And then it has the kind of menu which makes you want to taste everything. There are lots of smallish plates for sharing, satisfying sounding salads and hearty rustic mains. Make no mistake; the clever people behind The Riding House Café took great pains in the design of this outfit. This is the kind of restaurant you want to come to eat at and slink around in.

With such great expectations, we decided on a number of small plates, starting with the chicken liver parfait (£5) with truffle butter, cornichons and served on crostini. The parfait was creamy and tasty, and this would have been a good dish had it not been for the over seasoning.

Chicken liver parfait

Goat’s curd, figs and honey (£4) was yummy and satisfying. The combination of the savoury overtones of the curd with the sweetness of the honey was quite delightful, and the addition of toasted pumpkin seeds was a nice crunchy touch.

Goat’s curd, figs and honey

Slow roasted pork belly with cumin salt (£6) was flavoursome but dry. However, the crackling was good and popped nicely in your mouth.

Slow roasted pork belly

Smoked eel (£6) was meaty and tasty, but the accompanying pickled carrots were overpoweringly sour and jarred the palate. Less vinegar, and this dish would have worked as it was a conceptually good dish.

Smoked eel

A starter size of herb salad (£6, £10 for a main) with chicken (£4 supplement) was ok. The leaves were fresh and crispy, but the dressing was a little bland and the chicken was bordering on dry.

Herb salad with chicken

A main of grilled lamb chump chops (£17) was tasty with a gamey meaty flavour, but again it was over seasoned. Otherwise this could have been a wonderful dish with its accompaniments of butter beans, mint and yoghurt.

Grilled lamb chump chops

Ice strawberry parfait, meringue and Chantilly cream (£6.50) was pretty as a picture. The meringue was excellent and the cream was luscious. The parfait was good too, but a touchy icy.

Ice strawberry parfait

We were assigned a waitress who was polished, attentive and professional. But there were also one silly waiter who, when we told him that the fresh plates that had had been brought to us hadn’t been cleaned properly, took the dirty ones away but failed to reappear with new ones.

I liked the food at The Riding House Café – it was decent. But with a menu that was an attractive read, and a decor that was a diner’s dream, I had really wanted to love it. The execution of the cooking showed promise, and there were many hints of good technique, but almost every dish had a little niggle in it, and for the silliest of reasons such as over seasoning.

But all said and done, this place will no doubt draw in the crowds. It has great appeal. But I’m only going to give Riding House Café a 3/5 for food. Harsh I know – it could have, should have been more – but chef, you really need to taste your food.

Website: http://www.ridinghousecafe.co.uk/

The Refinery

The menu is varied with a selection of plates for sharing, nibbles, sandwiches, burgers, mains and steaks. There is also a large selection of cocktails to choose from, including a variety of Bloody Mary type cocktails. I went for the Crystal Mary martini (£7.95) which was so fiery from the Tabasco that I found it too harsh on my palate. But this was made good with an excellent Russian rose martini (£6.95). The drink was well balanced and smooth which helped it go down a treat. Also impressive was the large selection of wines on the drinks menu that you could order by the glass and in varying measures.

Crystal Mary martini

The soft shell crab (£7.95) was tasty, and there was a good crunchiness to the batter. But what was perplexing was that it was served with a mayo rather than the caramelised onion and sherry vinaigrette listed on the menu.

Soft shell crab

I didn’t understand the concept behind the starters of salmon ceviche (£6.95) with dried lemon, coriander and chilli, or the crab ceviche (£6.95) with pink grapefruit and ginger. To be honest, we didn’t order the crab ceviche. The kitchen sent it out by mistake so the waitress generously left the dish with us rather than throw it out – a nice touch I thought. Anyway, ceviche typically incorporates the use of raw seafood and relies on the acidity of citrus juices to marinate (and in essence cook) the seafood. Neither dish had any citrus juices in them, nor was the crab raw. Both dishes lacked seasoning, and while the salmon was lovely and fresh, the crab was not fresh. The cooked prawns in the crab ceviche dish were quite tasty, but otherwise, both the ceviche dishes were very poor.

Crab ceviche

Salmon ceviche

Steaks of rib-eye steak (£18.95) and sirloin (£14.95) were nicely cooked to the requested medium rare and were decently sized, but could have done with more seasoning. The quality of the steaks was decent and reasonable enough for what they cost. The surf-and-turf addition of lobster with the rib-eye was flavoursome and nicely cooked, and the sides of chips were good and crunchy. Accompanying sauces of béarnaise and blue cheese had a good consistency and flavour.

Rib-eye steak

Sirloin

A blackforest knickerblocker glory (£6.95) in a massive tall glass was decadently filled with yummy ice cream, cherries, cream and chocolate-y brownie bits and was rather satisfying.

