Category: Brasserie (£££)  

Jason Atherton, the chef and restaurateur who achieved a Michelin star with Pollen Street Social, has recently opened a new, more casual bistro-style eatery just opposite his main restaurant.  I have never eaten at Pollen Street Social (one of these restaurant that seem to stay on my To Do List forever, always overtaken by (for me) more intriguing sounding places) and so Little Social was my first exposure to Mr. Atherton’s food.  Pollen Street is a tiny side street a just off Reagent Street and I almost walked past Little Social which is far less conspicuous (and more inviting) than its elder sibling.  I liked the intimate ambiance – dark brown leather seats, bistro-style wall deco (you know these French bistro posters that tell you, in case you missed it, that you have just entered a French restaurant), intimate lighting and friendly, casual staff.

I didn’t even look at the regular menu (starters are about £10 and mains range around £20, so not exactly every day fare) but went straight for the good value Prix Fixe (2 courses £21, 3 courses £25).  I had some pretty rubbish set menus in otherwise great restaurants, so ]]>

Prix fixe @ Little Social

Category: Brasserie (£££)  

Jason Atherton, the chef and restaurateur who achieved a Michelin star with Pollen Street Social, has recently opened a new, more casual bistro-style eatery just opposite his main restaurant.  I have never eaten at Pollen Street Social (one of these restaurant that seem to stay on my To Do List forever, always overtaken by (for me) more intriguing sounding places) and so Little Social was my first exposure to Mr. Atherton’s food.  Pollen Street is a tiny side street a just off Reagent Street and I almost walked past Little Social which is far less conspicuous (and more inviting) than its elder sibling.  I liked the intimate ambiance – dark brown leather seats, bistro-style wall deco (you know these French bistro posters that tell you, in case you missed it, that you have just entered a French restaurant), intimate lighting and friendly, casual staff.

I didn’t even look at the regular menu (starters are about £10 and mains range around £20, so not exactly every day fare) but went straight for the good value Prix Fixe (2 courses £21, 3 courses £25).  I had some pretty rubbish set menus in otherwise great restaurants, so I knew I was taking a risk.  I was impressed however with the prix fixe at Little Social which convinced with its selection and quality.  If I worked somewhere around Pollen Street, I would return for this deal on a regular basis.

Little Social

The country pâté was not the most spectacular starter in the world, but it was pleasant to eat, particularly together with the beautifully crisp complimentary baguette. Chunks of tender pork and capers were wrapped in fatty bacon and served with cornichons and strong Pommery mustard.  The main course of  succulent sea bream resting on a bed of saffron-infused creamy potato mash was a perfect plate of food.  It came with some roasted fennel and steaming and flavourful seafood broth which the waiter poured at the table.  Lovely flavours and appealing presentation.

Little Social

Little Social

Little Social

Little Social

I had the pleasure of lunching with the lovely Londontastin’, so read her blog about the non-prix fixe dishes and if they are worth it.  I had a bite of her BLT Halibut and I know what I will order next time from the regular menu…

For a restaurant opened that recently, I could find little fault. It seems there is a reason why Jason Atherton is hyped among London foodies and maybe I should finally make my way to Pollen Street Social as well.

• Food: 8/10
• Service: 8/10
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Value for Money: 9/10 for the set lunch menu, I can’t comment on the regular menu
• Chances of Returning: 50%
• Verdict: Prix fixe lunch menu is highly recommended!

Baby Factor:  3/5

Little Social doesn’t seem to be the restaurant where people usually take their infants (they were visibly glad that I didn’t need a baby seat) but the waitresses were very accommodating.  They found me a good table with plenty of space for my pram and I did not feel out of place or hated for bringing Little Hungry in London along.  I would say that you can definitely take a well-behaved infant for lunch, but Little Social may not be ideal as a meeting place for your toddler group.

Read more about Little Social on The Critical Couple, Eat Tori and Rocket & Squash.

Category: Brasserie (£££) 

Admittedly, Yashin Sushi had a lot to live up to.  I had my last sushi at the wonderful tiny sushi bar Sushi Tetsu, generally agreed to serve the best sushi in London.  To add insult to injury, I was treated to a stellar meal at Zuma a couple of weeks back, which again convinced with its selection of non-sushi Japanese dishes.  Yashin Sushi could only lose, and lose it did.  While the sushi there was really quite good, it did not reach the level of Sushi Tetsu in regard of quality, attention to detail and presentation.  Based on the sushi, I would nonetheless have awarded a green light.  What however disappointed were the non-sushi dishes which were too expensive for what was offered and actually not that good.

