Hawksmoor (Guildhall), London EC2V

I am very fortunate in having friends who include me in their dinner plans. Friday night found me, with my friends at Hawksmoor Guildhall during the first week of it's soft launch. This is the 3rd restaurant of the chain following the successful Covent Garden and Spitalfields ventures. I'm not sure as to whether it is too harsh to be reviewing a restaurant during it's soft launch but in this instance I couldn't find much to fault, both in terms of the service, which came with a smile and the food. It can only get better.

Walking through the doors you are faced with a huge staircase leading you to the basement where it all goes on. The wood and brass look around the bar give it the old school look. The leather sofas and the dark green leather seats was vaguely reminiscent of my, if not strict, then certainly severe school days. The huge dining area felt the same. I half expected one of my teachers to turn up and remind me to 'sit up straight young lady'! However this doesn't last too long as the waitors are very casual in jeans and shirts only recognised by their aprons and notebooks. I could relax again.


Crab on toast

There is a good choice of starters from mussels with stilton and bacon to bone marrow and onions- which is actually very good. I had the crab on toast, which was perfect given the meat feast which was to follow. Now the steaks. I didn't know it was quite possible to have such huge cuts- or to consume them for that matter. To share you could have 900g or 1kg of porterhouse, chateaubriand and so on. This is no place for the faint-hearted. I had the 600g sirloin on the bone (£30). The best quality meat is served cooked to perfection. Sides including 'beef dripping chips' and sauces are extra. 

900g Porterhouse





600g Sirloin






Slightly less of the 600g Sirloin



I think it took me around 40 minutes to work my way through that!





If it's quite possible, you can also have dessert (£6.50). There is a great selection of ice creams, although I had the sticky toffee pudding which was divine. In case you are wondering, I couldn't manage this on my own, my friends helped.



Sticky Toffee Pudding



As they say, you get what you pay for. Hawksmoor is not cheap, but you do get alot of steak. With quality like this and a wine list to match, they will no doubt have the city boys flocking to show off both their carnivorous appetite and their wallets.

Expect to pay around £60pp incl service excl drinks for 3 courses

Hawksmoor (Guildhall), 10-12 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5BQ Te.: 020 7397 8120 http://www.thehawksmoor.com/

Bread Street Kitchen, London EC4M

Bread Street Kitchen is the latest Gordon Ramsay venture. Much awaited and talked about, I did have my reservations, aren't there already enough restaurants bearing his name? Located in One New Change, I see it almost daily walking past. I almost made up my mind about it even before I went there. Reading about the extremely slow service on the opening night a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking that this is typical. I already went through the menu. British cuisine in the majority with starters around the £10 mark and mains typically over £16, to £29.50 for the rib-eye, my thoughts were, overpriced for average food and unspectacular decor that I would not recommend.

I arrived to be greeted by the smiling hostess who directed me up the stairs. I went up to find a huge warehouse area which was quite stunning in a very industrial way, with the pixar-like desk lamps giving the place a very playful feel. I was told that my friends were at the bar at the far end. The far end was very far. The bar area quite welcoming despite the large and airy feel to the place. There is plenty of space, from sofas where you can look out of the floor to ceiling windows to cool seats at the bar area.

The cocktail menu is extensive and inspired. These are probably some of the nicest cocktails I've had in recent times. The perfect start to any meal, at which we were led to our table.

The food menu I found strange with three sections. Raw bar, Hot Kitchen and Wood Stone. The food wasn't bad but didn't overexcite me either. My starter of the thinly sliced beef with quails eggs, was under-seasoned. My burger, not only substantial but also rich in taste, can be overwhelming for some. Sides have to be ordered separately. Try the macaroni cheese which is lovely.

Macaroni cheese

Oysters also feature on the menu

Although with a smile, the service was slow. The starters took longer than expected and to compensate we were offered more bread. We declined the offer! After finishing our first bottle of wine, we were waiting too long for the second bottle.


Burger

 After a shared cheese plate to finish, we headed back to the bar for more cocktails. You just have to.

To be fair, I was too judgemental. I liked Bread Street more than I thought and I loved the warehouse feel. Go there for drinks. And if you feel like a bite to eat, although not cheap, you can do worse than a meal here.

