I was in Venice for only one day last year, which left no time to explore the local bacari or traditional taverns of the city. It was also so overrun with tourists that I was quite happy to return to Bologna at the end of the day. However, a bacaro by the name of Polpo has conveniently arrived in central London, just a short walk away from my office.

The interior is simple but cosy and after a few drinks, you could quite well imagine yourself in Venice rather than Soho. All the diners were clearly pleased to have secured tables at this popular eaterie, while others seemed content to wait their turn near the bar (where you can also eat). The place is dimly lit and although great for ambience, for the first time, my poor camera struggled to cope.

The menu consists of a selection of traditional cicheti, the Venetian version of tapas, as well as other smallish-sized dishes, all designed for sharing. It’s not a complicated menu, but still, important decisions had to be made. My friend and I thought we would be able to manage the following between us:

From the Cicheti & Crostini section, we ordered the potato & Parmesan croquette (£1.20), salt cod on grilled polenta (£2.10), arancini (£1.50) and anchovy & chickpea crostini (£1.10). These are all very small, so if you’re in a group, order plenty to share. Out of these, I thought I would enjoy the salt cod the most (first photo), but in fact the simple and flavoursome anchovy and chickpea crostini turned out to be the star dish from this selection.

The wild mushroom piadina (£4.80) from the Breads section was another successful choice. I had an unforgettable piadina from a small piadina shop in Marina di Ravenna nearly a year ago. The wrap was thicker and more doughy, and the piadina was eaten using one’s hands, but the Polpo version was still pretty good. I would also have liked to have tried cured pork shoulder & peperonata panino, but the meat and fish were waiting for us…

The polpette (£4.60) were far better than the ones I’ve had in Bologna (Trattoria Meloncello, famous for its polpette) – solid, meaty and rich in flavour. There were three large meatballs per portion, and a good size for two people to share, although I could happily have eaten the lot on my own. I was, however, a little disappointed with the pork belly, radicchio & hazelnuts (£5.50), particularly as I’d just had the perfect pork belly the night before at Pearl Liang.

Cuttlefish in its ink with gremolata (£6.20) and fritto misto (£6.60) was chosen from the fish section. I much preferred the succulent cuttlefish to the fritto misto, although the latter was light and delicate compared to versions I’ve had elsewhere. The slightly bitter turnip tops with chilli & garlic (£3.80) also deserve a special mention. It could almost be a Chinese dish in fact, and made a perfect accompaniment to the various meat and fish dishes.

Desserts were strangely underwhelming, and I think next time, I’d order extra savoury dishes rather than leave room for these. The serving of gorgonzola with pear (£4.90) was minute, while my ciamballa with chocolate (£3.50), a traditional ring cake from Romagna, was described as a kind of lemon sponge cake, but I couldn’t really taste the lemon under the chocolate. I’ll be investigating ciambelle recipes from my copy of The Silver Spoon in the near future and report back.

Overall, my favourites of the evening were the polpette, turnip tops, cuttlefish and anchovy & chickpea crostini. I enjoyed the ambience, very much appreciated the cheerful, friendly and relaxed wait staff and thought Polpo could be the perfect place to hang out with friends once the excitement dies down (a little).

Dinner cost a little under £90 for two people with alcohol and service charge.

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:

Polpo
41 Beak Street
London W1F 9SB
Tel: 020 7734 4479 (reservations by phone)
www.polpo.co.uk

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday – 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 23:00

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

For about the last two years, ever since she discovered it, my London-based Taiwanese friend has been trying to persuade me to eat at Hunan. I knew very little about it until I finally decided to go with her and her partner. It’s a Taiwanese family-run restaurant, located near Sloane Square, and has been around since 1982. And although it’s called Hunan (a province well known for its spicy cuisine), the dishes are mostly ‘heavily influenced by the food of Taiwan’, to quote its website.

First impressions:

There are two distinct sections of the restaurant, a small area by the large windows towards the front, which is bright and perfect for photography, and the larger area towards the back, which is darker. There is also a private dining area upstairs for larger groups. The decor is distinctly ‘Chelsea’, tastefully done up in varying tones of beige. The clientele were generally older and a few were clearly regulars, while the service was friendly and polite.

Menu:

Hunan famously has no menu, so it was a strange sensation not to have anything to pore over or worry about ordering the ‘right’ dishes. All you have to do is tell Michael the manager or his father Chef Peng what you can’t eat and how spicy you like your food, then choose the wine (or ask Michael to help as you won’t know what kind of food will be arriving on your table), sit back and relax.

So this is what we ended up with. And we didn’t get the minced meat on a lettuce leaf which every other table seemed to get, while they missed out on our shui jian bao, crab noodle soup and pigs’ ears and tongues! There were 15 mini courses in total, 16 if I include the extra portion of shui jian bao.

