Zoe Williams writes … Flinty Red is a dinky, informal bistro and wine bar, co-owned by the local wine merchants, whose exposed brickwork and square, functional furniture give very few clues about how the food might come out.
It could be Café Rouge or Raymond Blanc. I wasn’t expecting what I got.
I was with K, who loves it, though she had been instructed (by me) not to say so too often, lest she prejudice the experience. Instead, every time something amazing came out of the kitchen she’d make these huge ‘I told you so’ eyes at me, so that by the end her forehead must actually have hurt.
We had three savoury courses each, instead of a pudding, idiosyncratically, so don’t get confused by this avalanche of dishes. My salt-hake brandade (£3.50) set out a perceptible theme – take a timeless classic, and only change it for a reason, to make something even better. It was like salt cod only softer and smoother, with more range in the taste. Very classy olive oil rounded it off.