Expect to pay around £40 for pp for two courses, incl service excl wine

Bread Street Kitchen, 10 Bread Street, London, EC4M 9AB Tel: 020 3030 4050 Open from 7am http://www.breadstreetkitchen.com/

Bellevue Rendez-Vous, London SW17

Don't you just love it when you have a good local place. The kind that you invite your friends to join you for dinner or a weekend lunch because you know that even if they have to make a 50 minute journey across London, they will thank you and find that the journey was worth it. Bellevue Rendez-Vous, a french restaurant just by Wandsworth Common and round the corner from the very famous Chez Bruce is not like that. This is the kind of place that makes you want to move to the area just to make it your local.

This is not your classic french restaurant with sombre tones and austere staff. The brightly coloured walls and green runners on the table it put you at ease and the friendly waitress prepare you for an thoroughly enjoyable meal.



Foie Gras

There is an option of a set menu, £21 for 2 courses, £25 for 3 and of course the a la carte. The menu includes such french things as snails for starters and rabbit as main. I had the foie gras to start. When it arrived I was somewhat concerned as to me it seemed like nothing more than a slab of velvet looking terrine. A large basket of french bread to accompany this, the taste was less slab and more velvet, and definitely foie gras. Lots of it, and you know how I like lots of food.

Then it was the rabbit for me. The waitress came back twice. The first time to say that it is served with mashed potatoes, the second to say that actually it's served with lentils. So much the better I thought. I prefer lentils.


Rabbit with lentils

The rabbit was succulent and delicious. The lentils were creamy and moreish. I'm not sure what I liked more. Nonetheless, it's a combination that I've never tried before and it works well. The best thing about it? This is a place for people who like to eat food-not just look at it. After the two courses I didn't need dessert.

Do I still think you should go? Absolutely. Do I think that it's worth a visit from locals and visitors to the area alike? Definitely. It's a nice little area to explore; complete with the local pub, boutique and overground station. If it's not raining, the Common makes for a nice walk. Bellevue Rendez-Vous ticks all the boxes.

Expect to pay around £35 for 3 courses without wine, service is not included on the bill

Bellevue Rendez-vouz, 218 Trinity Road, Wandsworth Common, London, SW17 7HP Tel: 020 8767 5810

Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, London EC1Y

Mid-week, after a serious session at the gym, found me at one of the nearest places for dinner. The Chiswell Dining Rooms, part of the same group which runs such well-known places as The Botanist on Sloane Square.

The well dressed city crowd, looked every inch as relaxed as the surroundings and their professional attire would allow. Immaculately presented, with leather seats and flowers, it reminds more of hip and happening Chelsea hangout than a city bar/restaurant.

The wine menu is extensive although my initial reaction was of a slightly limited food menu. No fish and chips or burgers in sight. In this instance I skipped starters and just had a main: the stuffed pork loin, which came with black and white pudding apple sauce, pickle jus. A large portion, nicely presented and perfectly adequate. The flavours all worked to convince me that the whole menu is well-though out and a good meal is to be had here. I must say that I found it very amusing when I saw that they brought the bread with two radishes. Yes the question mark remains!

Stuffed pork loin

Bread and radishes?

I like London because each area has it's own distinct personality. I don't think that Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is quite what you would expect in the city. Nonetheless, relaxed in it's formality, it is a perfect choice for a business lunch or dinner, or even just a drink. It is also open for breakfast, so if you are looking for an excuse for a breakfast meeting, here it is.

Expect to pay around £40 for 3 courses without wine.

Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, 56 Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4SA Tel: 020 7614 0177 http://www.chiswellstreetdining.com/

Jamie's Italian, London, Covent Garden

At the end of the London Fashion Weekend it seemed quite appropriate to get some food. To tell you the truth, my friend and I were heading for Dishoom in Covent Garden. But on seeing Jamie's Italy next door, we both thought that the prospect of some of Jamie's Italian cuisine sounded very exciting.

Charcuterie

I like Jamie Oliver. I like his cookbooks, I like his TV shows, I even like his magasine. So it follows that I would like his restaurant. Moreso, we all know he loves Italian food. So do I!

The first thing that I observed was how loud it was. Lots of children of course but still not a very relaxing atmosphere. The decor is a rustic one with lots boxes of 'produce' and charcuterie seeming quite tempting with an even more ingenious bread board. Quite a large and busy place but we were quickly led to an outside table as we requested. It looks like Jamie is trying to create the rustic Italian look complete with olive trees. I just don't know the last time they were watered, they seemed to be withering slightly. Anyway, how can a place be rustic when the address starts with Unit 33? Sitting down, despite the best efforts no doubt, it felt like part of a chain. Looking at the website, I realise there are so many branches that a chain is exactly what it is. Not a good sign in my book.

