abby d's Profile
London/Edinburgh Next Week.
for central indian, search for dishoom (cheaper) and moti mahal (pricier, more formal, opposite great queen street). I also like chowki (cheaper) which does regional menus but i've not been for a while. less central is rasa samudra on charlotte street does nice keralan food.
for your post-theatre drinks - hix for cocktails, terroirs for interesting wine, gordon's for a bit of london grime and character or the criterion for somewhere quiet in a pretty setting.
help - private dining near pimlico/westminster [London]
it varies scythe, on a wednesday evening for the spaces i'm looking at quilon needs £1250 and cinnamon club needs £1500. some have room hire on top as well.
there are lots of places across the city which are more affordable (alyn williams and medlar being two examples), i'm just struggling with this area.
[London] Late May itinerary critique and specific dish suggestions, please
at koya, i really recommend trying one of the noodle dishes (up to you if ou go hot or cold) with the walnut and mushroom miso - it has a wonderful sweet and savoury flavour.
hix oyster and chop house has a good sunday lunch deal - i posted about it recently; sharing starters, a choice of chicken or beef and then cheese or a sweet pudding - but the area is a bit lifeless on a sunday, although you can link it with time exploring brick lane, colombia road etc
help - private dining near pimlico/westminster [London]
thank you both. mossiman's looks amazing but sadly their room hire charges are also high - the lalique room, which would have been wonderful is similar to £450.
i'd forgotten about quilon - sadly their minimum spend is more than my budget but they have a semi-private space which might end up as a back up option.
i shall keep looking!
help - private dining near pimlico/westminster [London]
has anyone any suggestions? i need a private room for 10 people and have a budget of £100 a head, food, wine and room hire. walkable or an easy cab journey from tate britain.
i don't want anything too traditional in terms of setting and it needs to be suitable for veggies, pecatarians and omnivores alike!
i tried tinello but their room charge is £450! the cinnamon club is an option but i hear mixed things about their food so am nervous.
any other thoughts?
sunday lunch at hix oyster & chop house, london
they have a set menu of three courses.
starters yesterday were shaved asparagus and fennel salad with duck's egg, heritage beetroot with pickled walnuts and blue cheese plus something called lamb scrumpets (which was slow braised lamb formed into a "finger", breadcrumbed and fried) with caper mayonnaise; all served to share.
a choice of mains - chicken or beef - two of us ordered chicken and were presented with a whole bird to share, the beef was a thick slab served medium rare with a yorkshire pudding. mixed veg to share - cauli cheese, white sprouting broccoli (a bit overcooked and cold by the time it reached the table), roast potates, gravy and a bread suace with wild garlic.
a choice of puddings or cheese - yesterday there was a (deconstructed) lemon & ginger ceesecake, a chocolate mousse with meringue or blue cheese with an oyster ale cake (i had this, it was truly wonderful and a very generous portion of cheese).
the menu is £27.50 if you cheese chicken; £32 if you choose beef. i thought it was excellent value and delicious food. however, the tables are small and not particularly comfortable.
any restaurants in London serving gull's eggs?
i saw them on the menu at hix oyster & chop house yesterday. i've seen them at barrafina too, in previous years.
Dabbous, London
so, we went, we ate, I wasn’t blown away but did have a nice time.
we had the tasting menu and the first two items – English asparagus with rapeseed oil mayo, meadowsweet and hazelnuts; mixed alliums in a chilled infusion with basil oil – were wonderful; my favourites of the meal.
the mayonnaise had a wonderful depth of flavour which, with the earthiness of the hazelnuts and the meadowsweet just worked so well with the fat spears of asparagus.
the alliums in a chilled broth were also fabulous – really light and fresh tasting; it was amazing to taste how different the red and white onions were and the basil oil added a lovely springlike freshness.
next up was the infamous coddled egg which I passed on and had a squid dish from the alc instead. the egg was good with a lovely smokiness but you do have to be an egg fan – I’m kind of surprised how it has thrilled people to the extent that it has. I can’t remember anything about my squid dish (didn’t take a picture of the alc menu) other than the fact it was a bit chewy. I vaguely remember it being in a broth with crunchy wheat grains…
lovely charred salmon with elderflower, spring onions and almonds. the fish was very delicately cooked and yet had a smokey flavour to it. and I love the use of nuts, again, to add texture.
