Food: ☆☆☆½

Service: ☆☆☆½

Ambiance: ☆☆☆½

Cost: $$$

Must try: Foie Gras, Shrimp Alhinho, Knoll Krest Farm Egg

 

Aldea is where George Mendes brings Portuguese/Iberian cuisine to the table.

Everything about Aldea is simple and clean from its flavors to its design. However within this simplicity, lies a layer of culinary sophistication, which is Mendes’s gift.

Almost all the dishes we tried were very good. The best of them being an Early Tomato Gazpacho with Lobster, which was quite dazzling. So was their Special Grilled Prawns and the Monkfish with Coriander-Citrus Crust equally enticing.

I was rather disappointed by the Octopus, which was uneven in its texture and chewy in parts – other than that every dish we tried was no less than good.

However I will say that I’m not sure I would go back to Aldea in a rush. Even though the food was wonderful – everything there was a little bit too bland for me. I had a hard time connecting to the soul of the flavors but that is just me!

Rated with a Michelin star, Aldea is definitely a great Chelsea spot to visit.

 

Here is some of what we ate:

 

Amuse Bouche

 

 

Sea Urchin Toast

 

Knoll Krest Farm Egg

 

Croquetas De Bacalhau

 

 

Rustic Pork & Duck Terrine

 

Cured Foie Gras

 

 

Early Tomato Gazpacho

Special Prawns

 

Shrimp Alhinho

 

Spanish Octopus

 

 

Diver Scallops

 

 

Monkfish coriander-citrus crust

 

 

Sea-Salted Chatham Cod