Latest reviews for Restaurants in Westbourne Grove, London, United Kingdom

Beach Blanket Babylon - Stuck up yet fantastic food by missynm

missynm — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:28:47 +0000

Review by missynm

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7229 2907

WE chose to have our Valentine's meal here due to the beautiful interior and the set menu on offer looked great. On arrival we entered the bar, which was beautiful, shame about a lack of seating. However the meal itself was fantastic. I had raw oysters with an onion relish to start which were beautifully fresh, and my partner had a fillet of beef for the main which was not only a lovely peice of meat but also perfectly cooked. I would definitely praise the freshness of their ingredients and delicacy of flavours. Overall it was a perfect evening however at a pretty hefty price. Also a shame that the bar is full of young 'daddy funds my lifestyle' ponce's. Otherwise a faultless evening!WE chose to have our Valentine's meal here due to the beautiful interior and the set menu on offer looked great. On arrival we entered the bar, which was beautiful, shame about a lack of seating. However the meal itself was fantastic. I had raw oysters with an onion relish to start which were beautifully fresh, and my partner had a fillet of beef for the main which was not only a lovely peice of meat but also perfectly cooked. I would definitely praise the freshness of their ingredients and delicacy of flavours. Overall it was a perfect evening however at a pretty hefty price. Also a shame that the bar is full of young 'daddy funds my lifestyle' ponce's. Otherwise a faultless evening!

Taqueria - by sillytash

sillytash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:36:32 +0000

Review by sillytash

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7229 4734

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

Tags: mexican, good value, lively

Very easy going place. Drop in for a great taco with prawns and cabbage! Love this place for an early evening snack or dinner before a movie. Best time to go is at 6pm before the whole of notting hill arrives.
Great beers, great service, good times spent at this mexican delight.
Very easy going place. Drop in for a great taco with prawns and cabbage! Love this place for an early evening snack or dinner before a movie. Best time to go is at 6pm before the whole of notting hill arrives.
Great beers, great service, good times spent at this mexican delight.

202 Cafe - Wow! by nottingbill

nottingbill — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:58:56 +0000

Review by nottingbill

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7792 6888

Tags: expensive, friendly staff, brunch

Wow, this place rocks!
Picture it: Sunny Saturday in Notting hill, the queue is nearly out of the door- miserable staff right?- Wrong! OK so it took 15 minutes instead of the 10 we were told for our table, but what a bunch of great staff, friendly, attentive and energetic.
The food was great- Goats cheese & proscuitto salad, and an amazing Lobster & prawn pasta, then crumble- the portions are massive so share a dessert if you can fit one in.
Wow, this place rocks!
Picture it: Sunny Saturday in Notting hill, the queue is nearly out of the door- miserable staff right?- Wrong! OK so it took 15 minutes instead of the 10 we were told for our table, but what a bunch of great staff, friendly, attentive and energetic.
The food was great- Goats cheese & proscuitto salad, and an amazing Lobster & prawn pasta, then crumble- the portions are massive so share a dessert if you can fit one in.

Le Cafe Anglais - Rowley Leigh creates another classic ! by gastro1

gastro1 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:09:11 +0000

Review by gastro1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7221 1415

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

Tags: french, business, lively

Last week I had Lunch at Le CafÃ© Anglais and on leaving came to the same conclusion that I have had the two previous times I visited this restaurant. My conclusion was I really should eat here more often.

I have never met co owner and Chef Rowley Leigh apart from a brief exchange of pleasantries at Kensington Place some years ago but I am old enough to have eaten his food, in several of the restaurants he was involved in, including Le Gavroche Sloane Street, Le Poulbot, Kensington Place, probably, 192 on a week end night and maybe even a Hamburger at Joe Allen.

Rowley Leigh's food could be described as Franco Italian bistro/brassiere-influenced modern British cooking but this man of impeccable taste is far more open minded and Spain and Japan clearly figure in his gastronomic melting pot.

Leigh like Alistair Little and Simon Hopkinson always produced perfectly executed simple food made with excellent ingredients. What all three have in common along with another contemporary Sally Clarke is that despite the simplicity of a given dish you somehow felt the personality of the chef coming through. One also felt that these chefs developed strong views on food and a vision about how it should be cooked and presented.

Along with Bibendum I think the art deco Le CafÃ© Anglais has the most beautiful rooms in London. At lunch the huge windows overlooking Bayswater Road and Porchester Gardens flood the vast room with natural light even when the sun is not shinning which of course is more often than not.

Like the room (170 covers) the Menu is vast with Hors Dâ¬"Oeuvres, Starters, Mains many side dishes and puddings. There is a daily Lunch Menu and for Dinner a daily roast ranging from Venison to Gloucester Old Spot Pork along with the permanent Rotisserie Classics (Chicken, Beef, Game and Lamb)

Probably because my mother hails from Bologna I have never resisted the Mortadella with Celeriac Remoulade (well sourced) and Parmesan Custard with Anchovy Toast (perfect) and on this occasion we also had Pike Boudain, a little bland for me however the explosion of controlled flavour from Mackerel Teriyaki certainly made up for that,

Both my companion and I love Roast Chicken choose the option to have just the leg with it's jus and some beautifully cooked Chanterelles. This is an absolute bargain at Â£4.50 for what I consider to be the best part of any chicken including the UK's best, Label Anglais favoured and championed by Rowley Leigh.

I finished my meal with well-made Peach Melba whilst my friend chose the Queen of Puddings that also got thumbs up.

The wine list well constructed with both Old and New World fairly represented (therefore no New World :-) ). We had a pretty decent chilled Chinon ( I failed to note the winemaker or year) which served it's purpose of more or less matching our eccentric choices of food.

The service on a fairly busy Lunch service was perfect from the moment I set foot in the restaurant to when I departed two and a half hours later.

In terms of large modern Brassiere style Restaurants in London I prefer Le CafÃ© Anglais to The Wolesley primarily because the food is better but also this well run operation has leveraged the space to create a very pleasant environment that is perfect for a business lunch, treating your elderly parent or dare I say a romantic dinner or hot date.

Having reflected on why I don't go more often it's probably because of the location and as most of my lunches are business related I become a prisoner of the City and West End. However to paraphrase the words of the most famous of all guides, Le CafÃ© Anglais is certainly worth a detour.

Last week I had Lunch at Le CafÃ© Anglais and on leaving came to the same conclusion that I have had the two previous times I visited this restaurant. My conclusion was I really should eat here more often.

I have never met co owner and Chef Rowley Leigh apart from a brief exchange of pleasantries at Kensington Place some years ago but I am old enough to have eaten his food, in several of the restaurants he was involved in, including Le Gavroche Sloane Street, Le Poulbot, Kensington Place, probably, 192 on a week end night and maybe even a Hamburger at Joe Allen.

Rowley Leigh's food could be described as Franco Italian bistro/brassiere-influenced modern British cooking but this man of impeccable taste is far more open minded and Spain and Japan clearly figure in his gastronomic melting pot.

Leigh like Alistair Little and Simon Hopkinson always produced perfectly executed simple food made with excellent ingredients. What all three have in common along with another contemporary Sally Clarke is that despite the simplicity of a given dish you somehow felt the personality of the chef coming through. One also felt that these chefs developed strong views on food and a vision about how it should be cooked and presented.

Along with Bibendum I think the art deco Le CafÃ© Anglais has the most beautiful rooms in London. At lunch the huge windows overlooking Bayswater Road and Porchester Gardens flood the vast room with natural light even when the sun is not shinning which of course is more often than not.

