Catching up since July

I’ve been a bit remiss these last months, but here is a quick summary of places visited in the second half of the year. I no longer have all the details of what everyone had, and not all the prices, but I still have the memories!

India Club, Strand:  threatened with closure because of re-development, this throw-back to the 60s/70s was granted a reprieve. It used to be a traditional haunt of our Varsity match group, so we went along to celebrate. The room is basic – though the tables are no longer secured to the floor.  Drinks are obtained from the bar on the floor below – don’t expect anything beyond a Kingfisher or gin. Starters are standards – samosa, onion bhaji, plus a remarkably dangerous chilli bhaji. Mains are also fairly standard - lamb, butter chicken, dhal, aloo sag - but with good portions of rice and breads.  At £30 a head, it’s great fun.

Mar I Terra describes itself as “contemporary Spanish tapas”.  We’ve been before in the evening, but on this lunchtime visit after the Picasso exhibition at the Tate, we sit outside in the garden which is very pleasant.  Chilli prawns, crab-stuffed peppers, chicken livers, chorizo and morcilla with beans, chick peas are all good. Bill (with probably two bottles) comes to £92. Excellent – definitely recommend it if you are in the area. On a second visit in the early evening a couple of months later we have garlic prawns, sardines, chicken livers, beef, beans and jambon, chick peas (£75).

Guiseppe’s in Borough High Street has become B’s “go-to” restaurant. We went just the two of us first to research it, then as a group of 6, and then B went again with 4 other ex-colleagues. It’s as  clichéd as an Italian can be, short of candles in Chianti bottles. There are specials on the blackboard and all the traditional dishes you can remember.  Starters have included bresaola, scallops, prawns, calamari. Mains, spaghetti “My Way” (under a photo of Frank), veal Holstein, chicken Milanese with penne arrabiatta.  Good choice of Italian wines; generally around £50-£70 a head. Fine, convenient, but not sophisticated.

Ivy Market Grill . There are loads of Ivy spin-off places now, some of which have had unflatteringly reviews, but I think this in Covent Garden may have been the first one when the original restaurant closed for refurbishment for a while.  We went one lunchtime with S&L, and were sat next to Nicholas Lyndhurst (though he did ask to be moved!).  I had steak tartare followed by sea bass fillets and the bill came to £105 for the two of us. A very good experience. B went back again and that was good too.

Babur Brasserie I have reviewed before, but it remains worth the visit to Honor Oak Park.  Regional dishes feature strongly – this is no ordinary curry house. My meal this time was prawns and gourd to start followed by rabbit. At £106 for two this is good value.

The Oxo Tower Brasserie is a good place for a celebration. This time it was J’s 30^th, and there were 16 of us, on two tables of 8 with good river views. It’s not cheap though, and the wine does make the bill mount up. I had grilled crispy squid followed by chicken breast in a herb sauce and a tart.

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, Wimbledon has rather less charm than its Covent Garden sister, the room being bigger and more open, with several refectory style tables, but has the same interesting menu and would be a nice reliable place to have on your doorstep. After the usual spicy edamame beans, we had beef tataki, crab croquettes, crudities and miso. Then shrimp rolls, crispy chicken rolls, duck breast and scallop and bacon sticks. With two bottles this is good value for £109

Chez Bruce:   I’ve reported on it several times, but it is still a reliable favourite for a good lunch. The parmesan crisps are still gorgeous and the atmosphere and service top-class. This time I had fishcakes with boquerones, followed by calf’s liver and then a caramel crisp. The set lunch price means this comes to £150 with a good amount of wine (though you have to hunt through the wine list to keep the cost down).

A Wong in Victoria has been around for a while, but though we’ve tried a couple of times we’ve not been able to get into this Michelin starred Chinese. So with S&L we book one evening and take on the challenging menu. It’s hard to decide how much to order, and I think in the end we were a bit conservative  for 4 Choices between us were prawn cracker, crab and prawn fritter;  duck and pancakes, lamb slider; kung pao chicken with peanuts, waygu beef, pork belly, “gold fish” dumplings, abalone, rice. £150 for two with not a lot of wine. Not yet convinced, but worth another try.

