Berner’s Tavern, 10 Berner’s Street, London W1T 3NP

Berner’s Tavern, 10 Berner’s Street, London W1T 3NP

27/10/2013

www.bernerstavern.com

She said: As big fans of Atherton we had to visit his latest edition. I was more apprehensive about this one mostly because the media fanfare has bordered on groupie. It’s in a ‘trendy’ hotel and palatial setting and the more affordable set menu of his other restaurants is absent here. However, in we went for brunch (hoping normal food was available too). There is no question that the dining room is awe-inspiring. A great, grand museum of a space with stunning, stucco ceilings and grand photos hung like great masters on every available wall space. The bright, yellow-lit bar provides a contemporary focus in contrast with classic banquettes and crisp table settings. When we arrived the place was comfortably busy – buzzing but not inaudible. I suspect when full, diners who are distracted by echoing buzzard-like conversations may strain to engage with their companions (a lady whose laughter resembled a dying hyena was a big, resonating distraction during my brunch). The brunch menu has the usual breakfast dishes but also has more standard lunch options including Sunday roast. There was little for vegetarians in the non-breakfast options (I didn’t feel like granola in the middle of the afternoon) so I kicked off with mushrooms on toast which was delicious but clearly very buttery and salty. Given I find gnocchi a bizarre creation, which was the only vegetarian option in the main dishes, I opted for an avocado and blue cheese salad. When it arrived it looked very pretty but alas there is a limit to how much avocado, cheese and iceberg lettuce you can eat so I threw in the towel two-thirds in. Berner’s Tavern is a stunning restaurant; one to impress just by its setting. The food was less impressive than all the other Atherton eateries I’ve been to but combined with the majestic dining room probably comes close.

He said: the word ‘brunch’ has, for me, very specific connotations, involving fortifying stuff like eggs Benedict and a jug of bloody Mary, consumed happily and bleary-eyed well after honest folks’ usual breakfast time, indicating that the previous night was very good indeed. But lately, in London’s mad foodie laboratory, Brunch has come to mean: reduced menu of uncomplicated dishes that can be served fast by a much smaller kitchen team. Or, the opposite of what you expect from an Atherton kitchen, which is typically all about invention and unhurried finesse. For example, just compare the mushroom on toast here (very good) to that at the Social in Soho (genius). What first impresses the most when you visit Berner’s is the jaw-dropping dining room; but this is also perhaps what holds it back: it is so vast, with so many covers, that it is perhaps not possible for Atherton to deliver the usual. At his other restaurants you normally ‘wow’ at the kitchen while here you ‘wow’ at the room. I guess I’ll have to come back for dinner to know for sure. But if you take Berner’s on its own merits, like a happy tourist might, unburdened by memories of amazing meals at the other Atherton places, then Berner’s is a winner, combining very good food with the city’s most impressive dining space.

The Happenstance, 1a Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7AA

The Happenstance, 1a Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7AA

26/10/2013

www.thehappenstancebar.co.uk

She said: Hungry and in the City with the skies about to open we headed into The Happenstance, part of the Drake and Morgan chain of trendy bar-restaurants in the City. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the group. The settings are always inviting – modern, bright, impressive spaces with great cocktails but the food is always mediocre. I still remember abandoning my pasta at another of their joints (Refinery) when it was overcooked beyond recognition. Still, as a new addition to the group we thought we’d give it a go. I ordered a bruschetta with mushroom and pesto which was good but lukewarm. Foolishly I opted for the crab and crayfish linguini which was hot, edible but slightly overcooked and, as seems to be a theme in chains, the fish was being rationed. My rose martini cocktail was amazing and drink prices reasonable. In conclusion, I would recommend The Happenstance and its fellow venues for drinks and nibbles but move on to somewhere else for proper food.

He said: The Happenstance is, for me, the least memorable of the ‘pubs’ in this chain of gastros. The décor was typically bright, mismatched boho-chic, and the drinks were excellent. But my Thai curry was a let-down: the rice over-cooked, and the curry under-spiced and probably made from a jar. But even if the food seems like an after-thought, it’s worth coming here just for the mixed drinks, which are genuinely good, and very well priced [for London] at under £8 each. Some of the kitchen’s offerings might just do the trick to mop-up the booze and keep your head straight. But if you’re going to eat at The Happenstance, then you had better order something deep-fried.