Like the room (170 covers) the Menu is vast with Hors Dâ¬"Oeuvres, Starters, Mains many side dishes and puddings. There is a daily Lunch Menu and for Dinner a daily roast ranging from Venison to Gloucester Old Spot Pork along with the permanent Rotisserie Classics (Chicken, Beef, Game and Lamb)

Probably because my mother hails from Bologna I have never resisted the Mortadella with Celeriac Remoulade (well sourced) and Parmesan Custard with Anchovy Toast (perfect) and on this occasion we also had Pike Boudain, a little bland for me however the explosion of controlled flavour from Mackerel Teriyaki certainly made up for that,

Both my companion and I love Roast Chicken choose the option to have just the leg with it's jus and some beautifully cooked Chanterelles. This is an absolute bargain at Â£4.50 for what I consider to be the best part of any chicken including the UK's best, Label Anglais favoured and championed by Rowley Leigh.

I finished my meal with well-made Peach Melba whilst my friend chose the Queen of Puddings that also got thumbs up.

The wine list well constructed with both Old and New World fairly represented (therefore no New World :-) ). We had a pretty decent chilled Chinon ( I failed to note the winemaker or year) which served it's purpose of more or less matching our eccentric choices of food.

The service on a fairly busy Lunch service was perfect from the moment I set foot in the restaurant to when I departed two and a half hours later.

In terms of large modern Brassiere style Restaurants in London I prefer Le CafÃ© Anglais to The Wolesley primarily because the food is better but also this well run operation has leveraged the space to create a very pleasant environment that is perfect for a business lunch, treating your elderly parent or dare I say a romantic dinner or hot date.

Having reflected on why I don't go more often it's probably because of the location and as most of my lunches are business related I become a prisoner of the City and West End. However to paraphrase the words of the most famous of all guides, Le CafÃ© Anglais is certainly worth a detour.

Julie's - Bad food, poor service, not good value by juanjoborras

juanjoborras — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:46:19 +0000

Review by juanjoborras

Rating: 1.00

Tags: romantic, french, expensive

We went yesterday to Julie's. I have to stress I went with a positive attitude, hoping to have a great dinner and be able to rate the venue very highly. I wish I hadn't.

We were greeted by a wait girl, sitting in a booth at the entrance. I found very weird she would not escort us to the table. I found it a waste of staff to have someone just sitting down just checking reservations and doing nothing else. Not my problem anyways. We were directed upstairs as requested in the reservation. The place was mostly empty. Now the issues started. One of the most unfriendly and arrogant managers, arguing the place was fully booked, just offered two seating options. Now, I don't give a damn if your place is fully booked (we found later that it was obviously not!), we arrived first, we should be offered the best table or at the very least let us choose the one we want. He was arrogant and impolite, which already put me off. I chose the table with the table cloth (this was another bizarre thing, to have some table with table clothes and others without - someone explain me the rationale of that.). The chairs, which seemed antique, were anyways extremely uncomfortable (could not sit back without stubbing some protruding edges in my spine). We requested to be seated on the "other" table (without table cloth). Eventually, it was not much better (also very uncomfortable) but at least we had more space.

I went to the toilet to wash my hands as usual. Now, the cleaness and overall appearance of the loo is a sign to me of what the particular place is about. For such a big restaurant the toilets are ridiculously small and cramped, and although they were not dirty, they were very very tired and outdated. Not good.

The food:

On the table they had a small plate of olives, 4 slices of bread and a dish with olive oil and vinegar. First, I would assume that to be complementary (if I have not requested for it, I dont see why I should pay for it), plus I dont like the fact of putting those on the table before anybody sits down. Purely out of hygiene and service. Well, we later found out they charged 1.5 GBP per person for that. The funny thing is that no matter if the table was for 2, 4 or 6 there was the same amount of olives and bread, which I find it a robbery. This is what this place is about: your money, not their food (as you'll see right now)

Starters: I ordered the "Brown butter and garlic potted shrimps", she had the "Smoked mackerel, halibut and salmon terrine with caper mayonnaise". Two of the worst starters I've ever had. Here's why. The shrimps plate was a dish with 5-6 slices of plain bread and a small bowl (5 cm across) filled with butter (which looked more like solidified duck fat -really!) in which you could find a few shrimps. Now, to call those shrimps is like to call an anchovies a blue whale. No kidding those are the cheapest crappies shrimps one can "buy". barely 0.5 cm in length chewy, etc, etc etc. It was sent back straight away. Btw, Julie's robs 10.50 GBP for that!!!!! Remember, 5-6 slices of brown bread and a tiny bowl with butter!!!! wtf! In replacement I asked for the gazpacho (the 2nd cheapest starter). Now, I am Spanish and I make my own gazpacho at home. But it doesn't matter. Even someone who would have never tasted tomatoes could tell that gazpacho was just a can of tomatoes, crushed. 6.50 GBP for canned tomatoes????!!! Patient reader, believe me those were just canned tomatoes. No olive oil, no peppers no nothing. Plain crashed canned tomatoes. Bad, bad. Her terrine of smoked fish was a tasteless slice of smoked fish pate served with the same 5-6 slices of brown bread. No capper mayonnaise (as advertised) was to be found on the plate either. Enough to start prosecution.

The mains were better (it would have been difficult to get it worse anyways). I had the entrecote. It lacked flavour and the best part were the chips that came with it. Overall an ok dish, but when you factor the 25 GBP for that, you again feel the people at Julie's got the value for money equation completely wrong. She had the rack of lamb. 3 lamb chops, 2 bites per chop (50% was fat). Nice taste, but again, unimaginative and not good value for money.

Anyways, the mains were passable when you put them in the perspective of the starters and the desserts.

Desserts: Eaton mess for her, brownie for me. The Eaton mess I saw in "come dine with me" looked and probably was immensely better than the one we got at Julie's. It came in a small glass. Basically it was berry yogurt (Tesco brand grade) with a few berries. 8 GBP. My brownie, being aware that making a good brownie is not an easy task was no surprise: disappointing (taste, portion, presentation). It was dry, hard on the edges (could not cut it with my knife) and again, 8 GBP. Bad, bad, bad Julie's.

Other stuff: we only got our bottle of wine after having finished our starter. The waiter insisted in refilling the glass even though being far from empty (he did the same thing with other tables). Service was overall neither friendly nor efficient.

I refused to pay the service charge. Surprisingly the manager did not bother to come asking the reason. That proves my theory that he doesn't give a damn about his customers.

Summary: VERY low food quality. Poor execution of dishes. VERY LOW value for money. No surprise when you consider an arrogant manager, who is closer to a pimp than a professional of the food industry, who does not deserve any of your hard earned pennies.
This was no bad luck. Those were not small unfortunate details. There something or someone fundamentally wrong in Julie's. I will not come back, and Iâ¬"d urge you to consider some other place.
We went yesterday to Julie's. I have to stress I went with a positive attitude, hoping to have a great dinner and be able to rate the venue very highly. I wish I hadn't.

We were greeted by a wait girl, sitting in a booth at the entrance. I found very weird she would not escort us to the table. I found it a waste of staff to have someone just sitting down just checking reservations and doing nothing else. Not my problem anyways. We were directed upstairs as requested in the reservation. The place was mostly empty. Now the issues started. One of the most unfriendly and arrogant managers, arguing the place was fully booked, just offered two seating options. Now, I don't give a damn if your place is fully booked (we found later that it was obviously not!), we arrived first, we should be offered the best table or at the very least let us choose the one we want. He was arrogant and impolite, which already put me off. I chose the table with the table cloth (this was another bizarre thing, to have some table with table clothes and others without - someone explain me the rationale of that.). The chairs, which seemed antique, were anyways extremely uncomfortable (could not sit back without stubbing some protruding edges in my spine). We requested to be seated on the "other" table (without table cloth). Eventually, it was not much better (also very uncomfortable) but at least we had more space.

I went to the toilet to wash my hands as usual. Now, the cleaness and overall appearance of the loo is a sign to me of what the particular place is about. For such a big restaurant the toilets are ridiculously small and cramped, and although they were not dirty, they were very very tired and outdated. Not good.

