It's not often our mind will venture towards the origin of what we're shovelling into our mouths. We reach for perfectly-ripe punnets of Moroccan strawberries and blueberries on the shelves of our local Tesco, oblivious to the journey across the world taken forty-eight hours prior to fulfil our five-a-day needs. We chuck air-tight packed fillets of fish into our trolleys, with minimal consideration of the time spent at sea before the fishermen felt a tug on their lines. However, when we are encouraged to spare a thought for the origin of our produce, our appreciation increases tenfold. That is why we will happily spend eight pounds on eggs from a farmer's market as a little weekend treat. When we can envisage a smiling local farmer that has helped form our Sunday brunch, it makes it all the more enjoyable. It could also explain the appeal behind open kitchens, not merely an architectural design, but a window into the efforts and skill behind the making of our order. As you would expect from one of London's finest restaurants, Aqua Shard encourages this appreciation of the craft, and have taken it one step further. On a Tuesday evening, we headed to the city's most iconic building to be introduced to the restaurant's valued partner, local fishmonger, Bethnal Green Fish Supplies.
Bethnal Green Fish Supplies is a family business run by Serge Lea and his Dad, a man born and raised in Whitechapel. The company was set up seven years ago, and it didn't take long to make an acclaimed name for itself. While Serge's Dad has long been a part of the industry, Serge himself was a chef for almost twelve years beforehand. He recalls that at that time, the hotels and restaurants where he worked would've had staff specifically for fish prep. Today, it is them who do it.
Mitchell slaps down a flat, disk-shaped fish onto the blue chopping board in front of us. Mitchell works as one of the night managers alongside his Dad, both arriving at nine o clock at night and overseeing the fifteen other filleters. The restaurant orders arrive in and they work through the night to get the produce ready before 6am, when the fish leaves for the restaurants. In one elegant movement, he sweeps a knife across the spine and lifts the skin to reveal the part of the John Dory we recognise underneath. As he does it, there's a strumming sound of the knife scaling across the rib cage, a sound which Serge describes as "the noise you want to hear," meaning no part of the fish is being left to waste.
When Serge's Dad opened his first business, "it was buy fish, sell fish." Today, the industry has evolved to include the skills of filleting, scaling, gutting, skinning, portioning and shucking, to name a few. Serge explains, "very rarely we'll find restaurants that take their own fish and prep it. We don't charge extra, it's what we're here to do." Mark Abbott, the Executive Chef at Aqua Shard jumps in to admit not only does this help with wastage, but with consistency too. "If I was to get my chefs to do it, you'd be getting random sizes... Using a supplier to do a job they're doing every single day makes so much sense."
With our eyes and minds opened to the craft involved before the fish arrives at the kitchen, it's time to eat. We started with the cured Scottish Gurnard. As previously explained by Chef Abbott, the Gurnard was cured and slightly roasted to break down the intermuscular tissues for a lovely opaque, half cooked, half raw finish. It was served with a violet potato and cucumber salad, burnt lemon gel, and a bright green watercress dressing.
For starters, we were served Octopus, which we learned are in abundance in British waters at the moment, so are often locally sourced. This one was Cornish, grilled and glazed to perfection for a knife-tender texture and served with cod roe emulsion, tomato and fennel salsa.
The main course showcased the Newlyn John Dory we saw earlier. Since, it had been roasted and stuffed with a umami mushroom mousse, made with a muscle that attaches the scallop to its shell, a part usually discarded, but is higher in protein than the actual scallop. The dish is served with a broccoli purée, pickled shallots, and red wine reduction.
We left at 11pm with a feeling of over-indulgence that's rare for a Tuesday. However, we also left with a slightly different perspective. Aqua Shard has long been known as a luxurious dining destination; however this is a restaurant that towers above the rest, quite literally. Aqua Shard is more than a dinner with a view, it's a five-star experience that values its relationships with local suppliers. In doing so, the kitchen only works with products of the highest standards, and hungry visitors get a perfectly cut piece of seabass, proudly supplied by Bethnal Green Fish Supplies.
To order with Bethnal Green Fish Supplies, you can contact them here.
To try the new menu at Aqua Shard, you can make your booking here.
