“..surrounded by the greatest wines of the world..”

The dining room is relatively small but is as intimidatingly as it is posh, as the website’s official photographs suggest. Built around the ‘wine salon’, the restaurant’s private room takes up to 8 people and is encased by temperature-controlled glass walls filled with some of the sommelier’s (Alex Gilbert) most prized bottles. All completely out of my spend range for this solo Friday lunch (or any meal for that matter). Indeed, all of the world’s most storied labels grace Alyn Williams’ wine list, and I feel it only apt to dedicate the following paragraph to this exceptionally procured cellar:

All the 1st growth clarets feature, from average to exceptional years, including a ’90 Lafite. Beyond the formidable Pauillac region, an ’85 Haut-Brion (the sole non-pauillac 1st growth) is listed with a centurion ’82 vintage of La Mission as the proud emissaries of the great wines of Graves – arguably the most romantic of all Bordeaux wines. Cos, Palmer, Petrus represent St Estephe, Margaux and Pomerol. Glaring omissions may be the popular Pontet, the age-worthy monster Montrose and Graves underdog Chevalier Rouge, all three producing consistently fabulous wines in recent years. Personally, I was drawn to the millennium Figeac, the 2nd tier GCC from St Emillion …for £400, easily a 3x mark-up (Liv-Ex trading at £90-110/bottle in bond prices) and only just within a sensible spend (maybe for my birthday)! You know this is a proud British restaurant when it features such a complete set of Lynch-Bages. They hold all the legendary vintages which the chateau has produced in the last century including the ’89 and ’90 at the £650-£700 mark – also 3x mark-up here, but I suppose within the bounds of fine dining restaurants. Outside of the Bordelais bubble, Dujac, Rousseau and Robert Chevillon stand out from the Cote de Nuits list and there are 3 bottles from the mythical Domaine de la Romanee-Conti: Romanee St Vivant, Richebourge and Echezeaux. The top of the line La Tache or Romanee-Conti don’t feature. The two biggest names of Barossa: Grange and Hills of Grace are also on the list; Stag’s Leap ‘Fay’ (no Cask 23) and Ridge’s ‘Monte Bello’ represent the Napa and Sonoma …and beyond that my knowledge of great labels decline.

In comparison, I drank a very modest glass of ’09 St.Laurent by Heinrich (£11.50). An Austrian red and a varietal which I’ve never had before. On the palate, I mistook it as a pinot noir, silky but somewhat spicy, with a sweet finish, like longan.

Alyn Williams spent 5 years as Head Chef for Marcus Wareing, and many more before that in across Gordon Ramsay restaurants in its heyday, as well as stages in The Greenhouse, Zafferano and Chez Bruce: All of London’s long time institutions. Like his predecessors at GR, Alyn has finally put his name above the door. It opened to glorious reviews late last year.

As trends push us away from ‘fine dining’, it’s rare to come across new restaurants which have a dress code. I called 2 hours ahead and was a little surprised to secure a table. I was even more surprised to arrive at an empty restaurant on a Friday afternoon. Only a further 3 tables were occupied later on. The eerie silence was very deafening. This room was crying out for some background music to make up for the lack of chatter.

In spite of the similar positive reception, it is in stark contrast to the runaway success of Dabbous which opened a few months after Alyn. A restaurant which you’d be lucky to nab a table for in October.

Fashion aside, Alyn Williams is still a 2 star chef who has a track record in producing brilliant cooking. His promise to keep the superb value pricing (for at least a few more months) is still held. The 7 course taster a ‘mere’ £55 (also rivaling Dabbous) and £115 for paired wines. The 3 course set lunch is a recession beating £24, ALC at £45 for 3 courses.

Amuse Bouche: Truffle risotto balls, crackers with pickled broccoli, and prawns.

These were all very wow amuses, showing beautiful concentration of flavour. Especially the fried truffle-laced risotto balls – yummy. Not pictured were his brilliantly light as feather gougeres stuffed with stinging Fourme d’Ambert.

Course 1: French onion consomme/crab/gruyere/potato wafer

The menu kicked off with a classy rejuvenation of french onion soup. Served cold, as both a liquid and as a jelly, in a martini glass. The jelly was like a concentrated reduction of beef and onion, dissolving with the liquid in the same glass. A tiny ‘log’ of what appears to be beef cheek with picked crab meat was also present. For a cold soup, I was surprised the smell of onions were still so present. A spoonful of everything produced a precise hit of beef and onion flavours. A cheese wafer on the side served as the cheese crouton. Naturally, the balance of flavours were admirable. What finesse, it reminded me of Jason Atherton’s BLT at Maze.

Course 2: Orkney scallop/cucumber/smoked roes/sea urchin

Another cold starter, but this time with the cutting mineral smell of cucumber fighting against the fishiness of smoked roe. The single scallop remained beautifully translucent in the centre. I didn’t quite get the ‘milk’, was it made from the sea urchin perhaps? Delicious, but too subtle for me, and the least memorable dish of all.

Course 3: Smoked egg/celeriac/truffle soldiers

I know, I know, slow cooked eggs are cliche these days, but I am still intrigued with the many variations the capital’s best chefs has created. I actually swapped out the foie gras semi-freddo for this dish.

Served in a tea cup, the smoked yolk was dizzyingly satisfying. It was perfumed, to me, it smelled sweet, like vanilla for some reason. The custard-like texture was as expected. I’m quite certain the yolk rested on some sort of yoghurt or sour cream, making this either a variation of a Turkish recipe or a variation of a French recipe or me completely wrong-footed, once again. I dug around the cup, but couldn’t find the celeriac – might it have been shredded into the yoghurt? I don’t know.

The truffle soldiers were simply that, toast with truffle. It was absolutely sublime in primal way, buttery with earthy funk. I could have this truffle spread for breakfast everyday. As he cleared the plate away, I told the restaurant manager – whom I assumed was Giancarlo Princigalli, also ex-MW – that the soldiers were to die for …and pleaded for more! He smiled, nodded and scurried away…

Course 4: Sweetbread/chicken wing/chervil pappardelle/pea puree with ramsons

…but instead of returning with more of the truffle soldiers I yearned for, he brought out an additional dish which he explained, that the chef was still tinkering with. Thin layers of pasta sandwiched with chervil with pan-fried sweetbread and chicken wings, both intensely seasoned. Over it, he poured a reassuring warm pea puree scented with ramsons, a sort of wild garlic. Such elegance, control of flavours and delicate texture. The dish was a absolute pleasure to eat.

Course 5: Mackerel/seaweed cracker/miso/cockles

The smell of smoked fish, this is nearly Wales on a plate. The mackerel was nearly transculent, tremendous texture, oily flakes easily sliding off one another. Like the 1st dish, there was a commanding purity of flavours about this. A very intense hit of sweet miso, such a lovely compliment to white fish, the cockles and the nori, reminding me of this was a dish from and of the sea. I suppose this dish is Japanese in inspiration, and my favourite of whole afternoon. I think it was good because it looked completely innocuous, and yet it tasted so completely powerful. It probably summed up the theme, a set of dishes which displayed excellent control of flavour, intense without being overpowering. It seemed like something that may appear on Dabbous or even Hedone’s menu.

Course 6: Devon red beef sirloin/jersey royals/leafy turnip/capers

The beef was cooked to a perfect rare, as requested. This would be my 2nd time eating Devon beef in as many months (the other time was at Michael Caines’ restaurat at Abode Hotel, Exeter) and it exhibited glorious beefiness that I’ve generally come to expect from English beef. Juicy, leading me to believe that it was well-rested before serving. The plate was very hot, as it should be to keep the steak warm, so top marks for the attention to detail. A wedge of the beef’s own fat was laid over the meat – it was all guns blazing with intense blue cheese notes. This was good beef presented in an effective manner to highlight its strengths. Tender for a sirloin with all signs pointing to it being well hung.

For a beef dish, it was delicate, juice-filled turnips just cut away all of the heaviness of the dish, they were sweet like sugarcane. The potatoes were gloriously fluffy, something that may rival Rogan’s vintage potatoes. I always expect beef to be extravagant in high end restaurants – nothing wrong with epic dishes – but I think the lightness was a nice surprise. Eerily precise cooking.

Course 7: Cornish cows curd cheesecake/passion fruit/honeycomb with ’03 Castelnau de Suduiraut.

It was suggested to finish my meal with a glass of this sauternes (£13.00), so I did. Not quite the power and lusciousness of a good d’Yquem, but this wine was supple without being in your face. The 2nd wine of Ch Sudairaut, a first growth.

It was well matched with this minute cheesecake pudding.

Course 8: Baked apple/rolos/hazelnut

However, the wine really sizzled when paired with the baked apple, for which it was designed to do. Rolled-up cooked sliced apple, exhibiting bold sharp flavour. It required this medium sweet pudding wine to find harmony. The hazelnut ice cream was very good, but I didn’t enjoy the caramel-centre rolos. It was very hard to bite into, and after I’d manage to crack my jaws over it, it stuck to my teeth like solidifying cement. Maybe it was too cold, but only part of this pudding I didn’t enjoy.

Reflecting on the meal, I am reminded of restaurants which strive to showcase a sort of distilled elegance. Menus that are designed with precision and poise. If I could use one word to sum up the meal, it would be : control. It’s not surprising, after all, Alyn has spent much of his career cooking ‘perfect’ food, albeit within the bounds of the classic fine dining restaurant likely to charm the bib. And within those parameters, Alyn Williams (the restaurant) is certainly worthy of one, perhaps two macaroons. It is clear that he has got to the very top of his craft because he understands how flavours are supposed to work together.

I paid for £95.06 for the whole nine yards and coffee – justified value considering the level I reckon. But most importantly, I thought food was delicious.

I think the major challenge for the restaurant is probably the intimate yet intimidating setting. There is no doubt that the immaculate design of solid rose wood, sparkling carpets and glass booths that pulsate with fancy lighting, is stunning. But with no windows and those imposing wine fridges, it also feels like an immaculately decorated resting place for a Pharaoh. I just think the room needs a little livening up, starting with some background music. Maybe that’s why Dabbous is doing so well, it’s so airy and open, so too the majesty of HB’s Dinner with the centrally installed kitchen and rear facing tables that overlook Hyde Park. As I stepped out, I wondered about the hotel’s front bar (the Polo Bar?) and thought if Alyn could perhaps migrate his lunch menu (or part of his restaurant) there, it may attract a bigger audience, for which his food thoroughly deserves.

I have no idea how they do at evening service, at the level of cooking (and price) it should be completely booked up, but I didn’t call to check. Having said that, the booths in the restaurant seem very private, which is what you want. It’s just I think that the decor makes it feel like its a once-a-lifetime restaurant, which it doesn’t have to be. I’ve seen much seasonal change across reviews, which suggests that it might be worth multiple visits.

Service was top-notch, everybody was hardworking, a little nervous but genuine, down to earth and human. They even managed to dig out the daily copy of the Times for the lonely diner that was me. I probably sat for 3 hours, long enough for Alyn himself to come out to greet all of his patrons, at the end of afternoon service. I was flabbergasted, I stood up to shake his hand nervously, told him he should win the 2 stars for himself soon and that my favourite dish was the mackerel. The conversation culminated with a discussion of Marcus’ perfect egg custard pudding. A lovely recipe indeed.

He claimed his restaurant was still in its beginning days, fighting to compete for the public’s affection and far from being the complete product he envisions – what admirable spirit. Very affable fella, incredibly modest for someone as accomplished as he is.

I remain intrigued as I write this, especially with these bespoke menus which the staff were telling me about through the meal. You will probably see another post about Alyn Williams soon, and I suspect dishes are still being fine-tuned, even though they are already quite high calibre as it stands. It’s definitely worth considering a visit to Alyn Williams, especially while prices remain as they are.

The Gist of It

Alyn Williams at the Westbury
British £80-130pp.
The Westbury Hotel 37 Conduit Street, W1S 2YF
Tel : +44 (0)207 078 957
Tube : Oxford Circus

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A Prologue

The first of a new series of posts I intend to write on a weekly basis. Not reviews per say and a ‘side project’ to to the restaurant stuff. Rather these are personal tasting notes, and an open diary about my wine exploits.

Wine has slowly but surely taken a backseat to my food blogging, even though I had always been fascinated with ‘discovering’ them. Though admittedly, I know very little about the world of wine. I cannot discern all the known discern-able flavours which may present itself in a glass, and I do believe it is entirely subjective. For me however, I think the measure of a good wine is how memorable the experience was, be it fabulous or terrible, moving you to feel some sort of emotion.

Very recently I poured a good proportion of my savings into starting a cellar, primarily for investment, partly as a ‘romantic’ hobby to amass a collection of wines suitable for drinking when I look mature enough to not be ID-ed at a Sainsbury.

This has naturally upgraded my fascination and caused me to steadily resume this habit of popping a new bottle every week to decide on putting away young vintages for my cellar (hence this series of posts). True to the stereotype, my first twelve bottle case were Lafites. One of the noble five 1st Growths in Bordeaux, from a very good vintage, 2005.

For this inaugural post, I have chosen a classic claret from the famous Pauillac region in Bordeaux.

Origins

Ch Lynch-Bages is affectionately referred to as ‘Lunch Bags’. It has an excellent reputation among wine collectors, especially in Britain. Officially, the Chateau is a mere 5th Growth, the lowest ‘division’ in the Bordeaux classification system (almost entirely unchanged since 1855, save for the Mouton upgrade in ’73) , but in current times, the quality of the wines are spoken in the same breathe as the super-seconds (namely Cos and Montrose).

