Category: Brasserie (£££)

Almeida, a French brasserie just opposite the outstanding Almeida Theater, does a very good value pre-theatre menu: 2 courses for 16 and 3 courses for 19 pounds.

We went to see The House of Bernarda Alba, a Llorca play with a pure female cast, transferred from catholic Spain to rural Iran.  I liked it a lot, while my boyfriend found it depressing and hated it.  I suggest you believe me and go see it, it’s on until 10th of March.

I have been to the Almeida Restaurant on several pre-theatre occasions and was never completely convinced.  Now, I decided to give it another try and promised myself that if I liked the pre-theatre menu, I would return for a proper, a la carte meal.

Pre-Theatre Menu @Almeida

We started with the Roquefort, Walnut and Chicory Salad which was absolutely undistinguished.   Roquefort, my favourite blue cheese, usually works so well in combination with earthy walnuts and I am fond of chicory, but this salad was just bland.  Can you see the little drizzles of dressing around the plate?  This was all there was.

Roquefort, Walnut and Chicory Salad @Almeida

Nicer was ]]>

Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto @Almeida

Category: Brasserie (£££)

Almeida, a French brasserie just opposite the outstanding Almeida Theater, does a very good value pre-theatre menu: 2 courses for 16 and 3 courses for 19 pounds.

We went to see The House of Bernarda Alba, a Llorca play with a pure female cast, transferred from catholic Spain to rural Iran.  I liked it a lot, while my boyfriend found it depressing and hated it.  I suggest you believe me and go see it, it’s on until 10th of March.

I have been to the Almeida Restaurant on several pre-theatre occasions and was never completely convinced.  Now, I decided to give it another try and promised myself that if I liked the pre-theatre menu, I would return for a proper, a la carte meal.

Pre-Theatre Menu @Almeida

We started with the Roquefort, Walnut and Chicory Salad which was absolutely undistinguished.   Roquefort, my favourite blue cheese, usually works so well in combination with earthy walnuts and I am fond of chicory, but this salad was just bland.  Can you see the little drizzles of dressing around the plate?  This was all there was.

Roquefort, Walnut and Chicory Salad @Almeida

Nicer was the Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait which consisted of a generous portion, almost enough for two to share.  The parfait was flavoursome and very nicely seasoned with lovely, crisp and freshly toasted bread;  I was however not keen on the parfait’s consistency.  It reminded me a bit of the chicken liver spread from the tin that I used to eat in my early student days (when I suffered from a short but tragic period of misguided taste, probably due to too much partying).

Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait @Almeida

The Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto was excellent and without doubt the best dish of the evening.  The rice kernels had the right consistency between still being a bit al dente and creamy, and the intense nutty flavour of the wild mushrooms dominated the dish, while truffle aroma lingered pleasantly in the background.

The Panfried Hake was a decent, with a lovely and light champagne sauce and a nicely prepared fish which was unfortunately borderline dry.  What did not work too well for me were the accompanying crushed potatoes, which in my opinion were too crude for the subtle flavours and fine texture of the fish.

Panfried Hake @Almeida

Overall this was a not a bad meal and absolutely perfect for £16, but I can’t get excited about either food, or atmosphere, or service. I wouldn’t suffer to go back again for pre-theatre, but I won’t exactly be hurrying there for the the a la carte and mains costing between 13 and 22 pounds.

In the end it really bored me writing this review,  and that’s a strong indication of how I feel about Almeida. Yawn.

The Bill @Almeida

• Food: 6/10
• Value for Money : 8/10 (for Pre-Theatre)
• Service: 6/10
• Ambiance: 6/10
• Chances of Returning: 10% for pre-theatre
• Verdict: nothing really wrong with Almeida, but nothing really right either.

This weekend I spent at home, having a beautiful and highly recommended date with The Killing DVD box set.  Caught between subtitles, unsmiling Danish faces, intrigue, murder, thick knitted jumpers and funny Scandinavian names, I suddenly felt the urge for popcorn.  I craved not the normal kind of popcorn, but a healthy, non-greasy variant with exotic spices and I came across this intriguing sounding recipe of Curry Popcorn.  I adapted it a bit and called it Spicy Indian Popcorn (as I don’t think it tastes very much of curry).

It was the best popcorn that I have ever eaten, and I emptied an entire enormous bowl while being stuck to the TV for some more depressing Danish adventures.  I can’t recommend this low caloric snack highly enough to sweeten your TV series marathons.

 Amount: enough for 2 very hungry people or for 4-6 as a snack.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

There we go again.  Another year has passed and here we have another occasion to disappoint your partner with a bad present, a rubbish restaurant (or no restaurant at all because you have been too late and everything is booked out) or wilting flowers.

I dislike Valentine’s Day with a passion.  I have an allergy to pink hearts, ribbons and kisses, and suffer an anaphylactic shock when I come across massively overpriced Valentine’s Day menus, printed on pink sheets of papers with little pink hearts and red roses.  I don’t deny that there is not a single romantic bone in my body, however, even if there was I would be disgusted by this money making business that is called Valentine’s Day.