Our local tapas bar has been closed for refurbishment, but its sister, Las Fuentes in Selsdon was P&M’s choice for a birthday celebration for around 16 people. B and I had wild boar skewer, kidneys, chorizo, gambas pil pil and mussels. As good as the Purley version, with similar ambience.

After wine tasting we need something to soak up the alcohol, so twice in quick succession we go with T&K to Dim T in Victoria.  Each time we begin with beef wontons, chicken gyoza, edamame beans and various dim sum. The first time we go round again on the dim sum, but on the second visit we move on to firecracker prawns, special chicken stir-fry, chilli beef, pad thai, and Singapore noodles. It’s a big place, so generally no need to book. Coincidentally it cost £80 each time.

My colleagues organise a “round the world” series of lunches and this time we are in Jamaica at Cotton’s, Curtain Rd.   It’s a fairly basic place (though another outlet in Vauxhall is rather smarter) and being a “rum shack” does a good line in cocktails. I have the trio of vegetarian fritters followed by a lunchtime special of oxtail and bean stew with boiled rice. With one cocktail and a modest amount of wine my bill was £25.

Imperial China in Chinatown has become a regular dim sum place. After a wine tasting over in the City, we fetch up and order soft-shell crab followed by steamed king prawns, fillet beef and Singapore noodles. All for £100.

Masala Zone, Covent Garden  is another good place for a celebration, with lots of space and side rooms,  so we fetch up there for our housemate Christmas gathering. The Rajasthani  puppets dangling from the ceiling give it a great atmosphere, and despite the time of year we get good service too. There are 12 of us – any more and you have to have the set menu, but we are allowed to order individually. I have Delhi samosa, followed by Coondapur Duck, black dhal, spinach and steamed rice. With a good amount of wine this is £100 for two.  It would be interesting to try as a couple.

 

Ottolenghi-like modern Turkish

We’re meeting S&L again, so that means cocktails to start. We’re going to Kyseri, a “modern Turkish” place in Grafton Way that B has seen reviewed, so a bit of research turns up Simmons in Maple Street nearby. Its USP is that it serves cocktails in teapots!  We’re there first when it is quite empty, but it fills up quickly with lots of reserved tables. We’re there in 2-4-1 happy hour so begin with mojitos each; L arrives and has something very strange, then S has a strawberry one. For our teapot we naturally have long-island iced tea!

 

It’s then just a short walk to Kyseri. Another small café-like place which gets very full, but with a counter for walk-ins. We have a nice table in the corner. The Ottolenghi-sounding menu is a little confusing – it’s hard to know what is what – but the waitress talks us through it well enough.

So we start off with just two sumac breads (one piece each) and a very interesting sheep’s milk feta dish that comes with candied watermelon and something else that has a bit of a kick to it. 

The second course is a sort of beef ravioli (beef and sour cherry manti), and a pasta (erişte) with egg yolk.  Both full of flavour – and a pretty good size.  More recognisable main courses follow: lamb rack, rice stuffed courgette flowers (çiçek dolmasi),  and seared tuna, accompanied by a salad and potato gratin. Lots of strong and interesting tastes, quite spicy too.

Desserts are delicious too – creamy and chocolatey.  L paid, so I don’t know the cost, but I’d imagine about £70 a head.

(Back in July!)

Blind date Japanese

We’ve been reading the “Blind Date” column in the Graun again, and although the couple decided not to meet again, one did want to go back to the restaurant!  Jidori, near Covent Garden – there’s one in Kingsland Road too.   Apart from the karaoke evenings (which I’m pleased to say we avoided), this Japanese place’s claim to fame is that it showcases the whole chicken.

For a moment it seems like they only do beer and sake, but we do find a wine list and get the house white at £21.  The menu also looks a little complicated so we opt for the set meal, “Omakase”, at £30 a head – 13 dishes with pickles and two desserts.

It’s not all chicken. The first three dishes are a tuna sashimi, grilled peas (interesting) and mushrooms. Then, with the pickles we have chicken thighs and onions and minced chicken with egg yolk.  Followed by spicy chicken wings and the remarkable heart and bacon. Plus chicken livers and four dishes I can’t recall (the translations from the Japanese include scissors, peach and leather!!!).   All really good, including the heart, which I guess we wouldn’t have chosen ourselves.  Dessert is coconut water sorbet, which seems a little dull after all that excitement. 