• signature broth of minced pork, Chinese mushroom & ginger - served in a bamboo cup, this was a deliciously light and fragrant broth with a topping of minced pork that broke apart into the broth when dug into

• shui jian bao – extremely light and fluffy small buns filled with pork that are special in their preparation, as they have to be steamed then fried in water (something like that!), so that the base is crispy. Chef Peng said they’re hard to make. Served with a light vinegar dipping sauce

• morning glory (tung choi or oong choi) with clams – a classic Taiwanese dish, with the chopped fresh chillies giving it a little kick. Lovely and simple

• salted pork – this came in thinnish slices, with more chopped fresh chillies. I have to say, I can’t eat very hot food, but the dishes left a pleasant tingle in the mouth, rather than overwhelming the taste buds

• braised duck with fresh bamboo shoots – I don’t think I’ve ever had fresh bamboo shoots in London, so this was a treat and even more exciting than the accompanying pieces of duck, which were tender and succulent

• pork – I wonder if this was the famous double-cooked pork? However it was prepared, it was lovely, with a crispy outer coating

• stuffed prawns – fresh crunchy prawns rolled around what appeared to be either tofu or fish mixed with a vegetable. The filling was so finely minced, it was hard to identify

• pigs’ ears and tongues – I surprised myself by loving this dish. Until a few months ago, I was a reluctant consumer of offal and animal parts. But I’ve recently eaten marrow, cheeks and tripe and enjoyed them all. So when these little sliced gems came along, served cold and thinly sliced with a light sesame-based sauce, I tucked in. One of the highlights of the evening (first photo of the post)

• spinach rolls – these came in a sweet tomato- based chilli sauce and were crispy on the outside

• chicken and glutinous rice rolls – another of my favourites of the evening, because I love glutinous rice

• cod fish rolls – I asked several times what these were, and I think it was cod fish, but I’m not convinced. I suppose once in a while I just have to enjoy what I’m eating without needing to know so much…

• crispy frogs legs – another signature dish of the restaurant, and another of my favourites. Frog tastes very similar to chicken, but the meat is more delicate

• bitter melon stuffed with chicken – I love bitter melon and the flavours contrasted really nicely in this dish. Each piece was served with half a prawn on top

• fried baby squid – if you like squid, you’ll love baby squid! That’s all I can say about this…

• shui jian bao – the extra portion arrived, with six smaller ones this time

• crab noodle soup – the star dish, which arrived in a gigantic pot and could have served six people. A whole king crab, chopped into pieces, was served in a broth (with coriander and lemongrass) with noodles. The crab had been fried beforehand, so was full of flavour. By this point, we were struggling and had to turn down pudding. I took the rest of the crab noodles home to have for breakfast the next morning!

The verdict:

Customers do seem to be treated differently in terms of the types of dishes served, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try some of the things that we were offered, had I not been with my Taiwanese friend. Chef Peng came up to ask if we wanted more shui jian bao, then offered us the incredible crab noodle soup. One small criticism is that the dishes were presented with the minimum of descriptions. With no menu, I wanted to know exactly what I was eating and how the dish was prepared, so informing me that a dish was ‘pork’ or ‘chicken’ didn’t satisfy me, although most customers were more than happy to just eat what they were given. However, a couple of the servers didn’t speak much English, so I suppose it is understandable. And trying to work out what we were eating was an enjoyable part of the experience of eating at Hunan!

I like to think that with no menu, the ingredients used on any one day at Hunan are fresher and of a better quality than in a restaurant which has to be ready to prepare any dish on their menu (and throw away unused food). Based upon one visit, I would say that Hunan is a wonderful place to try some unusual dishes you wouldn’t find in other Chinese restaurants in London. The concept of not having a menu appealed to me as well. It was thrilling not knowing what was going to arrive next, or how many courses there would be. For 15 courses, wine and service, £55 per person was pretty reasonable, particularly given the quality (and quantity) of food consumed. I’ll certainly return soon to be surprised again…

NB As there were no vegetarians amongst us, I can’t say what the kitchen could offer vegetarians, but I’d be keen to turn up with the vegetarian husband on the next occasion and set Chef Peng a challenge!

Click here to see the entire set of photos taken at Hunan.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Hunan
51 Pimlico Road
London SW1 8NE
Tel: 020 7730 5712
www.hunanlondon.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

Roka on Charlotte Street has been on my London favourite restaurants list for a while now (read previous review). As I haven’t been back in four years however, I thought I’d better make sure it was still deserving of its place on the list. A fellow foodie, who has also eaten at Roka before, didn’t require much persuasion to have dinner with me there…

Specialising in ‘contemporary Japanese robatayaki cuisine‘, there are also branches in Hong Kong and Macau, while sister restaurant Zuma is a little closer to home in Knightsbridge. Downstairs in the basement is lounge bar Shochu, which serves unusual Japanese-influenced cocktails and some, but not all, of the food available in the restaurant. I’ve not been, but a couple of friends have said that it’s worth a visit if you happen to be at Roka.