The food:

On the table they had a small plate of olives, 4 slices of bread and a dish with olive oil and vinegar. First, I would assume that to be complementary (if I have not requested for it, I dont see why I should pay for it), plus I dont like the fact of putting those on the table before anybody sits down. Purely out of hygiene and service. Well, we later found out they charged 1.5 GBP per person for that. The funny thing is that no matter if the table was for 2, 4 or 6 there was the same amount of olives and bread, which I find it a robbery. This is what this place is about: your money, not their food (as you'll see right now)

Starters: I ordered the "Brown butter and garlic potted shrimps", she had the "Smoked mackerel, halibut and salmon terrine with caper mayonnaise". Two of the worst starters I've ever had. Here's why. The shrimps plate was a dish with 5-6 slices of plain bread and a small bowl (5 cm across) filled with butter (which looked more like solidified duck fat -really!) in which you could find a few shrimps. Now, to call those shrimps is like to call an anchovies a blue whale. No kidding those are the cheapest crappies shrimps one can "buy". barely 0.5 cm in length chewy, etc, etc etc. It was sent back straight away. Btw, Julie's robs 10.50 GBP for that!!!!! Remember, 5-6 slices of brown bread and a tiny bowl with butter!!!! wtf! In replacement I asked for the gazpacho (the 2nd cheapest starter). Now, I am Spanish and I make my own gazpacho at home. But it doesn't matter. Even someone who would have never tasted tomatoes could tell that gazpacho was just a can of tomatoes, crushed. 6.50 GBP for canned tomatoes????!!! Patient reader, believe me those were just canned tomatoes. No olive oil, no peppers no nothing. Plain crashed canned tomatoes. Bad, bad. Her terrine of smoked fish was a tasteless slice of smoked fish pate served with the same 5-6 slices of brown bread. No capper mayonnaise (as advertised) was to be found on the plate either. Enough to start prosecution.

The mains were better (it would have been difficult to get it worse anyways). I had the entrecote. It lacked flavour and the best part were the chips that came with it. Overall an ok dish, but when you factor the 25 GBP for that, you again feel the people at Julie's got the value for money equation completely wrong. She had the rack of lamb. 3 lamb chops, 2 bites per chop (50% was fat). Nice taste, but again, unimaginative and not good value for money.

Anyways, the mains were passable when you put them in the perspective of the starters and the desserts.

Desserts: Eaton mess for her, brownie for me. The Eaton mess I saw in "come dine with me" looked and probably was immensely better than the one we got at Julie's. It came in a small glass. Basically it was berry yogurt (Tesco brand grade) with a few berries. 8 GBP. My brownie, being aware that making a good brownie is not an easy task was no surprise: disappointing (taste, portion, presentation). It was dry, hard on the edges (could not cut it with my knife) and again, 8 GBP. Bad, bad, bad Julie's.

Other stuff: we only got our bottle of wine after having finished our starter. The waiter insisted in refilling the glass even though being far from empty (he did the same thing with other tables). Service was overall neither friendly nor efficient.

I refused to pay the service charge. Surprisingly the manager did not bother to come asking the reason. That proves my theory that he doesn't give a damn about his customers.

Summary: VERY low food quality. Poor execution of dishes. VERY LOW value for money. No surprise when you consider an arrogant manager, who is closer to a pimp than a professional of the food industry, who does not deserve any of your hard earned pennies.
This was no bad luck. Those were not small unfortunate details. There something or someone fundamentally wrong in Julie's. I will not come back, and Iâ¬"d urge you to consider some other place.

Urban Turban - Love love love it... by dervish

dervish — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:18:57 +0000

Review by dervish

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7243 4200

Indian Tapas is how this place describes itself... What they actually mean is delicious sharing platters of Indian delights... Whether for a lunch time fill up or evening lounge this place can do no wrong. There's usually a deal or 2 for lunch aswell... Never made a bad choice from the menu and I've tried almost all of it...Indian Tapas is how this place describes itself... What they actually mean is delicious sharing platters of Indian delights... Whether for a lunch time fill up or evening lounge this place can do no wrong. There's usually a deal or 2 for lunch aswell... Never made a bad choice from the menu and I've tried almost all of it...

Harlem - by dervish

dervish — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:14:41 +0000

Review by dervish

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7985 0900

Website: http://www.harlemsoulfood.com

Tags: american, lively, bar

It used to be oh so good, not it's just oh... Service is still good, cocktails downstairs made with care and attention but the food has just hit rock bottom. They used to have the best Mac&Cheese around, now it's just a bland mess... Go for drinks but don't eat is my advice...It used to be oh so good, not it's just oh... Service is still good, cocktails downstairs made with care and attention but the food has just hit rock bottom. They used to have the best Mac&Cheese around, now it's just a bland mess... Go for drinks but don't eat is my advice...

Rosa's Dining Room - by dervish

dervish — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:09:21 +0000

Review by dervish

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7221 5329

Tags: british, good value, romantic

Rosa's is a local for me and I love it, never had a bad meal or evening. In fact I don't know why I'm writting this, it will only make it harder to get a table... You should probably stay away, it's rubbish ;)Rosa's is a local for me and I love it, never had a bad meal or evening. In fact I don't know why I'm writting this, it will only make it harder to get a table... You should probably stay away, it's rubbish ;)

Rodizio Rico - Chewy meat! by gilka

gilka — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:11:38 +0000

Review by gilka

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7792 4035

Tags: brazilian, bbq, meat

I went there craving for a meat feast but was really disappointed. Most of the meat we got was chewy.
The waiters were not coming very frequently as you expect. I have been in a great Churrascaria caled Porcao in Rio de Janeiro and Rodizio Rico is not even close to the real thing. I have eaten much better meat at the French House in Soho and Buen Ayre in Hackney. Upper Street has so many options to offer like Gallipoli for example that there is just no reason to compromise with this one.I went there craving for a meat feast but was really disappointed. Most of the meat we got was chewy.
The waiters were not coming very frequently as you expect. I have been in a great Churrascaria caled Porcao in Rio de Janeiro and Rodizio Rico is not even close to the real thing. I have eaten much better meat at the French House in Soho and Buen Ayre in Hackney. Upper Street has so many options to offer like Gallipoli for example that there is just no reason to compromise with this one.

Cyprus Mangal - Wonderful food and great atmosphere by Sasbo

Sasbo — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:23:04 +0000

Review by Sasbo

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7243 1499

Tags: turkish, good value, mediterranean

Stumbled upon this new Turkish Cypriot restaurant last weekend. Wonderfully friendly staff and a great atmosphere with varied seating for an intimate meal for two or comfy circular seating for large groups.

The food was just great. The varied menu caters for all tastes, but perhaps could afford to be more authentic and daring. Vegetarians are catered for well also. We went for 3 courses. For starter we had sardines, falafel and aubergine, all cooked to perfection. For main, I had sea bass with mashed potatoe (described as 'crushed' potatoe). We finished the meal with baklava and tea; I would have preferred fresh mint leaf tea or speciality teas rather than the 'teabag tea' I had, but heh, everything else was excellent!

The whole bill came to £40 for two with starters, mains, dessert and coffee. The wine was complimentary as an opening offer which was an added bonus! Wonderful fresh Turkish delight was served with the bill. I would definitely return.Stumbled upon this new Turkish Cypriot restaurant last weekend. Wonderfully friendly staff and a great atmosphere with varied seating for an intimate meal for two or comfy circular seating for large groups.

The food was just great. The varied menu caters for all tastes, but perhaps could afford to be more authentic and daring. Vegetarians are catered for well also. We went for 3 courses. For starter we had sardines, falafel and aubergine, all cooked to perfection. For main, I had sea bass with mashed potatoe (described as 'crushed' potatoe). We finished the meal with baklava and tea; I would have preferred fresh mint leaf tea or speciality teas rather than the 'teabag tea' I had, but heh, everything else was excellent!

