64 degrees at Polygon Pop Up

When I heard that 64 degrees was due to be one of the pop-up kitchens at the Polygon event at Ribot I had to make sure that I got there. 64 degrees were recently named 16th best restaurant at the National Restaurant awards and I was yet to try them; I’ve always been saving going there for a ‘special occasion’ and apparently I don’t actually have any of those because 64 degrees have been in the South Laines for years now.

Last night, however, I took my 64 degrees virginity and I was not disappointed – nor was my dining partner.

We had ‘a bit of everything’ – here they are, in order of my favourites. Always saving the best for last.

Lamb empanadas – these were packed full with delicious lamb meat and were light and crispy on the outside. The perfect pre-dinner snack.

Seared tuna tacos with avocado – freshly seared tuna steaks in a soft taco with avocado and pickled red onions and an unidentified sauce. The tuna steak was beautifully cooked and was obviously really good quality with just a hint of colour on the edges. Tuna is such a delicate flavour, I felt that the avocado somewhat overpowered the tuna but it was all so tasty. The tacos were super soft and melted in your mouth. Pickled red onion dressed the dish as did the sauce. I want to say it was a chilli sauce but it didn’t really pack any heat so cannot confirm nor deny this – any suggestions welcome!

Lamb and cumin meatballs with crème fraiche – these were so tasty and *drum roll please* still moist in the middle. All hail 64 degrees. It’s so easy to overcook meatballs but these were perfectly cooked and seasoned in a lovely tomato sauce. Served with lightly pickled red cabbage and crème fraiche. I can’t quite put my finger on what they did with the crème fraiche, it had a slight barbeque / smoked tang to it. Whatever it was, it was amazing. And then topped with pomegranate seeds and served with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Tagliatelle with butter, truffle and parmesan – I. CAN’T. EVEN. It was too good. I could have eaten this ten times over. Fresh homemade pasta, perfectly cooked, dripping with fresh butter, truffle and parmesan and another bit of crusty bread on the side to mop up the sauce. Both my dining partner and I agreed this was the best thing on the menu. It’s such a simple thing – basically buttery pasta. But it was so, so good. I can’t say anything more.

So, my first 64 degrees experience certainly did not disappoint and I think it will definitely be the first of many.

the wee food blogger 💛