I went to Roka several times for lunch and dinner in 2004 and 2005, and loved it each time. I’ve been seated at the wooden counter around the robata grill (for which you can’t reserve seats apparently), as well as tables further away from the action. If you love watching chefs preparing fresh food in front of you, then the counter seats are recommended. But if you’re in a group, then conversation will be easier at a table.

It can be full of media types, given its location in Fitzrovia, but I don’t mind this at Roka because I also work in the media, the innovative food distracts my attention from the hubbub, and the service is attentive without being overly obsequious (although on this visit, I was slightly irritated by the waitress attempting to explain the menu only to my friend, a well-dressed older male whom she assumed would be paying, when I was about to order our food).

Menu:

It’s a complicated menu, and possibly deliberately so. The two tasting menus (at £50 and £75) are placed at the front of the menu in the hope that diners will feel confused, give up and simply select one of the two (recommended paired wines come at an extra cost). I’d always dreamt of having one of the tasting menus, but when I studied them more carefully, I realised that it would be more creative to order from the main menu. And I’m so glad we did, because we ordered just as much food and it ended up being cheaper too. So if you’re going to Roka for the first time, have a look at the menu online (although it’s not the complete menu and doesn’t show the prices) to get an idea of the different sections.

What we ordered:

Working from the back to the front of the menu (the robata dishes are at the back, so concentrate on these!), but of course the dishes were served in the correct order:

• buta bara yaki – suckling pork belly, shiso sauce and hijiki (£11.90) – a dish I was really looking forward to, and which ultimately disappointed. It looked lovely, but each piece contained so much fat, (three quarters fat to one quarter meat), that it was quite difficult to eat. I wonder how well this dish does at Roka

• niko to asparagus no teriyaki – beef & asparagus teriyaki skewers (£7.90) – you can never go wrong with skewers at Roka, and this is a prime example. I’ve had the plain asparagus skewers before, which were gorgeously fresh and crunchy, but the beef was succulent and complemented the asparagus beautifully. Highly recommended and good value for money, with two large skewers

• yaki hotate – scallop skewers with wasabi and shiso (£10.90) – one of my favourite dishes at Roka. You get two scallops, but each is gigantic, plump, juicy and superbly grilled. It’s an absolute must!

• maguro tempura maki roll -  minced tuna, pickled daikon tempura roll (£7.60). The better of the two maki roll that we ordered, but not as spectacular as the age watari gani or soft shell maki roll, which I’ve had twice. The latter is delicious, albeit somewhat tricky to eat (in particular the end pieces with the crab legs sticking out) and is very popular

• ebi furai to avocado maki roll - crispy prawn, avocado, chrysanthemum and dark sweet soy (£7.60) – this was one of my choices and I have to admit, a mistake. The prawn tasted ever so slightly burnt to me and I didn’t like it

• roka age watari – crisp soft shell crab with garlic, soy mayonnaise (£6.90) – if you’re a fan of soft shell crab, you may like this. The crab comes fried and split into two, so it’s easy to share between two people

• ise-ebi to gindara no gyoza – lobster and black cod dumplings (£12.60). Another mistake! This is twice as expensive as Roka’s pork and scallop dumplings, but not as flavoursome or exciting. Lobster and black cod are lovely but not served in dumplings together

• dark chocolate and maccha pudding, crunchy jivara, pear ice cream – it’s not possible from the descriptions on the pudding menu to work out what exactly is going to end up in front of you. So just go with the flow, as Roka’s desserts are almost guaranteed to be creative. I chose this based on the ingredients of dark chocolate and pear ice cream! A warm slice of chocolate heaven arrived, with a gooey green tea filling and a small scoop of fresh pear ice cream

• raspberries and ivoire chocolate usugiri, rose vanilla custard – this was beautifully presented, although we had no idea what usugiri was (it seems to be thin-sliced bread, according to Google!)

The verdict:

I’m older and a little wiser now, but find that Roka is still a wonderful restaurant where modern and creative dishes can be found. Sometimes it’s the simpler dishes that stand above the others, such as the scallop skewers, the asparagus skewers, the salmon skin temaki roll and soft shell crab maki roll. And although the dessert descriptions may make no sense to you, just pick the ingredients that sound tempting and you won’t be disappointed!

Roka remains on my London favourites list, but with half a point less than it received based on my previous visits. I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to people looking for a good night out, although I would advise to order carefully, as it’s certainly not cheap to eat at Roka and the drinks will bump up the bill substantially.

