“Handling is a culinary smart arse who’s only going to get smarter.”
(A recollection)
It was a chance follow of Adam Handling on Instagram that first piqued my interest – his life seemingly an endless rotation of caviar and fried chicken, cruising around in a sports car, and lengthy shifts at his Covent Garden restaurant, Frog. Seduced by some of the prettiest plates I’ve seen, I made it my mission to use a few weeks of freedom (straddled by two long lockdowns) to get a table at the restaurant and see if, for once, the reality lived up to the social media.
I arrived on a sodden Thursday evening, with rain in my hair and a tangible anticipation. The restaurant itself is an elegant but not overstated – intimate enough to accommodate a date, but with enough bustle to allow for a relaxed dinner with family and friends. I asked for us to move to the counter side seats which give a fantastic view of the open kitchen (with Adam himself at the helm) – and if you have the option I would recommend these seats. Whilst perusing the menu – although the only option for a first visit is absolutely the tasting menu, with wine pairing (and truffle supplement if available) – I enjoyed a cocktail “Lemon Bon Bon”, a short and sweet cocktail which was every bit as sherberty and delicious as the name suggests.
The tasting menu is 8 courses long, including Adams showpiece, “Snacks” – a creative selection of amuse bouche, that look as if dreamt up by a surrealist painter. Having felt we knew this course already – having watched all the videos, having read all the reviews, my dining partner and I still managed to be utterly delighted by Handling’s reinvention of the humble snack. There’s nothing humble about wagyu tartar, caviar, crab, and little rabbit nuggets covered in activated charcoal (chomping them down with the champagne pairing is like the most decadent KFC meal you’ve ever had).
What a way to start a meal – what an premier! Yet these snacks are not overstated or boastful, they’re simply confident – proud of the British Caviar, the fine pastry work, and the artful creativity. Such attention to detail pleasing every one of the senses, these ruin everyday snacks for you. How can you possibly go back to a bowl of crisps when you’ve dunked a spoon into a hollowed out egg, only to find warm and buttery mashed potato with egg and caviar inside. I can’t go back!
It’s best to arrive hungry as the kitchen make sure you are more than sufficiently fed and watered. The menu itself is a delight – fine in execution but at the same time unapologetically yummy. Fat (my favourite thing) features heavily – chicken skin loaded generously onto a mound of whipped butter, lobster cooked in wagyu fat, oh and then there’s the truffle, the caviar, and the wine pairings – matched by a creative and thoughtful sommelier.
Two pretty desserts are followed by a waistline busting round of petits fours. And of course, I couldn’t leave without a cocktail or three. The service is friendly but refined and you’re likely to find Adam himself in the open kitchen turning out plates like a chef-Picasso-extraordinaire.
There are several mysteries in the food industry, and one of the most mystical is why Frog has been denied a much deserved Michelin star. Industry insiders have alluded to restaurant “groups” being something the guide doesn’t like – but the food to my palate, clearly surpassed the 1 star mark. Handling is a culinary smart arse who’s only going to get smarter. Having (correctly) predicted Brat would get a Michelin star, I’d be surprised if this time next year, he didn’t finally get his star (I’ve eaten at 2 star places that have bored me, but this was masterful).
A fantastic restaurant, the delights of which are for me to remember and (hopefully) for you to find out – one to watch!
Sabrina Goodlife.
