Latest reviews for Restaurants in Bond Street, London, United Kingdom

Wild Honey - Lovely little spot by Sami

Sami — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:39:15 +0000

Review by Sami

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7758 9160

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

Went here last night with my flatmate and parents who were visiting from overseas - my parents are serious foodies and I wanted to find somewhere that would both appeal to myself and flatmate, and my parents.

The food was exceptional and I couldn't believe how well it was priced; it was cheap, considering how good our meals were. I had a beef tartare and a steak and the tarte tatin for dessert - unfortunately I don't remember what everyone else had as I was too busy eating my own dinner... but they were extremely pleased with their choices. My parents kept saying how much they liked it, which is always a good indication...

Lastly, the service was excellent; I find that service in this country can be lacking too often but our waiter was accommodating, helpful, and always available - even though the restaurant was packed.

Definitely, definitely recommended.Went here last night with my flatmate and parents who were visiting from overseas - my parents are serious foodies and I wanted to find somewhere that would both appeal to myself and flatmate, and my parents.

The food was exceptional and I couldn't believe how well it was priced; it was cheap, considering how good our meals were. I had a beef tartare and a steak and the tarte tatin for dessert - unfortunately I don't remember what everyone else had as I was too busy eating my own dinner... but they were extremely pleased with their choices. My parents kept saying how much they liked it, which is always a good indication...

Lastly, the service was excellent; I find that service in this country can be lacking too often but our waiter was accommodating, helpful, and always available - even though the restaurant was packed.

Definitely, definitely recommended.

Sketch Lecture Room & Library - sketch Lecture Room & Library � Gastronomic Theatr by laissezfare

laissezfare — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:22:26 +0000

Review by laissezfare

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 0870 777 4488

Website: http://www.sketch.uk.com

Tags: french, romantic, bar

[Non-Photo Review]

For full post (with pictures) see: http://wp.me/pwXBH-qk

Opening: Be transported into a surreal and magical world that is sealed off from the mundane trappings of the everyday world. You have ascended to the upper echelons of sketch, and you are here to be looked after. Let the food dazzle and delight; permit the grand surroundings mesmerize; allow your whims be catered for; and, most of all, enjoy every minute...because it donâ¬"t come cheap!

No ordinary townhouse

Let me preface this review by saying that I have been to sketch once before, so it wasnâ¬"t a complete shock to me when I walked in this time. One of our friends had somehow managed to secure one of the bars for her birthday drinks and Mrs. LF and I were introduced to the decadent, avant-garde madness that lies beyond this Georgian townhouseâ¬"s rather ordinary looking white facade. If youâ¬"ve never been and are planning to go, whichever part of sketch you decide to visit, do insist on visiting the bathrooms on the ground floor that lie through The Gallery dining room as they are certainly worth seeing.

Yes, sketch. A London institution that has somehow managed to retain its en vogue status since opening its doors six years ago, which is no mean feat given the constantly sprouting up competition. But we were not there to celebrity spot; we were there to eat some good food. And that meant stepping into the upper echelons of this mysterious and quirky little world. We were there for The Lecture Room and Library, the 1-starred Michelin dining room that is run under the close control of Pierre Gagnaire (who is apparently present every 4-6 weeks for a number of days), the acclaimed French chef whose iconoclastic modern fusion style of cooking seems rather well suited toward the raison dâ¬"Ãªtre of sketch.

No ordinary greeting

When we â¬Üchecked inâ¬" at the little reception desk, David, the tall and charmingly flamboyant Irish man who seemed to be in charge, became very animated when he learned we would be dining upstairs. He offered us a tour of the premises, to be carried out by his rather fetching assistant, but we opted to postpone this until the end of the evening. We also declined the offer of a cocktail in one of the downstairs bars as we had already had that pleasure at our friendâ¬"s birthday celebration. I should say that the cocktails at sketch are imaginative, fun and excellent â¬ but they are also probably the most expensive drinks Iâ¬"ve ever bought in a London bar. Mrs. LF told our host that weâ¬"d rather just go upstairs. He then informed us that, as we were the first guests to arrive, we could have the upstairs parlour to ourselves. Now that sounded like a plan.

While attempting to ascertain our knowledge of chef Gagnaire, he opened the roped-off stairs for us and with a grand gesture and bid us to follow him up the stairs. As we ascended, he informed us about all of the chefâ¬"s restaurants around the globe and gave us a potted biography of Mr. Gagnaire in his very pleasant but thoroughly OTT fashion. We noticed some of the intriguing artwork on the way up to our destination, and were indeed being made to feel like we were quite special guests at this most hoity-toity of establishments. But of course that felt very good.

When you reach the top of the stairs, there is a large doorway which remains sealed. Then, in his special way, our leader opened the vault, revealing what is probably the most striking dining room Iâ¬"ve ever had the pleasure of stepping foot into. Our photos, most other photos Iâ¬"ve seen, and even the professional video cameras from the recent episode of Masterchef: The Professionals simply donâ¬"t do the place justice. It is something to be seen in person, thatâ¬"s for sure. You really feel like youâ¬"ve entered an extremely exclusive and luxurious place that is sealed off from the rest of the world.

While Mrs. LF made her way back downstairs to powder her nose, I had the good fortune to meet the chef, Jean-Denis Le Bras, who recently took over the upstairs kitchen. He was very pleasant and clearly enthusiastic about his food. Upon her return, Mrs. LF and I walked through the main dining room (which I presumed to be the â¬ÜLecture Roomâ¬"), and the smaller ante-chamber (which I assumed to be the â¬ÜLibraryâ¬"), which led into a very beautiful little parlour area, replete with rich reds, fireplace and Moroccan style window hangings and light fixtures.

After downing my favorite sketch cocktail, whose name now escapes me but I think has something to do with Barry White, we were offered an array of canapÃ©s, which we decided to have in the parlour as it was so cosy and we were having such a nice time there.

Without going into laborious detail, it is suffice to say that this was a magnificent opening to our meal. Each element on the tray tasted every bit as good as it looked â¬ which is saying something â¬with the goatâ¬"s cheese tarts and yogurt with tandoori biscuits being our favourites. We already felt spoiled receiving an entire tray of canapÃ©s, and not just the usual little dainty plate with one or two morsels that you normally find in such high-end restaurants. 9/10.

After asking a lot of questions about the dishes on the main menu, and receiving very detailed answers from our waiter, we finally arrived at our decisions and it was time to finally make our way to the Lecture Room.

No ordinary meal

Our table in the main room was against one of the side walls and afforded us a great view of all the action. The first thing we noted was just how comfortable the well-cushioned chairs were. Once seated, they were quick in offering to place Mrs. LFâ¬"s bag on a little stool near our table so that it didnâ¬"t stoop to retire on the god-knows-how-much-this-costs-per-square-foot carpet.

Of the breads, we tasted the mini-baguettes, the white rolls and the brown chestnut rolls, all of which were very good, with the mini-baguettes standing out as the best with their crispy crusts and lovely chewiness. The butters were beautifully presented (see above), and we both loved the one with seaweed in particular given its slightly salty and rich umami flavor. 8/10.

Amuse bouche: Raw White Tuna, Cauliflower and Dried Bonito Cream & Salmon roe

The amuse bouche of tuna tartare was a very clever, refreshing and flavorsome dish, with all of the ingredients working together in concert. The clean taste of the raw fish was accentuated by salty salmon roe which was then toned down and rounded out by the bonito flakes which again possessed a lush umami flavor. The little chewy and crunchy pieces of cauliflower provided some much needed solid texture to offset the smoothness of the other ingredients. I really enjoyed this first â¬Üproperâ¬" course. 8/10.

Starter 1: Perfume of the Earth / Inspired by one of Pierre Gagnaireâ¬"s Favourite Perfumes 'Terre dâ¬"HermÃ¨s' (Â£39)

- Cocotte of Vegetables, Smoked Myrtle and Bay Laurel / Foie Gras Soup with Sarawak Pepper
- Chicory Fondue with Sake / Girolles Poached in Pig Jus / Culatello and Iberian Ham
- Almond Tart / White Beetroot PurÃ©e with Redcurrant / Red Beetroot Syrup / Purslane Salad
- FlambÃ© Reblochon with GÃ©nÃ©pi / Toast â¬STerre de Sienneâ¬ / Caramelised Black Olives (Mrs. LF substituted the Reblochon for Brillat-Savarin)

Mrs. LF said her cocotte of vegetables was light and delicious, apart from one vegetable, which could have been a turnip (but sheâ¬"s not sure), that didnâ¬"t have the sweetness of the other vegetables. 7/10.

Of the chicory fondue, she described it as a meaty and flavorsome dish with all the ingredients interacting beautifully together. 7/10.

The almond tart was â¬SInteresting in the way it looked and the way it tasted also. It tasted more like a dessert because of the white marzipan-tasting layer that enveloped the dish (not my favourite, but very different and unique for sure).â¬ 6/10.

The flambÃ© of Brillat-Savarin with gÃ©nÃ©pi was amazingly tasty as all of the ingredients used here came through somehowâ¬¦even the GÃ©nÃ©pi in a very subtle way. We were also so surprised and pleased to see gÃ©nÃ©pi on the menu as we love drinking in the alps at night after a hard day of skiing and had never seen it outside of the little region we normally go skiing in. 9/10.

Starter 2: Langoustines, Addressed in Five Ways (Â£44)

- Roasted in Chickpea Flour / Carrot Syrup and Chorizo
- Tartare / Hitcho Vodka Jelly / Sardinian Lemon Paste
- Spicy Jelly / Cockle MariniÃ¨re / Macco Artichoke Ice Cream
- Mousseline with Noilly Prat / Basmati Rice / Matcha Green Tea and Almond Paste Butter
- A la Plancha with Epine-Vinette and Lardo di Colonnata / Toast of Agria Potato

The most â¬Ünormalâ¬" of the langoustine quintuplets was arguably the best. It had been roasted beautifully and was still moist and succulent. It was resting on top of a deeply flavoured sauce, of which the strongest element was the chorizo (there were also chunks of the meat scattered around). The sausage made a surprisingly good companion to the langoustine and did not overpower the delicate, sweet flavor as I thought it might have. It was well seasoned, and I liked the addition of the thinly sliced chives on top. 9/10.

The tartare was probably my second-favorite dish and simply showed off the freshness of the crustacea. I donâ¬"t remember the vodka jelly, but I do remember the divine lemon paste, which was a perfect foil for the raw langoustine, and the crunchy slivers of cucumber also worked well. 8/10.

