Awana

Awana is a great night out. Stylish, inviting, and delicious. I think I have found THE Asian place for London. It's so good that I might actually pay it a repeat visit!

Food

The food was exceptional, everything was so delicious, I had to resist the urge to lick the plate clean to get that last bit of sauce! Order the roti canai - traditional Malaysian style flat bread, made from a traditional family recipe, plain (£5.00), garlic (£5.50), fresh herbs (£5.50), with your choice of either red curry sauce or dahl curry sauce (v), and watch the chef make it fresh on the plasma screen.

I don't know if it's because it's fresh, but these are the best darn roti I've had (though I haven't been to Malaysia) and the sauce really is something else.

The other entrees were just as good. The salad sajian laut (£9.50) - tiger prawns tails and crab meat with pomelo and green mango reminded me of a papaya salad. The seafood nice and fresh, the dressing sour and tangy, the mango flesh inviting. ketam lembut lada hitam (£10.50) - peppered soft shell crab served with stir fried greens in chilli jam was served up as a whole crab. The crab itself taste very similar to the Japanese variety, it was the sauce, again, that made all the difference. The same story goes for the satay corn-fed chicken (£7.80) - served with our house made spicy peanut sauce. The chicken is grilled in the "grill bar", and that sauce, just made me want to drink the whole dish worth.

Shan ordered a laksa (£14.80) - crab meat, prawn, corn fed chicken, tofu and bean sprout served with vermicelli noodles and a mild broth of lemongrass, curry leaf and coconut. We didn't share it, but I did taste the broth. This is definitely up there in the laksa hall of fame. Although I hadn't had laksa for so long I might be a bit bias. kari ayam (£13.50) - corn fed chicken curry with coconut, potato and snake beans was the recommendation from our waiter. This one is simple but satisfying. My order was the ikan panggang (£14.50) - chargrilled butterfish wrapped in banana leaf with lemongrass, coriander and chilli served with shallot and cucumber salad, which, like most things that are wrapped, was moist and tender, and the dressing was superb, not too overwhemling for the fish. The udang galah cha kuew teow (£22.00) - sea food and lobster, cha kuew teow was sensational. The presentation included the lobster shell, and the meat and the juice combined in the sauce...heaven. We even chose a cool vegetable dish, the aubergine with spicy sauce, quite pungent, delicious aubergine that still retains some bite. We washed it all down with nasi lemak (£3.00) - coconut rice. The only disappointment was the cocktail - pricey and not worth the money, I hope it was because I ordered the wrong thing, as the bar is very inviting. Slokky again had his mocktail. The virgin colada (£6.00) - pineapple juice with coconut and cream was really sweet and boring, but I blame him for getting such a boring drink. I had the rumbutan fantasy (£8.00) - rumbutan juice, vodka, blue curarcao, which was nice and sour, but not anything spectacular. Meza do their cocktails better.

Rating - 8.5

Atmosphere

The front room is dominated by the dimly lit bar with low stools and candlelight. The dining area consists of some banquette seatings, large round tables, and of course, the grill bar, where plasma screens show the chefs in action. The place was packed on a Wednesday night, and I can see why. Interior consists of clean line with dim light and candles.

Rating - 2.5

Service

The waiters were charming and made some excellent recommendation. Before I came, I was called twice to confirm my booking and my credit cards details taken. They really made sure that you turned up, and I guess that's why. The waiters are pretty accommodating though, and are keen to help you put together a menu and they have personal recommendations and seem to all enjoy their jobs, which is a surprise and a delight.

Rating - 4

C-factor

I thought the drinks were outrageous at Meza, but they are even more expensive here, so I guess that's the going price for the hip places. The food though, is worth every penny, so maybe they make their money in the drinks?

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 16

Info

85 Sloane Avenue
London
SW3 3DX
Phone +44 (0) 20 7403 8403
Website

Meza

Going to tapas so soon after visiting Spain might be a mistake.

Food

The cocktails are over priced but very nice indeed. They don't skim on the alcohol there. My Peach Capricoska (£7.5) was well balanced and nicely executed. I guess when the bar is the centrepiece of your restaurant, you learn to make some decent cocktails. Slokky was able to get himself a mocktail too, the Not so Cosmo (£4.5) consisted of oranges & lemons with Cranberry Juice. Not bad, but very expensive for what it is.

We had the pre-theatre menu, which had a wide enough choice that if you have 3 people going, you can try everything on the menu. The portions were generous, but the food was average.

