Graphic - Bar / Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  American

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  4, Golden Square, Soho, London. W1F 9HT. 

Closest station(s): Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden.  

Telephone: 0207 287 9241

Website: www.graphicbar.com 

Nestling in the middle of the narrow streets of Soho I found myself in Golden Square – I’m not quite sure how I hadn’t stumbled across it before. On a warm and sunny Thursday the light and open square had a crowd of people standing out in the sun enjoying post-work cocktails. Wandering over, the place drawing a crowd was Graphic.

Graphic is a contemporary bar – aiming to maintain its cutting edge by opening up the decoration of the venue to a new artist every few months; a move that should stop it becoming familiar. On my visit the design was urban, the current installation coming from the artist Eine who has a penchant for graffiti on metal shutters – probably not how I would chose to decorate my bedroom but it worked well in creating an atmosphere. The passion for contemporary art is further demonstrated by the presence at Graphic of a Mark Wallinger brick. Alongside the artist focus there is also an emphasis on music, the venue having a DJ from the early evening onwards, helping to create a buzz.  

Graphic appears to have broad appeal – looking around the bar from my table halfway down the long, narrow room there were varied groups including those from the City, trendy Dalstonians wearing their anorexic jeans and those from the media hubs littering the surrounding area.

The focus is on gin with a selection exceeding 120 having been amassed, purportedly the largest selection in the UK and quite possibly the world. The cocktail list is varied with the signature cocktail being their paint tin punch – fresh juices blended with different gins and served, as the name suggests, in a paint tin. The two I tried were very good, I’m not sure whether the paint tin container adds a huge amount but it certainly didn’t detract from the experience and it was at least novel. With house wine starting at £17 a bottle the prices certainly haven’t been set to beat up your wallet.

So,  the venue is trendy, the music’s good and the drinks are great – this being the London Food Review however the key element for me has to be the food.  Whilst Soho has a number of decent bars, when conceived the onus is seems to be on venue and drinks with food being a distant afterthought. This also seems to coincide with trendy bars often thinking it is a particularly good idea to serve pseudo-Oriental food despite it having no relevance to their brand - clearly nothing sums up chic like a spring roll. The Graphic menu therefore came as a very pleasant surprise. Putting the menu into a box is difficult, largely American with hints of the Middle East, the focus being on the sharing of small plates.

We started by sharing a plate of sliders (small burgers). All too often in a bar sliders would be an excuse to get cheap and greasy meat in stale bread out of the kitchen and to charge a premium. Before they arrived however I already had high hopes – the fact that one we chose included bone marrow suggested that a little more thought had gone into these than one may expect. The sliders were, as I had hoped, very good – well cooked, flavoursome, served in decent quality bread and grease free. At 3 sliders for under £10 I certainly didn’t feel that I was being ripped off in light of the size and quality of the dish before me.

We then proceeded onto the grills section – ordering the chicken and the salmon. Again, both were surprisingly good quality and cooked simply. The lack of any attempt at pretention behind the food continued to be a pleasant surprise. Accompanying the grills were the items that I thought summed up Graphic, namely the sides and salads. In a majority of bars you would find the option of chips, onion rings and some other items that came straight from the freezers of the horribly generic catering companies. Instead at Graphic I was able to tuck into a roast fennel salad, a refreshing summer slaw with plenty of fresh apple cutting through the dressing and these were accompanied by the crowning glory - the polenta chips. At only £3 each the sides and salads were far less you could spend around the corner for a bowl of limp chips.

Graphic is a bar and is not aiming for fine dining. The focus is, as it should be, on the cocktails – what makes Graphic a bit different is that you have opportunity to soak up the alcohol with some well-conceived and executed food, perfect for sharing amongst a group. The sharing platter, that I didn’t try, also looked particularly good. Leaving the bar my eating and drinking partner said she thought it was about the best bar food she had been served in London and by no means the most expensive. I highly recommend going there for a drink and whilst there why not get a few plates to share – you shouldn't be disappointed. 

Central & Co - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  British

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  22, Great Marlborough Street, Soho, London. W1F 7HU.

Closest station(s): Oxford Circus, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus.    

Telephone: 0207 437 4106

Website: www.centralandco.com      

Opposite an entrance to Carnaby Street I found myself stepping into Central & Co, a new venture on Great Marlborough Street – with its proximity to Oxford Street  I fear that restaurants in this area will be uninspiring places looking to churn though as many tourists and weary shoppers as possible. Happily, Central & Co does not fall into this bracket and is already drawing a strong following. It is an uncluttered space with wooden tables; feeling light and airy rather than sparse – when the sun is shining the front of the premises are opened up to allow the light and heat to spill in.

