Tom’s Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, London SW3 3QP

Tom’s Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, London SW3 3QP

www.tomskitchen.co.uk

31/03/2013

She said: After another pointless Saatchi exhibition, we sought out Tom’s Kitchen having eaten in many of his dad’s (Mr Conran’s) eateries. Tucked away on a residential road in Chelsea, the inside of Tom’s is a bright, contemporary space which, as the name says, feels like a big eat-in kitchen and contrasts with is former-pub exterior. Popular with Americans for some reason, the menu was a good choice of British fare but at posh prices. I had a small portion of macaroni cheese and a green salad which were fine and a pricey juice. I’m not sure if restaurants think it’s ‘atmospheric’ to have the sound of fresh coffee being grated all the time but the sound resonated through the restaurant creating more of a pneumatic drill sensation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bright, happy space full of bustle but – and this may be my prejudices against the Chelsea set – if felt more like a ‘scene to be seen’ space with prices unnecessarily higher than they should be. £50 for a light lunch seems excessive compared with similar joints I’ve been to.

He said: If Tom flew an American flag above the front door, his kitchen easily could be mistaken for the canteen of the American Embassy. Every table within earshot was packed with Americans. Perhaps it’s because we went at Sunday lunch, a.k.a. brunch time, but the menu must’ve been irresistible to our cousins across the pond: full, as it is, of Yankee classics: blueberry pancakes, crab cakes, mac & cheese, etc. We too indulged, and all of it was very good, if a little pricey. What you’re really paying for, of course, is the bright and breezy space; it hard to believe that this used to be a pub. ‘Good job, guys!’.

Little Social, 5 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NE

Little Social, 5 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NE

www.littlesocial.co.uk

29/03/2013

She said: Having visited the Pollen Street Social a year ago, when we heard a little sister restaurant had opened opposite we couldn’t resist. We were one of the first diners to arrive at Little Social, which is a nostalgic, intimate bistro with lots of dark wood, scene-setting music that created a sense of days gone by, mood lighting and retro framed posters on the wall. We were greeted and served by lots of friendly and attentive staff and you could tell the whole place had that newly-opened shine. I opted for the set menu for the starter and main and chose an a la carte dessert. The food, including the complimentary breads was heavenly – rich flavours and sensible portions. My tuna starter melted in my mouth and a main of ‘roasted gurnard, saffron mash, fennel, Cornish soup, aioli’ was a joy with every bite. I couldn’t resist the ‘Hot chocolate moelleaux, sea salt and almond ice cream’ to end with a hot cup of latte which was perfection. As the time passed, the restaurant became full, including people eating at the bar and the noise resonated around the restaurant making it difficult to hear him across the table – never mind the charming music that I had been enjoying when we first came in, so this probably isn’t the place for a business lunch unless you don’t want to hear what your colleagues have to say. With the prix fixe at £21 for two courses Little Social is a delight although between the two I would favour the big sister across the road.

He said: By contrast to the pared-down modernism of the original Social across the street, Little Social is like walking into Elton John’s closet: lots of colour and texture. But, unlike Elton’s frocks, Little Social is in the best possible taste. The decorative theme here is (kind of) French bistro, except the one that you hardly ever find – the one from your imagination where everything is just about perfect. As every curmudgeon will tell you, it was always better in the past, and Little Social’s retro-contemporary style succeeds instantly in creating that halcyon vibe of always having been there. It’s clear that Little Social was always all about capturing this feeling of cosy familiarity, and so the food itself is actually British; but with Atherton’s usual winning touch, leaving you thinking: `I know all this, but I never knew it could be this good’. The kitchen brings a freshness to these dishes which highlights why some things are classics and don’t go out of style. As a punter you also feel very good about yourself for having resisted the latest thing, like sous-vide wasabi-dusted  kohlrabi consommé, or whatever. My only gripe is that the room is actually very noisy when it’s full of understandably delighted diners. We got there early, possibly first -- those were true halcyon moments.

Banana Tree, 103-109 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UQ

Banana Tree, 103-109 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UQ

16/03/2013

www.bananatree.co.uk

She said: I had spotted this out of the corner of my eye when rushing to the underground one morning after failing to secure standby theatre tickets and thought it was worth popping back for. It was. Banana Tree is an ‘Indochina’ restaurant set in an industrial-style space in the middle of Soho. The menu offers a great range of Asian dishes for every taste. It was difficult choosing and then he noticed the special which allows you to have a main course with a noodle salad, corn cakes, prawn crackers and rice at a great price. I opted for the Seafood Kari which was a mix of tiger prawns, tilapia fish fillets and

fishcakes in a Malaysian red curry paste. The food was excellent, service efficient, setting modern-trendy but not in a self-conscious way and including drinks and him needing to have two main courses, a reasonable £40 in total. Will definitely be back and with 5 other London locations it should be easy to find the opportunity.