Although I did like all five of these mini-creations, my least favorite was probably the third one, which included a cockle mariniÃ¨re, although I did rather enjoy the artichoke ice cream. 6/10.

We were back on track with the little moussiline, which definitely had a subtle hint of vermouth, and went exceedingly well with the Japanese green tea soup, with the rice providing the necessary grip and bite. A mellow and subtle dish which I appreciated. 8/10.

Last up was a little sandwich of langoustine with some clever toast of extremely thin fried potato. The inherent sweetness of the langoustine was here matched with the quite sharp flavor of European barberries and the unctuousness of the little dabs of lard. 8/10.

What I loved about this starter was the sheer variety of ingredients â¬ both in terms of geography (from Italy to Japan) and typicity (alcohols to rarely used berries) â¬ and how they unearthed a variety of pleasing flavor duos (and trios) with the simple luxury of sweet langoustine. It was highly inventive, technically well cooked and thoroughly enjoyable.

Main Course 1: Pig (Â£32)

- Spanish Pork Fillet Marinated with Juniper
- Black Pudding and Rhubarb Ravioli
- Blackcurrant Sauce Diable / Thinly Sliced Turnips in Dark Beer

Of her trio of pork dishes, Mrs. LF reflected that the Spanish pork fillet had been perfectly cooked, and tasted exquisite. She felt that â¬SIt didnâ¬"t taste obviously porky, perhaps as it was accompanied with a reddish sauce and also marinated in juniper. Usually I have pork more with a white wine or white sauce. Anyway, the marinade gave an unusual twist to the pork, which I really liked.â¬ 8/10.

She said that the black pudding dish was â¬SQuite rich for my own personal taste, and I therefore appreciated the small portion as I couldnâ¬"t have stomached more than that. Having said that, if you are a black pudding lover, it is a perfect dish. The black pudding tasted great and suited its well-textured ravioli wrapping perfectly.â¬ 8/10.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of time that has elapsed since our visit and this review (and our lack of sufficient notes), neither of us can sufficiently recall the last dish (blackcurrant sauce diable and turnips) and therefore can provide no description/rating (shame on us!).

Main Course 2: Scallops & John Dory (Â£49)

- John Dory Fillet Poached in Citrus Butter / Paimpol Coco Bean VeloutÃ©
- John Dory Gravlax / Scallop Tartare with Gingerbread
- Oyster Hummus / Liebig Cucumber

I had opted for seafood again in my main course, which this time came on a trio of plates. The principal dish was my favorite. The fish had been skilfully poached and the butter flavor came through nicely. There was diced vegetal crunchiness and the unusual flavor of the white bean veloutÃ© was yet again another example of a rare ingredient (at least for me) providing a new flavor combination that worked well with the core element of the dish, the delicate and mildly flavored John Dory. 9/10.

I thought the prettiest plate by far was that of the raw fish. It didnâ¬"t pack that much of a flavor punch, although there was again evidence of Gagnaireâ¬"s hand in the use of three thin slices of crisp gingerbread underneath the fish and scallops, which I thought was a little stroke of genius. 7/10.

I must say that I am not an oyster person, having only had one or two in my life, and was sort of nervous about the last little dish. I went along with the waiterâ¬"s suggestion of swallowing it all in one go, and was actually pleasantly surprised. I think this was because the most dominant flavor by far was that of hummus. It was the familiar rich chickpea and a hint of cucumber that I could taste, and it was the slimy texture of the chewy oyster I could feel, so I managed to get through without too much pain. I would certainly like to learn to appreciate oysters, but as of now I am a total novice and just donâ¬"t get the fascination. 6/10.

Dessert: Nonette

- Saffron nonette with citrus and limoncello marmalade
- Traditional crÃ¨me caramel
- Confit grapefruit melon and watermelon

We were quite torn between a few of the dessert on the menu, but as we were feeling quite full by this point, we opted to split one of the lighter-sounding sweets. The nonette cake itself was the main component of the dessert. Although we were informed it was a traditional dessert from the Alsace region in France, it certainly did have its Middle Eastern influences with the main flavor elements being orange and saffron. The pain dâ¬"Ã©pice based cake was dense, sticky and packed with that sharp and sweet flavor of orange marmalade (here, more sweet than sharp), along with a subtle hint of saffron which was well infused throughout. It was okay, but didnâ¬"t knock our socks off. My favorite part of the dessert was actually the crÃ¨me caramel, which was excellent. It had the perfect consistency and very good depth of flavor. The citrus hit of the last pot was very refreshing and nice way to finish our last course. Overall, this was probably the weakest part of the meal, although we did shy away from some of the more ambitious sounding desserts and, given the renown of Gagnaireâ¬"s â¬ and his kitchenâ¬"s â¬ pastry skills (i.e. they make the good pastries at Fortnum & Mason), I am sure his Grand Dessert (at Â£27!) or his GÃ¢teau au Chocolat (Â£10) would have been mind-blowing. But our bellies were already blown and we just couldnâ¬"t stomach it. 6/10 for our little trio.

Petit Fours

- Dark chocolate with lemon syrup
- Blackcurrant and marzipan
- Turkish Delight with ginger

Saying that, thereâ¬"s always room for (some more) dessert. The little petit fours were all very nice and were given to us even though we didnâ¬"t order tea or coffee. The little chocolate discs and the dark chocolate with lemon syrup filling stand out as the best of the bunch in my memory.

No ordinary blue loo

I finally had my chance to nip off to the batrooms, and was eager to see what I might find inside (okay, that didnâ¬"t sound quite right). But given the insaneness of the sketchâ¬"s other toilets, I didnâ¬"t know what to expect. These were much more â¬Ünormalâ¬", except for the fact that they were black and neon blue, and that pretty[Non-Photo Review]

For full post (with pictures) see: http://wp.me/pwXBH-qk

Opening: Be transported into a surreal and magical world that is sealed off from the mundane trappings of the everyday world. You have ascended to the upper echelons of sketch, and you are here to be looked after. Let the food dazzle and delight; permit the grand surroundings mesmerize; allow your whims be catered for; and, most of all, enjoy every minute...because it donâ¬"t come cheap!

No ordinary townhouse

Let me preface this review by saying that I have been to sketch once before, so it wasnâ¬"t a complete shock to me when I walked in this time. One of our friends had somehow managed to secure one of the bars for her birthday drinks and Mrs. LF and I were introduced to the decadent, avant-garde madness that lies beyond this Georgian townhouseâ¬"s rather ordinary looking white facade. If youâ¬"ve never been and are planning to go, whichever part of sketch you decide to visit, do insist on visiting the bathrooms on the ground floor that lie through The Gallery dining room as they are certainly worth seeing.

Yes, sketch. A London institution that has somehow managed to retain its en vogue status since opening its doors six years ago, which is no mean feat given the constantly sprouting up competition. But we were not there to celebrity spot; we were there to eat some good food. And that meant stepping into the upper echelons of this mysterious and quirky little world. We were there for The Lecture Room and Library, the 1-starred Michelin dining room that is run under the close control of Pierre Gagnaire (who is apparently present every 4-6 weeks for a number of days), the acclaimed French chef whose iconoclastic modern fusion style of cooking seems rather well suited toward the raison dâ¬"Ãªtre of sketch.

No ordinary greeting

When we â¬Üchecked inâ¬" at the little reception desk, David, the tall and charmingly flamboyant Irish man who seemed to be in charge, became very animated when he learned we would be dining upstairs. He offered us a tour of the premises, to be carried out by his rather fetching assistant, but we opted to postpone this until the end of the evening. We also declined the offer of a cocktail in one of the downstairs bars as we had already had that pleasure at our friendâ¬"s birthday celebration. I should say that the cocktails at sketch are imaginative, fun and excellent â¬ but they are also probably the most expensive drinks Iâ¬"ve ever bought in a London bar. Mrs. LF told our host that weâ¬"d rather just go upstairs. He then informed us that, as we were the first guests to arrive, we could have the upstairs parlour to ourselves. Now that sounded like a plan.

While attempting to ascertain our knowledge of chef Gagnaire, he opened the roped-off stairs for us and with a grand gesture and bid us to follow him up the stairs. As we ascended, he informed us about all of the chefâ¬"s restaurants around the globe and gave us a potted biography of Mr. Gagnaire in his very pleasant but thoroughly OTT fashion. We noticed some of the intriguing artwork on the way up to our destination, and were indeed being made to feel like we were quite special guests at this most hoity-toity of establishments. But of course that felt very good.

When you reach the top of the stairs, there is a large doorway which remains sealed. Then, in his special way, our leader opened the vault, revealing what is probably the most striking dining room Iâ¬"ve ever had the pleasure of stepping foot into. Our photos, most other photos Iâ¬"ve seen, and even the professional video cameras from the recent episode of Masterchef: The Professionals simply donâ¬"t do the place justice. It is something to be seen in person, thatâ¬"s for sure. You really feel like youâ¬"ve entered an extremely exclusive and luxurious place that is sealed off from the rest of the world.

While Mrs. LF made her way back downstairs to powder her nose, I had the good fortune to meet the chef, Jean-Denis Le Bras, who recently took over the upstairs kitchen. He was very pleasant and clearly enthusiastic about his food. Upon her return, Mrs. LF and I walked through the main dining room (which I presumed to be the â¬ÜLecture Roomâ¬"), and the smaller ante-chamber (which I assumed to be the â¬ÜLibraryâ¬"), which led into a very beautiful little parlour area, replete with rich reds, fireplace and Moroccan style window hangings and light fixtures.

After downing my favorite sketch cocktail, whose name now escapes me but I think has something to do with Barry White, we were offered an array of canapÃ©s, which we decided to have in the parlour as it was so cosy and we were having such a nice time there.

Without going into laborious detail, it is suffice to say that this was a magnificent opening to our meal. Each element on the tray tasted every bit as good as it looked â¬ which is saying something â¬with the goatâ¬"s cheese tarts and yogurt with tandoori biscuits being our favourites. We already felt spoiled receiving an entire tray of canapÃ©s, and not just the usual little dainty plate with one or two morsels that you normally find in such high-end restaurants. 9/10.

After asking a lot of questions about the dishes on the main menu, and receiving very detailed answers from our waiter, we finally arrived at our decisions and it was time to finally make our way to the Lecture Room.

No ordinary meal

Our table in the main room was against one of the side walls and afforded us a great view of all the action. The first thing we noted was just how comfortable the well-cushioned chairs were. Once seated, they were quick in offering to place Mrs. LFâ¬"s bag on a little stool near our table so that it didnâ¬"t stoop to retire on the god-knows-how-much-this-costs-per-square-foot carpet.