Just up from Lion King, the place is pretty small, more like a café, though there is an upstairs we didn’t see. Service is very good and friendly, explaining the dishes well. Total with a second bottle comes straightforwardly to £102 – plus 12.5%.  Interesting experience, well worth a try, but not somewhere I’d rush back to.

Fish near Piccadilly

After a bit of culture at the RA Summer Exhibition, we’re looking for lunch. It’s a lovely sunny day so we try Swallow Street, but our choice of Fishworks does mean we have to take a table inside. It’s pretty busy when we get there, but does thin out and become quite relaxing.

The wine selection includes several at under £30, so we go with the Pays D’Oc Viognier at £26.  We start by sharing the smoked fish plate: smoked salmon, smoked haddock croquettes and homemade smoked mackerel pate with oatcakes. Tasty but light on a warm day.

For main course, B goes for the whole crab.  It’s a whopper, nearly a kilo, served attractively on a bed of ice.  It’s a classic of its kind, with some largely unnecessary mayonnaise on the side.  And of course takes an age for her to work her way through.

My seared yellow fin tuna is more manageable. It’s coated in an interesting crust with watercress and soy dressing.  Excellent, though I need the bowl of chips while B finishes.

With a second bottle and some water, plus 12.5% service, the bill comes to £135.  Solid rather than special.

Long weekend in Hove

We’re staying with M&G in Hove for the Bank Holiday weekend. After an excellent meal cooked by M on the Friday, we go to Pike and Pine in St James St on the Saturday. This used to just be a coffee place, but it has gone upmarket into a modern English restaurant. It’s still fairly relaxed and casual with a big counter for several diners – though we have a table.

Our table isn’t ready when we arrive, so we sit outside for a bit with a bottle of “Duke of Marlborough” NZ Sauvignon Blanc at £34. At the table G also tries a glass of Toh! from Italy, which we follow up with a bottle (£36), then a bottle of Soli, a Bulgarian Pinot Noir (£34). There were cheaper options, SA False Bay chenin for example, but it was good to branch out for a change.

 From the “small plates for sharing” section we chose the duck leg with peanut butter, citrus cured halibut fishcake, and two crab mayonnaise.  An interesting combination of flavours.
 The menu is rather limited, with just five “larger plates” options. However, we did manage to select four different dishes: lamb shank with an intriguing walnut pesto; chicken breast with truffled leeks; poached trout, unusually paired with ox tongue; pork belly with roasted peppers. Supported by confit potato with caramel onions and gruyere, and buttered peas with spring onions. Top marks all round.
 
 G decided he’d have the rice pudding with tonka bean (nope, me neither), so to keep him company I went for the popcorn cheesecake – remarkable.


 With some coffee and water, this came to a very reasonable £240 for the four of us, despite the pricier wines. Then they added only 10% service, a pleasing change from the norm. Service had been helpful and friendly, and the place had a lively buzz – a good choice.
 Sunday lunchtime is lovely and sunny, so M&G direct us to a backstreet seafood restaurant where we can sit outside. In fact, The Urchin is a “shellfish and craft beer” pub, so G was in his element with a huge range to choose from – this time he had the Beavertown Neck Oil, while the rest of us went with the French Viognier at £20.


 The regular menu here is very short indeed: cockles and oysters, 4 starters and 3 mains.  But the highlight is a very innovative sounding range of specials on the blackboard.  My first choice starter from the specials was already “off” even though we were eating early, so I had a spicy beetroot spring roll instead, which was surprisingly good. Other choices were scallops with chive, ceviche and potted crab (off the regular menu).


 Although these were all fine, the highlight was the mains – and how they were presented. All came in big round metal pots with lids that opened up to be used to put discarded shells.  B and I had similar dishes – Malaysian prawns from the regular menu, and Goan prawns from the specials.  Both dishes were 6 large prawns in a rich spicy sauce over pulses – green or red lentils – and very messy!  M’s feijoada, also included 6 prawns with the beans and rice, while G had Thai mussels.  It was intriguing to note the different attitudes to peeling the prawns: M peeled all six at once, while I peeled and ate. Something about being prepared to accept deferred gratification for a cleaner result against my urge to be greedy!


