RESTAURANT FILE – Page 24

Dinner at Quo Vadis, Soho

Published on March 26, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Quo Vadis has been on my (extremely long) to-eat-list for quite a while and last weekend I finally got the opportunity to go there. My friend from home, Linus, was visiting and as he happened to have two colleagues in town we thought we’d meet up for dinner somewhere central and my friend Laura was up for coming along too.

We met at Soho diner for a few drinks before our dinner and it was so warm we could sit outside.

As we had quite a late dinner we decided to go for both starters and mains and I just had to have the baked salsify I’ve seen Simon Hopkinson rave about on TV. They were gorgeous; crispy on the outside, not too soft on the inside and tasted absolutely lovely with the grated parmesan.

Our waiter thought one portion of the salsify was not enough as a starter so I had another snack, the duck rillette which was nice too.

Louise had exactly the same starter as I and Linus and Jacob both had the spinach and Alexanders (a new acquaintance for us all) soup. Laura had the squid above and was pretty much in food heaven she said.

Jacob and Laura both had the salt cod with soft boiled egg, anchovies and salad which they really enjoyed.

Louise and Linus had the onglet with horseradish and pickled walnut (it’s hiding behind the horseradish) and some roast potatoes and steamed vegetables to share.

I had probably the healthiest maincourse I’ve ever had. Brill in a vegetable broth with mussels, broadbeans and leek. I really enjoyed it but when I read it on the menu I actually expected more of a creamy broth.

Somehow we all managed pudding as well. Laura and Jacob had the same again; poached pear and winter fruits with Jersey cream which was quite heavy but nice.

Louise, Linus and I all had the crème brulee and it was a very good version. The custard was not too sweet and quite runny and velvety.

Quo Vadis, 26-29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL

Dinner at Mele e Pere, Soho (revisited)

Published on March 5, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Mele e Pere in the midst of vibrant Soho (we saw two people getting arrested just after dinner) is a real gem. It’s very relaxed, usually crowded and they have prosecco on tap!

I had dinner with my ex-flatmate Nick here a few weeks ago and since we were both starving after a hard day at he office we started with a few things to share and then moved on to a pasta dish each. To share we had a bread basket (with lovely focaccia), sweet green olives, calamari with smoky mayo and a parmigiana with pesto and rocket. All very tasty!

Nick had a large portion of their beef ragù to finish and it was very proper. I’m sure it had been cooked for several hours.

I chose probably the richest pasta dish in the universe but it was utterly amazing. Fluffy pillows of gnocchi with a very buttery sauce and shavings of black truffle. So lush!

Mele e Pere, 46 Brewer St, London W1F 9TF

Lunch at The Delaunay, Holborn

Published on February 25, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Last Saturday Sinead and I played ‘ladies who lunches’ and went to The Delaunay for lunch after the Isabella Blow exhibition at Somerset House. The Delaunay is part of the same company that runs The Wolseley as well as Brasserie Zédel and Colbert (of which I’ve been to all the others).

Just like the other restaurants in this group The Delaunay has a grand art deco interior and a very classic European menu offering borstj, pierogi, wurts and Schnitzel as well as French classics.

I had the steak tartare (which I adore if it’s made properly) and this was a very nice version. Perfect balance of flavour, good quality meat and a quail egg yolk on top. I chose the smaller size because even though I love steak tartare I can’t eat a lot of it. The smaller portion came with sourdough toast but I ordered some frites so make it more substantial.

Sinead loves chicken and had the spatchcocked poussin with salsa verde and a green salad. She enjoyed it but wasn’t as pleased as I was with my steak tartare.

We both liked The Delaunay but prefer The Wolseley. The Wolseley just feels grander with its lighter interior while The Delaunay is darker with its wood panelling. I also found the service a little lacking here. But with that said, it is still a great restaurant and a good alternative to the real thing if you find yourself in Holborn.