Of the breads, we tasted the mini-baguettes, the white rolls and the brown chestnut rolls, all of which were very good, with the mini-baguettes standing out as the best with their crispy crusts and lovely chewiness. The butters were beautifully presented (see above), and we both loved the one with seaweed in particular given its slightly salty and rich umami flavor. 8/10.

Amuse bouche: Raw White Tuna, Cauliflower and Dried Bonito Cream & Salmon roe

The amuse bouche of tuna tartare was a very clever, refreshing and flavorsome dish, with all of the ingredients working together in concert. The clean taste of the raw fish was accentuated by salty salmon roe which was then toned down and rounded out by the bonito flakes which again possessed a lush umami flavor. The little chewy and crunchy pieces of cauliflower provided some much needed solid texture to offset the smoothness of the other ingredients. I really enjoyed this first â¬Üproperâ¬" course. 8/10.

Starter 1: Perfume of the Earth / Inspired by one of Pierre Gagnaireâ¬"s Favourite Perfumes 'Terre dâ¬"HermÃ¨s' (Â£39)

- Cocotte of Vegetables, Smoked Myrtle and Bay Laurel / Foie Gras Soup with Sarawak Pepper
- Chicory Fondue with Sake / Girolles Poached in Pig Jus / Culatello and Iberian Ham
- Almond Tart / White Beetroot PurÃ©e with Redcurrant / Red Beetroot Syrup / Purslane Salad
- FlambÃ© Reblochon with GÃ©nÃ©pi / Toast â¬STerre de Sienneâ¬ / Caramelised Black Olives (Mrs. LF substituted the Reblochon for Brillat-Savarin)

Mrs. LF said her cocotte of vegetables was light and delicious, apart from one vegetable, which could have been a turnip (but sheâ¬"s not sure), that didnâ¬"t have the sweetness of the other vegetables. 7/10.

Of the chicory fondue, she described it as a meaty and flavorsome dish with all the ingredients interacting beautifully together. 7/10.

The almond tart was â¬SInteresting in the way it looked and the way it tasted also. It tasted more like a dessert because of the white marzipan-tasting layer that enveloped the dish (not my favourite, but very different and unique for sure).â¬ 6/10.

The flambÃ© of Brillat-Savarin with gÃ©nÃ©pi was amazingly tasty as all of the ingredients used here came through somehowâ¬¦even the GÃ©nÃ©pi in a very subtle way. We were also so surprised and pleased to see gÃ©nÃ©pi on the menu as we love drinking in the alps at night after a hard day of skiing and had never seen it outside of the little region we normally go skiing in. 9/10.

Starter 2: Langoustines, Addressed in Five Ways (Â£44)

- Roasted in Chickpea Flour / Carrot Syrup and Chorizo
- Tartare / Hitcho Vodka Jelly / Sardinian Lemon Paste
- Spicy Jelly / Cockle MariniÃ¨re / Macco Artichoke Ice Cream
- Mousseline with Noilly Prat / Basmati Rice / Matcha Green Tea and Almond Paste Butter
- A la Plancha with Epine-Vinette and Lardo di Colonnata / Toast of Agria Potato

The most â¬Ünormalâ¬" of the langoustine quintuplets was arguably the best. It had been roasted beautifully and was still moist and succulent. It was resting on top of a deeply flavoured sauce, of which the strongest element was the chorizo (there were also chunks of the meat scattered around). The sausage made a surprisingly good companion to the langoustine and did not overpower the delicate, sweet flavor as I thought it might have. It was well seasoned, and I liked the addition of the thinly sliced chives on top. 9/10.

The tartare was probably my second-favorite dish and simply showed off the freshness of the crustacea. I donâ¬"t remember the vodka jelly, but I do remember the divine lemon paste, which was a perfect foil for the raw langoustine, and the crunchy slivers of cucumber also worked well. 8/10.

Although I did like all five of these mini-creations, my least favorite was probably the third one, which included a cockle mariniÃ¨re, although I did rather enjoy the artichoke ice cream. 6/10.

We were back on track with the little moussiline, which definitely had a subtle hint of vermouth, and went exceedingly well with the Japanese green tea soup, with the rice providing the necessary grip and bite. A mellow and subtle dish which I appreciated. 8/10.

Last up was a little sandwich of langoustine with some clever toast of extremely thin fried potato. The inherent sweetness of the langoustine was here matched with the quite sharp flavor of European barberries and the unctuousness of the little dabs of lard. 8/10.

What I loved about this starter was the sheer variety of ingredients â¬ both in terms of geography (from Italy to Japan) and typicity (alcohols to rarely used berries) â¬ and how they unearthed a variety of pleasing flavor duos (and trios) with the simple luxury of sweet langoustine. It was highly inventive, technically well cooked and thoroughly enjoyable.

Main Course 1: Pig (Â£32)

- Spanish Pork Fillet Marinated with Juniper
- Black Pudding and Rhubarb Ravioli
- Blackcurrant Sauce Diable / Thinly Sliced Turnips in Dark Beer

Of her trio of pork dishes, Mrs. LF reflected that the Spanish pork fillet had been perfectly cooked, and tasted exquisite. She felt that â¬SIt didnâ¬"t taste obviously porky, perhaps as it was accompanied with a reddish sauce and also marinated in juniper. Usually I have pork more with a white wine or white sauce. Anyway, the marinade gave an unusual twist to the pork, which I really liked.â¬ 8/10.

She said that the black pudding dish was â¬SQuite rich for my own personal taste, and I therefore appreciated the small portion as I couldnâ¬"t have stomached more than that. Having said that, if you are a black pudding lover, it is a perfect dish. The black pudding tasted great and suited its well-textured ravioli wrapping perfectly.â¬ 8/10.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of time that has elapsed since our visit and this review (and our lack of sufficient notes), neither of us can sufficiently recall the last dish (blackcurrant sauce diable and turnips) and therefore can provide no description/rating (shame on us!).

Main Course 2: Scallops & John Dory (Â£49)

- John Dory Fillet Poached in Citrus Butter / Paimpol Coco Bean VeloutÃ©
- John Dory Gravlax / Scallop Tartare with Gingerbread
- Oyster Hummus / Liebig Cucumber

I had opted for seafood again in my main course, which this time came on a trio of plates. The principal dish was my favorite. The fish had been skilfully poached and the butter flavor came through nicely. There was diced vegetal crunchiness and the unusual flavor of the white bean veloutÃ© was yet again another example of a rare ingredient (at least for me) providing a new flavor combination that worked well with the core element of the dish, the delicate and mildly flavored John Dory. 9/10.

I thought the prettiest plate by far was that of the raw fish. It didnâ¬"t pack that much of a flavor punch, although there was again evidence of Gagnaireâ¬"s hand in the use of three thin slices of crisp gingerbread underneath the fish and scallops, which I thought was a little stroke of genius. 7/10.

I must say that I am not an oyster person, having only had one or two in my life, and was sort of nervous about the last little dish. I went along with the waiterâ¬"s suggestion of swallowing it all in one go, and was actually pleasantly surprised. I think this was because the most dominant flavor by far was that of hummus. It was the familiar rich chickpea and a hint of cucumber that I could taste, and it was the slimy texture of the chewy oyster I could feel, so I managed to get through without too much pain. I would certainly like to learn to appreciate oysters, but as of now I am a total novice and just donâ¬"t get the fascination. 6/10.

Dessert: Nonette

- Saffron nonette with citrus and limoncello marmalade
- Traditional crÃ¨me caramel
- Confit grapefruit melon and watermelon

We were quite torn between a few of the dessert on the menu, but as we were feeling quite full by this point, we opted to split one of the lighter-sounding sweets. The nonette cake itself was the main component of the dessert. Although we were informed it was a traditional dessert from the Alsace region in France, it certainly did have its Middle Eastern influences with the main flavor elements being orange and saffron. The pain dâ¬"Ã©pice based cake was dense, sticky and packed with that sharp and sweet flavor of orange marmalade (here, more sweet than sharp), along with a subtle hint of saffron which was well infused throughout. It was okay, but didnâ¬"t knock our socks off. My favorite part of the dessert was actually the crÃ¨me caramel, which was excellent. It had the perfect consistency and very good depth of flavor. The citrus hit of the last pot was very refreshing and nice way to finish our last course. Overall, this was probably the weakest part of the meal, although we did shy away from some of the more ambitious sounding desserts and, given the renown of Gagnaireâ¬"s â¬ and his kitchenâ¬"s â¬ pastry skills (i.e. they make the good pastries at Fortnum & Mason), I am sure his Grand Dessert (at Â£27!) or his GÃ¢teau au Chocolat (Â£10) would have been mind-blowing. But our bellies were already blown and we just couldnâ¬"t stomach it. 6/10 for our little trio.

Petit Fours

- Dark chocolate with lemon syrup
- Blackcurrant and marzipan
- Turkish Delight with ginger

Saying that, thereâ¬"s always room for (some more) dessert. The little petit fours were all very nice and were given to us even though we didnâ¬"t order tea or coffee. The little chocolate discs and the dark chocolate with lemon syrup filling stand out as the best of the bunch in my memory.

No ordinary blue loo

I finally had my chance to nip off to the bathrooms, and was eager to see what I might find inside (okay, that didnâ¬"t sound quite right). But given the insaneness of the sketchâ¬"s other toilets, I didnâ¬"t know what to expect. These were much more â¬Ünormalâ¬", except for the fact that they were black and neon blue, and that pretty

Rasa - Something a little different by foxie

foxie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:06:29 +0000

Review by foxie

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7629 1346

Website: http://www.rasarestaurants.com

Tags: indian, good value, different

We had never eaten this particular kind of Indian food and so relied very heavily on our waiter for advice and suggestions, which turned out to be just the thing. The four of us ended up with a range of dishes to share - one fish, one chicken, one lentil and one lamb - which were all full of flavour and with a good kick of spice. Not so much you start to sweat, but enough that it knocks your tastebuds into high gear. Vegetarians are very well catered for, with almost an entire menu to themselves. We weren't quite hungry enough for their feasts, but next time we may go for it.We had never eaten this particular kind of Indian food and so relied very heavily on our waiter for advice and suggestions, which turned out to be just the thing. The four of us ended up with a range of dishes to share - one fish, one chicken, one lentil and one lamb - which were all full of flavour and with a good kick of spice. Not so much you start to sweat, but enough that it knocks your tastebuds into high gear. Vegetarians are very well catered for, with almost an entire menu to themselves. We weren't quite hungry enough for their feasts, but next time we may go for it.

