We start with the long bus journey from Waterloo station (bus 77, 35 minutes) past Battersea and into Lavender Hill in search of the supposedly hidden gem of an Italian restaurant. And I’ll take this opportunity to address a topic that’s been brewing among the twitterati of late.

When I got my first invites I was ecstatic, I thought of it as a kind of recognition that restaurants would invite me to do reviews. When it came time to write them, yeah there’s tremendous guilt and its difficult trying to come across as objectively as possible.

Bloggers are talking about it and its no secret that foodbloggers do get invitations from PR people to review their restaurants, with the restaurant covering the costs of the meal. I’ve covered this before in my past restaurant invites, and I make it known to everybody that I get invitations to write reviews. Is it awkward to write them? Yes of course it is. I do put down money for tips with every free invite, I know it won’t replace the cost of the meal, but I do try.

I chose to fully disclose the background to everything I write. Hence the segregation between ‘invites to review’ (comped by the restaurant) and a ‘review’ (which I paid for myself). I haven’t been afraid to pan invites which didn’t fly (Nahm and High Timber) and I have gone to try places, and indeed paid for the meal myself (belgo lobsterfest) after reading up on other blogger’s invited reviews.

I’m not a professional writer or critic and I have never claimed to be. I have never claimed to know everything about food, and I am simply someone who loves to eat and I am merely documenting my dinners. When I get invited to something, I go along to it and then I write about it. At the end of the day, its up to the reader to decide whether my stuff is useful or not.

As for the blogging bit itself, I try my utmost to review restaurants as objectively as I can; I spend about four hours on each write-up, and a further four hours on the pictures. As a result from this foodblog, I’ve taken an interest in photography and have since invested in camera gear. I do spend abit of time taking pictures of the food with every meal just to get a really good shot, all just for a blog post. I jot down notes of everything I eat, just so it’s all properly recorded as it happened, and finally maintaining an attractive, up to date blog design. And yes, I still have to tend to my day job which actually pays the rent. Alot of work goes into one review, and every single review takes alot out of me. Yeah, it’s become a little obsessive, I do put in alot of time and effort into this blog, and I spend alot of time with the blogposts because I want to write/photograph as best I can, partly because I want to create something entertaining for readers and partly because I am hoping that it will become useful to whoever picks it up.

The PR people behind Donna invited me to do a review, and I accepted it. Following the first visit, I returned to the same restaurant a week later for a meal I paid for personally, hence the wonky title. And so this will be abit of a combo review with dishes from two visits.

Actually, that’s two return visits in two weeks, Donna as well as Sketch. With Sketch, they offered me a £50 gift voucher and that was something that was publicly available (and still is). And both times, I went back because I liked the restaurant, and gladly returned as a paying customer.

That’s my position with these ‘invites’. I know I can’t please everybody and I can only do the best I can, so I will let my reviews speak for themselves. If you want to pass judgement over me, I welcome you to do so. Afterall, my reviews criticise the hardwork of restaurants, and I should be able to take criticism accordingly.

If my reputation is to be tested, then so be it.

I have always spoken plainly and openly. I don’t hide behind my blog and I don’t claim to be an expert. I am someone who enjoys eating. Inspired by, I look to emulate the illustrious foodbloggers who have come before me and I’m sharing my passion with anyone who cares to listen.

Donna in two

Phew, ok so that’s the political bit, back to eating. And just when I was beginning to think that the restaurant was imaginary, I noticed a string of restaurants and spotted Donna. Standing by the entrance was the head waiter. A bearded Italian Stallion - stern looking fella’ – whose frown quickly melted into a warm smile as he ushered us to our table. We arrived early at 6.30 on a friday, but the restaurant quickly filled up by 8pm.

The restaurant is richly adorned with all sorts of nostalgia-ware, football jerseys and B&W photographs; so much so, I regretted not taking more pictures of the décor. It screams local eatery and even has that musky smell of a restaurant that’s been there for too long. The restaurant prides itself in serving Neapolitan food, which by their own account is a result of a criss-crossing of several cultures which has affected the cuisine and resulted in a style that’s a halfway house between being refined and folk. Sounds good to me, I was just completely intrigued with their claim about the pizzas… but first, some appetisers.

Swimming

My family loves fresh seafood, especially the old man, he loves anything that’s still ‘Yau Siu’ (swimming).

Hmm.

Swordfish Carpaccio, rocket salad. The fish was quite a tough texture, almost like a robust tuna, it was chewy as opposed to being a puffy marsmallow. I assumed it was raw (Salted? Raw? Unsure, help?), but it tasted as if it was medium rare. It did carry a silky juiciness with it. It was zestified from the lemon juice but overall, the bold flavours of the fish dominated, which was a good thing. I love raw fish, and can only appreciate a good Carpaccio. A rustic start, if rather uneventful.

Next up: Deep fried calamari and sicilian prawns served on a bed of mix leaf salad.

The crusty exterior of the squid rings were extraordinary. I wasn’t expecting much of anything, but these were great as they reminded me of my mum’s recipe (she really knows best). Instead of a crunchy batter; this one was light, and almost powdery, interestingly enough, what made it tremendously delicious was an inherent eggyness that went really, really well with the squid. There was an openness about it, and the fresh approach made the deep fried calamaries a breeze to wolf down.

Similarly, the prawns were fried crisply and the natural seafood flavour was intensified with a sort of eggyness in the mix. The recipe somehow reminded me of Chinese prawn crackers, you know, a certain umaminess to the dish.

Best pizza in London?

Ok, I know what everybody is thinking: Franco Manca. That cannot be ignored, the benchmark for pizzas in the capital surely has to be measured against the Brixton Institution. So it won’t come as a surprise that I would be comparing DM with FM.

I was served the margherita (tomato & mozzarella & fresh basil ) on first visit (£5.90) and on my 2nd visit, I tried the Marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano £5.50) and the San daniele (parma ham, tomato, parmesan £7.95). Let’s start with the all important dough.

Ok, FM has competition. The pizza base is thin, thinner than FM and it is softer and rather more delicate. I also noted that it was served warm, as opposed to piping hot at FM (not sure if it was rested first or if the FM ovens were warmer). The base is very appetising and there was a silky bounce and subtle consistency to it, as opposed to a sizzling bang and a terrific pillow like chew which the FM pizza exhibits. Its very difficult to call, both pizza bases are very good indeed, but I may just give it to FM for better flavour and more chewiness and bounce as well as an overall wow factor. Having said that, I actually appreciated DM’s mellowness. As I said, a tough call.

