Geode

Pizza and sushi in the same meal!? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it at Geode, “a space lined with gems”.

When I lived in Copenhagen, a date once accused me of not being “stilrent” (style pure). Definitely a no-no among the Danish designerati. I wasn’t offended. My home reflects me, not someone else’s sensibility or the trend of the mo. My Victorian house is filled with some fine family antiques from America, a few rustic pieces of my own, vintage Danish and various expressions of my dancer/foodie/granny/couch potato personas. I relish eclecticism. Geode has turned it into an art form.

The bar and lounge on the ground floor of the Knightsbridge townhouse is a myriad of shapes and colors, reinventing ‘groovy’ for the 21st century. A live DJ added to the party vibe.

The mezzanine is a big, bright conservatory for lunchtime diners. Later in the evening it also made way for a jazz quartet which could easily be heard upstairs, in the more formal dining room, where a wood-beamed ceiling and exposed brick mingle with linen and crystal in an elegant amalgamation. The top floor will later house Atico, a members’ only club for cigars, booze, bar food and red velvet.

Executive Chef Francesco Scala from Novikov and Head Chef Yuka Aoyama, formerly of Nobu, bring eclecticism to the kitchen with a menu comprised of Mediterranean and Asian dishes. It isn’t fusion, but rather several cuisines served side by side. Some may find this confusing or without cohesion, but I love being spoiled for choice. And spoiled I was! Service is excellent and very attentive.

The kitchen took it upon themselves to send some selections from the impressive menu. There were so many things I wanted to try! Avocado pizza (£28) was not one of them. Silly me!! A perfect, thin crisp crust, caramelized onions and a ring of creamy sliced avocado spiced with chilli, coriander, lime and pink peppercorns was a joy to eat. This was followed by a vitello tonnato (£26). Thin sliced veal, dressed rather than smothered in tuna mayo and garnished with capers and radish was beautifully balanced, allowing the top quality meat to shine. A platter of sushi (£71) brought Japan to the table with flare. Crispy, spicy tuna maki, seabass with truffle, salmon with lemon and yellowtail with jalapeño pesto were all top quality, perfect in size and blended contemporary twists with classic execution. Only the prawns were slightly overcooked. Finally, Cataplana for 2 (£82) a Portuguese fish stew cooked in copper. A finely judged broth of pure seafood was brimming with langoustine, prawns, mussels, clams, squid and fish. Wonderful. We only lamented we didn’t have some bread to sop it all up!

Buckwheat mille-feuille for 2 (£24) a free-form sculpture of compressed, buttery puff pastry, vanilla cream and Amarena cherries, was an absolute treat. I couldn’t manage all off the sweet, sweet cherries. With another fruit, I would have licked the plate clean.

You might think pizza and sushi don’t belong in the same meal, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!

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