Looking for somewhere to meet a friend for lunch near Victoria, I came across Bank Westminster in Buckingham Gate. It’s the sister restaurant of one we went to in Birmingham for a graduation lunch, so I thought it would be worth a try. The entrance is through the St James Court Hotel, which is rather odd, as you have to walk through to the back, past conference rooms etc. The restaurant itself is in a light conservatory with views over the courtyard (though not with access to it which is a shame as it’s a lovely day). It’s pretty busy, but the service is attentive and friendly.
After an amuse bouche of gazpacho, for starters, D and I share an “Asian plate” - excellent spicy fishcakes, tempura prawns, crispy squid, duck spring roll, Malayan chicken skewer, with hoi sin and chilli sauces; good value for £17.75. B has roast scallops with asparagus – full of flavour.
D, who runs a WeightWatchers course, chooses the Halibut from the specials menu, which comes simply cooked with lemon butter, and a naughty but nice bowl of chips (which she omits from the photo she takes!). Apparently the Halibut is good, but at over £20 you’d hope it would be. B has the pork belly with excellent crackling, while have a nicely pink tuna au poivre. We also have the peas with bacon.
With 2 bottles of Viognier, water and coffee, the bill comes to £192 for the three of us, so not a cheap option. But generally I’d say it wasn’t bad value for money for central London.
Monday 28 May 2012
Great Argentinian steaks
We’ve been regulars at Buenos Aires in Purley since it first opened, and have followed its development with interest - a move next door to its original location, plus new branches in South Croydon and Wimbledon. They’re also opening in Watling Street in the City.
As an Argentinian steak house, it’s not really the place for vegetarians, though they have added some new items to the menu. Steaks come in all kinds, and in three different sizes. On our recent visit we began with garlic prawns and chicken empanadas – lots of flavour to the prawns, and a good crisp, firm pastry to the empanadas. For main course I had the 225g (8oz) rib-eye with a Malbec sauce and excellent chips; B had the steak salad – cooked fairly rare, with a good dressing on the salad.
The welcome is always very warm at BA. The lovely waitress was keen to tell us all about her forthcoming appearance in Vogue – as a designer. The dark wood environment is also welcoming and the place is usually very busy at weekends.
We usually go for the Tapiz Malbec (£25) here – it complements steak very well - so in total we get away with under £80, very good value for a really good experience. On the first Wednesday of each month they have a tango night, now with a professional dancer, so that’s a lot of fun too.
As an Argentinian steak house, it’s not really the place for vegetarians, though they have added some new items to the menu. Steaks come in all kinds, and in three different sizes. On our recent visit we began with garlic prawns and chicken empanadas – lots of flavour to the prawns, and a good crisp, firm pastry to the empanadas. For main course I had the 225g (8oz) rib-eye with a Malbec sauce and excellent chips; B had the steak salad – cooked fairly rare, with a good dressing on the salad.
The welcome is always very warm at BA. The lovely waitress was keen to tell us all about her forthcoming appearance in Vogue – as a designer. The dark wood environment is also welcoming and the place is usually very busy at weekends.
We usually go for the Tapiz Malbec (£25) here – it complements steak very well - so in total we get away with under £80, very good value for a really good experience. On the first Wednesday of each month they have a tango night, now with a professional dancer, so that’s a lot of fun too.
Friday 11 May 2012
Back to Wagamama
(See also April overview (1))
Back to Wagamam for lunch around 1.30pm. Quite busy, so we are put half-way back - any further wouldn't be too nice because of the low ceiling and frying smells.
The smiley and heavily pregnant manageress arrives quickly to take our wine order (Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - £21; there are cheaper options) and we also order edamame beans. These come quickly while we're deciding on the rest of the order. As before the chilli and salt is layered on top, so once you get further down the bowl, there's not much interest left.
For "starters" we order the chicken gyoza, and beef kushiyaki (off the specials list), and for "mains" the ginger beef and coriander salad (again) and firecracker praws (specials). The gyoza comes quite quickly and is good - hot, crispy, though not strong on flavour. The beef comes at the same time as the mains - it is 3 skewers of 3 large pieces of beef, in a soy sauce. Very tasty, and mostly very tender.
The beef salad is again very good - a very fresh, light dressing on the salad, and tender beef- though probably didn't need more beef, and it's not very ginger. The firecracker prawns are not for the faint-hearted. Although it comes with a mound of boiled rice, the chillis in the sauce are pretty strong - I avoid the most fearsome-looking ones. Plenty of prawns too. Mains are about £10 each - fair value.
