Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Pattersons

Food

I started the day with some yummy bread and a Glass of Rioja, Heredad Ugarte, Crianza 2004 (£6.00). We had to order 3 courses to get the special, so…

  • Slow Roast Belly Pork, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower Puree with a Seared Scallop and Thyme Jus - was a bit dry, the meat overwhelmed with flavour. The scallop is the usual tasteless offering. The cabbage was like sauerkraut, but pleasant.
  • Squab Breast, on Potato and Apple Parmentier, with Foie Gras Parfait and Madeira Jelly - definitely the better entrée, although Slokky did manage to drop half of the squab onto the floor. The Foie Graf parfait was very strong, it comes with bread sticks for dipping, but I think works best paired with the gamey yet tender squab.
  • Fillets of Dover Sole with Langoustine, Confit Leek, Jerusalem Artichoke Mash, Wild Mushrooms and Sauce Duglere - I love this dish, and I think if I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t think this restaurant was so good. This was easily the best fish dish I’ve had for awhile in London, and that includes Le Gavroche (but I am not comparing this to Tajima-Tei as that wouldn’t be fair). The fish was very succulent, but the accompaniment and sauce simply blew me away.
  • Prime Sirloin of Beef with Celeriac, Stewed Shallots and Chestnuts with a Braised Oxtail and Potato Puree Gratin - the steak was cooked a bit more than medium-rare, but that suits me as I like medium. The beef was well cooked, but certainly not the best I’ve eaten. The sauce was too salty as well. I found more interest in the oxtail, wonderfully stewy and meaty, and the celeriac mould was interesting, sweet and savoury, yet with the texture of potatoes.
  • Chestnut Soufflé Tart with Vanilla Ginger Ice Cream - I was really looking forward to this but was so let down. The flavours just didn’t really go together, and even the ginger ice-cream didn’t save the day.
  • Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Iced Double Cream - This was much better than the chocolate cake from Wet Fish Café, the shell had been hardened, and good quality molten chocolate filled the centre. The ice-cream was a letdown again.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Strange. I am not so sure if the décor is to my taste. On one hand, everything is quite modern, if a bit boring. However, they have a huge fish tank in the front room, and other aquatic colour scheme happening. It makes the place look a bit like a hotel lobby, and actually detracts from the elegance of the room.

Rating - 2

Service

I was very impressed by the excellent service by a very professional team who were also friendly and warm. They took our coat, readjusted the table for the cancellation, and was humble, with no trace of pretensions, even though we weren’t behaving as expected, throughout.

Rating - 4.5

C-factor

It definitely wasn’t that cheap, even with our 50% off offer, but the food was great and the service first rate.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 15

Info

4 Mill Street
London
W1S 2AX
Phone +44 (0) 20 7499 1308
Website

Wet Fish Café

Funny enough, I have not eaten at a café in London before now, and realised how much I actually miss the café atmosphere.

Food

I started off the evening with the Cabernet-Malbec, Finca los Prados, 2007, Argentina (£4), described as medium-bodied with strong red fruits, spices and chocolate. Never mind that, it was good. The dessert menu sounded divine, so it was the consensus to skip entrees. The Welsh lamb cutlets with Jerusalem artichoke mash and lamb jus (£14) came recommended, and it was very good indeed. Simple food with simple flavours done well. The Spicy Slow-Simmered Mutton with Aubergine, Dates and Wild Rice (£13) probably didn’t taste as good as it sounds. The mutton has absorbed some wonderful flavours, but the date and wild rice was only ordinary.

Desserts were fine, being more homely in flavour than anything else. My rhubarb, ginger and almond crumble (£5) hit the spot. The rhubarb was quite tart, the almond crumble satisfying. The warm soft chocolate cake w red berries & cream (£5.50) was a bit disappointing. The cake was a bit dry, and the chocolate sauce was not made using that great quality chocolate.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

All around us people seem to be doing the same, whether it was a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, it was one of those places you could lounge around in the whole day.

