Latest favourites and wishlist by k_thrn

Moro - review by MoRaja

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:48:17 +0000

Moro - review by MoRaja

Rating: 4.4

Location: 34 - 36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 8336

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

Tags: lively, north african, mediterranean, spanish, crowded, expensive

I love going to Moro. Whilst working in the area I would visit at least once a month for a treat. The food, especially the fish dishes are full of flavour and perfectly cooked. It can be very noisy when busy, so not always the best place to go if you want a serious conversation over dinner/lunch.

Asakusa - review by stantoncarlisle

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:11:19 +0000

Asakusa - review by stantoncarlisle

Rating: 4.2

Location: 265 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7388 8399

Step out of Camden into Japan! Asakusa has the feel and downhome buzz of real Japanese Mom and Pop place. And the worn but thick carpet and the wooden pub beams on the ceiling add to the over all effect. The salads are excellent. The ingredients fresh. The pork with the Bulldog sauce dip was scrumptious. Crab soup with egg was a tasty, fishy starter. All the dishes I tried were excellent but what makes this place is the welcoming feel and sense of relaxed theatre. Prices are reasonable too - many of the Japanese clientele come after 8 - if you want a table book before then and you'll have no problem.

Moro - review by mazphd

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:43:08 +0000

Moro - review by mazphd

Rating: 4.4

Location: 34 - 36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 8336

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

Tags: lively, middle eastern, business, crowded, expensive, romantic

It is not often that one comes across a restaurant that has style, vibe and some seriously fabulous food. I have been lucky enough to not only dine , but also to experience the wine here, and I intend to develop this very complimentary and devastingly evocative relationship some more.

On my visit, despite being full to bursting and busy every member of staff was attentive, helpful and catchingly perky! Now my experience may have been coloured by the delightful company for the evening (a perceptive, witty and charming dining companion) but Moro also holds all these qualities on its own just on the vibe alone.

For some reason I skipped the Tapas and went straight for the weekly menu, a sardine related dish full of spice, and just the right mix of olive oil and fennel seeds. Simplicity in itself. Now the dining was divine, but better was the wine, and I heartidly recommend, the OntaÃ±on, Gran Reserva a 2001 Spanish Rioja. On the side of 'pricey' at nearly Â£50 a bottle, but mmm so sumptuous.

It has been a while since I've had such great service (especially in the UK!) and wonderful food, and reading the other reviews it seems Moro gets this balance right at least 90% of the time. I'm hoping for those disappointed diners they will return and be charmed in the same way I have been.

My own intention is to revisit and take advantage of the tapas, and moment with a suitably charming dining partner. Oh and to remember to leave room for dessert.

Moro - review by chrisp

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:42:43 +0000

Moro - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.4

Location: 34 - 36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 8336

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

Tags: expensive, spanish, pretentious

Well, I'm sorry to go against the grain of reviews on this site, but I had a very disappointing experience here last weekend.

Arriving 20 mins too early for the evening menu (which was sold out anyway for some unfathomable reason), we decided to fill up on a selection of tapas and a glass of sherry. The tapas was dull - no better than from Cafe Kick across the road - with a small plate of cold and soggy Pimentos de Padron and Boquerones that had clearly just been dumped out of a jar.

But the real slap in the face came in the form of a Â£4 thimble-sized glass of Tio Pepe Sherry. The measure can't have been more than 100ml, and I know for a fact you can get a whole bottle of the stuff from Waitrose for about Â£8. A violation.

This highlights a wider problem with restaurants serving liquids out of their comfort zone. It's the same reason why a measure of Baileys (20%) costs the same as vodka (40%) in the pub and why you can happily buy shots of tequila for Â£1 each but ask for a brandy and you're given just about enough to coat the bottom of a tumbler for Â£3.50 (yes, most pubs have a perfectly good selection of brandy glasses - but when was the last time you saw one used?).

Sherry is not a spirit. In fact, at 15% it's about the in terms of alcohol content as most Riojas. The sooner these pretentious tapas places realise it the better, and one can only hope that once the credit crunch bites it will sort out the places that demand unquestioning respect from their customers from those that actually earn it.

Moro - review by Litro_K

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:25:37 +0000

Moro - review by Litro_K

Rating: 4.4

Location: 34 - 36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 8336

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

Tags: lively, north african, spanish

I'd been waiting years to try our Moro, upon countless recomendations, and finally had an excuse last Friday. Well, three, actually - a birthday, an engagement, and a leaving party, all in one. And boy, was it worth the wait.