The menu divides into small plates, mains and puddings; offering a British focus with Gallic influence. It has been quite a while since I wished to devour so much of a menu; the small plates all sounded appealing – we plumped for the rabbit rillettes, langoustines, steak tartare and cauliflower fritters. This left me feeling rather guilty that I hadn’t ordered the other 12 or so small plates, surely it was rude of me to neglect such great sounding food. In the region of £4 - £8 the small plates are not bank busting. As we waited we were delivered a huge breadboard which remained on the table – something Central & Co cannot be accused of is being stingy.

Each of the small plates lived up to what I had hoped for. Cauliflower fritters were crisp, without a drop of oil in sight, delicate and delicious – many more people would eat their 5 a day if all veg tasted like this. The tartare again was very good; not too finely chopped steak, hugely acidic capers which dribbled their wonderfully sharp juice through the dish. The rabbit was prepared simply and accompanied by a pea puree, it needed nothing more. The langoustines did not fail to impress either – cooked simply they maintained their delicate flavours.

The mackerel salad niçoise main was very enjoyable – a decent chunk of mackerel, perched on a pleasantly textured and varied salad (including olives that my dining partner would not shut up about how much she loved). The steak too ticked the right boxes, cooked as I had requested and with plenty of flavour, not the best I have ever had but equally I have had a lot lot worse at much higher prices. The chips were sufficiently large to prop up a barn, not necessarily to my taste but pleasant nonetheless. With the price of mains ranging from the low to the high teens they were certainly reasonably priced for the quality and size.  We ended by gorging ourselves on the cheeseboard, which was again generously proportioned, and the perfect end to the meal.

In spite of the praise I have for the food, the highlight of the meal was in fact the service – from start to finish it was great, extremely friendly without stepping towards Michelin-sycophancy. Our waiter had a genuine passion for the food and wine and was keen to that we made the most of our evening. My Kiwi company for that evening summed it up in enquiring at the end of the evening whether she might be able to take the waiter home – I believe for her kitchen rather than bedroom, however it was not for me to enquire.

Lastly, the final box which I whole-heartedly applaud Central & Co for ticking is their decision to sell a number of their wines by the carafe – sadly too rare these days in London. Much of their varied and not over-priced wine list is offered by the carafe which allowed us to sample a selection of wine with each course.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Central & Co and look forward to returning. When I do I will certainly be attacking the rest of the small plates selection washed down with a few carafes – the mains were enjoyable but, for me, could not live up to the glory of the smaller plates. A great addition to Soho, a relaxed and friendly venue offering well executed and interesting dishes and to top it off it won’t break the bank.

Belgo, Clapham - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Belgian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  44 - 48 Clapham High Road, Clapham.  SW4 7UR.

Closest station(s): Clapham North, Clapham Common, Clapham High Street Rail.

Telephone:  0207 720 1118

Website: http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk

It had been a while since I had visited a branch of this Belgian chain restaurant – having previously tried the ever busy Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden. The Clapham branch can be found at the northern end of Clapham High Road, easily recognisable with its quite shockingly dull grey frontage with a smattering of beer garden tables at the front.

Going in I was surprised to see just how busy it was, it was packed. Having been seated it was then an age before our drinks order was taken and then another near lifetime before the drinks actually arrived. Alongside the moules & frites in which the place specialises, the rest of the menu is rather eclectic and tries to please all with a selection of rotisserie, steak, duck, fish & chips and seabass.

Not being in the mood for moules I went for something that I rarely eat in restaurants - chicken. The dish that came to the table was truly spectacular; I was close to calling a doctor at one point during the meal as it was so dry I was struggling to breath let alone swallow. I can’t remember the last time I had a less pleasant dish. Seeking to reintroduce at least a little moisture into my mouth I tried my dining partner’s moules, though better than the chicken, for somewhere where they are the speciality they were poor. They lacked any real flavour and were instantly forgettable. With mains from £10 - £18 it is not an expensive restaurant; however even for that money a lot more could be expected.

I was surprised at how poor I found the meal at Belgo Clapham – the service was poor and the food was pretty awful; making the fact that it was so busy rather depressing. There are much better meals out there for the same price with better staff, better décor and infinitely better food. If you ever want to know what sandblasting your mouth would feel like then all you need to do is try their chicken.

Hot Stuff - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Indian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?: 19, Wilcox Road, Vauxhall. SW8 2XA.

Closest station(s): Vauxhall, Wandsworth Road Station Stockwell, Oval.      

Telephone:  0207 720 1480

Website: www.welovehotstuff.com   

A friend of mine booked Hot Stuff having heard great things from people at work, having been told I was going I had a quick look at some reviews and was quite shocked to have not heard of it previously – it could hardly be rated more highly.