Dinner for two including alcohol and service charge cost £140.00.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact Details:
Roka
37 Charlotte Street
London W1T 1RR
Tel: 020 7580 6464
www.rokarestaurant.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

I recently decided to tidy up the categories on my London restaurant reviews page and as a result, discovered several restaurants I fancied revisiting. Arbutus (click for previous review) was one of them. I’ve only been once, for the set lunch which they were offering long before the credit crunch, and gave it a relatively high score. So when I returned with a friend, I was expecting an excellent meal. Instead, I was so disappointed that I immediately moved Arbutus from the ‘Restaurants To Revisit’ section down to ‘Restaurants I Won’t Be Revisiting’. The meal left me feeling despondent for days.

Why?:

There was nothing actually wrong with the meal. The service was efficient and the food well presented. The portion sizes were reasonable too. But I was left feeling incredibly underwhelmed by the whole experience. The dishes just weren’t exciting. There was nothing to complain about, but also nothing to rave about afterwards either, particularly given the price I paid (£35 without alcohol). I paid about £10 more at Hix Oyster & Chop House and had a superb meal that I still think about now. Arbutus, in comparison, is where you want to go if you’re after a nice, safe meal.

What We Ordered:

In case you’re still interested!

• salad of pork cheeks, lentil vinaigrette (£7.95)

• smoked eel, beetroot, horseradish cream (£9.95)

• roast cod, crispy chicken wings (boneless), potato purée (£18.50)

• bavette of Scottish beef, Swiss chard, gratin dauphinois (£16.95)

• prune and Armagnac ice cream (£6.95)

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact Details:
Arbutus
63-64 Frith Street
London W1D 3JW
Tel: 020 7734 4545
info@arbutusrestaurant.co.uk
www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

I was recently invited to have dinner at The Butcher’s Block, a private dining room at the Malmaison London Brasserie, and write a review about it. Even though the meal was complimentary, I was nevertheless very conscious of the need to treat it exactly like any other meal that I would have paid for myself. I looked upon it as an interesting experiment to see if I was still able to write a fair and balanced review. I think I was successful. I also took along with me the vegetarian husband, who is my toughest critic and whom I thought would present a challenge to the chef and his meaty menu!

First impressions:

Being located just round the corner from Smithfield Market (meat suppliers to the Brasserie), it is only appropriate, I suppose, to have a huge, solid Butcher’s Block located in a cosy and dimly lit vault, set aside from the main Brasserie. It seats up to eight diners around it, perched on high stools, and has its own separate menu. There are striking portraits of butchers on the walls, meat hooks lining one wall and a hurricane lamp hanging from the ceiling. And you can still see out into the main dining area through the floor to ceiling glass, but at the same time, be cut off from the noise. After having been seated for no more than five minutes, I was already contemplating which of my friends could join me for my birthday dinner there…

Recently promoted manager Helen Gibbons looked after us from start to finish. She was extremely knowledgeable about the menu, especially the cheeses, about which she is evidently passionate. I have to point out that even had we not been at Malmaison on invitation, I am sure she would still have looked after us very well, as I observed her with the other guests and she spent just as much time with them.

You don’t have to pay any extra to reserve the Butcher’s Block, and on a quiet evening with no other bookings, even two people could be seated there, although ideally it’s best to have at least six diners to enjoy the space to the fullest extent and dine from the special Butcher’s Block menu.

Menu:

You can see from the standard à la carte menu that the simple dishes are prepared with an emphasis on local ingredients. Malmaison also do a simple Homegrown & Local set menu (£14.50 for two courses, £17.50 for three courses), which changes weekly. The Butcher’s Block menu is different in that the idea is to share a ‘family meal’, so one starter, one main and one pudding for the whole table to share are selected from a choice of five starters, four mains and five puddings including a cheese selection (costing £45 a head, minimum six people).

Being the Butcher’s Block, meat naturally dominates the menu, with the mains consisting of four bone rib of naturally reared, grass fed beef; roast sirloin of Aberdeen Angus beef; four bone rack of Herdwick lamb and Pugh’s suckling pig. However, if you’re a vegetarian, the chef will come up with something suitably delicious for you, so don’t worry.

What We Had:

Starters consisted of Maldon hot & smoked salmon with capers & toasted sour dough and chicken liver & foie gras parfait, served with grape chutney and toasted brioche. I didn’t like the salmon quite so much, but the husband (who occasionally eats fish) enjoyed it served with sliced shallots and capers.

However, I fell in love with the chicken liver & foie gras parfait, which came as an alarmingly large block. It was so light and heavenly that I wanted to take the rest home with me and share it with friends. If you ever eat here, you must absolutely order it. If I hadn’t been conscious that there was a lot more food to come, I would have happily eaten nothing else but this.

