Applebee's Borough Market Autumn Tasting Menu Review: Outstanding Seafood & Wine Pairings
There are some restaurants that feel as though they've always belonged exactly where they are. Applebee's Borough Market is one of them. Sitting on Stoney Street in the heart of Borough Market, it's been serving British seafood since 1999, and somehow manages to feel both part of the market's buzz and slightly removed from the crowds at the same time.
For our visit, we booked in for the autumn tasting menu, a five-course seasonal feast built around seafood, with wines from Walgate Wines in Rye. We were seated inside at one of the high tables, which I would thoroughly recommend. From there you can watch the chefs working in the open kitchen, keep an eye on the bar, and enjoy a front-row view of everything happening outside in the market. It's one of those perfect people-watching spots where you could happily linger over an extra glass of wine. We actually did just that, but with a decadent English Coffee.
Before I get onto the food, I have to mention the service, because it genuinely made the evening. Friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable without ever being overbearing, the team looked after us brilliantly. The first course, prawn cocktail crisps with whipped Marie Rose and chilli oil, is designed as a sharing dish. We demolished the crisps rather quickly and asked if it might be possible to have a few more. Within moments, a fresh bowl appeared containing considerably more than we'd started with. It's a tiny detail, but those are often the moments you remember.
The wine pairing got off to an interesting start with Colfondo NV from Walgate Wines. Two out of the three glasses at our table arrived noticeably cloudy, while one was almost clear. Far from being a fault, this is exactly how the wine is intended to be. Colfondo is bottled unfiltered and with its natural lees, so yeast sediment remains in the bottle. Depending on how it's poured, some glasses will pick up more sediment than others, giving them that hazy appearance. It's very much in keeping with Walgate Wines' low-intervention approach.
The wines throughout the meal felt firmly rooted in the natural wine camp. They paired beautifully with the dishes, bringing texture and savoury notes that enhanced the food. Personally, they're not necessarily wines I would choose to sit and drink all evening on their own, but alongside the tasting menu they made complete sense.
Tuna Carpaccio Scallop with balck pudding Gnocchi with prawns Orange polenta cake
The tuna carpaccio was delicate and fresh, but the hand-dived scallop was the dish that stole the show for me. Served with black pudding and caramelised cauliflower, it sounds much heavier than it actually is. If the mention of black pudding puts you off, don't let it. It contributed little more than a subtle savoury depth that supported the scallop rather than overpowering it. The shellfish remained centre stage throughout, sweet, perfectly cooked and utterly delicious.
One of our group eats gluten free and I was impressed by how effortlessly the kitchen accommodated her. No black pudding with her scallop was a minor alteration. The only course she couldn't have was the crab and prawn gnocchi, which was replaced with a tomato risotto. Cleverly, it looked remarkably similar to the original dish, so she never felt she'd drawn the short straw. In fact, she declared it lovely and polished off every last spoonful.
The meal finished with orange polenta cake, a fittingly autumnal dessert that rounded everything off nicely.
My biggest tip? Join the mailing list. Thanks to a subscriber offer, our matched wines were included within the £55 tasting menu price. Considering the quality of both food and wine, that's something of a bargain by normal London restaurant standards. Similar tasting menus elsewhere in the capital would comfortably cost much more.
Need to Know
Applebee's Borough Market
5 Stoney StreetBorough Market, London SE1 9AA
Telephone: 020 7407 5777
Booking: Reserve online via the Applebee's website. The autumn tasting menu runs from 19 October to 16 November and is available for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
A relaxed seafood supper, thoughtful wine pairings, genuinely lovely service and one unforgettable scallop. Sometimes that's all you really need.
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