Abi Manning embraces the element of surprise in 13 courses at the Thirteen chef’s table
Those with a compulsion for planning and order aren’t always terribly good at coping with surprises. So taking a seat at the chef’s table opposite Alex Naik and his team as they prepare 13 courses listed simply as ‘goat, lime’, ‘polenta, kimchi’ and ‘elderflower, vinegar’ may be daunting for some.
However, any fear about stepping into the unknown at this restaurant is soon assuaged, and a few hours grazing the long bill of dishes delivers an evening of thrills this control freak would gladly relive.
A novel start
The surprises begin the moment your Uber slows to a halt on Ashley Road. Those familiar with Poole know this as the main commercial artery through the Upper Parkstone area; it’s certainly not famed for its foodie credentials like neighbouring Lower Parkstone and Sandbanks.
On stepping inside, however, diners are transported. A curved entrance passage leads guests to proceed in single file, allowing each their own ‘ahh’ moment as the restaurant opens up around them.
With just 22 covers Thirteen is intimate, each spotlit table coddling diners in their own culinary cocoon. But for the ultimate deep dive into the kitchen action, book a seat at the chef’s table.
Cornucopia of creativity
Without dishing any spoilers, every accomplished course delivers in style. Manifest a visit after the team have been truffle picking, because the Stornoway black pudding, encased in a charcoal croustade and topped with truffle emulsion, shimeji mushrooms and fresh black winter truffle, is guaranteed to send even the most fungi-averse to umami heaven. And don’t be fooled by those simply named courses either, as the creation titled ‘crab’ should actually be read as ‘crab apple’. These quirks are confident rather than cocky, however, and rooted in the chef’s deep respect for each element of every dish.
The menu shifts according to what Alex and his team can source. Yet one dish is constant: the legendary goat samosa, which even has its own Instagram page. It’s a love letter to Alex’s family roots in India, combined with a dash of Scottish fire (where the family once lived). One of the chef’s childhood friends supplies the mango habanero that gives the pastry parcel its heat – and is pictured on the wall of the restaurant for his trouble.
The whole experience is threaded with intimate links to family, friends and memories. Indeed, the chef’s table provides a stage where Alex can wax lyrical about growing and plucking microherbs from the roof garden, his suppliers and friends who provide produce from their allotments, and team trips that involve stuffing apples down the fronts of jumpers to bring back to the restaurant.
Family ties
The close-knit vibe is no surprise, as the restaurant is a family venture. Alex – who formerly headed the kitchen at Shell Bay in Swanage – leads a calm kitchen crew of three, while his sister Frances runs front of house with precision. Their dad Hem pairs the wines, while mum Elisabeth is both an accomplished chef and ‘the glue that holds us all together’, as she puts it. The team is completed by mixologist Gee. Together they work as a symbiotic unit – whether concocting a new ferment, wrestling it out over the best wine pairing, or tag-teaming between kitchen and front of house.
For a venue dealing in such beautifully crafted food and slick service, you might expect a little pomposity, but it’s nowhere to be found. Instead, Thirteen hits the sweet spot of exquisite food that elicits moments of wonder, while simultaneously making diners feel part of the family.
And, like all the best surprises, it leaves you wanting more.