The Love H-Box Selection @ Hotel Chocolate

To ask someone like me to product-review Valentine’s Day heartshaped chocolates is certainly connected with a certain risk.  Lucky enough I did enjoy Hotel Chocolate’s Love H-Box Selection (£12).  I even find their chocolate hearts kind of cute (and I say this grudgingly). Opposing the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I did not give them to my partner but ate them all myself.

I should mention at ]]>

Hearts and more Hearts @ Hotel Chocolate

There we go again.  Another year has passed and here we have another occasion to disappoint your partner with a bad present, a rubbish restaurant (or no restaurant at all because you have been too late and everything is booked out) or wilting flowers.

I dislike Valentine’s Day with a passion.  I have an allergy to pink hearts, ribbons and kisses, and suffer an anaphylactic shock when I come across massively overpriced Valentine’s Day menus, printed on pink sheets of papers with little pink hearts and red roses.  I don’t deny that there is not a single romantic bone in my body, however, even if there was I would be disgusted by this money making business that is called Valentine’s Day.

The Love H-Box Selection @ Hotel Chocolate

To ask someone like me to product-review Valentine’s Day heartshaped chocolates is certainly connected with a certain risk.  Lucky enough I did enjoy Hotel Chocolate’s Love H-Box Selection (£12).  I even find their chocolate hearts kind of cute (and I say this grudgingly). Opposing the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I did not give them to my partner but ate them all myself.

I should mention at this stage that I am absolutely not on a diet and I haven’t joined a gym in January.  I have also not given up drinking.  Basically, I am a rebel.

boozy pralines @ Hotel Chocolate

My favourite praline was the Strawberry and Black Pepper Heart with dark chocolate.  The pepper gives it a real kick and the combination with the strawberry is very successful in my view.  I was surprised about how spicy the Soft Chilli Caramels were, a shame though that they are made with milk chocolate.  Chilli needs to be with dark chocolate, not the tiniest doubt about this.

I was disappointed that the advertised Bison Vodka Chocolate did not taste of bison grass vodka at all.  In fact I had to drown my sorrows by drinking real bison grass vodka and therefore my memories of the other chocolates are a bit blurred.

and more hearts @ Hotel Chocolate

By far the best looking pralines are the the luscious Sweet Lips.   Very suggestive and sexy and indeed and very tasty too, despite being made with milk chocolate. I wonder, are there still people out there who prefer milk chocolate?  Hard to believe.

Kisses @ Hotel Chocolate

I have removed myself from the festivities this year by being on 3 consecutive night shifts from 13th to 15th of February, but I wish you all a happy heart-shaped Valentine’s Day.

I have to apologise to my readers who are actually in possession of Ottolenghi‘s earthshatteringly wonderful cookery book Plenty (probably most of you) and who must be very bored by me currently obsessing about this book.

But let me tell you – I am in love and here the reasons why this recipe collection stole my heart like none before.

1. Everything I cook from Plenty turns out delicious – it doesn’t only taste great but also looks rather pretty and very close to how it is supposed to look.  This I don’t attribute to my amazing cooking skills (because amazing they are not) but to the very easily understandable and logical description of work processes in this book.

2. The recipes use the most attractive ingredients – aromatic herbs, exotic spices, fresh vegetables and tangy fruit and combine them in unusual but all the more successful ways.  Not for a second you miss the meat or seafood.

3. What you cook is also healthy, exactly what you need for frugal February.

4. Last but not least Y. Ottolenghi persuaded me with this beautiful recipe of lemon and goat’s cheese ravioli to attempt the ]]>

My first attempt of making pasta

I have to apologise to my readers who are actually in possession of Ottolenghi‘s earthshatteringly wonderful cookery book Plenty (probably most of you) and who must be very bored by me currently obsessing about this book.

But let me tell you – I am in love and here the reasons why this recipe collection stole my heart like none before.

1. Everything I cook from Plenty turns out delicious – it doesn’t only taste great but also looks rather pretty and very close to how it is supposed to look.  This I don’t attribute to my amazing cooking skills (because amazing they are not) but to the very easily understandable and logical description of work processes in this book.

2. The recipes use the most attractive ingredients – aromatic herbs, exotic spices, fresh vegetables and tangy fruit and combine them in unusual but all the more successful ways.  Not for a second you miss the meat or seafood.

3. What you cook is also healthy, exactly what you need for frugal February.

4. Last but not least Y. Ottolenghi persuaded me with this beautiful recipe of lemon and goat’s cheese ravioli to attempt the first fresh pasta of my life.  And, ladies and gentlemen, I succeeded!  *beamingproudly*

I don’t want to boast, but if I was served this dish in a restaurant I would be more than happy.  The dominating flavours are these of the lemon zest and the crushed pink peppercorns, the goat’s cheese serving as a vehicle to let these flavours take centre stage.  I did not have tarragon as suggested in the original recipe.  Using basil instead worked, however, tarragon might have been even more outstanding.