The best Lynch vintages (1989,1990) will set you back a cool £250 – £300 a bottle, good years hover around the £120 mark. No doubt you will have heard much of Bordeaux wines being considered as an investment vehicle these days, with prices for 1st growths escalated (north of £1000 a bottle for good, relatively young vintages) to levels that has priced it out of many drinking budgets. As much as I’d like to, LB just a little out of the spend zone for a non-occasion drinking wine.

Fortunately, chateaux often produce a 2nd wine, sometimes made with fruit not deemed good enough for the grand vin, or other times, from entire plots dedicated to making the 2nd wine. Meant to serve as an introduction to the style and general expression of grand vin, these wines usually become ready to drink much earlier, and crucially at a fraction of the price.

Why this bottle?

As alluded, the HB-Averous is 2nd wine of the Lynch portfolio. Historically, it was once a neighbouring chateau to LB, but has since been absorbed into the fold, after the Andre Cazes (Father to current owner Jean-Michel) bought it in the 70s. In 2008, the Averous was renamed as Echo de Lynch Bages.

I picked this up from Robersons Wine for a cool £46. 1998 is largely seen to be good but not exceptional vintage. At 13 years of age, this should be just coming into right drinking window.

I poured half the bottle into a decanter, and the other half saved with a wine stopper in the fridge for the next day.

Notes

The nose: Instant gratification, very opulent, like an assorted basket of freshly picked berries, the aromas were rushing out of the bottle, the freshness of the fruit was immediately apparent and nearly overwhelming. Lovely stuff.

On the palate: Medium bodied, subtle acidity, bright minerality, generally silky. Fresh, fleshy and sweet berries, maybe like ripe plums as well. This was underscored by a touch of bitterness, maybe oak. Tannins appear to grab hold of the tongue.

Decanting: There was some sediment, but minimal. Breathing for 2 hours did not appear to affect noticeable change, wine stayed pretty much the same. After 3 hours or so, I felt the initial rush of fruit slowly fizzle out, the oak started becoming more noticeable, which I didn’t enjoy. After 5 hours, it really felt like the life had been slowly squeezed out of the wine.

The next day: The remaining wine I had held back in the fridge tasted better than the previous day. The fruit was a little sweeter and more intense. The oakiness was lesser than the day before. Maybe oxidation in the bottle overnight did it some good.

Final thoughts: Solid and not challenging. Certainly a delicious wine which I enjoyed to the very last drop.

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This is my 3rd visit to the fabulous Admiral Codrington in as many months. By now, you’ll have heard about Fred Smith’s near obsessive detailed experiments in continuously honing his version of the perfect cheeseburger. In the last few weeks, he’s been causing tidal waves of instagram drool with diners tweeting his elusive specials: the double patty burger code named ‘The Double Stack’ and the other elusive animal : ‘The Chilli Burger’. Ironically, on both previous visits, I missed all the specials for dinner as depending on how busy the kitchen is, specials are (mostly) a lunch only option.

Away from his Ad Cod stove, you might have already eaten the Fred Smith x Tom Byng collab on the latest Byron special called ‘The Chilli Queen’, set to run till early June. With green chilli, chipotle mayo, American cheese and a glazed bun (first debuted for the Uncle Sam) ; The burger is a sort of condensed version (for the 22 Byrons across town) of Fred’s original chilli burger. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a preview by Tom and thought it was great. The spice kick was a nice compliment to the already perfect everyman – around nearly every corner – hamburger, all of which rested on a bed of shredded lettuce – another signature Fred Smith move. I had promised Tom that I would resume my run-to-a-byron routine now that he has opened one in Camden, a 30 minute run from Queen’s Park. I haven’t done it yet, but with the Chilli Queen’s closing date drawing near, it provides the motivation to do so.

I’ve tried all but one Byron special, by my estimations, the only non-beef burger, the lamb burger which only ran for National Butcher’s Week last year. While we’re on the topic of 2011 Byron specials, I must mention the beloved Big D (after its creator Darragh O’Shea). Yes, the various Byron restaurants had trouble maintaining cooking consistency for it being such a massive patty, but when they got it right, it was a burger of sheer elegance. It needed the strength of the gruyvere, but the result was neither gourmet nor cult, but just a damn good burger. Sadly (for me), it won’t ever be seen on a Byron menu every again.

The first time I sank my teeth into the Ad Cod Burger, my eyes widened. Beef sourced from Darragh, a blend of rib & chuck, but smoother and more intense …gasp, could this be …the son of the Big D?

(The original patty is actually available to buy at Darragh’s Knightsbridge shop, so you could still try it at home, if you’ve missed it all. )

Since that visit, I’ve craved mid-week returns to the Chelsea pub to erase mid-week blues. I followed up the 2nd visit in April, and was surprised to find the american cheese had been upgraded to Fred’s own concoction of a bacon infused in-house cheese ‘blend’ with american, parmesan, and – correct me if I’m wrong – a sort of chopped onion reduction.

Honest, Meat and Lucky are all very good but a mission to get to, and the overall experience can become a little chaotic during busy times. Maybe I’m just fussy you know, I think the Ad Cods’ dining area is a welcoming change. It’s civilised and comfortable. With the impending long summer days, the skylight roof which runs the length of the room just slices open the ambiance completely. And you can book tables!

Actually a full fledged gastropub, with a hardworking chef, dedicated kitchen and committed front of house (3 visits, still won’t let me into the room until 6.30, and after they set all the tables according to spec), they continue to remind diners that they have the capability to deliver reasonable non-burger food. It’s difficult to come here and not order the burger, but I think everyone is intrigued by the other things Fred can cook. For this meal, we went only as far as the starters, as Fred had invited the missus and I down to sample the latest version of his chilli burger. Food on Fred, drinks & tips on us.

Salmon, jalapeños, lime.

So we began with a zesty ceviche to kick things off. Very fresh, wiped the palate clean, stinging jalapenos.

Diver caught scallops, cauliflower, lime.

I went to Alyn Williams’ (I’ll post the write-up after this obviously) for lunch on the same day as this evening visit to Ad Cod, and also had a similar single scallop dish. Alyn’s version was served with cucumber, smoked shaved roe, sea urchin and a sort of ‘milk’. Both I gather were diver caught Orkneys.

Not to take away from Alyn’s version (which was obviously very exciting) , but I preferred Fred’s classic take. The scallop looks pan-fried, I would have liked to have seen more heat on the outside, but on the inside, beautifully transculent, juicy like lychees. However it was the cauliflower whip, lifted by a dash of lime that took the scallop to the clouds. I only just detected a hint of curry, maybe caraway seeds, on the fringes. I can’t see it on his current menu, so I’m not sure if it’s a dish in late beta testing or otherwise. As it stands, it’s delicious.

Foie gras creme brulee with brioche soldiers.

This was still a work in progress, Fred had brought it out to test on us guinea pigs. He says that it’s made just like a creme brulee, except with foie gras dissolved into the custard. A crack of the flamed demerara roof revealed a runny custard. According to Fred, he admitted that he hadn’t given it enough time to set.

Though the missus and I both thought the runny texture actually worked well, especially since it’s meant as a dipping for the soldiers. Of course, the distinctive flavour of foie gras was ever present, just aligning with the sweetness of the custard. This is a tricky dish to pull off since both sets of flavours can easily become sickly if balance is not sought. But I thought Fred’s version was well executed. It was mellower than anticipated, but I think potent enough to overwhelm if you quaffed large spoonfuls. It’s better with the sweet wine we were served it with (South African Late Harvest Semillon, judging from the wine list is my best guess) , but really shines as a bread dipping. Visually, it’s like egg yolk gelling on the brioche soldier. Buttery, syrupy, savoury flavours which all hang together very well. Again, I think it’s a successful dish, at least to me, it certainly demonstrates Fred’s ability as a chef, and importantly, his attention to balanced flavours. Now he just needs to decide if this is a pudding or a starter.

I once had something similar at Le Petit Normand, a tiny French bistro in Wimbledon, where they served it as a starter, with foie gras and apple. That was a little overcooked and probably too tart.

The Chilli Burger with chips.

What do you think? Looks good yes? The cheese still melting around the patty, like hot yellow lava flowing down the sides of a volcano.

Here it is from another angle:

Phew. When I saw it last on the table, my jaw dropped. Is there such a thing as a beautiful burger? The burger is larger than it looks, stacked very high.

Bear with me for this, Fred ran through the details very quickly, and hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes here. But do correct me.

Starting from bottom up:

1. Glazed brioche bun, Millers.
2. Chopped iceberg lettuce.
3. Chopped red onion, red & green chilli slaw.
4. Mustard Mayo with Chipotle Cheese.
5. 5 or 6 oz O’Sheas Rib & Chuck Patty, aged & prepared in house.
6. Fred’s in-house made cheese with crispy bacon bits, american cheese, raclette, parmesan.
7. Jalapenos??
9. Braised short rib chilli.
10. Fred’s in-house tomato spread??
11. Glazed brioche bun, Millers.

Here is the cross section, medium rare, too pink for some, but for me, juicy and perfect.

It’s a breathtaking burger. Surprisingly restraint, no knock out blow of chilli. In its place, a subtle gradation of spice, of discernible chilli flavours. I felt a warming crescendo that just kept building and building as I worked my way through the burger. The 5 or 6oz patty is much smaller than the standard 8oz Ad Cod cheese, but with so many layers, it seemed it could be slimmed down just a tad. I was not complaining however, the more patty the merrier, though it did slip out of the bun barely able to hold itself together after four or five bites.

I think the most profound ‘layer’ may be the braised rib chilli. It tasted like the best chilli con carne I’d ever had, melted over arguably one of the best burger patties in town. One that was so imbued with hefty flavour (perhaps from ageing) that it was more than a match for all the spices. Fred still follows the Heston method of uniformly lining up the mince to prepare his patties, so the patty is surprisingly smooth when biting into it. I don’t know if it’s simply because I know of the technique, but it certainly does come across as such. Though Fred says that these days, he spends less time making it uniform, and rather prefers a patty that is ‘less tidy’.

As I finished the last bite of this amazing burger, I noticed a faint, warm fizzle at the back of my throat, the smell of the chilli and grilled beef still hanging around in the olfactory. So far, the best burger experience I have had are the Lucky Chip’s Bill Murray burger and the MeatEasy cheeseburgers. But I think this tops both.

I asked the missus if she thought this is the best burger she’s ever had. She replied “Yeah. Maybe.”

For £15 with chips, it certainly isn’t cheap, but it is such a stunner. Fred limits the fleeting appearance of these monsters because he thinks the rest of the menu will suffer if he devotes the time required to prep them to his exacting standards if he had to do it everyday.

The missus and I deliberated and we certainly felt like this burger had an air of a well-thought out, complete dish. Rather than stylish junk-food. The burger is certainly a chef’s burger, one in which it is apparent that copious work following serious thought, has gone into ensuring that each detail isn’t just perfect, but that each building block works in tandem with the other ingredients in the same sandwich.

I was joking with Fred that I thought the complex gamut of flavours this burger displayed versus his standard cheeseburger was akin to comparing the 1st and 2nd wines of a Bordeaux 1st growth.

On the topic of wine, they offer clarets from good 2th growth chateaux (Palmer and Leoville Barton) from drinking vintages (as opposed to ‘collector’ years) but I did note their top selection is a venerable Hills of Grace, and I suspect they are also BYO as a nearby table were had brought their own bottles. Unconfirmed though. If this is the case , then the next time I go there, I’m bringing a bottle of First Drop’s The Cream to savour the burger with. Arguably, the rising star of the Barossa Valley which may one day share the same status as the noble Grange.

I think Fred thoroughly deserves his reputation as an excellent burger constructor, but I also think he deserves to be seen as a talented chef. I googled his background and found this interview on King’s Road Rocks. He has stinted in Wales and Australia, and one of his (Chelsea) favourites is Medlar, incidentally, one of my favourites too. Amazingly, he manages very edible dishes from a kitchen no larger than those you see in the beloved food trucks which have been trending the past year.

I think the market is completely saturated with very good burgers, it’s startling how high the standard is these days, but I think the competition is only good news for end consumers. From what I’ve heard, there might a few other variant off-menu specials in the near future, but I think the only way to keep track (and to find out when what special is on) is actually to follow Fred’s twitterstream @fredsmith_.

There’s so much I haven’t tried myself and I am far from being the burger expert, so it’s only apt that I end this over-written gush fest by directing you to the burger-erudite for more detailed and accurate reports: Burgerac , Hamburger-Me.

The Gist of It

Admiral Codrington
Pub, with a great burger £35pp.
17 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY
Tel : 0207 581 0005
Tube : South Kensington

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No doubt you’ve already heard about Ceviche, the first of a trio of Peruvian restaurants to open in London this year. Started by Martin Morales, Brit with half a Peruvian heritage, he gave up a notable music career (According to Xanthe, he signed KT Tursntall and launched iTunes in Europe!) to plug a gaping hole in the market. Which he reckons will be nicely filled with an introduction to raw seafood cold cooked in tiger’s milk.

Apart from the fusion dishes at Nobu, I’ve never eaten Peruvian food. This cuisine has always been written about as the next big thing (Monocle did a nice spread last year), partly given its unique history of diverse cultural influences, one can argue that Peruvian is a true expression of fusion food. Given the decades the Nobu restaurants have spent in the (international) limelight , Peru hasn’t really taken off as a must visit destination for gastro-tourist.