There are a couple of largish groups in - it's an ideal place for that. And two tables of 4 shoolgirls arrive as well - I suppose it's better for them than KFC - rather more sophisticated than I was at that age!
Service throughout has been brisk and efficient - you could be out within 45 mins if you wanted to be. We linger over another glass of wine, and leave paying £80 including service.
Back to Wagamam for lunch around 1.30pm. Quite busy, so we are put half-way back - any further wouldn't be too nice because of the low ceiling and frying smells.
The smiley and heavily pregnant manageress arrives quickly to take our wine order (Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - £21; there are cheaper options) and we also order edamame beans. These come quickly while we're deciding on the rest of the order. As before the chilli and salt is layered on top, so once you get further down the bowl, there's not much interest left.
For "starters" we order the chicken gyoza, and beef kushiyaki (off the specials list), and for "mains" the ginger beef and coriander salad (again) and firecracker praws (specials). The gyoza comes quite quickly and is good - hot, crispy, though not strong on flavour. The beef comes at the same time as the mains - it is 3 skewers of 3 large pieces of beef, in a soy sauce. Very tasty, and mostly very tender.
The beef salad is again very good - a very fresh, light dressing on the salad, and tender beef- though probably didn't need more beef, and it's not very ginger. The firecracker prawns are not for the faint-hearted. Although it comes with a mound of boiled rice, the chillis in the sauce are pretty strong - I avoid the most fearsome-looking ones. Plenty of prawns too. Mains are about £10 each - fair value.
There are a couple of largish groups in - it's an ideal place for that. And two tables of 4 shoolgirls arrive as well - I suppose it's better for them than KFC - rather more sophisticated than I was at that age!
Service throughout has been brisk and efficient - you could be out within 45 mins if you wanted to be. We linger over another glass of wine, and leave paying £80 including service.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
May catch-up
BARBECOA, New Change, City
We visited Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Hart's venture in the new development overlooking St Paul's with 4 friends and ex-colleagues. The 6 of us normally meet at a Strada, so this was a bit of an adventure. Walking in, my heart sank - the noise was staggering. The chefs were shouting from the open kitchen, music was playing loudly and the place was pretty full (at 1.15pm). We joined J&C at the table and soon the others arrived too. But it was a large square table with banquettes, and we had to sit on three sides - with all the noise it was almost impossible to have a proper conversation across the table. The view of St Paul's is super, but it's not the reason we were there.
The menu presents a very carnivorous main course selection, on the pricey side too. So we agreed to share 2 calamari and 2 seabass ceviche starters between the 6 of us. The calamari was uninteresting (and quite small), while the ceviche was OK, but even smaller.
Gradually the place thinned out as the work groups drifted away. Mainly work "treat" events it seemed. Fortunately that made it quieter too, as also there were fewer orders shouted from the kitchen.
For main course I had the "Pit beef" with beans (sort of like refried) and chips (in a tin!) This was a very rich piece of meat obviously cooked for a long time, with a sort of BBQ sauce - pretty good at £16.
With 5 bottles of quite expensive wine between us, this all came to £136 per couple. Rather more than we would normally pay, good without being special.
LE CHATEAU, near Lloyd Park, Croydon
Taken out by our neighbours to celebrate their wedding anniversary, we go to their favourite place (used to be called Chateau Napoleon). It's rather heavy on the formality for our liking, but the place does have some class. We started with a glass of champagne (on special offer, so it had to be done) while ordering in the bar. I'm still not feeling that good, so I have the asparagus hollandaise to start. Large asparagus so I'm guessing they weren't English, but tasty enough.
For main course I go for the lemon sole on the grounds it will be light. But it is a very big portion of about 5 fillets of sole, in quite a rich sauce. Again OK, but not great. To keep K company I have the brandy snap with chocolate mousse for dessert - that was good.
Don't know how much it was, but it won't have been cheap.
ZORNA'S, Purley
Our local Indian, Zorna's has had its ups and downs, but has returned to being our favourite ahead of Zaal in the High Street. So one evening was a quick flit in place of cooking: chicken dhansak, prawn kalia, aubergine and pilau rice. Good tasty chicken, spicy prawns, aubergine a bit dull. Service as always prompt and fine, even though the boss wasn't in evidence. £50 including wine.