The Square - The Square: Generous, Rich, Golden by laissezfare

laissezfare — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:14:29 +0000

Review by laissezfare

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7495 7100

Tags: french, expensive, business

[Non-Photo Review]

For full review go to: http://wp.me/pwXBH-nE

----------

The Square: Generous, Rich, Golden

Meeting the older sister

Having had a pleasant (though not perfect) time at The Sqaureâ¬"s little sister in Westbourne Grove a few months ago â¬ for full review of that dinner see here â¬ we were very excited to try out what is one of the most established stalwarts on the London fine dining scene. From what I know about The Square, it is undoubtedly one of the most consistently well regarded high-end restaurants in London, both by mainstream media food critics and food bloggers alike.

Chef Philip Howard has certainly garnered a lot of respect and praise from his fellow chefs and food commentators of all sorts. This would appear to be partly because he is to some extent self-taught (though according to their website he did have a stint in the Dordogne, a year with Roux Restaurants Ltd. and a year at the now (in)famous Harveys where he had the opportunity to work with Marco Pierre White and no doubt learned that â¬Smother nature is the true artistâ¬ â¬ that chefâ¬"s favorite modern day refrain â¬ in-between having frying pans thrown at him), and partly because he is one of the few head chefs performing at this level to actually be present and cooking in his own kitchen pretty much day in and day out. As a short aside, I recently saw quite an interesting video interview with him on Caterersearch, but generally speaking he eschews the media and tries to keep to himself to the extent possible.

So, an interesting character in the driving seat and certainly a serious contender for a very promising meal. My taste buds were certainly on high alert.

Business or pleasure?

Occupying the ground floor of a Mayfair office block, the entrance to The Square is rather nondescript, with a subtle sign somewhat camouflaged in the slightly curved burnt orange wall to the left of the front door. The line of windows facing the street is frosted to just above eye level, so you have to jump up to see into the restaurant, unless youâ¬"re really tall. Once inside, this is an effective shield to the outside world, as when you are seated you can mainly see from the first floor upward of the buildings across the street, and not the street and pedestrian traffic.

We were efficiently welcomed and shown to our table, which was at the back left corner of theâ¬¦ wellâ¬¦square room, right next to where all of the food was being brought out from the kitchen. Not usually the best spot as it can be quite busy, but it turned out to be fine and afforded us a commanding view of the room and also enabled us to overhear the chit-chat of the staff.

Compared to The Ledbury, whose interior Mrs. LF and I both found really appealing, The Squareâ¬"s ambience was a bit of a letdown. The tables are very well spread out, which provides you with good privacy and it isnâ¬"t too noisy. But it is quite a plain room that for me lacks an engaging identity or design theme. It seems much more a business lunch on the companyâ¬"s expense place than somewhere youâ¬"d want to come for a romantic evening or a celebratory gathering.

At first impression, the waiting staff were also all business. There seemed to be a small army of them coming and going from our little corner. They all conveyed a very professional air but, at the same time, they all felt quite distant and reserved in their interactions with us. It wasnâ¬"t really a warm, inviting beginning. Not that this is a disaster, but quite the opposite of what we had experienced at The Ledbury.

These factors were compounded by the fact that, as we were perusing the menu and trying to make our choices, our first amuse bouche was brought out. Then, shortly thereafter, a second round of amuses (of which there were three elements) followed. The Squareâ¬"s menu is quite a large affair, and it was rather awkward to find a place for them amongst all the little nibbles and bread which looked so appetizing. I got a bit flustered by the whole episode, and would have much rather preferred having them take our orders first and then properly beginning the meal. It just meant that we felt rushed and werenâ¬"t able to concentrate on the food as much as we would have wanted to. While this is a small thing, and I probably wouldnâ¬"t comment on it if the restaurant did not hold two heavy Michelin stars, it wasnâ¬"t an impressive start. Since there was no time limitation on the table that I was aware of, I just didnâ¬"t get why they were in such a hurry.

Are you gonna finish that?

But enough of my quibbles and onto the food. And boy was there a lot of it.

Even though we had opted for the standard Ã la carte 3-course menu, we quickly found out that it was to be more of a 7-course evening when taking into account all of the little extras that The Square very generously includes in all of its dinners. It also turned out that the portions at The Square are much larger than you get at any other restaurant of a similar ilk (at least the ones Iâ¬"ve been to) and that the food was in general extremely rich. In this way, it was truly an old school approach that was full-on right through the end. This was again something neither of us was quite prepared for, and was barely able to stomach in the end. However, with 20/20 hindsight, I would know that when coming to The Square for dinner, or lunch for that matter, to show up with an empty stomach and to be in the mood for some rich and decadent food. With these conditions, I am certain I would enjoy the hell out of a meal at here.

You can find a blow-by-blow account of the meal below.

Amuse Bouche: GelÃ©e of Girolles & Roast Chicken ConsommÃ© with Corn Smoke Foam and Cheese Frazzle

It came in a little glass cup which clearly displayed the distinct layers of colors and textures, with the cheese frazzle stuck into the glass vertically like a flagpole sans flag. It was very rich and the deep mushroom flavor came through clearly, curbed nicely by the layer of sweetcorn foam (which took up nearly half the glass), with notes of roasted fowl hovering in the background. It was pretty heavenly dipping the cheese stick all the way into the concoction and eating it all together. 8/10.
I almost forgot to mention the bread, which was good. It is all baked on-site and the best of the bunch was the white mini-baguette (crispy at the tips, crunchy crust and soft inside), followed closely by the walnut and raisin roll (lots of deep, almost sour nutty flavor balanced by the sweetness of sultanas). The brown rolls were okay. 7/10.

Further Amusement for our Bouches

First up in the second course of amuses was a cornet of foie gras mousse, which was stuck into the center of a little brown wooden square. It was really rich and scrumptious and had a lovely smooth and silky texture. The anchovy ice cream cone offered some saltiness, and the combination definitely provided my palate with some serious amusement. (8/10). The black ink puff pastry, which had a salty core, was interesting and left a sharp, intriguing and pleasant taste in my mouth. Points for inventiveness, but Iâ¬"m not sure it was a completely finished pastry conceptually. (6/10). The prawn crackers were nothing that special in and of themselves, but were crispy and flaky. They were enlivened a bit by the mild curry dipping sauce, which again had a great creamy consistency and a little hint of spice. (7/10).

Starter 1: Potted Grouse with Terrine of Foie Gras, Pink Gooseberry Chutney and Sour Dough Toast" (Sorry - No Photo)

Given that we were in the full swing of grouse season at the time of our meal, I really wanted to try some as we hadnâ¬"t yet had any this year. I didnâ¬"t have to work too hard in persuading Mrs. LF to order the grouse starter special for the evening, which did sound very appetizing.
It is a shame that this dish managed to pretty much kill both of our appetites for the rest of the evening. The potted grouse came in a large old fashioned self-sealing glass jar with a metal hinge (the kind you find homemade country jam in), and was full up to the brim of grouse paste. I unfortunately forgot to snap a photo (possibly due to shock), but it was a huge-bordering-on-ginormous portion for a main course, let alone a starter! It had a pretty singular flavor and didnâ¬"t really do that much for me personally. Even though it wasnâ¬"t my dish, Mrs. LF couldnâ¬"t even eat half of it, so I was brought in to dust it off, which I couldnâ¬"t do given the richness of my own starter (see below). The foie gras terrine itself was very good and I loved the gooseberry chutney with it. 6/10.

Starter 2: Lasagne of Dorset Crab with a Cappuccino of Shellfish and Champagne Foam

This dish was very beautifully presented, and was not exactly what I had expected when I thought of â¬Ülasagneâ¬", which I typically associate with square or rectangular alternately stacked layers of pasta and sauce. The dainty little circular tower of crab lasagne was bathing in a luxurious bath of cream that was topped off with champagne bubbles. You could just tell this was going to be a satisfying plate of food. The lasagne itself was excellent, and the sweetness of the crab really shone through. The plentiful sauce was extremely rich and unctuous (lots of butter, lots of cream) and married well with crab, with the â¬Ülasagneâ¬" layers providing some good chewy texture in order to ground the dish. The layer of shellfish cream on top lent different and slightly more sharp notes from the sea and again proved a worthy and subtle partner. It is a testament to the quality of the execution that I finished this starter, which was again huge and insanely rich, but I did wonder how well I would digest that sauce. 8/10.

Main Course 1: Slow Cooked Turbot with a Warm Potato Salad, Leek Hearts, Vichyssoise and Smoked Eel

Mrs. LF ordered the turbot for her main course. She said that it was a refined and light dish which she thoroughly enjoyed. The turbot itself had a great texture and the vichyssoise was clever because although it looked like a heavy, cream-based sauce, in reality it was mainly made up of purÃ©ed leeks, potatoes, onions and stock (with what seemed to be just a little bit of cream) and therefore had more of a vegetable essence. It worked beautifully with the delicateness of the turbot. The pretty black hive of caviar nestled on top of the fish gave it that little punch of salt needed to elevate the dish to something just more than a well prepared fish and sauce. 8/10.

Main Course 2: Roast Calves Sweetbreads with Beurre Noisette, Sweetcorn, Girolles and Almonds

I had heard that The Squareâ¬"s sweetbreads ranked right up there with the best of them, so in my mind I had ordered this main as my â¬Ürich courseâ¬", thinking that the earlier starter of crab lasagne would be a rather â¬Üsmall and lightâ¬" start to the meal â¬ well, we all know what happens when we assume.

There was a massive amount of sweetbreads on this plate, certainly more than Iâ¬"ve ever seen before, even for a main course. They had all been huddled together in the middle, and in the back of my mind I thought they sort of formed the shape of a little brainâ¬¦fancy that. They were served on a base of perfectly made beurre noisette and were surrounded by a plate of crisps, which I thought was novel, and they actually worked very well as instruments to dip into that lovely butter sauce. The sliced almonds on top worked a treat with the sweetbreads, as did the sweet accent of corn and the earthy and woody flavors of the girolles. The various bits of meat themselves were exactly the right texture for me, having been well seared and firm (they held their shape well) yet with just enough softness and bounce. It was a very good dish, but I felt that again there was just an enormous amount of everything. 8/10.

Pre-Dessert: Peach & Vanilla Yogurt Topped with a Beignet

This little pre-dessert was a welcome respite to the carnage that had preceded it. The peach was refreshing and was of course a perfect foil for the vanilla yogurt. The beignet was crisp but I didnâ¬"t think it sat naturally on top of what was essentially a posh pot of yogurt. Maybe this is just an oddity of mine, or of this pair of restaurants, as I recall a similar thing happened at The Ledbury with churros and a strawberry gariguette and I had a similar reaction. 6/10.