I had booked well in advance for a table of 14, which was situated at the back of the restaurant, in a semi-private corner. In the end we had to book for 16 and they happily agreed. The staff were always lovely and helpful, whether on the phone or in person, and they took no massive deposit from my credit card, foisted no set menus on us, and we had one lovely waitress all to ourselves for the night, who coped very well with having to take orders for 16 over three courses without shouting herself hoarse!

As for the food? It was completely out of this world. All the meat tasted like each animal had lived the best life possible, if you know what I mean. It was all tender, succulent, well-seasoned, and â¬ well - moreish. Wines chosen at random from the list were wonderful; desserts were passed around and slathered over, everyone shared their food and so many noises of ecstasy came from various corners of the table that I stopped for a moment, feeling truly happy, and thought: this is really what eating out is all about. Five stars.

Asakusa - review by LOVEANDKATE

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:42:59 +0000

Asakusa - review by LOVEANDKATE

Rating: 4.2

Location: 265 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7388 8399

Tags: japanese, good value

I decided to try out Asakusa on reading the reviews on Trusted Places and.....you're ALL right- its ace!

I took everyones advice and booked a table. Upstairs was reccomended but we could only get downstairs, which I enjoyed all the same.
The sushi and sashimi took a while but we filled the time by having amazing starters such as half an aubergine cooked in a sweet rich sauce, broccoli cooked to perfection [not too soft] with a sweet sauce and delicious japanese fish cakes.

the food just kept on coming.

The sashimi was beautiful and we couldnt eat all the sushi so they let us take it home in a little box.

Yes it is a bit grimey but more authentic and yes, next time I will try something off the menus written in japanese on the wall!!!

Can't wait to go again and tell all my friends! : )

The House - review by k_thrn

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:56:52 +0000

The House - review by k_thrn

Rating: 4.0

Location: 63-69 Canonbury Road, N1 2DG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7704 7410

Website: http://www.inthehouse.biz

The House now do breakfast - Everything from big ass fry up to light salmon and scramblies! The bread basket is reasonably priced and would be enough for two people with normal size appetites. (We had the fry up as well and were pleasantly plump for the rest of the day) Pain o' chocolate and croissants were made fresh by their pastry chef at The Bull and were delicious!

Snazz Sichuan - review by bellaphon

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:47:06 +0000

Snazz Sichuan - review by bellaphon

Rating: 4.3

Location: New China Club, 37 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7388 0808

Tags: romantic, family & home feel, sichuan, good value, chinese, expensive

Paresthesia (sensation of numbness) of the mouth is part and parcel of dining at this place. Thankfully this manifestation is not at all chronic, but downright alluring. Secondly thereâ¬"s also the small matter of the Scoville scale, if you thought that the Vindaloo dish was only fit for the chilli heroes; well not here it doesnâ¬"t, it simply turns the hotness of the Vindaloo into the pussycat category. Lastly, discerning foodies who crave entrails and offal, your nirvana is here.

Iâ¬"ve been here a few times and I still canâ¬"t make my mind whether Bar Shu or Snazz Sichuan is the definitive Sichuan joint in London. I suppose that the ambience of Bar Shu is more luxurious and warmer and the cooking at Snazz measurably more authentic. We started with some outstanding Sichuan-style marinated beef slices (a very hot tasting cold dish). The next two dishes ordered were not for the offally challenged; Fire-exploded beef tripe (mild!!) and Special cooked pigâ¬"s blood (think red tofu) casserole (devastatingly hot, my dining companion thought it was very nearly inedible). These dishes were a testament to the chefâ¬"s understanding on turning the acquired blandness of offal into total yumminess. The final dish of Fried bitter melon with green and red pepper was requisite in providing calm and normality to the taste buds after the chilli frenzy. Dishes I also recommend from my past visits include Fish soup with pickled greens and Fire-exploded kidney flowers.

The friendly waiter kept reminding us that this is the real Chinese food and it has no equals. Thatâ¬"s all very well, but methinks Cantonese cuisine is more universally acceptable. I love this place and so should Fergus Henderson, what with pigâ¬"s tail, chitterlings, ears, tripe, tongue, etc.