The name comes from the fact that this use to be a “wet fish” shop, and they have restored it so that the original tiles and sign is visible. The room is very dark, illuminated by some candles. The vibe is definitely a relaxed chilli, very fitting for the Hampstead crowd.

It’s also a wine store, you can buy bottle or case loads of all the wines on their menu.

Rating - 2.5

Service

Daylight saving had just started, and I think the chef forgot, because we were not able to order food until 7pm. It was ok for us though, as we nursed some drinks to get us in the mood.

The wait staff were super cool and accommodating, but it was not really that busy and they don’t really need to “service” you as such.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

The prices is certainly not cheap, especially if you take in the fact that if you use a special on Toptable, you could eat for around the same price at so called higher priced restaurants. Never mind, it is aiming at well-off people in the Hampstead area that wants to have a relaxed dinner and not be fussed about.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12.5

Info

242 West End Lane
London
NW6 1LG
Phone +44 (0) 20 7443 9222
Website

Katies Tea Room


A traditional tea room in the heart of Chester by day, by night it becomes MDs Restaurant. We were attracted by the claim that the building contained remnants of a 14th century house.

Food

The menu was huge, with your café favourites, as well as some more substantial and regional offerings. Seeing all the old English style architecture had me yearning for Traditional Roast Beef served with Yorkshire Pudding, and I was not sorry for the choice. The last time I tried Yorkshire Pudding, I was really disappointed, but after today, this has definitely turned around. The crunchy and soft texture was wonderful. Even though it was just flour and water and fat, it tasted so good. It actually overshadowed the beef, which was fine, but a bit tough, and the gravy too salty for my taste. Mixed with some of the carrots, potatoes and broccoli that came on the side though, and it was fine. The potatoes were so creamy and buttery. Pork Loin Steak (£7.50) - Grilled Pork Loin Steak Served on a Bed of Mashed Potato with a Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce was a bit heavy handed with the cream, otherwise a satisfying meal. I was really looking forward to the Apple Pie served hot or cold, with Custard, Cream or Ice Cream, but this turned out to be quite disappointing, kinda like store bought stuff.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

Certainly popular with the over 50s. This place is not cool or hip, but it has heart. The building is lovely, the furniture has that homely touch, think doilies and plastic flowers. The place is very big, so even when filled with people, you don’t feel too claustrophobic. It’s one of those places you feel like you should go to when on holidays.

Rating - 2

Service

Very good. A bit forgetful at times, like when they delivered the apple pie with custard instead of ice-cream, but changed it straight away with no questions asked.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

Cheap!! I had a generous two course meal for £9!!

Rating - 2

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

38 Watergate Street
Chester
CH1 2LA
Phone +44 (0) 12 4440 0322
Website

The Wizard

Another country Bib to cross off the list.

Food

The menu didn’t look very exciting, with the very usual restaurant selection and nothing out of the ordinary. The bread though, was very cool. We actually got some brioche, served with butter. I ignored the butter and the brioche tasted fine.

We decided to stick with the safe options this time, so ordered the Pan fried chicken livers, griddled bruschetta, Madeira cream (£7.95) for entrée. Chicken liver really taste just about the same everywhere, however the saucing was a bit disappointing. The Pressed ham hock & asparagus terrine topped with a poached egg (£6.50) was again disappointing as the egg was too well cooked. The terrine was quite good in terms of flavour.

For mains, we had the Wizard shepherd’s pie with cheese mash & fresh vegetables (£11.00) , which was really really disappointing, as I’ve had this dish a few times in pubs and it has always been very nice, so I was looking forward to seeing what this restaurant could do with it. Unfortunately the execution was terrible, the mince was way too salty, and the cheese gravy was not good enough to lift it up, plus it was too heavy to balance the saltiness of the meat. Slightly better was the Oven baked fillet of hake, rocket & parmesan salad, balsamic dressing (£14.50), although the salad seemed to be repeated from the entrée, and was also extremely boring. Needless to say, we didn’t stick around for dessert.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

The building was lovely, old and lovingly restored, with exposed beams, antique furnishing, fireplace (fake). It was all very homely, although the chairs were not that comfy as a result. They also have a tearoom which they open for lunch, which I would love to try out.

