Champor-Champor

What better way to celebrate Australia Day, Chinese New Year and my birthday than to go to a modern Malaysian restaurant?

Food

We were given a reduced choice menu as there were 12 of us. There was still enough to keep us interested.

• tofu skin with spicy sauce - not much taste but great texture
• banana bread - yummy. I haven’t had banana bread for so long I forgot how yummy it was
• Jasmine tea-braised poussin, tahini sauce; fresh ginger chutney - the sauce was a killer, the tahini giving it a real lift and flavour. The poussin was very subtle in flavour, a perfect foil for the sauce.
• Stir fried frog legs with ginger, galangal and XO sauce (£2 supplement) – at first the frog legs were tasteless, until I figured out that because of the shape of the bowl, the legs weren’t getting any of the ginger sauce. Once I started dunking all the legs in the sauce, they tasted excellent. The XO sauce was a real standout too, so much so that Slokky started eating it by the spoonful when the legs ran out
• Mutton kofte in korma curry; satsuma skin pilau; bean sprout rojak – actually, just mutton kofte. We were missing all the side dishes, and I told Slokky that, but he insisted that there was no accompaniment, so I believed him. There’s where my mistake was, I should’ve checked myself and never trust Slokky…seems a never learn. Anyway, the mutton kofte was nice and “smelly”, as only mutton can be. It was quite gamey. The sauce itself was very mild and accompanied the mutton nicely.
• Pigeon & plum hot pot; spiced congee; mooli som tam - this was rather hot, as in spicy. The pigeon was nice and pink, very soft and tender. I love the dish, with the spiced congee cutting the heat. I just found out som tam means green papaya. It certainly tasted great.
• Pandan sponge & butter pudding; green tea ice cream - desserts were a bit disappointing after such a great start. This has avocado as a topping too. While I do like avocado I am not sure it worked in this case. The green tea ice-cream was excellent by the way – so smooth and creamy.
• Mascarpone-filled cinnamon pancake; longan & mint salsa - my favourite dessert, the pancake was subtle, while the longan was very refreshing.
• Coffee & burnt sugar cake; toffee cream - I couldn’t taste coffee in this. It really reminded me of my sticky date pudding, especially the sauce. After eating it every day for a week I was a bit sick of it, and I thought the cake was a bit too heavy to finish the meal.

Rating - 8

Atmosphere

The restaurant is quite small, with dark exotic tones on the wall and in the furnishings. A scary looking puppet watched over us the whole time. On this rainy Wednesday night, they didn’t quite manage to fill the restaurant up, but considering it’s located in a dingy side street of London Bridge, with nothing else around, its appeal has to be due to the excellent food and the great service.

Rating - 1.5

Service

As I said, great. They catered to us without any problem. Well, we were mostly left on our own, pouring our own water…etc. Still, the staff was friendly and smiled at us while they delivered our food. For a big group, we didn’t have to wait long at all, and that’s all you need really.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

For a group, we had to have 3 courses. Also we get a more limited choice of menu, but there was still plenty to choose from. It was £29 for 3, plus drinks and service, so the total came to £37 p.p. I think it is a bit expensive, but the food was great, so I won’t complain too much.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

62 Weston Street
London
SE1 3QJ
Phone +44 (0) 20 7403 4600
Website

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

Birthday treat at the new star on the block, with two newly acquired Michelin Star.

Food

After we sat down, we were given a plate of small choux puffs, flavoured by pepper and cardamom. They were like little bursts of flavour, and were excellent while hot. After we ordered, the amuse was delivered in a lovely egg shaped bowl, complete with lid, and consisted of Winter vegetable, foie gras and asparagus mousse. The vegetables were thinly sliced and crunchy, but not much taste, but paired very well with the velvety smooth sauce.

I didn’t try a lot of the bread selection as I was saving my stomach, but the Sourdough bread and the Scottish bap were excellent. The accompaniment also included crème fraiche but I actually prefer the salted butter.