 The dishes were all very filling, so we almost didn’t need the chips, and certainly didn’t need the two dishes of leaves. No room to test out desserts.


 It’s only a small place, so the outside area filled up quite quickly, and it’s informal so you order at the bar. The staff were efficient and friendly though, and teased us about completing the meal without getting messy splashes on our clothes!


 With three bottles of wine and some water, the bill came to £170 without service – excellent value.  Well worth seeking out, away from the main drag.

Cooper's, Lincoln's Inn

We’re meeting up with a group of four ex-colleagues, most of whom we don’t see that often.  Cooper’s, on the corner of Lincoln’s Inn has been chosen because it used to be a favourite lunchtime haunt of one of our number.   It’s a filthy day, so we’re glad to get in, be warmly welcomed, coats taken and settle into a table some distance from the door.  It’s not a very big place – 40 covers perhaps – and is fairly full at 1pm, so feels quite cosy.

As we wait for the final people to arrive, we order the house Sauvignon Blanc at £19 as suggested by the waitress. There was a house Viognier at £22, and a shortish, but interesting looking list – the SB was fine though.

The menu is predominantly English, with lots of appealing dishes, making the choice quite difficult.  In the end, B goes for the pheasant, grouse & wild mallard terrine. This is clearly home-made, as it is moist and irregular, tasting very gamey indeed. My oriental crispy duck salad is a largish portion, with tasty but slightly salty duck, interesting ginger and hoisin dressing on the leaves, and a few bamboo shoots. Other selections included scallops and black pudding (deemed excellent), bacon and pear salad, and goat’s cheese fritters.

Main portions are large. B has tiger prawns and scallops with cherry tomatoes and pasta, with a hint of chilli, and is very enjoyable.  My rolled pork belly with black pudding beignet comes without any carbs, but is too much for me to finish. The pork is well done, with a hint of crust, and the black pudding excellent.  The others had sea bass, duck breast, and calves liver.

The service has been very good – quick wine - friendly and available without interrupting. By the time we finish it is 3pm and the place has emptied out, and the way the table is being cleared implies we ought to leave, though it is open all afternoon Monday to Friday.

With 4 bottles plus sparkling water, the bill comes to £43 a head (including 12.5% service), which I’d say was very good value.

Return to the House of Ho

We’re meeting S and L again, and they like their cocktails. So we arrive at House of Ho, in Percy Street in time for happy “hour”, two for one cocktails from 5.30 to 7pm – we fall in with the doors.  We get through two rounds before heading down to the restaurant for dinner.  Only to be promptly told to go back up two floors!

Again, it’s one of those places where you can’t easily distinguish starters from mains – sorry, but I like a bit of structure – though we do crack it in the end.  We have some edamame beans and Vietnamese prawn crackers while choosing.

Up first we have popcorn shrimps, really tempting deep-fried little pieces, which B scoffs most of. The prawn summer roll in rice-paper wrap is good, the coriander leaves coming through. Crab and prawn wanton is a little more ordinary, and pulled pork slider doesn’t really work shared between four. 

Then “mains” do arrive.  My choice was the shaking beef, fillet with interesting spices, which is very tender as you’d expect.  S’s choice of green chicken curry is the largest portion, not too fiery but enough to make it good. L’s  king prawns with chilli and garlic comes, not as I expected stir-fried, but deep-fried  - but is nonetheless very good. B chooses the duck and watermelon salad, which is perhaps the best of the lot – light, fresh, tangy spice.  We also have noodles.

One bottle of wine (the other came down from the bar), takes the bill to a pretty modest £220.  Definitely a reliably good value venue.

CINNAMON KITCHEN, BATTERSEA

Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon empire has expanded again with a so-called “pop-up” restaurant in the new development at Battersea Power Station. It’s a little tricky to find, hidden under a railway arch, in the new developing up-market area.  A nearby shop has a huge range of posh foods, several of which I’d never heard of (chia seeds anyone?) and a fine wine selection that goes up to £2,000!  They must be expecting oligarchs to buy all the apartments – the one with 2 bedrooms at £2.4 million looks quite nice.


Cinnamon Kitchen is a mid-range offering, like the one in Devonshire Square.  We’re particularly attracted because there’s a 50% off food offer on until 2^nd April. So we round up P&M and head off there on a chilly Wednesday.