Next: The tomato paste. I immediately noticed the freshness of the tomato paste, it was so fragrant that you could smell all the aromas. Eating it was a real pleasure, as I was tempted to just slurp the sweet juices off the pizza, it was fresh, bright and the highlight of the pizza. Very open flavour and the intensity was just right. Not too sweet, not too tangy, subtle and just the right balance of acidity. Coupled with the creamy mozzarella produced a fantastic body, with the rich tomatoes blending oh so well with the creamy cheese. I give this one to DM.

Thirdly: Toppings. Alright, I didnt sample everything on the DM menu. All three pizzas at DM were subtly flavoured and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The margherita was an instant classic but my favourite was the marinara as the garlic brought an understated punch to the juicy tomato base. I tried four of the FM pizzas and I have to give this one to Franco. The toppings are rich flavoured and one can really taste the intensity, I refer to the ricotta and artichokes; the anchovies and olives, as well as the brindisa chorizo which FM uses. Bursting flavours and sheer wow factor, I give this one to FM.

So is it the best in London? Erm, its pretty darn close. I think it’s comparable to FM pizzas although it is of a different style. I’ve been scratching my head over how to describe them, and the difference is abit like comparing an able Australian Shiraz against a subtle Burgundy. FM’s wow factor and big flavours, as well as the sizzling heat it is served with makes it akin to a classic Penfolds vintage, everybody will be in agreement that it’s a great pizza. With DM, its silkier, its more subtle, its juicier, its more fragrant, its mellow, its abit more complex and like a great bottle of Nuits St Georges (erm, Im leaning toward David Duband), I could stick a straw in and drink in any day and any night.

I think it comes down to a matter of choice, which do you prefer? Big robust flavours, or something abit more subtle? Both are very good.

Am I by the Sea?

Right, 1400 words and we’re only about half way through. Time for some pasta: O’paccher e`pusillipo, Paccheri pasta with prawns, mussels, porcini mushrooms, rocket, aubergine,Cherry tomatoes, basil and a touch of chilli.(£10)

The juices from the seafood has saturated the pasta, giving it a full flavoured fragrance, its very appetising, and its as if the entire ocean has been distilled into the dish, that is has become a sumptuous gravy. The dish is further coloured with the sweet cherry tomatoes and there is just a very faint hint of spice. Above all, the paccheri pasta was amazing. It was a dense noodle, very thick and rich in eggyness. The heaviness of the pasta soaked up a lot of the juices and every bite brought out bursting seafood flavours. I’m impressed with this one – it is very good indeed.

On my second visit, I had to try more seafood and I plonked for the A’grigliat ro’ Fusaro , (Plate for two) which is a char grilled selection of fresh fish served on a bed of mix salad (£35)

Normally its served with fresh whole seabass, squid, king prawns, mussels, clams and octopus, but they ran out of seabass on our visit. Everything is chargrilled to absolute perfection. The scallops and prawns were so sweet, my tummy was positively rumbling. The smoky grilled flavours were very evident, and there wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t delicious on this plate – I love every bit of it. At £35, the most expensive thing on the menu, and since we were there as a table of six, they spread the portions out over two plates.

Pudding? what?

The lemon brulee was rather good, it was made with a lemon sorbet underneath the custard, but overall I thought the desserts were merely so so. The tiramisu was utterly forgettable, and the torte carprese – almond and chocolate – was merely ordinary.

This could well be one of the most comprehensive reviews I’ve written, and I can safely say that Donna Margherita is good. Its not going to win any big awards, and in a way, that’s a good thing. The classical style is rustic and its just straightforward good Italian food. In particular, the pizzas are wonderful, almost as good as Franco Manca and the pastas as well as the seafood stand out. Its unbeatable when it comes to price, primis at £6 ; pastas at £11; pizza £8 ; meat/fish £13-£15 ; Dolce £4.

My only problem is that 35 minute bus ride. Otherwise, it’s Napoli in London.

The Gist of it

Donna Margherita official site
183 Lavender Hill SW11 5
(020) 7228 2660
£20pp
Verdict:Great Pizzas, lovely seafood and heartwarming pastas. An excellent Italian restaurant in the City.

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Technorati Tags: battersea, donna margherita, italian cuisine, london, restaurant review

Held at a ’secret’ location somewhere in London called ‘The Loft’, The Mash-up is the brainchild of Paris-based Gastro-Architect Rachel Khoo. And LondonEater brings you all the sumptious action, from behind the camera.

Expositing the underground dining scene

Much has been talked/written/blogged about regarding the exploding underground dining scene in the capital. At it’s core, it is a noble concept; the idea of someone opening up their home to strangers and offering to cook for them. One can argue that dinner parties have been going on for years and years now, some won’t really understand the fuss around it. I was speaking to a veteran dinner party host who told me the only difference was you ate with strangers who saw a piece on the internet (like this one). Anywho, that’s my John McEnroe about it; the only way to really find out what happens in one of these digs is to go to one.

Meet Rachel, Nuno, Jay-P & T-Baas.

The Mash-up concept is Rachel Khoo’s super cool idea of melding the visual and aural to enhance the dinner and give it an overall mood. The visual side of things is evident the moment you glance over at the table; rich forest green placemats and water bottle labels courtesy of T-Baas, and the audio part of it being taken care of by a mixtape in the background put together by Jay-P.

And the stage is set at The Loft - billed as the private kitchen of Chef Nuno Mendes, but in truth, it’s a really nice home. Everything open plan, with a mezzanine upper area and a ceiling that is very nearly two storeys high.

It’s a little nerve wracking with such events, and one never really knows what to expect. The vital difference between the pros and the alternatives is the mingling at the start. Believe me, it’s worringly awkward showing up to someone’s house expecting them to serve you like a restaurant patron and my conscience telling me that I really should be respecting the hospitality offered by the hostess inviting us into their personal space. This debate, I’ll probably save for twitter.

Fortunately, Rachel is as slick a hostess as they come – an ultimate multitasker, I watched as she gracefully switched gears from manning the kitchen (assisted by the lovely Caroline) to inviting people to the venue, and most importantly, making one feel right at home. (even more importantly, putting a glass of bubbly in your hands)

Garden Salad

I was actually on hand to supply pictures for the event, and I tell you, it was fascinating getting total freedom to roam around the place, photographing everything that caught my eye.

And so we go to the first course: Pick your own crudite pot, potato pebbles and lemon aioli. The pot of garden fresh vegetables in carrots, radish and whole globe artichokes, got the evening off to a rather colourful start, I really liked the lemon infused aioli and I though it was an apt compliment to the pot of vegetables.

Gazpacho!