• Soft-boiled organic EGG, crayfish and cep mushrooms, Nantua sauce - the egg was huge…but it’s supposed to be organic so it must’ve been a big chook who gave birth to it. I think what I love most about this dish was the delicious sauce. You know you are in for a treat when you can smell how good the sauce is. This one was a seafood based reduction, that was a rich addition to the mild ingredients. And of course, the egg was cooked perfectly.
• Roasted CHICKEN & LOBSTER, sweetbread, creamy juice - wow – if I hadn’t known from the menu that I was eating chicken, I could swear that it was actually pork. That chicken had so much flavour, and not to mention the really crisp, thick skin, I was really surprised it was chicken. You can’t go wrong with lobster, and sweetbread for that matter. The sauce was outstanding, yet again.
• Fillet of TURBOT "Matelote", potato gnocchi - I was informed that Matelote is a red wine and bacon sauce. Not what I expected actually, but the sauce was thick and not that salty, but has an almost caramelized flavour. The turbot was cooked perfectly, while little gnocchi (not that interesting) had pieces of delectable bacon sitting on top.
• Fillet of BEEF and seared FOIE GRAS Rossini, “sacristain” potatoes, “Périgueux sauce” - as expected, good quality beef. The foie gras was top quality and melt in the mouth, the sauce superb. The potatoes were list crisps, except delivered as twists. I didn’t really eat those and instead paid attention to the meat.
• Passionfruit, pistachio and orange macaroon – perhaps they were delivered before dessert because of the long wait for the soufflé, who knows. Anyway, these weren’t soft and light, but heavy and intense. Still, the flavours were so good I didn’t care
• dark chocolate, milk chocolate with wafer – yum. They actually asked if I wanted more but I had to decline
• Slightly bitter pink GRAPEFRUIT SOUFFLÉ with grapefruit sorbet - I love soufflé, but I have to say on this occasion it didn’t do it for me. The grapefruit was just a bit TOO sharp, so the soufflé tasted very bitter, and the sorbet was so sharp it hurts to eat it. It was all a bit overwhelming.
• THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA- pineapple layers with foam - good idea, but I thought the pineapple was a bit too sweet, so I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would otherwise.
• Assortment of lollies – nougat, chocolate cream biscuit - well, I didn’t expect more after all those, but these came anyway, after we’ve had desserts.
• Lemon sorbet and mango - I preferred this to all the desserts. The mango was clean and paired well with the sweet and sour sorbet.
• Chablis Four 06 (£15) – a dry white to accompany my meal, poured from a huge magnum and quite fine, thank you very much

All in all, the most French experience I’ve had, in terms of the order of how everything is served. I love it, and with the rate of the Euro these days, perhaps I don’t need to go to France to experience this type of food.

Rating - 9

Atmosphere

I actually expected more opulence really, afterall, this is the flagship restaurant at The Dorchester…Having said that, I actually really like the décor….I am thinking olive walls would suit my new place…They have a nature theme going on, with a silver leaf light fixture and also a green foliage feature wall. Glass vegetables sit on the tables – I’ve seen them somewhere before, but can’t remember the restaurant. We were given a seat in the corner, overlooking Hyde Park – although I was too short and it was too dark to see across the road, so the view I got was a lot of passing double deckers. They even have a fire going, shielded behind a pane of glass, definitely for dramatic effect rather than for warmth.

The place was not that full though, only about half the tables were filled, so I guess those Michelin Stars aren’t pulling in the punters, or maybe it’s the credit crunch biting. Well, the place was filled more with businessmen rather than the show-offs at Le Gavouche, so wearing my suit didn’t really make me stand out. P.S. they have very nice hand cream in the bathrooms.

Rating - 2

Service

Wonderful. Our every need was attended to and they didn’t seem like they were too posh. They left us alone most of the time, but always checked on us to make sure we were ok. The parting gift at the end of the night was a great touch too.

