I’ve got behind on my Chompers blog recently so here is a
quick catch-up. Sadly some of the details have now faded in my (fading) memory.
The Old Spot, Wells: Our friend H lives in Wells, so when it came
up in “1000 places to eat before you die”, we thought it was too good a thing
to miss. With T&K we venture down to Somerset and head off out to the
restaurant. After a quick drink in a pub
which used to be a prison, we head round to the restaurant.
The back garden is beautifully positioned with an excellent
view of the Cathedral, but from inside there is practically none. The main feature though, is a particularly
grumpy Head of House, who clearly wishes she was somewhere else. Service is slow and offhand, and we are
unable to get a second bottle of Pinotage, going for a Malbec instead.
Which is a shame, because the food itself is not half
bad. Starters included a salmon roulade,
feta salad, pork terrine and a salad. From the main menu two of us have the
duck breast and three the lamb with hummus.
We also share a cheese plate.
At £205 (3 bottles of wine) it’s
pretty good value, except that the service has left a very sour taste.
Percy and Founders opened up on the site of the old Middlesex
Hospital, off Mortimer Street , so is a convenient location from Oxford
Street. Six of us descend one lunchtime.
It’s quite a large place, so they concentrate the few diners into one section
of the restaurant, with a window through to the beautiful décor of the old
hospital chapel.
Starters include a tuna tartare, “heritage” tomato and
goat’s cheese and for me the speciality crab and lobster scotch egg
(£12.50). Coincidentally (or perhaps
because of a limited menu), 3 of us order chicken salad, and 3 crab linguine –
the latter is very good. We also have
desserts – crepe, ice cream and a stunning peanut butter parfait.
With three bottles of wine - Picpoul
@ £23 and Poivre d’Ane @ £28 (we had two tee-totallers) and service,
this comes to £260.
I’ve reviewed Chez
Bruce before,
but this is the first time I’ve been there with B – plus M&G and C. Again there is the calm smooth service that
makes you feel so relaxed, though this time perhaps a little jollier – maybe in
response to a group rather than a couple.
I’m afraid I don’t recall the details of our meals – the
bill simply records two 3 course lunches and three 2 course ones, plus a John
Dory supplement (B). It also records 3 apple and elderflower G&T’s, a
strawberry bellini, 3 bottles of Viognier, a half carafe of house red and a
glass of muscat ! Not surprisingly
perhaps I do recall a feeling of warm contentment!
The set meals are such good
value at lunchtime (£29.50 for three courses, £24.50 for two), so a total of
£335 for 5 (£67 a head) seems very reasonable.
Do go.
One of the extra benefits of Chez Bruce is a special offer
of half price meals at its sister restaurant, the Glasshouse in Kew, also
Michelin starred. So B and I take
ourselves off there a few weeks later.
Rather more beige than the Wandsworth place, the Glasshouse still has a good relaxed feel.
It’s surprisingly busy for a mid-week lunch, but the service remains unruffled.
Again my memory of the dishes
has faded. The half-price £12.25 for 2 courses, £14.75 for three, though,
clearly can’t be beaten. We have kirs to start, a bottle of white at £29
(that’s the challenge with offers like this) and two glasses of red to go with
the cheese course, so the bill, with service, comes to £115.
I’ve also reviewed Babur
Brasserie at Honor Oak Park before.
A bit off the beaten track, but “worth the detour”. Six of us again arrive for their annual
birthday event, to sample both their special menu and a very wide-ranging
standard one.
Our starters included crab idli, cod cheeks, scallops, and
some fiery goat patties. Mains included
special butter fish, goat curry, lamb back strap and (for me) Kalaunji prawns,
which sadly were rather dry. Sides of
spinach, daal, and aurbergine were excellent.
But overall a good meal.
With four bottles of wine (Viognier and Carmenere), Cobra
and coffee, we got up to £300 before service.
One of the best value up-market Indians around.
