The Gate, 370 St John Street, EC1V 4NN

The Gate, 370 St John Street, EC1V 4NN
www.thegaterestaurants.com/islington

17/05/2015

She said:
Yes I already raved about The Gate in Hammersmith but we decided to try the sister spot in Islington. It looks like an unassuming pub from the outside but inside is a bright, atmospheric dining space dedicated to vegetarian cooking. The menu is the same as Hammersmith and again I loved my starter and main dishes. I wanted pudding but he was keen to move on and I was short on storage space so agreed. This remains a great vegetarian London offering that stands out from the hippy-bean alternatives and though the Hammersmith venue feels like more of a ‘find’ in a more creative space, if Islington is easier to get to, this one holds its own.

He said: Scroll down for our review of the original The Gate in West London which, for me, was a much better experience. The location in Angel is more convenient, and the space arguably nicer, but the food was somehow lackluster by comparison. Don’t get me wrong: it’s still nice to go to a restaurant and not have to scan the menu and settle for the one veggie dish you can have. But this was style over substance, more about the idea and presentation than execution. Or maybe I’ve been totally spoiled by Terre a Terre in Brigton: the best veggie in the South East. For whatever reason The Gate in Angel was just ‘meh’ for me.

Vinoteca, One St Pancras Square, N1C 4AG

Vinoteca, One St Pancras Square, N1C 4AG

www.vinoteca.co.uk

14/03/2015

She said: Another soft launch (50% off) so I booked this new addition to the growing food destination that is King’s Cross. We’d been to the Marylebone branch of this wine and dine restaurant and loved it so expectations were high. Set on the newest corporate square of the King’s Cross development, initial impressions were good. Lots of glass, bright, a casual wine bar-bistro feel. The maitre d’ was warm and welcoming. We were early so took a seat at the bar but I was informed they did not offer a cocktails menu so I just studied the food menu instead until our guests arrived. The menu offered a good, solid range of options. Unfortunately the food was a bit of a let down. Nothing was bad but neither was it memorable or worth returning for. My hot salmon starter was fine, a little crisp. My cod main looked lovely but was excessively salty – there must have been a slip of hand in the kitchen? I scanned and rescanned the dessert menu for chocolate but other than profiteroles there was nothing nor any suitable alternatives as everything seemed cream based. Still I opted for the semifredo which turned out to be a lump of sort-of tasteless ice cream with a skirt of toffee sauce; disappointing. Service was slow but maybe they were letting us take in the company and setting but the restaurant was also very cold with an icy breeze shooting through every time a door opened (I kept my coat on throughout). All I can hope is that these were all soft launch issues and with feedback, the menu and cooking will ‘evolve’ to the more sophisticated flavours achieved in its other branches. For now, it’s fine as a casual after-work social but falls short as a smart, foodie destination.

He said: I was looking forward to this Vinoteca. The one near us is nice, and New Kings Cross is everything that London isn’t: planned-out, spacious, it works. She booked us into a heavily discounted pre-opening deal, so we let rip and ordered everything gangsta style, without thinking about the interest on the credit card. But this Vinoteca was miles apart from the other, and, despite good service, was really let down by the quality of the food: even by soft-lauch standards this was sub-par. Food came out quickly enough, but without any flair or attention. It wasn’t bad, just really average. The impression I took away is that Vinoteca, like so many other really good restaurants, is expanding too fast. What’s wrong with just having one, maybe two restaurants that work really well. Why rush and screw up? But the location is nice so I guess it will do fine.

Michael Nadra, 42 Gloucester Avenue, London NW1 8JD

Michael Nadra, 42 Gloucester Avenue, London NW1 8JD
www.restaurant-michaelnadra.co.uk/primrose

14/02/2015

She said: We first noticed this place during a morning walk along the Regent’s Canal; though not on the water, Nadra occupies a large corner plot tucked just behind the canal in Primrose Hill. Giving up on waiting for a sunny day, we wondered in for a weekend lunch. Though there is a lovely walled terrace for when it’s warm enough, inside is a series of charming caverned rooms and we were seated in the one at the back facing an inviting fireplace. The set menu seemed good value at two courses for £21 and provided an excellent range of options. Nadra also has a dedicated Martini menu (my favoured poison) so I could not resist a lychee martini and could easily have had several. The warm bread was delicious and compulsive. For my starter I ordered the tuna tartar and salmon ceviche which was absolute perfection and my choice of main was the halibut which came with a combination of flavours that blew me away. This place is food heaven. I envied the folk of Primrose Hill for having such an amazing local. And indeed it did feel local, with couples and families having a relaxing lunch, clearly familiar with this place. But yet Nadra has a classy, contemporary and exquisite feel. The service was friendly and engaging. The puddings didn’t call to me on this occasion but with the menu changing regularly I would expect that to change next time – because there will be a next time.

