With so many restaurants that I want to try in London, it tends to feel like a dereliction of duty to visit somewhere that hasn’t recently received a glowing review from a national restaurant critic or that doesn’t currently appear in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 restaurants.
But, with a specific brief for somewhere open for a late lunch following an inevitable train delay from Cardiff to London, we decided on Parsons in Covent Garden.
Having received critical acclaim when it opened in 2017, it's been on my never ending list of places to visit for a long time. In 2024, the hype train has very much moved on.
Open all day from lunch till dinner, this cosy 30 cover fish restaurant was pretty much empty when we arrived at 2pm. But it gradually filled up with other diners who were clearly looking for an even later lunch than us.
Owned by the same team as the wine-focused 10 Cases restaurant and bar, which is situated over the road, Parsons serves reasonably priced, unfussy fish cookery alongside an interesting wine list that’s divided into coastal and classic wines.
Over the course of the meal, we tucked away excellent glasses of Canard-Duchêne Léonie champagne ((£14), a smashable Zahel Gruner Veltiner blend (£8.50) and a wonderfully complex Adam Hofberg Spätlese Riesling (£9.40).
We ordered a couple of snacks to share instead of starters as we were going all out on main course.
Crisp seaweed cracker shards (£6.50) were delightful dredged through smooth and creamy whipped cod’s roe turbocharged with smoke and salt.
Hot rice cakes (£8) were addictively crisp around edges like the crusty bottom of a paella. Topped with sweet white crab meat given an Asian twang thanks to the addition of coriander, citrus and chilli, it was a top-drawer snack.
I’ve been hankering after a whole turbot ever since the fabulous one we had at Asador 44 back in 2017. Parsons' version (£78) was just as good. The pert, sweet and meaty flesh teased off the bone easily, had delicately crisp skin on one side, and was seasoned nicely with a scattering of salty samphire.
What really took the dish to the next level was an accompanying saucepan of luxurious mussel beurre blanc with a big hit of savoury shellfish. Salty pearls of avruga caviar bobbed in its depths.
It was delightful poured over the fish and a belting accompaniment for a whopping bowl of textbook golden fries (£5.50).
A vibrant green bean, tomato and radish salad (£8.50) was dressed with a well-judged vinaigrette and the crunch of hazelnut.
Dessert also bossed it. A beautifully thin and crisp warm tart (£8.50) was filled with soft and sweet almond frangipane studded with fragrant cherries. Topped with a good blob of vanilla scented chantilly cream, it was right up my street.
We had a delicious lunch at Parsons. It goes to show there’s treasures to be found in London’s restaurant scene if you get off the hype train.
The Details:
Address - Parsons, 39 Endell Street, London WC2H 9BA
Telephone - 020 3422 0221
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