helen b's Profile
Chef & Food Critic from Hawaii to visit London... feed me!
If you want cheffy ideas, then lunch in some of the top names is a relative bargain - have a look on here for the Ledbury, Launceston Place, Pollen St Social, even Le Gavroche does a VFM set lunch including wine. Other interesting places would include Roganic, Viajante, Trinity, Medlar, Texture, Indian Zing, you need one of the gastropubs so Harwood Arms/Bull&Last, Anchor&Hope, fish and chips so Masters in Waterloo, great tapas joints now, try Barrafina or Saltyard, and Italian style too (try Polpo/Polpetto/Da Polpo/Spuntino)...good Szechuan scene (search for anything by Limster on here, and he and PJ26 and JFores are all great on brilliant holes in the wall - also Greedygirl on Brixton).
So, guess am saying, do a bit of research, and then maybe come back to us with a list and we can advise?
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Launceston Place
1 Launceston Pl, Kensington, Greater London W8 5, GB
Barrafina
54 Frith St, London, Greater London W1D 3, GB
Le Gavroche
43 Upper Brook St, London, England W1K 7QR, GB
Ledbury
127 Ledbury Rd, Kensington, England W2 5, GB
Superb meal @ Trinity, Clapham, London
Going there for a birthday Sunday lunch soon, v excited! Especially as I have requested an extra foot of crackling for the birthday boy :)
Cold pork belly, good gammon (SW11)
William Rose
http://www.williamrosebutchers.com/
Eating in Nottingham
Ended up in Anoki, a rather good Indian, Michelin listed. Lamb haandi came still on the bone and all the better for it with a satisfyingly thick and aromatic gravy; grilled sea bass was well cooked. Staff seemed utterly terrified though!
Eating in Nottingham
Reigniting this thread. Taking my (gastronomically adventurous) son up to the university tomorrow for open day and need a nice dinner (Sat Bains reserved for when he actually gets in!) World Service and Iberico both fully booked. Any other ideas?
Coming back to London in the winter. Advice appreciated.
A fifth thumbs up for the Sportsman. I have told Himself the only way I will ever marry him is if we can have the reception at the Sportsman and the wedding cake made out of their pork scratchings. This is not a joke.
We stayed in a cute offshoot of the Captain's House called Polly's Attic which is a studio rather conveniently located above a (somewhat eccentric) wine shop and a cheese shop :) While in Whitstable also try out Wheelers Oyster Bar and then I'd definitely visit Canterbury with its cathedral and ancient centre, and some good eateries too - Goods Shed as a starter.
Fine British Cuisine without breaking the bank in London
Any relation to Clare Balding of horsey fame then? How exciting!
Atherton is amazing
Really glad you liked it...but must challenge your assertion that Keller will wipe the floor with everyone else when he pops up (though at £250/head I'd expect him to be serving roast swan with truffle and gold leaf, so you never know!) Brett Graham (Ledbury 22 places above the Laundry, if you pay attention to that sort of thing), Tristan Welch, Marcus Wareing, Nuno Mendes...All doing jolly interesting things. And if you do the VFM sums...
London trendy restaurants/bars/lounges
Don't eat at Aqua Kyoto! OK, but London has far better. Some good sushi places in London but if you want trendy too then try Zuma in Knightsbridge or see if Roka, suggested before, is open, great bar. Alternatively for Sunday buzz the Blue Bar in the Berkeley followed by either Bar Boulud or Dinner at the Mandarin?
London trendy restaurants/bars/lounges
The Mandarin aka Russian Ladies' Pick Up Joint ;) If you're after bars then Rules upstairs (trad atmos but marvellous drinks), Long Bar at the Sanderson, One Aldwych, any news on the refurbed American Bar at the Savoy? One Cavendish Square. Milk and Honey (speakeasy vibe in Soho, members only but you can get in before 11pm if you call and book). But I still think Acqua Kyoto for the 'I'm there' feel. Everyone's about 12 and dining out on Daddy's Swiss-sheltered hedge fund.
Fine British Cuisine without breaking the bank in London
London's a big city, sorry folks, they exist outside the US, with all that entails. We have a default 'hour rule' - no matter where you live and where you're trying to get to, it takes an hour. Cabbing from Paddington to Smithfields would be a 'mare as it takes you right across central London.
So follow my suggestion and stay west! Harwood Arms does the British thing, but less monkishly than St Johns which, to me, has kinda lost is lustre.
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St Johns Restaurant
24 Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool L1 6JB, GB
Help with Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa Itinerary
El Baco is the new venture from Cicciolina. Same menu but more of a wine bar feel.
One foodie's day in London?? Suggestions needed
Yeah Zuriga, SOME ex colonies still speak the Queen's English ;)
And Kiwi, forgot Bocca di Lupo amongst your barhop list.