The whole bill came to £40 for two with starters, mains, dessert and coffee. The wine was complimentary as an opening offer which was an added bonus! Wonderful fresh Turkish delight was served with the bill. I would definitely return.

The Ripe Tomato - Italian ion Notting Hill by Cedric

Cedric — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:28:47 +0000

Review by Cedric

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7565 0525

Tags: italian, romantic, takeaway

Nice tiny restaurant just off Porto Bello. The ambience is cosy and quiet thanks a limited number of tables. Reminds you easily some small restaurants on mainland Europe. The food was fine, not of the finest, but the diversity of the menu was appreciated. Slightly expensive and with a dreadful house wine, but highly compensated by the quality of their home made pasta... Was funny to go the toilet and hear the cook sing along:)Nice tiny restaurant just off Porto Bello. The ambience is cosy and quiet thanks a limited number of tables. Reminds you easily some small restaurants on mainland Europe. The food was fine, not of the finest, but the diversity of the menu was appreciated. Slightly expensive and with a dreadful house wine, but highly compensated by the quality of their home made pasta... Was funny to go the toilet and hear the cook sing along:)

Wine Factory - Great for a night out... by nat08

nat08 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:19:39 +0000

Review by nat08

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7229 1877

Website: http://www.brinkleys.com

Tags: italian, lively, good value

Wine factory is part of the Brinkley's wine merchants and as a result offer good quality and well priced wine. It's excellent value for money as usually it's the wine that really bumps up the bill.

Went last weekend and really enjoyed the meal. I personally went in to see them as my original reservation was for 7 but my party were struck down by some flu-bug spreading itself across London. So it was just me and my good friend who strolled down Westbourne Grove on that breezy and rainy Saturday evening.

They were very accommodating and as I was with a friend over from Hong Kong we literally chatting until they were putting the chairs on the table - a big hint...but they were charming and even offered us a free limoncello.....

It's a lovely restaurant with excellent service and I highly recommend it.Wine factory is part of the Brinkley's wine merchants and as a result offer good quality and well priced wine. It's excellent value for money as usually it's the wine that really bumps up the bill.

Went last weekend and really enjoyed the meal. I personally went in to see them as my original reservation was for 7 but my party were struck down by some flu-bug spreading itself across London. So it was just me and my good friend who strolled down Westbourne Grove on that breezy and rainy Saturday evening.

They were very accommodating and as I was with a friend over from Hong Kong we literally chatting until they were putting the chairs on the table - a big hint...but they were charming and even offered us a free limoncello.....

It's a lovely restaurant with excellent service and I highly recommend it.

Alounak - Don't get too comfortable... by curlynewf

curlynewf — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:08:28 +0000

Review by curlynewf

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7229 4158

Website: http://www.alounak.com

Tags: lively, good value, middle eastern

As soon as we sat down, the waitress was on us, pad in hand.

"You know what you want?"

"Sorry, can we just have a minute?" I asked.

"OK, no problem." (Fake smile)

2 minutes later...

"You ready now?"

"Sorry, just a few more minutes."

(Big sigh, turn on heal, complain to fellow waitress, cold stare)

I knew they had a 2 hr table limit but I didn't realize the clock started ticking as soon as our bums were on seats! (Interestingly though, once we *were* ready, she avoided our gaze and wouldn't take our order right away and when she finally did come back we got the silent treatment. That'll teach us!)

We had the mixed starter for two, bread and a tzatziki-style yoghurt and cucumber dip that was really divine. We split the lamb and chicken skewer main with rice - plenty for two people. The meat was really flavorsome and the texture was pretty perfect.

It is as busy as everyone says, and the food was tasty and filling but they forgot one or two things and we had to ask for more bread a few times before it eventually came.

I'd give it 4 stars if it wasn't for the pushy, forgetful service and the shooing us out the door afterwards. It felt rushed and unrelaxed, which is a shame, but the food itself was a nice treat.As soon as we sat down, the waitress was on us, pad in hand.

"You know what you want?"

"Sorry, can we just have a minute?" I asked.

"OK, no problem." (Fake smile)

2 minutes later...

"You ready now?"

"Sorry, just a few more minutes."

(Big sigh, turn on heal, complain to fellow waitress, cold stare)

I knew they had a 2 hr table limit but I didn't realize the clock started ticking as soon as our bums were on seats! (Interestingly though, once we *were* ready, she avoided our gaze and wouldn't take our order right away and when she finally did come back we got the silent treatment. That'll teach us!)

We had the mixed starter for two, bread and a tzatziki-style yoghurt and cucumber dip that was really divine. We split the lamb and chicken skewer main with rice - plenty for two people. The meat was really flavorsome and the texture was pretty perfect.

It is as busy as everyone says, and the food was tasty and filling but they forgot one or two things and we had to ask for more bread a few times before it eventually came.

I'd give it 4 stars if it wasn't for the pushy, forgetful service and the shooing us out the door afterwards. It felt rushed and unrelaxed, which is a shame, but the food itself was a nice treat.

C&R Restaurant - Bad service and 45 minute wait for entre by AlexN

AlexN — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:03:54 +0000

Review by AlexN

Rating: 1.00

Tags: malaysian, good value, cheap eat

Looked like an affordable authentic restaurant so decided to go in. We were seated quickly (2 people) before they took our order. The remaining experience was not good.

- It took 10 minutes for our order of tea to arrive.
- It took 30 minutes for our entree to arrive. The chicken skewers were not very nice.
- It took 45 minutes for our mains. They even forgot to bring a dish. By that time we were ready to leave.

- The waiters were not apologetic at all.

- We even had to wait nearly 10 minutes for the bill. By then we decided to walk up to the counter to pay, and even then we had to wait.

- This was at 2.30pm and the restaurant was not even busy.

- I would not go here again nor recommend it.Looked like an affordable authentic restaurant so decided to go in. We were seated quickly (2 people) before they took our order. The remaining experience was not good.

- It took 10 minutes for our order of tea to arrive.
- It took 30 minutes for our entree to arrive. The chicken skewers were not very nice.
- It took 45 minutes for our mains. They even forgot to bring a dish. By that time we were ready to leave.

- The waiters were not apologetic at all.

- We even had to wait nearly 10 minutes for the bill. By then we decided to walk up to the counter to pay, and even then we had to wait.

- This was at 2.30pm and the restaurant was not even busy.

- I would not go here again nor recommend it.

The Ledbury - The Ledbury - 12.09.08 by Food_Snob

Food_Snob — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:49:29 +0000

Review by Food_Snob

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7792 9090

Website: http://www.theledbury.com/

Tags: french, romantic, lively

Illustrated Critique:

http://foodsnobblog.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/the-ledbury-london

Text-only Critique:

Eheu! We are in menu limbo - one of those funny times of the year when one season sluggishly becomes the next. Have you updated your menus recently? Do you know when you will be changing them? I am getting tired of asking these questions, though probably less tired than those having to answer them.