The cuisine’s foremost ambassador is Gastón Acurio. By wikipedia’s account, he is a bit of a legend in his native Peru. His name is attached to No.35 on the 2012 World Best 50 , but it diffuses down to a diverse portfolio of operations which include a hamburger bar, a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant, a hotel and even a ‘gastronomic’ university. I’m most intrigued by the mention of his roast chicken franchise, La Pollada. Might it come on British shores and threaten Nandos’ monopoly on the market? That’s for another blog post.

Where was I? Ah yes, The Morales tiger’s milk: an acidic marinade consisting of a closely guarded recipe centered around salt, lime and chilli. Poured over a variety of seafood, the concoction is the very soul of the ceviche. The ceviche in turn, according to Martin represents “Everything you need to know about Peruvian food is in it”.

Alianza Lima, £7.50

With one prawn, chopped squid, octopus, giant cholo corn, seabass (as the fish on that day), beansprouts, coriander.

So it’s like a sashimi salad. Personally, I felt like all the citrus killed the texture of the seabass. It just didn’t taste fresh. In fact it tasted like a soaked sponge. I was annoyed to have to share a single prawn with the missus. Does this imply that the plate is a single person portion?

The sensation of chewing on soggy raw fish wasn’t what I had hoped for. Could it have been doused with too much tiger’s milk? I had expected sharpness, freshness and vibrancy. Maybe like a freshly shucked oyster – seawater spewing all over my top – with lashings of freshly squeezed lemon and tabasco, but alas this wasn’t it. I thought the spice and zest of the tiger’s milk was interesting, but overall, the dish lacked excitement. It was muted. At £7.50, it’s not exactly cheap.

Granted it’s an unfair comparison given the Nobu’s high prices and use of premium ingredients, but really Nobu(s) is rather good with the Peruvian dishes. Ok, so my last visit to Berkeley was over 3 years ago, over 6 to Park Lane, but if you can afford it, Nobu is still a very dependable restaurant. I still hold the view that only Nobu restaurants can do justice to Black Cod Miso. Remember that dish? Oh man, nostalgia.

Anyway, I digress. I expected that Ceviche’s star billing to be at the very least addictive and fun. I really tried to like it, but I just didn’t.

Sakura Maru, £6.25

Salmon carpaccio, tiger’s milk with mirin, soyo, satsuma and what appears to be spring onion. AKA ‘new style’ salmon sashimi. The sauce tastes exactly like the Alianza Lima. It was ok.

I am reminded of the spicy sashimi salad at Sakura, Oxford Circus , usually a dinner-only item, which uses a variety of ‘discarded’ bits from sashimi / nigiri. Salmon, seabass, hamachi, thin prawn carpaccio, seaweed usually feature, and a spicy, zesty, fresh and vibrant sauce is poured over it. It’s very addictive (they’ve got a bit stingy with the spicy sauce over the years) but I had it a few weeks ago and it’s still very good as always. Not Peruvian obviously, but at £6 or thereabouts, it’s far superior as an experience of raw fish + spicy citrus sauce than this.

Given the generally positive reviews and Martin’s largely successful PR, I really, really tried to like it but I just couldn’t. Not to say there was anything particularly wrong with it, but I just felt like there are comparably better things to eat in London at similar price points.

Ensalda de Quinoa, £3.75

With white quinoa, tomatoes, avocado, butter beans, coriander and rocoto chilli vinaigrette. Ah! We really liked this dish. It was fresh, zesty, lively and everything I perceived Peruvian cuisine to be. And it was affordable.

Arroz con Pato, £11.50

Confit duck in coriander, dark beer rice with aji amarillo chilli.

For £11.50 …it’s more expensive that the tiny tapas plates at Copita. When this arrived, I thought ‘Opera Tavern! Salt Yard! Tapas!’ , and truthfully I didn’t expect it to shine.

We took our first forkful (no spoons provided) and we both lit up. The duck was moist and tender, really concentrated in flavour and had a nicely crisped skin. However, it was the green rice that had me salivating for more. It had amazing intensity of flavour, like it was made with a very concentrated stock, perhaps with the duck fat?? Herby, fluffy, creamy, very moist, almost like a dry risotto.

I couldn’t really tell what it was, maybe it was the reducing sauce the rice was cooked it (dark beer??), but whatever it was, it was fantastic. This was something I could keep topping up bowl after bowl after bowl with. This may seem left-field (maybe because of the colour) , but it brought up similar warm feelings after I tried Heston’s snail porridge. Or for 2012 era, the cod cheeks porridge at Dinner.

For me, this dish was a winner, I never knew confit duck could be interpreted like this, I can still smell all the spices, herbs and the rice as I write it.

Chicken Anticuchos, £6.75.

Chicken cubes on a skewer. For £6.75? Better off heading to Bincho Yakitori for chicken oysters or chicken skin for the same money.

We paid £45.62 for food plus two beers. No pudding. A full meal here will probably average £25-30pp. Not overly expensive, but a little dearer than expected.

I dislike the dining room in the back. Save for a small skylight, there are no windows, and it’s stuffy like a cellar – dead fish, lime and dust. I couldn’t wait to get out the minute I got in. I know decrepit Soho spaces are trendy, but personally I’m getting tired of trying to have a meal surrounded by barely adequate furniture. More to the point, I think the kind of food Ceviche sell, requires a room with plenty of light to emphasize freshness and fragrance. I cannot imagine how stuffy it would get on hot summer nights, candles only, all the while trying to negotiate raw fish cooked in lime juice. On my visit, the music was definitely too loud, or maybe it’s just that the room was so small. If you’re there, you should avoid the dead spots in the furthest corners of the room (that’s where the missus and I sat) , and the ideal seats appear to be at the bar.

In spite of my wayward criticism, I think it’s a (mostly) good effort, though I feel it is destined to become nothing more than a convenient meeting point for after work drinks or casual group dinners. Martin has certainly paved a largely smooth road for Peruvian to enter the market, but it does feel like this is merely a dress rehearsal for something more polished on the horizon. But hey what do I know right? After all, this is only the first time I’ve eaten Peruvian food.

Next up Tierra Peru.

The Gist of It

Ceviche
Peruvian £25pp.
17 Frith Street W1D 4RG
Tel : 020 72922040
Tube : Leicester Square

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Ah Norway. Good times. I spent some time in Haugesund a couple of years ago, for work, and I will always remember the amazing Norwegian rice puddings I stuffed myself with nearly everyday.

When I first met Njål Solland and Arild Bringeland in January last year, their plans for sushi domination in Norway were still limited to studying packaging. They hail from a conurbation at the heart of the Norwegian oil capital – Stavanger and Sandnes – embedded within the southern most fjordes of Norway. They’d been conducting these extended sushi binge tours to European cities with ‘mature’ appetites for Japanese food, and as fate would have it, got in touch with me when they arrived in London. I soon discovered that we shared a fervent passion for raw seafood and vinegar-ed rice, and I was impressed with their enthusiasm of wanting to bring quality sushi to Norway.

They opened their first Sabi Sushi in April last year, primarily a takeaway, with their third partner and head chef Roger Joya. Unlike us lot, Stavangerians prefer to eat in the comfort of their home. Success followed and before long, they’d open their 2nd outlet in Forus, outside a gas station, this time with a seating area (decor not unlike a Little Chef) and dubbed it a Japanese diner. It’s the KISS philosophy, super-fresh fish in a minimalist environment.

To digress a little: In addition to the oil rush, this region of Norway has produced a legacy of Bocuse D’Or winners. Yes, the ‘Chef Olympics’ for aspiring young chefs (under 22) which takes place every other year in Lyon. Not quite the glamour of the annual World Best 50 back-slapping exercise that just received its 2012 update (which Noma still tops, but blasphemous that Sukiyabashi Jiro and The Sportsman didn’t even make Top 100) , but it is perhaps a more honest kind of gastronomical boast.

Njål had tried (and failed) to invite me to his last two openings, but with the 3rd one in Sandnes ready to rock, I thought I’d make a concerted effort to drop in. BMI flights were relatively cheap this time of year, it was the better half’s first time in Norway, so we booked our flights and off we went.

Our first lunch stop wasn’t for sushi, rather it was for a spot of traditional Norwegian grub at Lura Turistheim. Or as it was explained to me – Original Norwegian fast food. Pre-cooked, simmering in buffet vats, the Viking equivalent of the British chippy.

On the plate was kumle, or potata balls, with crackling chips, Norwegian sausage and salted pork ribs. I had a choice of either a butter sauce or fat. I chose the latter.

It’s almost like a sport for Norwegians to jest at foreigners attempting the ‘challenge’ of wolfing down the traditional dish. To Njål surprise, I actually quite enjoyed it, it wasn’t as stogy as it looked! Probably because it was redolent of some dim sum dishes I grew up with like lo mai gai (steamed & stuffed glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves) and pan-fried turnip cake. I suppose the other European cousin is the gnocchi.

I ate kumle with recommended lashings of syrup and with mustard. I washed everything down with a glass of soured milk called Tine Mjölk, like a very thin lassi. I know it all sounds odd, but oddly enough, this combo worked well together. I can almost glimpse a version of this dish being considered for re-invention as part of the New Nordic movement.

I’ve been to my fair share of launch parties, but this is the first one where I fulfilled my stereotype of the Chinese guy fresh off the boat, who didn’t speak the language. I laughed when the room laughed (presumably when Njål cracked a joke in his speech) and I raised mine when everybody else raise their glasses and belted ‘skål!’ – presumably to drink to the opening of the Sandnes branch of Sabi Sushi.

Norway is near enough an ideal location to start a sushi restaurant. Firstly, harnessing all that wonderfully fresh Norwegian seafood is almost a no-brainer. Then, there’s all the oil money Rogaland is awash with (lowest unemployment rate in the nation), and thirdly, there’s hardly any competition (yet) as the eating out culture is only just catching up to the economy boom in the area. The only unknown is whether raw fish will integrate into Norwegian palates as they have done over here in London.

Pan-fried Norwegian scallops, black tobiko on a salad of marinated crab and seaweed – North Sea on a plate, perhaps?

It may be a biased sample size – comprised mostly of local movers and shakers – but it did appear that Norwegians have a huge appetite for sushi. I didn’t meet any Stavanger food bloggers, though it was a pleasure to speak with one of the founders of Stavanger Expats.

Look at the colour of the tuna and salmon – striking yes?

This is what the missus and I managed to muster from the buffet. Considering it was a buffet, the food was pumped out to a high spec. Though I did feel that the rice while good was turning so cold that the inherent stickiness had the individual grains starting to agglomerate into a ball of glue (they did serve 2000 pieces of nigiri that night..). However it was accurately seasoned.

The fish were notably fresh, particularly the salmon. Really smooth, silky and fragrant, perhaps some of the best raw salmon ever to grace vinegared balls of rice. The hamachi, halibut (by Sterling) , scallop, seaweed were all bursting with sweetness. I also loved the over-sized shrimp tempura doused with a spicy cream sauce, not disimilar to Nobu’s signature (but tiny) rock shrimp tempura.

The Sabi owners have obviously capitalised on the fact that they have such easy access to the abundance of high quality fish which come to shore literally minutes away from their restaurants. Norway after all, is an early pioneer of aquaculture, and the quality of the industry’s handiwork is apparent.

I also tried whale sashimi for the first time. Pan-fried (I think) and marinated (with a sort of soy-based sauce) but served rare in the centre. It was incredibly tender, very similar to venison or even ostrich. Yes, my conscience does feel guilty (feel free to bash me with your comments) , but honestly, my curiosity compelled me to give it a try. I didn’t regret it and I won’t lie, I did enjoy it.

The evening ending with a curious comedian singing a bunch of cheesy american classics.

The next day, we went off to PastaPasta for some Italian pizza. This one made with pesto marinated scampi, onions, artichokes, mushrooms, parmesan and mozzarella was pretty incredible. I chatted with the owner, Ståle Johnsen, who was speaking about his admiration for Pizza East’s fabulously rustic decor (and Mozza-style pizzas, ohh that semolina base..). He was real stoked when I told him the warehouse-like building was once used by Lipton to process and package tea in the 30s.

Anyway, his pizzas use 00 flour, and are given ample time for the dough to rise. They spend about 4 minutes in the oven – a tad long but there’s no wood fire oven here. Not quite Franco Manca or Pizza East, but still the base was thin, crispy and pretty good. The scampi topping was amazingly good however. A little spicy too. It’s that Norwegian seafood again, simply awesome. He tells me that pizza in Norway is difficult to get off the ground, since all the Italian imports from the mozzarella to the salami have ridiculously high import taxes slapped across it. That translates to 169 NOK for this pizza. Roughly £18. Then again, the cost of living in Norway (and much of Scandinavia) is incredibly high relative to Britain anyway.

Norwegian ‘Gourmet’ pizza is probably still in the infant stages, but while we’re on the topic of rapidly gourmet-rised fast food, burger-fever does not appear to have penetrated this part of Europe yet.

In the evening, we headed back for round two at Sabi Sushi. Yup, clean Scandinavian furnishings in this diner. In fact, I met the carpenter who had put together most of the furniture for the restaurant – he’s very young, grew up in the area. The group’s head chef, Roger and the Sandnes general manager Ole had teamed up to create a one-off Japanese-Norwegian fusion dinner. A prototype for their future expansion plans. Suggestions of a small 20-cover ‘premium’ version of Sabi, not geared toward take-away.

