Latest reviews in Carnaby 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.

Sacred Cafe - Great coffee a few steps from Regent St by pinotlover

pinotlover — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:22:26 +0000

Review by pinotlover

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7734 1415

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

Tags: cosy, quick bite, good brew

Why have Italians not discovered the flat white? This is the best way possible to do coffee with milk - a shot of espresso topped with textured, not frothed, milk.
Friendy service from mainly Kiwi staff and cosy ambience especially in the basement. For something different try the lolly cake... crushed malt biscuits and marshmallows bound together with butter and condensed milk and rolled in dried coconut. (tastes better than it sounds). Another Kiwi invention apparently.Why have Italians not discovered the flat white? This is the best way possible to do coffee with milk - a shot of espresso topped with textured, not frothed, milk.
Friendy service from mainly Kiwi staff and cosy ambience especially in the basement. For something different try the lolly cake... crushed malt biscuits and marshmallows bound together with butter and condensed milk and rolled in dried coconut. (tastes better than it sounds). Another Kiwi invention apparently.

Golden Dragon - Appalling service by cindy1005

cindy1005 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:47:51 +0000

Review by cindy1005

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7734 1073

Tags: chinese, lively, expensive

I visited this restaurant 2 days ago with a friend. While dishing out the rice, I was apalled to notice three chips ranging in width from about 2 cm to 2 inches in the rim of the bowl. The bowl was made of some kind of material similar to melamine and was discoloured on the outside, and blackened on the base. It put me off my food. When the waitress came to clear the table, she asked if everything was alright. I said, ''Actually no, I'm apalled to be served food in a bowl in this state. I wouldn't even use this in my own house. It really is unacceptable and insulting.'' Instead of apologizing, the waitress had the audacity to LAUGH! I was not amused. She then proceeded to rip the top tablecloth off the table from under us, even though we still had our full cups of tea and other drinks on the table, and were clearly not finished. I was really annoyed by then. While waiting on the bill to arrive, I happened to glance at the table behind me and noticed that they had a bowl of rice, which on first glance appeared to have a scalloped edge, but then to my horror I realized it wasn't a scalloped pattern, but in fact, was so severely chipped around the perimeter, it appeared to be scalloped! The toilets upstairs were out of order. When we went downstairs, we were approached by a woman who screeched at us '' You want toilet, it is that way'' with a mouth full of food.

I will never dine in that establishment again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. Their lack of respect and service is appalling and completely unacceptable. They also add 12.5% service charge to the bill, when they clearly don't even know the meaning of the word service.I visited this restaurant 2 days ago with a friend. While dishing out the rice, I was apalled to notice three chips ranging in width from about 2 cm to 2 inches in the rim of the bowl. The bowl was made of some kind of material similar to melamine and was discoloured on the outside, and blackened on the base. It put me off my food. When the waitress came to clear the table, she asked if everything was alright. I said, ''Actually no, I'm apalled to be served food in a bowl in this state. I wouldn't even use this in my own house. It really is unacceptable and insulting.'' Instead of apologizing, the waitress had the audacity to LAUGH! I was not amused. She then proceeded to rip the top tablecloth off the table from under us, even though we still had our full cups of tea and other drinks on the table, and were clearly not finished. I was really annoyed by then. While waiting on the bill to arrive, I happened to glance at the table behind me and noticed that they had a bowl of rice, which on first glance appeared to have a scalloped edge, but then to my horror I realized it wasn't a scalloped pattern, but in fact, was so severely chipped around the perimeter, it appeared to be scalloped! The toilets upstairs were out of order. When we went downstairs, we were approached by a woman who screeched at us '' You want toilet, it is that way'' with a mouth full of food.

I will never dine in that establishment again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. Their lack of respect and service is appalling and completely unacceptable. They also add 12.5% service charge to the bill, when they clearly don't even know the meaning of the word service.