He said: if you wade through the mist of time, do you remember the first time you had a Wagamama? Well that’s the excitement I felt at Banana Tree. I wanted to try absolutely everything, it all seemed so cheap, and I got to have it right here in a stylish room in the middle of Soho, instead of on a paper plate at some delicious but dangerous joint (think e-coli Russian roulette) at the dodgy end of Zone 2. I confess that the décor is what kept me from going in the first couple of times I walked passed: it all seemed so self-consciously urban and cool. But the urban/oriental thing actually works once you’re tucking in, with a glass of Malay spice tea in one hand. I usually avoid vegan, but this seemed like the place to try, and I’m very glad I did; good eating and good karma. We ordered more than we could eat, and it all came in at just under £40 for two including service. I’m a sucker for good food at good prices, and can’t wait to go back, hopefully today!

Roast, The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London SE1 1TL

Roast, The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London SE1 1TL

09/03/2013

www.roast-restaurant.com

She said: After wondering around the all-absorbing Borough Market and partaking in a little too much food sampling, we caught the lift in the market up to Roast. As the lift doors open and you pass the narrow reception area you enter a vast open contemporary dining space with a beautiful, high glassed roof and windows overlooking the bustle of the market below. It is definitely worth requesting a table by a window as we were seated in a perfect corner table with windows on two sides which allowed us to truly appreciate the fantastic architecture of the iconic market and undertake some great people watching. The menu offered a good range of British cooking and I opted for a fillet of Gunard which was small for the price and I was glad I also ordered a side of coleslaw. The chocolate pudding was delicious and the test of my latte arriving at the same time as desert was good enough. At £100 for two courses for two people and soft drinks, Roast is at the higher-end of the price-scale but offers a unique setting and some decent enough food.

He said: I confess that I was totally distracted and can’t really remember the food that well: she’d had the foresight to book the best table in the house, by the corner window overlooking Borough Market. It’s not the Pyramids, but what a setting! I grew up on the continent, and for as long as I can remember weekends are associated with food markets – Saturday for the local one, where the circus also sets up in the autumn, sometimes with a high-wire motorcycle act; Sunday for the enormous one near the train station where the fun fair beds down for the whole summer. For me the rhythm of the rows of stacked produce, the colours, the smells and the buzz of the crowd is total catnip. If Whiskas came on a plate I probably wouldn’t have noticed. As it was, I got salmon, which I liked but which, at £23 a plate is expensive even by London standard for a far-from-extinct species. Since I’m on the confessional tip, I admit that, for once, the menu included lots of vegetarian options, all of which I ignored although they actually were much better value and which, judging by the standard of cooking, would have been very good choices. My sticky date pudding was a real winner, as confirmed by the she-buzzard’s spoon swooping down on my plate with alarming frequency. When will she learn that you don’t have to order chocolate just because it’s on the menu? To sum up, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Roast is a unique proposition if you’re by the right windows; otherwise you could be at any number of very good establishments.

Coya, 118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW

Coya, 118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW

02/03/2013

www.coyarestaurant.com

She said: He was treating me to a pre-birthday surprise and exceptionally uncovered a chic, romantic, eclectically-decorated, trendy South American restaurant that I knew nothing about. In the basement of a period building on Piccadilly, Coya serves up mostly tapas-style dishes that are perfectly flavoured with each leaving you wanting more. We shared five such dishes including a seabass cerviche, mushroom and monkfish anticuchos and the fish cazuela – all magnificent.  The service at Coya was friendly and attentive and this is clearly a professional Mayfair outfit in a stylish setting whilst managing to retain a casual atmosphere. At almost £100 for food plus two cocktails its an occasion restaurant for us but one that is worth finding an occasion for.

He said: Hyde Park Corner is, I imagine, like that No Man’s Land between North and South Korea, or Indian and Pakistani Kashmir – nice on either side but not somewhere you go to specifically. You normally just run through this giant traffic junction, unless you’re taking (way) out-of-towners to Hard Rock Café. But persevere, and walk down into Coya and savour some of that old school Mayfair glamour. Even armed with the receipt I won’t pretend that I can remember what everything was called. But it was exciting. And not just because of the novelty – there was a genuine freshness and buzz to every one of the many small plates brought out of this bang-on kitchen. And the drinks and the décor were both bred to win. With enough cash to splash this would be a hell of a place for a bash.