LAS FUENTES, High St, Purley
Back to our local tapas (see April Overview (1), http://chompersofpurley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/april-overview-1.html) for a meal before our flight early the following morning. As this is lunch and dinner, we go for 4 dishes this time: Lamb skewer - good, lean, plenty; kidneys and mushrooms, comes with fries very tasty; tiger prawns in a rather odd yellow spicy sauce; and stuffed mushrooms, light stuffed with spinach, then deep-fried. With wine £63. A reliable place for a meal.
DE WAAG, Nieuw Markt, Amsterdam
Looking for somewhere to escape the drizzle, we fetch up at De Waag, an old guild building now converted to a restaurant amongst the market stalls. Relaxed service turns into slow service, as the waitress is dealing with a business group in the back room. Pork croquettes in a bun seem popular but look very heavy. I just go for the burger and chips - good thick burger, lean and tasty. B has the smoked salmon salad -big fillet of salmon, with a huge and interesting salad. Certainly recommended for a quick lunch.
FISH AND GRILL/BAGATTI'S, South End Croydon
With time to kill on Bank Holiday Monday, we go back to Fish and Grill. Oh dear! Several of the set menu options are "off", and the table behind us are unable to order the surf and turf 50% off as they don't have any prawns. Another table complain they have been charged more for surf & turf, and are told that's because sirloin was substituted for rump - hardly their fault. So we give in and go next door to the Italian Bagatti's.
Starters come quickly - smoked salmon with crab parcels, and carpaccio of beef; both very good. Then we wait an age for our mains. Eventually I flag down a waiter and it's obvious the kitchen have forgotten our order despite it being not busy at all - we're not having a good day! When they do come they are piping hot - mine is "penne alla don" - ie with fillet steak and peppers - very good. B has seafood linguine - plenty of seafood.
Since drink has been taken, and we're fed up, B asks to speak to the manager. He duly comes over and apologises, and finally offers to take one main course off our bill - a good response eventually.
We visited Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Hart's venture in the new development overlooking St Paul's with 4 friends and ex-colleagues. The 6 of us normally meet at a Strada, so this was a bit of an adventure. Walking in, my heart sank - the noise was staggering. The chefs were shouting from the open kitchen, music was playing loudly and the place was pretty full (at 1.15pm). We joined J&C at the table and soon the others arrived too. But it was a large square table with banquettes, and we had to sit on three sides - with all the noise it was almost impossible to have a proper conversation across the table. The view of St Paul's is super, but it's not the reason we were there.
The menu presents a very carnivorous main course selection, on the pricey side too. So we agreed to share 2 calamari and 2 seabass ceviche starters between the 6 of us. The calamari was uninteresting (and quite small), while the ceviche was OK, but even smaller.
Gradually the place thinned out as the work groups drifted away. Mainly work "treat" events it seemed. Fortunately that made it quieter too, as also there were fewer orders shouted from the kitchen.
For main course I had the "Pit beef" with beans (sort of like refried) and chips (in a tin!) This was a very rich piece of meat obviously cooked for a long time, with a sort of BBQ sauce - pretty good at £16.
With 5 bottles of quite expensive wine between us, this all came to £136 per couple. Rather more than we would normally pay, good without being special.
LE CHATEAU, near Lloyd Park, Croydon
Taken out by our neighbours to celebrate their wedding anniversary, we go to their favourite place (used to be called Chateau Napoleon). It's rather heavy on the formality for our liking, but the place does have some class. We started with a glass of champagne (on special offer, so it had to be done) while ordering in the bar. I'm still not feeling that good, so I have the asparagus hollandaise to start. Large asparagus so I'm guessing they weren't English, but tasty enough.
For main course I go for the lemon sole on the grounds it will be light. But it is a very big portion of about 5 fillets of sole, in quite a rich sauce. Again OK, but not great. To keep K company I have the brandy snap with chocolate mousse for dessert - that was good.
Don't know how much it was, but it won't have been cheap.
ZORNA'S, Purley
Our local Indian, Zorna's has had its ups and downs, but has returned to being our favourite ahead of Zaal in the High Street. So one evening was a quick flit in place of cooking: chicken dhansak, prawn kalia, aubergine and pilau rice. Good tasty chicken, spicy prawns, aubergine a bit dull. Service as always prompt and fine, even though the boss wasn't in evidence. £50 including wine.
