Food review: Applause for an ocean of tastes from Parsons

The pandemic is far from over. In fact, it seems more people are becoming infected than in earlier stages of it. And yet the success of the vaccination programme and the confidence that has built since July 19th’s Freedom Day means more and more people are out and about.

Yet the burst of creativity that led to dine-at-home packages is unlikely to abate. Restaurateurs have found new revenue streams, sending food far and wide, while customers have been able to enjoy great restaurants from the comfort of their own home.

It’s been a happy marriage, one in which both consumer and trader benefit. There’s also much to be said about dining at home rather than bracing the icy winter winds that blow through November.

And so to this week’s review. From the folk who brought you The 10 Cases, in London, Parsons is an unassuming little fish restaurant tucked away in Covent Garden. It offers a wide range of seafood, freshly landed fish, as well as more classic fish dishes inspired from the British Isles and beyond. The name Parsons is a sentimental dedication to the mums of both Will and Ian, who coincidentally share the same maiden name.

The idea for Parsons was born quite a few years ago. Will and Ian have always had a love of classic English fish restaurants and wanted to create something new and exciting, where the wine, as well as the simply prepared fish, plays an equally important role in the experience. They hope to have created an unassuming and fun restaurant where people are just as happy to drop in for a glass of wine and a few oysters as they are to sit down for a longer meal.

Parsons at Home has been one of the success stories of the pandemic. An ever-evolving menu offers a variety of dishes that generously serve two – though, in honesty, they’d just as easily stretch to a sensible three or even four.

Their current offering is perfect for the season. “As soon as the weather starts to get colder in October, it’s fish pie season at Parsons,” says head chef Feri Nemcsik. “We do it every year, but with a different twist each time”.

The latest iteration of Parsons’ renowned fish pie is made with prawns, sea trout and spinach, cooked in a creamy béchamel sauce. It’s topped with prawn bisque mashed potato and finished with a seaweed crumb.

“For our prawn bisque, we cook the roasted heads and shells of the prawns with celery and onions to make a stock which we simmer for 4-5 hours,” Feri explains. “This is then combined with potatoes, cream and butter to make our mashed potato topping.”

Those details, as well as the perfectly runny, soft-boiled eggs nestled inside and the crunchy seaweed and breadcrumb topping – are what makes Parsons’ fish pie extra indulgent. To cut through its richness, a salad is served alongside, combining seasonal British squash and kale with a sharp sherry vinegar and olive oil dressing and a scattering of pumpkin seeds.

But I’ve skipped ahead and not mentioned the starter. Parsons’ comforting, smoky chowder is made using Severn & Wye smoked herrings.

Afterwards, there were individual British apple tarts. For those, crisp puff pastry was combined with Braeburn apple purée and finely sliced Cox apples, then served with a cinnamon chantilly cream and a scattering of toasted, flaked almonds. Delicious.

Parsons operate their home delivery service by the company Dishpatch, which has a reputation for reliability and which handles the at-home offerings of so many different restaurants.

In our case, ordering was simple and food arrived right on time at the end of a week, making it perfect for Friday night eating. The instructions were simple to follow, the plating directions straightforward and the food itself arrived in flawless condition. There were also recycling instructions, making it easier to ensure nothing went to waste and plastics, wool insulation, pots and boxes went into the recycling stream.

The chowder was masterful. After applying a little heat, it was served steaming in bowls and blew away the autumn chills. With a light smokiness and delicate fish flavours, it was a more-ish hug in a bowl that made for a perfect start.

The fish pie, meanwhile, was heavenly. A pack of bechamel sauce was squeezed into a pie dish that came with the food. The prawns and sea trout were added and the mix was gently folded together. Two shallow wells were made in the middle of the mixture then the peeled eggs were laid in those wells before being covered with the mixture.

The creamy, buttery mashed potato was piped across the top and spread evenly over the whole pie while a fork was made to create ridges.

Seaweed crumb was sprinkled over the top and 25 minutes later dinner was served.

Alongside was a helping of kale, butternut squash and pumpkin seeds, a sweet and earthy accompaniment that offered great texture and flavour. The dish and side worked harmoniously together, with the fish pie being a genuine masterclass in how to make the humble food.

Dessert was magnificent too. The apple tart took six or seven minutes to warm through while cinnamon chantilly was warming and creamy. The almond flakes added texture and flavour and there was more than enough left over for the following day.

Dispatch deserves a round of applause for creating a new niche in the market. It provides superb food that’s well-packaged, efficiently delivered and provides a window into the world of restaurants that would otherwise be out of reach for so many of us.

Parsons was a fabulous find. For comfort food par excellence, it really was as good as it gets.

To order, visit www.dishpatch.co.uk