Ceviche, 17 Frith Street, London W1D 4RG

Ceviche, 17 Frith Street, London W1D 4RG

27/05/2013

www.cevicheuk.com

She said: My preconceptions of an ‘affected’ trendy, over-hyped Soho joint were blown away following our meal at Ceviche. On entering a slightly pokey space with dining tables at a bar we passed into a bright, open and colourful dining space at the rear of the restaurant. The menu contained a fantastic choice of south American tapas making it a challenge to contain ourselves to what we could actually eat. After he said I should choose three and he would do the same we were presented with a series of mouth-watering dishes that were absolute perfection. This ranged from a juicy wasabi ceviche with excellent quality seabass to a potato cake layered avocado and ginger to a delicious wok cooked vegetable quinoa unlike anything I’ve had before. We’ve done the rounds of quite a few south American places recently and Ceviche is my favourite for overall quality and originality of food, friendly and efficient service in a welcoming dining space at a reasonable price - £50 excluding drinks. Will be back for more.

He said: sometimes you should believe the hype. There’s been a lot of chatter about Ceviche, and that, combined with the fact that it’s in Soho, was enough to keep it far down our list of places to hit. What a mistake! I can’t wait to go back already. There’s something inherently winning about Peruvian food (as we know it here, anyways) – the novelty of the flavours and ingredients would thrill even the most jaded foodie. But Ceviche adds to this an informality and authenticity that I haven’t felt in the other places, which tend to pitch this cuisine as something deluxe. But I’m guessing that a lot of these dishes are everyday things for Joe Lima. We’ll find out, as we’re off to Peru soon. It also helps that Ceviche is quite a bit cheaper than the others.

Cucina Asellina, Melia Hotel, 336-7 The Strand, London WC2R 1HA

Cucina Asellina, Melia Hotel, 336-7 The Strand, London WC2R 1HA

19/05/2013

www.asellina.com

She said: After attending a fantastic talk on Humiliation at Conway Hall we were hungry and needed to find somewhere close. I remembered this Italian in the new Melia hotel sitting at the top of The Strand. I was a little hesitant on entering to find not a single diner inside – and from the outside it looked closed probably due to the darkened windows and lack of activity inside but we decided to stay. I’m so glad we did. Asellina is a large contemporary dining space to suit any occasion. I ordered a prawn flatbread pizza which was heavenly and good value at £12. I tried some of his lasagne which was equally good. The service seemed a little haphazard or inexperienced (we were served by four different waiters – that last one proactively asking if we wanted to bill rather than the option to see a dessert menu so we accepted his forthright offer) but it is especially a great pick for lunch or a pre-theatre meal that sets itself apart from the tourist offers inside Covent Garden. As a fortunate bonus, on leaving Asellina I remembered the Melia has a rooftop bar ‘Radio’ and asked the maitre d’ if we could pop up; not only was she super courteous in leading us there, she brokered two free cocktail vouchers from the Concierge so we immediately fell in love with her. Radio has the genuine ‘wow’ factor – the lifts open into a glassed restaurant leading to a wide open terrace with magnificent views of the best of London’s skyline. We took a seat at a perfectly positioned table and I enjoyed a heavenly Martini as we spent an afternoon thumbing through the Sunday Times. Speakers poured out a slightly strange mix of tunes from perfect Sunday soul and ‘lounge’ music to over hyper dance and 80’s nostalgia. However, the experience was made even more perfect as the sun decided to shine down despite reported rain. This was a wonderful, special afternoon and we will definitely be back – both to the Italian but also to try to rooftop restaurant and enjoy more drinks on one of the best rooftops in London. But don’t tell anyone as I don’t want it to become over-run.