LAS FUENTES, High St, Purley
Back to our local tapas (see April Overview (1), http://chompersofpurley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/april-overview-1.html) for a meal before our flight early the following morning. As this is lunch and dinner, we go for 4 dishes this time: Lamb skewer - good, lean, plenty; kidneys and mushrooms, comes with fries very tasty; tiger prawns in a rather odd yellow spicy sauce; and stuffed mushrooms, light stuffed with spinach, then deep-fried. With wine £63. A reliable place for a meal.
DE WAAG, Nieuw Markt, Amsterdam
Looking for somewhere to escape the drizzle, we fetch up at De Waag, an old guild building now converted to a restaurant amongst the market stalls. Relaxed service turns into slow service, as the waitress is dealing with a business group in the back room. Pork croquettes in a bun seem popular but look very heavy. I just go for the burger and chips - good thick burger, lean and tasty. B has the smoked salmon salad -big fillet of salmon, with a huge and interesting salad. Certainly recommended for a quick lunch.
FISH AND GRILL/BAGATTI'S, South End Croydon
With time to kill on Bank Holiday Monday, we go back to Fish and Grill. Oh dear! Several of the set menu options are "off", and the table behind us are unable to order the surf and turf 50% off as they don't have any prawns. Another table complain they have been charged more for surf & turf, and are told that's because sirloin was substituted for rump - hardly their fault. So we give in and go next door to the Italian Bagatti's.
Starters come quickly - smoked salmon with crab parcels, and carpaccio of beef; both very good. Then we wait an age for our mains. Eventually I flag down a waiter and it's obvious the kitchen have forgotten our order despite it being not busy at all - we're not having a good day! When they do come they are piping hot - mine is "penne alla don" - ie with fillet steak and peppers - very good. B has seafood linguine - plenty of seafood.
Since drink has been taken, and we're fed up, B asks to speak to the manager. He duly comes over and apologises, and finally offers to take one main course off our bill - a good response eventually.
April overview (3)
Final instalment of update on April:
BLACK AND BLUE, Borough Market
After wine-tasting at Vinopolis, we decided we needed somewhere with substantial meat for lunch, so Black and Blue fitted the bill. It was a sunny afternoon and the place was pretty full, but there was no trouble finding a table.
The waitresses were rather humourless, probably having been busy all lunch. I started with the foie gras pate and toast - a smallish but tasty portion. And we shared a Cote de Boeuf for main course. This was an excellently cooked piece of beef, which tasted super and was so melt in the mouth. Again with chips in a tin! After lunch we did manage to find a seat outside in the sun to finish our wine - a very pleasant afternoon! £110 for 2, so not cheap.
FISH AND GRILL, South End, Croydon
With H again we went to Malcolm John's restaurant on South End, not least because of the 25% off food voucher we'd collected from the South Croydon food festival. You can download this offer all through the summer. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too good, so my judgment is flaky. I had the crab mayonnaise to start - a small portion but tasty, of both white meat and brown meat. My main course sirloin, chosen because it was 250g rather than the 350g rump, rather defeated. There was a lot of fat (easy to cut away), and gristle (less so). But they were fine with giving me a "doggy bag", and I was assured the next day that the meat did taste good. £160 for 3.
THE PHOENIX, Victoria
After the Sunday Times wine tasting, we departed from tradition and instead of a dim sum, went to the Phoenix, one of a new Geronimo chain of gastropubs. It was pretty full, and we were asked to move from the table we'd bagged because it was reserved. Interesting Saturday lunchtime demographic - mainly young locals it seemed - so quite a chummy atmosphere for a central London pub.
H had Eggs Benedict to start and I had chilli squid. The EB was huge - a main course in itself; the squid, not very chilli, but not rubbery either. For main B had strips of duck (small portion but good), H had a burger (excellent flavour, little fat - she shared it round as she was too full) and I had pork chop, also a sizeable portion, with some excellent crackling. Good value place for hungry people.
LE TERROIR, Charing Cross
Needing sustenance after the Lucian Freud exhibition, we tried Le Terroir. It has an unusual menu, of mainly small dishes, with just a couple of full meals. Fairly full, so we were lucky to get a seat by the window - inside it's a bit dark. We ordered and nibbled the very nice bread, waiting a bit for our wine. After a bit, B's steak tartare arrived, but there was no sign of my dish. At least her meal wasn't getting cold. It seemed an age before my grilled sardines with sultanas and pine nuts and (supposedly) capers arrived. An unusual combination, it was rather sweet and needed more than the one caper it came with. £55 for a snack lunch (one bottle) is maybe a bit steep, but it is an interesting place.