We were seated at the sushi counter where four sushi chefs diligently prepared nigiri, maki and sashimi.  Hot dishes came from the kitchen in the back of the restaurant. The Wagyu Beef Carpaccio (12.4) was a nice dish but lacking any wow factor.  The beef was cut rather thick and as a consquence was on the chewy side. The soy and wasabi based dressing was not unpleasant but bland.  To my surprise, the ]]>

@ Yashin Sushi

Category: Brasserie (£££) 

Admittedly, Yashin Sushi had a lot to live up to.  I had my last sushi at the wonderful tiny sushi bar Sushi Tetsu, generally agreed to serve the best sushi in London.  To add insult to injury, I was treated to a stellar meal at Zuma a couple of weeks back, which again convinced with its selection of non-sushi Japanese dishes.  Yashin Sushi could only lose, and lose it did.  While the sushi there was really quite good, it did not reach the level of Sushi Tetsu in regard of quality, attention to detail and presentation.  Based on the sushi, I would nonetheless have awarded a green light.  What however disappointed were the non-sushi dishes which were too expensive for what was offered and actually not that good.

We were seated at the sushi counter where four sushi chefs diligently prepared nigiri, maki and sashimi.  Hot dishes came from the kitchen in the back of the restaurant. The Wagyu Beef Carpaccio (12.4) was a nice dish but lacking any wow factor.  The beef was cut rather thick and as a consquence was on the chewy side. The soy and wasabi based dressing was not unpleasant but bland.  To my surprise, the most enjoyable of the non-sushi dishes was the Tofu (6.2), served in a Le Creuset stoneware pot.  (Yashin Sushi goes out of its way to use non-Japanese tableware, for example also serving sushi on porcelain plates).  The hot and melting tofu was layered on top of a delicious sauce which I think contained wasabi and soy sauce. A dinner uninterrupted by baby (thanks grandma!) is a reason to splash out and so we ordered the Black Truffle Suzuki (24.2).  The truffle shavings were plentiful and generous and this dish could have been wonderful, if it hadn’t been for the dry sea bass.  At this price one would really expect the fish to be cooked spot on. Disappointing also was the Miso Lamb (9.5) which was tough and while I enjoyed the miso flavour, I failed to “get” the combination with fresh fruit and the sweet mango sauce.  The waiter explicitly told us that the fruit was supposed to be eaten with the lamb, and this truly didn’t work as it made the dish sickly sweet.

Waguy Beef Carpaccio (12.4) @ Yashin Sushi

Tofu (6.2) @ Yashin Sushi

Seabass (24.8) @ Yashin Sushi

Lamb (9.5) @ Yashin Sushi

The sushi was very nice but I am not sure it tasted worth £30 for 8 pieces of nigiri (Omakase Set 8).  No soy sauce is served with the sushi (see paragraph below) but instead the fish comes with creative toppings, such as parmesan and tomato or mustard ponzu.  I liked it but it was not memorable. The Sashimi platter (25) seemed better value for money regarding the amount of fish, but you have to make do with more conventional toppings.

Omakase 8 (30) @ Yashin Sushi

Sashimi (25) @ Yashin Sushi

Still hungry we chose the green tea ice cream from the limited dessert menu.  While I liked the ice cream I was rather distraught by the salad of unripe and tasteless fruits it came with.

Green Tea Ice cream @ Yashin Sushi

Service was odd – between incredibly helpful and friendly to ignoring us totally.

Every review I read about Yashin Sushi mentions the Without Soy Sauce sign hanging over the sushi counter, so it seems I have to also add my opinion.  I understand that it must be frustrating for a sushi chef (don’t they train for decades?) when their  meticulous creation are smothered in salty liquid.  It’s probably on the same level of demanding Ketchup for your 10 course tasting menu at The Ledbury.   At the same time I think if I am the paying customer (and Yashin Sushi is not cheap at all) and I want soy sauce (or Ketchup for that matter), then I should be able to have it without being frowned upon. The whole No Soy Sauce affair is a bit pretentious in my view, but then again I’m not a chef.

• Food: 6/10  (Sushi 7/10, other dishes 5/10)
• Service: 6/10
• Ambiance: 6/10
• Value for Money: 5/10
• Chances of Returning: only for sushi 30%
• Verdict: Very decent sushi, but I recommend to stay away from non-sushi dishes.

Read more on Yashin Sushi on Travel with Wingz, London Tastin’ and Cheese and Biscuits.

Lamb Rump (15.5) @ Hereford Road

Category: Bistro (££) 

St. John in Clerkenwell is the quintessential British restaurant in London and has been awarded a Michelin star for its achievement to put British food and rare cuts back onto the culinary map.  Several chefs who have cooked at St. John’s have done very well for themselves, spreading the love for British cuisine throughout the country.  Tom Pemberton, former head chef at St John’s, is one of them and has cooked at Hereford Road since its opening in 2007.  He has followed the St John’s principle: weird and sometimes not all that appetising sounding (at least to the foreign ear) British dishes, unusual and often cheap cuts and a whole lot of offal.

