THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
37-45 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5ED
Twin brothers, Alberto and Arian Zandi, have been dazzling London’s restaurant scene since 2018. I reviewed their first restaurant, Zuaya when it opened. It is magic. It’s also a hard act to follow. Sister restaurant, Como Garden bears a good family resemblance if not quite the quality of its superstar sibling.
The Zandi brothers have a flair for good food, inventive design and party vibes. Zuaya’s jungle theme has been reimagined into - yes - a Lake Como garden. Plush seating, ensconced in greenery, it can be transformed from a winter conservatory to a summer terrace. The whimsical lighting is superb and the music is fabulous.
Food and service are both good. The floor staff is friendly and very quick. In fact, we were in and out in a record 90 minutes. I would have preferred a more leisurely pace. The small, sharing plate/served a la minute concept, meant that 4 dishes arrived at once. I felt obliged to gobble everything up before it got cold. And I did!
The cocktail of the day was a mix of tequila, passion fruit, lime and grenadine. Sold for £15! The salted rim of a margarita brought balance to a tropical tequila sunrise. With the drinks, 2 arancini at £6 a pop. I must say, Como Garden has the biggest arancini I’ve ever seen! Delicious as well. Creamy rice, mixed with fontina and parmesan, crusted to a perfect golden brown and served in a small skillet with a drizzle of honey. Excellent. Fried zucchini (£6.85) were also crisply crumbed and well-seasoned. A dip or even a wedge of lemon would have added some personality.
Then came the orgy: king prawn and datterino tomato spaghetti (£26), Chicken Milanese with datterino tomato and rocket (£20), sea bass alla Siciliana (£22) and grilled tenderstem broccoli (£7). The portions were much bigger than the small sharing plates I was expecting. Particularly the chicken, which again was beautifully breaded. Classic and well executed with nothing unexpected. The pasta was cooked perfectly though the sauce lacked depth and 3 prawns seem to contradict the sharing concept. Between myself and the beautiful Brazilian, guess who got 2!
The sea bass brought the biggest flavor to the feast. The mix of passata, fresh tomatoes, capers and olives added sweet, salt and acid to the juicy fish. The broccoli was well seasoned, nicely charred and al dente.
A glass of 2018 Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva, Frescobaldi (£22) was elegant without warranting such a price tag. Dark berries, easy spice and very well balanced tannins made a good match for the entire meal.
After all that, I needed a pick me up. Tiramisu (£8) is just that. This version had lots of coffee flavor, crunch from toasted coffee beans and lightness from sabayon. Afterwards, I still needed somebody to pick me up!
With the creation of El Norte and new arrival, Riviera, the twins are well on the way to being one big happy family!