The all green first course was a refreshing start to the meal, and by then, I was duly acquianted with the diners around the table, we also had a few sips by then, and so became suitably friendly. Something rather magical happened just as soup was served; I could see all the heads pop down, almost in sync with each other and people started slurping away ( ok well, maybe not slurp.. )

Thai spiced watermelon gazpacho with black olive bugs. Now we’re talking. This is yummy, the spiciness is kept to a relative minumum and as the soup was cool, it gave it a subtle tingle rather than a punch. Watermelon is an interesting choice, and it gave way to a smooth, light brothiness which was fruity rather than the vegetable rawness one expects from a tomato gazpacho. The black olive bugs were a kind of iced olive, almost an olive sorbet, it carried an interesting zing and gave the soup an icy spark, which I found rather exciting. Rachel did the right thing here, by seasoning the soup for spice rather than for sweetness, making it a true appetiser , instead of a pudding masquerading as one.

Fish

So far so good, the waiting time in between courses was about 15 minutes. Rather good for a two person kitchen. Rachel kept up with the wine topping up, which is always a good thing to literally keep the conversation flowing.

On to the Mains: Sustainable Halibut wrapped in banana leaves served with a pepper lime salsa, petit pois & mange tout.

The fish was fragrant, roasted whole in the banana leaves, it had this tropical quality about it. Digging in, I encountered peppers giving in a slight fruitiness to flavour which matched the oiliness and body of the fish. The fish was cooked to well and it carried a silken wetness. Personally, I would have preferred it just abit undercooked, but I’m nitpicking. Beneathe the fish sits a dollop of rice. I was a little distracted with working the camera, and so failed to jot down the details of the rice. Memory suggested a slightly coconut infused long grain and spiced with herby shavings.

And so it appears Rachel can really cook. Overall, there was a slick mouthfeel, with the natural fishiness balancing well against the pepper topping, and the herbiness of the rice provided a foundation to cushion the palette. There you go Rach, not too bad at all.

Cheese before Pud

The next course was Strawberry & balsamic vinegar terrine with Petit Billy Goat’s Cheese.

Oh I loved this one. The sweetness of the strawberries came alive with the vinegar, one which is barely noticeable as it blended so well. I must confess, I’m quite new to the berry and cheese pairings and first experienced that at Sketch. It’s a successful combo with the chalky sour of the cheese meeting the tangy sweetness of the strawberry. A fresh dish that wiped the palette clean.

And finally, finally finally: the last dish of the evening: Pandan frozen frog, multi-coloured frogspawn in a chilled Darjeeling pond.

What a great description of a dish, I suppose Rachel is aiming for a big bang of a finish. Pandan is one of my favourite ingredients, popular closer to my folks than here in the smoke, and its greatest quality is the beautifully sweet and fragrant that has a calming purity, almost like a bamboo crossed with sugarcane and with the smell of forest leaves, and it makes for perfect custard infusions. Rachel has made a kind of iced custard (to make the frog); she has used tapioca pearls (used in Taiwanese pearl milk tea) for the frogspawn and she’s finished off the pond with a warming darjeeling tea. Much like a deconstructed milk tea, the strength of the tea was an excellent compliment to the custardy pandan ice, and yeah, a great finish indeed. If I were being critical, I’d say I want MORE of where that frog came from.

Three times a charm?

This write-up is in danger of sounding too much like a review, which I don’t intend it to since that wasn’t what I was there to do. But my opinion: it was a great night, Rachel was a gracious hostess; the Loft is a great venue and food was visually interesting and tasted great.

This wasn’t your average dinner; Rachel set out to create an electric menu adhering to a thematic backdrop and ambiance. I think the intermingling of the individual elements were successful. One cannot really hold these special dinners to the same set of criteria to judging proper restaurants, and I think one need to describe these dinners as a total experience. And in totality, I think she achieved what she set out to do.

You don’t have to take my one thousand words for it. Here’s the scene right at the end of the meal.

Clap. Clap Clap. I think that quite succinctly summarises the evening.

And here’s my favourite shot from the evening. You can see the entire set at Rachel’s website here.

(PS: Let me know if you need me to take down any pictures.)

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Technorati Tags: mash up, part two, rachel khoo

Let me start by saying John is alot better looking in person than on masterchef. Here’s me, reporting on the relevant action which took place at the Toast Festival - Australia Day.

“Its that bloke from Masterchef….check it out.”

As you can probably tell, I am completely a fan. I handed my super swish, hulk of a NEW camera (yes I am now a D700 owner now) to my better half for some keepers.

Yes, please make that out to ‘Kang’. He’s signing a copy of his beefcyclopedia entitled ‘BEEF’. I wrote a review on it several moons ago here, and really thought his book was great. I love beef, and one can really tell that it was written by a beeflover too. It was all too appropriate to find Mr Torode grilling meat on a ‘hot’ Sunday afternoon in a park in Saarf London.

Don’t be shy John, get some grease on yer book, come on.

Yup, I got it, a very cool autograph, made with a waterproof marker, also courtesy of the special one. So John wrote: ‘Kang, Enjoy Bij La, John’. Am I reading it wrong? What the heck is ‘Bij La’ ? Anybody?

Naturally, I ate from SOS; this is John’s Dog. £5. The bread was the highlight, very soft, almost marshmallow like. As for the dog itself, I thought it needed just a tad more oommph, but John cooked in on the barbie and putting my fan-hat on; it tasted great.

All in all, a pleasant afternoon. There were mainly stalls which did food & wine, and lots of chairs and tables about for people laze around, which for a Sunday afternoon, was rather perfect. I managed a shot of the concert area too, it wasn’t overpacked, which was a good thing for myself, and about the only thing I missed out on - because of the massive queues - was this free wine tasting event they had on in a few of the tents.

Just want to send shouts to Rebecca for the free tickets, and also to you guys who went, I didn’t bump into anyone but I hope you had a good time there as well.

And here are some more pictures from the event:

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Technorati Tags: australia day, beef, john torode, toast festival

Lobster is in season at Belgo once again. After reading up on a couple of recent blogger visits (here and here), I couldn’t resist the tempation and had to indulge in the Lobsterfest.

Eating in the dark

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy dining in near complete darkness, but the photographer in me breaks a sigh every time I go into yet another underground cavern of sorts. It gets just that much trickier to get ‘the shot’.

I try nonetheless.

One part of me thinks that writing up on Belgo is superflous. As far as I know, most of you have experienced the Belgian franchise one way or the other, afterall, they are one of the prime agents popularising moules & frites. Thai green curry flavour for me (all the way) and mayonnaise with those frites please. If for some reason, you haven’t been, then there is no better time to try it than now, because Lobsterfest is back on the menu! Running all throughout June, it is Belgo’s ultimate celebration of the crusty creature, and how can one not be part of it, right?

