If there’s a highlight at Cafe Paci, it’s dessert: earthy-sweet carrot sorbet atop dense liquorice cake enveloped in tart yoghurt foam. Then again, perhaps it’s that cult-status ox tongue taco with snowy horseradish. Or the razor-thin, crackly rye crisp slathered with ’nduja and crowned with tangy, exactingly placed fermented carrots. All three are true originals, embodiments of owner-chef Pasi Petänen’s flair. Yet, even more seemingly familiar dishes here show unmistakeable precision. Char-grilled, limey black-pepper prawns are aromatic as all get-out, while buttery leeks topped with cloud-like strands of spanner crab and hazelnuts show impeccable restraint. The urbane fit-out suits the quirky and quietly experimental spirit, and the whip-smart service team never misses a beat, offering guidance on a drinks list that swings from herbaceous Japanese amaro to crunchy Georgian orange wine. Indeed, paradox and personality form the backbone of this intelligent, genre-defying neighbourhood bistro, which sticks the landing with unwavering confidence every time.
Jun Chen