The menu is extensive. Lots of choice of bread and antipasti boards and plates. An interesting selection of both pasta dishes, which you can either have as a starter or a main and mains. I had the scallop and squid ink spaghetti and my friend had the bucatini carbonara-both as main courses.

My friend had asked our very pleasant waitress of the carbonara was served with alot of sauce and she was assured that's it was quite dry. It wasn't, I too thought that there was slightly too much cream.



Scallop and squid ink spaghetti



There was probably one scallop in the ink spaghetti, cut up in slices. The squid was small and there were also capers in the dish which I found did not go well with the pasta or the scallop. The delicate nature of the (few) slices of scallops seemed to be overwhelmed by the natural intensity of the capers. I also wasn't overjoyed by the combination of the scallop and squid. At £13.90, I think this was overpriced and certainly not what I would expect to pay at a place like this, which to me resembled Italian chain restaurants in London.

If I was to rate it, I would give it one star (out of five that is). The only positive comment I have to say, is about the service, the waitress was very friendly and polite and couldn't apologise enough when we said we hadn't enjoyed our meal.

To conclude, I still like Jamie Oliver and I'll still buy his books. But I don't like his restaurants. I can assure you, I won't be going back and I suggest you don't either.

We paid £33.55 for our meal and two glasses of wine. Service is not included in the bill

Jamie's Italian, Unit 33 10-12 Upper St Martin's Lane WC2H 9FB http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/covent-garden

Made in Brasil, Camden Town, London NW1

Recently I haven't been a particularly good blogger with few new posts. I have a few recipes I would like to share, more reviews and so on. For a number of reasons I just haven't got round to it. To be fair to myself, work, and more importantly my boss (boss, if you are reading, take note), have kept me so busy that I have little energy left for anything else. On another note, I haven't been anywhere which has been notable enough, for whatever reason-which includes not being good, that I immediately want to inform my followers- yes all twelve if you- about.

Yesterday, after an extremely long and exhausting day, I was lucky enough that my friend agreed to a drink. It was a beatifelly warm day so we went to Camden Town. I obviously don't go there enough. The sheer number of people is quite overwhelming but very refreshing to see such a different crowd of people. It's true what they say, the world is a different place south of the river, so crossing that divide is always interesting.

First, I declared my wish for a drink and within moments, my desire for food. We sat at one of the numerous bars overlooking the Canal just by Camden Lock for a beer, in what was left of the rest of the sunny(ish) afternoon. I remembered of the Brazilian place I happened to go a few times for drinks so I suggested we try the food there.

We made the short walk to Inverness Street and walked past the numerous bars/restaurants, which, by the way, all look equally interesting and walked into Made in Brasil.  The salsa music in the background, which together with the promise of food perked me up in what was for me a tiring Saturday otherwise.The decor is funkier than the outside would suggest with some low tables for drinks at the front, a bar which whose look promises wonderful cocktail and tables at the back. The courteous waitress led us to a table, by the window as we requested. It was quite early, 6pm, so we were two of only a handful of people there.

The drinks menu is extensive and has all sorts of lovely cocktails. It took longer to decide on drinks than on food. Almost always, I have wine with meals. This time I opted for a pineapple caipirinha. I've had a fair few cocktails in my life and only was this good, at £6.50 it is excellent value.



Pineapple Caipirinha


The menu consists of authentic Brazilian dishes. To be honest, I am not familiar with Brazilian cuisine so if anyone knows better you can verify this. However, I do know that halloumi is certainly not Brazilian which was one of the starters! But there was a good selections of both meat and fish dishes and a few vegetarian choices also.

To start, we settled on Lula 'a dore'- bread crumbed baby squid and the coxinha- chicken pastries. Both were straightforward dishes, the baby squid was a nicer version of calamari and the chicken pastries were what I would recognise as chicken croquettes. Although we happily ate them, I wouldn't say that these were out of the ordinary and quality that you would expect at the least.

Lula 'a dore'



Coxinha

I had the feijoada to continue. This is slow cooked mixed pork and black beans stew served with rice. The stew comes in a separate bowl which you add over the rice. As previously mentioned, I can't comment on how authentic the dishes are, or how true the flavours are to local brazilian cuisine, however I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The portions were substantial and the stew was lovely with perfectly cooked pork.



Feijoado



My friend has the Virado a paulista: pork cutlet with poached egg and brown beans served with rice which was an equally substantial dish, and as tasty.