• Hommus with Pita bread - not particularly enticing.
• Crab stuffed piquillo peppers - these were sweet and sour and quite pleasant.
• Fuet Catalan - another type of cured meat, served with gherkins.
• Grilled chicken, Romesco sauce - was really boring, like soy chicken wings.
• Manchego 8 month - very pleasant, and you get quince paste. But I still don't like eating cheese as part of a meal.
• Riojan cured chorizo - not as good as the stuff in Spain, why is that? Don't they just cut the stuff up and serve it? They did pair it with some gerkins though...
• Roast pork belly, fennel seeds - the product was nice, with a nice bit of fat, but the execution only so so...the roast potatoes on the side were more interesting
• Salt cod croquet - this one was done well, the salt cod had been soaked in milk and tasted delicious.
• Spanish tortilla (V) - kinda cold and uninteresting
• Thick cut chips, aioli (V) - these were the best of the night. Crispy and hot, with a killer aioli
• Tomato bread (V) - not very tomato like.
• Tomato, basil & spring onion salad (V) - again, a side thought, not really that interesting.
• Torralba Mahon
• Warm churros, chocolate sauce - after eating these in Valencia, I was looking forward to them. Instead, they were nothing like the ones we had in Spain, kinda more cake like, with an overtly sweet but not very rich chocolate sauce. A miss.
• White chocolate & orange rice pudding - I was a bit put off by the white chocolate, but this was easily the pick of the desserts. Rich and creamy and satisfying, I couldn't finish it though
• Santiago tart, cinnamon ice cream - this is like a rice flour cake, very tense and pretty bland. The cinnamon ice cream was excellent though.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

Meza is very good looking indeed. I certainly felt under dressed (or should that be over-dressed?) going in. Nevertheless, we were made to feel welcomed. It's all mood lighting and funky tunes, with a circular central bar dominating. This is where the cool people hang out.

Rating - 2.5

Service

The waiters are obviously quite used to handling a big group. The problem was that all our dishes didn't all fit on the table, and in the end, we couldn't remember who ordered what, so we just shared everything. They even allowed us to pay separately, but we didn't realise and had already gathered the money ourselves.

Rating - 3

C-factor

The pre-theatre menu was £15 for 5 tapas dishes and dessert, but the drinks prices were outrageous, so I only had 1 cocktail.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 11.5

Info

100 Wardour Street
London
W1F 0TN
Phone +44 (0) 20 7314 4002
Website

Bengal Cuisine

Ahh, Brick Lane. If you've never walked down this street at lunch or dinner time, you are definitely missing out. We took our overseas visitor here, and we weren't disappointed. Restaurateurs hawking their restaurants follow you down the street, tempting you with their sweet offers. Each time you turn away, they come up with something more enticing. Bengal had the advantage of being quite up the street, so it catches the diner when they haven't familiarised themselves with the offerings. We walked away a few times, but in the end, they offered what we wanted.

Food

We were given the 10 menu, which had a limited choices of mix and match specialties. But first, our complimentary popadum (which we managed to wrangle out of and we had to especially ask for, as this was more than the usual deal). These were quite generous, and came with 2 chutneys, one yoghurt and one pot of vegetable. Some quite hot, others not, but all definitely fulfilling.

For entrees, we chose the Aloo Chat (£2.50) - Potato in various herbs and spices cooked with coriander and cucumber, which was quite rich and filling. The flavouring wasn't as complex, but it was satisfying enough. We also got some Lamb Samosa (£2.95) - triangles of thin bread stuffed with delicately spiced lamb, which were quite good.

For mains, we shared the Chicken Vindaloo (£5.95), Lamb Rogon (£5.95) and Chicken Bhuna (£5.95). All were spiced nicely, if somewhat Westernised in their tastes. We also accompanied our meals with Coconut Rice (£2.95) (nice), Pehswari Nan (£2.95) (less sweet than Lahore, which I find is actually better), and Garlic Nann (£2.95) (not oily, and piping hot. We also got beer (I tried the Kingfisher, which was on tap) or soft drinks (Slokky had a coke) with the deal. For £10 we were literally stuffed at the end of the meal.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

There were quite a few large tables - looked like work mates or sports group, as well as some uni students dining. The place is nicely done up, wine glasses and white paper over the white tablecloths. Various awards and clippings hang on the wall. The dining room is small, and it soon filled up, no doubt people caught with the "special deal".