Bisque

My brother – who is positively lobstermad – joined me for this visit, and we were looking forward to tucking away gigantic monsters from the deep, and we weren’t afraid to get our mits dirty to do it.

He opted to start with the lobster bisque (£4.95) which was a little on the thin side for me. Generous tipples of cream, however I was looking more for body and richness rather than just dairy. Perhaps they didn’t distil enough juices to make the soup. Merely ordinary.

I steered clear of the lobster overdose and went for a more traditional offering of smooth chicken liver pate with beer & pear chutney and toasted brioche (£5.50). Yeah not bad, it was pretty smooth, the beer & pear chutney was delightful, abit of acid, a dose of citrus and dash of jamminess.

Not forgetting one of the highlights of the Belgo experience, is the sheer embarrassment of Belgian beer goodness. Anything from Whitbeer, to trappist, blondes, dark blondes, fruit beer, honey beer and so goes the list. A pint ain’t cheap (£4 to £5) but it is good.

I’m a lightweight, so I opted for a half pint (yes, I drink half pints…. sometimes.). Here’s some beer trivia: Mort Sobite (Sudden Death) is a beerhouse in Brussels that brews its own inhouse. Interestingly enough, I actually visited that beerhouse a few years ago while on holiday in Brussels. My knowledge of beer is murky at best, but I do recall having a sort of sour beer when I was there.

Tiny tots.

Whizzing through the menu, it all seems rather affordable. £8 for half a lobster, £17 for a whole. I am slightly perturbed with it being just 1lb. We grew up by the sea, so our impression of a proper lobsterfest is a little distorted and we are used to feasting on proper beasts, at least 1.5kgs of proper shell fish… 1lb? What is that, like 500grams? Hmm…

…. It wasn’t too bad when it eventually landed on our table. My brother ordered a whole lobster, it looked a muscular little fella. Brawny on the outside, but scrawny on the inside. Could the recession have spread to the oceans? Bad joke, my brother finished him off in under three minutes, lobster tail? More like lobster whiskers. Apart from size, it tasted a tad on the mushy side. It was nicely cooked and well garnished with a kind of pepper and cheese concoction (I couldn’t really tell), but it wasn’t as fleshy as I’d imagine it would be, it tasted dead as opposed to being fresh.

Maybe its just me, but the lobster was so tiny, it was almost like having a 2nd starter and left one feeling unfulfilled.

Going on the tip from Helen at Food Stories, I opted for the lobster salad. This tasted much better with a juicy salad that carried a tinge of natural sweetness from the lobster. Mwah. That’s the fresh zing I was looking for. The only thing missing from this, is a luxuriously warm and heavenly soft brioche-bun – buttered – to match the delightfully tasty creature from the deep. You thinking what I’m thinking? I’m thinking lobster roll.

I had to work with baguette that was fast becoming stale, and the butter was stonecold. Still, this was a joy; portions were measly, and for 2x£17, it didn’t feel like we had £34 worth of lobsters.

Lobster/Fail/?

Um, a mini fail.

But lets not be under any illusions: Belgo is still a great place for all kinds of reasons, and it is still one of the better places to go to satisfy mussels cravings. The lobster feasting was not a total train wreck - it was still a whole lobster, afterall. The kitchen would have had to try very hard to make a mess of lobster. I was a little let down because I approached this visit thinking it was going to either be an overload, or a cheap trip. It was neither as our bill came to £60 for two, a tad expensive for minute portions.

Having said that, if you need to satisfy your shellfish cravings, I would suggest starting with half a pot of mussels (£5.95) and go with half a grilled lobster (£8.50) or the lobster salad (£16.95) and make sure you ask for heartily warm buttered bread to go with it.

The Gist of It.

Belgo Centraal Official Site
50 Earlham Street WC2H 9LJ
0207 813 2233
£30pp for two courses and a blonde
Verdict: You cant go too far wrong with lobster; portions left us wanting more. Belgo still as lively as ever, I would go for mussels and frites; and maybe the beer braised beef stew.

Ok over to you. Did you partake in the recent celebration of the beloved crustacean? What are you views on the Belgo franchise?

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Technorati Tags: belgian cuisine, belgo, centraal, covent garden, lobsterfest

Pompous pretension or serious contender of applied arts and gastronomy? Based in the 18th century townhouse which once bore the Dior label; we take a trip to the institution where haute cuisine and haute couture meet.

Neo

I must admit, I approached Sketch rather skeptically. I had already been for tea at one of their many tea rooms – the Glade, I believe it was - but I’d yet to dine at their Michelin starred ‘The Lecture room and Library’ on the first floor. Amazingly, I was offered a £50 voucher to sample the food there (thanks Kate). The twitterati seem quite positive toward Sketch, and armed with some positive feedback, I was rather anticipating a good meal. I just couldn’t get my head around the flash heavy website. Is this supposed to be a serious restaurant, or is it an art gallery that serves food on the side, and so many different rooms. Dammit, which room am I at again?

Conduit Street, just round the corner from the Apple Store on Regent Street. I felt the cool arty vibe the moment I stepped through the doors, neon blue and red. The entrance is furnished with a couch that looks unseatable, and a swing that seeminglly fits adults.

I’m a little lost to be honest, just what am I doing here? Downstairs and in the front of the townhouse, is ‘The Parlour’, a tearoom. Nope, not dining here. I look inward, and there is a lanky gentlemen in a superswish grey suit, with a shimmering blue tie, incredibly well groomed, he extended his hand as I stumbled – like lost sheep – toward him and shook the man’s hand.

“Mr Leong, we’ve been expecting you” How the hell did he know…?

“Your bag and your coat?” Clap, clap. “Margaret, take Mr Leong’s belongings please, and now sir, will you follow me up the stairs?”

A Mr Anderson moment. The Matrix reloaded to be exact. As we meander up the stairs, he gives me a breakdown of Sketch’s numbers: 5 rossettes, 1 Michelin star, Head Chef Pierre Gagnaire, restaurants all over the glamour cities around the world and one opening in Las Vegas, formerly house of Dior…

And just as he finishes his well rehearsed monologue, we reach the top of the stairs and have stopped in a dark hallway. Staring at us, is an imposing frontdoor, it looks solid and probably about 7 feet high. Gently, he unlocks it.

“Mr Leong, welcome to Sketch.” …..Woooosh!

The big black doors swing open to a room filled with majesty. The vivid colours were overwhelming and so much to absorb, I was in absolute exquisiteness, and for the first time, in a long time, I was completely awestruck with the showy entrance. For just a moment, my imagination was completely suspended and I actually thought I was there to meet with the Merovingian…. and maybe give Monica Belluci a quick peck in the posh loos.

Woah. Again. Woah.

