THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Base

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Base Restaurant Review:

Hampstead is still something of a culinary backwater, so it’s a welcome sign to see Pierre Khodja setting up here in this affluent part of London, along with other young and exciting chefs. Base is a pretty, sand- and ochre-coloured dining room, with a pale wooden floor, crisp linen and some very good modern art on the walls that complements the natural feel of the room. Khodja has cooked with Bruno Loubet, and like that chef, his basis is classical French. So goat cheese crotin comes on grilled vegetables and rocket salad, and meltingly tender roast salmon seared crisp on the outside, is accompanied by lobster mash, lime and tarragon jus. But North Africa also has its place and this first-generation French-Algerian chef makes subtle use of spices like cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. Pan-fried prawns come on aubergine and tabouleh, with haloumi cheese adding a delicious sharpness; best end of lamb comes with a saffron mash, spiced roast fennel and cinnamon jus. Desserts, too, get the same treatment, as in poached pear with fig or cinnamon ice cream. During the day, the café next door offers take-away and the café menu is served in the main restaurant. But it’s in the evening when the place comes into its own.