Rating - 2

Service

The guy promised us service with a smile when we came in, but they didn't so much as look at us all night. We had to call several times for service, and they seemed not very keen to explain the menu at all. We had to call them for our popodum, and I chased up my naan several times before it was finally delivered. They also charged us wrong on the bill, which they then fixed up wrong, so we gave up trying to work things out.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

We managed to whittle the price down to £10 per head. I'm not sure what the lowest you can go to is, but I thought they were pretty generous with their food.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 11

Info

12 Brick Lane
London
E1 6RF
Phone +44 (0) 20 7377 8405
Website

Lahore Kebab House

According to many, this is the best "Asian" restaurant in London, so I was definitely looking forward to this.

Food

We decided to order a feast to share. But first, something to wash it down, so Mango Lassi (£3.5) and Sweet Lassi (£3.0) were in order. Pretty soon, our entrees arrived:

• Salad and Raita - really really nice sauce, fresh salad
• Paneer Tikka (£3) - cube cheese, done in the tandoor. Not much taste, a little sour, but definitely had a nice chewy texture
• Samosa vegetable (£1) - beautifully crisp and tender
• Seekh kebab (£1) - heavily and expertly spiced

We were still licking our fingers from the entrees when our possession of curries arrived:

• Rioni (Okra) curry (£5.50) - I love okra, and this was great. Somehow though, it just wasn't quite up there with the Janani version.
• Chicken Tikka Masala (£7) - a wonderfully complex sauce, not too hot and not too sweet.
• King Prawn Curry (£9.50) - my pick of the night. The prawns were not so generous, but when the sauce is this gorgeous, who cares.
• Nihari (Lamb Shanks) (£8.50) - this was one of their special limited availability item, and I am a sucker for lamb shanks afterall. The sauce was great again, but there was only 1 shank to be shared among 8, and it was not that tender either.
• Fish Curry - another excellent dish, the firm flesh of the fish holds the sauce very nicely.

We accompanied all these with the all important bread and rice:

• Plain Rice (£3) - uhh, plain?
• Plain Naan (£1) - nicely executed, not too oily, nice and fluffy. They do roll it fresh in front of you afterall.
• Butter Naan (£1.25) - too oily for my liking, but I guess if you order butter naan, you expect that.
• Garlic Naan (£1.50) - really strong garlic flavour.
• Peshhrawi Naan (£3) - I like this one. It's actually filled with a coconut paste/spread thing.
• Tandoori Paratha (£1.50) - thin and satisfying.

Needless to say, we were absolutely stuffed, and fully satisfied, after that feast.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

This place was totally not what I had expected. A basic foodhall, in the manner of Janani it isn't. It's a big space alright, but it's filled with bright lights, big tables, and plasma screens showing your Bollywood movies. As you enter, you are confronted with the huge glass fronted kitchen, where you can watch several chefs tending to the tandoor, rolling out bread, and all other manners of drama. They also have upstairs as well, which I suspect would be much better if you are trying to have a conversation.

Rating - 1.5

Service

As it's a food hall, I actually didn't expect any service. However, someone comes to take your order, you pay at the table, and everything is all very efficient. Everyone here must be regulars as no one explained to us what anything on the menu meant, what the specials were and how many you get of each starter in a serving. I guess you just have to come a few times to find out.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

For Indian and Pakistani food, it's very expensive, considering you can walk down Brick Lane and eat for half that price. The food is definitely top notch, so I will have to try all the ones in Brick Lane to compare before I can say if it's worth the money.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12

Info

2 Umberston Street
London
E1 1PY
Phone +44 (0) 20 7488 2551

Tai

I have seen this chain around a few places, and have always been intrigued - by the £3.50 sign they always have hanging out front. Of course, the reality is much different than it seems. Still, the food look fresh and inviting, so we went in.

Food

There were some labels on the food, but I still couldn't really tell what I was eating as the labels were kinda mixed up and everything was like made of tofu. This was vegetarian buffet afterall, so everything kinda look and taste strange. They use very fresh ingredients and the spicing is superb. The food is quite oily, but surprisingly, it's one of the best Asian meals I've had for ages. Highlights were the "meat" balls, tofu and bamboo shoots.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

The place was very Thai looking, with intricate carvings, big lamps and Chinese painting. The food was Asian leaning, but not very Thai though. There were a mix of tourists and Londoners alike, but not many Asians at all. Quite a few people ate by themselves too. It's really a fuelling stop, not an occasion lunch.