Hereford Road is a neighbourhood restaurant in a back street on the border between Bayswater and Notting Hill.  The menu changes daily and dishes are reasonably priced from £6-£8 for starters and £10-£15.5 for mains.  Also, there is a great value set lunch for £13 for 2 and £15.5 for 3 courses.  If, like me, you are not into eating organs, your choice is reduced as you will find dishes such as devilled lamb kidneys, calf’s brain and sweetbread on the ]]>  

Lamb Rump (15.5) @ Hereford Road

Category: Bistro (££) 

St. John in Clerkenwell is the quintessential British restaurant in London and has been awarded a Michelin star for its achievement to put British food and rare cuts back onto the culinary map.  Several chefs who have cooked at St. John’s have done very well for themselves, spreading the love for British cuisine throughout the country.  Tom Pemberton, former head chef at St John’s, is one of them and has cooked at Hereford Road since its opening in 2007.  He has followed the St John’s principle: weird and sometimes not all that appetising sounding (at least to the foreign ear) British dishes, unusual and often cheap cuts and a whole lot of offal.

Hereford Road is a neighbourhood restaurant in a back street on the border between Bayswater and Notting Hill.  The menu changes daily and dishes are reasonably priced from £6-£8 for starters and £10-£15.5 for mains.  Also, there is a great value set lunch for £13 for 2 and £15.5 for 3 courses.  If, like me, you are not into eating organs, your choice is reduced as you will find dishes such as devilled lamb kidneys, calf’s brain and sweetbread on the menu.

Fortunately, there was a significant selection of other dishes we not involving organs.

The starter of Smoked Eel (7.9) was the least accomplished dish.  The eel was meaty and dense and subtly smoked, but unfortunately on the dry side.  This was not aided by the overly dry accompanying salad of leaves and potatoes with just a hint of horseradish.  The dish would have benefited from some kind of dressing or even a squeeze of lemon juice would have gone a long way.  Much better was the classic dish of Potted Crab (7.5), which was sweet and rich, served with freshly toasted bread.

Smoked Eel (7.9) @ Hereford Road

Potted Crab (7.5) @ Hereford Road

At this stage I wasn’t fully convinced about Hereford Road yet and it could have gone either way.  Both the mains however were delicious.  I find that there is always some risk associated with choosing rabbit, as more than half of the time it is stone-dry and I regret my order  after the first bite.  No regrets with the Wild Rabbit (14) at Hereford Road.  It was beautifully moist and I enjoyed the combination with the aniseedy taste of the roasted fennel and an occasional punch of wild garlic.  The waiter strongly recommended the Lamb Rump (15.5)  as his favourite dish on the menu and we were glad we followed his lead.  According to our knowledgable waiter, the meat had been marinated in a vinaigrette to achieve this remarkable tenderness while not overpowering the flavour of the lamb. Contrary to my expectations, the cubed swede with anchovy dressing was very tasty, adding just the right amount of depth and umami to the dish.

Wild Rabbit (14) @ Hereford Road

Cabbage (4) @ Hereford Road

It needed to be the Apple Crumble (6) for dessert, which, for me, is one of the best British desserts ever.  It was perfect:  the apple was tangy and still retained some bite, and most of the sweetness came from the slowly melting creamy vanilla ice cream;  the crumble was crunchy and intercepted with scattered almond flakes and it was served steaming hot, straight from the oven.  Heavenly, and not heavy at all.

Apple Crumble (6) @ Hereford Road

The atmosphere of Hereford Road fits its food and is very cosy – the small space is furnished with intimate wooden tables and chairs and has an enormous skylight.  The kitchen is in the restaurant, just at the entrance in plain view, giving the impression that Hereford Road has nothing to hide.  Indeed, this restaurant delivers what is promises:  honest, simple and satisfying British food, without gimmicks or overcomplicated tastes and textures.  It is  comforting food that you can dive into, it doesn’t challenge (well apart from the kidneys, I would feel challenged if I had to eat those…), but it is still far from being bland or boring.  I am happy that I live a mere 10 minutes drive away, and I have the strong feeling that I will be back.

• Food: 7/10
• Service: 8/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Chances of Returning: 80%
• Verdict: British cuisine at its best for very good value.

Read more about Hereford Road on London Tastin’, The Boy Who Ate The World, and The Independent.

Category: Bistro (££) 

I was never very keen on the Thai restaurant chain Busaba Eathai.  Several years ago, when the first Soho outpost had newly opened, I ate there a couple of times, and I never quite understood what made people queue in rain and cold for this in my opinion rather mediocre Thai food.  Time passed and with it the memory faded.

When I recently walked down King’s Road with my mum, who was visiting from Austria, and we fancied some spicy and warming Asian soup, Busaba Eathai seemed a good option.  (the only option actually, as King’s Road is not exactly a Mekka for South East Asian restaurants).  Retrospectively I thoroughly regret that I took my poor mother to this horrible place.  The food got substantially worse since my last visit and I think we may have fared better with EAT’s or Pret a Manger’s soup of the day…

We had two soups, the  Tom Kha Chicken (6.9) and a Tom Yam Talay (6.9).  The first impression was already a bad one – the soups were very small for a main course (and the price) and the liquid should have been ]]>

Tom Yum Soup @ Busaba Eathai

Category: Bistro (££) 

I was never very keen on the Thai restaurant chain Busaba Eathai.  Several years ago, when the first Soho outpost had newly opened, I ate there a couple of times, and I never quite understood what made people queue in rain and cold for this in my opinion rather mediocre Thai food.  Time passed and with it the memory faded.