Rating - 5

C-factor

3 courses for £75, with supplement of £10 for the chicken ad lobster and also the beef. We got 20% off from toptable, but it’s still a big hit. At least it was an experience. I only hope it was cheaper so I can come back again.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 16.5

Info

The Dorchester
Park Lane
London
W1K 1QA
Phone +44 (0) 20 7629 8866
Website

Benares

We met Atul Kochhar over a year ago at his book signing. We loved the food from his cookbook, and wanted to see if the food lived up to its reputation. I am please to report that I am pleased indeed.

Food

We had the pre-theatre menu, which was perfect as there were three of us and three choices for each course. We started off with some mini papadoms and chutneys, which were very mild. The amuse was Potato and Leek Soup, and while not spectacular, it did demonstrate the blending of Eastern and Western influences in the food. For the main event:

• Beetroot Carpaccio with Cranberry Foam and Mixed Fruit Jelly - looked spectacular, with its bright orange and purple juxtaposition. The sauce was subtle and paired nicely with the beetroot, with a delicate salad on top.
• Pepper and Fennel Crusted Squid Salad - the squid was lightly coated and cooked well, with the flesh accentuated by the bitey salad.
• Tandoor Cooked Salmon Fillets with Spiced Gazpacho Salsa - you can definitely taste the smoked tandoor flavour. Simple and fresh.
• Savoy Dolmas with a Fenugreek Flavoured Concasse and Sour Cream - I love the sauce of this dish. It is perhaps the most “Indian” of the dish. It demonstrates the ingenious use of spices. The potato mixture underneath the cabbage shows that the kitchen can do the basics well.
• Pan Fried King Fish Steaks with Chilly-Garlic Mash and Nilgiri Sauce - they ran out of kingfish so we got sea bass instead – and had to endure the mushy tastelessness of the flesh. At least the coconuty sauce made it bearable.
• Saffron Scented Chicken Supremes with a Leek Risotto and Makhani Sauce - again, nicely smoked chicken, but the risotto lacked any sort of oomph.
• Naan - very nice…not much else to say really.
• White Chocolate Mousse with Banana Basil Sorbet - I didn’t enjoy this at all. The white chocolate was too sweet, and how that went with the banana sorbet beats me.
• Allspice Poached Winter Fruits with Vanilla Ice Cream - my favourite dessert by a mile, the poached fruit benefited immensely with the beautiful, slightly spicy sauce.
• Mango Kulfi - not that much mango flavour, otherwise very standard kulfi

We ended the meal with some Fresh Mint Tea and also a standard showing of Petit Fours, which included Cinnamon Biscuit, Jelly, Banana Éclair, Chocolate Pistachio Fudge.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

The décor is very posh – and certainly much nicer than Tamarind’s, dark walls with intricate wood panels. The space is huge, with a main dining hall and also several sections that would be great for large groups. We dined at 6pm for the pre-theatre menu offer, and there were quite a few tables celebrating birthdays. At 7pm exactly they dimmed the lights, and people who were fancily dressed started arriving.

Rating - 2

Service

Cordial and polite, not quite the attentiveness you usually get at a Michelin Star place. At least they actually empty a whole bottle of still water before they remove it from the table.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

£24.95 for three courses, a glass of wine, tea and petit fours, not bad if you can get it.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 14

Info

12A Berkeley Square House
Berkeley Square
London
W1J 6BS
Phone +44 (0) 20 7629 8886
Website

C & R

We visited this joint 3 years ago when we first stepped foot in London. At the time, we were really disappointed that this was one of the best restaurants in London, yet served up meals that I could find, and for better, at any old joint back home. And now, 3 years later, after suffering from not having a decent Asian meal for more than a year, has my opinion changed? Yes, but only because the pound is doing so badly, and because I miss Asian food.