Rating - 2.5

Service

Very casual I thought, they don’t even dress so you can identify them as waiters, but it is suitable enough for this place. We were seated in the front room, so it was difficult at times to get their attention.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Even more expensive than the Mistley Thorn, not worth it.

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 10.5

Info

Macclesfield Road
Nether Alderley
Cheshire
SK10 4UB
Phone +44 (0) 16 2558 4000
Website

Friday, April 18, 2008

Yang Sing

We chose Yang Sing as it was recommended by a friend and also because there were at least some Chinese people eating there. It has won heaps of awards for being the best Chinese Restaurant in Manchester.

Food

The food was quite good, not good compared to Oz or HK or Rotterdam of course, but better than anything I’ve had in London. There is no trolley or anything, you choose your food from a list (all in Chinese, which was a good sign…but we couldn’t read about a quarter of it, which was bad). We had:

  • Chau siu
  • Vegetable dumplings
  • Prawn dumplings
  • Pan fried Meat bun
  • Steamed meat bun
  • Sticky rice
The highlight was definitely the sticky rice and the vegetable dumplings, the low point, the meat buns which were too oily. The chau siu was quite nice, but a bit too salty and strong on its own, it really needed rice, but it was our fault for not ordering any. Their chun fun machine was broken so we couldn’t have any which was sad though.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

I think Yang Sing must’ve been very modern and impressive about 10 years ago. You don’t get your classic Chinese décor, but it’s not quite modern either. All the fixtures were starting to wear, and not as spiffy as you would expect from such an expensive Chinese place. It’s situated in the basement, with some skylights looking out into the street, so it’s all very strange.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Good for a Chinese restaurant, ok for a normal restaurant. They were quite apologetic when they didn’t have the chun fun, and generally refilled water and took away things at the right time. The bill also arrived quickly, but then again, they weren’t that busy.

Rating - 3

C-factor

It’s cheap on a London basis, but I think it’s actually one of the most expensive restaurants in Manchester. It was £26.15 for 3 people, and we didn’t leave hungry.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 12

Info

34 Princess Street
Manchester
M1 4JY
Phone +44 (0) 16 1236 2200
Website

Ping Pong St Katharines Docks

We scored an invite to test out the soon to be open Ping Pong on the staff training day. I had been intrigued about Ping Pong for awhile, but I am always a bit apprehensive about Westernised yum cha. Well, I have to say I am impressed.

Food

Imagine the Wagamama concept, except for dim sum. We started with some drinks from the scrumptious drinks menu. The Kumquat mojito (£5.75) – Santiago de Cuba Blanco rum, lime, mint, sugar and kumquats was everything I expected, tangy, sour and sweet, it was definitely refreshing for the food. The place was really hot, and I wonder if they do this on purpose so you would order more cocktails? The Flowering Jasmine Lily (£1.95) – green tea buds, infused with jasmine, hand tied around lily and jasmine flowers was a bad choice considering it was so hot. I really only ordered it so I could see the flowering bud. It looked spectacular, but tasted like water.

There were 8 of us at the table, so we were able to try a large variety of dishes. The menu is broken out into different sections, with the steam stuff winning hands down in terms of both variety and taste.

