Erin H.
Yelp
I have one word for the manager of The Modern Pantry: acoustics. The fact that my husband and I debated whether our ears could take any more of the shrill laughter bouncing off the walls from the table behind us when discussing dessert should tell you something. It was painful...and the noise level was the thing I remember most about my meal at The Modern Pantry.
To take things back to the beginning, we chose to take a walk to the Pantry for something a little different. Plus, it has the bonus of being next to The Dovetail, so you can treat yourself to a delicious Belgian beer before dinner. When we walked in, I thought, "hmm...a little posher that I expected for a Friday nosh" but that's what happens when you let your sig other make the booking. We were shown upstairs, which felt a little empty, but was full by the time we left. Our waiter, who reminded me of a young Simon Amstell, helped us choose a wine and we settled into our seats to study the menu.
My husband started with the scallop sashimi. His thought was that the taste of the scallop was completely drowned by whatever was on top of it. If you scraped all that off, it was delicious. I don't understand why so many chefs want to go overboard when preparing delicate fish. It's not the time to go nuts. Embrace simplicity.
I chose to begin the meal with squid, which was wonderful. All too often, I'm left lusting over what other people at the table order, but this time I was the winner.
Ray wing was presented to my husband as his main. It was meaty and tender. I believe the word "yumskers" was used. I ordered the beef fillet with cassava chips. I try to steer clear of beef in restaurants because I prefer a very thick cut. I can eliminate disappointment form my life if I choose the cut I want from the butcher's shop and cook it myself. This night, however, the red wine coaxed me into going for the beef anyway. Thanks, wine! It was an acceptable thickness, perfectly cooked, and the accompanying chips were excellent. Thick, but still with a crispiness. It was hard not to eat them all, but I wanted to save room for pudding.
It was about halfway through the mains that the night went downhill - fast. A group of about 8 women came in and were seated in a little nook, which amplified the ear piercing laughs and husky voices. If there was a particularly lour crescendo, heads at all other tables would snap around and give pleading looks to the table. "Please, please be a bit quieter" was what we were all thinking. I know if sounds silly to say a table of 8 ruined my night, but it kind of did. It's hard to walk away from a meal that wasn't cheap and think, "well that wasn't fun." I did have pudding that night and I can't even remember what it was.