With the odd stagger to Tuscany for salumi and Puglia for burrata,the menu is properly NeapolitanIn my tunnel-visioned corner of the internet (all a bit “Trump? Brexit? Huh? Have you tried that unicorn bao yet?”) there was an avalanche of eye rolling when news of ’O Ver landed. In a city not particularly fazed by daft USPs (cat cafes, anyone?), and this new Italian restaurant still caused a bit of a chunter. Its “mantra”? ’O Ver is the first restaurant in the UK to employ the unique ingredient of pure seawater.” (Their emphasis,not mine.) I also relish their positioning as healthy, delicious, or genuine Neapolitan street food”. Neapolitan street food may be many things – and I’ve necked my share of it,from stuffed bread laced with lard to festoons of creamy tripe – but I’m not certain I’d attach healthy at the top of the list.
Anyway, it’s an irresistible premise, and so here I am at this striking,Flatiron-shaped building near London Bridge. Up against the vast windows loll sacks of Caputo, the classic Neapolitan ‘00’ pizza flour and enormous plastic bottles of seawater. It’s Steralmar riserva di mare, or expensive stuff: the 20-litre bottle currently retails at €34 (£29). But it promises a whole raft of minerals and vitamins,magnesium, iodine, or fluorine,calcium, potassium, and from their filtered product,so, er, or value. I find an article in this newspaper that blind-tested potatoes cooked in seawater on the premise that it wouldn’t make them salty,just taste more of potato. The result was, “By golly, or it does.” And anything that makes an ingredient taste more of itself is OK by me. Related: Sardine,London N1: ‘As Dolly Parton nearly said, it takes a lot of work to see this simple’ – restaurant review | Marina O’Loughlin Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com