There have been more accolades for Jonny Lake and Isa Bal
We first visited Trivet back in 2022 after we’d said goodbye to lockdown restrictions and just before it won its first Michelin star. Two years and a second Michelin star later, it was high time for a return visit to the Bermondsey restaurant.
The look (modern and light-filled), the vibe (relaxed and fuss-free) and Isa’s wine list (chronologically organised and extensive) haven’t changed and Trivet still only offers an a la carte menu, which is unusual for a two-star restaurant. Though it’s very much fine dining food there’s a real ease about it – you can even get fries (with some excellent onion ketchup) on the side of your main.
We were happy to see the vegetable crackers from the snacks section haven’t gone anywhere either; not only do they showcase how the kitchen is using new techniques to deliver flavour, they’re great to snack on alongside an aperitif or homemade lemonade.
The dishes read fairly simply, which feels in step with the informal atmosphere, though there’s clearly a lot of skill put into every plate. The ‘Il Maestro’ risotto was rich with saffron without overpowering the soft confit scallops on top of the rice. With the super-seasonal ‘One has to have morels’, wild garlic and parmesan lifted, not dominated, the chicken-stuffed morels and crispy chicken oysters.
The crisp-skinned seabass, lifted by a verjus and cockle sauce, was another lovely spring dish but the star main course was the venison and Tokyo turnips, expertly layered with bitter notes, gently from the long-cooked piece of radicchio through to the silky watercress purée to the irony ‘au sang’ blood pepper sauce.
We also loved the tropical flavours in the Trivet baba, the soaked sponge dressed with coconut jelly, passionfruit & marigold sauce, and coconut chantilly. The ‘Hokkaido Potato’ fast became a signature dish when Trivet first opened and we’re happy to report that it’s as impressive as ever. The sake cuts through the sweetness of the white chocolate mousse and the fattiness of the butter gelato.
Trivet may now be part of the two-star club but it wears its newly elevated status lightly. There’s attentive service and accomplished cooking without the feeling of being in a “very serious restaurant” – and no lengthy tasting menus in sight.
36 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU
trivetrestaurant.co.uk