He said: The Melia Hotel recently landed like a futuristic spaceship of cool right onto the dull and forbidding traffic island known as the Aldwych. The contrast with the rest of the neighbourhood is pretty startling when you first step in: it’s definitely more Dubai than London, but that’s no bad thing. The dining room at Cucina Asellina was built on an ambitious scale, which on our visit only highlighted the fact that we were the only dinners. It’s a shame because it’s actually a nice open space done in a very spare style, and which would have a really nice buzz to it when full. But somehow I think this place is destined to never quite getting there -- its location on the edge of Theatre Land is that little bit too awkward. That suits me fine in a way, because there aren’t too many places to eat in the area that don’t get mobbed by tourists or that you could just waltz into without a booking. The food we had was very nice; her pizza was in fact very, very good. I wonder if it would pass the ‘Italian Friends’ test;  these people are so unbelievably fussy, but to me this tasted authentic enough for even the pickiest Neapolitan.  Service was a little tentative, but balanced out by the quality of food, setting and price: a main and drink each was £38 including service; not cheap but good value. On the way out She put us in the way of opportunity, having remembered the roof top bar; Fortune was smiling on us, bestowed comp drinks vouchers upon us, and delivered us onto Central London’s best rooftop bar. It’s called Radio, check this place out quickly before it’s colonized by the hordes of obnoxious Holborn professionals that work dangerously close. On a sunny Sunday afternoon it seemed like our own little secret spot – and we all know how short-lived that is in London.

Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, London W1F 7NR

Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, London W1F 7NR

18/05/2013

www.socialeatinghouse.com

She said: I thought we’d make it three for three and booked the third in the Atherton Social series. This time in Soho behind a modest, vintage frontage we entered into a smart, trendy yet down-to-earth brasserie. The front half near the bar has larger red banquette seating and the rear half has the greater concentration of seating with mustard coloured banquettes and a more industrial feel. The menu was impressively inventive. I opted for the prix fixe for my starter and main – both fish dishes: the salt cod fishcake to start was delicious but as per the name, salty; the Silver Mullet bouillabaisse I had for my main course was underwhelming due to its simplicity and felt something more was needed. I picked my dessert from the a la carte – a chocolate mouse with chocolate éclair. Again this was disappointing in that it didn’t match up to the sophistication of his dishes and dishes at the Social’s sister restaurants: it felt more like  a diner dessert with a lump of sweet mouse in an ice cream dish with a chunky piece of dry pastry (the éclair) stuffed with salty caramel ice cream that just clashed with what I had hoped would be a delicate, fluffy, chocolate éclair. Given my comments on my food, it may therefore surprise that I actually loved Social Eating House and would definitely come back. At £18 for two courses from the Prix Fixe it’s good value; the service was great as was the setting and atmosphere. It’s about picking well. He picked well and I picked at his selection well – I’ll let him have his say but he chose much better than me and every one of his courses was perfection, including an alcoholic milkshake. It averaged out at £30 each for three courses, drinks and coffees. A welcome addition to the rather mixed Soho world of dining.

He said: Having already gushed about the other two Socials I’m a little worried about sounding like a deranged fan who would gobble-up even Atherton’s toenail clippings. So I won’t say much other than I really liked it, again. From afar the Social group’s success might looked like inexplicable voodoo or mad alchemy, but it’s really pretty simple: equal parts of quality, laid-back vibe, and fair pricing. Blindingly obvious really, so it’s baffling that Atherton seems to be one of the few headliners to have seen the light. This incarnation is the most informal of the three, although the studied coolness of the boho-chic décor might be a little too hip for some. It’s so ‘on trend’ that there was even a boozy milkshake on special (it was awesome). The menu shows the trademark joyful experimentation, which made the classic comfort food even more irresistible to me: I just had to find out what spin Social would put on mushroom on toast, and mac & cheese. Well, let me tell you: the mushrooms had  been cooked in a sealed bag (cut open at your table) with cep puree which delivered a really deep, intense flavour. Mushrooms with a capital m, underlined, and highlighted. Wow. I will go back just for that. As for the mac & cheese, plenty of others have tried to ponce-up this student staple before, which invariably seems like gilding a turd; the toxic yellow, powdered cheese version might be crap but it’s still usually best. But not today, Social’s version was a real winner: no tsunami of cheesy sludge here; instead the pasta was coated with just enough of a thin yet intensely rich sauce. I have no idea what the kitchen did here, but it worked really well. £18 had never been better spent on two course before. Desert was a delicious almond sponge soaked in London honey (such a thing exists: walking home last night I saw two dudes in bee-suits bringing a hive down a ladder, on Wigmore Street!) – it was delicious. I said that I wouldn’t gush, so let me highlight a huge fault: She wouldn’t keep her fork out of my plates the whole bloody meal. Damn you, Social!

