Odette's

Odette's in Primrose Hill has been recognised as an iconic restaurant, attracting illustrious patrons from the worlds of art and theatre for over three decades.

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http://www.odettesprimrosehill.com

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Major Foodie Review - Odette's

Review analysis
food  

Warm and homely neighbourhood restaurant in the equally charming area of Primrose Hill - private and separate dining available in the downstairs section This is a lovely place to have chanced on and one I’ve coincidentally been meaning to try for a long time.

Having never been, my first reaction was that it was placed in a lovely urban village setting and inside it was certainly cosy in the narrow main dining room.

The food itself was perfectly fine – well done, but not fussy at the same time and there were no major flavour disagreements.

I enjoyed all the courses with the best parts probably being the lobster bisque and the signature giant jaffa cake.

We were certainly given attention throughout the meal by the floor staff and all in all, this is a very comfortable neighbourhood restaurant to dine in which was enjoyed very much and is no doubt a very safe bet for the locals as well.

Odette's restaurant review 2007 November London | British Cuisine ...

Review analysis
food   drinks   menu   staff   desserts   busyness  

An amuse-bouche of beetroot soup with an unidentified foam managed to be part cold and part lukewarm, which is rarely a good combination for a dish (12/20).

Last time desserts were the weak link of the meal, but tonight a chocolate fondant flavoured with orange, with a mandarin sorbet was actually very good, with a properly liquid centre and made from good quality chocolate (15/20).

This was confidently presented as “sweetcorn soup” but was clearly no such thing; it was in fact a very nice wild mushroom soup, with good flavour (15/20).

The scallops had been sliced and then pan-fried and were of good quality, but were cooked just a little too long (14/20) but the puree had an enjoyable intensity to it.

The soup had excellent taste, with plenty of pumpkin flavour and good seasoning (15/20).

Odette's, London, restaurant review - Telegraph

Review analysis
food   drinks   staff   desserts  

But Odette’s has always been top dog since it opened in 1978:the go-to option for a pomposo local dinner.

Six years ago, however, Odette’s got new management, and a sexy new head chef called Bryn Williams, who bought it outright two years later.

Certainly the next table did, and luckily Alice does too (the neighbours switched to German as soon as they noticed).

A crisp lump of mackerel on apple purée gave way to a thick slab of terrine: pig’s head marbled with black pudding, blood and salt, intensely porcine.

The highlight was a hunk of orgulous pink mutton, with pickled salsify and a gloopy little shepherd’s pie on the side.

Restaurant: Odette's, London NW1 | John Lanchester | Life and style ...

Review analysis
menu   staff   food   location   ambience   desserts  

Not long after this triumph, he was hired as the head chef at a Primrose Hill restaurant called Odette's.

Odette's is a local institution, one that has had its ups and downs in fashionability, but has been a local fixture for 30 years – a very long time in the restaurant game.

They were very hard to detect, and a major reason for that was the service, which was British, grown-up, very faintly camp and behaved as if it had a stake in the restaurant's success – all of which are good things.

Salmon was billed as being like coq au vin, which led one to expect something richer and stickier than the very light jus that came with the fish – a good dish, but not an overwhelming one.

In retrospect, maybe this was an unfair experiment, one the restaurant can't win: if the set seems too good, you wonder why anyone would bother having the carte, whereas if the reverse is true, the set seems a little ungenerous.

Odette's | Restaurants in Primrose Hill, London

Review analysis
food  

Under Welsh chef and TV regular Bryn Williams a stylish contemporary look has replaced the plush clutter of old, but it still has a reliable feel of snug comfort, complemented by charming service.

Williams’ cooking tends to the delicate and subtle, with sometimes-elusive hints rather than big upfront flavours or anything brash.

The style worked well in a delightfully smooth crayfish lasagne, topped by superlative little squid rings; chicken consommé with mushroom ravioli and crunchy toasted barley was a satisfying – again, subtle – blend.

We were drawn to a pistachio cake dessert by the promise of calvados cream, but two normally highly distinctive flavours – pistachio and calvados – were oddly muted.

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