BLACK AND BLUE, Borough Market
After wine-tasting at Vinopolis, we decided we needed somewhere with substantial meat for lunch, so Black and Blue fitted the bill. It was a sunny afternoon and the place was pretty full, but there was no trouble finding a table.
The waitresses were rather humourless, probably having been busy all lunch. I started with the foie gras pate and toast - a smallish but tasty portion. And we shared a Cote de Boeuf for main course. This was an excellently cooked piece of beef, which tasted super and was so melt in the mouth. Again with chips in a tin! After lunch we did manage to find a seat outside in the sun to finish our wine - a very pleasant afternoon! £110 for 2, so not cheap.
FISH AND GRILL, South End, Croydon
With H again we went to Malcolm John's restaurant on South End, not least because of the 25% off food voucher we'd collected from the South Croydon food festival. You can download this offer all through the summer. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too good, so my judgment is flaky. I had the crab mayonnaise to start - a small portion but tasty, of both white meat and brown meat. My main course sirloin, chosen because it was 250g rather than the 350g rump, rather defeated. There was a lot of fat (easy to cut away), and gristle (less so). But they were fine with giving me a "doggy bag", and I was assured the next day that the meat did taste good. £160 for 3.
THE PHOENIX, Victoria
After the Sunday Times wine tasting, we departed from tradition and instead of a dim sum, went to the Phoenix, one of a new Geronimo chain of gastropubs. It was pretty full, and we were asked to move from the table we'd bagged because it was reserved. Interesting Saturday lunchtime demographic - mainly young locals it seemed - so quite a chummy atmosphere for a central London pub.
H had Eggs Benedict to start and I had chilli squid. The EB was huge - a main course in itself; the squid, not very chilli, but not rubbery either. For main B had strips of duck (small portion but good), H had a burger (excellent flavour, little fat - she shared it round as she was too full) and I had pork chop, also a sizeable portion, with some excellent crackling. Good value place for hungry people.
LE TERROIR, Charing Cross
Needing sustenance after the Lucian Freud exhibition, we tried Le Terroir. It has an unusual menu, of mainly small dishes, with just a couple of full meals. Fairly full, so we were lucky to get a seat by the window - inside it's a bit dark. We ordered and nibbled the very nice bread, waiting a bit for our wine. After a bit, B's steak tartare arrived, but there was no sign of my dish. At least her meal wasn't getting cold. It seemed an age before my grilled sardines with sultanas and pine nuts and (supposedly) capers arrived. An unusual combination, it was rather sweet and needed more than the one caper it came with. £55 for a snack lunch (one bottle) is maybe a bit steep, but it is an interesting place.
April overview (2)
Continuing the catch-up on April's venues:
WHITE HART, Chipstead
The White Hart is a warm and welcoming pub with a nice line in good food, across the road from Chipstead rugby pitches. The link to the game is reflected in several photos around the place, though some go back a bit. The pub has a friendly bar, with wood fire and board games available, and also a more formal dining area, though the menu is the same for both.
Many of the dishes are pub standards, but there are some more interesting ones too. Some of their ingredients (eg sausages) come from nearby Shabden Farm. I had the black pudding with poached egg and mustard mash to start - not too much fat in the pudding, and enough mustard in the mash. Followed this with steak, ale and mushroom pie and chips - good chips, plenty of good meat in the pie. Bottles of Viognier are not cheap, and the total of £115 for 3 was perhaps more than you'd expect for this sort of food (the other two both had burgers for main). Still it's a reliable option, particularly on a nice day.
YORK AND ALBANY, Camden/Regent's Park
One of Gordon Ramsay's chain, this is a boutique hotel and restaurant. Five of us were there for breakfast after seeing our young friend into London Zoo as "Keeper for the Day". We started, natch, with Buck's Fizz, which came with some extra pink ingredient, making it look more like a Tequila Sunrise.
Other diners split into two groups - those staying at the hotel, and those meeting on business. If you were the latter with places to go, people to see, the slow service might well have teed you off. Fortunately, we weren't in a hurry, so lingered over coffee and tea until our food eventually arrived. Three of us had the Eggs Benedict, and two the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. It was at least worth waiting for - good ham, properly cooked eggs, nice base. Don't know what it cost, as H paid, but it wasn't cheap.