As the husband isn’t a meat eater, he was served a wild mushroom risotto with plenty of fresh black truffle shavings. It came in a copper pan, the correct way to serve risotto, and was pronounced ‘perfect’ by the fussiest eater I know. I, on the other hand, had to eat the Donald Russell 28 day rib of beef (which serves 4) on my own, which also came with an obscene amount of black truffle shavings, two pieces of roast marrow and salad. Carved at the block, this was a succulent piece of meat, but I personally would have preferred it without the black truffle shavings, the pungent smell of which somewhat distracted me from enjoying the meat more.

A little about the three sides – the signature zucchini frites, pommes dauphinoise and creamed spinach. The zucchini frites, served with grated Parmesan in a cone like very thin fries, were delicious (if slightly greasy, but that’s to be expected). I loved the pommes dauphinoise too. But I didn’t like the creamed spinach, which was too rich. I think the third side needed to be something a little more simple and less strongly flavoured to balance out the other two.

Then came five cheeses, all personally selected by Helen – Tomme Marc Raisin – tangy cheese coated with marc (seeds, skins and stems after making wine), Mimolette – which reminded me of Chinese pork jerky I used to eat as a child, while the husband described it as Parmesan with carrot, Fleur de Marquis – a sheep’s milk cheese from Corsica with sage and rosemary, Vacherin Mont d’Or and Barkham Blue, the only English cheese and yet also very good.

Finally came the two puddings. I wasn’t expecting pudding, let alone two puddings, after five cheeses so it was a struggle. Pear tarte tatin and apple crumble were both served with vanilla ice cream. The apple crumble was served in a shallow cast iron dish, but was rather bland when compared to the more magnificent pear tarte tatin.

The verdict: 8.5/10

I would certainly return to the Butcher’s Block, because it is a intimate and cosy space and I don’t think I could bear to be seated in the main dining room after having experienced it. But I would have to choose a small group of meat-eating friends in order to make the most out of the meaty menu. It’s not cheap though, and alcohol and service charge have to be factored in too. So the Butcher’s Block is more of a special occasion place for a small group for birthdays and other celebrations, rather than a romantic dinner for two.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Malmaison London
18-21 Charterhouse Square
London EC1M 6AH
T: 020 7012 3700
www.malmaison.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

I’ve been meaning to visit Fernandez & Wells ever since it opened. It’s so close to work and everyone I know (Eat Like A Girl says it’s one of her favourite places in London and recommends it particularly for wine and tasty nibbles after work) raves about how much they love it, but it’s still somehow taken me until now to walk 5 minutes from the office to pick up some lunch there!

First impressions:

I’ve walked past this tiny eaterie with its meaty legs of jamon hanging by the window many times, but wasn’t expecting just how pint-sized it was inside, though in a nice way. With just a few people waiting for their orders, I already couldn’t see past them to the back. There are a few stools to perch on if you decide to eat in, and I presume there are a few seats at the back as well because in the evenings, the place turns into a bar with selections of charcuterie and cheese to accompany your wine.

The counter looked extremely enticing, with delicious-looking fresh ciabatta buns and bocadillos (sandwiches made with traditional French stone-baked baguettes). Options included Chorizo Iberico (thin-sliced spicy cured sausage) with unpasteurised Manchego cheese (?4.80); Mortadella, Aioli, Salchichon Iberico, Rocket, Shaved Parmesan and Parma Ham (?5.00); Jambon ‘Le Noir de Bigorre’ (24 month cured French ham) with Plum Tomato (?4.50) and Mozzarella di Bufala with Rocket and Plum Tomato (?5.50). These can be grilled as well, hence the waiting people.

Also on offer were salads and Pasteis de Nata (my favourite!), while the two dailies – a stew and a soup – were written on a blackboard – both of which were offered to me for tasting by a very helpful gentleman. He recommended phoning in advance to find out what the dailies are before visiting them!

The verdict:

In the end, I decided to try the wild rabbit stew (?5.50 small, ?6.00 large) to take back to the office. Five minutes later, I was tucking into one of the best stews I’ve had in a long time – hearty and full of flavour, with large chunks of meat and carrot. It was certainly a generous helping and came with a slice of fresh bread. After just one mouthful, I was telling everyone about it on Twitter.

An instant favourite, if that makes sense! I look forward to making F&W my regular lunchtime haunt, and also to visiting the Beak Street branch around the corner for coffee and a Pasteis de Nata. If you haven’t been yet, make it your priority this week! See you there…

[UPDATE: March 2009 - There is a third but tiny branch that opened recently on St Annes Court between Dean Street and Wardour Street. You can get smaller sandwiches, snacks, pasteis de nata and coffee, but for the larger sandwiches, soups, stews and salads, you'll still have to go to Lexington Street].