The Delaunay, 55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB

Dinner at Little Social, Mayfair

Published on February 19, 2014 by Hanna1 Comment

One Saturday night in the beginning of the month I met up with a bunch of girl friends for dinner. First we went to Mr. Fogg’s (although I recommend you book first, which we didn’t , but they were kind enough to let us in anyway) and then on for dinner at Little Social, also in Mayfair.

This is another restaurant in the very large Jason Atherton empire just across the road from his first London restaurant Pollen Street Social.

Two of my friends had the cod brandade to start and although it was very well executed!

I had the crab mayonnaise with bitter leaves and toast which was very fresh and lovely.

The other two girls had the seasonal truffle risotto with a heap of shaved truffle. I must admit I had food envy but I don’t think I would have managed two courses if this was one of them. I got to taste it though and it was the creamiest risotto I’ve ever had without being too rich. It seems impossible but it was simply divine.

For mains, Gaby had the seabass BLT with fried portobello mushroom, tomato, lardon and lettuce wedge. I’m not sure the concept worked as such but the fish and mushroom were very nice.

Rowena had the lamb shank with potato purée and vegetables. Pretty as a picture and very nice.

Laura had the ox cheeks with potato purée and bone marrow ad I might have had a another case of food envy. Delicious!

Bronwen and I both had the bavette with salad and frites. I had the bearnaise sauce and Bronwen the peppercorn sauce. Both very good and the steak was delicious! Bavette (or flat iron or onglet) is definitely one of my favourite cuts.

The restaurant serves well sourced, well cooked and uncomplicated food that I like a lot. But don’t be fooled, although good ingredients comes a long way you still need skill to know how to best enhance it. Some dishes were better than others but everything was well cooked.

The service is great here too; when we arrived we were seated at a table next to the door and after only a short while our waitress asked to move further into the room because she was worried we were cold in our sleeveless dresses. We were but we didn’t think of demanding another table so it was very sweet of her to offer.

Little Social, 5 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NE

Sushi lunch at Chisou, Mayfair

Published on February 11, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

When my friend Carina was in town I got the task to find a good sushi restaurant, that was open for lunch on Sundays, served good vegetarian food (not veggie sushi) and located in central London. Not super easy, especially when one in the group is Japanese, but my apparently my research skills are up to scratch because we ended up at Chisou Mayfair and we were all very pleased with our lunch.

Elena chose a sashimi lunch special served with a salad, rice and fruit for afters and Hetal, who’s vegetarian, had a delicious teriyaki tofu with rice.

Carina and I both love sushi and every time she comes to London to visit we try a new place. We decided to start with three maki rolls and loved them all. The salmon avocado was pretty standard but very good and the shrimp tempura delicious but the spicy tuna toll was a-ma-zing. The tuna was such good quality it just melted in the mouth.

Since the sushi was so good we decided on ordering an extra roll and had the spider roll with soft shell crab – also amazing.

The interior at Chisou is not typical Mayfair but neither are the prices and the short walk from Regent Street together with the excellent food makes this a perfect lunch place when out and about in central London.

Chisou Mayfair, 4 Princes Street, London W1B 2LE

Dinner at Steak and Tapas, Malmö, Sweden

Published on February 5, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

When I went home to Sweden over Christmas and the new year I got to try two newish restaurants in Malmö (the third largest city in the country and the one near The Bridge), first B.A.R. and now Steak and Tapas.

When I moved away almost six years ago the restaurant scene was rather boring but now it almost seem to flourish.

Steak and Tapas is situated in the cellar beneath Hotel Tunneln in the centre of town and the white arched walls and rustic wooden tables contributes to the relaxed and cosy atmosphere of the restaurant. The menu is also relaxed with non-poncy with its tapas and steak sections (little surprise there).

I was here with four friends and we decided to share three Spanish cheeses, a focaccia (baked in a pot) and some olives to start before most of us moved on to the meat.

I chose the flatiron steak (onglet) and it arrived with an array of pots. One stainless steel dish for a salad wedge, a small deep-frying basket with fries (I like that quirky touche) and another bowl with the sauces. It felt a bit inefficient serving this many pots, but it looked rather charming.