The restaurant is long and fairly narrow, and we get shown to a table down towards the far end, fairly close to the open kitchen. It is at least nice and warm in here! The welcome is warm and friendly too.  There are good few people in, for a mid-week lunch in the middle of nowhere.  The décor is a calming dark green, with industrial chic exposed pipework. It looks rather more substantial than the term “pop-up” suggests (in fact the website now describes the offer as a “soft launch”).

The wine list gets a little steep, but we find a Trebbiano/Chardonnay for £25 that is perfectly acceptable.  P&M both have draft Cobra.  We’re offered the lunch menu only, which seems a little limited.  I ask whether the a la carte is available, but no, only in the evening. But we are OK for the 50% off the lunch menu too.

The menu is divided into a “small plates” plus one course lunch, and a two/three course set lunch. P and B both order the tandoori chicken tikka, and spicy lamb curry off the two-course menu.  M has tandoori fruit cups off the “smalls” followed by honey ribs. I have  samosa chat and tandoori chicken korma.  P orders a tadka dhal, and B the black dhal – the waiter suggests a 3-dhal option (with chick peas), but they stick with their choices.  Also a garlic naan.

The starter tandoori tikkas are nicely moist meat with a subtle range of spice. M reckons her tandoori fruit is spicier, and my samosa chat is a riot of flavours with spicy chick peas. The spicy lamb curry isn’t that hot, but very tender and full of flavour. M’s ribs are excellent, gooey, with seeds on top, and falling off the bone. The one low note is my chicken korma, which is rather bland, though again the chicken itself was good. The dhals and naan are good too.

P is the only one to venture on to dessert - spicy bread and butter pudding. A modest size portion, very light with candied peel – not that spicy. Service has been very good, chatty when we wanted it. The main waiter is loan from Devonshire Square, and tells fun stories about not recognising Vivek when he was first there.  Total bill is just £115; the 50% food saving was £47, so even at full price this was exceptional value.  

January selection

M&S are over visiting as part of the Christmas festivities, and we’ve decided to go out to Obia, the smarter of our two fairly new local Italians. We invite K along as well. It describes itself as “Ristorante, Vinoteca, Bar”, but I think it’s unlikely you’d go in just for a drink, though there is an area with high stools.  There is a garden area too, where you can get snacks like arancini, but obviously we’re not going there on an early January evening.

It’s fairly busy when we get there at 7.30pm, with a couple of larger groups, as well as couples. Our table is near the main path through the restaurant, but as we are only 5, we can leave the most affected seat vacant.

The very friendly waiter/maitre d’ comes over and rattles off some of the specials, all of which sound nice. The menu is anyway pretty interesting.  I order the Soave at £19.50, though M has a Moretti on draught, and S a lime and soda.

Three of us have the grilled sardines and fennel off the specials list, while S has buffalo mozzarella. The sardines are very good, nicely marinated, and filleted.

For mains, between us, we have seabass fillets (specials), pan-fried cod with borlotti beans, lamb cutlets and I have pork belly; we also have zucchini fritti, steamed spinach and chips.  My pork belly portion is huge, and I’m not able to finish it, instead taking about half away. It was also a little on the dry side, making it harder to get through.  Others were very pleased with theirs, all with clean plates.

K orders the sorbet and gelati for dessert, and is offered the mince pie gelati as one of her three choices. It genuinely tasted of mince pie – very good. B has the semifreddo, which is covered in gooey toffee sauce and nuts – lovely.

The service has been very friendly and efficient throughout, despite it being quite busy. With a second bottle of Soave, the bill comes to £225 including service, pretty good value we felt. And the whole thing was rounded off with a complimentary glass of limoncello to send us away feeling very good about the place.

 

 

It’s B’s birthday, so first we do the cultural bit – Cezanne portraits at the NPG – and then on to lunch. She’s chosen a simple enough Thai place, actually from the same chain as we went to in Kingston: Busaba Eathai in Panton Street.

We finish the exhibition rather earlier than expected (it’s not that large), and so first repair

The Chandos in St Martin’s Lane. This Sam Smith’s pub has lots of character, with nice wood-panelled booths, and was surprisingly quiet for such a central location. And reasonably priced too.