Blackforest knickerblocker

The crumble on a blackberry and apple crumble (£4.95) was quite fine with a good crunch to it. The apple could have been cooked longer for a softer effect, but I liked the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet. In this respect, there was a good balance in this dessert.

Blackberry and apple crumble

The service was disorganised and extremely slow on our arrival, even if it was very friendly and pleasant. We were told that these delays were due to a fire alarm going off at The Tate which led to a mass exodus of people rushing into The Refinery. Whatever the story, matters did improve during the latter part of our meal.

This was a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the seafood we tried was good, some not. The meats fared better but needed more seasoning. The desserts were yummy and the drinks menus offered lots of choice and variety.

I suppose one doesn’t go to The Refinery for gourmet food, but I think it has a rightful place as a casual brunch restaurant if you happen to be by the Tate, especially with its good range of drinks choices. Just choose carefully.

I dined as a guest of The Refinery.

Website: http://www.therefinerybar.co.uk/

The Spitalfields branch recently launched a bar extension in its basement with 60 covers. Its focus is the bar (rather than food as is case with the restaurant upstairs) and it offers a selection of carefully selected cocktails, some of which date back to the original 2006 Hawksmoor cocktail list. The bar suits the Spitalfields area. It’s cool and chilled, and relies on the use of reclaimed materials to give it a slightly grungy look. There is also a bar menu which is quite distinct to the upstairs dining menu, with more snack-type eats to complement the drinks in the bar. It features a compilation of sandwiches, and more importantly, includes a lobster roll (£15). One cannot order from the main restaurant menu in the bar or vice versa.

It may seem funny that the item I enjoyed the most at a steak restaurant was their lobster, but the one I had at The Hawksmoor Seven Dials was truly glorious. The portion of juicy, tasty lobster was generous, and it was served on a brioche bread roll that was to die for. Finally it had been dressed with an decadent quantity of unctuous butter which turned this into something incredibly satisfying and addictive. Yum. Anyway, the one at Hawksmoor Spitalfields bar.was decent, but a little dry. Also, the brioche wasn’t quite to the standard set by Seven Dials. It only cost £15 rather than the £25 at Seven Dials, but it was also a smaller portion.

Lobster roll

Heading upstairs, I found the dining room to be bigger and far cosier than I last remembered and the restaurant has an urban sophistication that didn’t seem to exist a few years ago. To starters, I was very impressed with the generosity shown in a crab and samphire salad. For £10, there was a lot of fresh, good quality crab. The red meat of the crab was also very impressive with its smooth and creamy overtones and no hint of bitterness. However, the salad needed a touch of acidity and the samphire was a little tough, but otherwise this was a very good dish.

Crab and samphire salad

Also impressive was the smoked salmon with potato farl and a pea salad (£10). The smoked salmon was of a very good quality, the salad was fresh like spring, and the potato farl was rustic and tasty with a crispy exterior.

Smoked salmon

Steaks of bone-in sirloin (£30 – 600gm) and rib-eye (£28 – 400gm) were hearty in size and full of flavour. The sirloin was so tender you could cut it with the back of your knife. The rib-eye erred on the rare side rather than the requested medium rare, but was delicious nonetheless. And the leftovers which I took home in a goodie bag tasted just as fabulous the next day.

Bone-in sirloin

Rib-eye

A side serving of bone-in marrow (£4) was nicely roasted and soft like butter. Triple cooked chips (£4) were super crunchy, and buttered spring greens (£4) were nicely cooked to yield a little bite.

Bone marrow

We tried three different flavours of ice cream – vanilla, corn flake and chocolate (£3 a scoop). All were nice and creamy. The sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream (£6.75), accompanied by lashings of rich sweet sauce, also went down well.

Ice cream

Sticky toffee pudding

The service was pleasant and efficient. Our waitress did a good job of recommending a wine that was well suited to our steaks in the price bracket that we were considering, the A Lisa from Bodega Noemia, Patagonia Argentina 2010 (£45).

All in all, this was a very, very good dining experience. There is a little something for everyone. You can have snack-type foods downstairs or restaurant dining with fine steaks upstairs. Or if a drink followed by dinner is your poison, then the new bar at The Hawksmoor Spitalfields does a good job of accommodating this.

Restaurant Link: http://thehawksmoor.com/locations/spitalfields

Bar Link: http://thehawksmoor.com/spitalfieldsbar

We tried the entire menu, starting with Lord Lurgan’s Broth which featured on the Spice Menu also. The recipe for this broth is one that Richard Corrigan found in an old cookery book and has long been forgotten. The broth was beautifully clear and intense with flavour, and there was a smokiness coming through from the use of smoked chicken wings in its cooking. The addition of Grade A basmati rice added texture to the dish.

Lord Lurgan’s Broth

Squirrel, a rarely featured produce, was plated as a ballotine and a parfait and served with fruits and nuts. The ballotine was wonderfully tender and flavoursome and the parfait was deliciously creamy. The fruits added acidity, and the nuts added crunchiness, but I also thought the dish incredibly clever with its play on squirrel and nuts.

