The dining room spells T-R-E-N-D-Y. It feels more formal and less raw than José, but it still follows the bar-seating-around-the-open-kitchen formula of its sister. We sat right near the pass during our visit which meant we got to see José at work. The menu is small, and it has less of a tapas-focus than at José and more main course selections (five).

As we decided on what to order, we were presented with some veggie nibbles of radish and cauliflower dressed with olive oil and cava vinegar. These are worth a mention as they were lovely with a hint of delicate acidic sweetness.

Veg dressed with olive oil & cava vinegar

A parsnip and celeriac soup (£5.50), with a drizzling of truffle oil and a choice of crispy ham and/or Manchego (we went for both) was scrumptious. There was a sweetness coming through from the parsnip and celeriac, and the robust flavour of the cheese and the crispiness of the ham provided a lovely contrast against the mellow qualities of the creamy soup. The truffle oil rounded off the dish nicely. We attempted to share the soup by asking for another bowl, at which point José kindly plated up another portion for us at no extra cost. How generous! But then, José himself comes across as kindly and extremely nice.

Parsnip and celeriac soup

A plate of jamón Ibérico Manuel Maldonado (£20) was deliciously meaty and rich in flavour. Also appealing was the fantastic deep red colour of the ham and the unctuous qualities of the fat.

Jamón Ibérico

We followed this with pan-fried fillets of seabass (£17.50) which were meaty and generously sized. The fish had been perfectly cooked, moist and juicy. Served with roasted winter vegetables including parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke, it was also accompanied by a herb salsa verde with capers and olives which matched the fish wonderfully with its freshness and acidity. This was a fantastic dish.

Seabass

Seabass

Lamb (£14.50), was nicely cooked, gamey and meaty. But at £14.50, the portion felt small. It was accompanied by fresh radicchio and sweet lentils which gave way to a tender bite and a lovely sweetness.

Lamb

Chocolate and caramel ice creams (£6) served with toast was delicious. The ice creams were decadently creamy and silky smooth, and the contrast between the two flavours worked well. The toast added a subtle crunch to the ice creams.

Chocolate and caramel ice creams

Pizarro lives up to the food standards set by José. Its philosophy of simple, fantastic cooking using great produce speaks for itself. The food luxuriates a comforting warmth. However, the service, whilst pleasant, was a little sloppy – as an example, we had to ask for a dessert menu three times. Nevertheless, Pizarro is still a winner.

Website: http://www.josepizarro.com/restaurants/pizarro/

The décor suits its French Bistro status and its location well. The restaurant has a rustic and stylish appeal with cream coloured wooden panels and lots of comfy leather booth seating.

An ox tongue, beetroot and walnut salad (£6.50) with a ravigota vinaigrette containing capers, shallots, parsley and gherkins was lovely. The ox tongue was well cooked and tender, the walnuts gave the salad crunch, and there was a nice balance of acidity and sweetness coming through from the dressing.

Ox tongue, beetroot & walnut salad

A Cornish crab salad (£9.50) was resoundingly fresh and flavoursome. There was a good balance between the white and brown meat.

Cornish crab

Steak was what appealed on this occasion – something grilled – and we went for the 35 day aged Longhorn rump (£26 – 400g) which was cooked to a wonderful pinkness. There was a wonderful robust beefy flavour coming through from the meat. A Belted Galloway bone-in sirloin (£29.50 – 500g) was also enjoyable and tender.

35 day aged Longhorn rump

Belted Galloway bone-in sirloin

The side dishes were less successful however. Creamed leeks (£3.50) were tough to cut and difficult to eat although the creamy topping of thyme and garlic was nicely done. Carrots (£3.50) glazed with star anise and orange were a touch too sharp and tart. And even though we ordered steak, unfortunately I can’t comment on the frites as we didn’t try any.