Flat White - Service is Flat, But Coffee is More than Alwite by laissezfare

laissezfare — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:45:48 +0000

Review by laissezfare

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7734 0370

Website: http://www.flat-white.co.uk

Tags: amazing brew, quick bite, crowded

[This is part of a larger review of London coffee houses which can be found here: http://wp.me/pwXBH-or]

Although it is really a trek from my office to Flat White, Iâ¬"ve tried this Soho-based coffee house a number of times and almost think Iâ¬"ve walked into a funky little American coffee house on a college campus somewhere. There is always rock music on the radio, the staff sort of ignore you (at least me!) and I donâ¬"t really like the vibe all that much (itâ¬"s a bit up its own backside if you ask me), but the coffee drinks are pretty good. Here, I like the eponymous drink the best.[This is part of a larger review of London coffee houses which can be found here: http://wp.me/pwXBH-or]

Although it is really a trek from my office to Flat White, Iâ¬"ve tried this Soho-based coffee house a number of times and almost think Iâ¬"ve walked into a funky little American coffee house on a college campus somewhere. There is always rock music on the radio, the staff sort of ignore you (at least me!) and I donâ¬"t really like the vibe all that much (itâ¬"s a bit up its own backside if you ask me), but the coffee drinks are pretty good. Here, I like the eponymous drink the best.

Jerk City - I'll be back by ASMG

ASMG — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:37:44 +0000

Review by ASMG

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7287 2878

Tags: cheap eat, african & caribbean, quick bite

Relaxed Carribean cafÃ© within friendly staff and good food. Very good value.

The mutton roti was spicy and tender, just as it should be.Relaxed Carribean cafÃ© within friendly staff and good food. Very good value.

The mutton roti was spicy and tender, just as it should be.

Bar Rumba - Love It by bexyboo

bexyboo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:54:29 +0000

Review by bexyboo

Rating: 5.00

Tags: young and fun, house, reasonably priced

Drinks were really good price.... Â£3.50 fpr a cocktail at happy hour, can't go wrong for that. Had loads of fun and all the staff were really nice nice which make a change from the usual snotty west enders. See you there next week.Drinks were really good price.... Â£3.50 fpr a cocktail at happy hour, can't go wrong for that. Had loads of fun and all the staff were really nice nice which make a change from the usual snotty west enders. See you there next week.

Revolution Bar - by ckruger

ckruger — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:44:49 +0000

Review by ckruger

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7434 0330

Website: http://www.revolution-bars.co.uk

Tags: cool, food, friendly

We went there for a girlie lunch today as it's near our workplace and have always wanted to go. They have quite a few food specials going on (pizza and burgers 2for1). The burgers (especially the chips) was really good and the portions big. Our waiter was very rushed and cleared our table while one girl was still eating. We all found him very rude with no "table-side" manners. Although he was the only waiter I could see, it wasn't busy at all (maybe 4 other tables, and by the time we were done it was empty again) so I don't understand what the rush was about. The bill was only Â£22 for 3 of us (we did not have alcohol) so wasn't too disappointed although I wouldn't recommend it for lunch to someone else.We went there for a girlie lunch today as it's near our workplace and have always wanted to go. They have quite a few food specials going on (pizza and burgers 2for1). The burgers (especially the chips) was really good and the portions big. Our waiter was very rushed and cleared our table while one girl was still eating. We all found him very rude with no "table-side" manners. Although he was the only waiter I could see, it wasn't busy at all (maybe 4 other tables, and by the time we were done it was empty again) so I don't understand what the rush was about. The bill was only Â£22 for 3 of us (we did not have alcohol) so wasn't too disappointed although I wouldn't recommend it for lunch to someone else.

Plum Valley - Excellent Dim Sum - highly impressed by ilovelucy

ilovelucy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:13:12 +0000

Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7287 2539

Tags: chinese, romantic, expensive

Plum Valley is situated right in the heart of Chinatown but bares no resemblance to its counterparts in terms of cuisine, dÃ©cor and service. The restaurant serves a variety of Dim Sum dishes all day along with popular and also new innovative main Chinese dishes. The menu was not as expansive as other Chinese restaurants on Gerrard street, but there was a good choice nonetheless, with well thought-out dishes sitting beside tried and tested favourites.

As it was lunchtime, my friend and I opted for the Dim Sum menu. Being of Chinese origin we both think it is a bit odd to eat Dim Sum in the evenings but welcomed a restaurant to do so in Chinatown. In my opinion, Plum Valley fills the narrow void left between the Ping Pong dim sum restaurant chain and traditional Chinese restaurants. I would say that it is similar to Yauatcha but holds on to its Chinese identity far better with dishes averaging at Â£3.80 which most Chinese people are not likely to baulk at, whereas the bill at Yauatcha would make many choke on their tea.