Lemon and goat’s cheese ravioli

 Amount: 4 people as starter, 2 as a main

Cooking Time:  it took me hours but if you have a pasta machine and some dexterity it might be around 60 min

Ingredients:

For the pasta dough

• 3 eggs
• 330 g of OO flour and more for rolling
• ½ Tablespoon tumeric
• grated zest of 3 untreated lemons
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• (apparently you also need semolina but I don’t know for what so I leave it out)

For the Filling 

• 300 g creamy and mild goat’s cheese
• a pinch of sea salt (depending on how salty the goat’s cheese is)
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg white, beaten

To Serve

• 2 tablespoons of crushed pink peppercorns
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of chopped tarragon (I used basil instead)
• Rapeseed oil (I bought Grapeseed oil by mistake and used olive oil, was fine)

a little bit unshapely, but I think they are very pretty!

6. Brush each with egg white and place a heaped teaspoon of filling in its centre. Place another disc on top and, with fingers dipped in flour, squeeze out any air as you bring the edges of the discs together. You should end up with a pillow-shaped centre surrounded by a 1cm edge. Tighten the edges until you can’t see a seam. Repeat with the rest of the dough, place the ravioli on a tray sprinkled with flour, and leave to dry for 15 minutes. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a day or two

they didn't burst when boiling them, phew!

7. To serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for two to three minutes, until al dente, drain and divide between four plates.

heavenly flavours on the plate

8.  Sprinkle with pink peppercorns, tarragon (or basil) and lemon zest. Drizzle with rapeseed oil (or olive oil), add salt and serve piping hot.

If you fancy this recipe, do check out also the other Ottolenghi recipes on my blog, for example ROASTED AUBERGINES WITH YOGHURT AND POMEGRANATE or ROASTED PUMPKIN WITH CARDAMON AND LIME

Category: Bistro (££)

I absolutely love Spuntino, have enjoyed Da Polpo, feel rather indifferent towards Polpo and haven’t yet been to Polpetto. This, in one sentence, summarises my experience with the restaurants owned by Russell Norman and Richard Beatty, undoubtedly the most interesting and most influential restaurateurs to have appeared in the London gastronomic scene over the past few years.

Mishkin’s, opened in November 2011 in Covent Garden, just next to the highly recommended Opera Tavern, is following the same winning concept:  spotless interieur and design (in the case of Mishkin modelled on an Jewish-American diner) – compact menu containing American classics such as mac and cheese, hot dog and sliders with emphasis on food-sharing, cool-nostalgic music and even cooler personnel as well as an atmosphere that seduces you to order cocktails rather than diet coke .

What makes Mishkins unique is that it’s “kind of” a Jewish deli.  ”Kind of” because, as stated on Mishkin’s website, “The boundaries in Mishkin’s origins are as ambiguous as the menu’s influences. Mishkin’s is not Kosher and the dishes are based very loosely on the sort of Jewish comfort food we all love eating.”

While I enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant, ]]>

Menu @Mishkin

Category: Bistro (££)

I absolutely love Spuntino, have enjoyed Da Polpo, feel rather indifferent towards Polpo and haven’t yet been to Polpetto. This, in one sentence, summarises my experience with the restaurants owned by Russell Norman and Richard Beatty, undoubtedly the most interesting and most influential restaurateurs to have appeared in the London gastronomic scene over the past few years.

Mishkin’s, opened in November 2011 in Covent Garden, just next to the highly recommended Opera Tavern, is following the same winning concept:  spotless interieur and design (in the case of Mishkin modelled on an Jewish-American diner) – compact menu containing American classics such as mac and cheese, hot dog and sliders with emphasis on food-sharing, cool-nostalgic music and even cooler personnel as well as an atmosphere that seduces you to order cocktails rather than diet coke .

What makes Mishkins unique is that it’s “kind of” a Jewish deli.  ”Kind of” because, as stated on Mishkin’s website, “The boundaries in Mishkin’s origins are as ambiguous as the menu’s influences. Mishkin’s is not Kosher and the dishes are based very loosely on the sort of Jewish comfort food we all love eating.”

While I enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant, I was less convinced by the food.  I have never eaten Jewish food, not the authentic one and not the “kind of” variant.  Out of the 3 dishes we ordered, only one was kind of Jewish, so I don’t dare to make a final judgement about Jewish cuisine in general. Overall I felt that the dishes and the wine at Mishkin’s  were quite pricey – I would prefer smaller portions and cheaper, so easier to try and share dishes that I have never heard of such as knish or latkes.

Pickled Herring and Beets Tartar (7) @Mishkin's

The Pickled Herring and Beets Tartar (7) were nice and I think this dish is probably Jewish-influenced, or am I wrong?  The sweetness of the beetroot and the sour fish offered a pleasant contrast. I can’t say that it blew me away though.

Mac and Cheese @Mishkin's

Mishkin’s certainly knows how to make  Mac and Cheese (9).  If you are short of money you could eat one of these and easily have your nutrition for the day. Rich and cheesy and smooth and buttery and greasy and artery-cloggingly moreish.

All pork Big Apple dog, dragged through the garden (9) @Mishkin's

The final choice was a difficult one – sample one of the Jewish suggestions or to finally try one London’s most famous sausage, the Big Apple Hot Dog.  We decided on the latter (admit it, you would have too!) and went for the pork hot dog  ’dragged through the garden” (9).  I would have called it ‘dragged through the larder’ as there was a clear lack of things that you would find in the garden. Yes, it was the best hot dog I ever had… but at the same time I am not terribly keen on sauerkraut, crispy fried onions and pickled jalapenos.