Ain’t this cute? The menu was printed on a chopstick holder – 8 courses.

Amuse: Fried salmon skin, cucumber.

Oddly, this reminded me of the tempura shrimp amuse/non-starter at Le Chateaubriand.

Course 1: Sterling white halibut, lime, wasabi cream, black tobiko, bean sprouts.

Shredded from fresh wasabi too. Cutting acid of the lime, a cooling spiciness of the wasabi, along with ultra smooth halibut. Wow.

Course 2: Cold smoked Salmon (over apple wood), egg cream, asparagus, ponzu sauce.

Reminiscent of tsar-cut salmon – this is what edible silk tastes like. The gentle smoking gave it a very faint whiff of fruity wood. Powerful citrus from the ponzu and what appears to be a half-baked bearnaise. A wedge of asparagus for texture. If anything, this dish illustrated the sheer quality of Norwegian salmon. Aside from the liquorice salmon dish at Fat Duck, I don’t think I’ve quite eaten such amazing salmon.

Course 3: Seared scallops, oyster foam, broad beans, wasabi mayo, daikon.

Sensational salmon was followed by phenomenal scallops. So sweet, I could have eaten it raw. Some felt the wasabi mayonnaise was a little too much, but I quite liked it. It was spicy and really eggy.

Course 4: Norwegian Langoustines, wasabi butter sauce.

This was the OMG dish. I was told that they were caught in the mid afternoon and delivered to the restaurant at 5pm, just three hours before dinner. Served with a sort of clarified butter sauce made with something zesty and some wasabi. It looked like it was blanched to just the right side of cooked. The inherent sweetness was breathtaking, clearly these were the juiciest crustaceans to swim in Norwegian waters. I was told by neighboring guests that the key to the sweetness was the timing between cooking and being fished out of the water, before the death toxins take its toll on breaking down the muscles. Relatively cheap in Norway, readily available …I cried for one more, the missus cried for two more, but to no avail!

Course 5: Nigiri of otoro, salmon, maguro.

At half-way point, we were treated to a selection of Sabi Sushi’s bread and butter dishes. Or nigiri and maki I should say. Tuna – maguro and toro – and salmon pre-slathered with soya sauce (so I didn’t have to, but could if I wanted to – a homage to a certain London sushi bar). The otoro was flab-tastic, cut up the day before from a 19kg tuna caught off the Sri Lankan coast. Like all good otoro, the experience was a mesmerizing mouthful of oozing buttery flavour – so good that it is this very sensation that is enough to threaten the very existence of the fish itself. The rice was warmer on the 2nd day, clearly more pampered than during the launch party, resulting in a loose texture and exhibiting the usual melt in the mouth textures I associate good sushi with.

Course 6: Maki of salmon toro, salmon with tempura and cucumber, soft shell crab with avocado.

I really enjoyed the salmon belly tartare – so well mashed and fatty, it was nearing the texture of a smoothie. Full of flavour. Tempura batter rolled into maki is always a genuinely addictive proposition.

Course 7: Ginger sorbet.

As opposed to pickled ginger. Interesting twist.

Course 8: Reduction of chicken jus, spring onion, carrot.

Not sure if this actually qualifies as a course per say, but it was eye-opening. A KO punch of chicken jus.

Course 9: Dutch Wagyu, foie gras, pastry of pickled oyster mushrooms with Sabi sauce, shiso leaf.

1st impression – Japanese Tournedos Rossini!

Dutch wagyu – this was a first for me. Sirloin was used, cooked to medium rare and sliced thinly like a carpaccio, unfortunately a little too thin for me to tell tell how tender it was. The teriyaki based sauce and the foie gras masked rather than enhanced the natural beef flavours completely, so I couldn’t really tell what it tasted like either. Personally, I would have preferred if it was served as a cube, or at least cut just a little thicker. Frankly though I really wished there was more of it. I think this could have worked better if it were served a little more rare (or even raw).

It was nice enough, but I felt it could have been better. I couldn’t help comparing it to the excellent Wolfgang Puck wagyu steak sashimi recipe. The oyster mushroom pastry/spring roll on the other hand was quite nice.

Course 10: Banana, chocolate ‘tray’ with melted chocolate, banana, passionfruit and coconut ice cream.

Aka: The Pacojet course. I was mocked for not knowing what this gizmo was! Heston has one in his kitchens. Basically a pacoject is a really powerful mixer, with a sharp blade that spins at 2000rpm. For making ice cream, this cuts up all the rough ice chips into a superiorly smooth frozen mouse.

Indeed, this was a superiorly silken coconut ice cream. No ice crystals as promised. The chocolate was made by a Chocolatier local to the area, but I failed to get the name. Both were very good. Fruit, chocolate and ice cream reminded me of Le Chateaubriand yet again. Personally, I would have preferred to see a slice of grilled banana instead of it being served with either a pastry or battered wrap – The smell of cooked bananas always makes for a thriller – , but otherwise it was a pleasant end to the lengthy meal.

Of course, this menu is still work in progress, but I think the restaurant certainly has got all the necessary building blocks to mold into something special. If anything, it’s certainly an interesting glimpse into the future of Stavanger’s fusion dining scene. For me, it was pleasant (if short) gastro-getaway to a region which is just developing a taste for quality international cuisines. A little surreal to see what was a conversational topic a year earlier now fully realised as a thriving group of restaurants. It will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next couple of years.

In some ways, the minimalist-high quality approach (See Wabi-Sabi for Japanese Aesthetic) is reminiscent of Tom Byng’s no-bullshit ethos in building his ever expanding Byron empire. I still tell people how I had once sampled their now defunct (but original) Byron sliders way back in ’08 (my writing was as cringe-worthy as it is today) when there were only 2 branches. Hard to imagine that back then, Byron came behind GBK and Hache. Now they’re up to 22 branches and still growing.

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I have asserted in the past that Bryn Williams is the most underrated chef in Britain, and that I’ve wanted to return to his restaurant, Odette’s to delve deeper in his cooking, beyond the GBM dish that sent his career into overdrive.

Perhaps it is because his restaurant is in a tucked away location (in Primrose Hill) , and that it’s a little old fashion which is probably why it doesn’t receive the same kind of attention which centrally located counterparts may enjoy.

Odette’s has also been in the same spot since ’78, albeit changing ownership many times over the years, before Vince Power took over the reigns in 2006 and lured the young chef away from the clutches of the Galvin Brothers. Bryn has since bought the restaurant out, and has been Chef Patron since late 2008. If those walls could speak. I just think there such romance to Odette’s. You can’t beat heritage (no matter how patchy) and I think history is embodies the ideals of a neighbourhood restaurant. Food is part skill, but also part nostalgia. White bread, ketchup and bashed fillet steak with black pepper might not be ‘gourmet’ but the smell of pan-fried steak always takes me back to my childhood Sunday lunches.

The ambiance (and by extension the leafy neighbourhood locale of sleepy cafes & pet shops) is cocooned and cosy but most of all, the cooking is slick as snails. My first visit to Odette’s was in 2010, after trying Bryn’s lamb and mint at the 2010 Taste of London. I revisited late last year for one of his Sunday Supperclubs , which Bryn personally hosts. During both visits, I loved the cooking.

Curiously, it is also one of the most reasonably priced ‘fine dining’ menus on the circuit. The 6 course taster is £50. Set lunches menus could be had for as low as £17. Granted Bryn has been cooking at Odette’s for nearly six years now, the bib has yet to bestow any macaroons, but maybe its a good thing. After all, this is a small-scale restaurant which would have been worthy of keeping as a secret in the good old days before blogs.

I had returned to try the full tasting menu, expecting something extra-ordinary. But like all restaurants I hype up, I was a little nervous that my own over-excitement may lead to inevitable disappointment…! Thankfully – pre-empting the following waffle- all fears were utterly unfounded, as the meal was completely enjoyable.

Unlike the first 2 visits, Bryn wasn’t in the kitchen for this meal. I was told he was on vacation in St Lucia, and front of house noted that ‘the guy [in chef robes] who just walked past is head chef today’. Don’t know his name, can’t find it online, but if you do, please let me know.

I drank a glass of 2008 Munoz de Toro by Bonarda. Argentinian. It was ok, fruity, medium bodied, sweet, got the job done at £6.50 for the glass.

Now that I’ve suddenly become ‘wine-aware’ (or Bordeaux-aware to be exact) ever since I started my BBR cellar plan, I’m studying wine lists in more detail. I feel that I have more meaningful things to say about it these days. (As opposed to nothing at all in the past.)

For me, the wine list appears to favour light & fruity styles. The (red wine) list is short features a number of Beaujolais, Old World and New World Pinots. Ch Musar, a Lebanese wine, is always a good pick. Their 1st wines are affordable if you consider the price of top Bordeaux these days and usually are a good pick (I do recall usually paying no more than £30 for a bottle, for most vintages). Though I’ve never tried the ‘Jeune’ range, which appears to be the estate’s 2nd wine.

At the top end is the ’98 Haut-Bages Averous. A lovely wine from a well reputed Chateau. I actually drank a bottle of this exact wine a few weeks ago. The 2nd wine (now renamed as ECHO) of the famous Bordeaux 5th Growth, the Lynch-Bages estate. Affectionately the ‘lunch-bags’ which are notably popular in Britain, and in the 1st class cabin of Cathay Pacific flights. For me, the wine has a wonderfully opulent nose that fills the room immediately after opening. Decanting does not appear to enhance the wine (as if writing), as I would imagine that at 14 years of age, it is drinking well right now. Berry fruits, just a tad of acidity and just a touch of pencil lead. Very grippy tannins even after 2 hour decant (and I think I did it correctly), but for some reason, I felt the wine was more ‘invigorating’ straight out of the bottle.

At £121, that’s almost a 3x mark-up from retail. I paid £45 at Robersons.

Course 1: Crispy duck egg, baked celeriac, truffle salad

I swapped the mackerel course for this one, because the duck egg sounded more exciting. Plus, who can turn down truffle.

The styling was very minimal, a crisped crusted duck egg with a yolk that’s just starting to gel to a creamy custard. Immediately, the lovely smoky perfume of truffle was evident.

I’m guessing that the egg was sitting on a salad of chopped celeraic, it’s sharp like mustard seeds and lemon juice, just beautiful balanced against the creamy yolk. Extremely appetising. I think the lingering flavour of truffle was what did it for me. I know, egg and truffle, not a new combo, but this one was executed so well.

Shall I go for it? Yeah it’s go for it – Like an elegantly deconstructed scotch egg built for the most delicate of palates. Ohh…

This rivaled the excellent Copitas version of Duck egg and truffle.

Course 2: Pig’s head & black pudding terrine, crackling, pickled mushroom

Fabulous depth of flavour! Like brawn rubbed in rock salt, I detect just a tinge of spice within the layers of black pudding. Like curry powder. The terrine was in total contrast to the sharp apple puree. Clean, crisp, precision bombing of intense flavours. Very focused stuff.

Course 3: Roast turbot, braised oxtail, cockles & samphire

Ah yes, the mythical Great British Menu winner … appears to have been tweaked! The cockle foam gone and replaced with a rich sticky sauce. Very salty, very intense, a little mineral, sandy and like seawater, perhaps this reduction was also made from cockles. Also redolent of Chinese abalone and oyster sauce. The turbot was fried with a perfectly crispy shell, but just wonderfully under-cooked in the middle for extra flakiness. The samphire and cockles gave the illusion like I was dragging my mouth along a sandy beach. Lovely reminder of the Welsh seaside. Oh Tenby, I miss you so.

Course 4: Roast mutton, pickled salsify & mint …

… and Shepherd’s pie on the side. Correction, the best shepherd’s pie on the side. Very mellow flavours, a light mash and a beautiful mince soaking in rich roasting juices.

The mutton exuded a stealthy gaminess, but really it was the mint sauce that lifted this dish. It tickled the tongue and just distracted from the natural strength of the mutton.

My only dislike were the pickled salsify. Much too sweet, nearly sugary and just threatening to derail the overall zen of the dish.

At some point, I felt this was like mutton dancing with different flavour partners as I moved from one end of the dish to the next. Almost I do feel the shepherds pie is very special. Just a good roast. Colourful. Could be a contender for a perfect Sunday afternoon roast.

Course 5: Selection of Welsh cheese, fruit chutney & bara brith

Correct me if I’m wrong, blue was Perl Las, the semi-hard was Caerphilly and the soft was Perl Wen. I liked the soft one the best, very creamy like a good camembert, but with jersey milk richness. Very sharp for a soft cheese. The fruit chutney was honey sweet, made with cranberries I think. Bara brith, or speckled bread, was very dense, not quite fruitcake, but more fruit bread. A generous cheese platter, considering it was rolled into the price of the taster.

Course 6: Pistachio cake, caramelised apples, calvados cream

Look at that. Isn’t it lovely? It looks like a spaceship! Such vibrant colours, matching the decor too. The cake was crumbly and rich in pistachio, the browed apple slices provided a lovely sharp contrast, but it was the well-whipped, spiked cream that made this pudding such a joy. A re-imagined rum-baba perhaps?

I paid £66.94 for the meal, plus an espresso. Good value considering the length of meal.