MASALA ZONE, Camden
After the zoo, we went to Masala Zone, partly because we we'd enjoyed the one in Covent Garden which is decorated extravagantly with marionettes hanging from the ceiling. The theme at the Camden branch is Indian advertising posters - a fascinating range of weird and wonderful designs for teas and many other things. But is was rather quiet (once a large group of young people went downstairs)and rather lacking in atmosphere.
We each had a starter and main, but it wasn't the usual sharing arrangement for an Indian meal. I had "dhapa puri" (I think) - these vegetarian bites are intended tp be eatan whole, and are a nice combination of crunchiness, sweetness and tamarind bite. I followed this with mutton rogan josh and rice, and we shared a dhal and spinach. The mutton was a little on the tough side, though fairly tasty. Overall not a great meal - but fair enough at £180 between 6, with 3 bottles of Malbec (the lhassi looked good).
BRASSERIE VACHERIN, Sutton
Close to Sutton railway station, this is one of Malcolm John's growing chain of impressive restaurants. We visited late one lunchtime, and were the only ones in the large back room, with its array of mirrors and line-drawing of a French town. At least the mirrors made it seem as if there were other people in - even if they were wearing the same as us!
A dish of excellent French bread arrived quickly, with the wine. I had the Jambon Persille (ham terrine) with onion marmalade, served on very thin toast and with some gherkins. This was a good coarse terrine with plenty of flavour. B had prawns with garlic mayonnaise -virtually a whole pint of prawns, good and firm with plenty of flavour. Main course for me was roast guinea fowl with mash, asparagus though I treated myself to some nice chips (in modern classic tin) as well. Guinea fowl was a little dry, but OK. B had the fish pie which was good and hot and full of fish. With a bottle of Viognier (£23) and two glasses, this came to a very reasonable £84.
WHITE HART, Chipstead
The White Hart is a warm and welcoming pub with a nice line in good food, across the road from Chipstead rugby pitches. The link to the game is reflected in several photos around the place, though some go back a bit. The pub has a friendly bar, with wood fire and board games available, and also a more formal dining area, though the menu is the same for both.
Many of the dishes are pub standards, but there are some more interesting ones too. Some of their ingredients (eg sausages) come from nearby Shabden Farm. I had the black pudding with poached egg and mustard mash to start - not too much fat in the pudding, and enough mustard in the mash. Followed this with steak, ale and mushroom pie and chips - good chips, plenty of good meat in the pie. Bottles of Viognier are not cheap, and the total of £115 for 3 was perhaps more than you'd expect for this sort of food (the other two both had burgers for main). Still it's a reliable option, particularly on a nice day.
YORK AND ALBANY, Camden/Regent's Park
One of Gordon Ramsay's chain, this is a boutique hotel and restaurant. Five of us were there for breakfast after seeing our young friend into London Zoo as "Keeper for the Day". We started, natch, with Buck's Fizz, which came with some extra pink ingredient, making it look more like a Tequila Sunrise.
Other diners split into two groups - those staying at the hotel, and those meeting on business. If you were the latter with places to go, people to see, the slow service might well have teed you off. Fortunately, we weren't in a hurry, so lingered over coffee and tea until our food eventually arrived. Three of us had the Eggs Benedict, and two the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. It was at least worth waiting for - good ham, properly cooked eggs, nice base. Don't know what it cost, as H paid, but it wasn't cheap.
MASALA ZONE, Camden
After the zoo, we went to Masala Zone, partly because we we'd enjoyed the one in Covent Garden which is decorated extravagantly with marionettes hanging from the ceiling. The theme at the Camden branch is Indian advertising posters - a fascinating range of weird and wonderful designs for teas and many other things. But is was rather quiet (once a large group of young people went downstairs)and rather lacking in atmosphere.
We each had a starter and main, but it wasn't the usual sharing arrangement for an Indian meal. I had "dhapa puri" (I think) - these vegetarian bites are intended tp be eatan whole, and are a nice combination of crunchiness, sweetness and tamarind bite. I followed this with mutton rogan josh and rice, and we shared a dhal and spinach. The mutton was a little on the tough side, though fairly tasty. Overall not a great meal - but fair enough at £180 between 6, with 3 bottles of Malbec (the lhassi looked good).