The restaurant can be found hidden on a parade of shops before you reach Vauxhall from the West. This could not be said to be an upmarket road, to be entirely honest I believe I turned and checked that my central locking had definitely beeped twice. The restaurant is tiny, only holding about 25 – 30 people, tightly packed in – though luckily with the front of the restaurant opening up almost completely it does not become claustrophobic.

The instant we arrived there was an extremely friendly welcome, including the question as to whether we had eaten there before (no, it is not part of the harvester chain they were simply being polite). We were told that most people simply have a selection of dishes brought out having flagged any allergies or particular dislikes and that this would come to about £15 per person. Wanting to get into the spirit of things and with the staff being so friendly we went with their suggestion and waited for the onslaught of dishes.

Throughout our meal we did not have a bad dish. From the chilli paneer, to the mixed bhajis, to the goat lamb, to the table sized naan and ending with a selection of delicious side dishes the cooking was reliable, tasty, fresh and fully enjoyed by all. Was it the best Indian meal I have ever had? No. Was it some of the best food? No. It was however very good and without a dud. We came nowhere near finishing the dishes that were placed before us, though not for a want of trying.

The food at Hot Stuff is very good however it is the rest of the experience that combines to make it a great restaurant. The size of the restaurant and the no frills way in which it set up makes an extremely pleasant change from those restaurants that are trying all too hard to be something that they are not. A napkin made of some hideously thick material that is draped over ones lap with unnecessary pomp is not superior to a paper one brought to someone who is happy to have a chat - Hot Stuff certainly proves this. The service and the staff really do make Hot Stuff what it is, it is a while since I last had such friendly and genuine people serving me.

If the above was not enough Hot Stuff is bring your own (BYO) and there is no corkage fee – which to my mind is something that is difficult to beat. The off license next to the restaurant has a truly hideous selection of wine – however pop out to the main road and to Sainsbury’s and you find yourself in better stead.

I will certainly be returning to Hot Stuff, the cooking is good, the service great, you can take your own alcohol and for all that you pay a pittance. 

The Avalon - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Modern European

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  16, Balham Hill, London. SW12 9EB

Closest station(s): Clapham South, Clapham Common, Clapham Junction, Balham.    

Telephone:  0208 675 8613

Website: www.theavalonlondon.com  

Being a delightful summer’s day and wanting to sit outside the Avalon seemed a good choice as somewhere to go for sustenance and a drop of wine. Falling into the category of gastropub the Avalon sits between Clapham South and Balham with a large terrace at the front and a huge garden at the back. Whilst the atmosphere is pleasant enough there is something a little flat about the whole place, the inside is forgettable and the outside rather like someone went on a shopping trip to a garden centre and bought all the chunky wooden furniture they could find without a thought as to how it would look when they got home.

I thoroughly enjoyed my starter of crab with wasabi aioli, cucumber and fried basil (£6.95)– not a complicated dish but one that was well suited to the good weather and packing sufficient flavour. It was therefore rather a shame that the mains were such a let-down. There was nothing specifically wrong with my dish of linguine with rock shrimps, garlic and lemon; apart from the lack any real flavour. Eating the dish was very much like eating a bowl of pasta that one might knock up at home in a couple of minutes with a dollop of jarred pesto smeared on top – on this occasion it simply had a scattering of prawns. My dining partner’s stuffed courgette with lentils and mozzarella was again uninspiring and bland (and a little too healthy for my tastes). I don’t believe that the ingredients necessarily lend themselves to great feats of flavour, however if the chef hadn’t thought of a way to give the dish some taste then it has to be questioned whether it should be on the menu. At £11 - £21 for mains, though not expensive, a lot more could have been expected.

At £14 the house wine was perfectly acceptable and the bloody Mary with which I started was also well made. The Avalon is not a bad pub, I would happily return to sit in at the front to have a cheapish bottle of wine in the sun and perhaps share a couple of the cheaper starters to fight off any pangs of hunger. I will not however be returning to for a meal, as with too many places it has attempted to jump on the gastropub band wagon without, to my mind, considering what it means or putting sufficient effort into the food.  

Le Café du Marché – Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  Charterhouse mews, Charterhouse Square, London. EC1M 6BB.

Closest station(s): Farringdon, Barbican, Moorgate, Liverpool Street.  

Telephone: 0207 608 1609

Website: www.cafedumarche.co.uk

Café du Marché would struggle to hide itself away any further if it tried; in an area famous for its meat market and meat focused restaurants such as St. John it has not gone out of its way to advertise itself to death – it remains relatively unknown outside the immediate area; however it is a cracking place.

The main dining room has a feel that is very much like a French farmhouse kitchen with exposed wood and brick throughout creating a cosy atmosphere which looks well used without for a second becoming shabby. The menu is fantastically French; offering a selection of rustic and often little known provincial dishes.