I will say though, out of 3 meals, I think service – while friendly – can be a little stiff and a bit of a mood killer. Maybe it’s the old fashioned ‘fine dining’ sensibilities kicking in, but considering its a neighbourhood restaurant, I think they can more than afford to loosen up a bit. Maybe a green shirt as opposed to the black uniform? In shiny green silk.

Short of laverbread, the menu is a lovely representative of Wales. Whoever the chef was on the day, I tip my hat, I thought he did a fine job. To sum up: I think Odette’s is elegant. I think the level of cooking is high enough to rival the capital’s trendiest restaurant, but it flies well below the radar with an admirable reticence. I think the cooking is rooted in classic styles, and it appears completely disinterested in chasing trends (eg: no shaved ice, ceviche raw fish, or beetroot cream). A refreshing change.

It does appear that Bryn knows exactly the kind of food he is comfortable cooking. Honing a signature style, to chip away at the identity of a body of work, in search for the perfect expression of an aforementioned style, is for me, the primary reason in visiting restaurants (ok, hyperbole over). Precise cooking, inspired by Welsh heritage. It’s almost nostalgic. So easy to love this kind of cooking, a kind of restaurant you could easily revisit, and most importantly, take friends to.

PS Bryn if you happen to read this: Please consider laverbread, cockles and bacon as a weekend brunch option.

The Gist of It

Odette’s
British, £65pp
130 Regent’s Park Road NW1 8XL
Tel: 020 7586 5486
Tube: Chalk Farm

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Rob & David’s eponymous restaurant has only just toasted its ten year anniversary. A decade and a bit, largely recognised as one of a handful of institutions of Iberian cooking in the business. Not forgetting the Eyre Brother’s first effort, The Eagle, which has already entered the annals of culinary legend. It predates the rise of the Brindisas and – in certain respects – is seen to have nurtured its growth. After all, Jose Pizarro did spend his first years in London with this fine establishment. The restaurant celebrates cooking from the Iberian peninsula, with the roots established in Portuguese cooking. Perhaps due in no small part to David’s upbringing in Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony.

Today, there are many luminous representatives of Iberian cooking in the city, dare I say, that Spanish cooking has hit a high level of consistency. Whatever formula that may be applied to running successful Spanish restaurants which appeal to Londoners, has been perfected. Copita, Salt Yard, Jose/Pizarro and even the post-Pizarro Brindisas just to name a few of the current crop of small plate leaders all produce lovely food. Progress is inevitable, but I believe there’s always a sense of romance when visiting restaurants with a bit of history.

The Alpine cabin ambiance does remind me a little of Pizarro – Slick yet down to earth, with a long bar which entertains a more familiar menu of tapas. One which is adamantly self-proclaimed to be set apart from the ‘ersatz’ competition for its ‘gutsy flavours’. Croquetas, gambas, prego and tinned sardines. Here, tapas certainly do read more like bar snacks than full meals.

At the dinner table, the civilised ALC is laid out as three course meals. Starters include Spatchcocked quail cooked in sherry vinegar; Pressed Madeira and Porto-marinated foie gras. For mains Portuguese baked spiced rice with duck, chourico and smoked touchino; Globe artichoke with sauteed wild garlic, swiss chard and peas on a spinach pancake; Grilled Mozambique tiger prawns piri-piri, pilaf rice, cucumber, coriander and sherry vinegar.

Anchovies, pimientos, olives, capers toast and a soft boiled egg, £7.00.

I started with something easy, opting for what essentially is anchovies on a bit of toast. The anchovies were certainly gutsy. So salty I washed down each bite with half a glass of tap water. I have to confess, the dish is a little boring, one could say it feels home-made, but with so many preserved ingredients on the same plate, I was yearning for something warm and freshly cooked (like clams).

Grilled fillet of acorn-fed Iberico Pig, marinated with smoked paprika, thyme and garlic. Patatas probres – Oven potatoes with green peppers, onions, garlic and white wine, £21.00.

This sort of pink pork was novel and bold at one time, but now its nearly commonplace. A regular fixture at Parle’s Dock Kitchen, and unsurprisingly, there’s a cut down version of simply grilled ruby red dollops of iberico fillet at Jose’s sherry bar.

I could be wrong, but this particular dish – in essence a David Eyre signature – may have kicked it all off. The pork had a wonderful fragrance about it, it certainly is not innocent like the rest of its non-acorn fed brethren, and ultimately its accompanying flavour profile is much more intense.

After all, these are cut from the prized pigs with body fat that ooze like the most complex of olive oils. Sizzling, hearty and rustic. With a buttery tenderness that melts on the fork. I noted the lovely colours of the potatoes and the juices it were bathed in. A creamy beige akin to a flowing wedding dress. Like a blushing black pig wrapped in satin. The residual heat of the potatoes were fabulous. Heavily seasoned and I hazard a guess, that it is only made more complex by absorbing some of the lovely juices from the pork. A wonder to eat.

It’s terribly elegant, classic and a sterling example of meat and potatoes. There were so many flavours swirling around the plate, but perhaps just one too many. My palate was slowly overcome with spiciness, which eventually drowned out the natural flavour of the pork. Only just approaching the wrong of queasy as I finished the plate.

Perhaps I have grown accustomed with Jose’s version served simply with a few sprinkles of paprika, and much more daringly rare than this. Then there is Nuno Mendes’ addictive version served with a savoury Portuguese bread pudding. Both in my opinion do a better job of reigning in just enough to highlight the natural awesomeness of iberico pork. I think David’s signature dish is almost too rich, by comparison.

Burnt cooked cream, £6.00

To finish, a classic cooked cream fit for St Joseph’s day! Smooth cold vanilla custard encased in a caramelised sugary roof.

I paid £45 for food and a glass of Graciano. Eyre Brothers is a certainly a solid restaurant, food is mostly good, if a touch rich, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, for those of you who still enjoy a kip after a big meal. There is an unshakable sense of nostalgia, or more accurately, a sense that I have visited a precursor to the current state of affairs. I feel that its younger counterparts have eclipsed its classic offerings with lighter and more playful interpretations of Iberian cooking. However, it doesn’t change the fact it is still a classic.

The Gist of It

Eyre Brothers
Iberian £50pp.
70 Leonard St. EC2A 4QX
Tel : 02076135346
Tube : Old Street

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Ah …Easter weekend. We drove all the way to the Sidmouth coast, to marvel at the bronze cliffs, seagulls and took in other bits of Devon (like Beer) while we were there too. Aside from M.Caines’ iron grip on Exeter dining (We did eat at his restaurant at ABode Exeter, but not worthy of a write-up imho) , we were on the look out for something decidedly local.

I couldn’t secure a last minute booking at La Petite Maison nor did we try a Rick Stein chippy, but instead we made time for this well-regarded humble fish & chip shop located on premises at Darts Farm in Topsham.

Curiously the farm is a set of modern looking buildings which hosts an Cotswold outdoors shop as well as an AGA outlet. It certainly looks more like the facade of a leisure centre than a traditional farm. Started initially by Roland Dart 40 odd years ago as a small hut selling produce to the locals, it’s now morphed into a major food hub in Devon.

I suppose if Wholefoods were to expand their influence, Darts Farm would be the ideal candidate to mount a take-over. Inside, the main shop floor sells local produce, a local (award-winning) butcher and a cider & ale corner. I do regret not picking up a bottle of aged cider brandy!

The Fish Shed is very modest, literally run from a shed extended out from the main shop building. There’s an al fresco area, but there were also tables right inside the food shop looking out to the shed.

The owner is Dave Kerley, a one-time scallop diver and so has insight into securing the best available fish for his chippy. They claim to only ever cook fish which is caught & landed from nearby Lyme bay on the same day (or within 12 hours) , ensuring freshness and quality.

Naturally his daily prepped beer batter (finished in a fryer filled with beef dripping) has been lauded and ultimately led to whispers as one of the best fish & chip shops in the country. In addition to the greasy option, all fish can be served grilled.

On the day we visited, the option for lobster & chips wasn’t available (perhaps Devon Lobsters weren’t yet in season), but there was a pretty wide range of fish available including cod, brill, haddock, monkfish, lemon sole and john dory.

Fish cakes and sausage (with chips) was also on the menu, but we avoided. Everything came served in sturdy take away boxes labelled “The Great British Take Away”. Nice.

Beer Battered Cod (£7.15) , chips (£2.75) & mushy peas (£0.80).

The bubbling and crispy golden batter was very light and immediately appealing. Already well-seasoned so only the lightest dabble of salt was necessary. The batter certainly tasted quality (and clean) , not overly greasy and on the lighter side.

The fish was tremendously moist and flaky, it certainly was eye-openingly fresh! I’m no fisherman, so have no idea about the likelihood of cod caught off Devon (maybe deeper seas?). But whatever the case, 3 out of 4 of us had the battered cod and we were all cooing with delight. Certainly one of the best fried fish to my tastes.

The other half decided against deep fried fish, and opted for her John Dory to be grilled. We also noted the supple freshness of the fish. Incredible stuff.

Chips were thick cut, fluffy and golden. They were alright. Mushy peas were a bit of a let down I thought, a little deflated and dry.

Scallops, £7.70.

Devon scallops are tiny …but god were these good! Not over-grilled, and just perfection! Really fresh, and amazingly sweet. Could have had two more boxes of them.

I don’t want to turn this into an opera, but I did really like The Fish Shed. Regret not making a return visit the next day. London restaurants blog posts may saturate the internet these days, but it’s slim pickings when it comes to finding decent places outside of the M25.

Anyway, if you’re headed to Exeter anytime soon, I think it’s worth dropping by Darts Farm for lunch. I’m not a chippy expert but I will say that for me personally, the visit to the Fish Shed was certainly worth the 3 hour drive.

The Gist of It

The Fish Shed
Fish & Chips £15pp.
Darts Farm, Topsham, Exeter EX3 0QH
Tel : 01392 878200

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Read V3, V2 and V1.

This list is put together to record the restaurants I love and would revisit. No guide is ever definitive, and this one is far from it. It is as transitional as the restaurants which rise and fall through the years. I do however hope you’ll find this (quarterly to bi-annual update) useful and a pleasant read in planning your next meal in the city.

This list is organised into the following categories :
Personal Favourites ; British ; Special Occasions ; Easy Occasions ; Asia ; Coffee and Else

Classy restaurants, Institutions and ‘Fine Dining’ : £60 – £100 pp
Bistros, Wine Bars, Gastropubs : £45 pp
Post-Polpo, Tapas, Diners : £20 to £40 pp
Burgers £7 to £20

There couldn’t be a wider spread of choice to dine out these days. The relentless rate of ‘quality’ restaurant openings seems to have slowed down in 2012. Generally speaking, I feel that newer restaurants are headed toward better value for money rather than to challenge for macaroons.

Le Critics
Marina O’Loughlin for Metro
Fay Maschler for Evening Standard
AA Gill for The Sunday Times
Jay Rayner for the Observer
Guy and team at TimeOut London

Restaurant Bloggers
Miss GT and Mr B at Gourmet Traveller
Critical Couple
XXX at Bellaphon
The Epicurean
Young and Foodish
Miss C of Gourmet Chick
Douglas Blyde at Intoxicating Prose
Burgerac

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Personal favourites

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Personal Favourites ; British ; Special Occasions ; Easy Occasions ; Asia ; Coffee and Else

Dabbous

Next Gen, £40pp
39 Whitfield St, W1T 2SF
Tel : 0207 323 1544
Tube: Goodge Street

You should have heard of Ollie Dabbous by now, the young chef’s eponymous restaurant opened earlier this year is certainly the most exciting food I’ve come across in recent years and consequently is now the hottest table in town. Good luck getting a booking for the next 3 months. I was fortunate enough to visit twice within the first month of opening, and on both visits, the cooking was a revelation. It’s probably still a work in progress but its a bloody amazing work in progress and I suspect it may perpetually be a work in progress. The cooking is highly technical but the output is admirably effortless. Pure magic, very exciting stuff indeed. Each dish is a thoughtful and effective construct of few ingredients which work together to achieve umami. Dabbous is very new-age and may be a prime candidate for membership to the Le Fooding movement. Luckily for us, Ollie is based here and not Paris. Review here

Copita

Faster than you can say tapas. £33pp.
26-27 D’arblay Street W1F 8E
Tel: 0207 287 7797 but No Reservations..
Tube: Oxford Circus

This one really took me by surprise. I love this place. Opened by the guys who own Barrica, this little tapas bar is more bar than tapas. Portions are tiny, there aren’t even any proper tables to sit down in, aside from stools and bar length table tops, and it doesn’t take reservations either. But the cooking is a bold departure from the norm, there is lightness, creativity, nuts, citrus fruits and a whole lotta truffle. The slow cooked, custard-like duck egg with a touch of orange (i think) is a dish you only dream about in restaurants, the cod throat and clams were euphoric, and their Tom Jones beef tartare hand-chopped with sprinkles of truffle was mince beef heaven. There is a twist in every single recipe, a surprise with every mouthful. This is fantasy cooking, and one of (if not actually) the most exciting (of) openings in 2011. A recent revisit earlier in 2012 confirmed that things are still on the up and up, however prices have escalated slightly and it’s just a little pricier than expected now. I ate some lovely barely cooked Scotch langoustines, flesh still translucent. A price premium, but definitely memorable cooking. Copita review here

Medlar

Anglo-French £25 for lunch at £38 for dinner.
438 Kings Road SW10 0LJ
Tel : 020 7349 1900
Bus: 328 to Chelsea World’s End.