I have spoken to a gaggle of receptionists over the last couple of weeks as my list of eligible dining destinations has been whittled down to those already showcasing their new fall menus (do not ask me why this has become important: maybe, what with such a copious choice of restaurants in the city, any additional parameter that helps make selecting one easier, is welcome; or maybe it is just my OCD acting up). One restaurant that fulfils this criterion happens to be one that has also been on my â¬Ülistâ¬" for as long as I have had a â¬Ülistâ¬". It is also one that I have never heard anything but praise for with an exciting chef of tremendously fast-growing reputeâ¬¦

Aussie Brett Graham has impressed all his life. He impressed at age 15 when he began his cooking career scaling fish at a local Newcastle (Australia) restaurant before moving to Sydney to work under the well-travelled Liam Tomlin. He made an impression here too, winning the 1999 Josephine Pignolet Award as Sydneyâ¬"s best young chef at only 19. This was the impetus for his leap across the seas to London, where he landed at the prestigious Square. He spent the next five years studying under Phil Howard, creating enough of a stir to be awarded Young Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association in 2003 and being made sous chef in the same year. In 2005, thanks to his continued loyalty and not inconsiderable skill, Howard and restaurateur Nigel Plattâ¬"s-Martin offered Graham the chance to head their latest venture, The Ledbury. He accepted and has since, of course, continued to impress everyone, becoming the youngest Australian to ever win a Michelin star in 2006. Now leading an ambitious, young team of predominantly Aussie cooks (seven of thirteen kitchen staff), Graham is pumping out accomplished, serious, beautiful dishes. His passion, instinctive understanding of food and imagination has left critics and diners drooling and made The Ledbury, all the way out in W11 in what was once â¬Ücrack squareâ¬", a destination restaurant with a faithful foodie following. Graham, who shuns the spotlight, refusing even to table hop, is also respected by his peers: Howard reckons that his success â¬Scomes as no surpriseâ¬ as he is â¬San unusually talented chef with a phenomenal palate and a very gifted pair of handsâ¬; Bruce Poole describes him as â¬Sabsolutely outstandingâ¬; whilst Shane Osborn thinks â¬Sheâ¬"s going to go right to the topâ¬ and â¬Swill be two or three starâ¬.

Grahamâ¬"s modern French style is marked by the special consideration and importance he devotes to every aspect of the plate: flavour combinations are interesting; textures contrasted; presentation paramount; even aromas are cared for. The food is also heavily influenced by local, seasonal produce with Graham always keen to lay his hands on as much â¬Swild stuffâ¬ as he can. His labour-intensive kitchen is celebrated for its consistent delivery of imaginative, technically brilliant food that is adventurous without being silly; stylishly presented and full of flourish without sacrificing taste; and utilising all the much-loved modern methods - foaming, emulsifying, purÃ©eing, etc - whilst being purposeful, unpretentious, direct and maximising flavours.

With such spirited, glowing and unanimous tribute, I cannot explain why I had waited this long to see what all the fuss was about. However, it is never too late to correct oneâ¬"s mistakes; therefore, I made my booking (finally) and arrived at The Ledbury for what I hoped would be a memorable, satisfying experienceâ¬¦

Claire Nelsonâ¬"s classically elegant and refined (Â£1.5m-plus) dining room is awash with black and white. Tables, circle and square shaped, are swathed in crisp, thick, impeccable ivory napery and simply adorned with small black china vases filled with bright red flowers; black glass ornaments, transparent or opaque depending on their exposure to light; matching black and white condiment holders; and pristine white porcelain crockery. Around the tables themselves sit very comfortable leather chairs, each sporting a pattern upon its soft gray back unique to the others at that table. The 65-cover room is rather small, but from the well-spaced, well-sized tables, this is unnoticed and further disguised by the high ceilings and clever use of full-length mirrors, clothed in thick black drapes, along the restaurantâ¬"s back wall. Wide windows lining the far edge and the front side, formed of floor-to-ceiling latticed-window patio doors, allow natural light to flood in intensifying the openness of the interior. Within, black beaded chandeliers and long light-bars lining the ceiling supplement this already ample outside light. Two tall wood columns, each recessed with a small hollow holding a pink bouquet of gerberas within a large black vase, break up the room and match the polished chevron parquet walnut flooring. Smartly-dressed staff maintain the colour motif with senior serveurs in dark suits and juniors in black, band collared, untucked shirts.

Amuse Bouche: Foie Gras Parfait on Feuille de Brique. Along with the menu came a North African themed teaser of feuille de brique spread with two parallel lines of foie gras parfait and strewn with watercress and poppy seeds. Neatly presented upon an immaculate napkin, this incredibly crisp, feather-light feuille of warka pastry featured creamy foie gras texturally contrasted against stringy shoots and crackly seeds and seasoned with a spicy cumin mixture.

Les Pains: Sourdough; Brown Bread with Olive; and Bacon and Onion Brioche. Homemade breads were served oven-warm throughout the evening. The sourdough and brown were excellent, though frustratingly, I was unable to try - as I do not eat pork - the house speciality brioche. The white bread, with a porous, springy consistency, had a slightly chewy, gratifyingly tearable crust. The brown was something special: wholesome, crusty, infused with mild olive and unbelievably fluffy, this bread was made of enwrapped layers that effortlessly peeled apart. Unsalted butter, sourced from a small Somerset supplier, was sprinkled with salty crystals.

EntrÃ©e 1: Scallop Roasted on Liquorice with Fennel, Girolles and Roasting Juices. A caramelised scallop, spitted upon a stick of liquorice and haloed with a fried onion curl, sat upon a fricassee of fennel and girolles, alongside a smearing of fennel purÃ©e. The plump scallop, Ã la marshmallow on a stick, was expertly executed: the lustrous lovely ochre skin was delightfully bouncy whilst the almost-molten middle was soft and succulent. The fricassee was surprisingly sapid and provided an interesting textural mix of malleable mushroom and firm fennel. The celadon-coloured purÃ©e was effervescently light, but full of fennel flavour. The marriage of earth and sea worked well with a common sweet anise hint running through the fennel and liquorice and complementing the scallop.

EntrÃ©e 2: Beetroot Baked in Salt and Marjoram with Hazelnuts and a Chantilly of Eweâ¬"s Milk Cheese. A beetroot, baked for 24 hours in salt and marjoram, sat planet-like within cosmic rings of beetroot jus, whilst hazelnuts, croutons, girolles, beetroot crisps and a eweâ¬"s milk cheese Chantilly moon orbited around; a balsamic vinaigrette reduction was added tableside. The warm beet was soft and smooth with a salty-sweet savour whilst the reduction was pleasurably intense. The earthy eweâ¬"s milk cut through both of these whereas the crunchy nuts, crispy oven-baked crisps and crusty croutons made this a big play on textures.

EntrÃ©e 3: Flame Grilled Mackerel with Mackerel Tartare, Avocado and Shiso. A fillet of mackerel, soaked in its own roasting juices, lay conjoined by a crescent of avocado purÃ©e and was accompanied by mackerel tartare enwrapped within a transparent cucumber jelly; purple shiso leaves, croutons and wisps of persillade garnished the plate. My senses were immediately seduced by the rich aroma of mackerel, which was quickly followed by a fresh avocado after-odour. After this initial inveiglement, upon my first forkful of fish, my wits were entirely enamoured. Perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious, its crisp skin concealed a soft, flaky flesh with the marvellously moist mackerel simply melting in the mouth. The fishâ¬"s intense and oily richness was soothed by the creamy avocado; the croutons gave the dish some crunch; and the mackerel tartare and diced cucumber in a jelly pocket proved refreshing. The shiso - a herb of the mint family, grown throughout Asia and especially common in Japan - is another anise-flavoured ingredient and again worked well with the fish.

EntrÃ©e 4: Ravioli of Grouse and CÃ©pe with Elderberries and a VeloutÃ© of Toasted Bread. A grouse raviolo, topped with elderberries and toasted bread veloutÃ©, rested upon a bed of green cabbage and thyme foam. The raviolo, though dumpling may be more apt a name given its beautifully generous size, was tightly packed with grouse leg confit, cÃ©pes and a little foie gras. Its delicate, wafer-thin pasta gave way to a succulent gamey, creamy and subtly sweet stuffing which complemented very nicely the elderberry, each bead of which was a fruity burst and whose pretty purple juices dribbled off enriching the flavoursome and fragrant thyme jus. The cabbage gave some bite as did the toasted bread volutes some crunchiness.

