• Added: 10th of October 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 5BG
020 7437 2477

DanWilkinson said
An oasis of relative sanity in Soho
I'm a bit of a Francophile, if I'm honest. I'm generally appreciative of things Italian, Spanish and so on, but it's earthy, rustic French cooking that does it for me every time. The sort of cuisine that says zinc bar, forthright vin de pays, brasserie, noncommittal shrugs, Gauloises. I'm happy to languish in a cliche like this.

I like the way aspects of Frenchness have remained stoically untouched by the modern world - the continuing love affair with rollnecks, the sanctity of lunch and the merry disregard for personal safety once behind the wheel of an automobile.

The French House is like this impression of Frenchness made brick and mortar. Whilst the rest of Soho either went uber-exclusive and expensive, or touristy and expensive, the French House has carried on being friendly, knocking out lager in half pints, and serving great, simple food in a tiny room upstairs, accompanied by an excellent wine list.

The food is generally excellent, robust fare. Think things like salades tiedes to kick off, and carefully grilled beasts to follow, with hearty accompaniments and desserts to excite the child in you. The wine list is predictably Gallic, but unusually diverse for it and exceptionally well-priced. You'll get out of here for about £40-50 a head, I reckon. In fact everything, down to the gently self-deprecating telephone system, is so pleasant at this place it's a wonder I'm not there every week.

I should also note that booking ahead is pretty much essential on most nights, and although there's a bit of room between tables, you'll be reasonably well-known to your neighbours by the end of the night. Weirdly though, whilst in some places this is Really Irritating, here it's sort of part of the charm.

• Added: 9th of October 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London W1W 8AX
020 7436 0111

DanWilkinson said
Ok for lunch, but a tad overhyped
First off, let me say that I rather enjoyed the lunch I had here earlier in the week. I wasn't really all that disappointed. In quality terms I'd probably put it somewhere around Wagamama, maybe a tiny notch above.

However, if you're alongside Wagamama in the quality stakes, it's probably not that wise to bang on about authenticity and stellar quality in your literature, taking a bit of a holier-than-thou approach and generally being all po-faced about it.

And so it was that, with my appetite for supersonic Vietnamese food truly whetted, and their loving descriptions of 'true' Pho ringing in my ears, I opted for the Pho Tai (beef fillet Pho), hoping to be transported to the far east in no time. Unfortunately, it turned out that I've made better Pho at home, using ingredients from Tesco and a recipe by Gordon Ramsay.

I'm no Pho expert, but I do profess to know stocks, and this was a disappointingly thin, un-beefy concoction, packed with spring onions and shreds of overcooked beef. I can't work out what the problem could be, as making stock is pretty simple really. Overdilution? Underseasoning? Made too quickly? Either way this was closer to flavoured water than proper, gutsy stock and was entirely lacking in flavour, except for the overwhelming burn of the spring onions.

Noodles lurking in the bottom of the bowl were... noodles. I'd eventually tipped the entire plate of accompanying garnish (coriander, mint, red chillis, beansprouts) into the bowl to try to coax some flavour out of it, but to no avail.

So I'm being harsh, because whilst it wasn't an unpleasant experience, and whilst I felt it in itself represented decent value and a pleasant lunchtime diversion, it's nowhere near as good as it says it is, and that really annoys me.

• Added: 6th of October 2008
• Area: West Kensington
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W14 9EP

DanWilkinson said
Sunday morning life-saver
Hangovers are curious things. The things they require to ease the pain (coffee, fried foods, newspapers etc) are rarely directly available when you're in the grip of one, and often the energy needed to invoke a cooked breakfast yourself is simply too much to consider. A local cafe is therefore indispensable, and this one is mine.

I say cafe advisedly, and this is a crucial subtle distinction to make when choosing your hangover-curing venue. A pub is never open in time to be of any use, and is too often the scene of the crime to which you shouldn't really return. Smells of beer usually aren't advisable, either. A restaurant is usually a place where your pale green face and trembling fingers aren't generally welcome, and so best avoided until dinnertime. Cafes, particularly those like this one, exist to provide sanctuary to the hungover on weekend mornings.

