Latest reviews by gastro1

L'Anima

gastro1 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:53:46 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 1 Snowden Street, EC2A 2DQ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7422 7000

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

Tags: italian, business, expensive, lively

My New Top ItalianI have been recommending this place to people since the summer simply on the basis of word of mouth from people I respect and specifically from people who know and understand Italian cuisine. The theme here is southern Italian especially Calabria as well as the Islands Scicily and Sardinia.
Today is the day I went and had a perfect, faultless lunch.

I can already say I prefer L'Anima ( Italian for Soul ) to Locanda Locatelli ( great food but portion control gone mad) and Enoteca Tui (where the wine list is the star) - by the way for those who think the River Cafe is a serious Italian Restaurant I suggest you click to another review !

The Pappardelli with Wild Boar Sauce, a great winter dish was perfect as was a stunning Sicilian Rabbit a dish that captured everything that is good about food from that Island.

The contorni were perfect - thin , light and crispy fried Zucchini and perfect lime and chilli infused sauted spinach.

The olives and bread were excellent as was my cheese with hazelnut honey - a superb Pecorino Sardo !

Deserts looked amazing too and the wine list is very well selected not just with the great , Barolos , Brunellos and Super Tuscans but some great value wines from the very serious wine makers like , Haas , Felluga , etc. There are also top class wines from France and Spain.

Esspresso ? well perfeto !

I'm really happy for Fracesco Mazzei who left the clutches of Corbin and King those once great restaurateurs who are unfortunateley ruining their good reputations with poor excuses for restaurants like The Wolsey.

Anyway I shall return to try the Black Pig Pork Belly , Safron and Quail Risotto not to mention the top class grilled meats and fish ! As well as deserts of course.

On the left there are raised tables and stools for a quick lunch/dinner and the restaurant also opens for breakfast - apparently excellent too for the local italian Merchant Bankers who miss their Mamas !

Tierra Brindisa

gastro1 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:52:20 +0000

Rating: 4.4

Location: 46 Broadwick Street, W1F 7AF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7534 1690

Tags: expensive, spanish

Welcome Addition to Soho EatingYep this place serves very good Tapas made with excellent ingredients as you would expect from an establishment owned by one of the major Spanish food wholesalers in the UK.

My particular favourites here after two meals are the outstanding stewed Iberico pig Cheeks and amazing fried goats cheese with orange blossom honey.

The Joselito Jamon is outstanding but seriously overpriced at 20 quid a portion - absolutely no excuses here. There should also be a much bigger choice of Spanish cured meats !

The choice is general is limited and therefore will always be a second choice to Barfina on Frith St - for me at least !

Monmouth Coffee Company

gastro1 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:26:17 +0000

Rating: 4.7

Location: 27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9DD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7645 3560

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

Tags: rare finds, bargain

These people know coffee !Selecting , Roasting , Blending and preparing coffee is an a great skill. Unfortunateley despite the huge growth in coffee consumption in this country the vast majority of coffee chains and shops serve something tha ranges from tasteless to bitter.

Monmouth is a centre of excellence you get proper espresso , espresso machiato is perfect and a cappucino is what it should be rather than the coffee milkshakes served by the likes of Starbucks .

Pied a Terre

gastro1 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:03:04 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 34 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7916 0786

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

Tags: french, expensive

An exceptional tableThis is a great restaurant producing superb cuisine with excellent service.

It is in my view one of the best restaurants of it's type in the UK an equal to The Square and Gordon Ramsey at Royal Hospital Road.

One feels that each dish hs been carefully developed and constructed like a fine oil painting - everything on the plate has a purpose and contributes to the whole.

The wine list is vey well chosen with a particulary good selection of red BurgUndies.

C. Lidgate

gastro1 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:25:29 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 110 Holland Park Avenue, W11 4UA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 8243

Tags: delicatessen, rare finds

One of the bestFanatastic quality meat and more.

The butchers a fairly international bunch theses days who cater for the increasingly French and Italian clientelle in Holland Park prepare and cut the finest beef , veal , pork and lamb that is available.

The pies , sausage rolls and pasty's are great and the cheese counter is pretty solid but not stellar. You can also buy oils , chutneys and good free range chicken and duck eggs.

Allen & Co

gastro1 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:16:45 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 117 Mount Street, W1K 3LA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 5831

Tags: rare finds

Best Butcher in London ?Along with Lidgate , Harrods Jack O'Shea and The Ginger Pig this is the best Butcher in London.

At any time they have simply the best beef , lamb and pork available mainly from the British Isles. Meats are well hung and cut to your taste.

