Honey and Co, 25a Warren Street, London W1T 5LZ

Honey and Co, 25a Warren Street, London W1T 5LZ
18/08/2012
http://honeyandco.co.uk/

She said... I was in the mood for some middle eastern food and had read about a little restaurant in Warren Street run by former chefs of restaurants I have enjoyed so off we went. At the unassuming end of Warren Street, this little café/restaurant has a certain charm with homely cakes on the counter and jars of various foods on shelves. The changing menu was well catered for vegetarians with a number of mouth watering dishes. The friendly staff and chef made us feel very welcome and we ordered ambitiously as one often does on an empty stomach. We waited in anticipation...and waited…and waited…and then watched numerous customers who had arrived after us receive their food so we chased ours up then waited…and waited…after chasing again we were presented with 4 of the six mezze dishes we ordered which included a tomato salad, falafel and the highlight – a heavenly fig salad with soft goats cheese that melted in the mouth; it may sound like nothing to read but it really was perfection on a plate. After we finished, the fifth dish arrived – a courgette and crispy rice creation which was okay. It’s only when we got home that we realised our sixth dish never arrived but we had still paid for it thanks to the hand written, illegiblebill. Each dish averaged at around the £7 mark which was reasonable and the food is definitely worth the visit. It’s a shame that the friendly team just weren’t on the ball when it came to service (and remembering your order) – especially in a restaurant of around just 20 covers. They’d been open for 11 weeks when we visited so it really should be past those teething issues. If they can get that bit together, it’ll be a fantastic place for good food with a good vibe.

He said... The Euston road is the busiest road in London, and probably one of the most polluted, judging by how many air-quality monitoring stations are dotted along it. But just one road over is Warren Street, and Honey and Co where you can find some of London's healthiest and freshest food. And it really is all about the food here; the space is small and lo-fi but clean and inviting. The cooking is of the Mediterranean stripe made popular by Ottolenghi in the last few years, and here it's even less fussy, if that's possible, and stripped down to dishes that each allow its few, superfresh ingredients to sing out. For me the outstanding dish was the salad of figs with soft goat's cheese and pistachios. I cannot imagine ever having a better one. The tomato salad also obviously used top notch toms, and demonstrated the same passion in the kitchen for cooking with the best that's available at the time. We ordered Imam Bayaldi which, sadly, never came - the dish, a real classic of the region, translates roughly as 'the imam fainted', which is what he did when he tasted how good it was. I'm sure Honey and Co's interpretation would have been as legendary, but I only noticed the oversight after we left. Service was more chaotic than you would expect for such a small place, and the type of cuisine: in the Middle East restaurant service is one of the few things done with efficiency that would be the envy even of a German car factory. Lunch for two came to £40 including a delicious rose flavoured iced tea and more food than you can remember. This will definitely become a regular, especially if the breakneck pace of restaurant openings in London slows down a touch.

Brasserie Blanc, 35 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RF

Brasserie Blanc, 35 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RF
17/08/2012
http://www.brasserieblanc.com/

She said… I heard that Monsieur Blanc had taken over the space where Chez Gerard used to be in Covent Garden market. I had never visited the previous space as I was fundamentally opposed to their charging a ‘cover price’ but since this was no longer in place and I was curious about the Blanc chain of restaurants, I thought the restaurant atop the market was a good one to try. Alas, expectations fell short. The room itself is pleasant although the outdoor terrace is probably the place to be on a pleasant day. The menu was promising with a wide selection of dishes to suit most palates. And the prices were what you think you should be paying but never do in such a place. I went for the set menu which offered two courses £14.99. I started with a leek, potato and egg salad which was tasteless and stodgy. I followed this with a gruyere and onion tart. With this being a French brasserie I was expecting a light, thin pastry base with juicy caramelised onions and a subtle creamy cheese. Instead, a thick quiche-like concoction which looked like it had been reheated. Again, stodgy and flavourless. I had been planning to have desert but decided to cut my losses and went with him to a new bakery on Chandos Street. I don’t know if the location means the tourist factor is in play (i.e. food for people you’ll never see again so screw quality) but I would have expected more from the Blanc brand.

