by Chrissy Iley
Selfridges has become such a seductive place. When I was a child I’d have a recurring dream that I was trapped in Fenwick’s of Newcastle after the shop closed. In the dream I would go to the toy department and play with all the toys. Then I would go to accessories and play with those.
The dream continued into my teenage years, where I played with make-up and clothes. After the initial panic of being trapped I felt I’d gone to heaven. In my dream I would always eat in the Fenwick’s restaurants. At that time there were a few of them. One of them had a smorgasbord.
Last night I relived my dream by almost being shut in Selfridges after visiting the wonderful bar and restaurant On The Roof With Q. The excitement starts as soon as you see the AstroTurf as you come out of the lift on Selfridges roof. It’s a beautiful garden with climbing roses and honeysuckles, and is to remain there all summer until September 27th.
The Q Grill opened in Camden earlier this year by restaurateur Des McDonald, former chief executive of Caprice Holdings, owners of The Ivy and Le Caprice.
The menu is similar to the Q Grill with the strapline ‘Raw, Grill, Smoke.’ It’s an exciting mix of a secret foodie haven and a shopper’s delicious pick-me-up. There’s an all day menu with breakfast things like buttermilk pancakes and granola. There’s an afternoon tea and a sugar free, gluten free version of afternoon tea, which sounds somewhat miraculous. And there’s wonderful cocktails and gorgeous dinners.
It’s a lovely atmosphere with the combination of exquisite casual food in a relaxed setting. The menu is American Deep South inspired. My Secret Garden cocktail was gin, lime, egg white, thyme and cucumber. Perfect for a sunny evening. My companion had a Nightingale – vodka, apple, with some kind of sweet liqueur and actual blackberries dancing around in it.
We shared butternut squash hummus with charred flat bread (£6.75) which was an excellent blend. The sweetness of the butternut squash with the salty scorched bread was great.
My companion had a sea bass ceviche – plump super fresh sea bass in a tangy marinade with spicy crispy plantain (£11.00). I had been recommended the marinated Inka grilled tiger prawns with smoked fregola and pickled lemon (£20.50). These were absolutely sensational. Reminiscent of the tiger prawns that are grilled on the menu at Le Caprice – juicy, sweet, spicy, but somehow elevated to the next level. An innovative dish.
My companion had a flat iron steak with peppercorn butter (£13.50) which came with Q’s version of chilli fries which were super peppery and moreish. We also had a side of creamed corn, very southern and very excellent (£3.50). Spiced creamed corn is like a dessert and a savoury all in one dish. And we also tried the griddled courgettes with a delicious spicy crunchy topping (£3.50). They were grilled to perfection.
The desserts were magnificent. My companion had the apple and custard tart which came like a piece of origami with delightfully crispy fresh apple, comforting creamy custard on a light pastry base (£7.50).
I couldn’t decide between the strawberry and white chocolate cigar or the chocolate caramel torte (£8.00). I went for the latter, which was heavenly. Just enough caramel, just enough chocolate – a dangerously delicious combination. There’s never enough chocolate caramel torte.