Dessert 1: Peach Melba SoufflÃ©

Mrs. LF had the soufflÃ© for her dessert. It was, in our experience, as good a soufflÃ© as weâ¬"ve had, and was certainly a notch higher than the pistachio soufflÃ© we had at Le Manoir Aux Quatâ¬"Saisons earlier this year. The textures were spot on, with the exterior of the crown being nicely hardened and the insides being soft, light and fluffy. The peach flavor came through very strongly â¬ so much so that Mrs. LF felt that it may have been a bit too strong, to the extent it almost smacked of artificial flavouring (though it was certainly genuine peach flavor). A scoop of ice cream was plopped into the center, where it sunk to its gooey death, and a bit of raspberry coulis was then poured into the crevasse it had created, which gave some good freshness and bite to the dessert. While we agreed it was the best weâ¬"ve had, I think we also came to the realization that sweet soufflÃ©s just really arenâ¬"t our favorite desserts; for some reason they just never seem to wholly satisfy either of us. 8/10.

Dessert 2: Mousseline of Raspberry with Lemon Verbena Jelly, Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream and Nectarines

I loved, loved, loved this dessert. Thereâ¬"s not all that much more to say about it. The three little parcels of raspberry mousse had been neatly wrapped with a â¬Üskinâ¬" of raspberry which was slightly more sharp than the sweet creaminess of the mousse (although it did also have a nice pang of tartness). The nectarines were ripe and if memory serves me right they were a little syrupy too, and I really enjoyed the little kick up the butt that the lemon verbena jelly gave to any forkful you happened to include it with. In some sense, the raspberry ripple ice cream almost stole the show; it was just perfect in every way. It was such a nice ending to the meal, but of course, it wasnâ¬"t really the ending was itâ¬¦.9/10.

Petit Fours

The petit fours were arranged in what I assume to be The Squareâ¬"s classic presentation of â¬Ülollipopsâ¬" sticking out of a semi-circular shaped brown wooden block. It looked very pretty, and most of them were good. Memory fails me now, so I canâ¬"t tell you which ones I loved and which ones I could have done without.

Just to make sure that they had filled and coated every inch of our greatly expanded stomachs, there was also a bowl of around eight or nine truffles for the two of us! I absolutely adored them, but could only eat a couple at this point.

Because we liked them so much, we asked if we could have a little box to place the remaining truffles in to take them home with us. In a baffling and logic-defying move, one of the waiters decided that they should instead give us a full box of â¬Ünewâ¬" truffles from the kitchen and insisted that we leave the â¬Üoldâ¬" ones on the table, which defeated the whole point of not wanting to waste such good sweets. Maybe it is just not the done thing in such fine dining establishments? I really donâ¬"t know, but was sort of mystified by it all. Whatever the case, we did take home the box of truffles and scoffed them down pretty quickly the next evening

Yquemical bonding

I have thus far neglected to mention the wines for the evening. As I was the only ne drinking, I ordered a half-bottle of the Condrieu that they had available from their very extensive and interesting wine list. It was a 2005 Christophe Pichon (RhÃ´ne Valley, France) that came in at Â£33/half bottle, and unfortunately it was a real let down after my sublim[Non-Photo Review]

For full review go to: http://wp.me/pwXBH-nE

----------

The Square: Generous, Rich, Golden

Meeting the older sister

Having had a pleasant (though not perfect) time at The Sqaureâ¬"s little sister in Westbourne Grove a few months ago â¬ for full review of that dinner see here â¬ we were very excited to try out what is one of the most established stalwarts on the London fine dining scene. From what I know about The Square, it is undoubtedly one of the most consistently well regarded high-end restaurants in London, both by mainstream media food critics and food bloggers alike.

Chef Philip Howard has certainly garnered a lot of respect and praise from his fellow chefs and food commentators of all sorts. This would appear to be partly because he is to some extent self-taught (though according to their website he did have a stint in the Dordogne, a year with Roux Restaurants Ltd. and a year at the now (in)famous Harveys where he had the opportunity to work with Marco Pierre White and no doubt learned that â¬Smother nature is the true artistâ¬ â¬ that chefâ¬"s favorite modern day refrain â¬ in-between having frying pans thrown at him), and partly because he is one of the few head chefs performing at this level to actually be present and cooking in his own kitchen pretty much day in and day out. As a short aside, I recently saw quite an interesting video interview with him on Caterersearch, but generally speaking he eschews the media and tries to keep to himself to the extent possible.

So, an interesting character in the driving seat and certainly a serious contender for a very promising meal. My taste buds were certainly on high alert.

Business or pleasure?

Occupying the ground floor of a Mayfair office block, the entrance to The Square is rather nondescript, with a subtle sign somewhat camouflaged in the slightly curved burnt orange wall to the left of the front door. The line of windows facing the street is frosted to just above eye level, so you have to jump up to see into the restaurant, unless youâ¬"re really tall. Once inside, this is an effective shield to the outside world, as when you are seated you can mainly see from the first floor upward of the buildings across the street, and not the street and pedestrian traffic.

We were efficiently welcomed and shown to our table, which was at the back left corner of theâ¬¦ wellâ¬¦square room, right next to where all of the food was being brought out from the kitchen. Not usually the best spot as it can be quite busy, but it turned out to be fine and afforded us a commanding view of the room and also enabled us to overhear the chit-chat of the staff.

Compared to The Ledbury, whose interior Mrs. LF and I both found really appealing, The Squareâ¬"s ambience was a bit of a letdown. The tables are very well spread out, which provides you with good privacy and it isnâ¬"t too noisy. But it is quite a plain room that for me lacks an engaging identity or design theme. It seems much more a business lunch on the companyâ¬"s expense place than somewhere youâ¬"d want to come for a romantic evening or a celebratory gathering.

At first impression, the waiting staff were also all business. There seemed to be a small army of them coming and going from our little corner. They all conveyed a very professional air but, at the same time, they all felt quite distant and reserved in their interactions with us. It wasnâ¬"t really a warm, inviting beginning. Not that this is a disaster, but quite the opposite of what we had experienced at The Ledbury.

These factors were compounded by the fact that, as we were perusing the menu and trying to make our choices, our first amuse bouche was brought out. Then, shortly thereafter, a second round of amuses (of which there were three elements) followed. The Squareâ¬"s menu is quite a large affair, and it was rather awkward to find a place for them amongst all the little nibbles and bread which looked so appetizing. I got a bit flustered by the whole episode, and would have much rather preferred having them take our orders first and then properly beginning the meal. It just meant that we felt rushed and werenâ¬"t able to concentrate on the food as much as we would have wanted to. While this is a small thing, and I probably wouldnâ¬"t comment on it if the restaurant did not hold two heavy Michelin stars, it wasnâ¬"t an impressive start. Since there was no time limitation on the table that I was aware of, I just didnâ¬"t get why they were in such a hurry.

Are you gonna finish that?

But enough of my quibbles and onto the food. And boy was there a lot of it.

Even though we had opted for the standard Ã la carte 3-course menu, we quickly found out that it was to be more of a 7-course evening when taking into account all of the little extras that The Square very generously includes in all of its dinners. It also turned out that the portions at The Square are much larger than you get at any other restaurant of a similar ilk (at least the ones Iâ¬"ve been to) and that the food was in general extremely rich. In this way, it was truly an old school approach that was full-on right through the end. This was again something neither of us was quite prepared for, and was barely able to stomach in the end. However, with 20/20 hindsight, I would know that when coming to The Square for dinner, or lunch for that matter, to show up with an empty stomach and to be in the mood for some rich and decadent food. With these conditions, I am certain I would enjoy the hell out of a meal at here.

You can find a blow-by-blow account of the meal below.

Amuse Bouche: GelÃ©e of Girolles & Roast Chicken ConsommÃ© with Corn Smoke Foam and Cheese Frazzle

It came in a little glass cup which clearly displayed the distinct layers of colors and textures, with the cheese frazzle stuck into the glass vertically like a flagpole sans flag. It was very rich and the deep mushroom flavor came through clearly, curbed nicely by the layer of sweetcorn foam (which took up nearly half the glass), with notes of roasted fowl hovering in the background. It was pretty heavenly dipping the cheese stick all the way into the concoction and eating it all together. 8/10.
I almost forgot to mention the bread, which was good. It is all baked on-site and the best of the bunch was the white mini-baguette (crispy at the tips, crunchy crust and soft inside), followed closely by the walnut and raisin roll (lots of deep, almost sour nutty flavor balanced by the sweetness of sultanas). The brown rolls were okay. 7/10.

Further Amusement for our Bouches

First up in the second course of amuses was a cornet of foie gras mousse, which was stuck into the center of a little brown wooden square. It was really rich and scrumptious and had a lovely smooth and silky texture. The anchovy ice cream cone offered some saltiness, and the combination definitely provided my palate with some serious amusement. (8/10). The black ink puff pastry, which had a salty core, was interesting and left a sharp, intriguing and pleasant taste in my mouth. Points for inventiveness, but Iâ¬"m not sure it was a completely finished pastry conceptually. (6/10). The prawn crackers were nothing that special in and of themselves, but were crispy and flaky. They were enlivened a bit by the mild curry dipping sauce, which again had a great creamy consistency and a little hint of spice. (7/10).

Starter 1: Potted Grouse with Terrine of Foie Gras, Pink Gooseberry Chutney and Sour Dough Toast" (Sorry - No Photo)

Given that we were in the full swing of grouse season at the time of our meal, I really wanted to try some as we hadnâ¬"t yet had any this year. I didnâ¬"t have to work too hard in persuading Mrs. LF to order the grouse starter special for the evening, which did sound very appetizing.
It is a shame that this dish managed to pretty much kill both of our appetites for the rest of the evening. The potted grouse came in a large old fashioned self-sealing glass jar with a metal hinge (the kind you find homemade country jam in), and was full up to the brim of grouse paste. I unfortunately forgot to snap a photo (possibly due to shock), but it was a huge-bordering-on-ginormous portion for a main course, let alone a starter! It had a pretty singular flavor and didnâ¬"t really do that much for me personally. Even though it wasnâ¬"t my dish, Mrs. LF couldnâ¬"t even eat half of it, so I was brought in to dust it off, which I couldnâ¬"t do given the richness of my own starter (see below). The foie gras terrine itself was very good and I loved the gooseberry chutney with it. 6/10.

