Union Street Cafe, 47-51 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BS

Union Street Cafe, 47-51 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BS

09/11/2013

www.gordonramsay.com/union-street-cafe/

She said: Despite the ridiculous hype around ‘that’ footballer and billions of people trying to get a booking we had no trouble getting a table on the day at Ramsay’s latest offering. Union Street Café sits a short walk from Southwark station, occupying a corner with, yes, Union Street. I was immediately pleased with the lovely warm room which contrasted with the cold, wet outside – especially given the industrial-chic interior. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table with comfortable, rounded leather chairs. The room felt intimate yet open, with lots of dark wood, pop sculptures and a smart bar. The semi-open kitchen was on a platform up a few stairs where additional dining tables were available. I think I liked the fact that Union Street Café hadn’t tried to ram in as many tables as possible and the dining room felt very well spaced out without feeling empty. I say ‘think’ because it is unusual for business to not try to maximise capacity without some impact on pricing. The menu was presented in pretty printed calligraphy which I found illegible so had to ask the waiter to read and interpret but found him incomprehensible, though I must say service was friendly and attentive. I managed to order a starter of artichoke, olive and pecorino which was subtle but a good intro and finished with a perfectly delicious ravioli with ricotta, rainbow chard and walnuts. I had read complaints about portions being small but they were the right size for me and I was glad I ordered the ‘main’ ravioli size which was a real highlight for me. At just under £30 per head I enjoyed Union Street Café and it’s a great new addition to the constantly transforming Southwark area.

He said: You see where it is on the map, and hear the name Union Street Café, and you’ll be forgiven for thinking that you’re going to that greasy spoon from The Apprentice, where all the losers go to recriminate over Styrofoam cups of builder’s tea. But no, this is a Ramsey joint! And a very good one at that. Potty Mouth did a great job matching his brand to the area, which is more murder alley than Mayfair. The designer somehow managed to deliver a posh urban dining room, and Gordon cleverly settled on an Italian menu: the most democratic of cuisines that you can also charge a packet for; everybody knows they like Italian, even if, like me, they have no clue what Ovuli Crudi or Guazzetto might be (I liked both). And because Il Duce is behind it, everything works smooth as silk. My only gripe is that the portions are small for Italian, a cuisine famed for generosity, and the prices on the high side. It all feels a little bit greedy given the postcode. But I suppose that is Union Street’s unique proposition: there are not many upscale eateries so close to Tate Modern (millions of visitors a year), and Ramsey just plugged that gap. If you’re not hungry, there’s a very good basement bar.

Chotto Matte, 11-13 Frith Street, London W1D 4RB

Chotto Matte, 11-13 Frith Street, London W1D 4RB

02/11/2013

www.chotto-matte.com/

She said: Not sure why but he seemed to be veering away from trying this Japanese-Peruvian in Soho but I would not have any of it. I was pleased with my resolve. Chotto Matte is an impressive space occupying a large corner in Soho. There is a trendy downstairs bar and cool, bright, confident upstairs restaurant with lots of dark wood, a long piece of graffiti art along one wall and an open kitchen. The menu offers a large choice of fusion foods for sharing. I found it difficult to choose but we settled on seven dishes that we both liked the sound of. The first four dishes came relatively quickly and were just delicious. This included a seabass ceviche which was shamefully small, yummy mushroom salad, a rather oily but tasty spring roll and impressive corn fritters. There was a respectable gap in service allowing us to prepare ourselves for a second round which again was superb and included a juicy aubergine dish that had a perfect sweet-tangy combination, succulent salmon picante and the only underwhelming dish, a plain courgette…Cutting to the chase – I loved my meal at Chotto Matte. The food was creative and moreish. Presentation and setting impressive. Service good. Prices were on the slightly higher than necessary side given the portions (making sharing best between people who know each other more intimately!) and with some dishes portion size really was just stingy. But I would come back – both for food and also to sample the great range of cocktails on offer.

He said: Chotto Matte is seriously stylish. You walk in and you feel like the coolest cat in town, and it’s in Soho: so easy to find! No need to get stressed running the gauntlet passed Dalston crack dens. For a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant there is something very New York about it: must be all that graffiti, black light, and urbane hipness. I loved all the food, but there was so little of it! The size of these sharing plates was so small that, if there’s more than two people at your table, then you had better bring your protractor and scales to figure our the sharing. Having said that, if I wasn’t thinking about cost then I wouldn’t give a damn, because it was all very tasty, and very pretty to look at. And, for once, there was a lot of choice for vegetarians. Drinks were imaginative, distinctive, and not too expensive. The ground-floor bar is a great place to hang out and knock back a few. So I would certainly come back, but my favourite Peruvian is still Ceviche, which I love as much for its food as for its no pretentious bullshit approach – a rare trait on London’s Peruvian scene.