Plat Principal 1: Roast Sea Bass with Cauliflower, Raisins and Sea Purslane. A roasted fillet of sea bass swimming in its own juices was served upon a garlic, onion and sea purslane base and bejewelled with raisons. Together came a slur of girolle purÃ©e and cauliflower prepared three ways - as a roasted garnish, purÃ©e and beignets. The roast cauliflower was strong and almost caramelised whilst the mousse was subtle and mild; the sweet raisons were delightful, but sparse, surprises; and the girolle purÃ©e, thick and earthy. However, on the other hand, the fish was flaky, but its skin not crispy; the purslane was rather bland; and the beignets a touch greasy with the fulsome smell of â¬Üfish and chipsâ¬". Overall, this course did not really come off for me and when asked what I thought of it, I replied honestly so. Immediately the staff showed a genuine and touching concern, culminating with the offer to try another fish dish (unfortunately I felt obliged to decline as I still had another course to go and was desperate to leave room for dessert!).

Plat Principal 2: Loin of Roe Buck Deer with Celeriac Baked in Ash, Sweet Potato, Douglas Fir and Pepper. Gorgeous deep cerise tenderloin of deer, sliced into sexy slivers, lapped over green cabbage and an aromatic ichor of thyme emulsion and roasting juices. The Berkshire-bred venison was liberally accompanied by a plump sausage, implanted with a sprig of Douglas fir; baked sweet potato and its purÃ©e; and ash-baked celeriac slices. The pan fried, medium rare meat was so tender it almost melted on the tongue whilst the sausage was soft and unctuous with a hearty, gamey flavour. These were complemented by creamy, nearly buttery sweet potato and the celeriacâ¬"s distinctively thick, celery-like, warm earthtinged by the woody, smoky ash still encrusting the individual pieces. Some spiciness was welcomed from the jus. Ã¬ propos, for those curious, the fir a.k.a. Christmas tree, had very faint, maybe citrus notes to it. A very satisfying dish.

(Continued in another post below)Illustrated Critique:

http://foodsnobblog.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/the-ledbury-london

Text-only Critique:

Eheu! We are in menu limbo - one of those funny times of the year when one season sluggishly becomes the next. Have you updated your menus recently? Do you know when you will be changing them? I am getting tired of asking these questions, though probably less tired than those having to answer them.

I have spoken to a gaggle of receptionists over the last couple of weeks as my list of eligible dining destinations has been whittled down to those already showcasing their new fall menus (do not ask me why this has become important: maybe, what with such a copious choice of restaurants in the city, any additional parameter that helps make selecting one easier, is welcome; or maybe it is just my OCD acting up). One restaurant that fulfils this criterion happens to be one that has also been on my â¬Ülistâ¬" for as long as I have had a â¬Ülistâ¬". It is also one that I have never heard anything but praise for with an exciting chef of tremendously fast-growing reputeâ¬¦

Aussie Brett Graham has impressed all his life. He impressed at age 15 when he began his cooking career scaling fish at a local Newcastle (Australia) restaurant before moving to Sydney to work under the well-travelled Liam Tomlin. He made an impression here too, winning the 1999 Josephine Pignolet Award as Sydneyâ¬"s best young chef at only 19. This was the impetus for his leap across the seas to London, where he landed at the prestigious Square. He spent the next five years studying under Phil Howard, creating enough of a stir to be awarded Young Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association in 2003 and being made sous chef in the same year. In 2005, thanks to his continued loyalty and not inconsiderable skill, Howard and restaurateur Nigel Plattâ¬"s-Martin offered Graham the chance to head their latest venture, The Ledbury. He accepted and has since, of course, continued to impress everyone, becoming the youngest Australian to ever win a Michelin star in 2006. Now leading an ambitious, young team of predominantly Aussie cooks (seven of thirteen kitchen staff), Graham is pumping out accomplished, serious, beautiful dishes. His passion, instinctive understanding of food and imagination has left critics and diners drooling and made The Ledbury, all the way out in W11 in what was once â¬Ücrack squareâ¬", a destination restaurant with a faithful foodie following. Graham, who shuns the spotlight, refusing even to table hop, is also respected by his peers: Howard reckons that his success â¬Scomes as no surpriseâ¬ as he is â¬San unusually talented chef with a phenomenal palate and a very gifted pair of handsâ¬; Bruce Poole describes him as â¬Sabsolutely outstandingâ¬; whilst Shane Osborn thinks â¬Sheâ¬"s going to go right to the topâ¬ and â¬Swill be two or three starâ¬.

Grahamâ¬"s modern French style is marked by the special consideration and importance he devotes to every aspect of the plate: flavour combinations are interesting; textures contrasted; presentation paramount; even aromas are cared for. The food is also heavily influenced by local, seasonal produce with Graham always keen to lay his hands on as much â¬Swild stuffâ¬ as he can. His labour-intensive kitchen is celebrated for its consistent delivery of imaginative, technically brilliant food that is adventurous without being silly; stylishly presented and full of flourish without sacrificing taste; and utilising all the much-loved modern methods - foaming, emulsifying, purÃ©eing, etc - whilst being purposeful, unpretentious, direct and maximising flavours.

With such spirited, glowing and unanimous tribute, I cannot explain why I had waited this long to see what all the fuss was about. However, it is never too late to correct oneâ¬"s mistakes; therefore, I made my booking (finally) and arrived at The Ledbury for what I hoped would be a memorable, satisfying experienceâ¬¦

Claire Nelsonâ¬"s classically elegant and refined (Â£1.5m-plus) dining room is awash with black and white. Tables, circle and square shaped, are swathed in crisp, thick, impeccable ivory napery and simply adorned with small black china vases filled with bright red flowers; black glass ornaments, transparent or opaque depending on their exposure to light; matching black and white condiment holders; and pristine white porcelain crockery. Around the tables themselves sit very comfortable leather chairs, each sporting a pattern upon its soft gray back unique to the others at that table. The 65-cover room is rather small, but from the well-spaced, well-sized tables, this is unnoticed and further disguised by the high ceilings and clever use of full-length mirrors, clothed in thick black drapes, along the restaurantâ¬"s back wall. Wide windows lining the far edge and the front side, formed of floor-to-ceiling latticed-window patio doors, allow natural light to flood in intensifying the openness of the interior. Within, black beaded chandeliers and long light-bars lining the ceiling supplement this already ample outside light. Two tall wood columns, each recessed with a small hollow holding a pink bouquet of gerberas within a large black vase, break up the room and match the polished chevron parquet walnut flooring. Smartly-dressed staff maintain the colour motif with senior serveurs in dark suits and juniors in black, band collared, untucked shirts.

Amuse Bouche: Foie Gras Parfait on Feuille de Brique. Along with the menu came a North African themed teaser of feuille de brique spread with two parallel lines of foie gras parfait and strewn with watercress and poppy seeds. Neatly presented upon an immaculate napkin, this incredibly crisp, feather-light feuille of warka pastry featured creamy foie gras texturally contrasted against stringy shoots and crackly seeds and seasoned with a spicy cumin mixture.

Les Pains: Sourdough; Brown Bread with Olive; and Bacon and Onion Brioche. Homemade breads were served oven-warm throughout the evening. The sourdough and brown were excellent, though frustratingly, I was unable to try - as I do not eat pork - the house speciality brioche. The white bread, with a porous, springy consistency, had a slightly chewy, gratifyingly tearable crust. The brown was something special: wholesome, crusty, infused with mild olive and unbelievably fluffy, this bread was made of enwrapped layers that effortlessly peeled apart. Unsalted butter, sourced from a small Somerset supplier, was sprinkled with salty crystals.