Squirrel, fruits and nuts

Smoked eel served with coddled eggs was a delight. The eel had been delicately smoked and was gloriously tasty. The eggs, with its creamy delicate texture worked well with the eel to balance out its oily richness.

Coddled eggs with smoked eel

Less successful was a dish of wild salmon with sloe gin jelly. The salmon was fresh and tasty, but the tartness of the jelly was too sharp against the subtlety of the fish. Some savoury overtones could have been thrown into the mix to better balance the flavours.

Wild salmon with sloe gin jelly

Salad of crispy pig’s ears with brawn was rich with flavour. The brawn was well judged so as to maximum on flavour without being too overpowering. The crispy ears added a crunchy element to the dish.

Crispy pig’s ears

A stargary pie containing pilchard, a cross between sardines and anchovies, could have been quite overpowering. Instead the creamy sauce in which it was cooked in created a tasty and well judged filling. The pastry was also brilliantly made, flaky and stunningly delicious.

Stargazy pie

Hardwick shoulder of mutton was beautifully cooked and very tender. The use of a buttermilk as an accompaniment added a gentle hint of acidic contrast, and Shetland red cabbage coleslaw was naturally sweet and worked well with the mutton.

Hardwick shoulder of mutton

Beremeal cookie with a beremeal and honey ice cream was wonderful. Beremeal is a type of flour that is rarely used and has an earthy nuttiness to it which was lovely. The honey in the ice cream gave the ice cream a luxurious quality which was highly enjoyable.

Beremeal cookie with ice cream

A lemon and goat’s curd tart was creamy, sweet with a perfectly judged level of lemony zing. The sorrel sorbet, with its lemony overtones was a wonderful accompaniment for the tart.

Lemon and goat’s curd tart

The barman recommended a 2011 Chateau de la Mirande Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc to go with a meal which worked very well with our dinner.

This was another fabulous bar menu from Corrigan. The cooking was highly accomplished, and the use of some uncommon ingredients was well thought out and clever. An excellent and very well priced meal.

Website: http://www.corrigansmayfair.com/

I booked Mele e Pere on a TopTable offer of three courses and a glass of wine dinner special for only £17.50. I usually have some reservations about most TopTable dining offers, after all you get what you pay for. But the man fronting Mele e Pere is Andrea Mantovani, who was previously the head chef at Arbutus, the one-Michelin starred restaurant on Frith Street. His pedigree helped to deal away any hesitation I might have had.

A generous starter of green bean salad with a cottage cheese dressing was delightful. The dressing was rich and creamy and oozed with garlic-y goodness. The beans were well cooked with a bite to them, and the use of crunchy croutons and nutty parmesan shavings added flavour and lots of lovely textural contrasts.

Green bean salad

Guinea fowl with pearl barley and pomegranate was also generously sized. But there was too much barley to guinea fowl on the plate, leading to a dish that was imbalanced in terms of proportions. The bird was nicely cooked but a little under seasoned. However the sweetness of the pomegranate gave the dish a lovely zing.

Guinea fowl with pearl barley

A main of roast porchetta with lentils and salsa verde was disappointing. There was a nice flavour of thyme running through it, but the pork was dry, and the roasted peppers in the salsa verde were a little bitter.

Roast porchetta

But the restaurant redeemed itself with their glorious rendition of an egg maccheroncini pasta dish with San Marzano tomatoes and ricotta. The pasta was expertly made, light and airy, and the tomato sauce was sweet and tasty. And with the ricotta running through the sauce to give it a creamy effect, the dish became something decadently delectable.

Maccheroncini

A custard and rice tart with orange sorbet was also very good. The custard was lovely and creamy, and the pastry had a good buttery crunch to it. But most impressive was the sorbet which was light, well flavoured, and which matched the tart perfectly.

Custard and rice tart

But the aspect of this meal which really blew me away was the fior di latte ice cream with strawberries. A textural dream, this was truly one of the best ice creams that I have ever tried. There was a whipped effect in the ice cream which made it incredibly light. The sweetness was well measured so that it was not too sweet. Mantovani is truly a deft hand with ice creams and sorbets.

Fior di latte ice cream

The service was efficient, professional and accommodating. When I mentioned to the head waiter that the porchetta was dry, he comped our coffees.

The thing that I took away from my experience at Mele e Pere was just how good both the pasta and desserts were. I would go back to the restaurant for these two reasons alone. Less pleasing were the meats, but the bean salad was also a delight with its use of fresh, tasty produce, and a winning choice of ingredient combinations.

And all said and done, what we ate, we ate for £17.50 each, with a glass of good house wine thrown in. Incredible value I say.

Website: http://www.meleepere.co.uk/