Creamed leeks & glazed carrots

Normally vanilla ice cream is used to fill the profiteroles, but I opted for the cornflake ice cream instead which was delicious. It might seem like an unusual choice, but it still worked with the profiteroles as the cornflake flavour was quite gentle. On its own, the choux pastry was dry, but this was helped by the lovely chocolate sauce and the ice cream.

Profiteroles

A chocolate brownie (£5.50) with its gooey softness was decadently good. It was also served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Chocolate brownie

There were some minor hiccups but overall the cooking was well executed and the food was enjoyable. On the night of our visit the restaurant was very quiet and it is hard to say if the service is much different on a busier evening. But I was surprised that Bistro du Vin didn’t have a better attendance. The good standard of the bistro food would justify it.

I dined as guest of the restaurant.

Website: http://www.bistroduvin.co.uk/bistros/soho

Hotel Chocolat Head over Heels Valentine Box

As you know, next Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. A day for amour, Hotel Chocolat has returned to the golden age of romance with their luxurious Valentine’s Chocolate box selections which will set your heart alight.

Take the Head over Heels Valentine Chocolate Box. As a gift, this will be sure to seduce with its beautiful white box and glamorous satin ribbon. Inside is a lovely range of smooth creamy chocolates containing an irresistible range of fillings. There is the champagne truffle, a milk truffle filled with a classy dash of champagne; and an amaretto amour with a touch of amaretto and crushed amaretti biscuit to complete its allure.

I also couldn’t help but fall for the decadent heart-shaped chocolates. Gorgeous looking in colour and design, these included a raspberry rapture, a white chocolate filled with a tangy raspberry cream that tingles on your tongue. What a great way to celebrate Valentine’s. Here’s wishing you a very romantic and sexy day!

Hotel Chocolat Head over Heels Valentine Box

This is a paid-for product write-up.

We kicked off with some pan-fried king prawns (6) with chilli & garlic (£14.95) which were of a decent quality. But the prawns were under seasoned and not particularly garlic-y.

Pan-fired king prawns

Fried calamari with lemon & garlic mayonnaise (£8.95) was also decent, but again under seasoned. The batter was crispy, but a touch too thick.

Fried calamari

Chargrilled tuna steak with marinated tomato, avocado and red onion salsa (£13.95) was cooked to the requested medium rare. It was tasty, but the accompanying salsa was a too sharp and harsh against the tuna and therefore did not work.

Yes Sophie’s is a steakhouse, so it might perplex you that I would order something other than steak. But I was having flashbacks of the divinely glorious lobster roll at Hawksmoor Seven Dials (available from their bar menu) when I chose the whole Canadian lobster and avocado club (£21.95). Served with smoked back bacon, iceberg lettuce, tomato & lemon mayonnaise on a brioche, I was hoping for something just as resplendent.

Instead I was aghast to find that this lobster club was awful, hideous in fact. The lobster was dry, tasteless and had crusted over from overexposure to air. The lobster should never been served and made one wonder about the quality controls in the kitchen. The avocado was also hard and inedible. The only tasty aspect of this dish was the brioche, which on its own was not worth paying £21.95 for.

Lobster and avocado club

Dark chocolate fudge brownie (£6.25) was by far the best part of meal. Served with ice cream and chocolate sauce, the brownie was gooey, warm and delicious.

Dark chocolate fudge brownie

My protests over the poor quality of my main did not go unheeded which was pleasing to see from a service perspective. I received a comp voucher from Sophie’s which I went back to use, unannounced. This time I tried the steak.

An evening experience proved to be slightly less hectic. This time around I kicked off with a dressed crab salad with coriander, mayonnaise and sourdough toast (£8.95) which was decent but unspectacular. The coriander was undetectable in the salad.

Dressed crab salad

The waiter managed to tempt me with what was listed on the specials menu as a ‘10oz rare breed sirloin’ – which breed I know not as the waiter couldn’t tell me. The flavour of this sirloin was truly good – deep, unctuous and robust. But given that the steak cost £32, it was also surprisingly chewy in parts. It was also under seasoned and under cooked (rare rather than my requested medium rare), which left the middle of the meat slightly cold. If you ask me, bad steak cooking is bit of a cardinal sin at a steak house.