Food

The best thing about this meal was actually the drinks. It wasn’t until I had my first sip of my Hot Soya Milk (£2), that I realised how much I missed this, after 1.5 years without. The Pearl Milk Tea (£3.50) bought back memories of happy days in Aussie land, where this drink can be enjoyed at any old Asian joint.

I tried the Singapore Laksa last time and remembered that I wasn’t impressed. This time I went for the Penang Asam Laksa (£6.50)– pineapple, cucumber, tuna, rice noodles, onions. I am sorry to report that it isn’t that much better. A thick coating of oil was floating in the soup, along with a mass of raw onions and a tinned tuna. Everything used was cheap and nasty – not impressed at all. The Nasi Goreng (£7)– fried egg, chicken, greens had the wonderful wok-breath taste, and the flavour was fine…All in all, pretty average. Nothing that urges me to return.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

It was surprisingly not crowded on a Thursday night…maybe it’s the cold weather, or the credit crunch, who knows, but I was happy to get a table. We decided to sit downstairs away from the cold and the wind. It was cramped, but it was warm at least, and we got to watch that trolley go up and down with the food.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Kinda rude, but it reminds me of the cheap and nasty joints from Oz.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Compared to 2 years ago, their prices have only risen by about 50p. And if I do the conversion back to AUD nowadays, it’s not such as painful as the GBP is doing so woeful nowadays.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 10.5

Info

3-4 Rupert Court
London
W1D 6DY
Phone +44 (0) 20 7434 1128

Cha Cha Moon 2

I had always wanted to come back to see if my judgement of Cha Cha Moon still hold true. I think it is now suffering from a case of over popularity, as the quality has decreased, while the prices has increased.

Food

XO Vermicelli (£4) - Prawn, choi sum, XO sauce, rice vermicelli was slightly hot, but the noodles were soggy and uninspiring. 4 solitary prawns is the only other ingredient served up. Singapore Char Kway Teow (£3.50) - Chinese salami, fish cake, clam, Chinese chive, beansprout, egg, ho fun was very stingy. A very small plate of the wok-breathed, soy sauce noodle only made you want more Chinese, preferably at a real Chinese restaurant, where you can choose from more than 2 dishes of flat noodles. Taiwan Beef Noodle (£4.50) - braised beef, mooli, preserved cabbage, mustard green, wonton noodle had a generous amount of bitey noodle, passable pieces of braised beef and a simple soup makes this the best dish of the day.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

Let’s just say this. I can’t believe that I trekked for 15 minutes to come here, and then had the privilege of lining up for 30 minutes to get a seat. The line was so long it went out the door and down the street. It meant the atmosphere was great though, with many people coming and going.

Rating - 1.5

Service

The usual Asians waiters with their purple t-shirts. Rude but efficient.

Rating - 2

C-factor

Well, the prices are no longer £3.50, making it not that worthwhile.

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 9

Info

15 - 21Ganton Street
London
W1F 9BN
Phone +44 (0) 20 7297 9800

The Blackwell Ox Inn

Food

The Sunday lunch menu was in operation. I skipped the entrée, but had a taste of the others. I was not very impressed with the Crab Cakes, Lemon Mayonnaise and Dressed Leaves. I could taste mostly potatoes in the crab cakes, and it was bland and dry. The lemon mayo wasn’t that great, but did the job to help the crab cakes go down. The Smoked Salmon and Caper Terrine was very ordinary too, I don’t think they even bother doing anything except put some smoked salmon and capers together.

