Pachamama, 18 Thayer Street, London W1U 3JY

Pachamama, 18 Thayer Street, London W1U 3JY
www.pachamamalondon.com

26/10/2014

She said: Another new Peruvian, this time just down the road. Pachamama is easy to miss with its tiny door along the forgotten end of Marylebone High Street but as you walk down the narrow stairs you enter a vast underground series of dining spaces with a warm, homely vibe. I’ll say upfront, Pachamama is not cheap. In fact, prices are high (but not high enough to call stupid), portions are small (but again just enough to avoid being called stingy) but the saviour is the flavour – delicious. Everything tasted divine. The cocktails yummy, the ceviche fresh with mouth-watering zing, warm dishes like plantain melt with every spoonful. I wish the run of excellent Peruvian restaurant launches in London were just a bit more reasonably priced to allow for regular dining but for a night out after pay-day, this place is worth it.

He said: as far as the quality of food goes this is probably the best of the many Peruvian restaurants we tried. The food was really great: subtle flavour combinations and great presentation, but I just wish that there was much more of it. The twist here is that though Peruvian, the dishes have been tweaked to include locally fished and farmed ingredients. We went during the soft launch and got everything half price otherwise we easily would have spent £70 each, and been left wanting more. When you add to this that the basement space itself, though nice, lacks that wow factor you're not left with much to justify the price. Pachamama is really all about the food; which might be fine for die-hard foodies, but others, me included, might like some razzed dazzle for the price. I loved the food here, but will probably only go back if someone else is paying.

Shikara, 65 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PS

Shikara, 65 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PS
No website

25/10/2014

She said: It’s 2014 but power cuts still remind us we’re at the mercy of the fat cat energy companies…After digging around for torches and finally convincing him it was not at all romantic to cook and eat dinner in our dark home, we hit this local Indian. I had noticed Shikara whilst waiting for my nails to dry across the road and thought it would be great to find a good local Indian so was keen to test it out. Short answer, it failed. On entering, it has all the qualities of a reliable classic: dated décor, Bollywood tunes from the last century, mafia-types having brow-raised conversations over buckets of curry and a long menu. Unfortunately when the food arrived it was clearly tailored to those of you who like your more bland flavours. It’s not that the food was bad; it just lacked any spice or authenticity of the east. Plain Jane, such a shame.

He said: we checked-out Shikara on impulse, having been locked out of our kitchen by a power cut literally as I was about to start dinner. This Indian restaurant is a short walk away from our place, and we were lured-in by its shabby-but-clean appearance and menu of classics: it looked like Shikara had been in business a while, and that it might do the home style version of Indian cuisine which really is the best. Unfortunately our bubble burst pretty quickly. Shikara evidently advertises in local hotels, or the Eurostar magazine, because most tables were filled by continentals, and the kitchen has very regrettably adjust the spicing to suit our European cousins' timid palates. Bummer. In my book there is no bigger let down than disappointing indian food.

Quaglino’s, 16 Bury Street St James's, London SW1Y 6AJ

Quaglino’s, 16 Bury Street St James's, London SW1Y 6AJ 

www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk
13/10/2014

She said: I remember coming here maybe 15 years ago and really enjoying the experience so when he noticed a re-launch I quickly made a booking. Too much time has passed to compare with the previous experience but Quaglino’s post-make-over is equally impressive with its vast dining space approached via a sweeping art deco staircase. The whole space feels very plush and special without being fussy. There’s a stage at the front of the dining room which apparently hosts live bands and a dance space and I love the seating around the edges of the room with a shimmering bar in the centre. The upstairs bar is also a great space for a cocktail and people watching. I went all out with three courses, starting with a delicious smoked salmon accompanied by a horseradish sauce, capers and onions. This was followed by a perfectly cooked cod and complimented by the glazed red cabbage. It was worth squeezing in the desert which was a heavenly chocolate marquise, amongst the best ever. Prices are fine for Mayfair and I would definitely recommend Quaglino’s for special occasions. The atmosphere-food combo did not disappoint. Another great joint to come back to.

He said: The 80s are back! That old stalwart of bygone excess has had a spiffing up and got some of its mojo back. In contrast with the sleepy streets of its clubby St James's neighbourhood you can't help but feel like the coolest cat walking down Quag's fabled staircase and into the vast and glamorous Gotham Deco styled dining room. There's a buzzy bar area, and also a cabaret/dance space at the front to help crank up the fun a few more notches on Thursdays to Saturdays. All excellent for people watching and for being seen. The food is modern British/European and well executed, although the portions are a little on the small side, reminding you that there is probably someone at the back weighing out each scrap of fish, and that this is a business and not all about fun. St James's has had a mini revival on the food front lately, and the new Quag is a fun, let you hair down alternative to delicious but slightly boring Murano and Boulestin.

The Mermaid Inn, Mermaid Street, Rye, TN31 7EY

The Mermaid Inn, Mermaid Street, Rye, TN31 7EY
www.mermaidinn.com

12/10/2014

She said: Wow, what a find! After a few hours hiking from Hastings to Rye (with the help of a taxi) I had booked the Mermaid Inn on the basis of it seeming like an historical inn, with good food (including a vegetarian menu) on a pedestrian cobbled street. In fact it was a stunning inn, with spectacular food (including creative vegetarian options) on a beautiful ye-ole-England cobbled street. It took us about 10 minutes just to go into the Inn while we picked our jaws off the floor aghast at the picturesque location; the same again when entering the most authentic inn dining space I’ve ever seen. The menu had lots of choice so I went for the pumpkin veloute and black olive risotto – both generous portions and just perfect. I cursed my stomach for not having room for any of the amazing sounding puddings. I really didn’t want to leave the Mermaid Inn and found myself browsing details about their guest rooms with four poster beds and the festive plans for Christmas. The Mermaid Inn is reason alone to make a day-trip to Rye, build up an appetite and then spend the rest of the afternoon there. It will take you to another world. Just perfect.