He said: As She will gladly confirm, no doubt, being married to me is like Valentine’s Day every day. So as a matter of principle we avoid the commercial bandwagon of Love. The last time we did was many moons ago,  in the early days of our fairytale courtship, at a Bella Pasta, I think. But there are few things in life as good as a surprise (unless it’s sprung by your doctor) and so we took a romantic walk along the canals to Michael Nadra’s. Going at lunch, in daylight, meant that the walk was romantic rather than like a spooky episode of Prime Suspect; and also that we avoided all the cringey, goo-goo ga-ga forced romance thing. The maitre d’ told us that the previous year there had been three proposals that night, including one that sounded like a real car crash. We kicked things off with an excellent martini each – Nadra mixes excellent cocktails – and followed with a starter and main, thinking we’d catch a desert somewhere else. The food, of the pan European variety, was excellent, well-prepared and presented. My main of tagliolini was a generous portion, which was a very pleasant surprise; the way these are rationed in some places (eg Ramsey) you’d think they were the last vial of antibiotics in the First Aid tent at Glastonbury festival. The only mistake was skipping desert; these actually described really well, and would have crowned an already very good meal – who knows, the chocolate high might have even compelled her to give her Valentine a smooch on the walk back. Nadra’s is actually a nice, hidden little gem, and kind of romantic whether or not it's Valentine’s Day. I definitely recommend it, especially on a spring or summer’s evening, when you can also sit in the courtyard and knock back some very good cocktails.

Lalibela, 137 Fortess Road, London, NW5 2HR

Lalibela, 137 Fortess Road, London, NW5 2HR

30/07/2014

www.lalibelarestaurant.co.uk

She said: Every time we go to Brick Lane or Greenwich Market we pounce on the Ethiopian food stands. We just love the food which always tastes so fresh and healthy. We’ve tried hard to find a  good Ethiopian restaurant where we can actually sit down and try a wider range of dishes but the last place I walked past in Kings Cross had a sign of the door along the lines of: No knives or other weapons may be brought on to the premise’. So, when I was on my scooter and noticed Lalibela in my peripheral vision when driving through Kentish Town and it looked like it might be a winner, I returned with him to give it a go. Good decision. Lalibela looks like and is an institution. It has been owned by the same family for 20 years. It looks tired inside but in the way an old aunt’s place might, as opposed to any obvious hygiene issues. We were taken up some creaky stairs and seated at a table overlooking the main high street from where I could keep an eye on my scooter. The menu was huge. We were confused by so much choice so opted for the vegetarian combination dish ‘Ye Tsom Beyaynetu’, which was sort of equivalent to an Indian Thali but instead of eating from different bowls, each bowl of food is poured onto a giant plate over a giant ingera (Ethiopian bread – an acquired taste). The result was outstanding and I finished the meal full and ready to come back to try new things. The bill of course was extremely reasonable. I’ve noticed another Ethiopian around the corner from Lalibela so might have to try that next but look forward to coming back for future cravings.

He said: I haven’t googled it, but I’m guessing Lalibela must be one of the longest-established Ethiopians in London. When it first opened the décor must have looked so exotic; nothing much has changed since then, except that the knick-knacks are now a little shabbier. But this is all part of its charm; Lalibela has a really winning family-owned restaurant feel to it; it’s a nice contrast to all the meticulously engineered gastro temples run with the precision of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Imperial Guard. You just know that aunty was in the kitchen cooking up the magic, because it seemed like her nephew taking our orders. Now all this sentimentality wouldn’t amount to much if the food wasn’t also good; which it is. It’s very good; but I confess that I still prefer the market stalls we hit every now and again. So, if I’m totally honest, I probably won’t go back to Lalibela anytime soon, given how many other Ethiopians I want to try. But it’s definitely worth trying.

Naamyaa Café, 407 St John Street, Angel Building, London EC1V 4AB

Naamyaa Café, 407 St John Street, Angel Building, London EC1V 4AB

31/08/2013

www.naamyaa.com/

She said: It was a lovely sunny day and we thought we’d cycle to Angel and meander around the antique shops. He wanted to eat at the shiny, contemporary looking Thai place we passed last week and though I was on the fence I did like the space so in we went. Naamyaa is of the Busaba ilk – trendy, modern interior, open kitchen and accessible menu of appealing dishes. I really liked the sound of the 48 hour braised mackerel so put in my order only to be told they didn’t have it. Not a great start. Still, there were other choices I had my eye on so went for the Prawn Green curry. To start we shared some spring rolls which were good. But when my Prawn curry arrived I managed to identify four small prawns and not much else. Very cheeky. Luckily we had ordered a side of Morning Glory which was salty but fine and I shared some of his Aubergine pot which was juicy but again far too salty. It’s a shame really as Naamyaa has that feel of a great local find, until you get to the food. The only reason we were upbeat on leaving was because our joyous dining discount card meant we paid £20 instead of £40, taking the sting out of a disappointing Thai experience.