  • Wasabi three bean mix (£.99) – soy beans, green beans and black beans coated in spicy horseradish - I was so surprised that these were very hot and very fresh. A very good start.
  • Char sui bun (£3.10) – honey barbecue pork in fluffy white bun pastry - not as good as the Chinese restaurants. The pastry a bit hard and the filling too dry and bland.
  • Seafood Sticky Rice (£3.30) – rice with king prawns and scallops wrapped in a Lotus leaf - not much seafood. I think seafood only sticky rice doesn’t really work in this dish as you need a bit of meat to bring out the flavour.
  • Crispy Thai Chicken Spring Roll (£2.99) – chicken and prawns with chilli, coriander and lemongrass wrapped in bean curd skin and served with chilli fish sauce - the skin was crisp on the outside and still soft on the inside, the filling was great too.
  • Chives (£2.99) – king prawns and chives in green chive pastry - lovely balance of flavour, and the pastry was well done.
  • Crystal (£2.99) – sauteed vegetables in transparent crystal pastry - this one was a bit cold when I ordered, but it was pleasing nevertheless.
  • Scallop and shitake – scallops and king prawns with shitake mushrooms in wheat flour pastry - my favourite dish of the night, great flavour and great skin, everything a dumpling should be.
  • Pork shu mai (£2.99) – pro and king prawns in open shu mai pastry topped with a Chinese wolfberry - very different to the ones you normally get at yum cha. I think for the better. The pork was certainly better quality.
  • Seafood (£2.99) – snow crab, prawns and scallops in carrot tortellini pastry - not as good as I thought, the carrot pastry didn’t really work.
  • Honey Glazed Ribs (£3.99) – 3 pork ribs roasted with Ping Pong’s special spices, glazed with honey - a little dry but the meat was very generous and quite tender.
  • First Emperor’s Treasure (£4.50) – steamed salmon dumpling with lime leaves topped with trout eggs - this didn’t work well together, the flavours did not combine well.
  • Qin Shihuangdi Dum Sum (£4.50) – steamed scallop, prawn and pork dumpling topped with lump fish roe - quite pleasant, like a rich man’s version of normal dumplings.
  • Coconut puff (£3.20) – baked puff filled with coconut, topped with honey and sesame seeds, served with a scoop of coconut ice cream - the puff was a bit dry, the coconut filling was not too sweet – tasting like a BBQ pork puff, only with coconut texture. The ice-cream was heavenly.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Ping Pong looks good, and I can see that this would be a real attraction to Westerners. There is a big bar area, with the dining area consisting of small and large tables. They have thought of the little things as well. Shelves under the seats allow you to pop your coat, and there are hooks for your bags under the table, although the hooks can’t always support your bag, and it does get in the way of your legs.

Décor is pretty much funky Chinese furnishing, rendered in black. It does get very noisy and very busy and hot, but that means they have replicated the

Rating - 1.5

Service

It was staff training day and the staff gets evaluated, so they were all on their best behaviour. Several people served us, and we did make things very difficult for them since we had two separate bills and menus going, but they managed it quite well. Our server was very good too, so I wonder what the place would be like if they aren’t on training.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

We got all our food for free as it was a staff training day, so we only paid for drinks. If they can keep this standard up normally though, it is definitely worthy for a meal.

Rating - 2

Brownie Points - 14.5

Info

Quayside, Tower Bridge House
St Katharines Docks
London
E1W 1BA
Phone +44 (0) 20 7680 7850
Website

The Mistley Thorn

Another one of those hotel restaurant combination in a “country town”. I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it, and luckily, the food lived up to my expectations.

Food

I wanted everything on the menu, and actually, between the four of us, we got to try quite a lot. Feeling especially greedy, we started with some Colchester Native Oysters served raw with ginger shallot mignonette (£1.75 each) and Mersea Isalnd Rock Oysters served raw with ginger shallot mignonette (£7.50 ½ dozen) to share. The Colchester were a bit like Sydney Rocks while the Mersea were like Coffin Bay ones. They each had their good points, and I was very happy, but that could also be due to the fact that I was downing a skippers, a locally brewed beer.