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Bocca di Lupo
12 Archer St, London, England W1D 7, GB
Good places to eat alone/at the bar [London]
Super choices. As Newman Arms is a bit of a trek, if Bocca is full I'd try Barrafina/Polpo/Polpetto/Spuntino first as all in Soho. Or if you get up to the Newman and it's full try Saltyard or (sp?) Barraca? (the one on Goodge St just past Saltyard)
Good places to eat alone/at the bar [London]
LOL. I know the feeling. You should try visiting Moscow on business alone...But agree with Rules. The barman makes a mean Dirty Martini.
Solid Indian Restaurants near Paddington or major sights along Thames?
Echoed. Perfect evening: sharpener in the Dove, then Indian Zing. They will crown you BFF!
London trendy restaurants/bars/lounges
Aqua Kyoto is my guilty pleasure, and Eurotrash is a great description. Cocktail there on one of the balconys, then dine somewhere decent in Soho.
For classical music in the environs check out the Wigmore Hall just behind Oxford Circus. Glorious venue.
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Wigmore Hall Restaurant
36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP, GB
Fine British Cuisine without breaking the bank in London
Oo miaow! Apologies OP for the transport contradictions! Given your locale, and the mixed budgets...I should stick out west, so echo Hereford Road, also check out Cafe Anglais, or a far surer bet would be the Harwood Arms which is a starred gastropub, you'll love it. Celebration of all things British without St John's willful austerity. Venison scotch eggs and you might even get grouse if you're lucky. If the others in the party agree on a splurge though there are very good VFM lunch menus at the Ledbury and Launceston Place which are also your way.
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Launceston Place
1 Launceston Pl, Kensington, Greater London W8 5, GB
Hereford Road
3 Hereford Road, London W2 4AB, GB
St Johns Restaurant
24 Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool L1 6JB, GB
Ledbury
127 Ledbury Rd, Kensington, England W2 5, GB
One foodie's day in London?? Suggestions needed
Echo these suggestions. Get to Borough early and pootle and graze. Drink in one of the pubs, titbits from the stalls, then late lunch at Anchor & Hope or Masters Superfish. Deposit purchases at hotel, kip, then back out. You could do a little solo bar/tapas hop based around propping up various Italian/Spanish counters - check out Spuntino/Polpetto/Barrafina/Saltyard.
Help with Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa Itinerary
Sat in Madrid airport on my way back from Peru! Astrid y Gaston was loads of fun - do try the Peking style guinea pig (comes with cute purple corn pancakes) and the chocolate dessert. El Baco in Cusco was grand too, so you can rest easy on both those choices! However A y G booking system seems a bit chaotic so may be worth calling to double check.
Hawksmoor Seven Dials [London]
Finally made it to Hawksmoor last night and had the legendary kimchi burger. It works SO well - the pungent, vinegary, spicy hit cutting through the fat of the burger and the cheese. Beautiful. Cooked to a perfect medium rare and not overloaded which meant I could actually pick it up to eat it - a surprisingly difficult thing with a lot of London burgers - albeit with juice dripping all over the place...Will be back. They also now have a very passable looking lobster roll, based on the Red's Eats shack in Maine.
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Hawksmoor
157 Commercial Street, London E1 6BJ, GB
Recs for student visiting Camden Town?
How long are you there for? And how cheap is cheap? Depending on the answers, there's a great, family run Spanish restaurant on Eversholt St called El Parador. It's a 15 minute walk or 5 minute bus ride from Camden Town - just past Mornington Crescent Tube. At lunch time they do 3 for 2 on tapas.
http://www.elparadorlondon.com/ElParador/index.html
Hedone [London]
It's had mixed reviews but I liked it. A signed menu from Mr Atherton with 'I love you so much it hurts' is currently taking pride of place in our downstairs loo :)
Recs for student visiting Camden Town?
Yum Cha on Chalk Farm Road for very good dim sum indeed.
Hedone [London]
Have got a reservation but not till mid-September what with holidays and all...but promise I will report back! In the meantime, there's a thread with pics and glowing praise on egullet if you haven't seen it already:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/139323-hedone/page__pid__1822561#entry1822561
What with this and Roganic also garnering superb reviews and the Sportsman just being, oh, My Favourite Place on Earth...I think you've got plenty of reasons to give into temptation!
Peruvian/Ecuadorian food in London
We're off there soon and wondered if we could sample the cuisine here beforehand. Can't find anything on the board though. Suggestions?
[Dublin] Is Venu closed? Where should we go for a good meal in Dublin not super ££££
Check out this topic, Pig's Ear was good too if you choose better than me.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/761168
[Dublin] Is Venu closed? Where should we go for a good meal in Dublin not super ££££
Winding Stair! Winding Stair!
http://www.winding-stair.com/
[Whitstable, Kent] Wheeler's Oyster Bar
We sat up at the counter in the fish shop when we went. Slightly bizarre experience of supping oysters on a stool while people reach of your shoulder to pay for their purchases. But felt rather smug with our BYO wine and some fine fishcakes to boot. The staff are an acquired taste, but when you acquire it, they're charming.
