dotted with a few olives. It came with a small salad on the side that was nicely dressed and filled with fun bitter greens. The tart was served cold which made it a nice contrast to the warm sweetbreads. It was another divine plate of food.
Roast Chicken with morels and vin jaune sauce was alongside Riz au Pilaf. As it was the season they offered the addition of Winter Black truffles in 2 or 5 gram sizes. We chose to add the smaller amount but the dish really didn’t need them to make it outstanding. It is worth it alone for the terrific sauce that I wanted to pour into a glass and drink. It was reduced enough to lightly thicken it and bring out the flavor of the yellow wine. The whole chicken was cut into pieces and even the white meat was moist and lovely. The morels added much to the dish with fragrance and flavor. The skin had been cooked perfectly to render the fat but leave the benefit of its flavor. The rice was a perfect vehicle to mix with the chicken and sauce. This was outstanding.
Ginger Loaf was topped with salted caramel sauce and served alongside Grand Marnier ice cream. The fairly large piece of moist cake reminded me of sticky-toffee-pudding with ginger. A slight crisp was on the edge of the piece and contrasted nicely with the very creamy ice cream. This had a wonderful depth of flavor, uncommon in desserts. Everything just blended perfectly with a good amount of sweetness and plenty for 2. A perfect end to a perfect meal.