He said: Naamyaa is definitely the kind of place being developed with franchising in mind: really strong brand ID (imagine Giraffe meats Busaba) and designed down to the most minute detail. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The menu is wide-ranging, pan-Asian rather than strictly Thai, with lots of choice for all times of day, including breakfast, and mid-priced. The food we ordered was just okay: it looked good on the plate, came in decent portions for the vegetarian things, but was so salty that it was hard to pick-up that magic simultaneous sweet/sour/spicy trick that Thais do so well. I was really excited to go here, having a soft-spot for sugar-high interior design, but the food was kind of a let-down. Drinks were good though, so maybe this is the place to go with the gang, sharing a whole bunch of small plates to keep yer heads screwed-on longer. That could be a good night actually: Naamyaa has a good energy to it; and, with all that drinking and peeing, the extra salt will probably come in handy.

Little Georgia, 14 Barnsbury Road, London N1 OHB

Little Georgia, 14 Barnsbury Road, London N1 OHB

25/08/2013

www.littlegeorgia.co.uk

She said: He loves Georgian food so we hit Little Georgia after a show at Saddlers Wells in Angel. What a pleasant surprise. Given the basic website and the ‘conversation by delayed satellite’ way in which I made the reservation with a sweet dear on the phone, I was expecting a small, simple family kitchen. However, Little Georgia is housed in a beautiful converted corner pub with Georgian newsprint wallpaper, posters and other paraphernalia adorning the inside. The menu contained all the classics and the portions were big which meant we reverted to our over-ordering-type. We shared a delicious beetroot salad (which he was so impressed by he subsequently has made it at home); a giant bowl of borscht; badrijnis salad which contained succulent aubergine and my favourite – kotnis lobio, a warming bean stew. We also had the traditional Georgian cheese bread ‘khachapuri’ which was actually my least favourite as the bread was thick and heavy and the cheese slightly sour (maybe that’s how it’s meant to be) but overall this was a spectacular meal at good value. The total bill came to just over £30 and we left feeling heavy and happy.

He said: Little Georgia deserves to be packed to the rafters every night. But I don’t know how it would cope if it was: what’s great about this place is that it tastes just like home-cooked food & I’m sure that if you went into the kitchen there would be no-one else but a slightly plump Mum with a paisley shawl on her head and a mouth half-filled with gold teeth, working though a cloud of order slips. We went on a Sunday night, with room for dozens more, and waited god knows how long for our food. But it was worth every second. Nearly every dish we tried was the best version of that dish we’d had in any of London’s surprisingly many Georgian restaurants. The borshcht was killer, the aubergine caponata-type thing was killer, the beetroot salad was so good that the second I went home I scribbled the ingredients on the shopping list so that I could make it myself in case of emergency. Just the lobio was a bit of a let-down. If you haven’t had it before Georgian food is similar to middle eastern food with echoes of Iranian; but it is also the very best, most evolved version of that tradition. It’s all familiar, but indescribably and so satisfyingly different. Lots of hidden walnut, pomegranate etc. So, so good. When you mention Georgian food the dish that everybody bangs-on about is kacha puri (flat bread with cheese baked-in), which is great comfort food if you’ve just escaped from months of captivity in some Chechen hell-hole, but it’s kinda ‘meh’ compared to everything else. Here it was really very good: the bread fluffy, and the cheese not fatty. But next time I will have lobiani (the same thing except with a heady kidney-bean mash instead of cheese). Please let it be soon!

Tandis, 73 Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park, London NW3 4SL

Tandis, 73 Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park, London NW3 4SL

17/08/2013

http://tandis-belsizepark.co.uk

She said: We were in the mood for some good Persian food and remembered Tandis which we had visited a while ago. This neighbourhood restaurant is easy to miss unassumingly set back on a main road but miss it at your peril. Tandis is the real thing. Fantastic Persian food at good value. The space itself has the standard local feel: contemporary but family. The menu is huge and offers the full range of Persian dishes with lots for vegetarians. Portions are generous and though we wanted to order most things we forced ourselves to be realistic. I had the ‘Aloo Esfenaaj’ which is a superb, moreish stew containing amongst other things, spinach and dried plums in a tangy sauce. I shared his ‘Ghormeh Sabzi’ which was a stew of beans and potato with dried limes which again was delicious. We also shared a starter of ‘Loobiya’ which are warm mixed beans in a tomato sauce (not dissimilar to baked beans). Including soft drinks the bill came to £27. We love this place – and it inspired him to buy a Persian cookery book.

He said: Of the various Persian restaurants we’ve tried I think this is the one that we like the best (in London). I’m not sure if it’s because it’s actually the best, or because it serves this stunning spinach-and-plums stew which we haven’t found anywhere else – vegetarians of London go and check this dish out! It’s really great. The food at Tandis is nice, but let’s be honest - it is in NW3 and a drag getting there. Whereas we live pretty close to Edgware Road where there must be at least half a dozen Persian restaurants on two or three bocks. I’ve totally fallen in love with Iranian cooking, so I hope that we go and try them all out soon – watch this space. Until then I’m sure we will keep making the pilgrimage to Tandis. By the way, the décor here is far removed from the usual ‘Cyrus’s Palace’ vibe; so if you’re allergic to statues of lions and gold everywhere, then this is the place for you.

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.