another much-praised dish – bbq’d iberico pork with acorn praline, turnip tops and apple vinegar. aka posh pork satay. I did like the slightly pickled turnip tops which cut through the richness of the flavours really well but there weren’t many so I only managed about half of my dish as the pork/praline was a bit cloying for me.
iced lovage sorbet and then chocolate and hazelnut oil ganache, basil moss and sheep’s milk icecream. lovely textures here, especially the basil moss which really did look like lush plump moss. the flavours were again a bit monotone for me – it reminded me of the damian allsopp basil ganache chocolates and tbh I’d have been as happy eating one of those. so again, I only ate about half as I got bored of the flavours.
it’s interesting food (though not unique in london, as noted above), reasonably good value and I like the setting. I would go back but I won’t rush there.
they were fully booked but as we were finishing a couple got a walk-in table so that might be worth a try if people are in the area and fancy trying the food.
Any comments on Sweetings, City of London?
i'd never heard of it until i came across it on a list of places which chefs recommend eating at in london:
Jacob Kenedy (Bocca Di Lupo): “Sweetings. It isn’t du jour but it is the most ‘London’ eating experience you’ll find and one of the most enjoyable.”
it looks very particular, i'm not sure if I want to visit or not tbh!
Trip to Liverpool, Brighton and London in May. Suggestions?
i concur with the terre a terre recommendation. if you have time for another meal in brighton then the gingerman is well worth a look. both are reviewed on my blog. if the weather is good then due south, which is on the beach, is really lovely.
le gavroche [London]
i didn't realise they had such anarchaic rule - not having to look at dress codes is definitely one of the perks of being a girl! :p
The Young Turks [London]
their run at the ten bells is scheduled to conclude at the end of april but i join man in transit in recommending that people try and get a table.
i had a great meal there a couple of weeks ago. full review on my blog if you're interested but, to give you a hint, my favourites included wonderfully rich offally duck hearts, served with a smear of jerusalem artichoke puree, meltingly tender squid tossed with wild garlic and crunchy monk’s beard and the intense rhubarb sorbet which accompanied pink poached stems and buttermilk, served in both ice cream and crisp format.
great wine list too - half are natural wines and all are good value.
did anyone else make it?
Alyn Williams at the Westbury [London]
i went, i ate and i liked it!
we went for the tasting menu which is still £55 (at both lunch and dinner) and you are still able to swap courses between the standard and vegetarian tasting menu and the alc menu.
there wasn't a bad course* but my favourites were:
- a take on french onion soup - a martini glass is filled with crab meat, topped with a layer of beef jelly and some beef cheek and then topped up with an onion consomme; on the side were little nibbles of gruyere sandwiched between potato wafers
- walnut gnocchi with beet, baby fennel and a wonderfully intense cheese custard (subbed from the veggie menu)
- pre-dessert of a creme catalan with a pear and pine granita - this combination worked suprisingly well!
- chocolate-coated caramel with peanut icecream
* there was a deconstructed passion fruit cheesecake added as an extra course, from the chef, but i'm not a cheesecake fan so was never going to like that very much
with this we had a jurancon sec which the wine waiter was so pleased we had chosen (a favourite of his, he said, and great value for us) and a dessert wine that wasn't on the menu (it tasted of ripe pineapple which was very wonderful).
le gavroche [London]
has anyone been and, if so, what did you think?
i ate there last week, having the lunch menu, which at £52pp is often quoted as one of the best deals in london - it includes 1/2 a bottle of wine, 1/2 a bottle of water, coffee and petit fours as well as three courses (and the cheese course that offered as a dessert option is without a supplement)
i came away feeling very ambivalent. i don't think anything we ate was particulary wonderful, especially given the restaurant has 2 michelin stars, which is why i'm curious to know what others think.
the bread was good, as were the amuses - two nibbles, one a tart with coronation chicken and something i can't remember despite it being the one i liked best at the time! followed by smoked eel with a celery creme fraiche (very nice).
my starter was a tortellini filled with sole and celery,with a browned butter and caper sauce - incredibly rich as you'd expect, the flavours worked well but the pasta was a bit too thick.
my main was mackerel with aubergine puree, a few artichoke hearts and red pepper sauce. i didn't like this at all - the differnet components didn't work together and it was very average. it was also interesting to see how rare mackerel is usually served in other retaurants - this was defintely the sort of mackerel i'd create at home under my grill rather than something more elegant. the lamb main, which was a whole shank, had mixed reviews - one of my friend's liked it but the other did not; both were suprised it was served on the bone!
pudding for me was a very average pear and chocolate tart. the cheese board looked amazing and i did love the ice cream/sorbet presentation where a trolley of all the flavours is wheeled up to the table - each of these which i tried were good, especially the sorbets (this is what i would choose with the benfit of hindsight).
nice petit fours - a macaron, a brandy snap, a marzipan layered cake and a physalis with a sugar shell that, despite appearances to the contrary didn't break my teeth!
the wine that came as part of the menu was fabulous - we chose the chardonnay (you are given a choice of two white and two red).
so, a mixed experience. it is undeniably good value but personally, i think i'd rather spend the same budget elsewhere. it also didn't make me want to try out the very expensive a la carte menu.
Eating in London while standing up (i.e., not sitting down)
i was also thinking about places with bars. a few other idea, off the top of my head - terroirs and brawn, barrafina, opera tavern, joel robuchon
Need Restaurant Recommendations for London, Please
terroirs by charing cross would be worth a visit - they have some really interesting wines and the food is a mix of things which should keep both your husband and son happy.
in the city (chancery lane is the nearest tube), 28:50 on fetter lane is another place with the combination of interesting wines and enjoyable food.
no jackets or ties required.
Recommendations for Canterbury
the goods shed is my absolute favourite. it's next to canterbury west station and during the day is home to a farmers market but there is also a kitchen where you can get lunch or supper.
this is a review from my most recent visit (the origianl review which it refers to is also on my blog):
"the goods shed, canterbury – fabulous. this restaurant is set in the covered farmer’s market next to canterbury west station. we first went here back in 2007 and the meal this time was just as good – it remains the place that i have to eat at, if i’m in canterbury. squid with white beans and chorizo, followed by breaded lamb’s breast with peas and aioli (an old-fashioned disgh of trhe sort you can imagine jay rayner or nigel slater getting over-excited about) were my choices. d started with a very delicious burger (despite being a starter it was enormous - there were several pensioners eating near us who had this as their main course) and then pigeon with black pudding and apple. almond tart and a hazelnut meringue with berries finished us off (too much food). if you go make sure you explore the stalls – we left laden with all sorts of deli-style treats and some unusual wines."
Best Banana Curry in vegetarian restaurant in London?
i love the keralan mango and green banana curry that rasa make. there are a few branches.
http://www.rasarestaurants.com
Alyn Williams at the Westbury [London]
thanks for the review, this place wasn't even on my radar which it certainly is now!
London in February
le gavroche is already full for february lunches so i doubt you'll manage to get there.
dishoom is a nice and reasonable indian restaurant - central (covent garden/leicester square)and a bit different. i also like chowki (piccadilly circus) but haven't been particularly recently. i echo the rasa recommendation and particularly like their vegetarian dishes.
i wasn't impressed by river cafe and, despite going when a promotion was on, found it eye wateringly expensive. zucca on the other hand is fabulous and would be worth it at twice the price - you will need to book asap though.
wrt moro, i think that the food they serve is very similar to that which you can cook yourself using their books. so mayeb buy one of the books instead (i like the first one best) if you don't make it there.
you might want to look at les deux salons along with wild honey and arbutus - they are all part of the same group.
Mexican cheeses
i can't help with a supplier but wanted to mention that thomasina miers uses lancashire cheese in place of queso fresco in her recipes, in case that is helpful. i'm not sure what other substitutions she suggests.
food of the month clubs in UK
neal's yard dairy do one for cheese ( c£200pa for a box of 4 cheeses every quarter!) and hotel chocolat also does them (for choc, not cheese, obviously!).
for wine, laithwaites do a range of "wine plans" that might be suitable
Hedone [London]
i went last week and it was hit and miss which saddened me as it's the kind of place you really want to succeed given how lovely everyone was and the appealing philosophy of the chef. we had the 5 course menu for £50.
my favourite dish was the amuse - fresh figs, raw thinly sliced ceps and shavings of a hard cheese (could have been parmesan) plus a drizzle of dressing. absolutely incredible flavours, which varied with each mouthful, and a dish that i ate slowly so it wouldn't end.
mackerel to start, with shavings of beetroot. absolutely beautiful. impeccably fresh fish with a lovely delicate flavour.
slow-cooked hen egg with grolles and apricots - this dish did nothing for me. the egg was served on a sauce which was flavoured with apricot, there was smear of apricot puree and a rocket leaf. i've seen rave reviews of various versions of this (he's done it with fresh peach too) and have no idea why.
plaice carpaccio with squid ink, chives and lemon zest - okay but nothing more.
45 day aged beef with endive and horseradish was my main - a few mouthfuls of the beef were melting and delicious but the rest was very chewy, sadly. my partner had the john dory with fennel and olive emulsion which was lovely (i didn't get much to try thogh!)
pudding for me was the chocolate bar which was nice but again, no more. however, the poached raspberries with lemon & faiselle (a type of curd/yoghurt) ice cream was absolutely amazing though. lemon madeleines with coffee were a bit dry.
good value wine list with some interesting things.
One foodie's day in London?? Suggestions needed
i agree with the brixton suggestion. alternatively, i really like broadway market if the weather is nice.
you can get off the tube at angel, pop into paul young (camden passage) for wonderful chocolates/brownies and then head right down st peter's street to join up with the canal which you can walk along until you hit broadway - the towpath cafe is nice if you want to stop en route.
the market has a wonderful mix of food stalls, most of which are selling stuff you can snack on there - i love the falafel guy and the gujerati kitchen (wonderful veggie food). the vietnamese coffee is also worth a try (do a search on "broadway" on this board and you'll get other recommendations.
you can then head off via colombia road - the flower market will not be on but a few shops are open and you can stop at brawn for a drink. head towards old street (there's lots of graffitti in this area, if you're interested in that) or take a route via brick lane through to liverpool street and moorgate.
if your feet aren't too tired you could then head to london bridge (or get the tube) and visit borough (or do it the opposite way round - i think grazing at broadway is better than borough).
London - searching for birthday venue to suit varied tastes
tas always springs to mind for me if there is a large group with mixed tastes. should be okay on your budget and you can choose whichever location suits most of your friends (although tas ev is always good for the outside space they offer and access to the deli).
[Irby, Wirral] Da Piero
really nice to read this harters, it's on my list of places to try but i'm very rarely local.
[Fort William] Crannog
my experience was similar - good in places but not consistent. below is what i wrote in october 09:
we stuck to the specials board and ate some very simple and mostly delicious food as a result. to start we had crannog fishcakes with buerre blanc and sesame crusted brill with a chilli salsa. the brill was a little dry and the salsa flavours didn’t really come together but the fishcakes were packed with flavour and were wonderfully light due to the small amount of potato they contained.
my baked cod fillet with fennel and mussel broth was gently flavoured and contained some of the most delicately-textured mussels i’ve ever eaten – they melted in your mouth! my oh chose the tusk fillet with creamed leeks and dill gnocchi. neither of us had tried tusk (aka torsk) before and really enjoyed its slightly rich flavour – it is a white fish which looks a little like monkfish but has a flaky texture; it has a stronger flavour than something such as cod or haddock. sadly, i’ve just seen that it is on the list of fish to avoid which makes me wonder how it got onto the menu, although the waitress did say it was the first time she had seen it, so maybe it was a one-off.
i was full after this but oh polished off a chocolate mousse with white chocolate brownie. the brownies (blondies, surely) were made with hazelnuts which was a really delicious touch.