EntrÃ©e 1: Scallop Roasted on Liquorice with Fennel, Girolles and Roasting Juices. A caramelised scallop, spitted upon a stick of liquorice and haloed with a fried onion curl, sat upon a fricassee of fennel and girolles, alongside a smearing of fennel purÃ©e. The plump scallop, Ã la marshmallow on a stick, was expertly executed: the lustrous lovely ochre skin was delightfully bouncy whilst the almost-molten middle was soft and succulent. The fricassee was surprisingly sapid and provided an interesting textural mix of malleable mushroom and firm fennel. The celadon-coloured purÃ©e was effervescently light, but full of fennel flavour. The marriage of earth and sea worked well with a common sweet anise hint running through the fennel and liquorice and complementing the scallop.

EntrÃ©e 2: Beetroot Baked in Salt and Marjoram with Hazelnuts and a Chantilly of Eweâ¬"s Milk Cheese. A beetroot, baked for 24 hours in salt and marjoram, sat planet-like within cosmic rings of beetroot jus, whilst hazelnuts, croutons, girolles, beetroot crisps and a eweâ¬"s milk cheese Chantilly moon orbited around; a balsamic vinaigrette reduction was added tableside. The warm beet was soft and smooth with a salty-sweet savour whilst the reduction was pleasurably intense. The earthy eweâ¬"s milk cut through both of these whereas the crunchy nuts, crispy oven-baked crisps and crusty croutons made this a big play on textures.

EntrÃ©e 3: Flame Grilled Mackerel with Mackerel Tartare, Avocado and Shiso. A fillet of mackerel, soaked in its own roasting juices, lay conjoined by a crescent of avocado purÃ©e and was accompanied by mackerel tartare enwrapped within a transparent cucumber jelly; purple shiso leaves, croutons and wisps of persillade garnished the plate. My senses were immediately seduced by the rich aroma of mackerel, which was quickly followed by a fresh avocado after-odour. After this initial inveiglement, upon my first forkful of fish, my wits were entirely enamoured. Perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious, its crisp skin concealed a soft, flaky flesh with the marvellously moist mackerel simply melting in the mouth. The fishâ¬"s intense and oily richness was soothed by the creamy avocado; the croutons gave the dish some crunch; and the mackerel tartare and diced cucumber in a jelly pocket proved refreshing. The shiso - a herb of the mint family, grown throughout Asia and especially common in Japan - is another anise-flavoured ingredient and again worked well with the fish.

EntrÃ©e 4: Ravioli of Grouse and CÃ©pe with Elderberries and a VeloutÃ© of Toasted Bread. A grouse raviolo, topped with elderberries and toasted bread veloutÃ©, rested upon a bed of green cabbage and thyme foam. The raviolo, though dumpling may be more apt a name given its beautifully generous size, was tightly packed with grouse leg confit, cÃ©pes and a little foie gras. Its delicate, wafer-thin pasta gave way to a succulent gamey, creamy and subtly sweet stuffing which complemented very nicely the elderberry, each bead of which was a fruity burst and whose pretty purple juices dribbled off enriching the flavoursome and fragrant thyme jus. The cabbage gave some bite as did the toasted bread volutes some crunchiness.

Plat Principal 1: Roast Sea Bass with Cauliflower, Raisins and Sea Purslane. A roasted fillet of sea bass swimming in its own juices was served upon a garlic, onion and sea purslane base and bejewelled with raisons. Together came a slur of girolle purÃ©e and cauliflower prepared three ways - as a roasted garnish, purÃ©e and beignets. The roast cauliflower was strong and almost caramelised whilst the mousse was subtle and mild; the sweet raisons were delightful, but sparse, surprises; and the girolle purÃ©e, thick and earthy. However, on the other hand, the fish was flaky, but its skin not crispy; the purslane was rather bland; and the beignets a touch greasy with the fulsome smell of â¬Üfish and chipsâ¬". Overall, this course did not really come off for me and when asked what I thought of it, I replied honestly so. Immediately the staff showed a genuine and touching concern, culminating with the offer to try another fish dish (unfortunately I felt obliged to decline as I still had another course to go and was desperate to leave room for dessert!).

Plat Principal 2: Loin of Roe Buck Deer with Celeriac Baked in Ash, Sweet Potato, Douglas Fir and Pepper. Gorgeous deep cerise tenderloin of deer, sliced into sexy slivers, lapped over green cabbage and an aromatic ichor of thyme emulsion and roasting juices. The Berkshire-bred venison was liberally accompanied by a plump sausage, implanted with a sprig of Douglas fir; baked sweet potato and its purÃ©e; and ash-baked celeriac slices. The pan fried, medium rare meat was so tender it almost melted on the tongue whilst the sausage was soft and unctuous with a hearty, gamey flavour. These were complemented by creamy, nearly buttery sweet potato and the celeriacâ¬"s distinctively thick, celery-like, warm earthiness tinged by the woody, smoky ash still encrusting the individual pieces. Some spiciness was welcomed from the jus. Ã¬ propos, for those curious, the fir a.k.a. Christmas tree, had very faint, maybe citrus notes to it. A very satisfying dish.

(Continued in another post below)

Bodean's BBQ - Average by misstravelbug

misstravelbug — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:34:08 +0000

Review by misstravelbug

Rating: 3.00

Tags: american, lively, good value

Typical american decor, typical american food. Nothing special, ribs were ok. Nice informal place to pop over for a quick filling meal. Wouldn't purposely go here unless I lived nearby. Good value for the portions.Typical american decor, typical american food. Nothing special, ribs were ok. Nice informal place to pop over for a quick filling meal. Wouldn't purposely go here unless I lived nearby. Good value for the portions.

Ping Pong Dim Sum - Good food, good service and lovely cocktails by WB1

WB1 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:38:21 +0000

Review by WB1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7313 9832

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: dim sum, lively, good value

Ping pong is a great dim sum restaurant with a difference. The decor is modern and stylish but still comfortable enough to spend a whole Sunday afternoon there. The list of dim sum is good - not the most comprehensive ever, but certainly good enough so that everyone can find several things they like. You are given a list and a pencil and mark your choices. The food arrives in wicker baskets and while the waiter tells you which is which it's easy to forget! The food is good and excellent value. As other reviewers have mentioned the jasmine tea is a real treat to watch and not bad to drink either! The cocktail list is also good and while I'm not sure that cocktails and chinese food are a classic combination, if you have time they are definitely worth trying after your meal. The staff are friendly and happy to help and advise on choices for both food and cocktails.Ping pong is a great dim sum restaurant with a difference. The decor is modern and stylish but still comfortable enough to spend a whole Sunday afternoon there. The list of dim sum is good - not the most comprehensive ever, but certainly good enough so that everyone can find several things they like. You are given a list and a pencil and mark your choices. The food arrives in wicker baskets and while the waiter tells you which is which it's easy to forget! The food is good and excellent value. As other reviewers have mentioned the jasmine tea is a real treat to watch and not bad to drink either! The cocktail list is also good and while I'm not sure that cocktails and chinese food are a classic combination, if you have time they are definitely worth trying after your meal. The staff are friendly and happy to help and advise on choices for both food and cocktails.

Centonove - Great food, great atmosphere, great place by WB1

WB1 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:53:59 +0000

Review by WB1

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7221 1746

Website: http://www.centonove.com

Tags: italian, lively, crowded

Centonove is a lovely little Italian restaurant hidden away in the depths of Notting Hill. The menu is imaginative and changes frequently. It includes the usual pizza and pasta offerings but also some delicious meat and fish dishes including sea bass baked in salt and lobster with spaghetti (yummy). The starters are great for sharing and the deserts different from the typical tiramasu and ice cream offered at so many Italian places. The wine list is good and reasonably priced and there is also a good selection of after-dinner liqours. The staff are lovely - friendly and attentive without being overbearing. This is a great place to go for an intimate dinner for two or a night out with friends.Centonove is a lovely little Italian restaurant hidden away in the depths of Notting Hill. The menu is imaginative and changes frequently. It includes the usual pizza and pasta offerings but also some delicious meat and fish dishes including sea bass baked in salt and lobster with spaghetti (yummy). The starters are great for sharing and the deserts different from the typical tiramasu and ice cream offered at so many Italian places. The wine list is good and reasonably priced and there is also a good selection of after-dinner liqours. The staff are lovely - friendly and attentive without being overbearing. This is a great place to go for an intimate dinner for two or a night out with friends.