The Fernandez & Wells set of photos can be viewed here.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Fernandez & Wells (Food & Wine)
43 Lexington Street
London W1F 9AL
Tel: 020 7734 1546
www.fernandezandwells.com
Opening times:
Monday to Saturday – 11am to 10pm and Sunday – 12am to 7pm

Fernandez & Wells (Coffee, Cake & Chocolate)
73 Beak Street (just around the corner from Lexington St)
London W1F 9SR
Tel: 020 7287 8124
Opening times:
Monday to Friday – 7.30am to 7pm, Saturday – 9am to 7pm and Sunday – 9am to 6pm

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

St John in Farringdon has been bouncing on and off my restaurant wishlist for many years. I finally had the opportunity to dine there on Tuesday, when wine blogger Rob McIntosh from Wine Conversation and Thirst for Rioja invited fellow food bloggers Niamh, Chris, Helen, Lizzie and I to dinner to meet Rafael Vivanco, winemaker and owner of Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco, and Hugo Urquiza, also from the winery. An added bonus was that St John had just been awarded its first Michelin star.

A truly enjoyable evening in the private dining room followed, with far too much free-flowing wine and food. I had initially been hesitant to accept Rob’s invitation, as I drink very little these days and my knowledge of wine is practically non-existent. However, Rob, Rafael and Hugo explained everything so clearly that even I managed to absorb some of the information. I also learnt more about Dinastia Vivanco, a family-run business, started by Rafael’s grandfather. Rafael’s passion for wine soon rubbed off and before long, I had four different glasses lined up in a row in front of me!

We started with a white Rioja, the Vivanco Blanco 2007, which apparently is very unusual as most wines from the region are red (although there is also a rosé Vivanco). Rob talked at length about the importance of acidity in balancing out the fattiness in a meat dish, which made a lot of sense to me. Three different reds followed, but I’m ashamed to say that the first and second (Vivanco Rioja Crianza 2005 and Vivanco Rioja Reserva 2001) blurred into one for me. I have to say I loved the last one though, the special Colección Vivanco Rioja 4 Varietales 2005. Please read Rob’s account of the evening to learn more about the technical details of each wine. Talking so much about wine is already a first for me, but I hope next time I’m in a restaurant, I’ll study the wine list with more interest!

Back to more familiar territory – food.

Menu:

As you probably know, St John is famous for its ‘nose to tail’ menu, utilising all parts of the animal. However, there are a surprising number of options for those not so keen on this, or eating meat in general. Out of nine starters, only three contained meat, four were seafood-based and two vegetarian. There were nine mains, including one vegetarian and two fish options. But we were naturally there for the meat. On Tuesday, there was woodcock, roast kid, chitterlings, ox heart, teal and beef and kidney pie (for two).

Between the eight of us, we must have sampled over half the menu. I felt obliged to try the signature starter of roast bone marrow and parsley salad, followed by roast kid, white beans and kale. These were the most popular choices, but Lizzie had pig’s head followed by chitterlings, Niamh and Rob shared the massive beef and kidney pie and Chris had the woodcock. Photos of these dishes with accompanying descriptions will almost certainly be on their blogs, as the five of us were clicking away throughout the meal.

I was surprised that I liked the roast bone marrow quite as much as I did. Our waiter instructed us to use the long metal pick, scoop the marrow out onto the toast, add some coarse salt and top with the parsley and caper salad. It was a messy affair, with marrow running down my fingers, but the combination of flavours was delicious. After this, the roast kid seemed quite ordinary in comparison. It was served medium-rare and was very tender, but not as strong-tasting as goat or lamb. I haven’t seen kid on other restaurant menus, which is why I chose it. I still prefer lamb to kid though.

Pudding was a struggle. I was already feeling quite giddy from the enormous intake of protein and wine, neither of which I’m accustomed to these days, and thought I could just about manage the stem ginger ice cream, which I shared with Rafael. He thought it was interesting, as ginger isn’t that common an ingredient in Spain. The others were far more courageous, with Helen choosing the Eccles cake & Lancashire Cheese, Lizzie the rhubarb jelly and shortbread (I thought I’d show you her pudding as it was more interesting visually than three scoops of ice cream) and Niamh and Chris sharing the bread pudding and butterscotch sauce. The pudding sizes at St John are substantial, as are the starters and mains, so be warned.

The verdict:

I’m very glad to have finally dined at St John. It’s relaxed and laid-back, and if you’re part of a large group, the private dining room is a lovely space (according to the restaurant, it seats up to 18 people). Don’t worry if you’re not meat fanatics like us. You can definitely still enjoy an excellent meal here, even if you’re vegetarian!

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
St John
26 St John Street
London EC1M 4AY
Tel: 020 7251 0848
www.stjohnrestaurant.com

Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco
Carretera Nacional 232
26330
Briones – La Rioja
Spain
infobodega@dinastiavivanco.es
www.dinastiavivanco.com
Tel: +34 941 322 332

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

Bocca di Lupo (literally Mouth of the Wolf) opened in Soho, London towards the end of last year. Several rave reviews later, fellow food blogger tasty treats! and I decided to go there for lunch a few days ago. I don’t eat much Italian food in London, as I prefer to go to Italy once or twice a year for my Italian food consumption, but I thought it would be interesting to see what regional Italian cooking closer to home would be like.