Hana, 351 West End Lane, London NW6 1LT

Hana, 351 West End Lane, London NW6 1LT

11/05/2013

www.hanarestaurant.co.uk

She said: Craving Persian food we hopped on the scooter to West Hampstead. Hana is a small neighbourhood Iranian hiding around the corner of a green at the top of West End Lane. Décor is simple, it’s the food that is such a delight and with our practice of dining in central London so often I had forgotten what ‘normal’ restaurant prices are when you move outside Zone 1. It took great restraint not to over-order mezze dishes so I stuck with a borani spinach which I scooped up with some light, warm Persian bread and I shared his Ash e Resteh which was perfectly balanced with all the right flavours of a soup that has a lot of nostalgia value for me (my best friend’s father from primary school used to make it whenever I came round to play)…For mains I had a spinach and bean Ghormez Sabzi and shared his Aubergine Khorosheth Bademjan – both delicious stews which came with fluffy rice and a cucumber, onion and tomato salad at good portion sizes. At £30 for two including soft drinks this was a lovely local dining experience with good service, great food and the sort of relaxed atmosphere that you would expect with a neighbourhood place. Hana certainly makes me want to seek out more local places outside the centre of London.

He said: Hana is a classic example of a really good neighbourhood restaurant. The cooking is attentive, the portions generous, the service friendly, and the prices reeled right back from the stratospheric heights of Central London. The presentation and setting is at the cosy suburban midway point between the usual Persian clichés of, at one end, neon lights and plastics chairs and, at the other end life-size gilt statues of Xerxes, lion fountains, gold cutlery, etc. Hana has a refreshing down-to-earth-ness which is a welcomed contrast from the feverish worshiping at the Altar of Food going on these days (but hopefully not too much in these posts). Like the famous Freud quip (‘sometimes a cigar is just a cigar’) sometimes all you want is great food without fuss and without feeling fleeced or guilty about how much you spent on it. Hana’s the place to find it. Fight the power! Support your local businesses, even if you have to take the tube a few stops further than usual.

Corner Room, 2nd Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 11AB

Corner Room, 2nd Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB

06/05/2013

www.selfridges.com

She said: Though Selfridges is my favourite shopping spot in London I’ve never actually eaten in any of its restaurants and always thought of department store restaurants as a pit-stop for marathon shoppers (of which I am not one). But a quiet revolution has been taking place for a while now with department stores sharing the same realisation as museums that it’s worth throwing out the school-like canteen serving slop as there is money to be made in creating dining spaces that might be destinations in themselves. So off we went to the new Corner Room in the fashion department of Selfridges – the first restaurant of the 2012 MasterChef joint winner Keri Moss. After navigating the maze of fashion concessions on the second floor to find the Corner (which turned out to be one of the last corners we looked in) a bright, art-deco space greeted us with pale blue and blonde wood tones. The maitre-d’ was apathetic to our arrival but did his job at seating us adequately. The room is a comfortable size and the atmosphere and furnishings are equally comfortable and smart. The menu offers a good choice of British fare at prices you would expect for an eatery of this kind. I do think it is cheeky when waiters in an upmarket restaurant try to ‘up-sell’ – and my pet hate in such restaurants charging for bread but asking if you ‘would like some bread’ when you sit down with the implication it is complimentary (as it is 90% of the time in restaurants of such calibre). I’m going to call this the ‘values test’ in future – places that think they need to charge a few quid for putting some welcome bread on the table are driven by the money not the passion. I ordered the sea bream which came with a red pesto which was a decent portion and good enough but the side of greens was extremely stingy. The chocolate cake was a winner although a bit too much ice cream which then melted washing out the pure chocolate taste of the cake. Our waiter must have previously worked in a nightclub or had tinnitus given his volume and was so zealous I had to hold on to my plates and drinks for fear of him whipping them away mid-meal. I’m going to be bold and say I don’t see this place lasting if my initial observations are anything to go by; Corner Room is aspirational which is misguided looking at the casual tourists and shoppers at other tables; it has the feel of being a ‘business’ above all else and although the food was largely good and prices fine (at £70 for two for two courses and coffees), the impersonal approach left me cold.