Entrees:

  • Grilled whole sardines in garlic butter (£6.95) - was actually the weakest entrée of the night. I guess the nicest sardines are the ones that are simply grilled, with nothing else. These sardines are not as nice as the ones my parents buy, so …
  • Saffron and Glove Artichoke Risotto with Parmesan Cheese (£6.95) - was a huge plate, even though I had asked for the “small”. The risotto was actually better than the one from Midsummer House, nicely balanced by the saffron, the grains al dente.
  • Roasted Pear Salad (£6.25) with Endive, Hazelnuts, st Agur Blue cheese and Walnut Vinaigrette - I only tried a little bit of this, but the sauce was out of this world. The salad leaves were so fresh, I think they might’ve come from the back garden.
  • Dayboat Calamari a la Plancha with Chilli, Garlic, Coriander - was cooked to perfection, not chewy, with a slightly tangy sauce.

Main:

  • Roast Rack of Lamb in a Herb Crust with Wholegrain Mustard Mash, Mint Vinaigrette & Seasonal Vegetables - a very good choice. There weren’t that many pieces, but it was about quality, not quantity. The vegetables were outstanding again.
  • Grilled Skate with Caramelised garlic, Smoked Paprika, A Mano Olive Oil, Local New Potatoes & Alison's Organic salad Leaves (£13.95) - was a little heavy on the spicing, but luckily it suited this fish well. The potatoes were so heavenly. They were so soft and buttery.
  • Cioppino a "Cal Ital" Seafood Stew with Local Fresh Fish, Shellfish, Tomato and herbs served with garlic crostini - I only got a small bite of this, but they balanced the flavours very well, I don’t know how good the quality of the seafood is though.
  • Roasted Deben Duck Breast with Red Wine Cherry Sauce, Root Vegetable Rosti & Savoy Cabbage - for me, the best dish of the night. The duck breast was gamey, with just the right amount of fat for flavour.
  • Handcut Fries (£2.25) again tasted like those new potatoes, so buttery and creamy

Dessert:

  • Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
    - stock standard. Not that it’s bad, it’s just that by now I expected a lot more.
  • ice cream and sorbet - quite nice, but again, nothing out of the ordinary.

sick of seeing the usual foam, Espresso was the order. As usual, it was not good.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

This was another hotel and restaurant and pub combination that litter the English countryside. We found that it was very modern, with clean lines in the design. There was an open fire, and the clienteles are local, enjoying a drink at the very modern and not at all seedy bar, before settling down to dinner and a chat with the waiters. There was a complaint about the wicker chairs though, it hurts if you have no fat in your bum, but I had no problems with that one.

Rating - 2.5

Service

The waiters were quite casual, but very accommodating. They were friendly, which I liked. It seemed they had a long day with the lunch crowd though, and were a bit disorganised for dinner to start with. They did manage to pull themselves together later to offer us a very enjoyable experience.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

They normally have a 3-2-1 special, where you can eat 3 courses each for 2 people and pay only £25!! Unfortunately the deal was not available as it was a Bank holiday, but I think it was still good value for the quality of food we enjoyed.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 15

Info

High Street
Mistley
Essex
CO11 1HE
Phone +44 (0) 12 0639 2821
Website

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Café Zoot


We were looking for a feed on this Easter Monday, and there weren’t many choices available, so we were very relived when we spied Café Zoot, open and warm, as we were ravenous and cold.

Food

Surprisingly, the coffee was not bad at all. We have decided to always order lattes (£2.30 large) to avoid getting the mountain of foam that is associated with cappuccinos in the UK. They use illy beans.

We decided to be slightly healthier, so Mushroom Omelette (£3.95) - mushroom and three-egg omelette served with crispy hash browns was the way to go. The omelette was so tasteless, and the mushrooms did not look like they had benefited from any butter at all, so I guess it was a pretty healthy breakfast, if not a particularly tasty one. I really liked the hash browns though, still lumpy, with a bit of pepper, and done so it’s just crisp on the outside. The Toasted Teacake (£1.50) - with butter and jams was ok. We were given a huge choice of jams, but they all taste very ordinary, some home-made stuff would’ve been great.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

Situated in the hub of Lincoln, the street is filled with restored shop fronts all promoting afternoon tea, Café Zoot definitely stood out from the crowd. It’s a modern, minimalist space, doing Mediterranean leaning café fares and hearty breakfasts.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Maybe our waiter was in a bad mood, but she was quite rude, plonking things down and she got annoyed at us when we took too long to decide on what to order. However, the other waiter who served us was very friendly, but managed to hear our order wrong. Never mind, they didn’t charge for our mistake, and everyone thanked us and waved us goodbye at the end.