There is also very good game in season and decent chickens. In terms of the latter I'd like to see some good French Label Rouge as well as top Bresse as they are in a different league.

Provenance is clearly stated in some cases right down to the individual farmer.

Jago Butchers

gastro1 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:04:52 +0000

Rating: 1.0

Location: 9 Elystan Street, SW3 3NT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7589 5531

Very PoorThis is a very poor butcher.

The quality of the Pork , Beef and Lamb is average to bad as are the sausages and bacon. Veal is standard quality dutch.

To be fair they have very good organic English chickens.

This place has not moved with the times or the potential market a butcher in this location could tap into.

Here is a tip guys sell Gloucester Old Spot or Tamworth rare breed pork and source the best beef and lamb in the UK clearly label and promote provenance.

Benchmark yourselves with Lidgate , Ginger Pig , Buthcer and Grill and Allen in Mayfair- not Asda !

Wake up and smell the coffee and make my life easier so I can buy good meat along with the best fish in London at Rex Goldsmith around the corner.

Ambassade de l’Ile

gastro1 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:46:56 +0000

Rating: 3.5

Location: 119 Old Brompton Road, SW7 3RN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7373 2027

Website: http://www.ambassadedelile.com/

Tags: french, business, expensive

Serious New ArrivalThis is a serious restaurant with a top kitchen brigade and polished front of house.

The service was perfect and the food outstanding.

The amuse bouche were beignets of herbs and root vegetables , raw salmon and roe on a crisp potato pancake and spoon containing quail egg in a light creamy white sauce.

The bread was homemade and perfect in terms of freshness, texture and taste.

I started with a mille feuille of Cornish crab with a sabayon sauce with a touch of wasabi.

My friend and I then had a superb Tourte (Pie) that had succulent pieces of Quail, Duck and Pigeon. The pastry was superb as was a chutney served alongside and very concentrated duck stock based sauce.

We followed with cheese which came from three separate trolleys one with soft cheeses, one with goats and the final one with hard and blue cheeses. I had Munster, St Marcelin, Crotin and Blue D'Auvergne all in excellent condition.

For desert I had a beautifully executed tart with liquid cocoa filling topped with light Valrohna cooked Chocolate Mousse? This was perfect but maybe lacked a bit of punch.

At the end we were given two miniature liquorices ice creams that cleaned our palates.

We had a glass of white (Voigner) Cote de Rhone and a superb bottle of St Joseph (2005) from Guigal to compliment the food. The wine list is mainly French and is particularly strong on Rhone - hence our choice.

I would like to try some dishes next time that do not have hints of eastern spice here and there as after all JC does not need to go there - he has all he needs around Lyon the stomach of France for inspiration.

In my humble view fusion(with the east) is rarely something that the French have done well with the possible exception or Verge , Robuchon and Vongeritchen , this is best left to Aussies !

In summary this is a great addition to the higher echelons of London restaurants that is producing food on a par with The Square , Pied a Terre ,Tom Aitken, Le Gavroche, Hibiscus and Marcus Wareing at the Berkley. I do not think it reaches the heights attained by Nico Ladenis - Chez Nico in Battersea and Victoria, Marco Pierre White at Harvey's/Hyde Park Hotel/Oak Room Picadilly or Pierre Koffman at Tante Claire not to mention Gordon Ramsey at RHR and Aubergine. However it is early days at this talented team can reach those heights if Jean Christophe spends significant time in his London outpost.

Giaconda Dining Room

gastro1 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:39:25 +0000

Rating: 3.9

Location: 9 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 3334

Tags: italian, british, good value, mediterranean, crowded, french

Welcome back to London Mr MerronyThis is a great restaurant that serves very good food made from excellent well chosen and sourced ingredients.

The restaurant has about 32 covers and is likely to expand into some unused space at the rear.

It is clear that Paul Merrony the chef and co owner has a very specific food philosophy and has not only had a top (cooking) education that includes Le Gavroche London, La Tour d'Argent in Paris and top restaurants down under but has chosen to apply his superb technique to serving Franco/Italian bourgeois/home cooking with the addition of the odd British classic.

I plan to eat my way through the menu over the next few weeks.

But based on my first meal I was thoroughly impressed.

Artichoke vinegrette was perfectly cooked , served and presented.

The simply grilled rib eye steak served with some sliced tomatoes that actually had taste was excellent.

I also tasted a good pork chop ( probably Gloucester old spot or Tamworth) and a remarkable pigs trotter starter.