Over the course of our meal it started getting much busier, with people who seemed to know their brazilian food better than us. I have once been there after dinner when the music gets going and everyone is there not for the food but the cocktails. Whatever your 'usual' kind of place may be, you will enjoy this, with a mixed crowd and interesting people watching. The fashion sense is certainly different to that in south west London.

We ended our meal with alcoholic coffees which I recommend. The service is in fact very good which for some reason surprised me. I know I may be unfair here, but I was expecting typical run-down bar kind of service. Far from it. Although I wouldn't suggest you make a trip to Camden Town just to go here, if you are in Camden Town, then it's certainly on my list of recommendations. This place does get packed so if you want to sit down, get there early.

We paid £31pp incl service for two courses, a cocktail each and an alcoholic coffee each

Made in Brazil, 12 Inverness Street, Camden Town, London NW1 7HJ Tel: 020 7482 0777
http://made-in-brasil-bar.co.uk/

 

Le Relais de Venise, London, Marylebone W1

Last night I found myself in an extremely wet central London. After a drink my friend and I thought, as per usual, food. Where to? We were on Marylebone High Street and after walking for about 10 minutes in the rain, I remembered of this place that I went to about three years ago. All they serve is steak frites. Agreed, we headed to Le Relais de Venise.

Let me explain. All that is served here is a salad, a basic lettuce salad and then steak frites. Yes, that's it! We found it and already there was a long queue which went all the way round the corner. There were another 15 minutes to the evening opening- Sunday dinner starts at 6.30pm and people were waiting outside in the rain, just for steak frites. Did I mention? They don't take reservations so there are always long queues.

So. You would think that for people to be waiting in the rain for the place to open then it must be good. Very good.. Right? Sorry but I'll be frank and you can stop reading here if you want, here's the conclusion: wrong! Very wrong.

I guess there is a certain novelty to the fact that all that is served is salad and steak. Surely there must also be a novelty in queuing? I don't think so. Come on, we are no longer 18 waiting to get into a west end club.

In we went, convinced that this would be an excellent dining experience. The diners seemed to me to be in the vast majority tourists, certainly no locals from what I could gather. The decor that of a typical french bistrot where nothing has changed in the last 30 years. The waitresses dressed the part in a black uniform with the white aprons. We were presented with the menu and almost instantly the waitress came back for our order. We asked for two minutes and when she came back, she briefly explained the concept and asked how we would like our steak. My friend was promptly interrupted when he requested medium rare. No such choice, it's either medium or rare. Orders done together with a bottle of wine, our salad arrived. Lots of lettuce-my tortoise would have loved that- with some dressing and walnuts. Ok salad done. Our steak arrived.

Waitresses serving up



Steak frites (note: emphasis on the frites)



House red

To be fair it's very efficient. The waitresses serve up the slices of steak and sauce and more frites than I have ever seen before on a plate. If it was alive, the frites would have drowned the steak. Poor steak.. Steak was average. They do come back and serve you seconds, because apparently they keep it warm for you- I think we got another three (small) slices. And lots more frites, to drown the second round of steak-just in case. We debated on the sauce as we detected hints of curry. We asked the waitress and were advised that it's a 'secret' sauce. It's a sauce, not the invention of the century! Anyway, what can one say.

After all the frites we had we didn't need dessert, although there was a satisfactory selection. The bill arrived. The 'set' menu is £21 pp and our wine (house red) was £15. Including service we paid £32 each. Quite overpriced if you ask me. So if you are in the area and are tempted-don't. You're better off going to the fish and chip place accross the road.

Le Relais de Venise, 120 Marylebone Lane, London, W1U 2QG Tel: 020 7486 0878 http://www.relaisdevenise.com/

Dishoom, London, Covent Garden

Every so often you come across a place which is quite unique. Dishoom is one of those places. It's not unique for the food. Although the food is worth trying. It's unique because this is a Bombay cafe. Open all day, I have been back for brunch on two occasions. This is not local to me so my returning there says something. It's welcoming and relaxing. You could in fact spend hours reading the papers, drinking chai and having brunch, lunch or whatever meal you may choose during the day. For London I would say this is a refreshing take on Indian cuisine, not so much for the originality of the food but more for the refreshing aspect of the Indian dining experience. 

A great deal has been said and written about this place, So I'll keep this one short.

If you go for breakfast, I recommend the Bombay breakfast bake. Two eggs, baked on a lentil bhaji mash. I don't know if this may seem like a strange combination, but I can assure you it's  perfect start to a weekend.