Rating - 2

C-factor

Eating out for breakfast in the UK, unlike Oz, is a pretty cheap affair. This is more expensive than going to the pub, but is fair value for the quantity we got.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 10

Info

5 Bailgate
Lincoln
LN1 3AE
Phone +44 (0) 15 2253 6663
Website

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Midsummer House


2 Michelin Stars, so we were very keen to compare this with Le Gavroche

Food

We were very impressed from the start. They had delivered some “thinking snacks” while we deliberated on the menu.

  • cheese stick - looked spectacular, and were very more-ish
  • balsamic vinegar foam and crisps - wonderful balsamic foam and crispy crisps!
  • green olives - so fresh and so beautiful
I was sad that they took this away very early on, but in hindsight it was a good move, as I was already filling up on this, and there was so much more food to follow.

Based on the quality of the start, we decided to go the whole hog and get the tasting menu.

  • foccacia - was soft and beautiful
  • brown bread - ok, but the butter was excellent.
  • Grapefruit and Champagne foam - was dramatically presented, a decanter was brought out and our foam squirted into lovely pink glasses. The coldness combined with the texture was heavenly. Nothing disappointing so far.
  • Tiger Prawn, Cucumber and Cauliflower - this was a soup that has also been “foamed”. The prawn was so delicious, the other flavours quite light, a great start to the meal.
  • Langoustine and King Crab - I really like this one, the crab was encased in a tortellini with the most delicious pastry and the best texture, the langoustine did not pale against the crab either.
  • Piquillo Pepper Cannelloni - was totally not what was expected. A liver mousse was wrapped, lolly-pop style, with red peper sauce for dipping. Looked wonderful but I don’t think the taste quite work.
  • Sauteed Scallop, Bay Leaf, Pigs Trotter - as usual, the scallop didn’t have the scallop taste, and the bay leaf didn’t add much flavour. The pigs trotters were little cubes and tasted like fried croquettes.
  • Risotto of Parsley, Garlic Snail, Yeast Foam - I was really looking forward to this one, but the risotto was actually quite disappointing, the rice being still hard. The garlic snail was presented in an ingenious way. The snail is skewered on the end of
  • Roast Zander, Red Wine and Nettles - again, the fish taste was a bit of a letdown, and I’m not that keen on the nettles, but the fish was perfectly cooked and the red wine sauce helped to impart some flavour.
  • Pousse Café - an appetiser of cream, egg and sweet stuff. Different, interesting, if not that refreshing.
  • Bourbon Smoked Pigeon, Iceberg Lettuce, Sweet Potato - the flavour of the pigeon was excellent, so gamey and moist. The lettuce was still crunchy, the bourbon sauce a bit sweet
  • Camomile, Lemon and Ginger - presented as a jelly of three flavours, I especially like the camomile layer, but make sure you mix them together to get the best taste.
  • Pear, Black Olive and Fennel - the olives certainly didn’t taste like olives, instead, more like grapes, and very strange. I am not so sure what the point of this one is.
  • Coffee, Chocolate and Passion Fruit - I thought this was literally what it was, but it turned out to be 3 rectangles of foam of the flavours. The coffee was the best, white the passion fruit didn’t quite carry through.
I was very very full after this, but Slokky decided he needed coffee to help his long drive, so we ordered Cappuccino (ummm… as usual, very very foamy), which actually came with:
  • Baignet with crème anglais and plum sauce - so so so delicious. It was warm, lightly dusked with icing sugar, and the dipping sauces so so good, I actually ate too even though I really couldn’t fit anything else in.
  • chocolate – mandarin, pineapple, green pepper, dark - surprisingly, the best was the green pepper, even though it was encased in white chocolate. They have definitely used very good quality chocolate. These are some of the best I’ve tasted, and I would come back just for that!!
I really can’t fault the technique and the presentation. I like it that they are willing to experiment, but some worked much better than others.

