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
30th, 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.