He said… If no one had told you that Blanc had taken over this place from Gerard then you would never have know the difference.  Both are functional and nice enough, and priced well. But if a sudden craving for good, affordable French food came over you, then this would not be the first place you'd think of; for that see Zedel, below. The setting is pretty nice though, as it's on the upper level of Covent Garden, overlooking the opera house. The terrace space has got to be one of the best in London; I'm not too sure about the part that's glazed, which can feel like a greenhouse. I enjoyed lunch (the company was good) but the Blanc name does raise expectations. For instance, my pea soup made a good first impression, but I got bored with the too-thick, samey texture, and found myself wishing that the portion was smaller, which really doesn't happen often these days. But for £15 for two courses you really can't grumble. And if you avoid the weekends, and its swarms of day trippers, then Covent Garden is actually a nice, convenient place to meet for a sneaky, extended lunch on a sunny day.

Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED

Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED
09/08/2012
http://www.brasseriezedel.com/

She said… I visited this location many years ago when it was the Atlantic Bar and Grill so was intrigued to hear of it’s reopening as a French brasserie by the folk behind the Delaunay and Wolseley. The initial descent down to the basement is a bit off-putting, especially as on our arrival there was no sign of life upstairs and we guessed our way down the stairs to the restaurant lobby but everything changed when we entered the brasserie. The dining room is a stunning space with backlit stained-glass windows giving the impression of sunlight shining in, high ceilings, gold-leafed relief on towering columns and art-deco features such ceiling with its mix of frosted glass, and brown-gold light fittings. The layout is quintessential brasserie style with banquettes and chairs and starched table cloths in an open plan setting, with an eye-catching bar along one side and a charming boulangerie with ‘designer’  bread in a corner, complete with chef wearing large, pointy hat. What is a wonderful contrast to this glitz is the highly affordable menu which is packed with lots of choice. My starter remoulade for example was only £2.95 and yet a generous portion was presented. Many of the main courses are around the £10 mark (there is even a separate vegetarian menu where mains are below this price). We went for the sauerkraut with seafood which was for two people since it was a departure from the usual. A massive platter arrived which could easily feed four and alongside the picked cabbage contained salmon, haddock, prawns and seafood which I has asked them to hold off on but they forgot. There were also boiled potatoes and it all sat in a creamy sauce. It was delicious and despite it not looking like we’d eaten given the amount left in the platter after trying to ingest as much as possible, the drawback was that I had no room for the desserts I had been eyeing on the menu (which  again were a steal at around the £3.50 mark). We were so impressed by the setting, food, prices and service (good waiter to customer ratio) as well as a buzzy atmosphere of fellow diners that we are going to come back to celebrate mum’s birthday in a few weeks.

He said… This one is a winner. Since going with ‘she’, I have already been back once, and we're booked again for a lunch with the in-laws. That probably tells you all you need to know, but I'm guessing that a two-line review is not what you're looking for. Maybe you know this, but Zedel is on the site of the old Atlantic, a legend on the 90s London scene. As you walk down the stairs you see that a lot of the Deco design has been kept (it must be listed) even though it doesn't quite work with the turn-of-the-century vibe of the main room. I also remember the same strange, stale smell which the Atlantic stairway had; this is not the nicest opening to a meal, but I guess unavoidable being so far under ground, and not an issue once you reach the well-ventilated main room. This definitely has the wow factor - mainly because you don't expect such a large, opulent space so deep down, and because you do get the feeling of having been transported both in place and time. For me, it all had a strong, really pleasant echo of going out to eat when I was a kid in Brussels. Maybe it was the starter (celeriac remoulade) and the main (a seafood sauerkraut) but mainly it was the unfussy, accomplished professionalism of it all, which reminded me of that time when food was food, taken seriously but not a religion. Zedel pushes all my buttons:  my favourite restaurants have a distinctive vibe, and serve well-prepared food that doesn't necessarily rewrite all the rules, at a friendly price. Zedel ticks all the boxes, especially on the value front: though I don't mind spending money, I'm really a cheapskate at heart. Where else in Westminster can you get a starter for £3.50? I simply could not believe it, and had to ask the waiter if the pricing was introductory (it's not). This place is guaranteed to be full at every service, but luckily there's a good allocation for walk-ins. I can't wait to go again and again and work my way through the menu. By the way, Deco fans be sure to  grab a martini or negroni in the amazingly authentic American Bar; and night birds be sure to check out some of the acts in the cabaret.