BEHIND was an 18-seat tasting counter restaurant run by Chef Andy Beynon.  The name was a reference to ‘behind the scenes’ in that you watch the 3 chefs prepare and serve all your courses.   Opening in October 2020 it was awarded a Michelin star in just 20 days, which it has held since.  They have one seating at lunch and dinner with all arriving at the same time for a seafood based 10-course menu.    The warehouse like space had lots of art on the walls, exposed utility works in the ceiling, concrete floor and music in the background.  It had a wonderfully casual and welcoming feel, especially since you are so close the chefs and they all are happy to interact with the guests.  They even made suggestions of where else we should eat in London.   Wine pairings were available as was a limited cocktail list (from which we had a Negroni).  We chose to do their pairings with the blind menu and they were generous with the pours, which is always a nice gesture.  I got photos of our bottles which I’ll put with the food pictures but didn’t take notes on the wines.  The pairings started with a glass of British sparkler.  It was a very fun and tasty evening and one I’d easily recommend to those who like seafood and a casual and lively atmosphere.

Set-up

 

Food

The tasting started with a trio of bites. Crab croustard(left) was full of crab flavor in a thin crisp shell.   Cornish mackerel belly with apple and Tiger milk dressing had fun textures and was a mix of tart and sweet.  Hen of the Woods mushroom custard was mixed with coconut and was fabulous.

 

Grey mullet was cut carpaccio style and plated with Finger limes, Jalapeño jelly, XO olive oil, cucumber, radish verjus,  and Thai green curry.  This was a great combination of textures and fabulous flavors.

 

Red prawn came out cut in half but the heaf portion had been stuffed with bread to mimic prawns on toast, a common English dish.  It was delicious.  The other end was the raw body with an excellent sauce to enhance it.  There was a shrimp broth to give you a wonderfully clean and warm taste of prawns.  (It’s in the pitcher with the wine photo).

 

Orkney scallop with smoked kippers and trout roe was cooked in browned butter.  This was a throw back to days when British ate tons of kippers.  The sauce was made with smoked kippers and very reduced and seasoned with smoked butter and trout roe.   The huge scallop was nicely browned on one side and delicious with the thick sauce.

 

A brioche was served warm and topped with lemon zest.  It was a warm bit of butteriness that the zest cut right through to make some yummy eating.

 

Chalk Stream trout was soaked in sea water with kimchi sprouts.  There was something crispy on the top but the nori flavor was too strong for me in this one.  It did have beautiful color which the photo really doesn’t do justice to.  The trout alone was quite good but overall it was not my favorite course.

 

This course had an option of a smoked caviar supplement which we took.  Red mullet was grilled and plated with mussel, leek, potato and saffron.  The tender fish was thick and tasty and the sauce delicious.  The mussels and caviar were perfect accents to throw in with this dish.

 

Monkfish was with artichokes, hazelnuts, chicken jus gras and truffle.  The fish was grilled and excellent.  Jerusalem artichoke added some crispy bits as did the nuts.  Lots of textures in this one as well as fine flavors brought together by the stand-out sauce.

 

Sour apple was a transition course in the form of a drink and light foam.  It was luscious.

 

Rhubarb, ginger and pink peppercorn made up the first dessert.  The rhubarb was nicely sweetened and blended well with a bit of spice.

 

Pian D’epices included truffle, goat milk ice cream, and whiskey caramel to make up the last dessert.  A yummy combination