A Very Modern Pantry

Storm cloud grey walls belie the plethora of sunny flavours that arrive on the plates at Anna Hansen's buzzy, bustling eatery in Clerkenwell.

Freddie and I had a quick lunch there before I sat down to interview Anna (that interview coming SOON), and, no lie, he proclaimed it to be the best meal he has had out in London in months. And you know what? I have to agree. I mean, I had been a huge fan of The Sugar Club in it's early days, and of The Providores, but the dishes we ate here seemed to be infused with a joy that is sadly rare in a lot of restaurant dining.

You get clever cooking. You get precise cooking. You get rather laid-back, casual cooking. But my real bliss is joyful cooking.

The Cornish crab rarebit that F started with was a wonderful take on the original, and I wished I had ordered it too... until I tasted the sugar-cured New Caledonian prawn omelette. Its spring onion, coriander, and smoked chilli sambal evoked my childhood in the best possible way. Its perfectly crisp-at-the-edges, yet meltingly eggy insides, its fat sugary prawns, and that smoky-spicy shrimpy sambal were like nectar to me. I literally scraped the plate with my fingers. And I'm not apologising for my manners either.

Hansen's kitchen is like a playground. Your taste buds make a return to childhood, when flavours were bouncing off them for the very first time. The layers of tart umeboshi plums foiled by a melting pillow of potato, the braised swiss chard, the crispy walnut praline and that smoky Turkish chilli that was the mattress for a delicate gilt head bream; the fenugreek which lifted the humble sweet potato to new heights, the green pepper relish which was spicy, yet tart, which all accompanied a slab of oozy, gooey Duke of Berkshire pork belly with crackling to die for (note to MANY other establishments : THIS is what crackling should taste like), and a proper size portion of bright green cavolo nero. All washed down with a carefully suggested glass of honeyed yet minerally Abadia Albarino. Heaven.

I wish we had dessert - we literally had no room. But the choice for me would have been the tonka bean shortbread with the gooseberry compote and Prosecco jelly.

Some people are a little frightened or put off by fusion. Anna herself prefers to call it global food, and I would agree. But surely, for those nay sayers: all food is a fusion of sorts. Chillies from the New World, via Portugal, are synonymous with Thai food, and South American tomatoes with Italy.

Call it global, call it fusion, call it what you will. I call it "bloody-gorgeous-when-am-I eating-there-again?"

K x

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