The chicken roll, was nice but nothing spectacular, although the dessert of pineapple and black pepper crumble was more exciting.




Chicken roll

 

Pineapple and black pepper crumble

Although the service could have been more attentive; at times it seemed that the waitors were too busy entertaining each other, Dishoom is authentic in it's uniqueness. I don't know of any place quite like this in London. Then again, there are less than 30 left in Bombay.

Expect to pay around £15pp inlc chai

Dishoom, 12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB Tel: 020 7420 9320 http://www.dishoom.com/

Nopi, London W1, North of Piccadilly

Soho on a Saturday morning seems like a good idea on a week day when I am planning my weekend. Come Saturday, it's a different story altogether. The morning usually finds me running around doing weekend chores, feeding the tortoise and so on. All of a sudden I'm begrudging Soho and, being cynical, I'm wondering if Nopi, the newest Yotam Ottolenghi venture, will be worth the effort.

I arrive, promptly, may I add, to find Nopi on the outskirts of Soho, just North of Piccadilly Circus, hence the name. I walk in to find a place of fairly minimalist decor, clean white lines, white splash-back tiles on one wall and exposed brick work on the other painted white. Wooden tables, and reminders of a more kitsch era, with the brass lighting and bar elements prepare me for a relaxed yet elegant lunch. 

My lunch buddy was running late, so while waiting I ordered an espresso and I think in that time I memorised most of the menu which consists of Mediterranean dishes, divided in categories of veg, fish, meat and sweets. The menu recommends three savoury dishes per person and are designed to share. I took their word for it. Dessert should be extra, no?

Lunch buddy arrived about 20 minutes later. First things first. Bottle of prosecco. We finally decided on lunch. You know, I actually remember every single dish without having to look at the menu. Our lunch consisted of the following:
Shakshuka, a North African dish of braised eggs, peppers and tomatoes. The spices used, I detected turmeric, were beautifully balances and made this an excellent dish to start.
Courgette and manouri fritters. A Greek dish, for the Greeks reading this, they are kolokythokeftedes, and very good they were too.
Seabass with mussels and fennel pollen.
Chargrilled octopus. Perfectly cooked.
Rabbit pastilla. If I had to pick a favourite this would be it. The rich flavours of the succulent rabbit enveloped in the perfectly formed pastry.

Shakshuka

Courgette and manouri fritters

All the dishes were deliciously authentic. I was relieved to see that the main ingredients were always basic with no attempt to change them. This was done by way of the accompanying sauces which perfectly complimented the excellently done dishes.

My first impression was correct: relaxed yet elegant dining, with service to match, it was most definitely worth the effort. I am curious to go back one evening, to check out the vibe.

It's on the expensive end of the food scale, but you must go, the food is worth it. A walk around Soho on an early Saturday afternoon can be fun too-amongst other things, there are some interesting book shops!

The dishes are around £10-£12 each. Expect to pay around £40pp incl service, excluding drinks.

NOPI, 22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE, Tel: 020 7494 9585 www.nopi-restaurant.com

Square Tavern, commonly known as Strappos, Sotera Village, Cyprus

My (basic) research confirms that Sotera, a village in the Southeast corner of Cyprus, is indeed that: a village, with just over 1,500 residents. If anyone has more accurate information, please let me know. About a 15 minute drive away from the more lively, to say the least, Ayia Napa, this is a sleepy place, where some more authentic tavernas have opened up, attracting Greek-Cypriots and expats who either live, or are visiting the area and are looking for something more genuine and simple, off the beaten track.

The Square Tavern, also known as Strappos (after the owner) is predictably located in the main square, surrounded by the cafeneia, the local coffee shops. A family run restaurant, you are greeted by Louis, the owner's son, who is also the head chef. Eleni, his sister is the efficient waitress. Simple traditional decoration there are no airs and graces here. The open-plan kitchen gets top marks.

I don't think you can get a menu here. Louis comes along and asks what you would like. The food, typical of Cypriot cuisine, comprises of a choice of fish and grilled meats, souvlaki of course is a favourite and traditional dishes made on the day. You will have to ask what's available.


Traditional Cypriot: Grilled halloumi and lountza (smoked pork)





Cyprus potatoes make the best chips

Excellent value for money, the food is what Cypriot cuisine is all about, quantity without compromise on the quality. Highly recommended.

Expect to pay around €15pp (appr £13pp) without drinks.

Square Tavern, Sotera Village, Cyprus Tel: 00357 23 824859, 00357 99 605501