When I recently walked down King’s Road with my mum, who was visiting from Austria, and we fancied some spicy and warming Asian soup, Busaba Eathai seemed a good option.  (the only option actually, as King’s Road is not exactly a Mekka for South East Asian restaurants).  Retrospectively I thoroughly regret that I took my poor mother to this horrible place.  The food got substantially worse since my last visit and I think we may have fared better with EAT’s or Pret a Manger’s soup of the day…

We had two soups, the  Tom Kha Chicken (6.9) and a Tom Yam Talay (6.9).  The first impression was already a bad one – the soups were very small for a main course (and the price) and the liquid should have been doubled to provide a full meal.  I don’t think the broth would cost Busaba Eathai too much, so I don’t understand their stinginess on the liquid.

The Tom Yam Talay was like nothing I ever had in Thailand.  To start with it was not spicy at all, there were no herbs scattered on top (only a couple of leaves of the native Thai vegetable spinach, pretending to be a herb) and it was too sour and salty with not enough balance.  I didn’t pick up any kaffir lime leaves either.  Swimming in the soup were apart from vermicelli noodles, some dried up prawns and slivers of a remarkably tasteless  fish cake.

While the Tom Yam was not great but edible, the Tom Kha Chicken was a disaster.  The bland and overly coconutty and sweet broth contained roasted chicken covered in flaccid and fatty skin and rather disgusting thick glass noodles.  Also here fresh herbs were lacking, which I think is a scandal considering that you get coriander and even Thai basil at the Waitrose down the road.

Tom Kha @ Busaba Eathai

While I forced down some of my soup, I was dreaming of a big bowl of pho from Song Que, of some udon from Koya or even of ramen from Wagamama.  Busaba Eathai, you are indeed worse than Wagamama, congratulations!

• Food: 3/10
• Service: 6/10
• Ambiance: 6/10
• Value for Money: 4/10
• Chances of Returning: 0%
• Verdict: really crap Thai food

Categorie: Budget (£)  

The area around Victoria train station is not exactly a destination where one would usually head in pursuit of culinary delights.  All the more intrigued I was when I read about a new restaurant, serving ‘inventive’ Chinese cuisine, that had opened just a stone throw from the busy station.  The rather odd choice of location is explained by the fact that A Wong took over his father’s traditional restaurant, and relaunched it as a bright and friendly place serving modern and creative Chinese.

As far as I can tell from my single visit to his restaurant, Mr. Wong did well in putting his career in economics on hold and venturing into gastronomy.  Even though not everything we ordered was completely up to scratch and they had run out of many dishes, I really enjoyed the food from the lunch menu which focuses mainly on dim sum and snacks. The evening menu is separate and consists of a small selection (this alone is almost unheard of in a Chinese restaurant…) of dishes from all over China.  An eight course tasting menu for incredible £40 is also available.

Dim sum are ordered ]]>

Salt and Pepper French Beans @ A Wong

Categorie: Budget (£)  

The area around Victoria train station is not exactly a destination where one would usually head in pursuit of culinary delights.  All the more intrigued I was when I read about a new restaurant, serving ‘inventive’ Chinese cuisine, that had opened just a stone throw from the busy station.  The rather odd choice of location is explained by the fact that A Wong took over his father’s traditional restaurant, and relaunched it as a bright and friendly place serving modern and creative Chinese.

As far as I can tell from my single visit to his restaurant, Mr. Wong did well in putting his career in economics on hold and venturing into gastronomy.  Even though not everything we ordered was completely up to scratch and they had run out of many dishes, I really enjoyed the food from the lunch menu which focuses mainly on dim sum and snacks. The evening menu is separate and consists of a small selection (this alone is almost unheard of in a Chinese restaurant…) of dishes from all over China.  An eight course tasting menu for incredible £40 is also available.

Dim sum are ordered per piece, which I think is a seminal idea.  How often have I been out for dim sum with a friend, trying to cut the third dim sum with chopsticks!  I don’t have to tell you that this usually ended in a big mess.  The prices are more than reasonable (between £1.20 and £1.75 for dim sum, and up to £5 for other small dishes) and we left completely stuffed with a bill of  £46 for three people including tip.

Against the wishes of my fellow diners, I ordered the Century Egg (3.95) which was served chilled with silken tofu in a mild, soy-based sauce.  Even my mum, who initially refused to eat an old black egg (to be fair, it’s not a pretty sight), very much enjoyed it (after she got a spoon that is, as this dish really is difficult to eat with chopsticks).

Of the dim sum, my favourite was the Shanghai steamed dumplings (1.3 each) filled with steaming hot (careful!) flavourful broth.  The Yunnan mushroom and pork dumplings (1.75) were also filled with broth and tasted remarkably similar to the Shanghai steamed ones.  I would have expected them to be more distinctive and I failed to pick up the truffle they were supposed to taste of.  Much better were the Clear Shrimp Dumplings (1.3 each) filled up to the brim with plump and tender prawns.  What set them apart from the conventional Chinatown version was the lemon foam, which was not only pretty but also zesty and delicious, beautifully complementing the prawns.