First impressions:

Archer Street is rather seedy, to be honest. It’s located in the grubbier part of Soho and I wouldn’t like to walk down there alone at night. The restaurant therefore shone like a beacon in comparison to its neighbours. We walked past a stunning bar counter (white marble) already packed with diners, and shown to our table in the dining area at the back of the restaurant, which was also busy. Our Italian waiter was cheerful and upbeat from beginning to end, which made all the difference (as will be revealed).

Menu:

We were shown two menus, the One-Dish Meals lunch and pre-theatre menu, which features seven choices, and the main menu, which is referred to as the dinner menu on the restaurant website. The latter features many dishes – crudi e salumi (raw & cured), fritti (fried), paste e risotti (pasta & risottos), zuppe e umidi (soups & stews), griglia e piastra (grilled & pan-fried), arrosti (roasts), contorni (sides) and postri (desserts) , many of which can be ordered as small or large portions. This way, diners can sample a variety of dishes from different regions.

Tips:

If you prefer tap to bottled water, it’s served in a carafe and our waiter wasn’t at all perturbed by our request, nor that we weren’t drinking wine with our lunch.

What we ordered:

From the One Dish Meals menu, tasty treats ordered the spaghettini with clams – Campania (£9.00), while I couldn’t resist the meaty option of grilled pork chop with rose hip honey & borlotti beans cooked with pork skin – Toscana (£11.00). From the main menu, we chose a starter of lamb prosciutto with pecorino in vinaccia – Sardegna (£6.50).

After what seemed like an eternity, the starter finally arrived. Thank goodness for the bread basket and olives. I liked the lamb prosciutto, but the pecorino was a little too strong for our liking. Researching it online afterwards, I discovered that pecorino in vinaccia is pecorino aged in wine barrels that have just been emptied. In my opinion, it was too overwhelming to complement the prosciutto…

Tasty treats thought her dish somewhat salty and not worth the wait. I loved my pork chop, which must have been at least two inches thick. For the most part, it was cooked through and succulent (I dread overcooked, dry pork chops), however, the meat close to the bone was practically raw. I like a bloody steak or pink lamb chop, but I draw the line at eating uncooked pork.

The verdict:

Afterwards, when I showed our waiter the raw bits, he immediately took it to the chef, then returned promptly to tell me that the chef agreed with me. But I did concede that the roast pork chop was extremely thick, so I’m amazed that most of it was as cooked through and yet still so succulent as it was. As a gesture, which was appreciated, we were served calzoncelli – fried chestnut, chocolate & anise pastries, which were delicious and not at all sweet.

The long wait for our food was the only negative point. In total, we were in the restaurant for about an hour and forty five minutes, which is a considerable length of time when we only had a shared cold starter and one main dish each. However,  we concluded that Bocca di Lupo was definitely worth a revisit, and will sit at the bar next time, where the chefs can be seen in action, to try assorted small dishes.

Lunch for two with service charge and no alcohol came to £28.00.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Bocca di Lupo
12 Archer Street
London W1D 7BB
Tel: 020 7734 2223
www.boccadilupo.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

We left Marina di Ravenna early in the morning, jumped on the train back to Bologna and dashed off to über gourmet delicatessen Tamburini to buy two boxes of fresh pasta and consume lunch at top speed, before grabbing a taxi to the airport to fly back to London. We were at Tamburini almost one year ago, but at the time, we didn’t have any lunch or dinner slots remaining to try the food in the self-service restaurant. So I jumped at the opportunity on our recent trip to Ravenna via Bologna.

Two types of fresh filled pasta, ricotta and parsley tortelloni and porcini ravioli, ordered from their pasta counter, cost £25.00 at 500g each! I would never dream of spending this much on any pasta in London, whether in the best delicatessen or in a restaurant. But Tamburini is an exception. We would have bought more, had we not been restricted by Ryanair’s hand luggage size and weight restrictions…

Tamburini’s self-service restaurant opens at noon. Even though it’s called ’self service’, there are actually people behind the counter serving the food. A gorgeous artichoke, rocket and Parmesan salad (mine was served with bresaola) was followed by a meaty rigatoni Bolognese bake. I skipped the meat section, where the man was carving roast pork loin, and also couldn’t squeeze in any of the superb looking vegetables in the last section. There is also a wide selection for vegetarians.

