Sabor - South American goodness
The early May bank holiday weekend ended up being a bit of a gastronomic feast. First there was the best pizza ever followed by a fine home cooked breakfast then dinner on Sunday night at Sabor. This was not a planned visit, indeed it was a last minute decision. A quick search on Top Table for special offers in the Islington area identified a 25% discount on food at Sabor so we booked online and headed to the pub for a pre dinner G&T.
I didn’t know what to expect from Sabor but when we walked in I was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is long and filled with colourful tables. It was quiet with only about 4 tables occupied and we were seated by the front window where all the other customers were grouped. This was a good thing as it gave the impression of a busy buzzy restaurant. We were offered cocktails from an extensive list but as we had a few G&Ts in use we decided to go straight on to wine, but the cocktails did look nice and I may have to revisit for these alone. The wine list was small while interesting and reasonably priced and I went for a Sloeus Organic Merlot at £18.50. The waiters were very attentive and helpful. When filling our glasses with tap water the waiter brought two jugs, one to fill our glasses and left a full one on the table, top marks from me for that!
For starters I went for the Sweetcorn Fritters that came with shredded chicken, guacamole, and a beetroot salsa. I was a little disappointed by the fritter but I put that down to me not fully understanding what I was ordering. All the components were nice but as a complete dish it didn’t quite come together. D went for the Scallops with passion fruit and definitely won the starter selection. They were perfectly cooked, big and juicy.
For the main course I was going to have a steak but then remembered I was off to Hawksmoor later in the week so decided to go for the Ropa Veija (shredded beef brisket) but unfortunately they were all out so I went for the Conejo en Salsa de Chocolate, rabbit cook in a rich and spicy chocolate sauce served with wild rice, corn & quinoa salad. It was very nice and a lot more meat than I was expecting. The sauce was rich and went very well with the rabbit meat.
D went for the Ají de Gallina a classic Peruvian dish of pan-fried marinated breast of chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, red onion, garlic and coriander, served with Mayan Gold saffron potato mash and ají amarillo sauce. Again another great tasty dish with a nice touch of South American flare.
To finish up we shared a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake which is made with mora the andean blackberry and top up with caramelised milk, served with a mora compote. It had a distinctively cheesy flavour and was refreshingly different and a nice end to the meal.
Vedict: A nice local restaurant, friendly staff and good food. The limited menu is the only thing that would stop me returning on a regular basis, but I will still go back. And with the 25% off the food bill it made it all the more attractive.
Rating: 7/10