For me, this was the restaurant of 2011. Apart from Cambio, this is my favourite restaurant in the capital. Maybe I like a bit of old fashion decadence, but I think the disciplined French cooking is just fantastic. Chef Joe was formerly the sous at venerable Chez Bruce, and the other co-owner, front of house David O’Connors formerly of The Ledbury. Unsurprisingly, their restaurant feels distinctly like a Platts-Martin production – Value driven (£25/£40 prix fixe menu) , stunning but classical (and rich) French cooking in a low-profile and comfortable ambiance. I went to Chez Bruce and I think Bruce Poole would be extremely proud of his protege’s work. The food is brilliant, front of house are visibly hardworking and come across as genuinely impassioned about their labour of love. I think they know they’re onto something special with Medlar. I revisited in March 2012 and were delighted to discover that they serve Jurançon (just like Chez Bruce) and serve an exquisite prune & armagnac ice cream (with financiers) (just like Chez Bruce, too). Duck tart, crab ravioli, beef blade steak with triple cooked chips (and house whipped bearnaise) are my picks. Dare I say, the cooking here has surpassed Chez Bruce in nearly every department. Medlar review here

Cambio de Tercio

Spanish, £50pp ; 7 Course taster menu £37.
163 Old Brompton Road SW5 0LJ
Tel: 020 7244 8970
Tube: Gloucester Road

I’ve been visiting this restaurant since 2003 and glad to say that it was going strong in 2010, still riding the waves in 2011, and rumours are they are still hanging on in 2012 with word of minor but substantial tweaks to their already superb octupus recipe. Simply the finest Spanish restaurant in London, in my opinion, probably deserves at least a michelin star just for the sheer quality of food. The owner Abel Lusa is there almost every night since he opened in the nineties, and is as genial as ever.The heart and soul of the restaurant. I’ve never had a bad meal here and it comes with my highest recommendations. Read More.

Lucky Chip

£6 a burger
Netil Market,
Westgate Street
London Fields, E8 3RL
Ben – 07795816355

I think Ben & Comar sell the best burgers in London. The patty is well seasoned and has bags of beefy flavour. They steam cook their patties in a similar way to Meatwagon. In addition to the food truck at Netil Market, they are resident at Sebright Arms and are due to open in permanent format, tentatively Slider bar sometime this year. Be forewarned there will be massive queues, and because of the high demand, consistency can be a challenge for these folks, so perhaps its a good idea to show up early. Review here.

Corner Room

Hidden Genius £30pp
No reservations, no phone.
First Floor at The Town Hall Hotel
Patriot Square | E2 9NF
Tube : Bethnal Green

I met Nuno Mendes when Viajante was just a pipedream and he was still cooking at his private kitchen The Loft, before it became a platform for emerging chef-artists. I wish I’m half as cool as he is. “It’s Vi-a-JAN-tey, with a J. I’m Portuguese.”. Strokes the Jesus beard and a flick of his fringe. He is the antithesis to Heston’s nerdy mad scientist, he is the vision of a manic artist revelling in his most creative period of his career. I am so glad for his michelin star with Viajante, but I am more glad that he has decided to breathe life into The Corner Room. This is a significant restaurant. It was once the breakfast room for the Townhall hotel’s guests, but now it is London’s worst kept culinary secret.

Sure its no booking policy mean that on weekends, food is tardy and inconsistent, which can be an absolutely let down after a pain in the a of a long queue (or getting completely wasted while waiting in the Viajante bar downstairs). During quieter times however, the corner room really comes into its own. With a bit of breathing space, the young chefs from downstairs Viajante are given the chance to rise to the occasion to turn out stripped-down cooking that is reticent and thoughtful. It really is like a solid B-side that you love it for its uniqueness.

The results are hearty dishes which are breathtaking, marvelously simple and free from the pomposity of Viajante’s prerequisite theatrics. The Iberico pork loin with Portuguese bread pudding is a genius dish that you must try – it works equally for brunch or for dinner. This is an unplugged acoustic set of smoother sensations, like Bread & Wine or Rochelle canteen, it is the explicitly bare act of nourishment that makes it such a romantic proposition. Review here

Zucca

£30pp Italian.
184 Bermondsey Street SE1 3TQ
Tel: (020) 7378 6809
Tube: London Bridge

This lovely little restaurant was the first of a wave of River Cafe-lites when it opened nearly two years ago. Now it has matured into an Italian institution unto itself. I feel it is home to some of the best Italian cooking in London, epitomizing the elegant sensibilities of the cuisine. The missus loves it and can’t stop taking her friends there and regularly books tables at random, weeks in advance. And you will probably need a few weeks of notice to nab a table at a sensible time, given the obscurity of its location (in Bermondsey St). The house-made pappardelle with ragu is inspirational cooking. They served the best grilled veal chops in London for less than £15 two years ago, and now they serve the best veal chops in London for under £20. Read more.

Made in Camden

Fusion, brunch, cafe, bar and free wifi. £20pp
Chalk Farm Road NW1 8EH
Tel : 020 7424 8495 Tube: Chalkfarm

Many dead trees have been dedicated to the launch of Ottolenghi’s new restaurant in Soho, NOPI, and while I think NOPI is brilliant, I also think it’s a little expensive, and just a little too glam for everyday. I feel that the once modest cafe at the Roundhouse, transformed by Josh Katz into a culinary destination, deserves time in the limelight. Katz had previously stinted with Yotam in a previous life, so maybe that’s where the Medi influences in his cooking can be traced back to. If you’re lucky, surprise dishes such as his take on Chang’s Momofuku pork bun may show up on the menu. The weekend brunch menu of baked eggs, grilled banana bread and blueberry pancakes are completely fabulous.

I’ve been to MIC maybe 10 times, the missus keeps a loyalty card, but we always forget to take it with us. I really do think it’s wonderful cooking. A real gem, especially in this part of town, and well worth a visit. Read more.

Sushi of Shiori

Very personal kind of Japanese, £45pp
144 Drummond Street, Off Hamstead Road, NW1 2PA
Tel: 020 7388 9962
Tube: Warren Street

I never thought such a fabulous labour of love would ever exist in London, this tiny sushi bar can only accommodate nine people, is run by a husband and wife team, but the sushi is as good as you will find in London. The chef is ex-Umu, and is a artist with the knife, who has probably decided to keep his restaurant small, so that he can personally wow his diners as they watch him prepare dinner. If you love sushi, or would like to be introduced to it, this is the place to go. The entire dining experience is unique and personal. My favourite Japanese restaurant in London. Read More.

Goodman

£45 – 100 pp Steakhouse in Mayfair, Canary Wharf, and the City

As a red blooded male, I love meat sweats. I frequent Goodman on a regular basis and this is my go-to restaurant for proper steak. There are two realistic choices for London steak, Goodman and Hawksmoor. I prefer this Russian owned restaurant for the sheer choice of meat, in particular the Nebraska Prime USDA beef. NZ, Chilean and Oz Wagyu, O’Sheas Irish Beef, Scotch and a number of English beef (Belted Galloway is good) are also on their menu.

Each of the restaurants have aging rooms on premises and they cook their steaks inside the vaunted Josper Grill for extra smokiness. There are three Goodmans now, the original at Mayfair, another in the City and the latest in Canary Wharf. Read more on Mayfair and City.

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British

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Personal Favourites ; British ; Special Occasions ; Easy Occasions ; Asia ; Coffee and Else

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

British …but impossible to book, £70-100pp
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
Tel: 020 7201 3833
Tube: Knightsbridge

I think Dinner might be better than Fat Duck. I liked my visit to the FD, but it felt like a restaurant which you could never revisit. The ending was just too climatic. The theatrics while fun on a first visit, is a play I don’t want to see again.

Dinner, on the other hand, serves a bloody good dinner. Ashley Palmer-Watts, Heston’s right hand man, leads the kitchen. One could argue that the approach here is anti-Fat Duck, with the standard 3 course structure and portions generally more filling in comparison. There is just a residual Alice in Wonderland feeling bubbling in each of the recipes.You could also think of Dinner as a souped up version of Hind’s Head. The triple cooked chips are on the menu, but so is the delicious porridge, still green and supple, but made with cod cheeks instead of snails. Most of all, this is a restaurant you could revisit and really marvel at the technical merits of a Blumenthal kitchen in producing stonking good food that’s tastes better than presented. Could be one the greatest restaurants ever to grace the capital. It’s only problem : Still nigh on impossible to get a table a year after opening. More here.

The Sportsman

British, The Best Kind. £55pp.
Faversham Road, Kent CT5 4BP
Tel: 01227 273370
Travel: Train from Victoria to Faversham, then 15min taxi ride.

I realise this is outside of London but I feel it that it should belong to any list about British/British-based restaurants. The original gastropub turned destination restaurant located on the fringes of Kent is one of the most loved in the country. It is arguably the epitome of the British restaurant. It certainly was the most memorable staycation I’ve ever had. The cooking is absolutely first class, vibrant and as enriching an experience as the sea and greenery that surrounds it. I’ve read that everything Chef Harris puts on a plate is either caught from nearby or grown in his garden behind the restaurant. The best egg custard tart I’ve yet tried, more like egg-mousse than cream. This is a real pilgrimage for food tourists. There’s about a 2 to 3 week lead time to book a table, try and grab one on a weekday to catch their taster menus. Most of the B&Bs in Whitstable are good enough for a night (or two). The Sporstman review here

Brawn

British, French, Meat, wine bar, egalitarian. £30pp
49 Columbia Road, E2 7RG
Tel: (020) 7729 5692
Tube: Bethnal Green

Brawn is the funky East London offshoot of the hugely successful Terroirs. The quality of the sourcing, the amount of meat on the menu, the modest decorations in a relaxing square space are just brilliant. Can we call it French tapas? Or perhaps Anglo French tapas? A wine bar too? Just give this a go, it’s very good. More here.

Odette’s

British, £50pp ; Set Lunch £18 for 3.
130 Regent’s Park Road NW1 8XL
Tel: 020 7586 5486
Tube: Chalk Farm

I don’t understand why there is so little publicity about this charming restaurant in Primrose Hill. Bryn Williams is a brilliant chef, and six years on, the turbot dish he made for the Queen’s 80th bash, is national treasure which deserves to be savoured. I don’t know what it is about the room that has made a lasting impression, maybe it’s the flower patterns on the wallpaper, or dangling lamps, or that it was mostly green. Genius chef, romantic location, relatively well-hidden. Read more.

Bull & Last

British, Great Pub & Great Kitchen £35pp.
168 Highgate Road NW5 1QS
Tel : 020 7267 3641
Tube : Gospel Oak

The North London pub is in its 4th year of operation, and I think it’s one of the best examples of a great pub lunch. There is a feeling that everything is home-made, hand-picked and sourced responsibly to deliver cooking that is handsome and rewarding. The charcuterie platter is truly one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. The menu changes often to reflect the seasons, so there’s always something new to return to try. Though finishing with the blueberry cheesecake sundae is a must. Read more.

St John / Hotel / Bread & Wine

Fergus, British £40.
26 St John Street EC1M 4AY
Tel: 020 7251 0848 Tube: Farringdon

The original purveyor of Nose to Tail cooking, Fergus Henderson’s food is as stark as the restaurant’s decor. Offal, game and lesser known cuts are the order of the day and the menu is more of an exploration of the limits of what should be eaten. At times, the bare-bones outfit might be too reticent, but its simplicity is also its greatest triumph. Roast bone marrow and mandelines are among the classic choices. For my money, the Hotel restaurant is just as good as the original. However, for even less formality, Bread & Wine always gets the job done. All St Johns (plus Rochelle Canteen) are worth visiting, just be prepared for the offal & game if you are still uninitiated. Reviews here St John , Hotel , Bread & Wine , Rochelle.

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For Occasions

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Personal Favourites ; British ; Special Occasions ; Easy Occasions ; Asia ; Coffee and Else

Roganic

3 hour dinner. Lots of ideas, etc.
£50 to £100 pp
19 Blandford St, W1U 3DH
Tel: 0207 4860380

Surprisingly, Ben Spalding has left Roganic to focus on solo projects. Roganic was always meant to be a two year pop-up, but in light of this news, I’m not sure if it will morph into a permanent effort after next year.

Simon Rogan will supposedly dedicate more of this time to the London restaurant, so it should still produce good meals. The signature potato dish (ala L’Enclume) was one of the best things I ate in 2011 – a perspective bender considering I never knew potatoes could ever be a main course – and one of the more dazzling marathon menus I’ve sat through all year. There’s an emphasis on quality of produce here, much of which sourced directly from Rogan’s own farm. Because of the way the menu is structured, this is one restaurant which if you do visit, that I recommend you try the full ten course experience.

Remember when Brett Graham was an up and coming talent? Looks like Ben has taken his next step. Where will he land? Roganic review here

Quo Vadis

Classic Soho Fayne Dining £45pp.
26-29 Dean Street, Soho W1D 3LL
Tel : 020 7437 9585
Tube : Leicester Square

With Jeremy Lee at the helm, Quo Vadis becomes a revitalized option to indulge in the spirit of classic Soho fine dining. If you were a fan of his cooking at Blueprint Cafe, you should be very familiar with his QV menu. On both visits, I was impressed with the classic cooking. Jeremy take on the St Emillion au Chocolat is to die for, and his smoked eel sandwich is really as good as the blogs claim. If you dare to believe my hype. Read more.