One of the first proper hangovers I ever had in London was partially cured here, so I'm probably overly fond of Cafe Continente, and this review's going to smack of subjectivity. What the hell, it's *my* review.

Not in nearly eight years has this cafe let me down. I've never ventured from the breakfast menu (and why would you?), and can vouch that without exception it is highly satisfying: crisp where it should be crisp, non-greasy and freshly cooked, with good ingredients treated with respect. Ok, the bacon and the sausages aren't Borough Market standard, but they're decent enough and don't cost the earth.

Toast is hot when it comes to the table. I can't stress how important this is.

The coffee, although I have had one pretty shocking cup here about six months ago, is generally great, not too bitter and comforting to the troubled tummy. A great selection of juices, posh soft drinks and even (for the terminally bewildered) wine & beer are available. Service is brisk, non-judgemental and highly capable, and you can roll out of here for about £7.50 with a large breakfast and a coffee already beginning to work its magic.

My two criticisms are these:

1. It's always so crowded you're in no way guaranteed a seat. This bothers me a bit, as the last thing I want to do when I'm hungover is stand in the middle of a busy cafe with people bustling past me and... staring at me. That said, places do tread a fine line between 'dead' and 'mental', and I'd always prefer the latter, I suppose.

2. The seats really aren't that comfortable. I know it's a pedantic point to make, but I really don't like them. I want to lounge at breakfast, and Continente's chairs really don't allow that sort of behaviour.

Hence the dropped star. If you can get over these two niggles, you're well on your way to health again.

• Added: 6th of October 2008
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 9AF
020 7357 9922

DanWilkinson said
The definition of 'average'
Devoid of any sort of atmosphere, this is the sort of place that gives you that creeping feeling you've made a mistake as soon as you're shown to your table. Everything about it is average, except the prices, which are slightly north of where they should be, even smack in the middle of Borough Market.

The menu is, to their credit, nice and simple; steaks, burgers and the sort of sundry brasserie also-rans for those bored with beef. The problem is, even this pared-down selection seems to be beyond the kitchen's ability, as so-so steaks come overdone, burgers lack lustre and the chips just aren't... that... great. The wine list should be ashamed to be sharing a street with Vinopolis, Wine Wharf and Majestic: it's dull, uninspired and uninspiring.

Service-wise, my scoring falls slightly below the average mark, with a colleague of mine once waiting 20 minutes for the bill to arrive, only to walk out without paying (unchallenged) as he was late for a meeting and incensed at being ignored. Personally I've only ever felt vaguely tolerated whilst there.

On a high street in Doncaster, this place would probably stand head and shoulders above its peers. Unfortunately the competition within 30 metres' radius of Black and Blue (Wright Bros, Feng Sushi, Roast, Brindisa, Applebees, etc etc etc) is some of the stiffest in its class in London and B&B just doesn't stack up. If you're in the area and really *need* a steak, do yourself a favour and climb the staircase to Roast.

The cows outside do make me chuckle though. One of those stars is for those alone.

• Added: 2nd of October 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1M 6AH
020 7012 3700

DanWilkinson said
Excellent private dining
We literally spent weeks trying to find somewhere to celebrate the missus' birthday. She wanted a good meal in London, price no object, for her and 11 friends who appreciated good food, but who weren't necessarily *foodies*. Not one of the places we tried would take a booking for 12 without either charging up to £3,000 extra for the pleasure or dictating that we would all have to order the same thing. Not great. London, nil points.

However, on a trip to Manchester, we stayed in the Malmaison there (where the brasserie has got a lot better over time), and noticed a cosy-looking private dining room. On the offchance, we checked the London hotel and there was indeed a well-appointed room off to one side which seated exactly 12. Perfect.

Now, let's be clear: the main point of an evening like this is the company. Primarily we'd convened to celebrate a birthday, not for some monumental gastronomic event, but we were on the whole pleasantly surprised.

Ultra-fresh, briny oysters kicked the meal off for me, with me 'n' the missus sharing 6 each of the Fines de Claire and the locals. My taste, as usual, veered towards the French ones; smaller, but with a more concentrated flavour. A pretty good start, all in all.