Melati Restaurant - review by jes1uk

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:34:24 +0000

Melati Restaurant - review by jes1uk

Rating: 2.5

Location: 21 Great Windmill Street, W1D 7LB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7734 6964

Tags: romantic, good value, crowded

I've eaten in this restaurant on many occasions and have found the food to be generally authentic and the portions to be adequate. The prices of the food are reasonable. The service is friendly but things can be a little slow at times. The decor is plain and maybe a little shoddy. The tables are not shared and the restaurant overall has a romantic feel to it.
It's worth noting that the lunch menu is cheaper than the dinner one and that they give a 15% discount on the menu price all day on Sunday.
If you enjoy authentic Malaysian food at a reasonable price then this restaurant is for you.

Acorn House - review by Niamheen

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:02:02 +0000

Acorn House - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.7

Location: 69 Swinton St., WC1X 9NT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7812 1842

Website: http://www.acornhouserestaurant.com/

Tags: lively, international, business, expensive

Acorn House in Kingâ¬"s Cross has been on my radar for sometime. As Londonâ¬"s first truly eco-friendly training restaurant, it has had alot of press attention, with the Evening Standardâ¬"s Fay Maschler declaring that â¬All Restaurants should emulateâ¬ it and Giles Coren of The Times saying that itâ¬"s â¬SThe most important restaurant to open in London in the past 200 yearsâ¬. Itâ¬"s also less than 10 minutes from my workplace and has been recommended by colleagues and friends. In the OFM food awards in 2007 it won best newcomer.

Established by chef Arthur Potts Dawson and manager James Grainger-Smith both formerly of Fifteen in Shoreditch, itâ¬"s a social enterprise created by the Shoreditch Trust which delivers hands on training to the local community. The food is centred around health, training, community and the environment. They aim to be the most recyclable restaurant in London, by allowing as much as 80% of its waste to be recycled. In cooperation with the local councils and London Remade it will test out new waste management strategies in a restaurant environment, it offers reusable cutlery and all takeaway containers are eco-sensitive and they offer customers options of serving sizes to allow for differing appetites which creates less food waste. They have their own site for storage of dry recyclables with space for a â¬ÜPIGâ¬" compostor and a wormery providing soil for the restaurant and the roof of the storage area is used to grow herbs (and potentially grow insect attracting plants) in the centre of Kings Cross. Added to all of this, the restaurant and the recycling site act as an educational resource for the public, schools and a new breed of trainee chefs. When it comes to the food itself, the menus are seasonal with ingredients sourced from small independent suppliers, they buy fair trade where possible, locally and never use air freight, they have a strict fish purchasing policy and demand positive animal husbandry.

All that sounds great, truly an inspiration for other restaurants, but, what of the food? Iâ¬"ve availed of their takeway lunch a number of times, usually the half panini and small soup for Â£5, always flavoursome and healthy. So, why didnâ¬"t I eat there properly until this week? I think itâ¬"s one of those situations where itâ¬"s just down the road and I can go anytime (even if I subsequently donâ¬"t) and, ever the procrastinator I put it on the long finger. This week, however, I finally went there for lunch with some colleagues.

I like the interior of Acorn House, itâ¬"s bright and airy with a relaxed elegance. We got a nice round table by the open kitchen at the back and started off with some olives and bread. I started to peruse their January menu. There were two soups on offer: pumpkin, thyme and pancetta & celeriac, chestnut & horseradish. They sounded delicious, but time was short so I decided not to get one - I will definitely be trying them for a take-away lunch soon though. Thereâ¬"s also cured meat selections (including the sublime San Daniele ham) and salads on offer, which, again, look great but I had my eye on the fish dish - chargrilled organic salmon with cardamom and horseradish served with 2 salads. It was a popular dish - most of us had it with others opting for the duck confit, the ravioli with chard, mascarpone & fried sage or the tartine with pumpkin, mascarpone and stilton (changed from the option on the menu which was tartine with pumpkin, ricotta & onion marmalade).

Before I start, I am not sure about the diner choosing the salad accompanying their main course, I wonder if the chef is best placed to do this? It reminds me of create-your-own pizzas which, having once worked in a pizza restaurant, I can testify are often chosen badly. However, it is nice to have the choice, if you can trust yourself. Itâ¬"s January, and, (I am supposed to be) all about health and recuperation, so I decided to go for the beetroot with parsley, as beetroot helps your liver deal with xmas party stresses (I had a few of those!), and for the second one broccoli with almonds.

How was it? The fish was cooked perfectly - tender and moist, the cardamom and horseradish was a really unusual accompaniment and quite nice. The duck confit went down a treat as did the ravioli, but, the tartine was proclaimed too rich. The salads were really great: wholesome and healthy.