Time to eat

I sat very comfortably, and the ambiance was surrealistic. As opposed to the much too drab faux chillout music in most michelin spots, this one pumped out neo-jazz/acoustic which sounded rather like Ray La Montague, or Jason Mraz. Crazy. sexy. cool. Its like discovering what michelin restaurants were trying to emulate in terms of ambiance all the while - Sketch has seemingly made every other restaurant I’ve been to seem artificial. You’ve got to hand it to the French, they really know how to put on a show, and the atmosphere at Sketch was slick.

And the slickness continued into the canapes. Before I had even looked at the menu, they layed out three plates of canapes on my table. One was a baby mug, of a chilled tomato gazpacho - a great viscious mouthfeel and a lingering rawness that hung on to my palette. A selection of biscuits and jelly, some sweet, some savoury, some cheesy, all served to grease the appetiser wheels. Finally, what I think are biscuit sticks served with a hummus like dip and in what I think, is cassava powder.

French laverbread

The menu is a thin stip of paper (measuring 2×10 to be exact) and it listed the gourmet rapide lunch. We have three choices here. For £30, two courses with coffee and petit fours; for £35, three courses with coffee and petit fours; And a monster £48 for all of the above plus a glass of sherry (which I swapped for bubbles), half a bottle of wine (went for a slightly chilled red, 06′ Touraine) and a bottle of water (sparkling for yours truly).

I don’t usually dwell on bread and nibbles, but Sketch was utterly amazing in this department. The selection included milkbread, chestnut and of course baguette. What was interesting about it were the butter it came with. An unsalted variety and then a fresh seaweed infused butter. It was like having a French remixed Laverbread (and I have had a proper welsh breakfast in Pembroke), it was so different, the oilyness and chewiness of the seaweed blended well with the butter, giving way to this fishy spread, that was a perfect compliment to bread. Flavours of the sea - could the crackles be grains of sand?

The Four Starters

The menu is a quirky one, it lists four starters, and yet, the waiter only asks for one selection from the mains. I was like, eh? What are you going to do, serve me four starters? That would be just unreal. Yup, it was indeed unreal as they served up four starters. Tapas style, I’m told.

And so we start in the middle, with a Watermelon Soup, Brunoise of Melon, Coriander, Mint and Ginger. My taster notes describe a watermelon foam, puffy and full of bubbles, there was an interesting hit of what tasted like tannic fattiness in texture, like an oil slick in the mouth, I had the same mouthfeel with the gazpacho and I believe its down to the olive oil they were using. The fruity and freshness of the watermelon were sweeten with the presence of honeydew and all was swimming in a sparkling juice of what tasted almost like ginger beer. Was it a soup or was it a veloute, or was it a fruit infused milkshake, or perhaps it was all of it, rolled into one.

Next, we go left to sample Herve this Egg, Rocket Jus and Boutargue Foam. A comfortable and what appears to be a superiorly slow cooked poach. The yolk became almost like a custard, while the egg whites was like a silken quilt gently held together with a slightly running exterior. The foamy rocket just had a sharp and salty intensity, almost like a soya sauce, but damn, this is one amazing poached egg, one that was unlike anything I’ve had before.

Moving clockwise, we get to the asparagus cream, strawberry coulis and goat’s cheese. It’s the same viscous olive oil mouthfeel again, and I’d never have thought that a dense melting goat’s cheese would go with the intense red fruits of the strawberries, but it did. It was much like having a deconstructed fruitshake, or even a yogurt, it was fresh, clinical and it wiped my palette clean from the smooth eggs, just before it.

So far, I am quite impressed. Each of the three dishes could stand on its own, each a different theme, and to each a kind of build up in flavour intensity, as varied as the changing seasons.
And now the final starter of mackerel tartare, sesame seed and a summer mesclun salad. This must be the golden summer of the four dishes. Subtle flavours of the sea, warming and tantalizing sea saltiness, with a texture so soft, the raw tartare melted in my mouth. It was roughly chopped but came out like chewable pillows. There was hardly any fishiness, as it seemed to be balanced against a balsamic and sesame dressing. Lots of subtle flavours and well executed.

I love raw food and more so, I love tartare. This was the pinnacle of the form; simple, easy to eat and delicious.

I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with my quadruplet of starters, a rapid medley, but a medley that was as colourfully vivid as the ceremony of the restaurant itself.

No Meat here

On this visit, the restaurant was doing a meatless menu. It was a choice between pan-fried salmon, risotto or sea-bream. I chose the latter of the three: Sea Bream, roasted and poached in olive oil, green pea veloute, cuttlefish, red pepper and artichoke.

My compliments to the chef for serving up a warm plate as this really helped to amplify the roasting aromas. The plate was quite abit hot, perhaps close to 60 oC (Chemistry is one of my many traits, believe me.). To taste: a sour acidity on the palette, perhaps due to the roast red peppers, the heat is hearty. The pea veloute was what prompted me to order this dish; The green soup was very delicate, having a sticky mouthfeel and a warming bang with more umaminess offered by the presence of soft cuttlefish cubes, as well as the artichoke.

The fish, by itself, was quite abit fishy, while the creamy pea veloute was dominated by abit of sourness; however, both elements met harmoniously to counter each of their dominating flavours and it gave way to a subtly rich intensity that was well balanced. My only gripe was with the texture of the fish; maybe it’s the heat, or perhaps because of the wetness, but it was a tad on the mushy side, where I expected robust flakiness.

The food just wouldn’t stop coming. I opted for the trio of desserts, and first to land on the table was a double act. One consisted of a simple red berries sorbet, smartly paired with a powdery biscuit; another was a red berry fruit salad, expertly paired with aloe vera cubes, but it was until the chocolate tart landed was I impressed with the puds. A crunchy base and an airy mousse, it was the anti-chocolate torte one usually expects. In the place of too much rich butterness, was a light crunch best described like a kit kat as opposed to a mars bar. While not as grand as the starters, the trio of desserts was a polite gentlemanly (and lady like) way to end a gourmet express, jazzed up with just a touch of cool.

Ordinary Extraordinaire

Amidst all the pompous showiness, the largely French speaking staff managed to remain calm and friendly. They oozed cool and served with zeal and understated enthusiasm, almost as if they were an extension of the restaurant’s choreography.

Needless to say, I was impressed with this visit. My oh my, do the people behind Sketch know how to put on a show, and for once I actually felt comfortable in a slick Michelin restaurant, instead of having to clench my arse and stiffen the upper lip, they took care of things in true fashion. Of course, the restaurant is nothing, if not for good food and Sketch did not disappoint in this department; flavour balancing was spot on, and I was enamoured with their creative use of olive oil and berries. Dishes tasted as they should, and in particular, the mackerel tartare worked like clock work. If I was being critical, I would say that the sea bream – for a mains – was a no-show, in comparison to the other courses; but with this 3 course meal priced at £35, it was adequate nonetheless. The £15 premium for the extra booze is worth shelling out for.