On the subject of the main event, I should point out that one of my food-related hobby horses is that of British veal. It's many years now since British veal production was anything but entirely humane, and as a by-product of the dairy industry thousands of male calves are slaughtered each year, regardless of the demand for their meat. Eating British veal is a terrific way to support the British farming industry, and it's something I do whenever I can. It's also really rather good.

I should also point out that when I say veal, I'm talking about decently pink meat, rather than the anaemic jelly often served in the 70s, and I'm talking about a *cut* of meat, rather than some flattened, batted out piece of mystery meat that's been cruelly breaded and shallow-fried. A sure-fire way to ruin a perfectly good piece of veal, if you ask me.

I wasn't disappointed. My veal chop was a hefty beast, juicy and flavoursome, with a good meaty bite to it. Excellent stuff, and it gave me the opportunity to inflict my little veal rant on my fellow diners. Apparently the other dishes were equally as satisfactory, judging by the dozen well-cleaned plates the waitress carried off later on.

Dessert was the only low point. My blood orange sorbet was brilliant, sweet, tangy and refreshing, but most of our companions had chosen poorly, though through no fault of their own. An otherwise well-executed chocolate truffle cake was served with what was advertised as pistachio ice cream (woo) but what can only be described as marzipan ice cream (boo). No one in their right mind likes marzipan, and it's a bit of a shocker to inflict this on the unaware. If the chef was actually working with pistachios, something somewhere had gone horribly awry.

My only other gripe, and I find this about Malmaison in general, is that the wine list, whilst well-chosen, is ludicrously overpriced. We struggled to find much under £30, and when there's 12 of you drinking pretty enthusiastically, this does matter.

That said, the food is more than reasonable, and we got away for a very friendly price indeed. I can confidently say that, following several weeks of research, we may well have found one of the best places in London to host dinner for 12 without paying in the neighbourhood of £5,000 for the privilege.

• Added: 2nd of October 2008
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London SE1 1UN
020 7537 9301

DanWilkinson said

Some bars thrive on their atmosphere, their menu, the skills of their barmen, or their amazing decor. Some on all of these. Others continue to trade solely by dint of their location, and Southwark Rooms is such a place. If you work nearby, it's a handy place to fall into of an evening, and they're usually very accommodating when it comes to reserving the downstairs bit for large groups. Take that as a positive or a negative as you will.

However, it's not somewhere you'd want to go for either a quiet or a particularly remarkable drink. Think warm-ish beers (what's wrong with their fridges? Every time I go I get a warm beer!), so-so basic cocktails, limp wine list and basically the sort of bland, careless experience you get in a thousand provincial high street bars, and you're almost there.

Possibly a bit harsh, but with so many brilliant places within 5 minutes' walk, life's just too short.

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Mayfair
• Category: Restaurants

London W1S 2FB
020 7758 9160

DanWilkinson said
Brilliant from start to finish
I'm not normally one to tempt fate. After my review of Arbutus on this site, Wild Honey had a lot to live up to. Add to this the fact that the missus and I dined here an hour or so after I'd asked her to marry me, and the recipe for potential distaster was complete. Knowing my luck with this sort of thing, I probably should've known better.

Turns out we were in safe hands though, as from the moment we were greeted at the door to the moment we wandered back out of it, the experience was totally faultless, possibly even slightly superior to Arbutus in some ways.

I've got to get wordy about the food, I'm afraid, so make sure you're sitting comfortably. I kicked off with the smoked eel, presented as a chunky fillet, alongside some preserved turnip (I know!) and a splodge of citrussy apricot puree, the three working unusually but brilliantly on the palate.

The main event was a simple enough dish to get right - roast lamb - but by god was it ever a good piece of meat, cooked just enough to give its tenderness a bit of bite whilst retaining every bit of sweetness and depth of flavour. Following this were a selection of La Fromagerie cheeses, introduced to us by a well-informed (or very well-rehearsed?) waitress, and for me a light, delicate wild honey ice cream studded with crisp nuggets of honeycomb.

On the wine front, the 250ml carafe option in force there meant we could drink precisely the wines we wanted; those which went with our food throughout. So we went from Albarino to New Zealand Pinot, to red Burgundy and finally some massive Rhone beast or other with the cheese. The missus was even persuaded to try a dessert wine with her dessert, a major triumph (as I've never been able to convince her) and one that went down really well.