Then off to lunch.  It’s pretty quiet in here too – there wasn’t really a need to book. The tables in the centre of the room are large (8-seater) sharing ones, but there are some 2’s and 3’s by the windows which is what we choose.

Service is attentive enough, and we have some edamame beans with our Viognier (French - £26) while we decide on the order. To start we have garlic and pepper chicken livers, which are excellent, and “son-in-law” eggs. These are boiled eggs with a coating and a little spice – fine, but not as interesting as they sounded.

Main courses are Asian salmon fillet – a nicely poached slab of fish with a spicy support – and jasmine beef rib – sturdy but comes away from the bone well. Supported by a “Som Tam” salad – seriously spicy.

With a couple of other glasses of wine and service  (JUST 10%!) the bill comes to a little over £100. The way prices go these days in central London that is probably fair, but at over £100 I start to feel the meal should be special, and this was only fine.

 

 

J&G are over from NZ, so we meet up for lunch with them and M&G at Mber in Pudding Lane. It describes itself as “Pan-Asian tapas”.  It’s down in a dark, seductive basement, with enormous metal stanchions. We have been a couple of times before, but after wine-tastings, so this is our first time sober!

We’re sat at a high table with stools in the middle of the restaurant. There are quite a few others in, but there’s no problem with the acoustics. The wine list shoots up pretty rapidly, but I do find a white Rioja at £35 which meets with approval – later we also have a Carignan red at £31.  The range of food choice is extensive, so with there being six of us, we decide to go for the set 6-dish lunch with a couple of add-ons.

First to arrive is the salmon salad – nicely smoked, poached salmon with cos lettuce and edamame beans.  Next the chorizo and prawn gyoza (ordered extra), which are lovely; and then the beef glass noodle salad, which was seriously spicy. These are followed by the satay chicken (vg), soft-shell crab tempura (also vg) and the cha sui pork doughnuts (nice pork but the doughnut is oddly sweet).  Finally the beef rendang curry with rice and pak choi.

That seems to have defeated most of us, but a couple of valiant souls move on to dessert. A Pannetone bread and butter pudding meets with G’s  approval; my peanut butter parfait also gets lots of takers.

In the end we have 4 bottles of the Rioja and 2 of the Carignan. That takes the bill, with 12.5% service, to over £500 for the 6 of us. Clearly, more abstemious people could have got away with less!  So very good value overall.

 

 

Meeting up with S and L, we head to The Escapologist near Seven Dials,  as the girls like to start the evening with a cocktail.  We’re there first and are surprised to find that it is 2-for-1 happy hour, even though it’s a Friday night. The place is busy, and it takes a while to take the order and bring our drinks, by which time S has arrived and can order hers. L arrives late, having got the time wrong, so just shares our drinks. Six cocktails for £35 is pretty good!

Then we’re off to Cinnamon Bazaar: in Maiden Lane. Last time we went the food was excellent, but the service shambolic, so we’re hoping for better this time.  The place is busy and buzzy, but we get help with ordering and our wine (white Rioja at £38 – the prices do go up quickly) quite quickly, so things are looking up.

For starters we share a crab bonda, watermelon chaat, dahi bhala chaat (lentil dumplings) and crisp whitebait. We’d had the crab (with beetroot) before, but today it seemed rather heavy. The watermelon was both refreshing and spicy. Lentil dumplings were also heavy, but the whitebait were indeed crisp with a good spicy powdered covering.

 Mains are served reasonably promptly despite the full house. We have Tandoori lamb fillet, pork belly with curried yoghurt, Tandoori king prawns, and haddock curry. The lamb was tender and the pork interesting, but the king prawns (though large) were rather ordinary, and the haddock curry not impressive. We had tried to order rice, but the dishes came with some, so we just had a garlic naan and a black dhal in support.

We share a couple of desserts – an excellent kulfi on a stick and chocolate golis, four different flavoured truffles, of which the dark chocolate with chilli was by far the best.

Service was much better than before: timely, cheerful and helpful – clearly the A-Team on tonight. With three bottles of wine the bill comes to a bit over £250 without tip - we left £30. £70 a head is perhaps a bit on the expensive side (to an extent due to the wine), as this time the food wasn’t stand out excellent, just good.