Bonnie Gull, 21A Foley Street, London W1W 6DS

Bonnie Gull, 21A Foley Street, London W1W 6DS

23/10/2013

www.bonniegull.com/

She said: Bonnie Gull has the feel of a fine, local seaside eatery – quite an achievement given its Fitzrovia location. This ‘seafood shack’ is a smart, cosy, lightly nautical-themed space with a changing menu catering to seafood lovers (with the odd vegetarian option). I started with the beetroot salmon which was simple but clearly good quality and followed it with a cod that came with some sliced Brussels sprouts and raisins; the cod was again a simple dish (no sauce/’jus’ or other noticeable added flavours) but lukewarm. My dessert was pure chocolate goodness in the form of a chocolate brownie with a caramel salted ice cream. Although the starter and main was nothing to write home about, I really liked Bonnie Gull; I think because it’s refreshing to enjoy a relaxed, friendly, neighbourhood restaurant in the centre of town that has a simple, clear focus. This means you can sit down, order and get on with the joy of hanging out without feeling like ‘they’ need the table back or you’re part of a passing trend or latest ‘pop-up’! The only reality check that we’re in London not Southend was the £82 bill; but then again the fish is responsibly sourced…

He said: One day I will write the ultimate secret London guide, and indexed under ‘fish restaurant’ you will certainly find Bonnie Gull. Not that’s it’s hard to find – a quick Boris-bike ride to Fitzrovia is all it took; no three-hour traffic-chocked crawl to deepest Norfolk or Kent required. But once you get there the vibe is certainly the real Deal. A dozen or so tables are scattered about a cozy room brightly decorated in whites and blues, with windows on two sides letting-in the incomparable British skies and light. Service is chummy and efficient, and the place generally radiates a fine, aren’t-you-happy-we’re-here-instead-of-there atmosphere. I kicked things off with a nice mushroom consommé, and followed with pan-fried hake. Excellent stuff and, at about £20 per main, fairly priced given the quality and the fact that fish are basically nearly extinct. If you’ve grown bored of elbowing your way through throngs of clebs to commandeer your usual table at Scott’s then have a pop at Bonnie’s – I certainly can’t think of another fish place I’d rather hit.

The Beaufort House, 354 King’s Road, London SW3 5UZ

The Beaufort House, 354 King’s Road, London SW3 5UZ

10/10/2013

www.beauforthousechelsea.co.uk/

She said: I’ve regularly walked passed this corner gastro-looking pub on the King’s Road and read good things so we popped in for an early dinner before a movie. The service was prompt and when I was served a gone-off juice they were quick to remove it and take the price off the bill. The menu offered a decent range of gastro-pub food and I kicked off with a fig and goats cheese salad which was good but a few too many lumps of cheese for me. I was looking forward to the lobster and pea risotto and when a big serving of it arrived I was glad I had ordered the starter portion. Unfortunately the risotto was a big let down. The rice was overcooked to mush, the lobster was clearly being rationed but more surprisingly so were the peas! It was so lacking in flavour I quit halfway through. Shame really as this would have been a nice spot for pre/post cinema dining. The movie wasn’t great either so a bit of a washout of an evening (including the rain)!

He said: We had about an hour before a movie, and Beaufort House was an impulsive choice: it was nearest, and we’d been meaning to check it out. This being Chelsea I still called ahead; the voicemail picked-up and I left a message (I’m an optimist). I was pleasantly surprised that we were expected when we rolled-up a few minutes later. Beaufort House ticks quite a lot of boxes: the room is pleasant, in a posh, former pub kind of way, you don’t get charged for bread and olives (a bugbear of mine: this is the hospitality industry, after all), service is efficient, the menu’s fairly broad, prices fair. Where it does stumble is in the quality control: her cranberry was off (they cancelled it with an apology), as was the risotto which was way overdone. I started with the spicy carrot soup which tasted nice but got boring halfway through – it needed texture or something to lift it (or maybe just a smaller portion, it was pretty big). My fig salad was very good; I was having the same thing as a main that she had as a start, and it was surprising that mine was kinda light on the cheese. That and the rotten risotto tells me that the kitchen’s not really paying as much attention as it should for a restaurant that has a drink on the menu priced at £1111. To sum up, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: this place is fine for the price, but inconsistent: when you go it might be good, or it might be mildly disappointing. Good luck!