BRASSERIE VACHERIN, Sutton
Close to Sutton railway station, this is one of Malcolm John's growing chain of impressive restaurants. We visited late one lunchtime, and were the only ones in the large back room, with its array of mirrors and line-drawing of a French town. At least the mirrors made it seem as if there were other people in - even if they were wearing the same as us!
A dish of excellent French bread arrived quickly, with the wine. I had the Jambon Persille (ham terrine) with onion marmalade, served on very thin toast and with some gherkins. This was a good coarse terrine with plenty of flavour. B had prawns with garlic mayonnaise -virtually a whole pint of prawns, good and firm with plenty of flavour. Main course for me was roast guinea fowl with mash, asparagus though I treated myself to some nice chips (in modern classic tin) as well. Guinea fowl was a little dry, but OK. B had the fish pie which was good and hot and full of fish. With a bottle of Viognier (£23) and two glasses, this came to a very reasonable £84.
April overview (1)
Catching up on some of the places I visited last month:
LAS FUENTES, High St, Purley
Our local tapas bar - very well-frequented. The welcome is always excellent here, with enthusiastic and lively waiters keen to help. We're so predictable in our choice of wine (the house white Rioja) that they are often ready to bring a bottle as soon as we've walked in the door - "quick wine" is what we like!
No sign of Gio, the proprietor, this time. He's still a keen cyclist, doing charity rides to Paris even though he's getting on a bit now. Used to have an eye for the ladies, though I've not seen him do that recently. The style of the place is classic Spanish tiling, with splendidly stocked bar.
Their speciality here is the skewers - lamb, beef, chicken or fish. This time we have the lamb - a good solid selection of nicely cooked meat, hanging over a plate of fried polenta. From their "specials" board (which doesn't change that much), we also have scallops and chorizo (comes with too many potatoes for my liking, but the chorizo is very good) and a relatively new addition, piquillo peppers stuffed with crabmeat. This is starting to become one of our regular choices.
Portions are always good, so 3 dishes between 2 works well enough. Good value as well - lunch usually works out around £50-£60 including plenty of wine.
It gets busy in the evenings, especially weekends. Also has a restaurant section with more formal meals.
WAGAMAMA Park Road Croydon
We're only recent converts to Wagamama, having struggled to find a suitable mix of dishes previously. We're also not that keen on the noodle dishes, so that rather limits things. The Croydon branch is much like the rest of the chain, with shared refectory tables and paper menus/placemats. On this visit it wasn't too busy, but if you're sitting near the back it can be claustrophobic here.
The food comes in the order it's ready, so that can be confusing. But this time it works OK. The spicy edmame beans are up first - good, but not as spicy as those at Dim T in Victoria. Next comes the duck gyoza (rolls) and the spicy squid. The gyoza is good and tasty, but the squid a bit of a disappointment - rather rubbery and no way spicy enough.
Mains come as hoped: beef and coriander salad and chicken tonburi(teriyaki) with a mound of boiled rice. Both good, the beef cooked well and the chicken covered in plenty of sauce. About £60 including wine, so pretty fair.
LE GARRICK WINE BAR Garrick St, Covent Garden
Meeting up with a group of friends for an annual memorial meal, at this cosy wine bar near Covent Garden. Downstairs has lots of nooks and crannies, and tables pretty close together - lovely wine bar atmosphere.
I had the calamari followed by magret de canard. Good service brought excellent French bread, and wines promptly. The calamari was good - sauteed in wine, tender and tasty. Magret de canard was correctly pink, with a fine red wine sauce and a few vegetables. A selection of chips from other people's dishes was also good - presented in the now predictable tin pots. The others all enjoyed their meals too - a very reliable place. Not cheap, as we had plenty of wine at around £20 a bottle, but fair enough to come away with £108 for 2.
AQUA South End, Croydon
It's the South Croydon Food Festival, so after wandering around looking at the stands, (surprisingly not buying anything), we fetch up at Aqua for a late lunch. Not surprisingly with all that's going on, it's pretty busy, and one room seems to have been taken over by a large group.
So to simplify things we order the mezze, while our friend H orders a mixed fish platter. The mezze is pretty impressive - first the dips, hummus, tara, tsatsiki, with plenty of pitta bread. Followed by the fish course: calamari and whitebait, both in batter - OK. Then a selection of keftedes (good and herby), dolmades, crumbly spinach pie, and tomato and halloumi. Finally comes the chicken and lamb souvlaki - a little dull, needed an enlivening chilli sauce. So a pretty filling experience overall.