The black pudding with which I started was some of the best I have ever tried and the ox cheeks with gnocchi with which I followed was divine; wickedly meaty and sitting in a sauce that saw me ordering more bread at the end of the meal to ensure I made the most of every last drop.

At £28.50 for two courses it seems reasonably priced and with the addition of house wine at under £19 the bill was less than I had expected. On the whole the service was good, with the exception of the waiter who took our order who didn’t seem to comprehend any of the dishes that we ordered, couldn’t explain an item on the menu and insisted on me telling him how many down from the top the wine I was ordering was as he couldn’t understand that order either – I can’t say I have ever had that problem before and I certainly hadn’t drunk enough to have reached the slurring stage.

Café du Marché is a great restaurant with a particularly wonderful atmosphere; the food was packed with flavour and would certainly be considered rustic over delicate. I will definitely be going back – possibly after some elocution lessons. 

Koffmann's - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. SW1X 7RL

Closest station(s): Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Victoria.    

Telephone:  0207 235 1010

Website: www.the-berkeley.co.uk/koffmanns  

 Koffmann’s is a welcome return for Pierre Koffmann to the London restaurant scene having previously held three Michelin stars with the Tante Claire on Royal Hospital Road. Following his break he has returned to the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge with a more relaxed effort in the form of a French brasserie, this restaurant will not win three Michelin stars however it is not trying to.  

The menu is a joy to peruse with little effort made to build up unnecessary pretention or theatre; from snails, bone marrow and wild mushroom to Gascony-style black pudding with Darphin potatoes and fig chutney – there is something refreshing and exciting about the menu. The a la carte sees starters around £12 and mains around £25; for this you get excellent produce cooked in ways that simply attempt to draw out the quality of the produce.

The pig’s trotter salad with which I started was fantastic, I can’t say I often eat salads in restaurants however the wafer thin slices of trotter with the artichoke and cauliflower worked wonderfully well and left me hugely satisfied. The calf’s liver with which I followed was also very good; I haven’t had liver that well cooked for quite a while. The wine list is again well thought out with something on offer from around £22; they also offer carafes which I found a welcome surprise – possibly for when that second bottle with the mains doesn’t seem quite necessary. On top of this the service was also of a very high standard without being intrusive, it also had a human edge to it which can at times be lost in a hotel setting.

It is the set menu that has drawn the largest crowds, ensuring that the restaurant has a healthy buzz at all times – at £21.50 for two courses it is excellent value. It is a shame that I now find myself coming to the one thing that lets Koffmann’s down, namely the décor. It is horrible. With so much going for it it is such a shame that you are forced to eat in such uninspiring surroundings. It certainly did not ruin my meal and I would recommend Koffmann’s however it has certainly fallen into the hotel trap that all too many restaurants do – seemingly believing that distinguishing features, or features at all for that matter, are unnecessary.

It is great to see Pierre Koffmann back in the capital and Koffmann’s is a positive addition; the cooking is excellent as is the service – just make sure you go there with good company so you won’t have a need to look round at the painfully bland interior. 

Le Colombier - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?: 145,Dovehouse Street, Chelsea Square, London. SW3 6LB.

Closest station(s): South Kensington, Sloane Square, Gloucester Road.   

Telephone:  0207 351 1155

Website: http://www.le-colombier-restaurant.co.uk

Neither state of the art nor cutting edge are phrases that I would associate with Chelsea’s Le Colombier; and that is part of the reason that I hold it in such high regard. Approaching this SW3 stalwart I felt it exuded a relaxedness that I rarely encounter in London. Sitting down at a table on the large awning covered terrace I soon had a refreshing G&T in hand and transported to a French seaside town. Its location, just off the Fulham road, is surprisingly tranquil for London and I can’t say I noticed the traffic until I trudged pack onto the pavement and into the outside world.

This is a brasserie offering a fine selection of the most French of dishes. The selection for both mains and starters is considerable, with a clear intent to keep the dishes simple and of excellent quality, from the vintage sardines, to the terrine de foie gras to the bean salad. There is a lightness to the dishes that, for me, makes it the ideal place for lunch. Being in an almost childish mood I  decided to go for the two French dishes for which I hold the highest regard, namely steak tartare followed by confit duck – not perhaps the two dishes that were best however for my health. Both were excellent, delivering what they should and there was just about the perfect amount of both too.

At around £10 for starters and £22 for mains the menu is not cheap – however I certainly did not feel it to be over-priced. The set menu of two courses and coffee for £19.50 is particularly good value. Unsurprisingly the wine list is French, with bottle available from the £19 mark and a fair selection in the low to mid-£20s.