The reason why I was not fully convinced by Mishkin’s was the fact that I was missing vegetables from the menu.  Meat, pickled things and fried stuff, I love them all, but at the same time I need some fresh vegetable-focused dishes or delicious salads for balance, otherwise I am unhappy (unless I am extremely hungover).  While Spuntino undoubtedly does a great balance between these two gastronomical extremes, Mishkin’s is leaning too much towards the hangover cuisine.

Stylish @Mishkins

Mishkins is without doubt a very charming and appealing little restaurant and I have no doubt that it will be equally successful as Spuntino, Polpo and Polpetto.  ”Mishkin’s is about fun as much as it is about food and cocktails and music.” – For me it’s more about fun, music and cocktails than about food, but then again, that’s more than you get at most other places.

• Food: 6/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Service: 6/10
• Value for Money: 6/10
• Chances of Returning: 15%
• Verdict: Splendid for a boozy night out, the food for me was nothing more than satisfactory.

Jerusalem artichokes (or Topinambour) is an unbelievably ugly vegetable, wrinkly and dirty and reminiscent of a bad looking ginger root.  On top of this, their name is misnomer as they have no relation with the conventional, handsome globe artichoke and don’t origin in Isreal but are native to North America (more about the history, season, nutrition and preparation here).

When I saw Jerusalem artichokes at Waitrose I bravely put them into my shopping basket, immediately followed by an urgent request for help on Twitter.

I got very good suggestions on what to do with these strangers in my kitchen:

@bennglazier suggested to “just simply baking them in the oven, prepared in the same way you might do wedges of sweet potato. Olive oil, s&p.”

@DiBadGuy likes them the following way “Cook them with some very zesty lemony chicken thighs in a little oil, saffron, garlic and broth. Simmer and serve over rice…”

@VintageMacaroon tweeted “I love them as a soup, so creamy and rich. I’ve done them sauted too which as good.”

I followed the suggestion by @GingerGourmand who has a beautiful recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Roasted Hazelnuts posted on his/her blog.

I was missing some of the ingredients so needed to adapt ]]>

Jerusalem artichokes (or Topinambour) is an unbelievably ugly vegetable, wrinkly and dirty and reminiscent of a bad looking ginger root.  On top of this, their name is misnomer as they have no relation with the conventional, handsome globe artichoke and don’t origin in Isreal but are native to North America (more about the history, season, nutrition and preparation here).

When I saw Jerusalem artichokes at Waitrose I bravely put them into my shopping basket, immediately followed by an urgent request for help on Twitter.

I got very good suggestions on what to do with these strangers in my kitchen:

@bennglazier suggested to “just simply baking them in the oven, prepared in the same way you might do wedges of sweet potato. Olive oil, s&p.”

@DiBadGuy likes them the following way “Cook them with some very zesty lemony chicken thighs in a little oil, saffron, garlic and broth. Simmer and serve over rice…”

@VintageMacaroon tweeted “I love them as a soup, so creamy and rich. I’ve done them sauted too which as good.”

I followed the suggestion by @GingerGourmand who has a beautiful recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Roasted Hazelnuts posted on his/her blog.

I was missing some of the ingredients so needed to adapt the recipe a bit, but it nonetheless turned out absolutely delicious.  Before you rush off to buy the ingredients, do make sure you read the last paragraph though.

Soup of Jerusalem Artichoke with Lemon Thyme

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 4 as a starter portion

Ingredients:

• about 50og of Jerusalem artichokes
• 1 large onion
• 1 garlic clove
• juice of half a lemon
• 500 ml of vegetable stock (I am lazy and take a stock cube)
• 300 ml of semi-skimmed milk
• oilve oil
• a dash of butter
• salt and pepper
• a splash of Noilly Prat
• fresh lemon thyme

1. Finely chop the onions and the garlic.  Heat some butter and olive oil in a large enough pan with lid and sautee the onions and the garlic for about 5-7 minutes on low heat with the lid on until softened but not browned.

2. In the meantime wash and peel (at least you can attempt to peel, it’s almost impossible and I think it doesn’t matter too much if you leave the skin on) the Jerusalem artichokes.  Cut them into pieces and add to the pan.  Again with the lid on, simmer gently for 10 minutes until the Jerusalem artichokes are well cooked through.

3. Then add the stock and the milk and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Vigorously blend and you will be surprised how amazingly creamy this soup gets!  (and this without adding any double cream)

5.  Add a splash or two of Noilly Prat to taste

6.  Serve hot garnished with sprinkles of fresh lemon thyme.

I would eat Jerusalem artichokes all day every day as I love the nutty and sweet, artichoke-like taste and am fascinated by the transformation of the ugly duckling into this beautiful, creamy and luscious soup.

BUT.

I will say it with the words of the the English Planter John Goodyer, published at Gerard’s Herbal, printed in 1621.

“which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented.”

