Absolute Abode: Review

Absolute Abode in Coombe Lane, Raynes Park, is a stunning restaurant and a boutique emporium in one. Filled with beautiful homeware, candles, jewellery and decorations this half of the shop is the place to treat yourself and explore the latest design styles.

The other half of this store is a cafe by day and restaurant by night at the weekends. It is filled with large tables, comfy chairs and when they serve dinner, live music accompanies you as you eat.

Walking into the restaurant on a Friday night the atmosphere is calming and inviting. It instantly made me forget about the stress of the week I’d had and my thoughts turned to food. Guitar and flute notes hung in the air from the live band and the smell of food wrapped around me.

I joined friends at their large table and we enjoyed a glass of prosecco to toast the weekend, and an evening with incredible food and friends.

As a group starter we were treated to a cream of celeriac and apple soup served in individual shot glasses. A weird concept to use a shot glass for hot soup but serving it in this beautiful way really made it a showstopper. And this was only the starter! I couldn’t wait to see how stunning the other dishes would be. The soup was warm, thick and comforting and felt like autumn dining in a glass. It would be a perfect soup to enjoy and warm you up after a crisp walk on Wimbledon Common with warm coats, hats, scarf and gloves.

For my individual starter I chose the Heirloom tomato salad with grilled peaches, raspberries, redcurrant, rocket and pecans. It was absolutely stunning. One of the best dishes I have ever had in my life. So simple but the tastes together where outstanding. It was healthy, natural and fresh with crunch from the pecans, a mix of bitter and sweet tastes came from the different tomatoes all combined with the dots of sharp vinegar around the plate. I absolutely loved this starter and with the grilled ciabatta would have been a meal on its own.

My friends around the table enjoyed the octopus, carpaccio and crispy baby squid with watermelon, mango, coriander served with a soy and ginger dressing. They remarked how it appeared so delicate on the plate but it was full of flavours that worked so well together and gave it real bite. All who ate it said they would recommend it.

For the main event I went for the corn fed chicken supreme with leek, chorizo, sauce new potatoes and peas. Like all the other dishes it was displayed spectacularly and was almost so beautiful I didn’t want to tuck in and taste. The smokey flavour of the chorizo with the buttery smooth chicken and the freshness of the vegetables made this dish smooth and succulent. Like the other dishes the ingredients used were simple but cooked in a way to make the dish divine and decadent in it’s taste.

The food we ate at Absolute abode was more than eaten and enjoyed, but loved and savoured. It is a restaurant that I will be visiting again and again myself for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. I don’t think the word recommend is a good enough word for how I talk about Absolute Abode. I think insist and encourage covers the joy I had for the delicious food and how I want others to experience it too.

To book a table, visit absoluteabode.com.

Written by our Food Blogger, Sisley White.
Visit: sewwhite.com
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