Le Colombier is certainly somewhere to which I will be returning; I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, the wine isn’t hideously priced and the service was attentive. It does not try to be modern or to impress with foams and theatre; for traditional French food in a very French setting it is up there with the best. 

The Glasshouse - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  14, Station Parade, Kew, TW9 3PZ.

Closest station(s): Kew Gardens, Kew Bridge, Richmond.

Telephone: 0208 940 6777

Website: www.glasshouserestaurant.co.uk

Another restaurant from those that have brought us Chez Bruce and La Trompette, the Glasshouse attempts to use the same formula as the other; namely: good produce simply cooked, excellent friendly service and a smart whilst relaxed dining space.

The Glasshouse follows the formula closely and with very pleasant results. The foie gras parfait was delicious, the pork cheeks were excellent and though I can’t understand why the menu calls it ‘raw spicy beef’; the steak tartare again was a delicious plate of food with the flavours working well on the plate. The only disappointment was the salmon and skate ravioli which was a little tasteless, unnecessarily large and the pasta too thick.

The puddings were again good, however with the stunning cheeseboard on offer I would personally always choose that over dessert. The service was efficient and attentive; without however becoming intrusive. The dining area is plain but pleasant enough; there is something a little too sparse about it however it is only as offensive as neutral can be.  You will find a couple of decent bottles of wine for about £23 and I found a lovely Bordeaux for £25. The menu is £39.50 for three courses which doesn’t seem extortionate for somewhere which ticks so many boxes; you will also often find good lunch deals that make it great value. The Glasshouse is a reliable restaurant, not necessarily quite as good as its siblings but still rarely a disappointment.

The Pig's Ear - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Gastropub

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  35, Old Church Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 5BS.

Closest station(s): Sloane Square, South Kensington, Gloucester Road.        

Telephone: 0207 352 2908

Website: www.thepigsear.info

Tucked away in Chelsea off Cheyne Walk this pub  is not somewhere that I had heard much about – venturing inside it is largely pub with a small dining area to one side. Not being very busy and not feeling like a table clothed dining experience we took a table in the bar.

Having kept its look as a pub the menu was rather more gastro than I had expected. The veal  bone marrow with which I started was delicious, however far too large. Despite sharing half with my dining partner I struggled to finish even my part – I would be surprised to see many people finish a whole plate with it being so rich. The scotch egg was also very good, perfectly cooked. The steak tartare with which I followed was enjoyable; not out of this world but certainly a decent plate of food.

At about £7 for starters and £14 mains it isn’t too bad for Chelsea and the food was good, though not faultless. The house wine is again well priced and the staff were extremely friendly. Overall it was a good find if in Chelsea and wanting a reliable bite in a relaxed environment  – though I’m not sure I would necessarily want to sit in the dining area; certainly a decent gastropub but I’m not sure whether it warrants a table cloth.          

Trinity - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  4 The Polygon, Clapham Old Town, London. SW4 0JG.

Closest station(s): Clapham Common, Clapham South.   

Telephone:  0207 622 1199

Website: http://www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk

I can’t quite put my finger on it, however there is something that I just don’t like about Trinity. Knowing the restaurants in South West London quite well, it stuns me that so few people ever seem to speak about it, despite after Chez Bruce it being one of the more upmarket restaurants in the area.

I don’t really understand what Trinity is trying to achieve, it has a look which reminds me of a Swedish log cabin (I haven’t actually been to Sweden, so perhaps that is no resemblance at all) and is tucked away in Clapham Old Town in a little street that gets relatively little footfall. Having entered we were greeted warmly and shown to our table in this clean, smart and minimalist dining room. One of the first things that struck me was the large number of staff – surely far more than a small restaurant needs. At no point during my meal could I say that I relaxed, the quantity of staff meant that there is an almost endless procession of people coming to the table each with some form of rather pointless role.

The pig’s trotter on sourdough to start was excellent, the crackling with which it comes was crunched through with glee. The mains however did not live up to this, my pigeon was pleasant however not particularly exciting and a little tough. The squid and risotto nero with which my dining partner followed again was so-so, however far too large and lacking delicacy or subtlety. The wine list allows you to find bottles from the £25 mark.

Trinity is certainly not terrible and it does an awful lot right, it just failed to prove a particularly enjoyable meal. I certainly found the service overly rigid and formal. I imagine that it would be a good destination for a business lunch and the chef’s table that overlooks the kitchen might also add that little something extra to improve the experience.  

There is often a three course lunch menu for around £25 which allows a taste of Trinity at a slightly more reasonable price, though for the same money you could go to Chez Bruce which to my mind provides better food and an infinitely more relaxed environment. 

The Wolseley - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  160, Piccadilly, London. W1J 9EB.

Closest station(s): Green Park, Piccadilly, Leicester Square.   