Hereford Road - Rule, Britannia! by bellaphon

bellaphon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:32:13 +0000

Review by bellaphon

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7727 1144

Website: http://www.herefordroad.org

Tags: romantic, expensive, good value

This part of W2 is strewn with B&Bs and two star hotels. One of the major advantages of calling the restaurant Hereford Road is the heavy luggage wielding tourists simply have no excuses on figuring the whereabouts of the said road.

Iâ¬"ve been yearning to visit Hereford Road ever since they opened, but its over-hyped PR put off most of my dining companions. I enjoyed my past experiences at St. John but it started to get too expensive and crowded for the wrong reasons. The daily updated menu on the Hereford Road website suggested that the dishes were keenly priced and equally tempting as the ones found at St.John. A friend was thus duly or rather forcibly dragged here to accompany me on a Sunday Lunch.

For a restaurant to have an open kitchen in line with the entrance can only evoke a degree of confidence with their cooking and expertise. The main dining room was brightly lit by a large circular skylight and the overall ambience was entirely comfy without a hint of stuffiness. The service was efficient and friendly and thankfully never overbearing. That said, this place has no cover or service charge and tap H2O is served automatically, gratis. To my absolute delight, the dining room is also perfect for solo diners.

I was disappointed that Grouse was off the menu, but to my relief Snipe was offered as a starter instead. The starter choices could quite easily leave a lot of diners spoilt for choice, what with Smoked Eel and Bacon, Salt Beef, Brawn and so on. My companionâ¬"s Parsley Soup was deemed delicious especially with the superb bread thatâ¬"s baked in-house. My Snipe and Damson Cheese was as clichÃ©s go, an absolute tour de force dish; the beautifully roasted bird (including the long beaked head and brain) was presented with a piece of toast thatâ¬"s been spread with a pate made from its cavities and a slice of damson cheese (jelly). The result was extraordinary and the tartness of the damson complimented the gaminess of the bird. My mains of Roast Forerib, Runner Beans and Roast Shallots was equally well executed, the beef was pink, tender and rightfully beefy. The mateâ¬"s Chicken, Girolles and Lentils was also pretty much heroic, in fact as Iâ¬"d observed this dish was popular with the other diners in the room. Sides were not ordered, as the portions for the mains were more than generous. The puddings were spot on and no-nonsense. I ended my meal with the decadent choice of Profiteroles and Chocolate Sauce; here the cream is replaced with a superior vanilla ice cream. My now happy companionâ¬"s Apple Jelly served with a couple of shortbread was a perfect conclusion to ensure he comes here again.

Itâ¬"s very difficult to envisage Michelin inspectors visiting a restaurant like Hereford Road, especially with the lack of the following; elaboration on the presentation of its dishes, that dreaded foaming on the dishes, amuse bouches, a supposedly world class sommelier pestering you off the house red. Well not in my books, Hereford Road provides brilliant comfort food, great ingredients and uncomplicated cooking. Sundays, and for that matter Mondays will never be the same without HR. Tom Pemberton, you get all me stars.
This part of W2 is strewn with B&Bs and two star hotels. One of the major advantages of calling the restaurant Hereford Road is the heavy luggage wielding tourists simply have no excuses on figuring the whereabouts of the said road.

Iâ¬"ve been yearning to visit Hereford Road ever since they opened, but its over-hyped PR put off most of my dining companions. I enjoyed my past experiences at St. John but it started to get too expensive and crowded for the wrong reasons. The daily updated menu on the Hereford Road website suggested that the dishes were keenly priced and equally tempting as the ones found at St.John. A friend was thus duly or rather forcibly dragged here to accompany me on a Sunday Lunch.

For a restaurant to have an open kitchen in line with the entrance can only evoke a degree of confidence with their cooking and expertise. The main dining room was brightly lit by a large circular skylight and the overall ambience was entirely comfy without a hint of stuffiness. The service was efficient and friendly and thankfully never overbearing. That said, this place has no cover or service charge and tap H2O is served automatically, gratis. To my absolute delight, the dining room is also perfect for solo diners.

I was disappointed that Grouse was off the menu, but to my relief Snipe was offered as a starter instead. The starter choices could quite easily leave a lot of diners spoilt for choice, what with Smoked Eel and Bacon, Salt Beef, Brawn and so on. My companionâ¬"s Parsley Soup was deemed delicious especially with the superb bread thatâ¬"s baked in-house. My Snipe and Damson Cheese was as clichÃ©s go, an absolute tour de force dish; the beautifully roasted bird (including the long beaked head and brain) was presented with a piece of toast thatâ¬"s been spread with a pate made from its cavities and a slice of damson cheese (jelly). The result was extraordinary and the tartness of the damson complimented the gaminess of the bird. My mains of Roast Forerib, Runner Beans and Roast Shallots was equally well executed, the beef was pink, tender and rightfully beefy. The mateâ¬"s Chicken, Girolles and Lentils was also pretty much heroic, in fact as Iâ¬"d observed this dish was popular with the other diners in the room. Sides were not ordered, as the portions for the mains were more than generous. The puddings were spot on and no-nonsense. I ended my meal with the decadent choice of Profiteroles and Chocolate Sauce; here the cream is replaced with a superior vanilla ice cream. My now happy companionâ¬"s Apple Jelly served with a couple of shortbread was a perfect conclusion to ensure he comes here again.

Itâ¬"s very difficult to envisage Michelin inspectors visiting a restaurant like Hereford Road, especially with the lack of the following; elaboration on the presentation of its dishes, that dreaded foaming on the dishes, amuse bouches, a supposedly world class sommelier pestering you off the house red. Well not in my books, Hereford Road provides brilliant comfort food, great ingredients and uncomplicated cooking. Sundays, and for that matter Mondays will never be the same without HR. Tom Pemberton, you get all me stars.

Carluccio's - Can do better by anjali28

anjali28 — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:19:23 +0000

Review by anjali28

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7243 8164

Website: http://www.carluccios.com

Tags: italian, takeaway, crowded

I've been to the Carluccio's on St.John's Wood High Street and was very impressed, so I expected the same from their Westbourne Grove branch. I was sadly disappointed by their customer service. They are clearly understaffed for busy times at lunch, which is when we went. We had to wait a very long time to get someone to notice us to take our order (about 20 minutes), and then another wait for the bill. The special menu for the day looked interesting but I wouldn't suggest experimenting with it if you aren't sure what it will turn out as. My dish was essentially cheese wrapped in bacon - about 6 pieces - and to be honest, it could have been an excellent starter if it was a few pieces less, but as a main course I felt it lacked something. My husband had the risotto which was also on the special menu. It tasted decent but was nothing exemplary for Italian cuisine.

I would strongly suggest sticking to the main menu, which is what I did the last time. Customer service-wise, highly lacking. I've been to the Carluccio's on St.John's Wood High Street and was very impressed, so I expected the same from their Westbourne Grove branch. I was sadly disappointed by their customer service. They are clearly understaffed for busy times at lunch, which is when we went. We had to wait a very long time to get someone to notice us to take our order (about 20 minutes), and then another wait for the bill. The special menu for the day looked interesting but I wouldn't suggest experimenting with it if you aren't sure what it will turn out as. My dish was essentially cheese wrapped in bacon - about 6 pieces - and to be honest, it could have been an excellent starter if it was a few pieces less, but as a main course I felt it lacked something. My husband had the risotto which was also on the special menu. It tasted decent but was nothing exemplary for Italian cuisine.

I would strongly suggest sticking to the main menu, which is what I did the last time. Customer service-wise, highly lacking.