Another winner was A Wong’s vegetarian take on salt and pepper squid – Salt and Pepper French Beans (4.95) were gently deep-fried and served with plenty of chilli.  I never had anything like the Hand Moulded Crispy Bun (1.5) and I rather liked it.  It was more a desert than a savoury dish, reminiscent somehow of the Austrian Germknoedl.  The dense and chewy bun was not filled with anything and was eaten dipped into the flavourful pitch-black sesame paste.  Not enough of the dip would actually stick to the bun, so it was, although delightful, rather awkward to eat.

The only dish we really didn’t like, in fact my diplomatic boyfriend suggested that this dish should be “taken off the menu and shot”, were the Mushroom bamboo and vermicelli spring roll (1.50).  Their skin was thick and oily and the filling didn’t taste of much.  Not even the sweet chilli dip was successful.

100 year old egg in sweet, chilli soya and marinated tofu £3.95 @ A Wong

Clear shrimp dumpling, sweet chilli sauce, citrus foam £1.30 @ A Wong

Shanghai steamed dumplings, ginger infused vinegar £1.30 @ A Wong

Yunnan mushroom, pork and truffle dumpling 1.75 @ A Wong

Hand moulded crispy bun with black sesame dip 1.50 @ A Wong

Mushroom bamboo and vermicelli spring roll 1.50 @ A Wong

Already mentioned by other bloggers, there were technical issues.  The skin of the soup dumplings was so thin, that half of them broke before reaching their destination (=my mouth) spilling hot liquid all over the place (for example my light trousers).  I am confident that these minor faults will be ironed out and I am planning to return to try the evening menu.  Victoria is very much on my food map now!

• Food: 7/10
• Service: 6/10
• Ambiance: 6/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Chances of Returning: 70%
• Verdict: Modern Chinese that really works in the culinary wasteland of Victoria.

A Wong is also reviewed on The Skinny Bib,  The Evening Standard and The Grumbling Gourmet.

When I entered the small café just off Piccadilly, which marks the entrance of Brasserie Zedel, I did not expect that, after taking the elevator down I would find a grand beautiful dining room with high ceilings.  The vast room is bright and cheerful – you almost forget you are in a windowless basement – and the atmosphere is classy and relaxed at the same time.  Brasserie Zedel is modelled after a Parisienne brasserie and the food served is exclusively French.  Only the main courses on the menu are translated and I wish I had paid some more attention at my French lessons at school, this may have helped me to figure out what the starters and the desserts were.  I guess I could have asked the charming French waiter that took good care of us during our meal, but I didn’t quite feel like having him translate the entire menu for us.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked at the prices though.  Most of the dishes are actually cheap!  (Usually when dining out in London I can hardly believe my eyes because dishes are so expensive, so this was a pleasant change). ]]> Category: Bistro (££)  

When I entered the small café just off Piccadilly, which marks the entrance of Brasserie Zedel, I did not expect that, after taking the elevator down I would find a grand beautiful dining room with high ceilings.  The vast room is bright and cheerful – you almost forget you are in a windowless basement – and the atmosphere is classy and relaxed at the same time.  Brasserie Zedel is modelled after a Parisienne brasserie and the food served is exclusively French.  Only the main courses on the menu are translated and I wish I had paid some more attention at my French lessons at school, this may have helped me to figure out what the starters and the desserts were.  I guess I could have asked the charming French waiter that took good care of us during our meal, but I didn’t quite feel like having him translate the entire menu for us.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked at the prices though.  Most of the dishes are actually cheap!  (Usually when dining out in London I can hardly believe my eyes because dishes are so expensive, so this was a pleasant change).  Starters range around £5 and there are a few mains to be found that are below the £10 mark. Up until now everything sounds perfect, so what about the food?

For me, the food was nice enough, but certainly not outstanding.  Considering though that a lot of French places in London serve similar quality food for about twice the money, Brasserie Zedel wins again.

We shared a Salade d’Endives au Roquefort (£4.95) which was very lovely and fresh.  The bitter chicory was in nice contrast with the pungent blue cheese and the caramelised walnuts.  Our choice of mains reflected the March snow storm outside – Beef Bourguignon (9.75) for me and Grilled Onglet Steak (12) for my friend.  The Beef Bourguignon was a decent, warming, wintery dish, with tender meat and fluffy potato mash.  It was a rather small portion with only a few pieces of meat, but then again that’s what you would probably expect when paying less than 10 quid!  The onglet steak was described by my friend as “not the best steak I have ever eaten but very enjoyable”.  I found the meat tasty, but the sauce was too strong and salty for my taste.  My favourite dish was the beautifully seasoned Braised Lentils, a generous portion for incredible £2.5!