The service was just on the good side of frenetic. They were obviously busy, but although there was a fair bit of running about and so on, we never felt ignored or waited too long for anything. That said, I do have a tendency to actually get up and ask for something if I want it NOW, rather than sitting quietly and moaning about it later. In general I felt they were more than accommodating, with the restaurant manager coming over at the end of the meal to check everything had been ok.

And the bill. The one time I've treated the missus and not wanted to show her the bill because it was so much cheaper than expected. For world-class food, friendly, professional service, and a wine list that's as varied as it is accessible, and all of this not just in central London but in MAYFAIR of all places, I'd happily have paid more. Don't tell Anthony that though...

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Piccadilly Circus
• Category: Restaurants

London W1B 4DJ
020 7734 4040

DanWilkinson said
Great beef, great service
Now, for some reason, the below-mentioned hype surrounding this place has passed me by, which probably contributes to my positive review. All I'd heard was that the steaks were pretty good, and Gaucho more than delivered on that.

The missus took me here for my birthday, as she knows all too well how much I like a nicely-treated ribeye. It was a Wednesday night, and the place was rammed, but the sort of 'lively' rammed, rather than the 'sardines' type. Despite this, our waitress managed to deliver the sort of prompt, attentive and competent service that should really be standard in London, but which is sadly somewhat rare.

We kicked off by sharing a ceviche platter, partnered by a lovely light, crisp Torrontes which said waitress had recommended. Torrontes can be a bit oily and over-aromatic in the wrong hands, but this was spot on, cutting through the lime, chilli and herbs in the ceviches and gently underpinning the more delicate seafood notes with ease.

The steaks were indeed excellent, although the practice of bringing examples of all of them to the table was pretty superfluous and a bit gimmicky if I'm honest. Mine was as rare as I'd asked for, which in itself isn't that common for steaks in London. The Norton Privada that accompanied it was as great as always, so good to see that wine on the list too.

With a well-kept selection of cheeses to finish with and a complimentary glass of birthday Champagne too, I couldn't fault the entire experience.

I'm sure that, if you've been to Argentina, or if you've been told this is up there with the Fat Duck, you'll be disappointed. However, Argentina this is not, and it's a high-mid-priced central London restaurant, so with that in mind I think you'll find it's really pretty good.

• Added: 18th of July 2008
• Area: Sloane Square
• Category: Restaurants

London SW1W 8EE

DanWilkinson said
Ticks all the boxes
Had dinner here recently with a friend on the recommendation of the missus, who'd had some cocktails at the bar a while back and proclaimed it well worth a visit. Have to say I was very impressed.

First off, the service was tremendous. Our waitress seemed to know the menu back to front, gently upsold us without being pushy and was just the right side of attentive. Really well-executed service is such a rare thing, especially in London, that it deserves a mention, I think.

On the booze front, the wine list, whilst extensive, was a little on the pricey side even for the area. This is the sole reason for the dropped star - there's really no excuse for it and the likes of Arbutus do a much better job of it.

Food-wise, all the quality you'd expect is there, with the menu brief but well-chosen. Suckling pig and rib-eye steak both arrived perfectly cooked, and the starter of a smoked chicken and foie gras terrine was sufficiently lavish and rich. A beautifully-kept and extremely generous cheeseboard provided a great finish to a very pleasant evening.

On the whole, good for groups or being out with a friend - not sure I'd take the missus here on a 'date' to be honest as it's not what you'd call intimate, but if you're looking for somewhere that's relaxed whilst still being top notch on the quality front, you can do much, much worse indeed in this location.

• Added: 17th of July 2008
• Area: Leicester Square
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 5JQ
020 7734 0623

DanWilkinson said
Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant
It's 2330, you're in the mood for a classic steak frites and some good red wine to finish the night off. There is no better place in London to do just that than in the bustle and noise of Café Boheme.

I've probably been here more frequently than any other restaurant in London, and have yet to have an experience that wasn't right on the money. Speaking of which, when you can get away with £20-30 for a good sized, well-cooked meal with half-decent wine in Central London, life is good, no?