Let me assure you without going too much into detail, he has a point here.  This unpleasant after effects are due to the Jerusalem artichokes’ high content of inulin, which we can’t digest ourselves and which requires our lovely commensal gut bacteria to put in some extra shifts.

I got the advice to add a pinch of asafoetida to the soup to counteract these unwanted side effects.  Lemon juice, bay leaves and cooking them for a veeeery long time is supposed to help to.  Fact or fiction? We shall see…

Category: Bistro – Brasserie (££-£££)

It is a hard job to be an amateur restaurant critic.  Always rushing off to the newest openings, which means, thanks to the new non-booking trend, queuing for hours in the cold, eating mediocre food in places hyped for inapprehensible reasons and then there is the constant fight against personal bankruptcy, alcoholism and obesity.

Every zealous amateur restaurant critic needs a restaurant to rest, to regain his/her strength and to put the cornucopia of often questionable food trends into context.  Shortly, a place that constantly delivers, that doesn’t annoy, that doesn’t instigate rants, doesn’t rip off, that you can get a table at reasonably short notice and  that doesn’t include the service charge into the bill (I will forgive the overfilling of wine glasses in this instance).  One of my foodie refuges is Tinello.

Delicious Olive Oil @Tinello

Located a 5 minutes walk from Sloane Square in an area with a high-density of overpriced and underdelivering restaurants, Tinello stands out.  Even though it has put up its prices up quite a bit recently, you can still have  a starter (from the ‘Small Eats‘ section) and a pasta main for well below 20 ]]>

Tinello

Category: Bistro – Brasserie (££-£££)

It is a hard job to be an amateur restaurant critic.  Always rushing off to the newest openings, which means, thanks to the new non-booking trend, queuing for hours in the cold, eating mediocre food in places hyped for inapprehensible reasons and then there is the constant fight against personal bankruptcy, alcoholism and obesity.

Every zealous amateur restaurant critic needs a restaurant to rest, to regain his/her strength and to put the cornucopia of often questionable food trends into context.  Shortly, a place that constantly delivers, that doesn’t annoy, that doesn’t instigate rants, doesn’t rip off, that you can get a table at reasonably short notice and  that doesn’t include the service charge into the bill (I will forgive the overfilling of wine glasses in this instance).  One of my foodie refuges is Tinello.

Delicious Olive Oil @Tinello

Located a 5 minutes walk from Sloane Square in an area with a high-density of overpriced and underdelivering restaurants, Tinello stands out.  Even though it has put up its prices up quite a bit recently, you can still have  a starter (from the ‘Small Eats‘ section) and a pasta main for well below 20 pounds.

And the food is excellent.  I respect and admire that it follows the Italian principle of less is more – few, high quality ingredients expertly prepared, clean and simple flavours and unfussy presentation.  It is easy food, comforting food and food that makes you feel at home.  In the end Tinello serves authentic, non-anglicised Tuscan cuisine, difficult enough to find in London!

Crostini con il “fuagra” toscano (1.95) @Tinello

Prosciutto toscano (3.30) @Tinello

Burrata e melograno (3.2) @Tinello

Well done for the ‘small eats’ section of the menu.  The size is that of a starter really, so you can share 3 between the 2 of you if hungry, but if you are on a budget you get an absolutely decent starter for less than 4 pounds!  That’s amazing value for money and something that more restaurants should embrace.

I have a weakness for crostini with Toscan chicken liver.  The Tinello one (1.95) hit the spot – rustic and earthy, coarsely chopped liver served on toasted, crispy and thinly sliced ciabatta.  A simple but wonderful dish was the creamy Burrata  (3.2) with pomegranate seeds and some slices of ciabatta sprinkled with aromatic olive oil.

Nice also that you can get a small portion of Italian prosciutto (3.20).  I like a few slices of prosciutto – unfortunately most Italian restaurants only offer huge platters with all kinds of Italian meats and cheeses – usually too filling far too filling as a starter.

Mezzi paccheri "Pastificio dei campi" nduja e burrata (13.50) @Tinello (half portion)

Medaglioni di cervo, zucca, crescione e nocciole piemontesi (24) @Tinello (half portion)

Tinello does a very customer and blogger friendly thing (this alone is reason to go back and back again).  The waiter was aware that we intended to share our dishes (usually we swap half-way through each course, this is your sad fate when dating a food blogger) and offered to serve the pasta dish and then the main divided onto 2 plates.  Maybe more restaurants would do this, I never thought of asking.  I love it because it means you get one more course, you can keep your plate and it prolongs the pleasure.

The pasta course (13.50, 9.50 as a starter portion) was again agreeably simple and very delightful.  Home made al dente pasta tubes came with a spicy and savory tomato sauce topped with chilled and creamy burrata offering a winning polarity of hot and cold, spicy and fresh, velvety and doughy.

I can’t hold back with my praise also regarding the main course.  Pink and tender venison  was served on a bed of pumpkin swimming in a beautiful and rich sauce.  What made the dish not only very good but special were the hazelnuts which went surprisingly well with the strong meat.  A good idea also to add some watercress for freshness and colour.

