New Openings: Kitty Fisher's little sister, Cora Pearl
From 19th-century ‘it’ girl to 21st-century ‘it’ restaurant, Cora Pearl arrives in Theatreland.
What’s new?
Watch out Kitty Fisher’s – here comes Cora Pearl.
Behind the scenes
The trio of chaps behind 2015 hit Kitty Fisher’s in Mayfair (actor Oliver Milburn, Tim Steel and Tom Mullion) – with a little help from beyond the grave from Victorian courtesan Cora Pearl, une grande horizontale renowned across Paris for serving herself up starkers for supper. That’s some gastronomic act for chef George Barson (ex-Dinner and Viajante) to follow.
The concept
Fairylights in the windows make this cutesy Theatreland bistro the most inviting spot on Henrietta Street. As a follow-up to ‘boho’ Kitty Fisher’s, it’s a bit vanilla but we’re soon seduced by the basement bar: tiny but bristling with promise.
Cocktails are suitably suggestive. My ‘Dalliance’ (with crème de framboise and Benedictine) fills the room with the raunchy scent of thyme while my friend’s ‘Chaine d’Or’ with gin and yellow chartreuse is as ‘now’ as it gets.
Sadly, we’re separated from our drinks in the move from bar to street-level dining room (service is unsure of itself) which is tasteful rather than titillating. What would our eponymous heroine, a couture-clad voluptuary known for filling her bath with champagne make of her namesake restaurant? I see her as more of a ‘Mandrake’ gal.
What’s cooking?
Anything goes on a loosely ‘Theatreland’ themed menu that switches between comfort and creativity. A Caesar’s a must, of course, though ‘Quail Caesar!’ – take a hot bird and a baby gem – seems to have been brought together for the sake of the gag.
Ibérico pork, pink and plump, with onions every which way (puréed, grilled etc) is on safer ground. Even better, however, is the vegetarian main of courgettes, black garlic and Ticklemore. It’s no looker, but the sticky garlic syrup brings a powerful charge to every last summery mouthful.
For dessert, trifle – kitsch, boozy, retro – sounds perfect but this raspberry and pistachio version, moussey and under-liquored, is too sophisticated by far. Overseas tourists, already questioning our nation’s collective sanity, will wonder what we’ve been going on about.
The off-menu doughnuts are another matter. Ours, a vivid magenta number with apricot and raspberry is gorgeous. It’s a hint of the kitchen’s colourful, cheeky side I’d like to see more of. Come on, Cora, show us some thigh!
Signature dishes
Nothing with quite the pull of Kitty Fisher’s Galician moo cow, though brown shrimp ‘Ranhöfer’ [sic] are delicious things, not to be missed: thick croutons slathered with a luscious mix of cool and creamy, hot and spicy shrimp, named after lobster Newburg creator Charles Ranhofer.
The ‘chips’ are those most fashionable of frites: many-layered, pressed and deep-fried (as seen at the Quality Chop House).
Best for
An after-show ‘Dalliance’ in the clandestine bar. Shh...
Cora Pearl, 30 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8NA, 020 7324 7722, corapearl.co.uk
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