Starter 2: Lasagne of Dorset Crab with a Cappuccino of Shellfish and Champagne Foam

This dish was very beautifully presented, and was not exactly what I had expected when I thought of â¬Ülasagneâ¬", which I typically associate with square or rectangular alternately stacked layers of pasta and sauce. The dainty little circular tower of crab lasagne was bathing in a luxurious bath of cream that was topped off with champagne bubbles. You could just tell this was going to be a satisfying plate of food. The lasagne itself was excellent, and the sweetness of the crab really shone through. The plentiful sauce was extremely rich and unctuous (lots of butter, lots of cream) and married well with crab, with the â¬Ülasagneâ¬" layers providing some good chewy texture in order to ground the dish. The layer of shellfish cream on top lent different and slightly more sharp notes from the sea and again proved a worthy and subtle partner. It is a testament to the quality of the execution that I finished this starter, which was again huge and insanely rich, but I did wonder how well I would digest that sauce. 8/10.

Main Course 1: Slow Cooked Turbot with a Warm Potato Salad, Leek Hearts, Vichyssoise and Smoked Eel

Mrs. LF ordered the turbot for her main course. She said that it was a refined and light dish which she thoroughly enjoyed. The turbot itself had a great texture and the vichyssoise was clever because although it looked like a heavy, cream-based sauce, in reality it was mainly made up of purÃ©ed leeks, potatoes, onions and stock (with what seemed to be just a little bit of cream) and therefore had more of a vegetable essence. It worked beautifully with the delicateness of the turbot. The pretty black hive of caviar nestled on top of the fish gave it that little punch of salt needed to elevate the dish to something just more than a well prepared fish and sauce. 8/10.

Main Course 2: Roast Calves Sweetbreads with Beurre Noisette, Sweetcorn, Girolles and Almonds

I had heard that The Squareâ¬"s sweetbreads ranked right up there with the best of them, so in my mind I had ordered this main as my â¬Ürich courseâ¬", thinking that the earlier starter of crab lasagne would be a rather â¬Üsmall and lightâ¬" start to the meal â¬ well, we all know what happens when we assume.

There was a massive amount of sweetbreads on this plate, certainly more than Iâ¬"ve ever seen before, even for a main course. They had all been huddled together in the middle, and in the back of my mind I thought they sort of formed the shape of a little brainâ¬¦fancy that. They were served on a base of perfectly made beurre noisette and were surrounded by a plate of crisps, which I thought was novel, and they actually worked very well as instruments to dip into that lovely butter sauce. The sliced almonds on top worked a treat with the sweetbreads, as did the sweet accent of corn and the earthy and woody flavors of the girolles. The various bits of meat themselves were exactly the right texture for me, having been well seared and firm (they held their shape well) yet with just enough softness and bounce. It was a very good dish, but I felt that again there was just an enormous amount of everything. 8/10.

Pre-Dessert: Peach & Vanilla Yogurt Topped with a Beignet

This little pre-dessert was a welcome respite to the carnage that had preceded it. The peach was refreshing and was of course a perfect foil for the vanilla yogurt. The beignet was crisp but I didnâ¬"t think it sat naturally on top of what was essentially a posh pot of yogurt. Maybe this is just an oddity of mine, or of this pair of restaurants, as I recall a similar thing happened at The Ledbury with churros and a strawberry gariguette and I had a similar reaction. 6/10.

Dessert 1: Peach Melba SoufflÃ©

Mrs. LF had the soufflÃ© for her dessert. It was, in our experience, as good a soufflÃ© as weâ¬"ve had, and was certainly a notch higher than the pistachio soufflÃ© we had at Le Manoir Aux Quatâ¬"Saisons earlier this year. The textures were spot on, with the exterior of the crown being nicely hardened and the insides being soft, light and fluffy. The peach flavor came through very strongly â¬ so much so that Mrs. LF felt that it may have been a bit too strong, to the extent it almost smacked of artificial flavouring (though it was certainly genuine peach flavor). A scoop of ice cream was plopped into the center, where it sunk to its gooey death, and a bit of raspberry coulis was then poured into the crevasse it had created, which gave some good freshness and bite to the dessert. While we agreed it was the best weâ¬"ve had, I think we also came to the realization that sweet soufflÃ©s just really arenâ¬"t our favorite desserts; for some reason they just never seem to wholly satisfy either of us. 8/10.

Dessert 2: Mousseline of Raspberry with Lemon Verbena Jelly, Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream and Nectarines

I loved, loved, loved this dessert. Thereâ¬"s not all that much more to say about it. The three little parcels of raspberry mousse had been neatly wrapped with a â¬Üskinâ¬" of raspberry which was slightly more sharp than the sweet creaminess of the mousse (although it did also have a nice pang of tartness). The nectarines were ripe and if memory serves me right they were a little syrupy too, and I really enjoyed the little kick up the butt that the lemon verbena jelly gave to any forkful you happened to include it with. In some sense, the raspberry ripple ice cream almost stole the show; it was just perfect in every way. It was such a nice ending to the meal, but of course, it wasnâ¬"t really the ending was itâ¬¦.9/10.

Petit Fours

The petit fours were arranged in what I assume to be The Squareâ¬"s classic presentation of â¬Ülollipopsâ¬" sticking out of a semi-circular shaped brown wooden block. It looked very pretty, and most of them were good. Memory fails me now, so I canâ¬"t tell you which ones I loved and which ones I could have done without.

Just to make sure that they had filled and coated every inch of our greatly expanded stomachs, there was also a bowl of around eight or nine truffles for the two of us! I absolutely adored them, but could only eat a couple at this point.

Because we liked them so much, we asked if we could have a little box to place the remaining truffles in to take them home with us. In a baffling and logic-defying move, one of the waiters decided that they should instead give us a full box of â¬Ünewâ¬" truffles from the kitchen and insisted that we leave the â¬Üoldâ¬" ones on the table, which defeated the whole point of not wanting to waste such good sweets. Maybe it is just not the done thing in such fine dining establishments? I really donâ¬"t know, but was sort of mystified by it all. Whatever the case, we did take home the box of truffles and scoffed them down pretty quickly the next evening

Yquemical bonding

I have thus far neglected to mention the wines for the evening. As I was the only one drinking, I ordered a half-bottle of the Condrieu that they had available from their very extensive and interesting wine list. It was a 2005 Christophe Pichon (RhÃ´ne Valley, France) that came in at Â£33/half bottle, and unfortunately it was a real let down after my sublim

H.K Diner Restaurant - by liangliang

liangliang — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:47:33 +0000

Review by liangliang

Rating: 5.00

Tags: lively, malaysian, vegetarian

have gone thee twice , excellenthave gone thee twice , excellent

Corrigan's Mayfair - An expensive disappointment by Unpremeditated

Unpremeditated — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:43:08 +0000

Review by Unpremeditated

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7499 9943

Website: http://www.corrigansmayfair.com

Tags: expensive, british, posh

Given the many rave reviews for Richard Corrigan's work we had high expectations for his Mayfair outfit, unfortunately they were far from met.

The restaurant itself is classy in a low-ceilinged, modern club way - the main seating area being at the end of a long bar, perfect for perching with a (very good) cocktail before the meal itself.

The first disappointment was the menu. I'm a big fan of St John so enjoy my hearty, meaty, gamey, offally fare. I also love the food at, say, the Manoir Aux Quat Saisons - so I'm happy to go for a refined French take too. What I'm not so sure about is the mixture of the two that Corrigan's was serving up. There wasn't a single dish that leapt from the page and this was one of the first times I've sat in a "posh" restaurant feeling not spoiled for choice but starved of possibility. Everything was entirely sensible but unoriginal ... except the prices which lived up to the Mayfair premium and beyond.

Oysters were good, as they should be. Ox cheek ravioli was actually Ox cheek raviolo + Ox cheek two other ways. It tasted pleasant enough but the portion was small ... which is fine in a restaurant which serves up amuses gueules, palate cleansers et al but not so great where the best you get is some (admittedly lovely) deep fried goats cheese and olive affairs as appetisers and some (uninspiring) petits fours with the coffee. My other half's crab starter was fresh and zingy but the pigs trotter with mash was too fatty to be refined and too poncey to be hearty. The desserts were so dull we skipped them (and, at Â£10.50, the Eton Mess (every restaurant's favourite, cheap emergency dessert) was outrageously priced) and the cheese board "from these islands" was worse - it may be patriotic on the chef's part, but to eschew a really good Stilton in favour of Cashel blue seems like lunacy, and Lancashire really only belongs alongside an Eccles Cake.

Service was pleasant but rushed, with the wine for our first course arriving half way through and the sommelier helping out with service.

At over Â£200 with no dessert or cheese and in no way pushing the boat out on wine, this was an overpriced experience. A real pity.
Given the many rave reviews for Richard Corrigan's work we had high expectations for his Mayfair outfit, unfortunately they were far from met.

The restaurant itself is classy in a low-ceilinged, modern club way - the main seating area being at the end of a long bar, perfect for perching with a (very good) cocktail before the meal itself.

The first disappointment was the menu. I'm a big fan of St John so enjoy my hearty, meaty, gamey, offally fare. I also love the food at, say, the Manoir Aux Quat Saisons - so I'm happy to go for a refined French take too. What I'm not so sure about is the mixture of the two that Corrigan's was serving up. There wasn't a single dish that leapt from the page and this was one of the first times I've sat in a "posh" restaurant feeling not spoiled for choice but starved of possibility. Everything was entirely sensible but unoriginal ... except the prices which lived up to the Mayfair premium and beyond.

Oysters were good, as they should be. Ox cheek ravioli was actually Ox cheek raviolo + Ox cheek two other ways. It tasted pleasant enough but the portion was small ... which is fine in a restaurant which serves up amuses gueules, palate cleansers et al but not so great where the best you get is some (admittedly lovely) deep fried goats cheese and olive affairs as appetisers and some (uninspiring) petits fours with the coffee. My other half's crab starter was fresh and zingy but the pigs trotter with mash was too fatty to be refined and too poncey to be hearty. The desserts were so dull we skipped them (and, at Â£10.50, the Eton Mess (every restaurant's favourite, cheap emergency dessert) was outrageously priced) and the cheese board "from these islands" was worse - it may be patriotic on the chef's part, but to eschew a really good Stilton in favour of Cashel blue seems like lunacy, and Lancashire really only belongs alongside an Eccles Cake.

Service was pleasant but rushed, with the wine for our first course arriving half way through and the sommelier helping out with service.