One friend ordered the halibut instead and was also very pleased. The only let down was that some of the steaks were far from hot by the time they arrived at the table. I like my meat rested but this was a bit excessive..

Although the pudding section only had three choices we decided to share a chocolate cake with peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate sauce. It was a bit too dense and bitter for me and I don’t think we managed to finish it even though all five of us had some.

As a concept Steak and Tapas is very approachable, and I understand why you as a restaurateur in Malmö go for something that appeals to the masses, as the restaurant scene here is not as vibrant as say Gothenburg and Stockholm, even on a smaller scale.

Yet the combination strikes me as odd, but I imagined more cooked tapas and this is mainly charcuteries, cheeses and a few hot plates so it actually works to share a few things before moving on to steak or for a lighter meal sticking to the tapas section the whole meal.

Steak och Tapas, Kansligatan 4, 211 22 Malmö, Sweden

Dinner at Kurobuta, a Chelsea pop-up restaurant

Published on February 3, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

The day after we tried Flesh and Buns for lunch, Caroline and I had dinner at a restaurant with similar cuisine, a pop-up restaurant in Chelsea called Kurobuta, but it will soon have a permanent spot near Marble Arch.

We shared a lot of different dishes, starting with the yellowtail tuna sashimi with kazimi wasabi salsa and yuzu soy sauce (above). Very nice and great texture.

Barbecued chicken scewers with Japanese barbecue sauce. Tender meat and very nice smoky flavour.

The pumpkin tempura was lovely and served with a delicious dip with spicy shiso.

Tea smoked cutlet of lamb with spicy Korean miso. Very nice indeed, and one of my favourites. The lamb was tender and quite rare which I like and with a thick coating of the delicious glaze.

The crispy soft shell crab roll with kimchi mayo was also very nice.

Kurobuta’s menu has a few different sections; one with snacks, one with barbecue, one with crispy food, one with sushi and one with cold and raw dishes (like sashimi). One section was called ‘Significant Others’ and sounded so boring that we didn’t try a single dish, but apart from that we sampled every section on the menu.

The food at Kurobuta is tasty and well-made and I always like to share small dishes, especially when you can have sushi and barbecued dishes at the same time. Compared to Flesh and Buns this is a lot better. It feels like Kurobuta has a clearer concept, but there is still room for improvement.

The service was very varied; we had a great waitress but a few others ran around like headless chickens and that is quite easy to fix. And hopefully the new place will have a better ventilated kitchen as half the restaurant on our visit was filled with thick smoke from the barbecue.

Kurobuta, 251 King’s Road, London SW3 5EL

Lunch at Flesh & Buns, Covent Garden

Published on January 28, 2014 by Hanna1 Comment

When Caroline and I went to Flesh and Buns in the beginning of December the restaurant was fairly newly opened. Two months later it is not the talk of the town anymore but still worth mentioning to you, dear readers.

It is the team behind lovely Bone Daddies Ramen Bar in Soho who is behind Flesh & Buns too, and I understand the need for opening up a larger restaurant. The seating area in Flesh & Buns must be at least triple the noodle bar space. It feels more relaxed and spacious but does lack a little bit of the cosy atmosphere of its noddle bar sister.

The menu at this new-ish restaurant is quite varied with a sushi section, small plates and the meat with buns section from where it has taken its name. Caroline and I both like to try new things so we decided to share a whole array of dishes:

First up was a watercress salad with avocado and shiso. It was simple and fresh and the dressing fantastic.

Next we tried a sushi roll as the person next to us had some and it looked really good. The shrimp tempura roll was nice and well made but sadly didn’t measure up to Yashin or Tsunami’s sushi.

The pig bones, i.e. ribs, were sweet and sticky with their miso marinade and fell off the bone. One of my favourite dishes.

Beef scewers with kimchi and yoghurt were succulent and tasty but not amazing.

Lastly we tried some buns with duck leg, crispy skin, thinly sliced pickled beetroot and hoisin sauce. The fluffy pale buns are similar to pork buns in texture but these you fill yourself. It was nice and I like the idea of filling your own bun, but I wasn’t blown away.

