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.