At over Â£200 with no dessert or cheese and in no way pushing the boat out on wine, this was an overpriced experience. A real pity.

Fairuz - Fairuz by tomtom123

tomtom123 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:28:11 +0000

Review by tomtom123

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7486 8108

Tags: lebanese, vegetarian dishes, toptable

Fairuz is one of my favourite restaurants in London. If you like big, flash, minimalist, slick dining palaces then this isn't for you. It's a cosy, unpretentious, friendly, perennially busy neighbourhood place â¬ though it's nowhere near my own neighbourhood. It's not for seeing and being seen, it's for relaxing over a really good meal.Fairuz is one of my favourite restaurants in London. If you like big, flash, minimalist, slick dining palaces then this isn't for you. It's a cosy, unpretentious, friendly, perennially busy neighbourhood place â¬ though it's nowhere near my own neighbourhood. It's not for seeing and being seen, it's for relaxing over a really good meal.

Carluccio's - Perfect pasta by lenalouise

lenalouise — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:28:45 +0000

Review by lenalouise

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7935 5927

Website: http://www.carluccios.com

Tags: italian, good value, lively

Myself and Keith were wandering around Oxford Street late at night and we hadn't eaten dinner. Carluccios was the only place around that was still serving. I've avoided it in the past as the food in chain restaurants is usually a let-down. We just had a plate of pasta each and both were fantastic. The pasta was cooked perfectly and there was so much flavour packed onto each plate.

Keith had the penne giardiniera which is penne pasta with chilli, courgette and spinach balls. The balls were wonderfully cheesy and a refreshing change from the usual pasta accompaniments. I had a classic spaghetti vongole and I had no complaints (well maybe just that keith's dish was nicer than mine!). There were plenty of clams and the pasta was well seasoned. I haven't been back again so I don't know whether the other food is any good but the pasta can't be faulted. Great meal.Myself and Keith were wandering around Oxford Street late at night and we hadn't eaten dinner. Carluccios was the only place around that was still serving. I've avoided it in the past as the food in chain restaurants is usually a let-down. We just had a plate of pasta each and both were fantastic. The pasta was cooked perfectly and there was so much flavour packed onto each plate.

Keith had the penne giardiniera which is penne pasta with chilli, courgette and spinach balls. The balls were wonderfully cheesy and a refreshing change from the usual pasta accompaniments. I had a classic spaghetti vongole and I had no complaints (well maybe just that keith's dish was nicer than mine!). There were plenty of clams and the pasta was well seasoned. I haven't been back again so I don't know whether the other food is any good but the pasta can't be faulted. Great meal.

Spaghetti House - Bellisimo! by adiguy60

adiguy60 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:07:20 +0000

Review by adiguy60

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7629 6097

Website: http://www.spaghetti-house.co.uk

Tags: italian, lively, romantic

How rare to find authentic italian food in london which is properly prepared and served in hearty italian portions... none of this 'food to nibble' here! Great value and good staff... loved itHow rare to find authentic italian food in london which is properly prepared and served in hearty italian portions... none of this 'food to nibble' here! Great value and good staff... loved it

Il Baretto - Italian Restaurant - Thumbs up by sarahb911

sarahb911 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:00:55 +0000

Review by sarahb911

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7486 7340

Website: http://www.giustorestaurant.com/

Tags: italian, family & home feel, lively

This places seems to have changed hands a few times, but this time it should last - excellent classic italian food. Prices, but would recommend for a nice night out.This places seems to have changed hands a few times, but this time it should last - excellent classic italian food. Prices, but would recommend for a nice night out.

Busaba Eathai - Firm Favourite by jimstreet

jimstreet — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Review by jimstreet

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7518 8080

Tags: lively, thai, crowded

This is my favourite restaurant in London. I have been to the one on Wardour Street and it just isnt quite the same. Every dish is delicious and I have never had a bad meal here.This is my favourite restaurant in London. I have been to the one on Wardour Street and it just isnt quite the same. Every dish is delicious and I have never had a bad meal here.

La Petite Maison - by ProfMagellan

ProfMagellan — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:07:48 +0000

Review by ProfMagellan

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7495 4774

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

Tags: lively, french, expensive

This French restaurant in the heart of Mayfair was packed for luncheon. No sign of the recession. I had a pretty good steak with a nice battered
courgette starter ("trois saveurs de beignets").
My companion had lived in Paris for two years and is a regular here so they are doing something right. Prices seemed a bit steep (£10.50 for the starter, £33.50 for the steak before adding chips and a salad) and no credit crunch special on offer. The service was all hustle and bustle with no delivery. So slow it was that after a delightful two hours, I had only just received the pudding menu and realized that I had to leave for a meeting.
Shame that some of these places with so much potential are so poorly managed.This French restaurant in the heart of Mayfair was packed for luncheon. No sign of the recession. I had a pretty good steak with a nice battered
courgette starter ("trois saveurs de beignets").
My companion had lived in Paris for two years and is a regular here so they are doing something right. Prices seemed a bit steep (£10.50 for the starter, £33.50 for the steak before adding chips and a salad) and no credit crunch special on offer. The service was all hustle and bustle with no delivery. So slow it was that after a delightful two hours, I had only just received the pudding menu and realized that I had to leave for a meeting.
Shame that some of these places with so much potential are so poorly managed.

Le Relais De Venise L'Entrecote - Going Downhill Fast by kitbits

kitbits — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:10:42 +0000

Review by kitbits

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7486 0878

Website: http://www.relaisdevenise.com

Tags: french, crowded, lively

Times are obviously hard at this franchise steak place.Went there for Sunday Lunch and was very dissappointed.Standards have dropped considerably since my last visit.
The first bizarre experience came when we asked for some butter with our bread. We were told in no uncertain terms that this was â¬Snot possibleâ¬ I expressed surprise that a restaurant didnâ¬"t have any butter in the kitchen and got a shrug from a waitress who didnâ¬"t seem to know the answer to this. I asked to see the manageress who explained that, yes there was butter on the premises, but it was only served with bread to those who had cheese after the meal. I asked her politely if she could maybe bend the rules for a valued customer and sneak some out to us. She told us in a very serious manner that these were instructions from Head Office in Paris and there was nothing she could do.
I realised then that the â¬SUK Jobsworth of the yearâ¬ award was in the bag, and here we were only a few days into May. We know that the standard French repost to consumer complaints is to shrug and say â¬Sâ¬¦I am only obeying ordersâ¬, but given that this lady was East European does say something about how well trained she was in the ways of corporate intransigence.
Our second problem was the wine. We ordered a half bottle of the house red (a Chateau de Lardiley Bordeaux). The waitress poured it out without letting either of us try it and scurried off. It wasnâ¬"t the best house plonk Iâ¬"d ever had, and on examining my glass I found out why. Swirls of purple sediment were gyrating madly round and round. A bad bottle ? No problem â¬ it can happen and isnâ¬"t the end of the world.
I called another waitress over and showed her my glass. She nodded knowingly. â¬SAh yes, we knowâ¬ she said. I asked her about her apparent clairvoyant powers, and she explained that the restaurant had had this problem with the half bottles of house red for over a month. â¬SI can replace your bottle for you, but it will probably be the sameâ¬ she said rather unhelpfully. I didnâ¬"t want a full bottle or half a white so was forced (as she didnâ¬"t offer to let us have half a whole bottle â¬ the sensible customer calming option) to try another.
It was the same as the first one. Clouds of sediment. A bitter taste.
I jokingly asked her if there was any blotting paper back in the kitchen alongside the butter, but she shrugged and poured a glugful of wine into an empty spare glass saying â¬SThat should take care of most of the bitsâ¬ and took it away with her.
Problem three was the main event. The meat. I know times are hard, but if the two halves of my steak weighed more than 5 ounces in total I would have been very surprised. Slicing a small (sorry, tiny) piece of meat very thinly, spreading it out in the pattern of a large fan and covering it in a mound of chips does not make it any larger. This is basic physics. Another law of physics is that re-cooking chips that are already perfectly cooked does not make them taste better. The chips that came with our second half meat were so overcooked that you could have used them as cocktail sticks. Useful for picking bits of nt out of oneâ¬"s teeth, though
Stick to Cafe Rouge for good value tasty steaks

I have written to the owner/md (Mr Dine).It will be interesting to see if he bothers to reply.If not, I'll be contacting Helene Godilot, in Paris who runs the whole shooting match.Times are obviously hard at this franchise steak place.Went there for Sunday Lunch and was very dissappointed.Standards have dropped considerably since my last visit.
The first bizarre experience came when we asked for some butter with our bread. We were told in no uncertain terms that this was â¬Snot possibleâ¬ I expressed surprise that a restaurant didnâ¬"t have any butter in the kitchen and got a shrug from a waitress who didnâ¬"t seem to know the answer to this. I asked to see the manageress who explained that, yes there was butter on the premises, but it was only served with bread to those who had cheese after the meal. I asked her politely if she could maybe bend the rules for a valued customer and sneak some out to us. She told us in a very serious manner that these were instructions from Head Office in Paris and there was nothing she could do.
I realised then that the â¬SUK Jobsworth of the yearâ¬ award was in the bag, and here we were only a few days into May. We know that the standard French repost to consumer complaints is to shrug and say â¬Sâ¬¦I am only obeying ordersâ¬, but given that this lady was East European does say something about how well trained she was in the ways of corporate intransigence.
Our second problem was the wine. We ordered a half bottle of the house red (a Chateau de Lardiley Bordeaux). The waitress poured it out without letting either of us try it and scurried off. It wasnâ¬"t the best house plonk Iâ¬"d ever had, and on examining my glass I found out why. Swirls of purple sediment were gyrating madly round and round. A bad bottle ? No problem â¬ it can happen and isnâ¬"t the end of the world.
I called another waitress over and showed her my glass. She nodded knowingly. â¬SAh yes, we knowâ¬ she said. I asked her about her apparent clairvoyant powers, and she explained that the restaurant had had this problem with the half bottles of house red for over a month. â¬SI can replace your bottle for you, but it will probably be the sameâ¬ she said rather unhelpfully. I didnâ¬"t want a full bottle or half a white so was forced (as she didnâ¬"t offer to let us have half a whole bottle â¬ the sensible customer calming option) to try another.
It was the same as the first one. Clouds of sediment. A bitter taste.
I jokingly asked her if there was any blotting paper back in the kitchen alongside the butter, but she shrugged and poured a glugful of wine into an empty spare glass saying â¬SThat should take care of most of the bitsâ¬ and took it away with her.
Problem three was the main event. The meat. I know times are hard, but if the two halves of my steak weighed more than 5 ounces in total I would have been very surprised. Slicing a small (sorry, tiny) piece of meat very thinly, spreading it out in the pattern of a large fan and covering it in a mound of chips does not make it any larger. This is basic physics. Another law of physics is that re-cooking chips that are already perfectly cooked does not make them taste better. The chips that came with our second half meat were so overcooked that you could have used them as cocktail sticks. Useful for picking bits of sediment out of oneâ¬"s teeth, though
Stick to Cafe Rouge for good value tasty steaks

I have written to the owner/md (Mr Dine).It will be interesting to see if he bothers to reply.If not, I'll be contacting Helene Godilot, in Paris who runs the whole shooting match.