Bob Bob Ricard

Anglo-Russian All Day Diner, Vodka & Caviar, 40pp
1 Upper James Street, London, W1F 9DF
Tel: +44 (0)203 145 1000
Tube: Piccadilly Circus

This unconventional Soho fine diner is as wacky as it is glamorous. It has the shiniest brass booths and the slipperiest marble table tops ever to grace a restaurant. Its Russian-cum-British menu has some wonderfully nostalgic items like the veal holstein and a steak rossini (made with rump instead of fillet!) and some epic dishes like venison tartare topped with 15g of (presumably the best money can buy) sturgeon caviar. I’m curious how large its Chateaubriand (for one) actually is. Try the Russian salads chased by vodka chilled to -18C. Also worth trying are the lowest priced Ch. d’Yquem’s (aka World’s greatest sweet wine) by the glass. The 1996, as approved by the Chateau itself. There should be nothing cheaper in London by comparison. This is the only sweet wine in Bordeaux which is classified as a Great First Growth, so it is well worth trying. 2001/2006 were its best years in recent vintages.

(Speaking of, maybe I should nab some 2011 at en primeur.)

Don’t forget to press the button for champagne. Read more.

Viajante

Well Travelled Portuguese, £25 for 3, £60 for 6, £85 for 12. *
Patriot Square E2 9NF
Tel: 020 7871 0461
Tube: Bethnal Green

I think that Nuno Mendes foraged-from-around-the-world cuisine is groundbreaking, a game changer and a wonderful addition to London scene. If he keeps up his mad genius, I think he can rival Noma’s status. I believe he represents the next generation of superb breakthrough gastronomy. There is something very special brewing in Bethnal Green. I have been watching his development very closely, and on return visits, the zen kitchen is getting better at its method of minimalistic cooking, and perfecting their myriad of creative dishes inspired by world cuisines. And they even managed a star. Read more.

Semplice

Italian, £75pp *
10 Blenheim St W1S 1LJ
Tel: (020) 7495 1509
Tube: Bond Street

Semplice produces fabulous Italian cooking. The restaurant belongs to a previous period, when Italian fine dining was fashionable, as opposed to the younger, sleeker and ultimately cheaper Italian cucinas that have sprung up in the last couple of years. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t overlook this gem, their Milanese risotto with saffron and bone marrow is a thing of heavenly beauty and the twist on the good ol’ tiramisu is fun. Read more.

Gauthier

French, £80pp *
21 Romilly Street W1D 5AF
Tel: 020 7494 3111
Underground : Leicester Square

Alexis Gauthier spent a decade establishing Roussillon’s reputation as one of the finest French restaurants in London, and this dude has loyal followers. His current venture, the eponymous Gauthier is his brainchild and a labour of love. His dream restaurant, and perhaps a dream to many as well. I love it. The buzzered entrance may be a little corny but cramped soho townhouse setting while comfortable can be a little too ‘fine dining’ for most nights, save for special occasions or perhaps business dinners.

I thought his signature truffle risotto, and his take on the Louis XV were both formidable. Although those who’ve had the pleasure to dine at Ducasse’s original in Monaco say that Alain’s former protege has yet to reach the dizzy standards set by his mentor. The food is surprisingly affordable (well, relatively anyway) at £68 for their full taster and just £35 for a three course meal. Read more.

The Ledbury

French £100pp. **
27 Ledbury Road W11 2AQ
Tel: 020 7792 9090 Tube: Notting Hill Gate

The last time I went was 2009, so I might be out of touch with the restaurant’s latest advances. Brett Graham is now a lauded two star chef and Ledbury is considered to be the best restaurant in London.

I can still recall his celeriac dish, cooked wholly in a salt crust with ash and then served sliced with truffle mayonnaise and a kromeski of middle white pork, was real signature stuff. His other restaurant is the Michelin Starred pub, Harwood Arms which serve those scotch eggs which have since become urban legend. My 2009 review , but google a more recent visit if you want to know how (if) it has changed.

North Road

Danish £80pp … £20 for 3 course set lunch. *
69-73 St John Street EC1M 4AN
Tel: (020) 3217 0033
Tube : Farringdon

As if the Nordic trend has not come and gone. It received a michelin star last year, but praise for the Danish outfit in Farringdon has been inconsistent since Christoffer Hruskova transplanted his New Nordic cuisine from Fig to North Road. Criticism is squarely because it seems to share too many tricks with Noma, even though Hruskova had been doing it as long (if not longer) than Rene has. Anyway, I liked my meal there, and I think it’s a bit of an alternative choice for an occasion restaurant. Cleaner flavours, cutting edge, that kind of thing. Read more.

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For Easy Occasions

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Personal Favourites ; British ; Special Occasions ; Easy Occasions ; Asia ; Coffee and Else

Burger & Lobster

Lobsters & Burgers & Lobsters. Only. £20 for each.
29 Clarges street, Mayfair London W1J 7EF
Tel : 0207 409 1699 but No Reservations!
Tube: Green Park

From the Goodman chaps, as the name implies, this Mayfair restaurant only offers 3 dishes at a single price : A fantastic burger, a whole lobster and a lobster roll. All served with chips, salad at £20 a plate. Intriguing isn’t it? The lobster roll (about 3/4s stuffed in a toasted brioche) is to die for. You’ll have to start queuing early (preferably 30 mins before doors open) otherwise you’re looking at a 2 hour wait. It’s so popular it’s probably hurting the business. It is now the cheapest place to get a lobster fix. Actually, it is the first London restaurant where you can get a lobster fix, discounting the lobster noodles at Pearl Liang / Mandarin Kitchen. Read more.

Spuntino

American, £25pp
61 Rupert Street W1D 7PW
No phones, no reservations.
Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Spuntino was the third of Russell Norman’s magnus opus, and depending on how you feel about the faux-Jewish deli Mishkin’s (personally, I think Mishkin’s is brilliant), Spuntino remains as Russell’s greatest success. Moving away from the Italian baccaro theme and toward the American speakeasy, the result is a convivial atmosphere with greasy diner dishes like truffle egg toast, ground beef and bone marrow sliders with a touch of the wacky like peanut butter & jam sandwich re-imagined as a frozen pudding. Some Polpo-like dishes make cameo appearances too of course, but the sum of its parts is far more exciting and refreshing than anything that has come before. The tiny Soho diner may have lost a bit of its magic since opening last year, but I think the modestly priced greasy American offerings are still worth a visit, especially if you were looking to drop in for a swift sandwich during off-peak times. Read more.

Meat Liquor

Burgers, £7-15pp
No reservations
74 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0BA

The food truck that opened our eyes to the wonders of the great American invention. When I checked in March 2012, it still entertained an hour long queue. Meat Liquor isn’t quite as special as the (now mythical) Meateasy, but the burgers are still benchmark material, and it would still make for a fantastic way to start (or end) the night. Word is that Yianni has another (larger) project for Covent Garden (Meat Market as it is dubbed) currently in the pipeline, which should hopefully satisfy the demand for his cheeseburgers, and ease queuing times. Read More.

Jose / Pizarro

Spanish. £40pp
104 & 194 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ
No Reservations
Tube: London Bridge

Jose Pizarro completed his diptych when Pizarro opened to brilliant reviews toward the end of last year. His tiny sherry bar – Jose – now handling the overflow when Pizarro fills up and vice-versa. Both are open for nearly all day, every day and peak times and evening sittings cannot be reserved. If you walk in just before the peak times, you should be able to nab a free table. Like the Brindisa restaurants which Jose built up, his eponymous restaurants are completely about preserving the natural flavours of the incredibly fresh ingredients of notable provenance. You will adore it. Both are restaurants which you could easily make return visits to. Reviews: Jose & Pizarro.

Opera Tavern

Ever the dependable tapas specialist, Ben Tish’s (of Salt Yard/Dehesa) Opera Tavern is a textbook example of British tapas executed perfectly. While Copita caters to the fancy things, Opera Tavern whips out solid and familiar recipes. In the vein of its sister restaurants, quality is found in every single aspect of the menu, but do believe the hype with the iberico pork sliders. Read More.

Dock Kitchen

£45pp British/Italian, Fantasy
Portobello Docks
344/342 Ladbroke Grove W10 5BU
T: 0208 962 1610
Underground : Ladbroke Grove

Steve Parle is ex-River Cafe and rising star in the chef world. He initially started Dock Kitchen as a pop-up cafe inside the kooky cool Tom Dixon showrooms for the London Design Fest in ’09 (with chef pal Joe Trivelli) , but its popularity has allowed Parle to make it his permanent office. The menu rotates with the seasons, but I’d probably describe as Medi-Indian-Italian-British. Certainly not fusion, but closer to a sort of fantasy cookbook style of cooking which is both refreshing and unlike your usual outing. There are special theme nights (a la ‘supperclubs) in addition to the daily menu, if you fancy it. Atmosphere alone is worth a trip, especially if the weather is good. Read more.

Chabrot

French, Bistro, French. £25pp
9 Knightsbridge Green
London SW1 X7Ql
Tel : +44 (0)20 7225 2238
Tube: Knightsbridge

We don’t have many Parisian bistros in town (why would you when you could go to Paris) , and so one shouldn’t overlook the nostalgia this restaurant can provide. The plat du jours are extremely well priced at under £15, and you can end your meal with a cafe guarmand (your choice of brew plus petit swweet things) and the price includes a glass of tipples too. Chef Thierry Laborde is ex-Le Gav and his friendly bistro is a captivating addition to the circuit. Read more.

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Asia

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Yashin

Flame-thrower sushi without soy, but only if you want to £70pp
1A Argyll Road, off High St Ken W8 7DB
Tel 02079381536
Underground : High Street Kensington

This is an awesome sushi bar. Awesome showmanship. Awesome quality of produce. Awesome sake tasters. Awesome fushion of raw fish, rice and a flurry of modernist garnishing. And an awesome bottomline too, if you are not careful. Truly cutting edge sushi arrived in London two years ago, and in 2012, it still looks pretty great. Read more.

Atari-ya

Just Sushi, £Varies greatly depending on location
Golders Green, Ealing Common, Swiss Cottage, Oxford St.

Atari-ya are well-know importers of sashimi grade fish who are said to supply most of the pricy Japanese restaurants in town. And my lord, quality sushi is still so expensive in this town, but Atariya bucks the trend. In recent years, they’ve established a string of retail outlets/sushi bars selling premium fish (like thawed otoro by weight) at prices which are probably not too far off from what restaurants pay for them. They have absorbed the once vaunted Sushi Hiro in Ealing Common into their fold, rebranding but maintaining the operation.

For days when I cannot afford Yashin or Shiori, I go to Atariya. I work close by, so I tend to resolve my sushi binge cravings at that branch. However, the Swiss Cottage branch is probably the swishest, with the largest cooked food menu which includes black cod miso and fried oysters. Specials include abalone and razor clam too. Full fat otoro when in season is a fabulous thing of beauty, and a nigiri varies from branch to branch from as low as £2.40 to £4. The cheapest is the Golders Green branch which will also sell their premium stuff by bulk weight. Imagine lightly searing 200g of otoro tataki for dinner in the comfort of your own kitchen, at under a tenner. Obviously, a meal at an Atariya is all about the sheer quality of the fish and less about the years of training the sushi chef has under his belt.

Don’t let your conscience get in the way though, if you suspect you might be chewing on the belly of blue-fin… Read more.

Seoul

Korean, £20pp
289 Finchley Road NW3 6ND
Tel : (020) 7794 9099
Tube: Swiss Cottage

I wouldn’t necessarily trek all the way out to Finchley Road for this tiny family-style restaurant for special occasions, but if you do happen to be floating about in the area, then it’s well worth popping in here. Everything is about half the price of something like Koba, but (nearly) as delicious. The bulgogi marinade is brilliant, so too the bibimbap (overly generous shavings of raw beef). Scraping the bottom of the dolsot at the end reveals golden, crunchy, jawbreaking toasted rice. Oh yeah. Read More

Tayyabs

Institute of Lamb Chops
£15pp, BYO (!)
83-89 Fieldgate St. E1 1JU
Tel: 020 7247 6400
Tube: Whitechapel

What can I say about this stalwart Punjabi grill which you don’t already know about? I revisited in March 2012 just before a Noel Gallagher gig and we could not stop ordering the fantastic lamb chops. Try the mix grill, dry meat, the pumpkin and the lady finger. Actually, just try everything. Still entertaining massive queues, so either show up early or book well in advance (you’ll wait around for at least 10 mins if you book). A firm London favourite and a true institution. Read More.

Cafe East

The Rare Beef Pho. £15pp
100 Redriff Road
Surrey Quays Leisure Park SE16 7LH
Telephone: 020 7252 1212
Underground : Surrey

The best rare beef pho in London. The best tri-colour sweet drink in London. And the best Banh Cuan, stuffed steam rice noodle in London. If you are a fan of Vietnamese cuisine, you got to try this place. It’s far away for Westies like me, but it is worth the trek. Read more.

Viet Grill / Cay tre

Vietnamese, £25pp
44 Dean Street, W1D 4QD
Tel: (020) 7317 9118
Tube : Piccadilly Circus

These are the Hieu Trung Bui restaurants connected to Mark Hix, or I should say, which Mark Hix adores. Initially a Kingsland Road favourite, but now firmly established in Soho. I would say their Ox Cheek Pho are underrated and an amazing pot of noodles. However, I will note that the missus prefers the more modest Viet, a few steps from the bling of Cay Tre. Read Cay TreS Soho , Viet Grill .