We were seated right next to the kitchen, even though there were plenty of other seats available. Every time they open the kitchen door (which was very often), you get a cold blast of kind in your face. Oh yeah, they play Chinese music too!

Rating - 2

Service

It's buffet, so you help yourself. They save cost by only giving you one plate, so the plate was pretty disgusting by the end. I used my tea to rinse it down before dessert.

The waiters were ok, they kept refilling the buffet with big tubs from the kitchen, and I managed to get some hot tea a few times.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

£6.50 for our vegetarian buffet lunch as we were paying Sunday rates. Although they actually don't state that anywhere. Lunch is normally 5.50, but that only applies on a weekday, but they don't tell you that until you pay. We had the tenancy to ask before we sat down, so we were prepared. I think the price is ok, but still, I don't like getting deceived.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 11.5

Info

53 Warren Street
London
W1T 5NL
Phone +44 (0)20 7387 6875

Tay Do

Ever since I moved to London, I've been hankering for some good Vietnamese food. Alas, that doesn't exist here, and Tay Do is the best you can get.

Food

The menu is quite extensive, even for a Vietnamese restaurant. We ordered some starters to share:

• Vietnamese Spring Rolls (£4) - made using the traditional wrapper. It was a bit too heavy, but the filling was fresh and tasty, and went down well wrapped in lettuce.
• Traditional Vietnamese Pancake (Prawns & Chicken/Pork) (£4.50) - a bit big and hard to share. It was nice but not overly so.
• Green Papaya Salad (Pranws/Pork/Prawns & Pork) (£5.50) - my pick for the night. I had been hankering for papaya salad ever since Thailand. This one was fresh, with a killer sauce to boot.

For mains, I, for once, decided to forgo the usual pho to try the intriguing sounding Hot & Spicy Crab Special Rice vermicelli Soup (£6). The result is much more boring. The soup is a tomato based broth that has all sorts of herbs and spices added to give it flavour, but it wasn't really very hot and spicy. And the crab? Well, I didn't expect to get anything much for a soup that price, and I didn't get anything. Still, the soup is pleasant enough, enough for me to want to come back in the future and try that pho.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

It was quiet on this Tuesday night. Obviously another family run affair, with modest and very homely and mish mash decor. The whole family seems to have fronted up tonight.

Rating - 1.5

Service

I would describe it as strange, and I don't even mean that in the Asian way! Some things they did so well, but they were kind of aloof, and had to be asked several times before they poured us any tea.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

As far as London goes, it's cheap enough. Just don't convert the prices on what you could get in Vietnam or even Australia, and you'll be right.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 10.5

Info

65 Kingsland Rd
London
E2 8AG
Phone+44 (0) 20 7729 7223

Made in Italy

Even though it is in a hip suburb, Made in Italy is still out of the way. It's the only restaurant on the strip, and certainly not near any other restaurants. It was a hike, but judging by the amount of people there on a Wednesday night, definitely worth the hike.

Food

A classic Italian menu, with the focus on pizza. we decided to order a variety of pastas and pizzas to share.

Pasta - were better than average. We had:

• Ravioli anima e core (£8.95)
• Gnocchi mare e monti (£9.50)

Pizza - this is what you come here for. If you order 4 or more pizzas, they come on a metre long slab, and takes up the whole table. It's a feast to behold. The crust is not too thin, but suitably charred, and the toppings are more sparing than packed on, and tastes great. The only problem with the big slab though, is that your pizza gets cold really quickly, and it's a pain to cut. We had:

• Diavola (£7.95)
• Capricciosa (£8.50)
• Salsiccia e peperoni (£7.50)
• Pomod rucola e prosciutto (£8.95)

Oh yeah, we also got a Mista (£4.50) to make us feel better, but we shouldn't have bothered. The pizzas had loads of veggie, and the salad was rather bland and unimaginative.

Rating - 7

Atmosphere

It's a small restaurant, with a few tables downstairs, and another small section upstairs. There was a huge crowd there for a Wednesday, mostly big groups, with a few couples. It's very loud, but there are enough space between the tables to hear yourself talk. The only problem is actually fitting those metre long pizzas on your tables!

I do have a question though, what's with the plant blocking the door next to our table? Where does that door lead?

Rating - 2

Service

It's a family run restaurant. We had trouble figuring out who were the serving staff and who were guests, as the waiters did not wear uniform. For that reason, and the fact that the waiters never approach you and you have to get them, it's very hard to get any attention at all. They were busy, but still, you expect some level of service.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

It worked out to be £15 per head but we only drank water. Not too bad for somewhere famous for celebrity spotting right?