Sakura - Worse restaurant ever by nasigoreng

nasigoreng — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:54:31 +0000

Review by nasigoreng

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7629 2961

Tags: japanese, crowded, good value

This restaurant is the worse I have ever been in my entire life.

Be warned, apart from average food quality, you will get extra services: screamed at or yelled at by the manager / waiters / waitress.

Please please avoid this restaurant at all cost. Unless you want to be humiliated in public.

This restaurant should be closed.This restaurant is the worse I have ever been in my entire life.

Be warned, apart from average food quality, you will get extra services: screamed at or yelled at by the manager / waiters / waitress.

Please please avoid this restaurant at all cost. Unless you want to be humiliated in public.

This restaurant should be closed.

Chisou - by nasigoreng

nasigoreng — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:45:45 +0000

Review by nasigoreng

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7629 3931

Tags: japanese, air conditioning, vegetarian dishes

Best Japanese restaurant in London. Their sushi are the best.. very fresh and friendly service.Best Japanese restaurant in London. Their sushi are the best.. very fresh and friendly service.

deVille Restaurant - Amazing!! by supercat68

supercat68 — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:21:19 +0000

Review by supercat68

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7935 5599

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

Tags: romantic, good value, british

Had such a fantastic Afternoon Tea here with the girls after shopping - staff were great and we had so much food we couldn't move afterwards. Highly recommended!Had such a fantastic Afternoon Tea here with the girls after shopping - staff were great and we had so much food we couldn't move afterwards. Highly recommended!

Helene Darroze at The Connaught - by Agirlhastoeat

Agirlhastoeat — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:42:51 +0000

Review by Agirlhastoeat

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 3147 7200

Website: http://www.the-connaught.co.uk/the_restaurant.aspx

http://agirlhastoeat.com/helene-darroze-one-star-michelin-restaurant-review

HÃ©lÃ¨ne Darroze is one of the leading female chefs in the world. Her restaurant in Paris, Restaurant HÃ©lÃ¨ne Darroze, holds two Michelin stars, and she gained a further star for her restaurant at The Connaught in 2009. This 41 year old single mum's career as a chef started later than that of many other chefs as Darroze never aspired to be a chef until her mid-twenties. Initially deciding to follow in her father's footsteps, she trained to become the general manager of their family-owned Relais & ChÃ¢teau hotel and restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan in Southwest France. It wasnâ¬"t until 1990, when Darroze began working for Alain Ducasse at his three Michelin starred Le Louis XV in Monaco, that her path took a turn.

"There is a place for a girl in the world of gastronomy, and you are the one." - Alain Ducasse

To continue reading, go to the link above.http://agirlhastoeat.com/helene-darroze-one-star-michelin-restaurant-review

HÃ©lÃ¨ne Darroze is one of the leading female chefs in the world. Her restaurant in Paris, Restaurant HÃ©lÃ¨ne Darroze, holds two Michelin stars, and she gained a further star for her restaurant at The Connaught in 2009. This 41 year old single mum's career as a chef started later than that of many other chefs as Darroze never aspired to be a chef until her mid-twenties. Initially deciding to follow in her father's footsteps, she trained to become the general manager of their family-owned Relais & ChÃ¢teau hotel and restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan in Southwest France. It wasnâ¬"t until 1990, when Darroze began working for Alain Ducasse at his three Michelin starred Le Louis XV in Monaco, that her path took a turn.

"There is a place for a girl in the world of gastronomy, and you are the one." - Alain Ducasse

To continue reading, go to the link above.

Hellenic - Delightful by Tagnelap

Tagnelap — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:05:50 +0000

Review by Tagnelap

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7486 6232

Tags: greek, cheap eat, vegetarian dishes

This place is a gem. I have been eating here for about 15 years and I have never once had a bad meal. The chicken kebab (doesn't sound great) is a work of genius.
The service is utterly brilliant.
Having said all of that, it is a lunchtime venue and not for romantic trysts.This place is a gem. I have been eating here for about 15 years and I have never once had a bad meal. The chicken kebab (doesn't sound great) is a work of genius.
The service is utterly brilliant.
Having said all of that, it is a lunchtime venue and not for romantic trysts.

Ozer - 1p Breakfast? Surely not? by spinfold

spinfold — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:46:20 +0000

Review by spinfold

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7323 0505

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

Tags: turkish, good value, lively

"Breakfast for one penny!" screamed the dark-green sandwich board placed outside the restaurant. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief (it was 6am on a Monday morning and I was due at work any moment) I stopped and stared, half-asleep, casting my gaze backwards and forwards between the sign and the inside of the restaurant. It looked clean and inviting. "One penny? Seriously?" Were the chefs going to pee in the orange juice or lick the bread before it went in the toaster? Was the dining room a favourite hang-out of Regent Street's rat population?

No, it turned out when I visited later that morning. A breakfast buffet consisting of croissants and toast, selections of unusual jams (rose petal, for example), cereals and tea and coffee, all laid out neatly. The staff welcomed me in and found me a seat. I tentatively chose my breakfast items, taking care to avoid anything with odd-coloured marks (it was easy, there weren't any!) and ate.

Yummy scrummy.

Embarassed to go back up for seconds, I asked for the bill, expecting Ryanair-style "knife and fork" or "restaurant ambience" surcharges to be added. Nope, just a penny.

I gave them 100 pennies and left sharpish fearing they would chase me down the street, accusing me of theft of delicious breakfast items.

They obviously didn't chase me, but it really did feel like I had committed theft. I will definitely be going back tomorrow!"Breakfast for one penny!" screamed the dark-green sandwich board placed outside the restaurant. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief (it was 6am on a Monday morning and I was due at work any moment) I stopped and stared, half-asleep, casting my gaze backwards and forwards between the sign and the inside of the restaurant. It looked clean and inviting. "One penny? Seriously?" Were the chefs going to pee in the orange juice or lick the bread before it went in the toaster? Was the dining room a favourite hang-out of Regent Street's rat population?

No, it turned out when I visited later that morning. A breakfast buffet consisting of croissants and toast, selections of unusual jams (rose petal, for example), cereals and tea and coffee, all laid out neatly. The staff welcomed me in and found me a seat. I tentatively chose my breakfast items, taking care to avoid anything with odd-coloured marks (it was easy, there weren't any!) and ate.

Yummy scrummy.

Embarassed to go back up for seconds, I asked for the bill, expecting Ryanair-style "knife and fork" or "restaurant ambience" surcharges to be added. Nope, just a penny.

I gave them 100 pennies and left sharpish fearing they would chase me down the street, accusing me of theft of delicious breakfast items.

They obviously didn't chase me, but it really did feel like I had committed theft. I will definitely be going back tomorrow!

Cipriani - Disappointed by Extravaganza

Extravaganza — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:52:10 +0000

Review by Extravaganza

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7399 0500

Website: http://www.cipriani.com

Tags: italian, expensive, pretentious

As I just read here "I thought I had walked into one of those modern vampire movies".

"Really disappointed. Was at Cipriani London Saturday 28th March and I can tell you, had the WORST dinner experience ever.

Some of the staff were playing around with guests, make fun of them, specially two Italian coquets that were holding a station in front of the toilet entrance, they were all the time doing jokes and looking at ladies back and doing face to each other.
The food was dissapointing, I had a spaghetti with lobster, the spaghetti was way over cooked, like a pap, the lobster was also way over cooked just breaking in the plate. The wine was ok, but the glasses are a big and unforgettable aggression to any kind of wine lover, they use this small glasses, so if you order a £200 wine be ready to drink it straight from the bottle that I think is sometimes better.
The tables are really low and there is no comfort at all, the chairs are also low, so if you are a bit tall forget you will feel eating in a â¬Skindergardenâ¬ cafeteria.
The value for money is a very poor, I couldnÂ´t sleep trying to understand how can a place like this charge so much and so many people are willing to pay, £100 per head ordering the cheapest wine and one main course is an assault, specialy if the main course is really but really bad.
In the end I couldnÂ´t eat my food, the waiter came and ask to me â¬Shave you finish?â¬ I look at him and to my plate and I couldnÂ´t speak and he just took the full plate and even care if like it or not. When the bill came a very un-polite waiter was really unpleasant with all of us at the table, he make sure that we could understand how important is the Cipriani and how they are successful and they can do anything.
I can tell you, donÂ´t waste your money in this place!
As I just read here "I thought I had walked into one of those modern vampire movies".

"Really disappointed. Was at Cipriani London Saturday 28th March and I can tell you, had the WORST dinner experience ever.

Some of the staff were playing around with guests, make fun of them, specially two Italian coquets that were holding a station in front of the toilet entrance, they were all the time doing jokes and looking at ladies back and doing face to each other.
The food was dissapointing, I had a spaghetti with lobster, the spaghetti was way over cooked, like a pap, the lobster was also way over cooked just breaking in the plate. The wine was ok, but the glasses are a big and unforgettable aggression to any kind of wine lover, they use this small glasses, so if you order a £200 wine be ready to drink it straight from the bottle that I think is sometimes better.
The tables are really low and there is no comfort at all, the chairs are also low, so if you are a bit tall forget you will feel eating in a â¬Skindergardenâ¬ cafeteria.
The value for money is a very poor, I couldnÂ´t sleep trying to understand how can a place like this charge so much and so many people are willing to pay, £100 per head ordering the cheapest wine and one main course is an assault, specialy if the main course is really but really bad.
In the end I couldnÂ´t eat my food, the waiter came and ask to me â¬Shave you finish?â¬ I look at him and to my plate and I couldnÂ´t speak and he just took the full plate and even care if I like it or not. When the bill came a very un-polite waiter was really unpleasant with all of us at the table, he make sure that we could understand how important is the Cipriani and how they are successful and they can do anything.
I can tell you, donÂ´t waste your money in this place!