Telephone:  0207 499 6996

Website: www.thewolseley.com  

Having been to The Wolseley a number of times I still can’t quite decide what to make of it. My problem relates to what it is; for the prices you would almost expect a fine dining restaurant, however it could also fall into the café or brasserie sections too. 

Though a few years ago The Wolseley was the place to go in London it is not, I have come to learn, a fine dining restaurant; it is a grand café and at ticking boxes for a grand café it excels. Having opened at 7 for breakfast it then moves onto a lunch service, then an afternoon tea service followed finally by dinner that stops serving at midnight –a long and tiring day for anyone.

This elegant former car showroom and bank is a beautiful setting for all of your meals. For breakfast it can be highly recommended, certainly cheaper than most of the local hotels but offering an excellent and appetising selection of grub to give you a kick start in the morning.

Afternoon tea again is spot on; a tasty tea without the prices and pomp that come with the effort made just moments away in the Ritz and other hotels.  We then come to lunch & dinner. If looking for somewhere to pop into whilst out shopping at lunchtime and you are craving a classic, i.e steak tartare, duck confit or calf’s liver and you want to enjoy it in a pleasant environment, to be cooked well, served quickly and washed down with a decent glass of wine then The Wolseley is excellent; as it would also be pre or post-theatre. At £19.50 for calves lives and £18.95 for the seven hour lamb, whilst well-cooked it may be more than many want to spend at lunchtime.

What I would not recommend is going to the Wolseley under the impression that it is a fine dining restaurant; it is not set up to provide you with a drawn out relaxing meal – and the staff do little to improve this, often seeming rushed.  

Helpfully, the restaurant leaves a considerable number of tables free for walk-ins; allowing this to be a refuge from shopping or other daytime activity.  

Vingt Quatre - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Eclectic

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  325 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QL

Closest station(s): South Kensington, Gloucester Road, Earl’s Court.    

Telephone:  020 7376 7224

Website: www.vingtquatre.co.uk   

 I managed to even shock myself with how much I disliked my outing to Vingt Quatre. As its name suggests the selling point of Vingt Quatre is that it is open 24 hours a day, allegedly offering a fair selection of well cooked food at times that one would ordinarily be condemned to a kebab house.

The first thing that put me off was the décor; the high backed bench seating is unappealing and fails to create a restaurant atmosphere – surely the whole point of the venture is to offer a restaurant experience at anti-social hours. The menu managed to alienate me further; fish & chips, pork escalope Milanese, three cheese macaroni, wok fried vegetables – yes, the menu would appear to have been selected at random; reminiscent of a motorway service station.

You will however find Vingt Quatre busy on a Friday and Saturday between midnight and 3am; with those who have escaped local watering holes in search of food and importantly more alcohol not having a huge number of other options. I have little love for Vingt Quatre, the alcohol is absurdly priced (£17 for a half bottle of house wine in the early hours – when it is in the region of £13 for a bottle during the day) and the food too is rather steep for the mediocre fare.

Why the owners decided to churn out an eclectic mix of average food, rather than trying to offer something unique - namely decent food for when you leave a pub, bar or club I do not know. To my mind if you want food and drink at 3 or 4 in the morning then you would be better off going home,  ordering a pizza and visiting www.drinks-delivery.co.uk.

Tom Ilic - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Modern European

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  123, Queenstown Road, Battersea, London. SW8 3RH

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road.

Telephone:  0207 622 0555

Website: www.tomilic.co.uk

Bizarrely placed bespoke tailor – tick. Random upmarket shoe shop – tick. Odd carpet and rug shop – tick. Plain looking restaurant offering a selection of modern European food by a Serbian chef – tick.  A short stretch of Queenstown Road in Battersea South West London contains all of the above; the highlight without a doubt being Tom Ilic – what is on offer is however far from a box ticking exercise.

Most of the, limited, negative press for this restaurant relates to the décor. Whilst it cannot be said to be stunning, equally it is not horrific. A decision was taken to go without table clothes to keep a light airy feel and to keep laundry prices to a minimum. The cost cutting also continues into the menu with cheaper cuts of meat often used such as: pig cheeks, osso bucco and rabbit.  That is not to say that the chef does not do something magical with them.

The staff were attentive and polite; the wine list offers a reasonable selection - with house wine coming in at under £20. The food is excellent throughout; the first time I ate here I believed I must have misread the lunch deal as it was far too good for the price. It is a shame that it doesn’t get a little busier sometime as it can feel a little spacious and cold when there aren’t many other diners there.

The presentation is wonderful and the flavours, such as of the stuffed rabbit saddle wrapped in Serrano ham with Savoy cabbage, wild mushrooms & roast langoustine, are beautifully matched. These are excellently constructed plates of food.