Rating - 8

Atmosphere

This literally was a house, but a big one at that, with a garden on the side and a stream running down the back. We were seated in the back room which had large open windows looking out to the garden. The weather was horrid, snow, wind and periods of sun, so we really enjoyed watching the changes during our 3 hour meal, after which we retired to have coffees and petit fours upstairs, where there was a small bar and a balcony, and views of the river.

You must definitely pay a visit the bathroom to check out the pictures they have in there. They are very cheeky and totally not what you would expect to find in a restaurant like this. The clientele seems to be intellects, dressed smartly for lunch but not too stuffy.

Rating - 3

Service

Excellent, as you would expect from a two-star restaurant. Attentive, polite, and good wine recommendation. We didn’t feel like we were rushed at all.

Rating - 5

C-factor

At lunch time, you could choose from a limited 3 course menu for £30, but we decided we might as well go the whole hog and try the tasting menu, which at £80, is not something you should have very often. The price is really justified by the amount of work that goes into preparing those beautiful dishes.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 17

Info

Midsummer Common
Cambridge
CB4 1HA
Phone +44 (0) 12 2336 9299
Website

Clos Maggiore


I was a bit dubious about Clos Maggiore, as it was situated in the middle of tourist attraction of Convent Garden, but I was very happy to be proved wrong.

Food

We had the 3 course pre-theatre menu., starting with some onion foccacia, which was very caramelised and scrumptious, not at all oily, and brown roll, which was very boring. The 3 of us just about tried all the items on the menu:

  • Foie Gras & Oxtail Terrain - pickled silver skinned onion - was beautiful, as it should be, the onions were not quite as caramelised as I liked though.
  • Boudin Blanc with beans and game sauce - great quality produce, much better than the ones we bought from Paris, and the beans were so fresh, you could almost taste spring.
  • Pan Fried Fillet of Pollock - terrine of purple potato & globe artichoke - at least it wasn’t sea bass. It’s tasty enough, cooked perfectly. I just wish for a bit more seafood taste, as usual. The accompaniment were great though.
  • Slow cooked Elwy Valley Lamb Belly -pus pulse & lamb jus with olive oil - a great time for lamb, and this was lovely and tender. I’m a sucker for good pus pulses and these were very good indeed.
  • Passionfruit and Chocolate Ganache, Coconut Sorbet. - was definitely the highlight. The chocolate was so good, which was accompanied by the tangy passionfruit, and the coconut sorbet was like eating a ripe, fresh coconut.
  • Vanilla Cheesecake & warm Red Berries - good, smooth, but not spectacular. I haven’t really had a great cheesecake at a restaurant yet, with maybe the exception of the Cheesecake Factory.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Everyone raved about the setting, and I can see why. Clos is situated in one of those terrace houses, so the restaurant consists of a series of rooms. We were seated next to a blazing fireplace, in a room which also had a sky light and a flower canopy. Scrumptious French wallpaper complete the setting.

Rating - 2.5

Service

The wait staff were absolutely lovely. Most of them are French. There was a French couple at the next table and the waiters were all talking to them in French. One waiter was especially charming, explaining the dishes and helping us with choices when we needed.

Rating - 4

C-factor

The pre-theatre menu was 3 courses for £19.95, which didn’t have a lot of choice, but it was good value for the quality of food we got. Gripe, we got charged £4.95 for a bottle of still water!! Warning though - order before 6:30 if you want to make your 8pm show. We were quite rushed at the end.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 15.5

Info

33 King Street
London
WC2E 8JD
Phone +44 (0) 20 7379 9696
Website