Salade d’Endives au Roquefort (4.95) @ Brasserie Zedel

Bœuf Bourguignon (9.75) @ Brasserie Zedel

Onglet Grillé,Confit d’Échalote (12.00)

Lentilles Braisées (2.5) @ Brasserie Zedel

There was certainly some space for dessert.  I loved the thick vanilla cream of the Millefeuille à laVanille (3.95), but the layers of pastry could have been crisper and less dry.

Millefeuille à laVanille (3.95)

While I would give a yellow light for the food alone , the whole package that Brasserie Zedel offers just about makes it slip into the green light category.  Like The Delaunay (which has become one of my favourite restaurants in London), The Wolsley and Colbert, all part of the same small London restaurant empire, Brasserie Zedel’s concept is again a winning one.  With its central location, its child/family friendliness (I didn’t feel out of place at all with my pram, but at the same time it was not all screaming children either), and the incredibly good value food served in upmarket surroundings, it definitely fills a hole in the market.  If, for example, I would like to impress my date but was really short of cash, this is the place I would take him.  In the end, London needs more places like Brasserie Zedel!

• Food: 6/10
• Service: 7/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Chances of Returning: 50%
• Verdict:  Like going to Paris for lunch, just cheaper.

FInd more opinions about Brasserie Zedel on Crump Eats, A Girl Has To Eat, and Travel with Wingz.

Bonito @ Sushi Tetsu

Category: Brasserie (£££)  

Sushi Tetsu is an intimate, miniature sushi bar just down the alleyway from The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell.  It  was opened by the ex-Nobu chef Toru Takahashi in June, 2012; I would have eaten there far earlier, if it hadn’t been for my pregnancy and the unanimous medical recommendations to avoid all raw fish while incubating a little human.  It was a difficult 9 months without sushi — I remember salivating over instagram pictures and blog posts of beautifully crafted nigiri or perfectly fresh sashimi and I honestly couldn’t wait to dive in myself.

Once the baby was born and well-established, I procured a babysitter and, thanks to a good friend who could obtain a reservation (more on that problem below), and  off I finally went to Sushi Tetsu.  Much has been said and written about Sushi Tetsu and I very much agree with the blogosphere verdict that the sushi there may just be the best sushi in London.  Now comes the downside and it’s a big one:  Sushi Tetsu is, in the tradition of authentic Japanese sushi bars, tiny.  Seven bar seats are arranged around a sushi counter made of shiny cedar ]]>  

Bonito @ Sushi Tetsu

Category: Brasserie (£££)  

Sushi Tetsu is an intimate, miniature sushi bar just down the alleyway from The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell.  It  was opened by the ex-Nobu chef Toru Takahashi in June, 2012; I would have eaten there far earlier, if it hadn’t been for my pregnancy and the unanimous medical recommendations to avoid all raw fish while incubating a little human.  It was a difficult 9 months without sushi — I remember salivating over instagram pictures and blog posts of beautifully crafted nigiri or perfectly fresh sashimi and I honestly couldn’t wait to dive in myself.

Once the baby was born and well-established, I procured a babysitter and, thanks to a good friend who could obtain a reservation (more on that problem below), and  off I finally went to Sushi Tetsu.  Much has been said and written about Sushi Tetsu and I very much agree with the blogosphere verdict that the sushi there may just be the best sushi in London.  Now comes the downside and it’s a big one:  Sushi Tetsu is, in the tradition of authentic Japanese sushi bars, tiny.  Seven bar seats are arranged around a sushi counter made of shiny cedar wood and these seats are booked out months in advance.  It’s not only that 7 seats are not very much, there is also almost no turnover as the best thing to order are the Omakase (the chef’s choice) meals which means feasting for up to 3 hours.

I admire a chef who decides against commercialisation and easy money and as a consequence keeps his little sushi bar authentic and atmospheric with food of outstanding quality, showing minute attention to detail.  Which is all good if you manage to get a seat and not so good if you are forced to admire Sushi Tetsu from the distance of twitter, instagram and reviews like this one….

Our Omakase (£70 per person although we paid a small supplement for the addition of an Unagi to our menu) lasted for about 2.5 hours and was worth every last pence.  There are also omakase option for £50 and £90 available.  I have eaten fancier sushi but I don’t recall encountering sushi of such outstanding quality anywhere outside of Japan.  In fact I’m not even sure I had such good sushi in Japan to be honest. The fish is the star and it truly IS the star.  One exceptional dish followed another.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves:

Sea bass and monkfish liver @ Sushi Tetsu

Bonito @ Sushi Tetsu

Tuna (lean, medium and rare) and marinated sardines @ Sushi Tetsu

Sea Bream @ Sushi Tetsu

Seared fatty tuna @Sushi Tetsu

Seaweed marinated turbot @ Sushi Tetsu

Scallop @ Sushi Tetsu

Razor clam @ Sushi Tetsu

Salmon Roe @ Sushi Tetsu

Hand roll with 3 kinds of tuna, rice and pickled daikon @ Sushi Tetsu

Unagi @ Sushi Tetsu

Tamago @ Sushi Tetsu

It wasn’t only the food that I enjoyed.  The experience was both zen-like and meditation-stimulating.   We enjoyed watching the chef calmly preparing dish after dish (often wielding a blow torch most expertly) in front of our very eyes.  The chef’s beautiful wife was incredibly attentive and pleasant serving our drinks.  I wish service would always be like this!  On the drinks – Sushi Tetsu offers a nice selection of quality sake.  We tried the medium and drier versions, and they were superb (and served in a champagne flute).  As my friend kindly paid for the drinks, I have no idea if they are pricey or not, but I certainly recommend the dry, chilled version in particular.