Compared to Bone Daddies I feel that Flesh & Bun are lacking in a few areas. The atmosphere and interior feels warmer and cosier at the former and the menu feels more put together there too.

It’s still early days for Flesh & Buns and I hope they can improve because there is definitely room for this type of restaurant in Covent Garden.

Flesh & Buns, 41 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LX

Dinner at B.A.R., Malmö, Sweden

Published on January 23, 2014 by Hanna2 Comments

When I went to Sweden over Christmas I tried to fit in a few dinners out in Malmö with friends. The place topping my list was B.A.R. Malmö; a natural restaurant and wine bar situated on the cosy Davidhall Square. I had high hopes about this place but felt right at home when I saw the marrow bone napkin rings.

Walking into B.A.R. the interior is quite sparse and the upstairs bit almost feels a bit cold but as you walk downstairs and past the kitchen the interior feels more cosy although still simple. I think the decorating and lack of tablecloths have been done deliberately to make it feel more comfortable and counterbalance the cooking style which is quite elaborate without being poncy.

Instead of a bread basket the lovely sourdough is almost tossed onto the table in brown paper bags and the accompanying spreads are served on rocks. The whipped butter with sea salt and fennel powder was absolutely delicious and completely trumped the pork fat with dill, which actually was very good too.

As there was eight of us we all had the same four course menu called the Chef’s choice menu to make it easier for the kitchen. Even if in a smaller group I would still recommend this menu or at least four courses from the a’la carte menu as some of the dishes are quite small. With that said I was still to full to finish my main course but everyone else at the table did.

The first course was quite small and consisted of more or less four mouthfuls but the flavours of squid and leek were delicious. .

The duck served with beetroot, grated bone marrow and a mayonnaise with confir garlic was even better than the first course. Absolutely gorgeous!

The maincourse with amazingly tender boar, crispy fried cavolo nero, celeriac cooked two ways and pears was absolutely wonderful!

The dessert was a small let-down after the previous two stellar courses, although there was nothing wrong with the chocolate sorbet, berry granita and vanilla custard it didn’t blow us away.

We had a lovely evening here and I can’t wait to go back in the spring or summer and try a different menu. What I really like about this place is the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that the concept appeals to food geeks like myself as well as people who just like good food in general.

The wines recommended by our waiter were also very good and of course a perfect match with the food, but also all natural and not very expensive.

I think it is about time this type of restaurant opened in Malmö and I certainly hope the town is ready for it!

B.A.R Malmö, Erik Dahlbergsgatan 3, 211 48 Malmö

Dinner at Soho Diner, Soho

Published on November 27, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

On Friday I met up with a few girl friends after work. Two of us managed to get out early, so we met up in the bar at Soho Diner (part of the Soho House group) and had some drinks and nibbles while waiting for the other two. We sat overlooking the kitchen and saw them prepare one delicious burger after another, so we were pretty certain of what to order when we sat down for dinner.

When the last person in our little group was on her way, we asked the waitress to put us down for a table as you can’t pre-book. Twenty minutes later we were shown to our table by the window, which was actually quite chilly, especially compared to the heat from the stove.

We all decided on the single burger (which funnily enough consists of two patties while the double burger has three just to confuse matters) and shared some fries and a salad.

The burgers were seriously good and tasted like a piece of New York (not literally obviously). It came in a brioche bun (which all burgers should do, in my opinion) and the condiments were fresh and not too messy. It was also served with a huge salted gherkin, to add to the NY vibe even further.

The fries were lovely and crisp and absolutely delicious and I like the fact that they come with mayonnaise (so no need to ask the waiter for sauces).

I loved Soho Diner and will definitely come back. The service was great, especially when we were at the bar, the food was delicious and the atmosphere buzzing and fun.

NB. Please forgive the dark and grainy pictures. The lighting was dark and I only had my iPhone camera at hand.

Soho Diner, 19-21 Old Compton St, London W1D 5JJ