Torta alle pere e mandorle, gelato allo yogurt (6.5) @Tinello

Finally something that did not completely convince: The pear tart with yoghurt ice cream (6.5) was perfectly edible but did not play in the same league as the previous dishes. Too much dough, not enough pears and I didn’t think the yoghurt ice cream and the tart were a very good match.

A lot of red wine @Tinello

The waiters are friendly and have opinions on food and wine and are not afraid to share them.  Service charge is not included.  The wine list is reasonably priced.  I am sure there are places that are more exciting, more experimental, more sophisticated but sometimes all I want is my safe foodie refuge, and with Tinello I found it.

• Food: 8/10
• Service: 8/10
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Chances of Returning: 100%
• Verdict:  Apart from Zucca, my favourite Italian in London. Food that’s good for the soul.

Other Italian restaurants worth checking out are Zucca and Zafferano.  Do not even think of going to places such as Sale e Pepe or Oliveto, and if you go don’t say I haven’t warn you.

Category: Brasserie (£££) 

And another small plate restaurant.  I remember when these restaurants started to pop up everywhere I was thrilled. Now I have reached a point of saturation where all I want once in a while is a normal menu!

Galoupet is a posh small plate restaurant and wine bar just next to Princess Diana’s favourite Italian San Lorenzo on Beauchamp Place.  This is an area that clearly needs new and inventive restaurants and and Galoupet is heading in the right direction setting itself apart from other overpriced, stuffy and  pretentious restaurants close by, but it is still far from having reached the goal.

Medasian Food? 

Overall the food was, even though not bad at all, far below my expectations.  Some things were just wrong about Galoupet’s food:

1. The mixture of oriental and meditereanen flavours seemed forced rather than well thought through

2. We found the same ingredients in very different dishes (e.g.t the chili sauce on the scallops and the one on the pork tasted suspiciously similar)

3. Everything was garnished with coriander. I mean I love coriander, but this overkill is not exactly sophisticated use of herbs.

Burrata, Grilled Fennel, Orange, Purple ]]>

Scallops, Garlic, Chili (11) @Galoupet

Category: Brasserie (£££) 

And another small plate restaurant.  I remember when these restaurants started to pop up everywhere I was thrilled. Now I have reached a point of saturation where all I want once in a while is a normal menu!

Galoupet is a posh small plate restaurant and wine bar just next to Princess Diana’s favourite Italian San Lorenzo on Beauchamp Place.  This is an area that clearly needs new and inventive restaurants and and Galoupet is heading in the right direction setting itself apart from other overpriced, stuffy and  pretentious restaurants close by, but it is still far from having reached the goal.

Medasian Food? 

Overall the food was, even though not bad at all, far below my expectations.  Some things were just wrong about Galoupet’s food:

1. The mixture of oriental and meditereanen flavours seemed forced rather than well thought through

2. We found the same ingredients in very different dishes (e.g.t the chili sauce on the scallops and the one on the pork tasted suspiciously similar)

3. Everything was garnished with coriander. I mean I love coriander, but this overkill is not exactly sophisticated use of herbs.

Burrata, Grilled Fennel, Orange, Purple Shiso @Galoupet

Grilled Squashes, Goat's Curd, Chili, Candied Pumpkin Seed (7) @Galoupet

The Burrata with Grilled Fennel, was lovely, smooth and creamy, however the entire dish was totally underseasoned and dull and it only became edible after we refined it with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Similarly unexciting was the Grilled Squashes with Goat’s Curd.  The main problem was that there was clearly not enough pumpkin and far too much of the rather mediocre goat’s curd.

Pasta, Squid, Coconut (10) @Galoupet

A very weird but actually quite good dish was the Pasta with Squid and Coconut.  Squid-ink flavoured pasta was served with nicely cooked squid and  a coconut based sauce which reminded me of the Thai soup Tom Kha Gai.  The freshness of the coriander nicely complemented the otherwise rather sweet and heavy dish.

The Scallops with Garlic and Chili were perfectly prepared, however their subtle flavour was completely masked by the strong chili and garlic sauce.  You could have eaten chicken, tofu, prawns, scallops and possibly even quorn – wouldn’t have made any difference.  The garnish was exactly the same as in the previous dish.  At this point I was coriander-saturated.

Chili Pork "Rib Eye", pumpkin, chili, corn (12) @Galoupet

Of course there was more coriander also on the last dish of Chili Pork “Rib Eye”.  The pumpkin was prepared exactly the same way as the squash we got served early together with the goat’s curd and I have the strong suspicion that sauce this dish came with was the same that was served with the scallops before.  Having said all this, the chilli sauce went very well with the pork and in the end this was the most rounded and convincing dish of them all.

I quite happily ate Galoupet’s food but it left me strangely dissatisfied.  Culinary experiments can be exciting, delicious and inspiring when done in an accomplished way.  However, I prefer solid simple dishes to experiments gone wrong.  I think if Galoupet slightly tuned down their sometimes so strangely opposed ingredients it could be a really lovely restaurant.  Not so much fusion please, but more substance!

• Food: 6/10
• Service: 7/10
• Atmosphere: 6/10
• Value for Money: 5/10
• Chances of Returning: 5%
• Verdict: The food at Galoupet is good quality but overall too confused for me, I think I don’t believe in Mediterranean/Asian fusion.