Rare breed sirloin

Second time around, and Sophie’s again failed to impress. There were too many school boy errors which suggested a lack of attention to detail. Sophie’s Steakhouse feels soulless. It’s run as a business venture rather than a restaurant which wants to provide diners with a good eating experience. It’s not cheap either. Before you know it, you could easily blow £50 for a very average starter, steak and drink experience. If its steak you are hankering after, you are better off going to the Hawksmoor.

Website: http://www.sophiessteakhouse.co.uk/chelsea.php

The choice of location in Chiswick on the Gunnersbury border is a bold move. This makes it a restaurant you have to want to travel for, and on the whole it was worth the trip. The décor is modern, inviting and relaxed, with an open kitchen that adds a further interactive appeal to the dining room. The staff was enthusiastic, informative and helpful.

The menu is compact in choice and is priced according to the number of courses you order. There is also a 7 course tasting menu. We kicked off with a cheese biscuit appetiser with a raspberry topping. The biscuit was light and airy, and the raspberry was pleasant.

Cheese biscuit

An amuse bouche of umami flan with seaweed was stunning. The savoury notes of the umami in the form of a set cream were accentuated by the earthy flavour of the seaweed. This was a dish worth of a Michelin star.

Uhttp://agirlhastoeat.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=10067&action=edit&message=10mami custard

A Dorset crab ‘tart’ with a sesame crispbread and Granny Smith cream was lovely and fresh. The biscuit provided a wonderful textural crunch, with the apple adding a sweet acidity to the crab. There was an airy dexterity in the tart which was quite bewitching.

Dorset crab tart with Granny Smith

I couldn’t fault the wonderful freshness and the quality of the ingredients in a dish of Cévannes onions with pear shavings and beurre blanc. However, on the whole, I found this course dull and unexciting conceptually.

Cévannes onions with pear

Poached rock oysters were meaty and juicy. The accompaniments of watercress jelly and beetroot reduction worked well with the oysters, although the jelly was a little cold against the warmth of the oysters.

Poached rock oysters

A duck egg ‘meurette’ was beautifully cooked. The yolk was a luscious golden colour and was firm, yet soft. The meurette was scrumptious and boasted of a bold and rich beef stock flavour. This was a lovely dish.

Duck egg meurette

Roasted Sika deer with pan juices and wood sorrel was pink and perfectly cooked. Smoked mash potatoes were light on smokiness but nevertheless were wonderfully creamy and tasty.

Roasted Sika deer

Roasted grey partridge was gamey and tasty. A watercress sauce, similar to a purée in texture, was a nice touch. But for me, this dish screamed for a jus of some sort, without which, the partridge almost felt dry. Jerusalem artichoke served roasted and in purée form, was wonderfully tasty. The dish came with an optional side of partridge offal in the form of brains and a yummy heart and liver paté on a crostini.

Roasted grey partridge

Side of partridge offal

A variation of lemon in the form of meringue, custard, sorbet and confit was amazing. The sorbet was sharp and zingy, and the gentle acidity coming through from the other variations of lemon provided a fantastic counterpoint to the sorbet. This was a superbly balanced and refreshing dessert.

Variation of lemon

Hedone chocolate, a layered dessert with an almond dacquoise, ganache, praline and a chocolate glaze was very tasty and well made. But it seemed to lack for a biscuit-y crunch and a deeper chocolate-y richness which could have made this dessert amazing.

Hedone chocolate

This meal was not without a few minor questionable points, and I didn’t entirely agree with all of the dish compositions. That said, Hedone was conceptually interesting and particularly admirable for its single-minded focus on the use of quality ingredients. And the cooking was fairly fault-free and cannot be considered anything less than exceptional for what is a debut restaurant. Hedone is a restaurant worth applauding.

Website: http://www.hedonerestaurant.com