The wine list is mainly French , Italian and Spanish with for London minimal mark ups ( a bit like Andrew Edmonds)

My guest had a prune compote with creme anglaise and ice cream that was stunning whilst I had a very good Stilton from Neal's Yard

Negatives for me were the bread - Ciabatta and the chips. I expected the latter to be had cut real chips but the restaurant had either run out or always serve Brake Bros or even McCains. I appreciate the restaurant staffed by one front of house and Paul + an apprentice in the kitchen cannot do everything but if you are going to buy in bread than I would recommend something a bit more crusty form say Baker & Spice (wholesale). As for chips no excuses !

This is exceptional cooking at very good value.

Holy Cow

gastro1 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:21:57 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 166 Battersea Pk Road, SW11 4ND, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7498 2000

Website: http://www.holycowfineindianfood.com

Tags: healthy food

The Best Indian Take Away in South LondonApparently Gordon and Tara Ramsey swear by The Bombay Bicycle Club Takeaway in Battersea. Oh dear it is really piss poor and actually inferior to chilled curry's from supermarkets.

I would like to recommend Holy Cow to the Ramsey's which has another branch in Blaham and unlike The Boybay Bicycle (built up by Clapham House from a one off original to mutiple take away hubs and restaurants ).

The ingredients are excellent - good quality chicke , lamb as opposed to ancient cheap mutton and superb vegetables be they aubergines , okra as well as pulses lentile and chick peas. You can request variable spicing and in effect a bespoke high class takeaway.

Hibiscus

gastro1 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:04:54 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 29 Maddox Street, W1S 2PA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7629 2999

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

Tags: french, british, expensive

Welcome to Londonit is always difficult to move a restaurant within a city but to bring it down from Ludlow the little gastro hub in Shropshire is very brave indeed.

All I can say after eating there last week is bravo Monsieur Bosi ! you and your wife have done a great job.

The food is superb and original from the amuse bouche to a remarkable light chocolat tart infused with liquid choc and flavoured with indonesian basil.

Claude Bosi does remarkable things with vegetables somehow concentrating the flavours through pulverisation and blending with other compatible ingredients.

My one criticism is that the portions are slightly to small if you are going for 3-4 courses a la carte including cheese.

The wine list needs a bit of beefing up in terms of choice especially red and white Burgundy and a wider range of red Bordeaux to include some cru bourgeois and lesser grand cru classes' ( of at least 8 years of age)

I don't think it will be long before the 2nd star from Ludlow is restored and with some small changes this could become along with The Square and Pied a Terre a contender for a 3rd.

My experience here reminded me of another great French Chef who thrived in London - Pierre Koffman at Tante Claire (Royal Hospital Road) - the approach and philosophy is obviously different but the technical skill and execution from the kitchen was really impressive.

Les Trois Garcons

gastro1 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:20:58 +0000

Rating: 4.4

Location: 1 Club Row, E1 6JX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7613 1924

Website: http://www.lestroisgarcons.com

Tags: lively, expensive, french, romantic

One offTop food in very uniquely decorated restaurant.

A good venue for a romantic dinner for two as well as a place to come with a group of friends.

Good ingredients well prepared.

Nobu

gastro1 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:16:15 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 19 Old Park Lane, W1K 1LB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7447 4747

Website: http://www.noburestaurants.com/

Tags: lively, japanese, expensive

OutstandingNow an institution but the quality of food and service has remained constant.

I try and go 3-4 times a year and just have all my favourite dishes with either sake or a top Alsace wine.

Go at lunch and try and get a table with a view of Hyde Park.

Avoid evenings as it's full of celebs or wannabe's as well as the Essex crowd who have a few quid.

Fino Restaurant

gastro1 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:59:59 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 33 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.finorestaurant.com/

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

Mucho buenoSam and Eddie Hart should be congratulated for Fino and Barafina.

If you want Iberian food made with high quality well sourced ingredients in a great environment then the boys deliver !

Together with Cambio de Tercio in Chelsea this is where I go for my Spanish fix !

Come on Spaniards ( Cambio de Tercio excepted) are you going to let a coupple of Brits show you how its done !

Vamos !

Barrafina

gastro1 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:54:04 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

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

Tags: lively, good value, spanish, crowded

Las mehores tapas en LondresSuperb tapas made with excellent ingredients - just like Fino the sister restaurant.

This establishment shows the many Spanish owned establishment in the UK how it should be done i.e no tinned Russian Salad :-)

Comparable to the best tapas bars in Barcelona, Seville , Madrid and San Sebastian.