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 11

Info

249 King's Road
London
SW3 5EL
Phone +44 (0) 20 7352 1880

Le Saint Julien

Le Saint Julien is a cosy bistro. As soon as I walked in the door I knew it was going to be a good night, due to their display of desserts wine and their cheese cabinet near the entrance.

Food

The menu is all classic French, nothing too fancy, not too flashy, just right for the setting. And to top it off, the servings are huge! We started with some (what else) baguette with butter, which also went very nicely with the snails in garlic butter. Nicely garlicky, with that chewy texture. A beauty, and the butter is definitely bread dip worthy. The Country style Terrain with red wine jelly - again, another hit. This is a rough and ready terrain, with all the goodness of the meat and fat mingled to give the most melt in the mouth taste.

After the excellent start, we were looking forward to the mains. The steak frites with onion marmalade didn't disappoint. This had fat chips instead of the French fries and mayo instead of Bearnaise sauce. Still, it was nicely done, medium rare as requested. It wasn't as good as the one at France Soir though. The duck breast with poached pear and truffled mash was so fatty and gamey and juicy. The truffle mash was very heavenly.

Even though we were really full, we couldn't resist a creme caramel. Executed very well.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

We were seated in a fairly crowded table, after the wine glasses, didn't leave much room for anything else. Le Saint Julien isn't one of those poshy places with low lighting and steel or wood. Instead, it has its own charm. The cutlery is old world, the tables small. The crowds seems to be group of older men, on business. Still, it's a relaxed kind of place you can go for a full meal or some wine and cheese for an afternoon.

Rating - 2

Service

The staff were friendly, but sometimes a bit hard to attract attention. One particular waiter was a standout, whereas another didn't even seem to speak English. They were nice enough to wrap up Amber's meal in a doggy bag since she didn't actually make it afterall.

Rating - 3

C-factor

2 courses for £19.95, 3 for £24.95, but with supplements for a lot of the dishes on the menu. We had 2.5 courses + wine for £25 each, which was reasonable.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

63 Long Lane
London
EC1A 9EJ
Phone 087 1971 4388

Four Seasons

The "duck place" as it's also known. This place is famous in London for their ducks and it shows. There are rows and rows of roast duck displayed in their front window. Queues sneak out the door and the cleaver man never stops chopping. Well, the duck was really good, but the rest of the meal really didn't justify the queues.

Food

We had:

• fried frogs legs - really really bland, and the accompanying sauce was overpowering and didn't really go.
• braised abalone mushrooms and vegetables - the mushrooms were nice and fat, too bad the sauce was thick and starchy.
• dried scallops stewed with winter melon - this was nice, but the sauce again, was not as complex as I imagined it to be. Slokky's braised chokos actually taste better!
• salt and pepper squid - one of the better dishes, but the batter was very heavy and the spicing a little heavy handed.
• Japanese tofu hot pot - the best dish (besides the duck). Japanese tofu is really soft and light and airy, encased in a puff outer. The texture was divine.
• whole roast duck - the piece de resistance, the sauce was what made the duck. The duck itself was fat and moist, oozing sweet juice everywhere.

. The score would be even lower if it wasn't for the duck.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

The place was absolutely packed. There was a mix of Asians and non Asians, but most came in big groups - the best way to enjoy Chinese food afterall. The tables were quite packed in together, so it was loud. Our table was too small so we all had to squish in too.

Rating - 1.5

Service

For a restaurant, I can't believe they can be that rude and get away with it in this day and age. They threw the menus at us, and despite asking about our duck, which took forever to arrive, they didn't bother checking for us. It got to the stage where we actually ate everything and had to sit and wait for the duck to arrive.

Rating - 1

C-factor

We paid for the b'day girl so worked out to be £16 each.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 9

Info

84 Queensway
London
W2 3RL
Phone 020 7229 4320

Wong Kei

Wong Kei is famous in London... no not for their food, but for their rude waiters! Even my aunty and uncle in HK know about the place, so it was a no-brainer on this cold Sunday night. Rude waiters in Chinese establishment usually equates to pretty authentic food!