Category: Haute Cuisine (££££) 

About a year ago I participated at a competition posted by the lovely Greedy Diva and won the amazing prize of a £200 voucher to dine at any of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.  Initially I wanted to splash it at the 3 Michelin star Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road, but as I am not organised enough to make a reservation in due time ahead, I decided to try Petrus in Knightsbridge instead (reservation on the day possible).

The food was good but far from being spectacular.  1 of 2 dishes in each course was Michelin star quality while the other disappointed, so in the end I would not go back necessarily for the food.  However, in this review I will talk very little about my gastronomical experience, but about being ripped off in high end restaurants.

Pan-fried scallops with granny smith and truffles

I wonder – did I overreact? I don’t know, you tell me…

Here is the story:

At Petrus, we order a £42 wine from the extensive but massively overpriced wine list.  It takes forever for the waiter to come back to us with an alternative bottle, as ]]>

Amuse bouche @Petrus

Category: Haute Cuisine (££££) 

About a year ago I participated at a competition posted by the lovely Greedy Diva and won the amazing prize of a £200 voucher to dine at any of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.  Initially I wanted to splash it at the 3 Michelin star Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road, but as I am not organised enough to make a reservation in due time ahead, I decided to try Petrus in Knightsbridge instead (reservation on the day possible).

The food was good but far from being spectacular.  1 of 2 dishes in each course was Michelin star quality while the other disappointed, so in the end I would not go back necessarily for the food.  However, in this review I will talk very little about my gastronomical experience, but about being ripped off in high end restaurants.

Pan-fried scallops with granny smith and truffles

I wonder – did I overreact? I don’t know, you tell me…

Here is the story:

At Petrus, we order a £42 wine from the extensive but massively overpriced wine list.  It takes forever for the waiter to come back to us with an alternative bottle, as the one we have ordered was apparently out (quite understandable as it is one of the few wines under 50 quid).

The waiter declares that the suggested wine is the same quality to the one we have ordered.  We enquire about the price (it happened too often that I ended up with a replacement bottle far more expensive than the orignially ordered one) and it seems the waiter is dodging this question.  We don’t give up and in the end he states that he will charge us exactly the same price and says of course.  Satisfied and already rather thirsty we go ahead with the purchase.

Octopus Carpaccio (they put mayonnaise on top!!)

Nice wine, nothing wrong with it, but when it comes to paying we have a close look at the bill.  Surprise, surprise!  We are charged for a £58 wine.  Annoying, somehow we felt this might happen but sometimes it’s not nice to be proved right.  Now the question – was it an honest mistake or were we being ripped off?  We called the waiter over, remarking that there was something wrong with the bill.  Without even looking at the bill the waiter immediately  apologised for having charged for the wrong wine.  Honest mistake? I don’t think so…

As a little thank you we opted out of the service charge and gave the money straight to one of the lovely girls that also served our table (we gave her the benefit of the doubt not to be involved in this scam).

Loin of Venison

What should have been a lovely evening was tainted by this encounter.  Apart from finding the behaviour of Petrus’ staff appalling in principle, I don’t have a lot of money and if I go to a high end restaurant this means I have been saving for it and I can only afford it on special occasions.  To pay 16 pounds more or less does make a difference to me.

I don’t know much about restaurant politics, so I can only guess who benefits from selling more expensive wines.  In addition I have no idea whether this is an isolated episode or happens on an organised scale.  Are there some black sheep waiters who initiate this kind of scams or is it dictated by the management?

These dodgy waiters rely on people not checking the bill ( I hardly ever did it myself before I started this blog and have been charged the wrong amount too many times) and if customers do check, I am sure a lot of them don’t complain because they don’t want to seem tight, petty or embarrassing in front of their date or their family.

I was so disgusted by this episode that I don’t even want to talk about the food anymore.  It could be the best food in the world (which, by the way, it wasn’t) – I seriously lost my appetite.  I really wish I had gone to Zucca or Tinello (which is even nearby), one third of the price, equivalent food and the wine bill is always honest.

I wonder, did anything like this ever happen to you?  How would you have reacted?

• Food: 6/10
• Service: 3/10 (apart from the rip off the service was good)
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Value for Money: 4/10
• Chances of Returning: 0%
• Verdict: Decent but certainly not Michelin-star quality food with fraudulent staff. I advise against spending your hard earned money there to be honest.

Other restaurants to avoid:

Sale e Pepe (Knightsbridge)

Olive Tree (Bath)

Oliveto (Belgravia)

Category:  Hotel (££)  

I was invited to visit Malmaison Manchester – this review therefore is NOT ANONYMOUS. 

After having lived in the UK for over 6 years and having seen almost nothing outside of London, the invitation to visit Malmaison Manchester and its new restaurant Smoak seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore some more of what England has to offer.

So I packed my best friend and my suitcase and made my way up to the North.

Arriving at Piccadilly Station in Manchester we almost took a taxi to get to the hotel. The taxi driver would have thought we are insane – the hotel is literally 3 minutes walk from the station, and conveniently also on the way to the city (shopping) centre, what a perfect location to explore a city!