Rashly we finish off with Metaxas. Outside of Greece this is rarely a good idea, and though we checked the number of stars ("25", said the waiter), the caramel flavour comes through really strongly. Not to mention the feeling the following morning!
£90 for two with lots of wine, was a pretty good result.
LAS FUENTES, High St, Purley
Our local tapas bar - very well-frequented. The welcome is always excellent here, with enthusiastic and lively waiters keen to help. We're so predictable in our choice of wine (the house white Rioja) that they are often ready to bring a bottle as soon as we've walked in the door - "quick wine" is what we like!
No sign of Gio, the proprietor, this time. He's still a keen cyclist, doing charity rides to Paris even though he's getting on a bit now. Used to have an eye for the ladies, though I've not seen him do that recently. The style of the place is classic Spanish tiling, with splendidly stocked bar.
Their speciality here is the skewers - lamb, beef, chicken or fish. This time we have the lamb - a good solid selection of nicely cooked meat, hanging over a plate of fried polenta. From their "specials" board (which doesn't change that much), we also have scallops and chorizo (comes with too many potatoes for my liking, but the chorizo is very good) and a relatively new addition, piquillo peppers stuffed with crabmeat. This is starting to become one of our regular choices.
Portions are always good, so 3 dishes between 2 works well enough. Good value as well - lunch usually works out around £50-£60 including plenty of wine.
It gets busy in the evenings, especially weekends. Also has a restaurant section with more formal meals.
WAGAMAMA Park Road Croydon
We're only recent converts to Wagamama, having struggled to find a suitable mix of dishes previously. We're also not that keen on the noodle dishes, so that rather limits things. The Croydon branch is much like the rest of the chain, with shared refectory tables and paper menus/placemats. On this visit it wasn't too busy, but if you're sitting near the back it can be claustrophobic here.
The food comes in the order it's ready, so that can be confusing. But this time it works OK. The spicy edmame beans are up first - good, but not as spicy as those at Dim T in Victoria. Next comes the duck gyoza (rolls) and the spicy squid. The gyoza is good and tasty, but the squid a bit of a disappointment - rather rubbery and no way spicy enough.
Mains come as hoped: beef and coriander salad and chicken tonburi(teriyaki) with a mound of boiled rice. Both good, the beef cooked well and the chicken covered in plenty of sauce. About £60 including wine, so pretty fair.
LE GARRICK WINE BAR Garrick St, Covent Garden
Meeting up with a group of friends for an annual memorial meal, at this cosy wine bar near Covent Garden. Downstairs has lots of nooks and crannies, and tables pretty close together - lovely wine bar atmosphere.
I had the calamari followed by magret de canard. Good service brought excellent French bread, and wines promptly. The calamari was good - sauteed in wine, tender and tasty. Magret de canard was correctly pink, with a fine red wine sauce and a few vegetables. A selection of chips from other people's dishes was also good - presented in the now predictable tin pots. The others all enjoyed their meals too - a very reliable place. Not cheap, as we had plenty of wine at around £20 a bottle, but fair enough to come away with £108 for 2.
AQUA South End, Croydon
It's the South Croydon Food Festival, so after wandering around looking at the stands, (surprisingly not buying anything), we fetch up at Aqua for a late lunch. Not surprisingly with all that's going on, it's pretty busy, and one room seems to have been taken over by a large group.
So to simplify things we order the mezze, while our friend H orders a mixed fish platter. The mezze is pretty impressive - first the dips, hummus, tara, tsatsiki, with plenty of pitta bread. Followed by the fish course: calamari and whitebait, both in batter - OK. Then a selection of keftedes (good and herby), dolmades, crumbly spinach pie, and tomato and halloumi. Finally comes the chicken and lamb souvlaki - a little dull, needed an enlivening chilli sauce. So a pretty filling experience overall.
Rashly we finish off with Metaxas. Outside of Greece this is rarely a good idea, and though we checked the number of stars ("25", said the waiter), the caramel flavour comes through really strongly. Not to mention the feeling the following morning!
£90 for two with lots of wine, was a pretty good result.
About this blog
This blog is a selection of views about restaurants I've visited - in Purley, Croydon, London and beyond. Any comments welcome.
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