He said: as far as food goes, it would never occur to me to go to a department store, for anything more than a snack or coffee break. It’s no different than going to a hotel, I guess, but for me it’s one of those irrational things. Maybe couch time would unearth a gruesome trauma connected to the self-serve department store meals of my youth, although I do remember those pretty fondly. If any ironic, east-end hipsters are reading this maybe there’s money to be made digging-up that particular nostalgia. So, although the food was fine, The Corner is not for me. But for ladies who lunch it must be close to ideal. It’s in the world’s best department store, the room is cosy, flooded with lots of natural light, nicely decorated in a soft, retro Scandinavian style, and the modern British menu is really well thought-through: something for everybody and all of it familiar yet gently inventive. If I actually ate dead mammals I would have found it much harder to chose. And prices are pretty good too. The things I didn’t like are minor things that you expect from a new opening and which sort themselves out over time: the service was a little off, and the maitre d’ was all wrong: I don’t think I’ve ever encountered one more sullen or disinterested; this goon must’ve been filling in. I won’t be going back because of my phobia, and because it’s not really that special, but you should try it, especially if you’re into Masterchef, or if you’re the kind of maniacal shopper who gets so caught up in the spending frenzy that her blood-sugar level drops so dangerously that immediate celebrity food is required.

Plum and Spilt Milk, Pancras Road, London N1C 4TB

Plum and Spilt Milk, Pancras Road, London N1C 4TB

05/05/2013

www.plumandspiltmilk.com

She said: He had wandered into the new Great Northern Hotel opposite St Pancras Station when early for a work-related meeting in the area and had a quick look at this hidden gem of a restaurant on the first floor. On discovering it was during its ‘soft launch’ week with 50% of the food bill we quickly made a booking for the bank holiday weekend. Despite the rather mouthful of a name, Plum and Spilt Milk is a wonderful find in the developing King’s Cross quarter. Passing a rather modest, cloakroom check-in style entrance on the ground floor to the hotel, the scene quickly changed to a soft toned staircase leading to a beautiful corner room that beamed invitingly with its vase-shaped warm lighting, bright, large windows all-around, dark, polished furnishings and beautiful banquettes. The service was friendly and enthusiastic throughout. The menu offered a good range of European dishes at reasonable prices (even without the opening promotion) which I took my time over whilst enjoying a perfect lychee and chilli martini (Oriental Express). To start, I had a mushroom tart which was heavenly; melting cheese, flaky pastry and delicious mushrooms complimented each other. I had to remind myself to savour my mouthfuls as I just wanted to get as much of it as I could as quickly as I could. I dipped into his haddock soufflé a couple of times which was also a delight. For mains, I had the pan roasted cod which came on a bed of mash and I ordered a side of honey carrots. The fish was a generous portion and cooked just right and just about left me room for desert – despite again digging into some of his artichoke ravioli which was amazing. We opted for the tarte tartin for two. After about maybe 25 minutes we were presented with complimentary champagne and strawberry sorbets ‘while we wait’ which must have been to make up for the tarte absenteeism. But when the tarte did arrive it was huge and heavenly. The caramel oozed with every bite and the apples and thin pastry conspired to make you reach for more and more. The waiter was quick to heat my tepid latte on request which worked perfectly with the tarte tartin; I kept going until I was unable to lift my spoon. Because of the promotion the whole thing came in at am amazing £54 but I would definitely return and recommend Plum wholeheartedly – be it for corporate lunches, dining with friends and family or celebrations. It’s great to see the King’s Cross area getting such a fantastic, chic, delicious addition to the dining scene.