Of course, like all set lunches at Michelin restaurants, one gets the feeling that one is missing out on the big show in the taster menu, so again, this amounts to half of a review, as much (or little) as it compares to the dinner menu. Having said that, it is one of the more memorable set lunches I’ve had recently. The lecture room and library is a stunning dining space, one which you could just sit there and take in the ambiance and the rays of light penetrating the three storey high skydome from above. Ahh…. Take an afternoon off, turn of the mobile phone and plug into a realm where high fashion and high cooking meet, harmoniously.

The Gist of It

Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library official site
9 Conduit Street W1s 2XG 020 7659 4500
£35 three courses

Verdict: Crazy. Sexy. Cool. The venue alone is a rousing spectacle and the high cuisine matches the high style at Sketch. It ain’t cheap, but its worth it.

Your turn: Have you visited Sketch yet? Were your pockets deep enough for the dinner menu, how did it compare to the Lunch menu?

UPDATE: I am indebted to Gourmet Chick for this one, the £50 Sketch Voucher is actually an offer available to everyone if you sign up on their Facebook fanpage, the offer is good until the end of August 2009….. go check it out folks!

Technorati Tags: french, lecture room, london, one michelin star, oxford circus, restaurant review, sketch

I was a little torn about whether to blog about this here, or to put the pictures up on my other photoblog. In the end, I thought you might enjoy abit of cake porn on a Monday.

Introducing… Gails.

Abit of background, Gails is a bread maker looking to revolutinise the way we eat bread, by baking and selling awesome bread and cakes to the unsuspecting London republic. They are still quite a small group, but one that is growing. Currently, there are three branches and their forth is due to open this Wednesday at Clapham.

I was in the Notting Hill branch last week to shoot some cake, and taste a couple.

I hadn’t really had much time for this, I sandwiched this assignment in between finishing up a lunch at Sketch at 3pm, and rushing off to another meeting immediately after at 5 and I was hoping 2 hours plus abit of time for travel was enough to cram in all home.

I turned cake down, seriously.

Looking back to the trip, I was so utterly amazed at myself: I said no to cake. These are the chocolate fondant ones, you know, the ones with a melting centre, what’s the name for it, a chocolate moelleux. Although, I only turned it down because of a really heavy lunch at Sketch (which by the way, rocked, and shall be reviewed/blogged about on Friday.).

Photographing food is usually quite difficult, one needs to resist the temptations, and trust me, all the temptation equals camera shake and rushing through composition. But since I was on a full stomach, this was quite breezy, but still. The temptations lurks….

The brick wall

I really wanted to get a shot of the interiors, and kind of throw the cakes out of focus (any red blooded cake lover would disagree with this I suppose..) and the brick walls seemed like such a nice touch to the whole ambiance of the place. Note the bread tin. I’m on the fence with the composition of this shot, there’s too much emptiness around the image. I think it’s just a little off, and might crop it tighter: more brick wall and less of everthing else.

What do you think folks? Surely among you is an avid photog, feel free to critique.

Money shots

Gails had spotlights which were great for hard directional lighting. The one of the jars was lit with alot of natural light, since it’s just by the door (on its right), while the flat white was placed there by one the staff. I liked these ones, I think they came out quite successfully.

Eating cake

All in all, a pretty tiring one. I was alternating with two prime lenses for this, everything handheld and shutter speedsfluttering around 1/60 to 1/125 at ISO640, some might argue that’s just abit slow for tack sharpness, but ah well, I have steady hands. I did manage to eat something, a pretty sugary cupcake, with raspberry and almonds. It wasn’t quite so moist as I would have liked it to be, although it had a good cushioned consistency and a lovingly baked richness. Not too bad at all, and a nice little reward.

Try me and Gails too

I’m hoping to score a visit to Gail’s bread factory (please, please, please..), that would be a really fun trip, and maybe take one of you along with me too. But we’ll have to wait and see for that one.

You can see the entire gallery at my flickr page here, if you need some food shots, email me, I’m free but you need to feed me.

Happy monday folks.

Gail’s official site
138 Portobello Rd (020) 7460 0766
Kensington, W11 2

Technorati Tags: bread, cake, gails, notting hill gate, portobello road

Many many moons ago, people used to refer to me as ‘Leong’. And several moons after, I became a legend, and I galloped into the sunset with my silver stallion and lived happily ever after. No, I’m kidding, but I did (and still do) go by Kang L(eong), Leong being my surname for anybody who is wondering. I think it translates to ‘Gentle’, so you can all refer to me as Mr Gentle from now on (perhaps a reflection of my skills in the boudoir….?). This (of course) has nothing to do with the Taiwanese restaurant we’re going to talk about, which is now so successful, it has open its second legendary outpost. Let’s find out if indeed, the legend does continue.

Where is the love?

I was a little confused to find that after eating at Leong’s Legends, I walked past another Leong’s Legends. Surely, Chinatown ain’t that small; puzzled, I felt a black cat moment there. Free your mind, Neo. Either it was a really big restaurant with multiple entrances, or they have opened a new branch (what fantastic logic, mr gentle). Anyway, Continues – like many Chinatown restaurants – is spread over multiple floors, and we had to scale very cramped staircases until we finally hit the 3rd floor that could accommodate us. I love all the faux rose wood they have used for the furnishings and the low hanging lights are just great. Bit like a mass produced version of Hakkasan. (wait, isn’t that called cha cha moon?)

Chilli chills

The menu reads well, a lot of faithful Taiwanese classics, a statement backed up with a recent trip to Taiwan. I spotted ‘Thousand Year’ egg with tofu, mmmm… and the oyster pancakes, mmm… and stuffed breads, mmm….

I was on the bench for this one, and I left it to my Taiwanese bred compagno to make the decisions on what to eat.

Dish number one is boiled pork belly slices with a very intense garlic paste on the side. The blandish meat didn’t taste like much, but it did have quite an intense chilli hit in the after taste, my throat was positively flaming. I chose the douse those flames by dipping the meat into the garlic paste, but man oh man – it was probably strong enough to fend off Dracula… ok in keeping with times, Edward, no no, Bella.

Gluten

Next, I sampled the bamboo rice with scallops.

Yeah it wasn’t bad, full flavoured and the choice of going with scallops definitely a prime contributor to the umaminess. However, the glutinous rice was verging on being too dry. Not enough stickiness or density. It was forgettable…. next?