Mains were either a roast or a vegetarian option. Well, as expected, we all went the roast. The description of the roasts were as follows:

• Sirloin of Beef Roasted on the Bone with Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy
• Braised Should of Lamb with Mint Gravy
• Roast Loin of Rare Bread Pork with Spiced Apple and Clove Gravy

But on delivery, all the different meats were all served with a Yorkshire (very nice it is too) and the same sauce. Of all the meat though, the lamb was the best, juicy and not tough…the worst was surprisingly the beef, which was too tough. There was also a big helping of vegetables (bland!!) on the side too.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

Again, following the country pub formula. They have a front room with the bar and a roaring fire going. But we were going in the “dining room”. Well, we did want to dine at 3:30pm, so they opened up the dining room just for us. We got the prime bay window spot (well…no one was fighting for the spot with us), and it felt kinda weird dining, as all the tables around us were set up for breakfast the next day, and here we were, sitting in the almost darkness, enjoying a meal by ourselves. Everyone left us alone, except for the waiters who would wonder in and out to see if we were ok. I can see the room would be a lovely breakfast spot, but for lunch at 3pm on a gloomy Sunday…maybe not.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Generally very good. They came to check up on us quite a few times to make sure we had everything, but they neglected to ask us for any drink order.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

All starters and desserts were £4.95 and mains at £8.95, so a bargain really. They even do a 2 for 1 on main courses booked through Toptable, but Slokky neglected to book the deal.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 11.5

Info

Huby Road
Sutton on the Forest
York
YO61 1DT
Phone +44 (0) 13 4781 0328
Website

The Grapevine Café

It was cold, it was late on a Sunday, but this place was totally empty. Not a good sign, but there was not much else that was open and doing breakfast, so in we go.

Food

We ordered the Large Breakfast (£5.25) - Sausage x2, Mushrooms and Bacon, Black Pudding x2, Egg x2, Beans and Tomatoes, 2 Slices of Toast - which really wasn’t that large. Everything was cooked well, but the ingredients weren’t that first rate so it was nothing special. The tomato was especially bland. The Soup of the Day and Crusty Roll (£2.95) was mixed vegetable, which was very nice. I didn’t really need the crusty roll as there was plenty of bread that came with the Large Breakfast, but hey, the roll was nice (and crusty), so I’m not complaining.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

A quaint little place with a collection of old vinyl records stuck on the wall. Very few tables, a makeshift bar at the front, the menu posted on the wall. It’s all very original and quite homely.

Rating - 2.5

Service

VERY family oriented. As is, they do it all within the family, you do feel like you are in a guest house or something. Casual and caring, and they were very amused, and surprised, that we swapped food. It seemed they were quite worried about us, they kept telling us that we could get sauce from the counter – even though we didn’t want any sauce – maybe because they know that the food would need the sauce…

Rating - 3

C-factor

Not really that cheap, but we are in a resort town afterall.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12

Info

2 Grape Lane
Whitby
YO22 4BA
Phone +44 (0) 17 2382 0275

The Wheatsheaf – Brigsteer

Food

I started with the Mixed Entree Platter - smoked salmon... which was well done. The Deep-Fried Fish Cake, Poached Hens Egg, Lemon and Dill Dressing, Baby Leaves, Herb Oil (£5.65) was actually a bit boring. I definitely tasted more potato than fish, although the salad was well done. We’ve had so many terrines by now that we expected a lot from the Pressed Terrine of Local Game and Pistachio, Blueberry Gastrique, Dressed Seasonal Leaves (£5.90). This one ranks around average out of all those that I tried. It was a little dry but the game flavour was carried through nicely.

For mains, we had the Braised Daube of Local Beef, Oxtail Ragout, Garlic and Horseradish Mash, Roast Veg, Truffle Jus (£13.95) which was very disappointing. The beef was really dry and tough. The Belly of Local Pork, Mustard Mash, Caramelized Apples, Braising Juices (£13.50) flared a little better, but not much. The pork was also dry, but the crackling was nice. The Fish with Capers and Lemon sauce with Potatoes was as nice as UK fish can be. The sauce helped to lift the dish.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

There seems to be a formula for Michelin Pubs in the country. This one is made up of a comfortable sitting room, followed by a small bar, then opening out into the main dining room and more adjoining rooms. The space has been modernised somewhat. We sat next to the (unlit) fireplace, and had a good view of the rest of the room and the various diners that came.