Malmaison is a small medium priced UK based hotel chain with 12 hotels in major British cities. Its slogan is “hotels that dare to be different“. Well they don’t lie.

While not everything was perfect about Malmaison Manchester, I prefer this hotel concept a hundred times to places like Hilton and co.  Of course it is not a cute boutique hotel, ]]>

Smoak at Malmaison Manchester

Category:  Hotel (££)  

I was invited to visit Malmaison Manchester – this review therefore is NOT ANONYMOUS. 

After having lived in the UK for over 6 years and having seen almost nothing outside of London, the invitation to visit Malmaison Manchester and its new restaurant Smoak seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore some more of what England has to offer.

So I packed my best friend and my suitcase and made my way up to the North.

Arriving at Piccadilly Station in Manchester we almost took a taxi to get to the hotel. The taxi driver would have thought we are insane – the hotel is literally 3 minutes walk from the station, and conveniently also on the way to the city (shopping) centre, what a perfect location to explore a city!

Malmaison is a small medium priced UK based hotel chain with 12 hotels in major British cities. Its slogan is “hotels that dare to be different“. Well they don’t lie.

While not everything was perfect about Malmaison Manchester, I prefer this hotel concept a hundred times to places like Hilton and co.  Of course it is not a cute boutique hotel, but then again it doesn’t claim to be.  If you have time to do proper research and don’t bother too much about location, you might want to look for a smaller, less anonymous hotel in Manchester.  However, if you are looking for something convenient, central and comfortable with quite a bit of atmosphere, Malmaison Manchester is a very decent option.

The Rooms:

Malmaison Manchester offers good sized rooms with cozy beds and spacious bathroom.  It comes with everything the modern blogger needs: flat screen TV, IPod docking station and free wireless.  I liked the attention to detail (e.g the running map (I heard rumours about people who actually go running) and the the opportunity to buy cosmetics called ‘puffy the eye bag’ in the room).  But what did they think when they put this picture on the wall, isn’t it absolutely horrible?  If you want to photograph some cloth, wouldn’t it be better to photograph a PRETTY one? just saying…

Room at Malmaison Manchester

The bathroom with the horror shower

attention to detail

I think they should be offered for free...

Running map in the room for the sporty people out there

The Atmosphere: 

I was not entirely sure about the interior decoration of Malmaison Manchester.  It reminded me a bit of a late night bar or an etablissement of questionable reputation – everything red, black and plush.  But then again, you can’t blame them for being boring or mediocre.

The American style bar was really lovely and this is something one can rarely say from hotel bars.  Comfortable leather furniture, dim lighting, very friendly service and a interesting cocktail menu invited to linger.

Bar in Malmaison Manchester

our comfortable little corner

The Restaurant – SMOAK

The restaurant has been completely refurbished and is all new and shiny in the style of an upmarket American grill.  The name SMOAK is not a misspelling, but suggests that oak is used for BBQ.  The restaurant specialises on beef but also caters for the the fish eater and vegetarian.

It was Saturday evening and the venue was packed with hotel guests and Manchurians popping in for a steak or two.  The food was even though not spectacular, rather enjoyable.  We tried the Tuna Carpaccio (7.50) as a starter which came immersed with a sweet and sour soy and lime dressing and sprinkled with fresh cress.  The presentation was awful but the flavours worked very nicely.  Good also the generously sized Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Parfait (7.50).

As a main we tried steaks, you almost have to at SMOAK.  While the oak grill gave the meat a lovely flavour, both steaks unfortunately came more on the ‘well done’ side than the requested ‘medium rare’.  This should not happen in a place specialising in steak if you ask me.

Tuna Carpaccio 7.50

Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Parfait 7.50

Steak (depending on cut between 12-30 pounds)

The Private Bar – Ember Lounge

An inconspicuous door backside of the restaurant leads to the private bar Ember Lounge.  You are not allowed to enter unless you have put your name down beforehand.

The concept of pre-booking for a bar seems to be as alien to Manchurians as it is for me, so the place was empty.  A shame really, as the cocktails were great!

beautiful cocktails at the Ember Lounge

The Breakfast:

Unfortunately the breakfast is not included in the room price.  Would I pay for it?  I am in two minds – while I liked the cooked breakfast and the fact that there was plenty of nutella and peanut butter to gorge on, I missed the fruit.  Apart from dried fruit, the only option was oranges… not that I have anything against oranges per se, but when I stay in a hotel and eat too much for breakfast anyway, I should at least easily manage to get my 5 a day before 10 am.

Eggs Benedict

Soft Boiled Eggs with Soldiers

I would happily go back to Malmaison Manchester and might try a couple more Malmaisons on my quest to explore the British Isles.

And you might want to know:

- How to get there: Trains go from London to Manchester 4 times and hour and the journey takes about 2 hours.  Returns from 75 pounds.

- Room prices:  The standard room price is around 140 pounds (excluding breakfast) – however, you can get very good deals booking online.

Malmaison Manchester

Gore St, Manchester, M1 3AQ

+44(0)161 278 1000

Some more blogger reviews of Malmaison Manchester:

Food for Think

Heather on her Travels

BonVivant

BlahBlah Becky