Don’t forget to spend some time in the immediate vicinity, as Atti and Simoni and all the other gourmet delicatessens, butchers, food shops and market stalls are all there. You could happily spend half a day browsing in each shop and stall. It’s pure foodie heaven…

The fresh pasta fortunately survived the plane journey and was consumed over the next two evenings with a simple tomato sauce to accompany the tortelloni and shredded garlicky greens with the porcini ravioli. Expensive but worth every penny.

Click here to see the entire set of photos from Tamburini.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the Italy restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact Details:
Tamburini
Via Caprarie 1
40124 Bologna
Italy
Tel: +39 (0)51 234726

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Le Café Anglais is ex-Kensington Place chef Rowley Leigh’s new(ish) venture. It won London Restaurant of the Year and New Restaurant of the Year at the London Restaurant Awards a few days ago. As it’s had plenty of positive write-ups, I’d always intended to visit one day. After sampling their heavenly spit roast belly pork with lentils at Taste London, I finally went for dinner, with two foodie friends in tow. Both are seasoned travellers to France, and one a die-hard Kensington Place regular, so I knew I was in good company.

Entering from the main door on Porchester Gardens, it’s hard to believe that Le Café Anglais is in fact located inside Whiteleys shopping centre. At 7pm on a Friday evening, the restaurant was almost empty apart from a few diners. We had our very own attentive waiter to ourselves for almost an hour, and felt extremely pampered indeed. It wasn’t until around 8.30 or 9pm that it started to get busy, and even then, the noise was barely noticeable as it’s so airy and spacious inside.

We started off with bellinis, then moved on to the Saumur Champigny 2005 Domaine Le Petit Saint Vincent (£29.50), which one of my friends particularly likes. I know little about wine, but trusted his judgement. For me though, the food always takes priority. The three of us ended up ordering far too much food in our excitement at seeing the many choices on the menu. It’s fun to go wild once in a while though!

HORS D’OEUVRES (£3.00 each) in order of deliciousness, although they were all very good:

• Parmesan Custard and Anchovy Toast – I absolutely had to have this. I’ve read so much about this gem, and Niamh from Eat Like A Girl personally recommended it. This was moreish. The custard is served in a little cup and the toast cut into thin slices like soldiers. Dip and eat!

• Devilled Chicken Livers
• Oyster Fritters
• Kipper Paté and Soft Boiled Egg
• Mortadella with Celeriac Remoulade

FIRST COURSES:

• Pike Boudin with Fines Herbes and Beurre Blanc (£7.50)
• Warm Smoked Eel Salad with Bacon (£10.00)

These were both excellent choices, particularly the pike boudin. Comfort food at its best.

ROASTS:

Although there were some tempting fish options, it’s the roasts for which Le Café Anglais is famous. These are all prepared on the gigantic rotisserie at one end of the dining room. Two of us chose the suckling pig (£19.00), while the third had the daube of beef with red peppers and olives (£13.50), served with its own side of excellent mash. We also had sides of gratin dauphinois, ratatouille and mesclun, oil and lemon salad.

From what I tried of the beef, it was pretty good. But I was disappointed with my suckling pig. The skin was nice and crackly, but the meat was quite dry and ‘old’-tasting, rather than succulent and tender as I’d expected. I rarely leave food behind, but one of my friends had to finish it for me. In retrospect, the chicken would probably have been a better choice.

PUDDINGS: washed down with dessert wine (Monbazillac 2004 Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure)

• Champagne, Peach, Raspberry and Strawberry Jelly (£7.50) – Jelly seems to be on a lot of menus at the moment, and when it’s done well, it’s gorgeous. I can say that this was the best jelly I have ever had – refreshing, fruity and not too sweet

• Queen of Puddings (£5.00) – this looked rather spectacular when it arrived. I’d not heard of queen of puddings before, but it’s a traditional British pudding. Both my friends’ mothers used to make it for them at home, but their recollection of both ingredients and taste was at best hazy!

• Apricot and Almond Tart (£6.50) – confirmed as delicious by my friend

The must-haves in my opinion, based on this meal, are the Parmesan custard, pike boudin and the champagne jelly.

Dinner came to £200 for three people. It could be much, much less though. The menu allows for some creative ordering, so that you can spend as much or as little as you like. You could, for example, have two hors d’oeuvres (£6.00), followed by roast chicken leg (£4.50) with a side of gratin dauphinois (£4.00). With the £1.50 cover charge, which gets you bread, butter and radishes, this would take you to £16.00. Throw in a glass of wine at £2.50 and drink tap water (which they are very happy to serve you). This would be £18.50, excluding 12.% service charge.

Le Café Anglais provides a lovely, relaxed dining atmosphere where you can enjoy very good food and wine with friends. It could even make its way onto my shortlist of favourites if it’s not careful.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Le Café Anglais
8 Porchester Gardens
London W2 4DB
Tel: 020 7221 1415
info@lecafeanglais.co.uk
www.lecafeanglais.co.uk

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide