108 Garage

It looks like the critics called this correctly. I’m certainly encouraged with the last couple of visits to new London tables, JC at EC3, BM at Perilla and now this. After years of trendy concepts, it looks like the market is maturing in 2017, with…

Perilla

Here is the latest pop-up fairy tale of a promising young chef spreading his wings early in his career to own his own. Some would say a little too early, evidently not to his heavyweight backers who must think he’s ready. One of them is…

The Crown Burchetts Green: Voyage de la Mer

Other meals: Feb 2017, Jan 2017, Oct 2016 This would be my fourth pilgrimage to Chez Bonwick’s merry one man band, and for this meal, I kindly asked if he could make us an all-seafood Choisi menu. Seafood is close to my heart as I…

James Cochran EC3

Be wary of the giant mound of coats on the sturdy single rack at the reception of the restaurant… there’s no system, they chuck yours in the pile willy nilly. While this made for an interesting treasure hunt scenario at the end of my lunch,…

The Sportsman, Seasalter 2017

It’s been well over 4 years since I was last here, and I can never get over just how serenely perfect the location is. I wonder if these huts behind the Sportsman can be rented. It would be nice to take forty winks in one…

The Ledbury – February 2017

I wasn’t going to write about this beloved restaurant so soon after last summer’s post, but I was so impressed by this meal (and also given winter mise en place) that I thought it was worth putting the pictures and notes up. We did not…

Luca Restaurant

When The Clove Club boys proclaimed their next project to be ‘Britalian’, I thought for certain that we would see the return of Gio Ravelli to the fold. I know a lot has happened in the social twebz in the last five years, but surely…

Hoppers London

The runaway success of 2016, and for good reason, as I think this is one of those rare things that manages to live up to its hype. Hype being the operative word, as London’s restaurant bubble is today a completely trend-driven economy, based on New…

Asador Etxebarri, Axpe Spain

Etxebarri is nothing more than a barbecue joint. Albeit a very good one, honing its repertoire over its 27 year history to become what some consider to be the best the World has ever seen. My own view is that this asador (or New house…

L’Ambroisie, Paris

I was greeted casually by a silvering gentleman wearing a handsomely pressed gray suit, a slender fella with long arms hanging off his frame. Time has made a road map of this Frenchman’s face and turned his smartly groomed curls a shade of gunmetal grey,…

Restaurant Coworth Park, Ascot

Gong xi fatt chai to you, dear reader, hope you had a good time ushering the new Lunar year of the Rooster over the weekend. We sure did by celebrating a CNY feast at this luxe getaway in Sunningdale in between Ascot and Berkshire. The…

Medlar Jan 2017: Bresse chicken extravaganza

Other meals: 2016 , 2015, 2011 Taking a cue from another loyal Medlarite, Kian, I went about organising a little off-menu extravanganza for five to cure our January ills and blues. What better way to do it than quality chicken (the best to some), and…