He said: Rye is an impossibly pretty town, perhaps the prettiest in all southern England, and the Mermaid is one of the most evocative buildings in a town full of history. If I remember correctly it's cobbled from a number of Elizabethan houses and, though the vibe is informal, the waiters are decked out in formal wear to honour the place's long history. Remarkably for this fairly remote and conservative part of the country the Mermaid actually has a parallel vegetarian menu, which goes to show how far things have come along for the much-ridiculed Veggie Fraternity. Perhaps this came about as a result of the battalions of slebs that have dined here over the years; the walls of the Mermaid are decked out with their portraits. The food was very nice, and if it lacked a little bit in finesse, this was more than made right by the excellent atmosphere. The Mermaid Inn is definitely the kind of place where you want to spend a couple of days, exploring the area and rewarding yourself with some fine grub.

L’Anima Café, 10 Appold St, London EC2A 2AP

L’Anima Café, 10 Appold St, London EC2A 2AP
www.lanimacafe.co.uk
11/10/2014

She said: It was one of those yucky, rainy London days and we were in the East End suit shopping for him. After some cultural adventures we were hungry and happened upon L’Anima Café which is next to the fancier restaurant which I have been wanting to go to for a while. The restaurant was closed for lunch but the café was welcoming so we went in. The café space is a large, warm, colourful place with a wood fire oven for pizza, clearly what you should really order here. But I wasn’t in the mood for pizza so ordered a cannelloni which was really delicious and great value at £8.50; in fact because of the price he got twitchy about me ordering it thinking it would be a tiny portion but alas he was wrong and I would have struggled to eat anything else – as proven by my failed plans to raid his pizza. I did squeeze one slice of pizza in which again was delicious. L’Anima was a good accidental find and worth coming to if in the Liverpool Street/Shoreditch area and prices are much better value than the restaurant next door and the atmosphere relaxed but chic – though I remain keen to compare.

He said: We stumbled into L’Anima somewhat by chance but next time I assure you it will be by design – I enjoyed pretty much everything about it. Given its location (at the foot of a brand new skyscraper in the city) you might guess that this isn’t going to be the candle-in-chianti-bottle variety of Italian. It’s bright, sleek, smart but laid-back, and modern; well, modern in design at least: Italians being fussier eaters than just about anyone else I’ve met, every dish is the survivor of generations of Italians bickering about its precise constituents and preparation. Lucky for us too: I had a delicious chick pea soup to start, followed by a garlic pizza which was exactly as advertised: with at least a whole head of garlic cloves, their heat mellowed by slow caramelizing. L’Anima is around the corner from its ritzier, fine-dining sibling, but being partial to big portions and small prices, I’d quite happy keep coming back here instead. The drinks list is good too; this would be an excellent choice for a night out with a bunch of people.

Brasserie Max, Covent Garden Hotel, Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9HB

Brasserie Max, Covent Garden Hotel, Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9HB
www.coventgardenhotel.co.uk

04/10/2014

She said: I booked the film club which offers three courses for £35 in the buzzing hotel brasserie plus a movie in the chic screening room. I was looking forward to the meal and had deliberately reduced my food intake for the day in anticipation. After struggling to get attention to place our order, we advised the waitress that we had booked the film club so needed to eat within 90 minutes (a reasonable time period for most restaurants). Her response was a very high pitch assertion that we were not the only film club people and we would be served in good time. The set menu looked appetising; I went for a tuna cerviche to start but alas, the tuna had no taste and was drowned in what tasted like orange juice. After about a 25 minute wait we checked on our mains (as customers who arrived after us were being served well before us); again a shrill voice said some words which amounted to ‘what are you complaining about, we know what we’re doing’. To add insult to injury, she had the cheek to say ‘well you asked us to make changes to your main so that’s caused the delay (this referred to my asking for spinach with my salmon instead of beans – not something I was warned would create a kitchen crisis)! Turns out the wait was not worth it; the salmon was fine, cooked as it should be but the spinach tasted gritty. The only saving grace was the chocolate brownie which was indeed a rich, lovely chocolate pudding in a toffee sauce. I would expect more from Brasserie Max, part of the Firmdale group which owns Ham Yard and the Charlotte Street hotels amongst others when what we got was more of a mid-range chain churning out standard, forgettable dishes for the Covent Garden tourist crowd knowing you’ll never see them again. Disappointing.

He said: It’s very unlikely that we would’ve gone to Max’s if it hadn’t been for the enticement of their Film Club package: who wants to venture into the epicentre of touristy London on a Saturday night? But with three courses and a movie for £35; how could you go wrong?! Turns out you can. Given the time of week (psychotic Saturday) you could count on service niggles, which we got in spades. But this is a Firmdale joint, and though it’s by no means at the cutting edge of the culinary arts, you certainly wouldn’t expect a bland cream sauce pappardelle, or barely cleaned, gritty spinach. It’s definitely time for head office to send the Quality Control gang to knock some heads together. Whoever’s managing Max’s just doesn’t care anymore. Given the location there are plenty of alternatives, so at the best of times there wouldn’t be any reason to go into Max’s; I hope I’ve given you one less.