So, next for dessert. I opted for the ginger pudding with dark rum and double cream. It was wonderfully light. Other choices were the flourless chocolate cake with cardamom ice cream and Eccles Cake with Vanilla Custard. Everyone was really pleased with their choice, it was a lovely end to the meal.

So, what did I think? Very good food but at Â£16 for a fish main course and Â£6.50 for a dessert it needs to be excellent. But it is sustainable, eco-friendly and a friend to the local community, and this, it seems, comes at a price. I think itâ¬"s worth it.

King Charles I - review by Niamheen

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:58:28 +0000

King Charles I - review by Niamheen

Rating: 2.5

Location: 55-57 Northdown Street, N1 9BL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7837 7758

Tags: relaxed, indie, traditional pub, independent pub, trendy, friendly

The King Charles was a regular lunch time haunt for me for many years. As k_thrn says - it's a pub and it's grim BUT they've a good jukebox, a fire in the winter, even a cat at times. But what really makes it for me is that you can order in food from anywhere you like, you can bring your packed lunch in if you wish!

Recommended if you fancy a drink and any of the cheap and cheerful food from the area - be it African, Thai, Malaysian or some fried eggs and chips from the Blue River Cafe across the road. There's seats outside too. I always found the staff really friendly and I enjoyed those occasional Friday lunches. Be warned, it's only open for lunch on Fridays, otherwise go in the evening.

Paolina Thai Cafe - review by jlonners

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:49:50 +0000

Paolina Thai Cafe - review by jlonners

Rating: 3.3

Location: 181 Kings Cross Road, WC1X 9BP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7278 8176

Ok so as soon as you walk past this place you would normally keep on going, it looks dirty and horrid and awful. I didnâ¬"t have this choice as I was supposed to meet someone here (not suggested by me!) I was led downstairs (even worse) to a small area with tables and benches and plastic table cloths. I thought a drink would help only to be told their was no liquor licence!!! The food was actually ok and I didnâ¬"t die of food poisoning either, I had fully expected to get quite ill! I have no idea why they donâ¬"t tidy/clean this place up after all the business rates must be high so how do they make ends meet! if you are looking online (you must be or you wouldnâ¬"t be reading this!) then donâ¬"t go here, its just not nice. Search for another thai place instead

Melati Restaurant - review by foodbymark

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:11:41 +0000

Melati Restaurant - review by foodbymark

Rating: 2.5

Location: 21 Great Windmill Street, W1D 7LB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7734 6964

Been twice but it was even more disappointing second time around and there will be no third. The restaurant is tired and the food is very hit and miss, mostly too greasy, and not altogether authentic.

Konstam - review by hither

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:54:22 +0000

Konstam - review by hither

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Acton Street, WC1X 9NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

I confess that we did go to this restaurant partly because we saw the TV programme - but also because my husband works just around the corner and had been watching the renovations, and also because the idea of sourcing food locally in London really appeals.

We went on a Saturday evening, but had an early booking so it wasn't too busy.

This was some of the best food I have ever had. I started with a salad, which is not an option I would normally go for, but it was absolutely delicious - including a perfectly soft boiled egg and some local blue cheese. Yum.

The main was pork belly, which is something we often see being cooked on TV programmes but which we haven't had the courage to try ourselves. It was absolutely delicious, melt in the mouth tasty.

The service was great and the decor is interesting - on the TV show they said that the chains were supposed to bring in light from the windows to the tables so I spent some time trying to decide if that was actually feasible (it was dark when we were there so I couldn't see it in action).

I can't wait to go back.

Konstam - review by cookster101

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:28:38 +0000

Konstam - review by cookster101

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Acton Street, WC1X 9NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

Tags: lively, british, good value, romantic

Set in the more genteel part of Kings Cross off Grays Inn Road this ex-boozer offers food with a twist...all of the ingredients were sourced from within the M25 down to the oil, bread and the salt and pepper. (It was featured in a documentary called the Urban Chef on BBC2 a year ago) The Valentines menu alone was wonderful. Ox-tongue, duck heart or beetroot soup for starters. Brill, skirt steak or lamb heart for main and some truly memorable sweets such as Quince Ice Cream and hazelnut brittle, Hot marmalade pudding and gooseberry sorbet. The strange decor of swirling beads from the ceiling gives it a chic and modern feel whilst the food is prepared in front of you by the chefs. Wonderful. Even the English red wine was quaffable. A truly London restuarant