Koya

London’s very first Udon-ya opened in 2010 to feverish reviews and had entertained large swathes of hungry noodle lovers wanting to give the freshly made Udon (daily in-house) a try. In that time, it seems to have lost a bit of its shine, and recently some diners have complained about the service. Personally, I haven’t visited Koya in over a year now, but I have good memories of it, and will probably try to make it there again this year. They serve Echigo beer brewed from Koshihikari – the most prized of rice grains for sushi. On the other hand, Tsuru Sushi are about to open their ramen house called Tonkotsu this year, and early indications are that this might be something quite esoteric but could also be special. Read More.

Tosa / Bincho Yakitori

Skewered things grilled over hot stones, £25 to £45pp
Stamford Brook and Leicester Square.

It is a toss up between Tosa and Bincho. Both are yakitori restaurants, both cook skewered meat and veg over charcoal, and both produce stonkingly excellent charred and juicy things. The chicken skin and chicken oysters are better at Bincho, but for everything else, Tosa comes up tops. Plus it is slightly cheaper too. If you’ve never tried yakitori, both are good places to start. Personally I would choose the chicken oysters at Bincho. Read Tosa & Bincho reviews.

Princess Gardens

Dim Sum, Classic. £25pp.
8-10 North Audley Street W1K 6ZD
Tel : 020 7493 3223
Tube : Bond Street

In my humblest opinion, Princess Gardens serve the best dim sum in London. Well-priced, a nice sort of premium weekend family-style atmosphere, good har gaw, good ho fun, good cheung fun and great shiu mai. You know all the classics hit the spot. I don’t need more for Sunday morning, but if you do (and have deeper pockets) , the Yau legacy restaurants will not disappoint. But I’m not willing to recommend. Read more.

Pearl Liang

Chinese £20-£40pp
8 Sheldon Square W2 6EZ
Tel: (0)207 289 7000
Tube: Paddington

This is my benchmark dim sum in London. Food is good across the board, prices are reasonable and the dining room is pretty. Cheung fun has great consistency, it doesn’t fall apart when you pick it up; har gau and siu mai will bounce around as you bite into them and I particularly enjoyed the wasabi prawn dumplings, even if purists say it’s flirting with fusion. Purists like my dad for example. Good dim sum restaurant do not usually make good dinner restaurants, but dinner here is exemplary, by London standards. I would try the lobster noodles and salted egg yolk fried prawns. Dependable quality. Read Dim Sum and Dinner.

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Coffee and Else

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Prufrock at Leather Lane

Coffee, cafe… lazy, special ,£3pp.
23-25 Leather Lane EC1N 7TE
Gwilym +44 (0) 7852243470
Tube: Holborn / Chancery Lane

This is everything a modern coffee shop should be about. World champion barista Gwilym Davies has expanded from a coffee cart in a men’s clothing shop to a really brilliant space in Leather Lane. At the ground level, you have a spacious gallery like space with a generous brew bar/counter, and lots of cosy corners to wedge yourself into. Downstairs Gwilym and his passionate team of knowledgeable baristas teach you how to appreciate a fine brew. In my opinion, this is an extremely special coffee project. It is especially pleasing to see the brew bar concept fully realised as such a wonderful site. I visit every Friday afternoon where I can to read and blog. Of course, all of Gwilym’s baristas are well-honed in the dark arts of brewing the perfect flat white, but do give the brewed coffee a try when you are there. I’d recommend anything filtered with a siphon, simply because watching it push coffee (seemingly) against the gravity tickles my limited intellect. A shrine. Very easy to fall in love with. Read more.

Towpath

Cafe, Lunch, easy.. £10pp (cash only)
Regent’s Canal Towpath
42 De Beauvoir Crescent N1 5SB
Tel: 020 7254 7606
Bus: 149 from Liverpool St Station to Haggerston rail.

As it says on the tin, a cafe by a towpath. The food selection is modest but it is good and the coffee is warm. It is best to check when it is open before visiting though. Read more

Fernandez & Wells

Fernandez & Wells Food and Wine Bar official site
Sandwiches £6
43 Lexington Street W1F 9AL
Tel: 020 7734 1546
Tube : Leicester Square

There are three Fernandez & Wells café-bars all in close proximity to one another, each with a slightly different offering. The St Anne’s court branch caters for coffee lovers, the Beak St branch is mainly for cakes, while the Lexington branch has an open kitchen which offers delicious savory fare and a superb wine selection. The Lexington branch mainstays are European inspired sandwiches served with cuts of premium cured hams. Speciality items include Jamon Iberico Bellota (Iberian pigs fed on acorn and cereal diet) and legs of Jambon ‘Le Noir de Bigorre’ – a French ham from black pigs, cured for 24 months – which hang invitingly from the ceiling. F&W also serve a changing daily menu of cooked specials ranging from roast chicken to rabbit stew. Their roast pork ciabatta is splendid, hand carved by the waitress, stuffed with resplendently golden crackling and lashings of mayonnaise with fresh mustard seeds. Read more.

Tapped and Packed

£cheap Coffee 26 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, W1T1JD

Second only to the fantastic Prufrock. In addition to silky flat whites, they also offer brew coffee via the myriad of filtering methods known to baristas, however, I am mostly enamored by their hot chocolate which is surprisingly divine. Made with chocolate flakes and cream, it is buttery, chocolatley but not overly sweet nor muddy. It’s small but isn’t as cramped as Flat white/Milk Bar, expansive tables to spread yourself and your laptop, with free wi-fi. Read their blog.

Gelupo / Gelatorino / Chin Chin Labs

It may be apt to recommend a few ice cream bars, seeing as to how it is yet another trend which has spun out a number of quality competitors. Gelupo is an offshoot of Bocca di Lupo, and are probably seen as the premium level gelateria at the moment. There’s always some sort of breakthrough flavour combo each season but when available, I think their sour cherry & ricotta is fantastic. Every now and again, there’s zabione/zabaglione which is great, but it is rarely seen. Gelatorino is the alternative to Gelupo and I like them mainly because zabaglione is a part of their main stable of flavours. Their fior di latte is excellent as well. Most of all however, they are most proud of their Gianduja, made from Piedmont hazelnuts. The best kind of hazelnuts if you believe the hype. They boast about their special ice cream making process called ‘mantecazione’ (or freezing in Italian) to get rid of all the ice crystals for a silken mouthfeel. This is probably true for all gelateria. Probably. The end result however is a whippy end product. Finally, if you still haven’t tried the nitro blasted frozen custards at Chin Chin Labs in Camden, then you should be in for a treat in 2012. They are even more experimental now (like Root Beer & Burdock with Fleur de Sel Caramel and Heather Honeycomb) with their latest offerings blurring the lines between serving just ice cream with sprinkles to a dessert bar that does full blown frozen puddings. Read Gelupo , Gelatorino , Chin Chin Labs.

Byron Hamburgers

£7.25, all over.

If all else fails, get a Byron. I’ve lost track of all the locations in London, but if you fall in the camp who think that burgers should never be gourmet, then eat here. I eat byron hamburgers so regularly, I should invest in them. Latest openings in Camden mean that I can finally resume my one-byron-a-month plan. Read more.

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I have resisted Roti Chai for several months now, it’s right opposite Selfridges, conveniently located, if you shop on Oxford Street often. I think the interior design does it no favours. The colourful theatre-land of over-sized repros of food brands (meant to evoke nostalgia I’m guessing) gives the impression that this a prototype for a upcoming franchise.

Then I had dinner with a few weeks earlier with the venerable former food blogger Helen WFG and her hubby the enigmatically blurry Garson Byer who both gushed about the fantastic happenings in the kitchens of Roti Chai. Fantastic and a little bombastic. Reviews and word of mouth suggest a thriving returning clientele because of its supposed authenticity and obvious quality cooking.

The restaurant is split into two discreet operations under the same roof: Upstairs aka The Street Kichen; a lighter, faster and presumably cheaper menu is available and open all day. Down in the basement dubbed The Dining Room, the interiors are somewhere in between a lounge bar and Bob Bob Ricard, with marble replaced by wooden floors. Less finger food, more elaborate sounding dishes from the regions and is only open for dinner. Two kitchens, two head chefs, two restaurants in one.

I visited for a Saturday lunch, and obviously ate upstairs. The missus opted for a virgin cocktail and I drank Mongoose lager for the very first time. Certainly extra smooth, but with more bite than a Cobra. For me, the setting is reminiscent of cafe-cum-eateries one would find in behemoth shopping malls across Asia. Looking up to the exposed gold painted ceilings reveals pipes, wooden panels, metal beams, air conditioning and industrial style aluminium encased lighting.

Interesting.

Every dish on the menu comes with subtitles – ain’t it nice?

Bhel Puri, £3.90

“Puffed rice with chopped onions and a tangy tamarind sauce”

Aka, Rice crispies with sweet chilli swauce! The crackle and pop was definitely a new experience for me, a fun way to start a meal. Delicious too.

Hakka Chilli Paneer, £5.20

“Fiery Indo-Chinese speciality from Kolkata”

I had no idea Chinese cuisine had seeped into Indian culture. According to Wikilegends, this association originates from the Chinese community (and by extension Chinese restaurants (and takeaways, presumably)) in Kolkata, most of whom are of Hakka descent. Dude. I’m half Hakka, but I guess my Granddad got on the boat which stopped at Borneo instead of India.

Paneer coated in corn starch and stir-flied with peppers, spring onion, coriander and hot hot chilli. It’s hot stuff, in fact almost too hot even for me. My dad would love the nasal clearing experience however. He still regularly indulges in this kind of torture once a month.

It could probably pass for nyonya, but it certainly is also very Chinese. Swap the paneer for egg tofu, and it’s exactly like my mum’s handywork. I liked.

Bun Kebab, £7.50

“Punjabi Tikki Wala Mini Burgers, spiced lamb kebab”

Aka – Indian lamb sliders, with pomegranate and green sauce.

…Mmm… a sharply seasoned minced lamb kebab serving as a patty, with a sweet and subtly tangy condiment, sandwiched in a toasty, soft and square bun with oiled insides. The patty was tremendously appetising, it fit in to my paws perfectly, increasingly greased as I finished it… this could be one of the top burger vintages of the year. Eating well now and for the next fifty years, requiring no cellaring. 95-99+ …

Hah. Crossing streams there. If you’ve been following my twitter feed, you’ll know that I’ve recently started my wine investment plans …and I’m surprised how one man’s opinion has such influence in wine prices. The million dollar nose now has a direct impact on the growth of my life savings. I’m speculating on Bordeauxs, in my cellar I have a 12-case of 2005 Lafites and a 6-case of 2009 Lynch Bages, a 1st growth and a 5th respectively, both from good years… Yup, that chinese stereotype flows in my veins after all. I suppose the name does make the difference.

Back in the real world – yes, fantastic Indian Lamb burger, the fairground fluffy toasted bun was brilliant, but the lamb kebab was better as a make-believe patty.

Macher Jhol, £8.50 with Aloo Gobi, £4.50 and a bread basket, £4.00.

“Road & Rail – Rustic dishes from the roadside “Dhabha’ cafes from bustling train stations of the sub-continent. Classic Bengali Fish curry with kasundi mustard and rice.”

Punjabi Dhabha (literally for restaurant owned by a person originating from Punjab) were initially roadside cafes for truckers to drop in for some warm grub. So… that’s like Punjabi style roadside diners yes? I don’t know, I’m no expert on Indian food here, so feel free to correct me.

For what it’s worth, I liked the curry, light, brothy (rather than creamy & rich) , it gave an impression of butter-free, yoghurt-free, lightly salted, lightly spiced home-cooked goodness. Delicious yes and rather subtle, but I felt it could do with just a few more cubes of fish.

The cauliflower & potatoes were also light in style. I thought the bread selection was fabulous valuea – naan, pratha and kulcha. No dosa or chapati however. Maybe it was because the breads went cold, but I thought they were a little dry & chewy. Could be moister and doughier.

Almond & Saffron Phirni, £5.50

“Ground rice & milk pudding.”

You know how I love a good rice pudding, the best recipes imho belong to the Norwegians.

The rice was so finely grounded, it was like a whippy mousse, smooth but with bits. Light, cool and the metallic flavour of saffron added an air of flair. Personally, I could do without the almond shavings, its inherent perfumed flavour does go hand in hand with the saffron, but I thought the rocky road got in the way of the smoothly blended rice. Still, it was a lovely pudding to finish the meal with.

In the end, I regret not ordering their dhal (as a bread dip) , the lollipop chicken and the house-made kulfi.

We paid £46.68 for two.

The meal was a refreshing change. It didn’t feel one dimensional (as opposed to multi dimensional..?? Hyperbole kicking in there) , the spices were obviously present, but everything tasted surprisingly lightweight.

Roti Chai is unique in the familiar world of Indian restaurants in the city. I don’t think it’s quite perfect, but the food is generally good, well priced and easy going. The missus went back with her mates a few days after this visit, but downstairs to the dining room instead. Her verdict : Not necessarily better than upstairs, but food generally came across as being prepared with more thought and effort.

Thumbs up from me.

The Gist of It

Roti Chai
Indian £30pp.
3 Portman Mews South W1H 6HS
Tel : 020 7408 0101
Tube : Bond Street

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