A tip on reservations: Sushi Tetsu takes reservations for 60 days forward on the first of every month.   Be assiduous, as the reservation list fills up in the first two days of each month.  You can call or email, but the reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to phone calls.  So good luck!

Be aware though, that Sushi Tetsu will spoil you for life: after having eaten sushi like this  you may find it tough to go back to “normal”, cheap sushi.  I kind of used to like cheap sushi….But no more.

• Food: 10/10
• Service: 10/10
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Chances of Returning: 100% (if they let me….And I get a reservation)
• Verdict:  amazing sushi

More Sushi Tetsu on Rocket and Squash, The Skinny Bib, Andy Hayler and London Tastin‘.

Category: Brasserie (£££), very good value set lunch 

My quest of trying to find a good and decently priced restaurant in the Chelsea/Knightsbridge area brought me to The Enterprise, a bright and friendly gastro pub in posh Walton Street, just behind Harrods.  While other restaurants in this area are truly spoilt by their location among the rich, the famous and the non-discerning eaters (Baity Kitchen, Ciro’s),  The Enterprise appears to be a pleasant exception.  Not only is the set lunch incredibly well priced (available Monday to Friday, £17.25 for 2 and £19.50 for 3 courses), but also the atmosphere is welcoming and the staff is charming, helpful and not the least bit snotty.  If it wasn’t for the ladies with motionless faces and protruding lips, results of extensive cosmetic surgery, one could almost forget that one is in Knightsbridge.

Set lunch @ Enterprise

The Enterprise serves elegant British pub food with an international twist which was, when I visited, executed without fault.  Our meal started with an amuse bouche, which was lovely but I have forgotten what it was (baby brain alert).  The salad with sweet pumpkin, chunks of creamy goat’s cheese and crunchy walnuts was ]]>

Faultless pub food @ The Enterprise

Category: Brasserie (£££), very good value set lunch 

My quest of trying to find a good and decently priced restaurant in the Chelsea/Knightsbridge area brought me to The Enterprise, a bright and friendly gastro pub in posh Walton Street, just behind Harrods.  While other restaurants in this area are truly spoilt by their location among the rich, the famous and the non-discerning eaters (Baity Kitchen, Ciro’s),  The Enterprise appears to be a pleasant exception.  Not only is the set lunch incredibly well priced (available Monday to Friday, £17.25 for 2 and £19.50 for 3 courses), but also the atmosphere is welcoming and the staff is charming, helpful and not the least bit snotty.  If it wasn’t for the ladies with motionless faces and protruding lips, results of extensive cosmetic surgery, one could almost forget that one is in Knightsbridge.

Set lunch @ Enterprise

The Enterprise serves elegant British pub food with an international twist which was, when I visited, executed without fault.  Our meal started with an amuse bouche, which was lovely but I have forgotten what it was (baby brain alert).  The salad with sweet pumpkin, chunks of creamy goat’s cheese and crunchy walnuts was as good as they come.  I thought the second course of sea bass was stunning.  The fish was cooked to perfect moist tenderness and rested on a bed of creamy, buttery and herby potato mash flavoured.  The fresh tomatoes and cress added a beautiful freshness to the dish.  The best (if not exactly healthiest) part of this plate was the browned anchovy butter, which mixed with the mash, was just gorgeous.  I also had a bite of the perfectly decent chestnut mushroom risotto, cooked exactly al dente and with rich earthy mushroom aroma.

Amuse Bouche @ Enterprise

Roast Pumpkin Salad @ Enterprise

Roast Sea Bass @ Enterprise

Apart from the solid food, The Enterprise also scores highly in my newly introduced category of “Child Friendliness“. This lunch at The Enterprise was my first outing with my newborn, and I didn’t even know how to navigate my pram.  The lovely waitresses immediately made space for my pram in the packed restaurant and helped me in and out of the door.  I felt welcome with my baby (mind you, he slept through the meal), and I have no hesitation to return with him to The Enterprise for lunch (as long as he behaves himself in public places that is, I don’t want to put you off ) .

• Food: 8/10
• Service: 8/10
• Ambiance: 7/10
• Child-friendliness: 9/10
• Value for Money: 8/10 for the set lunch
• Chances of Returning: 80%
• Verdict: The place to go for lunch when you happen to be in the area and need an escape from overpriced, touristy places with mediocre food and snotty staff.

Dinner Diary and Foodraker have also dined at The Enterprise.