The prices,as with many places are slowly on the rise, with starters at £10 and mains at £17. Even at those prices it is good value. The greatest value is however in the set menus, currently £17 for 2 courses (it used to be a staggering £12.50) for both lunch & dinner.   For this money you get food that is as good as many one Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Le Pot Lyonnais - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  36-40,  Queenstown Road, Battersea, London. SW8 3RY.

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road.

Telephone: 0207 622 2618

Website: N/A  

If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of the Pot Lyonnais I would have heaped praise on the place; it has now unfortunately started to slip.  The restaurant is open from mid-morning for breakfast right through lunch and dinner and then seems to close when the last people have decided to leave.

The Pot Lyonnais offers a bar menu including a burger and steak sandwich and also an a la carte menu offering most French classics. The establishment is huge, offering two bar areas, a specific dining area and then outside seating. The restaurant part is never busy, most people choosing to eat at the tables in the bar area. In summer the outside area, though on the pavement of a busy road, has a great charm to it and I would certainly recommend it as somewhere to have a relaxed bottle of wine after work. The beer is horrible – I have no idea what they do to it but it has a bizarre taste; this judgement being made having tried it at least ten times on different occasions.  

I have extremely mixed feelings about the food. The breakfast is a little hit and miss, the eggs benedict can at times be excellent but I have also had a couple of very poor experiences. The bar menu I would highly recommend, sitting outside in the sun recently eating the steak sandwich with frites along with a nice glass of Bordeaux is heavenly.

The main menu is again rather hit and miss. The charcuterie selection is impressively uninspiring, often containing a poor selection of not particularly good meats. The steak wasn’t great either – surprisingly poorly cooked for somewhere that ticks most other boxes for authentic French cooking. I would happily eat the confit de canard with pommes salardaise daily; it would however leave me requiring a triple heart bypass within a year but when furring of the arteries tastes that good then it may just be worth it.

The prices for the a la carte don’t usually appear too bad on the menu however for some reason each time I eat off it I am surprised at how the bill comes to generally spending more than I would want to pay for what I had received.

Overall I would recommend the Pot Lyonnais for a bottle of wine and a snack in the evening or a wonderfully relaxed lunch – I would not however go there for a three course evening meal, there are simply better looking restaurants, with better service and better food in the vicinity. 

Varanasi chefs - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Indian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  142, Battersea high Street, London. SW11 3JR.

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction.  

Telephone: 020 7228 3145

Website: www.varanasichefs.co.uk

Varanasi Chefs is tucked away on Battersea High Street, a rather shabby road that I had not eaten on previously. The décor is pretty standard for a run of the mill Indian restaurant, perfectly comfortable and welcoming however little more. The menu immediately caught my attention with a selection of dishes that don’t prescribe to the standard ‘samosa, bhaji, sheikh kebab, chicken tikka’ formula that you find on so many high street Indian restaurant menus. Here instead you have papri chaat, aloo tikki chaat and the wonderfully named lamb mo mo. So, the menu may be a little out of the ordinary however at Varanasi Chefs prices (pretty much all starters under £5) I wasn’t expecting them to be anything special.

The starters that arrived at the table were stunning, real effort has been made to make the starters a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. These starters have the look of those you would find in an upmarket Indian restaurant; this is certainly more Benares or Cinnamon Kitchen than your bog standard high street Indian restaurant. The starters were without exception excellent.

The mains that followed were also very good, however they could not quite live up to the theatre or excellence of the starters. The sides, roti and naan were all particularly good – the Daal was one of the finest I have had.

I hold great affection for Varanasi Chefs, the staff are extremely friendly and attentive and the house wine comes in around £13. The last time I went I just had starters, which turned out to be a great meal. In addition, the restaurant often has offers in place that make the already reasonably priced food an absolute steal. 

Clos Maggiore - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Modern European

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  33, King’s Street, Covent Garden. London. WC2E 8JD

Closest station(s): Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Charring Cross.  

Telephone: 0207 379 9696

Website: www.closmaggiore.com   

Covent Garden is pretty dire for eating out, pandering to tourists it is full of chain restaurants  - it is a shame that such a popular area has such a penury of decent eating establishments. Finding Clos Maggiore is the exception to this rule however. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful restaurants in London and deserves the accolade it repeatedly wins of most romantic restaurant in London.

The food is modern European that takes influence from around the Mediterranean – I have never had a bad dish at Clos Maggiore and can’t imagine doing so. Being someone who rarely eats soup in restaurants I was shocked to find that the onion soup (the first dish I ever tried there) was one of the most delicious dishes I have ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth; it was simply mesmerising.