The dÃ©cor and style of the restaurant was most impressive with dark wooden walls, tables and slate grey floors â¬ lighting was low in keeping with the ambience of the restaurant (a feature that may not be too popular in the Summer). Waitresses and the hostess were friendly and unobtrusive. My friend and I chose our dishes, our rule of thumb is 3 dishes per person and one for luck. Instead of opting for the usual Vietnamese spring rolls, turnip paste, har gau, shao mai, cheung fun etc we decided to choose some more eccentric dishes - scallop dumplings, wasabi prawn dumpling, black cod rolls, thai chicken dumplings, beancurd wrapped shrimp in cheung fun, fish and squid rolls with preserved egg. All were delicious and presented beautifully â¬ the freshness and quality of the ingredients were easily identifiable. I particularly liked the fish and squid rolls with preserved egg â¬ all the flavours worked really well and it looked amazing on the plate. The scallop dumplings and the cheung fun were also a highlight. We were happily full at the end of the meal with the bill working out to a very reasonable Â£33 including service. My only small gripe was the jasmine flower tea served in oversized wine glasses - very unusual but this really did not offend too much. Unsurprisingly we left the restuarant smiling from the whole experience.
Plum Valley is situated right in the heart of Chinatown but bares no resemblance to its counterparts in terms of cuisine, dÃ©cor and service. The restaurant serves a variety of Dim Sum dishes all day along with popular and also new innovative main Chinese dishes. The menu was not as expansive as other Chinese restaurants on Gerrard street, but there was a good choice nonetheless, with well thought-out dishes sitting beside tried and tested favourites.

As it was lunchtime, my friend and I opted for the Dim Sum menu. Being of Chinese origin we both think it is a bit odd to eat Dim Sum in the evenings but welcomed a restaurant to do so in Chinatown. In my opinion, Plum Valley fills the narrow void left between the Ping Pong dim sum restaurant chain and traditional Chinese restaurants. I would say that it is similar to Yauatcha but holds on to its Chinese identity far better with dishes averaging at Â£3.80 which most Chinese people are not likely to baulk at, whereas the bill at Yauatcha would make many choke on their tea.

The dÃ©cor and style of the restaurant was most impressive with dark wooden walls, tables and slate grey floors â¬ lighting was low in keeping with the ambience of the restaurant (a feature that may not be too popular in the Summer). Waitresses and the hostess were friendly and unobtrusive. My friend and I chose our dishes, our rule of thumb is 3 dishes per person and one for luck. Instead of opting for the usual Vietnamese spring rolls, turnip paste, har gau, shao mai, cheung fun etc we decided to choose some more eccentric dishes - scallop dumplings, wasabi prawn dumpling, black cod rolls, thai chicken dumplings, beancurd wrapped shrimp in cheung fun, fish and squid rolls with preserved egg. All were delicious and presented beautifully â¬ the freshness and quality of the ingredients were easily identifiable. I particularly liked the fish and squid rolls with preserved egg â¬ all the flavours worked really well and it looked amazing on the plate. The scallop dumplings and the cheung fun were also a highlight. We were happily full at the end of the meal with the bill working out to a very reasonable Â£33 including service. My only small gripe was the jasmine flower tea served in oversized wine glasses - very unusual but this really did not offend too much. Unsurprisingly we left the restuarant smiling from the whole experience.

Bocca di Lupo - by AntonSh

AntonSh — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:43:12 +0000

Review by AntonSh

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7734 2223

Tags: italian, lively, expensive

The food is excellent - authentic Italian food from different regions, with the menu a helpful guide to what you're getting, how it's cooked and where it comes from. The mains all seemed appetising, and I opted for the palombo which came grilled to perfection. The dolcis (desserts) are especially innovative and the controversial Sanguinaccio - a sweet patÃ© of pig's blood and chocolate with sourdough bread - was possibly the most radical dessert dish I have tried.

I took my mother there for her birthday. She is a very picky customer and well used to terrorising waiting staff, and she was impressed. The waiters were well-trained, polite and impeccably turned out, and had good knowledge of the food and wine.

The only downside is that it is slightly overpriced for what it is. Good food is of course worth paying good money for, but in this case the balance seems a little bit too much towards increasing profit margins. Another slight issue is that atmosphere-wise, I found it hard to relax - the place is perhaps a little too aware of its status as a top restaurant.

