I ate at a new restaurant in London with a floral theme and a delicious seasonally changing menu.
Located in Bow Lane near Mansion House station, Stem and Stem offers an intimate dining space - and is also a florist.
The restaurant opened in November last year with sustainability at the core of the business, sourcing ingredients, flowers and wines from local and UK producers.
I was invited along with my mum to come and try the place and to sample some of the plates from the current menu.
The moment you walk in you are treated to the scent of seasonal blooms; the aroma of fresh flowers engulfs you the moment you walk into the restaurant.
There is so much attention to detail, from the mirrors hanging on the walls to give the small space a brighter and larger feel, to the dried flowers hanging up in the toilets.
We first began with a glass of champagne supplied from a UK-based vineyard, one thing the restaurant prides itself on is sourcing from UK suppliers, which includes the wine list.
We began with an assortment of plates to share, selected by the waiter, which comprised of both vegetarian and meat dishes.
To begin we tried the warm London sourdough with cultured Suffolk butter, along with the honey and orange glazed beetroot served with goats curd, walnuts, pickled raisins and fennel.
The beetroot was one of my favourite dishes, it was tart and sweet with a pleasant mix of textures, from the crunchiness of the walnuts to the smoothness of the beetroot.
We also sampled the leek and Red Leicester cheese croquette, served with smoked mayo and chive, and this was delicious with the flavourful cheese and leaks.
Moving onto meats, we also tried the chicken liver pate served with winter leaves, blood orange, toasted sourdough & balsamic.
The taste of the pate was very rich and the blood orange gave it a bit of sweetness, one thing I will say from sampling just a few dishes is that the menu uses an array of flavours that really take your taste buds on a culinary journey.
Moving onto large plates, we tried two dishes selected by the waiter, accompanied with a glass of red wine.
The two dishes selected for us to try were the pan-fried Cornish hake served with wild sea herbs, champagne sauce and Scottish mussels, and the stuffed guinea fowl with carrot puree, cima di rapa, shimeji mushrooms and chicken sauce.
Both dishes had a good amount of flavours, the Cornish hake was light in texture and melted in the mouth, with a fresh taste from the sauce and herbs.
The guinea fowl had a rich gamey taste, and the chicken sauce and carrot puree made this a really hearty and warming dish compared with the lightness of the hake.
We also shared some sides, including skinny fries with Cornish salt and a parmesan and garlic mayo, and a salad with honey and mustard dressing.
Finally, we finished with a cup of locally sourced tea and some desserts to share.
We tried the rolled oat treacle tart with clotted cream, which has been a staple of the menu for the last few months, along with the 'chocolate garden', a chocolate cream dessert served with blood orange jam and coffee ice cream.
The rolled oat treacle tart was warming and sweet, and the clotted cream with it made me feel as if I was eating a dessert made from a recipe book of bygone times with the texture from the oats.
The chocolate garden was a medley of textures and flavours, with the richness of the chocolate and coffee and the sweetness of the blood orange, and tartness of the breakfast tea garnish on the top.
Stem and Stem is a wonderful addition to the London restaurant scene, offering a beautiful restaurant space and a unique menu using seasonal produce.
The menu really champions the best of British produce using interesting combinations of flavours.
It’s abundantly clear that a lot of passion and love has gone into this place and it's somewhere I’ll definitely visit again.
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