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Garlic and Shots
Last night, Other Rob and I met up to paint the town a gentle shade of pink and discuss the future of the Vauxhall Griffin quiz which is – if all goes as planned – due a little shakeup.
Thus I found myself standing gormlessly in Frith Street whilst Rob outlined the various culinary options available to us, and we jointly settled – through curiosity mainly – on a visit to Garlic and Shots.
It has to be said that it’s possibly the most baffling and perspective-shifting meal I’ve ever had. The menu is incredibly literal: if it’s not a shot of alcohol it has garlic in it. Lots of garlic. (And even some of the shots have garlic in too.)
We both settled on the beautifully named “Garlic and Chilli Concoction of Beef Meat in a Pan” which turned out to be exactly as described: a large, garlic and chilli heavy splat of meat in a pan with nachos, cheese, a cob of corn and various salady items to take the edge off the spice.
I must confess I’m not sure it justified the price tag, but it was very very good indeed. Washed down with some not unpleasant house white I felt quite replete.
But it was the deserts that finally caught us out. We felt we had to try really, and it was telling that Rob and I simultaneously took a bite of our puddings, paused, and looked each other straight in the eye with that sort of shocked expression you get when you realise you’re further into your overdraft than you thought.
“Yeah,” Rob said, chewing thoughtfully “that’s definitely got garlic in.”
Strange though it sounds, “Cocoa and Butterscotch Garlic Toffee cake” isn’t actually at all unpleasant. In fact it’s really quite nice, it’s just a major struggle to get past the idea that you’re eating a desert which tastes quite identifiably of something you don’t normally have in such quantity.
Or, in the case of the “Garlic Honey Ice Cream with Chocolate Dipped Garlic Cloves”, whole.
Still, I certainly feel richer for the experience and can heartily recommend it – even to my friends. Please do give it a try if you ever have the chance.
(Although it may not be an ideal place to take a date…)
Posted on May 23, 2008 | Filed Under My So-Called Life
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Response left by Other Rob on May 23rd, 2008
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My favourite bit on the website:
“No dishes are served without garlic. You can always order extra garlic, but never less. As you leave the restaurant you should feel like you’ve been garlic marinated. This is our mission from God.”