I recently for the first time bought miso paste (shiro miso or white miso paste) in a Japanese supermarket and have since been experimenting with miso-based recipes.  I am amazed what wonderful things you can make with miso paste!  My first try of Miso Aubergines was just delicious (recipe to follow) and this Miso-Glazed Salmon would be the star of any dinner party.  Miso is a staple ingredient of Japanese cooking and is basically a seasoning paste made of fermented soy beans and rice.  It has a very unique, sweet, salty and nutty flavour and is very tasty indeed.

I found this recipe for Miso Salmon with Pickled Cucumber on the BBC Food website and the original recipe (which I have only slightly adapted) is by Paul Rankin.  I have never cooked any of his recipes and the Miso Salmon one, even though the result is very good,  is incredibly badly written – I hope my re-written version it slightly it will be easier to follow.  Serve with sushi rice.

Amount: for 4 people

Cooking/Preparation Time:

Ingredients:

Category: Brasserie (£££)

I have always enjoyed going to Jak’s in Walton Street for their fresh salads and delicious strawberry cheesecake (although I confess that Jak’s is currently in the midst of a renovation and they are in temporary digs and have increased pricing so beware – I might qualify my greenlight shortly).   All things considered, Jak’s at least in the past seemed rather fairly priced for being in Knightsbridge/Chelsea, just a stone-throw away from the department store from hell, Harrods.

Salad Counter @ Baity Kitchen

With interest I observed the opening of Baity Kitchen, opposite from Jak’s, with a similar menu offering Mediterranean salads,  breakfast and more.  At the beginning, I didn’t hasten to check it out as a cursory glance at their menu gave me sticker shock: Baity’s  seemed 30% plust more expensive for similar fare, and I confess that I was happy with Jak’s.  However, over time I tired of the crowds at Jak’s and the increasingly blasé staff  – they seemed spoilt by the crowds that made Jak’s hard to get into .  Indeed, the Jak’s modus operandi seemed to be getting people out as soon as they sat down.  Further, I was enticed as Baity Kitchen’s advertised free, ]]>

a plate worth almost 15 pounds? @ Baity’s Kitchen

Category: Brasserie (£££)

I have always enjoyed going to Jak’s in Walton Street for their fresh salads and delicious strawberry cheesecake (although I confess that Jak’s is currently in the midst of a renovation and they are in temporary digs and have increased pricing so beware – I might qualify my greenlight shortly).   All things considered, Jak’s at least in the past seemed rather fairly priced for being in Knightsbridge/Chelsea, just a stone-throw away from the department store from hell, Harrods.

Salad Counter @ Baity Kitchen

With interest I observed the opening of Baity Kitchen, opposite from Jak’s, with a similar menu offering Mediterranean salads,  breakfast and more.  At the beginning, I didn’t hasten to check it out as a cursory glance at their menu gave me sticker shock: Baity’s  seemed 30% plust more expensive for similar fare, and I confess that I was happy with Jak’s.  However, over time I tired of the crowds at Jak’s and the increasingly blasé staff  – they seemed spoilt by the crowds that made Jak’s hard to get into .  Indeed, the Jak’s modus operandi seemed to be getting people out as soon as they sat down.  Further, I was enticed as Baity Kitchen’s advertised free, wireless internet, which was missing at Jak’s.

So one rainy afternoon we went to Baity Kitchen — to never ever return there again.  Why?

(1) the staff was rude beyond blasé, far ruder than at Jak’s (and this is difficult, believe you me!);

(2) it’s was more expensive for less! For 3 salads at Baity’s you pay something like £14.90.  (5 salads for 11.90 at Jaks for the same quality and more choice).  To add insult to injury, no pricings are indicated at the blackboard in the restaurant, and when we asked how many salads were included in the platter, we were told (rudely) “how many we want” – so we chose 4 salads and had to pay extra for the 4th.  Lovely.  We ended up paying over 50 pounds for a salad, a chicken (which was re-heated in the microwave, rather tasteless and not properly cooked through, meaning that it was a salmonella risk and did not come off the bone), a tea and a sparkling water.  One can almost get a 3 course lunch menu at Michelin-starred restaurants for that sort of money – and they fawn all over you.  Indeed, I will shortly write up a greenlight review on a restaurant just down the road on Walton Street called The Enterprise (3 course lunch menu for 19.50) that I would recommend every time over Baity Kitchen;

not properly cooked chicken @ Baity Kitchen

(3) even though the restaurant looks nice, with an airy ambience and a glass roof in the dining area, on the rainy day we were there,  it was cold and uncomfortable.  While this may have been from the frosty service, the metal tables and lack of sufficient heating to compensate from the door opening and letting in draughts of cold air made us shiver.

Airy but cold @ Baity’s Kitchen

To conclude, I recommend readers to avoid Baity’s unless 1. it is  a sunny, warm day and 2. The Enterprise has closed down and Jak’s is full and 3. Someone else is paying.

• Food: 5/10
• Ambiance: 4/10
• Service: 4/10
• Value for Money: 1/10
• Chances of Returning: 0%
• Verdict: Chelsea/Knightsbridge rip off place for people who don’t mind overpaying