Entrada,
Custom House Street,
Queens Quay,
Derry
ENTRADA is Derry’s latest restaurant, although by the time I get to the end of this sentence, it probably won’t be, such is the rate at which places are opening in the city.
It used to be the Custom House, but custom stales and that has now given way to something crisper, simpler, and more modern, with cleaner lines and cooler colours.
The new name is Spanish, but the restaurant is Spanish only in nice, little touches here and there, in one or two ingredients and dishes, and in the Spanish cheeses and sausage that sit at the pass.
Bright and open, warm and jolly, there was a lovely Friday night hum in the air when I arrived, with the place full of diners having a good time and enjoying their food. That good first impression was only enhanced when I was brought a free sample of the house lager so I could make sure I liked it (I certainly did, by the way). It was the Friday before Halloween, and it felt like it was going to be treats all the way.
We ordered three starters, selecting from both the Small Plates and the Snacks menus. My baby squid was a bit overcooked and chewy, and the delicate flavour of the squid was swamped by the heat of the peppers. The croquetas, however – terrific value from the list of Snacks – were delicious. Inside the crisp cases were big strips of ham, wrapped in lovely, lively Manchego cheese.
As good as these were, they could not beat the chicken pieces, a thigh and a drumstick. This was the best chicken I’ve had in ages. The meat was meltingly tender and infused with a deep smokiness from the charcoal oven. Not much evidence of the celeriac and apple, but no-one cared about that, the chicken was so good.
We only had two mains, as one of us had had too big an afternoon snack and didn’t want to be too full for pudding. I was a bit disappointed with my lamb cutlets. They were rare, as I’d asked, but I felt they’d been cooked at too low a temperature, so they lacked colour and texture and the fat hadn’t crisped up. It was a generous portion, though, and the flavour was good. My brother’s chicken was delicious – moist, well-seasoned, and the accompanying chorizo was beautiful.
We enjoyed our puddings, albeit not without reservations. The steamed chocolate sponge was a lovely, retro dish, rich and comforting. The posset was zingy and creamy. My cheesecake (deconstructed, I think) was a touch too gloopy and lacked flavour, but the base had a good crunch and the fruit topping was light and fresh.
There were a few glitches worth mentioning. The service felt a bit distracted at times, although never unfriendly. There was no pudding menu. We were just told what was available, and, when the dishes came, they weren’t quite what we were told. We were told vanilla posset, and it was lemon, and the chocolate sponge came with a caramel sauce, which no-one mentioned.
Another thing – the main course menu says the chicken comes with Clondale Chorizo, but it’s actually Corndale. That’s not being petty – Corndale Farm is a local producer and the name should be given correctly.
That all said, we all came away having had a great time and really looking forward to going again. Entrada is only a few weeks old; where a new restaurant is concerned, things take a little time to settle.
They haven’t got everything sorted just yet, but what they get wrong, they get nearly right, and what they get right, they get really right.
THE BILL:
(Prices for three)
Spiced chicken, apple and celeriac - £6.00
Ham and manchego croqueta - £3.50
Charred baby squid, peppers, red onion, parsley - £6
Lamb cutlets, tapenade, red cabbage, pine nuts, sultanas - £15.00
Chicken breast, Clondale chorizo, red onion, romesco sauce - £13.00
Patatas bravas - £3
Chunky chips - £3
Salad - £3
Steamed chocolate pudding - £4.95
Lemon posset - £4.95
Vanilla cheesecake - £4.95
Entrada lager - £4
Sparkling water - £2.50
Glass of Rioja x 2 - £11
Total: £84.85