Overall though, the food is great and I will definitely be back, especially when trying to impress a date!The food is excellent - authentic Italian food from different regions, with the menu a helpful guide to what you're getting, how it's cooked and where it comes from. The mains all seemed appetising, and I opted for the palombo which came grilled to perfection. The dolcis (desserts) are especially innovative and the controversial Sanguinaccio - a sweet patÃ© of pig's blood and chocolate with sourdough bread - was possibly the most radical dessert dish I have tried.

I took my mother there for her birthday. She is a very picky customer and well used to terrorising waiting staff, and she was impressed. The waiters were well-trained, polite and impeccably turned out, and had good knowledge of the food and wine.

The only downside is that it is slightly overpriced for what it is. Good food is of course worth paying good money for, but in this case the balance seems a little bit too much towards increasing profit margins. Another slight issue is that atmosphere-wise, I found it hard to relax - the place is perhaps a little too aware of its status as a top restaurant.

Overall though, the food is great and I will definitely be back, especially when trying to impress a date!

St. Moritz Restaurant - wow - saddle of venison by chprime

chprime — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:44:22 +0000

Review by chprime

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7734 3324

Tags: family & home feel, expensive, good value

as it happens it seems to be Venison month at the St. Moritz restaurant and i was invited by a good friend for dinner to try the - as he put it 'very best venison dish ever' - - all i can say he did not lie - i want to have that saddle of vension everyday from now onwards....unfortunately the season only last during November but my friend said to try the cordon bleu next time which is as per Tom also world class. thanks Tomas it happens it seems to be Venison month at the St. Moritz restaurant and i was invited by a good friend for dinner to try the - as he put it 'very best venison dish ever' - - all i can say he did not lie - i want to have that saddle of vension everyday from now onwards....unfortunately the season only last during November but my friend said to try the cordon bleu next time which is as per Tom also world class. thanks Tom

Cafe Espana - by sld52

sld52 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:39:30 +0000

Review by sld52

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7494 1271

Tags: spanish, good value, lively

This place is a real gem. The staff are great - so friendly and helpful - and they do the best steak I have ever tasted! It's always busy so do be prepared to wait around for a bit but if you do have to there are usually a few people on the stairs to chat with and you can grab a glass of vino to get warmed up! All in all I always have a great night here - great food, great service, great atmosphere... interesting europop music!This place is a real gem. The staff are great - so friendly and helpful - and they do the best steak I have ever tasted! It's always busy so do be prepared to wait around for a bit but if you do have to there are usually a few people on the stairs to chat with and you can grab a glass of vino to get warmed up! All in all I always have a great night here - great food, great service, great atmosphere... interesting europop music!

Pho - by DylanDelivers

DylanDelivers — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:52:20 +0000

Review by DylanDelivers

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7436 0111

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

Tags: vietnamese, lively, good value

Utterly brilliant!! Love this place. So healthy, so tasty, so good.. The summer rolls are a definite every time, and the pho I mix up, it doesn't matter, they are all delicious.

Luckily, it doesn't take long to get served here, because you are salivating from the moment you walk in. Service is always good.

The great thing about Pho is that it focuses on a few things from Vietnamese cuisine, and does them extremely well. It's not a traditional Vietnamese restaurant with a massive menu. It is a pho cafe.

As for the noodle soups themselves - amazing. Bursting with flavours and aromas, and accompanied by a plate of fresh herbs to let you add the final hints to your suiting. A big inhalation, and then dive in...Utterly brilliant!! Love this place. So healthy, so tasty, so good.. The summer rolls are a definite every time, and the pho I mix up, it doesn't matter, they are all delicious.

Luckily, it doesn't take long to get served here, because you are salivating from the moment you walk in. Service is always good.

The great thing about Pho is that it focuses on a few things from Vietnamese cuisine, and does them extremely well. It's not a traditional Vietnamese restaurant with a massive menu. It is a pho cafe.

As for the noodle soups themselves - amazing. Bursting with flavours and aromas, and accompanied by a plate of fresh herbs to let you add the final hints to your suiting. A big inhalation, and then dive in...

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

Madame JoJo's - Nice by Rebella

Rebella — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:18:39 +0000

Review by Rebella

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7734 3040

Website: http://www.madamejojos.com

Tags: live music, cool, friendly

Interesting, good to try.Interesting, good to try.