He said: Combine the parameters `Kings Cross’, `hotel restaurant’ and `outside-the-box [i.e. dumb] name’, and expectations have hit rock-bottom. So imagine my surprise when I walked away after a languorous Sunday lunch thinking that we’d just discovered a new favourite. Everything works, from the moment you walk into the gorgeous first-floor space bathed in light flooding from windows on all three sides, to the split second before stepping back out into London’s biggest construction site. Plum hits the sweet spot bang on the nose: it’s inventive but familiar, stylish but comfortable, serious but friendly, all that and excellent value too. A lot of attention to detail has gone into this place, and it shows. Things kicked off with a delicious rum cocktail [it was after all, a balmy 11 degrees outside], then I followed with a fine soufflé of smoked haddock, and artichoke ravioli served with rocket, parmesan, spinach and a sweet reduction. For once the ravioli came in a man-sized portion; full marks to Plum for that. And to finish we shared a tarte tatin, that classic desert which, like all ‘simple’ dishes of so few ingredients divides absolutely everyone about the ‘right’ way to do it. To quote Sublime, this was the wrong way but so right. Judging by the very few other guests we are way ahead of the buzz on this one, but Plum deserves to succeed, and you should go without hesitation. Let  the tourists keep Balthazar – this is much better.

Banca, 30 North Audley Street, London W1K 6ZF

Banca, 30 North Audley Street, London W1K 6ZF
[AUGUST 2013: NOW CLOSED]

04/05/2013

www.bancarestaurant.com

She said: Banca is an upmarket Italian housed in the former NatWest bank on a corner in Mayfair. We were greeted with lots of smiles and offered to sit wherever we like on entering which was both welcoming but had a slight feel of ‘wow we have customers’ to it. He wanted to sit at a table for four which I thought was inappropriate so opted for a table for two by the window which allowed me to see the whole dining room but he the frosted street window behind me…At first glance the menu seemed pricey for what was on offer but Banca also has more reasonably priced pasta and pizza dishes. For a chi chi restaurant, when I ordered some fresh juice from a long list of great options on the drinks menu I was told that only about three of the eight options were actually available – pretty poor. I decided to skip starters and ordered the risotto with gorgonzola and courgette flowers at £18. I’m not sure the blue cheese worked and the two deep fried courgettes sitting on top were an odd choice but it was fine. I had been planning on dessert but with so many good patisseries in the neighbourhood and not being blown away by the experience I decided to give it a miss. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely room, friendly and prompt service and good range of options on the menu but for the price, I think there’s just too much competition to make this one worth coming back to.

He said: the Maitre d’ seemed genuinely delighted to see us, and gave us a typically-Italian warm and friendly welcome into an equally typically-Italian stylishly appointed room. Good start, I thought. Could this become our local Italian, where we rub shoulders with the Italian glitterati, and eventually house-swap with Monica Bellucci? But the magic soon slowly fizzled-out. With the menu we were told about various things that were off that day including, strangely, about half the extensive list of fresh juices. Minor, you think – but, by lunch time on Saturday, you’d expect a serious kitchen to have all the holds barred in readiness for the big bun fight on one of the week’s most valuable nights. Never mind, these things happen sometimes. The menu had something for everybody, including pizza, and enough well-described options to cause some soul-searching. I took the plunge on a lentil salad to start, following up with monkfish and broad beans, sun-dried tomato etc. The salad was excellent, with enough pomegranate and apple to keep a generous portion interesting all the way through. But the presentation was a little unimaginative – here you go, a bowl of lentils. The monkfish made a much better impression on the plate, vivid green bean puree, deep red tomatoes, and plump white fish. I was looking forward to diving into my edible Italian flag, but at the back of my head was also the thought ‘my fish looks lonely on that big plate, could’ve been a bit more of it for £23’. It was delish, but my first bite was already lukewarm. In a way this sums up what’s wrong with Banca. The attention to detail wasn’t there; the appearance says ‘sophisticated’ but it’s not backed-up by the delivery. This would be OK almost anywhere except Mayfair where if you’re going to promise and charge like a big boy, then you’ve got to roll like a big boy. Rents are too high here to get it wrong for long. On the way out I noticed just one other table occupied, which could explain the effusive welcome…