Mono sodium glutamate

I was lusting after an oyster dish since I had amazing oyster dishes in Taiwan. And so, Tofu with Oysters and what was supposed to be a black bean sauce, although what came out looked more like a spicy chiili bean paste; a ma-po sauce I believe.

This dish is seriously spicy, with just a tad too much chilli in my humble opinion. I don’t mind the chilli so much, but the heaviness of the sauce weighed down the dish as the tofu tasted very dead, instead of being lively. Similarly, the oysters were a total failure, it was utterly mushy, like its been in a freezer for far too long; bursting flavours of the sea, were positively absent.

The Legends end.

Overall, I think Leong’s Legends is merely ok. There were flavour balancing issues, far too much chilli to go with stale ingredients, not a good combination I can assure you. Still, it was a rather affordable meal which just sneaked in at £20 plus a couple of glasses of soya milk. I probably won’t be indulging in my namesake restaurant again in the near future; I’m afraid the legend ends with this meal.

The Gist of It

Leong’s Legends
26-27 Lisle Street WC2H 7
(020) 7734 3380
£12pp

Verdict: Not Taiwan in London as I originally imagined. Flavours are all over the place, and excessive use of MSG is alittle worrying. Merely ordinary in my opinion.

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Technorati Tags: chinese, leicester square, leong's legends, london, restaurant review, soho, taiwanese

Hey guys, here’s a treat for ya!

The Toast Festival event organisers are giving LondonEater readers 50 pairs of tickets (usually £25 each) to the UK’s largest southern hemisphere themed festival. There’s lotsa food (John Torode is gonna be there to cook for guests), wine tasting, polo matches, live music and cultural performances. It’s all taking place in Clapham Common on the weekend of 26-28th June 2009. It looks like alot of fun, so if you’re interested (and live in the area perhaps), then here’s your free pass to the event!

All you need to do is send an email (subject: LondonEater offer) to rsvp@goaheadevents.com with your full name and state which Toast you’d like to attend (South Africa – Friday, New Zealand – Saturday, Australia – Sunday) and you’ll receive an e-ticket in return. It’s for the first 50 emails they receive, so get emailing now.

Offical website at www.toastfestivals.co.uk 

   
TAKE A TRIP DOWNUNDER FOR FREE!

Toast Festivals is the UK’s largest celebration of the Southern Hemisphere and it’s on course to hit Clapham Common 26-28th June 2009!

Take the day-trip of a lifetime sampling the very best food, wine, sport and entertainment from South Africa, New Zealand or Australia on us!

We have 50 pairs of tickets to this years festival up for grabs for LondonEater reasers (Tickets usually £25!) Taste the very best local food from the likes of Aussie Masterchef John Torode (BBC), savour the latest tipple from award-winning wine producers, learn to manage a BBQ the downunder way in a BBQ masterclass, enjoy authentic cultural performances plus
international polo as the antipodes go head to head against Britain.

All you need to do is email rsvp@goaheadevents.com with your full name and which Toast you’d like to attend (South Africa – Friday, New Zealand – Saturday, Australia – Sunday) and you’ll receive an e-ticket in return!

SIMPLE!

For more information visit www.toastfestivals.co.uk

Technorati Tags: australian, chef, clapham common, john torode, tickets, toast festival

Morgan M official site
489 Liverpool Rd N7 8 (020) 7609 3560
£39pp three course dinner

The Islington high street is superb. It is already home to that amazing wine shop - The Sampler - which allows one to try about 80 wines at a go. Abit further tucked away, is apparently Arsene Wenger’s favourite eatery in North London. When the offer came knocking for a complimentary meal, I was more than a little excited.

The cool Frenchman

The restaurant’s namesake is that of chef/patron Morgan Meunier, who is currently enjoying positive – if rather subdued - media attention from the critical gastro-public. I’m a little miffed as to why there’s so little fanfare around this restaurant. The reviews which I have read about this place have been inspirational. Maybe it is because of the relative obscure location, or could it be that the patrons are keeping a tight lip in hope that it remains a true hidden gem in the city?

Morgan is bold in choosing his restaurant stripes, opting for a forest green theme and strong oak floors. The restaurant looks an unassuming pub from the outside; The interiors, on the other hand, convey an old fashion cool, not unlike the charming front room of a richly decorated house.

We started the evening with two glasses of peach infused champagne, and amuse bouche in the form of a chilled tomato soup, with a confit of tomato and sweet onion.

The chilled soup was so sharp and crisp, it hung on to my palette as the rawness, like a carrot juice, lingered on. Cherry sweetness from the tomato and onion was welcoming, and I noted a slight chilli hit in the backend too, fresh and light - a great start so far.

For a French restaurant and a rather upmarket outfit, the menu prices were surprisingly decent. The three course ala carte sneaks in at £39, while the six course taster can be had for £48 (veg option at £43). The menu largely feature dominant ingredients balanced against sweetish sauces on the side, picking up a few dishes, for starters, there is Pan-fried Foie Gras from ‘Les Landes’ on toasted Brioche, Apricot and Chervil Salad Orange and Olive Oil Sauce; and for mains, Roast Saddle of Rabbit, Farci of the Leg Braised with Sage, Israeli Couscous, Herb and Lemon Jus.

Indeed, the dishes make for an excellent read, and it’s only made it that much harder for me to choose what to eat, a good sign I’m sure.

Entrees

We decided to go with the ala carte, the first dish: ravioli of snail, poached garlic, red wine jus.

Garlic aromas and a perfumery complexity, the dish looked ethereal and smelled like heaven. The pasta was al dente and the rubbery texture of the snails was fascinating. The flavours were excellent: a mellow and subtle broth, I tasted sweet shallots and carrots on my palette, with a jus that added body and depth. The result was a hearty and robust appetizer. To my amazement, the single clove of garlic tasted as if it was completely stripped of its flavours, soft and very much like it was boiled. A very good start and an instant classic in my book.

So far so good, the next starter sounds like it could be another winner: Scallop Tartare.

Served with a medley of greens – it appeared to be a salad of rocket leaves and chopped asparagus, with asparagus foam on the side. And what an excellent candidate to make into a tartare! The chopped scallops were fresh, zingy and melted in the mouth, the silky texture was a complete joy. I detected citrus fruit juices in the tartare, lemon and dare I say just a hint of what seems to taste like mango. The light frutiness was absolutely fantastic, coupled with the the airy asparagus foam, it was the quintessential spring entrée, an excellent dish.

Highlights

I had half a bottle of Rhone with this meal (didn’t want to go overboard) , priced at £14, it wasn’t a world shaking vintage, but it provided body and enough vanilla to prep me for the main course: Fillet of beef with Bone marrow, Beetroot, spinach and black truffle shavings.