The waiting staff compliment the stunning looking restaurant, providing excellent, discreet service throughout your dining experience. The main room at the back of the restaurant is by far the best place to be seated and when reserving a table I would always ask to be seated there – in summer the roof of that room is able to slide back allowing you to sit in a Mediterranean courtyard when the weather is suitably kind.

The wine list is truly encyclopaedic; previously picking up awards for wine list of the year. Previously I have griped about the expensive house wine; this however has now been remedied and you can get a bottle for around £23 which I don’t feel is unreasonable for such stunning surroundings. I have had the tasting menu on a couple of occasions and whilst extremely enjoyable I would in future certainly stick to the a la carte. The tasting menu rarely has a selection of dishes that come up to the brilliance of the rest of the menu.

The a la carte is around £35 for 2 courses which is extremely reasonable for the quality of the food; it is the prixe fixe menus however that shine. These are to my mind the best pre-theatre menus in London - for under £22 you get a surprisingly large choice of stunning food, now available at Sunday lunchtime too.  

Le Mercury - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  140A, Upper Street, Islington. London. N1 1QY.

Closest station(s): Angel , Highbury & Islington.   

Telephone: 0207 354 4088

Website: www.lemercury.co.uk

If you were to see the prices as you walked past Le Mercury on the corner of Upper Street and Almeida Street you would be forgiven for assuming that it is was a fast food restaurant - a fixed £3.95 for starters and £7.95 for mains. Rather than fast food however they offer dishes such as roast saddle of lamb with courgettes & rosemary jus and sea bass with crushed new potatoes and minted pesto.

The portion sizes are substantial, I recall having half a cow placed in front of me having ordered carpaccio of beef to start; however the rest of the dishes weren’t so absurdly sized. The cooking throughout is reliable however certainly not exceptional. The building is deceptively large, going up 3 or 4 stories. Le Mercury is a great option when looking for a restaurant meal without restaurant prices, the house wine being around £12 means that the bill doesn’t surge too far with the addition of a glass of wine or 2. The service is ok, though not first rate – however at these prices it is difficult to moan.

Le Mercury is seconds from the Almeida Theatre, making it perfect for pre or post-theatre dining when looking for a good meal that won’t break the bank or take an age to get through. 

Regency Café - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  British

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  17 – 19, Regency Street, London. SW1P 4BY

Closest station(s): St. James’s Park, Pimlico, Victoria.

Telephone: 0207 821 6596

Website: N/A

In the heart of Westminster you will a café that has people queuing out of the door every day of the week. Clad inside and out in black and white Victorian tiles it has a certain charm that many a greasy spoon lacks – it does come however with the obligatory plastic bench seating, which though an eyesore again adds character.

The clientele could hardly be more of a mixture - students, builders, civil servants and business people often having to share tables to ensure that the hordes can be fed and watered. The food on offer is everything that a good British café should have from breakfasts to steak pie to liver and kidney to gammon and eggs.

The most novel aspect of any trip to the Regency is the ordering process. Upon entry you join the queue to order your food; having ordered you then go in search of a seat and await ‘the shout’. I have never met two people with such remarkable voices, the man and woman who divvy up the week working at the counter have voices that make Marlon Brando’s or Marianne Faithful’s look weak. When your plate of food is ready you will hear your order bellowed out at which point you scurry up to the counter to retrieve the searingly hot plate and return to your table to devour it.

The Regency is not pretentious or highbrow dining, it is not open in the evenings or for much of the weekend – however if you are in Westminster and fancy a fry up or other British staple then it is hard to beat. There are few finer places to beat away that hangover than the Regency Café. 

Les Trois Garcons - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  1, Club Row. London. E1 6JX.

Closest station(s): Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street, Old Street, Hoxton Rail.

Telephone: 0207 613 1924

Website: www.lestroisgarcons.com

 Les Trois Garcons is a truly unique experience, never before have I eaten surrounded by stuffed animals wearing tutus and fairy wings or underneath a multitude of chandeliers and handbags hanging from the ceiling. The dining room is bizarre in a good way.

In these East London surroundings I was treated to some exceptionally skilful French cooking - the Chateaubriand being one of the finest and best cooked pieces of meat that I have had the pleasure of tasting. The starters showed a great ability to bring out the best in the delicate flavours of crab and langoustine.

The service at Les Trois Garcons is excellent – the French waiting staff are extremely attentive and friendly. Looking around whilst eating I have rarely seem a dining room full of people who were so clearly enjoying their meals, there is little to complain about here.

At around £50 for three courses Les Trois Garcons is not cheap and the wine starts at around the £30 mark. That said it is certainly worth a visit, eating in this magical environment is a pleasure. Clearly others think so too as it is generally packed so a reservation is necessary.

If looking for an aperitif then Lounge Lover that has the same owners is only just round the corner and provides an excellent place to get into the mood for fine wine and fine food.