The Escape - Bad Experience by david1london

david1london — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Review by david1london

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7734 2626

Website: http://www.kudosgroup.com

Tags: traditional english

Go to this venue only if you wish to be treated homophobically by the door staff! A regular visitor to this venue for almost 10 years & I was pretty disgusted to be subjected to homophobic behaviour from a member of the door staff. On entry I was asked if I new what this venue was. I was let in & thanked the door man but made the mistake of patting this guy on the shoulder to which he responded "just do not try to f@~#g touch me" When I later made a complaint to the manager the door man fabricated a story accusing me of trying to touch him sexually. The manager behaved defensively & never apologised whilst the security guy just laughed in my face.
Big shame about the situation as I've always rated this venue & have always had a good time there but homophobic door staff & managers who reinforce their behaviour make it no longer a venue I would visit again or recommend.Go to this venue only if you wish to be treated homophobically by the door staff! A regular visitor to this venue for almost 10 years & I was pretty disgusted to be subjected to homophobic behaviour from a member of the door staff. On entry I was asked if I new what this venue was. I was let in & thanked the door man but made the mistake of patting this guy on the shoulder to which he responded "just do not try to f@~#g touch me" When I later made a complaint to the manager the door man fabricated a story accusing me of trying to touch him sexually. The manager behaved defensively & never apologised whilst the security guy just laughed in my face.
Big shame about the situation as I've always rated this venue & have always had a good time there but homophobic door staff & managers who reinforce their behaviour make it no longer a venue I would visit again or recommend.

Thirst - Honestly I wouldn't bother! by MariaK

MariaK — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:27:47 +0000

Review by MariaK

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7437 1977

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

Tags: free to get in, cool, posh

Went this Friday. This place is smaller than my studio appartment and lacking in any kind of atmosphere. The dance floor is tiny with the toilets virtually on it and the staff had an attitude. Asked to see the bar manager as every time we ordered a round it was a different price and was generally treated with contempt. Think they were either just making the prices up as they went along or pocketing the extra.Went this Friday. This place is smaller than my studio appartment and lacking in any kind of atmosphere. The dance floor is tiny with the toilets virtually on it and the staff had an attitude. Asked to see the bar manager as every time we ordered a round it was a different price and was generally treated with contempt. Think they were either just making the prices up as they went along or pocketing the extra.

Absolut Icebar - It's an ice bar by paolaenergya

paolaenergya — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:28:47 +0000

Review by paolaenergya

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7287 9192

Website: http://www.belowzerolondon.com

Tags: sexy, cool & smart, cool

Oh yes it's a nice bar. Oh yes it's an ice bar. The end.
No, seriously, this is a nice little place to bring your friends visiting London, I've never been even if I live in London so I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and fun it was.
I agree with other reviewers that the waiters were rude: a lady shouting instructions about gloves being attached to our robes; a girl serving free top ups to her friends while ignoring me and my friend waiting to be served.
But who cares, we stayed there for 20 mins as we were done after the initial novelty factor - a couple was snogging nearby (I never knew that ice ignited passion).
Took pictures, had a laugh, and went for a lovely meal at Momo's next door.Oh yes it's a nice bar. Oh yes it's an ice bar. The end.
No, seriously, this is a nice little place to bring your friends visiting London, I've never been even if I live in London so I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and fun it was.
I agree with other reviewers that the waiters were rude: a lady shouting instructions about gloves being attached to our robes; a girl serving free top ups to her friends while ignoring me and my friend waiting to be served.
But who cares, we stayed there for 20 mins as we were done after the initial novelty factor - a couple was snogging nearby (I never knew that ice ignited passion).
Took pictures, had a laugh, and went for a lovely meal at Momo's next door.

Herbie Frogg - OK Clothes, Dreadful Service by josephkelly

josephkelly — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:41:41 +0000

Review by josephkelly

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7734 4206

Jermyn Street is home to many great shops to buy men's clothing, so there is a lot of competition. I have visited Herbie Frogg a few times and I consistently received poor service. It is unfortunate because some of the clothes are acceptable, particularly for the price. However, it is not worth a visit given the poor treatment from staff (they are out-of-date, rude and unprofessional) you are likely to receive, which is likely why they now have signs indicating they are closing down... let's hope a better shop takes its place.Jermyn Street is home to many great shops to buy men's clothing, so there is a lot of competition. I have visited Herbie Frogg a few times and I consistently received poor service. It is unfortunate because some of the clothes are acceptable, particularly for the price. However, it is not worth a visit given the poor treatment from staff (they are out-of-date, rude and unprofessional) you are likely to receive, which is likely why they now have signs indicating they are closing down... let's hope a better shop takes its place.

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