Much like the ravioli, this dish also had an incredible fragrance to it - the sweetness and the mellow roastness was heady. My oh my, the beef is as soft as a hot knife to butter, the melting texture was almost cream-like and it chewed like a grade 7 wagyu. As it was a fillet, it did not impart great beefiness in flavour, but it did retain a ridiculous amount of moisture, the juices spewed out as the meat threaten to melt away in my mouth. Flavour was supplied by a sweet and dense beetroot cream, a circular razor thin strip of what looks like fried onion and a whole dollop of salted bone marrow; this more than complimented the gentleness of the beef. The only complaint I had was the amount of beetroot cream that was on the dish; there was just too much of it, as I struggled to mop it up when I had already devoured most of the bovine. The sweet intensity was good when paired with the beef, but on its own, it quickly became just a tad too sour. A minor niggle.

I quizzed the waiter, and then Morgan himself after the meal about the source and he informed me it was the back of the fillet – its softest bit – and it was surprisingly, from Northumberland. Morgan told me that the key to retaining the juice and getting that velvety softness, was to think of it like a cross section of a tree and its various layers. He proceeded to explain his methods of searing the sides then putting in back into the oven to roast at a varying degree of heat before resting and that convoluted process somehow manages to keep the juices locked in.

How he managed to turn English beef into an ethereal sensation is probably sheer magic (I’d like to believe that). Whatever methods he used, I can safely say that it worked wonders.

On the other end of the table was duck breast served with greenbeans and a confit of duck leg, and a garlic cream. Much like the beef, the duck also retained alot of moisture, cooked medium rare, I felt the flavours were a little muted and just a tad underseasoned. It had an interesting curry aftertaste, but the best part of it was the garlic cream, which really brought out the best of the meat. The leg meat confit on the side was a little unexciting, all in all, while it was a robust dish - it did not excite.

And we go sweet from here.

Wow, so I am suitably impressed with the meal Morgan laid out so far, everything is top drawer and classical flavours at work. Now I have to talk about this amuse dessert: vanilla ice with passionfruit sorbet and custard. The ice part is what seems to be an almost frozen rice pudding which melted away into a clotted cream-like pudding. The sharp passionfruit was an excellent choice for mopping up the palette. Kudos for pairing the purity of the rice pudding with the intensity of the passion fruit.

Going to the desserts, we chose a strawberry sorbet with white chocolate mousse on the side. Merely ok in my opinion, the dish left me feeling a little queasy as there was just too much cream and butter and not enough fruit on the plate. I love white chocolate, but the mousse was much too frothy, and far too buttery for my liking.

With dessert A abit of a failure, we go to dessert B: a much emulated Chocolate Moelleux, with a sorbet and a milkshake. There was a choice of going 45% Cocoa Barry milk chocolate or 70% Valrhona Guanaja, I went for milk chocolate option. The rich chocolate muffin did not disappoint, and the cakey exterior was warm and moist. The liquid centre was quite a wonder and the weighty chocolate used was overwhelming. It was a lovely dessert – albeit a little on the heavy side – I didn’t quite enjoy the sorbet as much, I couldn’t make out the flavours as it just tasted like soured water to me; to finish off, the milkshake was pretty much a shot of baileys with a good tipple of cream.

Conclusive proof

Morgan M is a wonderful restaurant. The Chef creates highly classical palettes and errs toward the subtle and sweet flavour pairings. He seemingly adheres to French conventions, yet, he is not afraid to colour his food with borrowed elements from other cuisines. Everything is silky and easy to eat. I cheekily asked if his scallop tartare was just a little bit Japanese inspired. I also noted the fragrance in every dish he churned out and one can indeed smell the heartiness in every dish – an aspect which is also crucial to a great meal. I really enjoyed the scallops, the ravioli and indeed, the beef. Yet even more mind boggling is how the elegant establishment has managed to keep prices down at under £40. It is simply peerless in its price class, and stands to rival some of the more expensive luminaries. I met Chef Morgan after the meal and I was amazed with his attitude toward providing value for money, and how he enjoys the fact that his restaurant reaches out to a large cross section of the general public with a varying degree of disposal income. We need more restaurants like this which provide true value for money.

Simply divine, classical French food for shallow pockets, Morgan M is just a little special, and it is a bona fide gem in our beloved city of smoke.

Oh just one last thing folks, If you are thinking of visiting anytime soon, the restaurant is currently running a summertime offer which will give pairs of diners the opportunity to enjoy two 6-course tasting menus, a bottle of wine for £100. It runs from June 16th - July 26th 09. Essentially, they are offering a free bottle of wine.

The Gist of It.

Morgan M official site
489 Liverpool Rd N7 8 (020) 7609 3560
£39pp three course dinner

Verdict: Elegant French food, the fillet steak was juicy and soft. Aggresively priced, you won’t find a better French restaurant at these prices, we need more value gourmands like this. Superb.

Have you been to Morgan M? Do you agree with my assessment? What is your view on the £39 ala carte and do you think it is a fair price for dinner?

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Technorati Tags: french, highbury and islington, london, Morgan M, restaurant

They are currently casting for couples to take part in this so if you fancy yourself as the next TV sensation to sweep the nation, please email restaurant@rainmedia.co.uk or call 0203 384 2544 stating your daytime phone number, hometown, and tell the producers why people would love to dine out at yours!

Full Press Release

We’re looking for people to take part in a brand new TV series based on the exciting new trend of underground restaurants that’s sweeping the nation.

In the current economic climate people are finding innovative ways of making money. Tired of overpriced restaurants members of the public are opening up their own homes to paying diners.

So welcome to Home Diners…

Each episode sees two amateur couples from the same town compete against each other to host the most successful home restaurant experience for one night. At stake is an outstanding prize - a dream dining experience for two at one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world.

How will they theme their restaurant and redecorate? Will they provide entertainment? Will it be posh nosh or budget fare? The possibilities are endless. It’s all down to their creativity, resourcefulness and business skills.

DO YOU LOVE TO COOK?

FANCY OPENING UP A RESTAURANT IN YOUR VERY OWN HOME FOR THE NIGHT?

THINK YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO IMPRESS PAYING DINERS WITH YOUR CULINARY TALENT AND HOSTING SKILLS?

We’re looking for couples to take part in a brand new TV show and open up their homes for one exciting night to compete for the chance of winning a fabulous prize!

Whether you’re a total amateur who is up for a challenge or have always dreamt of running your own restaurant then we want to hear from YOU!

Email restaurant@rainmedia.co.uk stating your daytime phone number, hometown, and telling us why people would love to dine out at yours! Or call 0203 384 2544

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, cooking, home diners, london, tv show, underground restaurants