With rose gold fittings, marble counter tops, floor to ceiling windows and beautifully presented dishes, the new Aster Restaurant in Victoria is an Instrgrammer’s dream…but it’s not just style over substance; the food tastes good too.
If you’re up-to-date on the London food scene you’ll be well aware of the new Nova Food development in Victoria that Aster is part of. The new complex houses some exciting new restaurants and bars, just what was needed in Victoria….and regular readers will know it’s particularly exciting for me as I live in the area.
Part of the the luxury restaurant group D&D London, Aster is a large multi-functional space with different menu options that all have a focus on food inspired by Chef Helena Puolakka’s Nordic heritage. The down stairs cafe serves salad, Nordic classics or there’s the option to partake in Smorgasbord or try the jar food.
Also on the ground floor is the beautiful marble topped deli selling Nordic salad, sandwiches and tasty looking pastries…
I’d already popped into to Aster before to try the weekend brunch (£21 for two courses and just £10 for bottomless prosecco!) with Mr S but I was excited to try their lunch menu upstairs in the main restaurant.
Light floods into the stylish dining room and highlights the gorgeous bronze detail, comfy orange booths, fresh flowers and pretty lighting fixtures.
There’s a small separate bar up here…
Didn’t I tell you it was Instagrammable?
A wine room (#lifegoals)
And an intimate glass fronted private dining room. I always prefer dining rooms like this that allow you to be surrounded by the restaurant atmosphere whilst still having privacy.
Even the bathroom has rose gold taps! Seriously, if I was to redesign my flat…it would be based it on Aster! It’s actually designed by Russell Sage who designed Quaglino’s, another favourite of mine in the D & D London group.
Back at my table, a perfect chewy sourdough comes with a lightly salty seaweed butter.
A starter of quail saw succulent meat on the bone surrounded by a halo of pumpkins, roasted seeds and golden raisins. A creme fraiche sauce on the side was a really tasty addition to the dish.
A pair of scallops were beautifully cooked with a perfect char and I loved the addition of crispy kale. I have to say though I wasn’t quite convinced by the accompanying liquorice, buckthorn and celeriac sauce which was a little bitter. I also thought the portion size was quite small especially in comparison to the more generous quail dish, I would have added in a third scallop!
Regular readers will know I’m not a big red meat eater but I have to say the beef fillet was the best thing that I tried at Aster. The meat was juicy and tender and cooked to absolute perfection.
A decent-sized cauldron of truffle potato oozed decandently and was the perfect accompaniment to the meat. No small portions here! It also came with a rich Madeira sauce which complemented it perfectly.
Arctic char isn’t something I see on a menu often but we loved it at our special dinner at Steirereck so I went ahead and ordered it. At Aster the fish is smoked, it tastes a little like trout and was accompanied by juicy, fat prawns shipped in from Greenland and a really delicious aubergine caviar.
Desserts are Instagrammable too and I’m always big fan of any fruit based dessert especially apple. The apple terrine was a must order for me with melt in the mouth layers of pastry and I absolutely loved the treacle ice cream, I meant how can you not love treacle ice cream? Crumbs of cider granite added another level of texture to the dish and overall it coherred beautifully.
A Victoria sponge is such a classic dish that it has to be done really well to stand out. I loved Aster’s take on the dish, a beautifully light cake, which even appeared to have wings of sugar. Perfectly whipped cream and dots of raspberry topped off a totally delicious dessert.
You can eat all day at Aster enjoying breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, there’s even a ‘Finnish at Five’ menu for £6 cocktails! I really enjoyed my lunch there and I have no doubt that Aster will be popular with locals to the area and as a destination dining venue. I’ve been four times already!
PIN FOR LATER:
Aster Restaurant
150 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5LB
020 3875 5555
I was a guest at Aster and my lunch was complimentary.
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