Rating - 2

Service

Young, eager and polite. They did well enough, but would benefit from a bit more experience. They also need to employ someone who can write legibly and in a straight line for their Specials blackboard.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

The portions were average size, the prices were not outrageous, but leaning towards the expensive side for a pub, even a posh one at that.

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 10

Info

Brigsteer, Kendal
Cumbria
LA8 8AN
Phone +44 (0) 15 3956 8254
Website

Sharrow Bay Country House

Home of the original Sticky Toffee Pudding!! I was so excited, after I taste-tested some at Harvey Nics, I knew I wanted to come and try out everything else.

Food

We were given an amuse of Meat wrap with tomato chutney while we pursued the menu. It was a bit different to what we are used to, and quite nice. The menu was a choice of 4 courses. We chose:

Entrée

• Suissesse Souffle of Stilton, Spinach and Roasted Onion - a big dish with a strong enough cheese flavour not to make it boring.
• Roast Breast of Quail on Truffle Fettuccini with Brandy and Wild Mushroom Sauce - I don’t think it’s game season, but the quail is still nice.
• Dressed Crab, Rosette of Local Smoked Salmon and Sautéed Scallop with Pineapple and Mango Salsa - lovely and sweet crab, good quality ingredients.

2nd course:

• Roast Parsnip, Chestnut and Apple Soup - not strong in any particular flavour, but palette cleansing.
• Fillet of Plaice with Tomato and Olive Risotto - much better than sea bass, but the risotto could do with a bit more work

An inter-course of Sharrow Fruit Sorbet followed, a refreshing pink grapefruit…but I think I felt quite full afterwards.

Main:

• Scottish Fillet Steak with Steak and Kidney Pudding with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes, Seasonal Vegetables and Burgundy Sauce
• Best End and Braised Shoulder of Herdwick Lamb with Creamed Savboury Cabbage, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Tomato and Thyme Sauce - a big hunk of lamb, with beautifully paired sides of vegetables.
• Breast of Gressingham Duckling with Braised Red Cabbage, Apple and Raisin, Sharrow Black Pudding and Apple and Sage Sauce - not too much duckling taste

Dessert:

• Francis Coulson's Famous and Original Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge served with Cream - this didn’t disappoint. It’s definitely not like this sweet imitation sweets you get. The sponge retains its moisture and the sauce was very nice.
• Sharrow Christmas Pudding with Brandy Butter and Rum Sauce - very heavy rum taste and heavy on the raisins. As far as Christmas Puddings go it was a good one, but I never like Christmas pudding anyway.
• Iced Cranberry and Grand Marnier Parfait, Almond Florentine and Caramelised Clementines - this was beautifully executed. A not too sweet milky textured dessert with yummy clementines.

We finished with some tea and coffee of course, since this place is a well-known tea house. The teas were served in the proper cups and saucers, with some Chocolate and Flapjacks as petit fours. I was so full I couldn’t really drink or eat, but it was so nice just to be sitting on the comfy couches again, that I nearly fell asleep.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Spectacular, it’s like a big country house (and it was for the guests, who could wonder downstairs from their bedrooms to have tea, sit by the fire or have a formal dinner). We were seated in one of the sitting rooms, with a piano, lots of period furniture, and given some amuse, before we were finally led into the dining room. We secured one of the best spots, tucked away in the corner, with a window that looks out onto the lake beyond, and the sun shining in our faces (which, incidentally, is a GOOD thing). After our very full meal, we relaxed again in the sitting room while we had tea and coffee. I really didn’t want to leave.

Rating - 3

Service

Very polite in that English stiff upper lip kind of way. I thought the food was a bit slow, but that was probably a good thing, as it gave us time to digest the food.

Rating - 3

C-factor

£50 including coffee or tea and petit fours. Pretty expensive, but the servings were generous and the setting was magical, so I can’t complain too much.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 14.5

Info

Sharrow Bay
Lake Ullswater
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 2LZ
Phone +44 (0) 17 6848 6301
Website