Food

There were a lot of non-Asians in the room, and the menu was vast and reflected that. I decided to stick to the basics. The won ton noodle soup (£2.80) didn't disappoint. The broth was excellent, much better than a lot of the Chinese places in Sydney, and the wonton was generous and meaty. For the price, you don't get a lot, but it was enough for a very satisfying meal. The beef and raw egg rice (£3.80) was also executed well. The raw egg made the sauce thick, just like it was supposed to be. There was a suitable wok breath to the noodles. The only gripe was that it was a bit too oily and too strong for my liking, but Slokky had no problems with it at all.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

I can see why many westerners would stay away. The place is very basic, laminated tables, basic chairs. Harsh fluorescent light. You come here to eat, not to be seen. The toilets also look revolting, but when you can be in and out in 15 minutes, who cares. I happen to think that this harsh environment adds to its appeal.

Rating - 1.5

Service

I was actually expecting worst service, but the waiters were pretty cool. They were all wearing special Wong Kei t-shirts too, that is so cool! This is no high class restaurant after all, so you shouldn't expect high class service.

Rating - 3

C-factor

Cheap as chips. Anytime you need a quick fix on a budget, this is the place to be.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 12

Info

41-43 Wardour Street
London
W1D 6PY
Phone 020 7437 8408

Ristorante Sirena

Ristorante Sirena is situated along a row of restaurants on James St, and on this Friday night, every restaurant looked like it was full, with guests spilling out onto the pavement. On closer look, it seemed like all the restaurants just filled their best tables (i.e. outside) first, so there was plenty of room. We were lead to the almost empty basement, which slowly filled up during the night.

Food

We started with some Turkish bread with olives and balsamic oil. The bread was super oily, so the oil wasn't really need. The olives were additive (even though they were small and had not much meat).

Since they proclaimed the Branzino al Cartoccio (£16.95) - Whole sea bass stuffed with herbs, baked in foil with white wine and lemon as a house specialty, we had to try it. It was served dramatically at the table, peeling back the foil to review a whole fish swimming in poaching liquid. It was pretty glorious, the flesh moist from the cooking method.

The rest of the menu is pretty stock standard. You have your usual pizzas and pastas, so I chose the Talionini Procini (£10.50)- angel hair pasta with mushrooms wrapped in prosciutto as it sounded a little unusual. Again, the presentation was superb. The pasta was in a circular disk, wrapped by some prosciutto. The taste though, was ok. The pasta wasn't quite al-dente, and the sauce was a little dry, and I couldn't really taste the mushrooms in it.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

We sat downstairs in the reject area. We miss out on the people watching and being seen, but on the plus side, it was much quieter here so you could talk. It really felt like you were sitting in the storeroom, as they didn't really bother making downstairs feel very homely.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Well, I guess everyone wants to come to London. Our waiter seemed to be Italian, or spoke with some kind of European accent anyway. It seemed like he had the run of the downstairs area. Our meal took ages to arrive, and we had to get him to chase it up several times. He was pretty apologetic, but didn't really do anything about our really long waiting time. He did debone our fish pretty skillfully though.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

This was one of the most expensive meals we've had, and in a very modest setting too. I guess you have to pay to hang in the cool spots.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 10

Info

44 James St
London
W1U 1EY
Phone 020 7486 5620
Website

Brasserie Roux

Our aim for moving to London is to of course try all the food around here, so we started with the Bib Gourmande of London. Brasserie Roux is a restaurant by Albert Roux.

Food

We chose the pre-theatre menu, which started with wholemeal and grain bread with olive oil, butter and spiced onion. One thing that I have noticed about London is that the bread is almost always yummy here, and these bread were no exception. We polished off the bread, but left those little onion bits alone.

Entrees:

• duck terrain with toasted bread and conserve - excellent dish. The duck was gamey and the
• beetroot salad with goats cheese and walnut - very fresh and cleansing, but not really exceptional.

Mains:

• lamb shank - I love lamb shanks. This one was not quite fall off the bone, but I think it might have something to do with the English lambs. The sauce was great though.
• sea bass - I keep forgetting not to order seafood in London. The sea bass was well executed, only let down by the quality of the seafood.

Dessert:

• creme brulee - I think desserts were a bit of a letdown. The creme brulee was ok, but it wasn't quite creamy and quite cracked enough to say "this place has a Bib Gourmande".
• fruit datois - I ordered this jsut to see what it was. The waiter kindly described it to me, but it wasn't as I expected. Kinda like a millefeulle.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

Situated in the Sofitel hotel, the dining room was all high ceiling and chandelier. It has a certain old world charm, and reminds me a bit of Galileo at the Observatory Hotel. It actually took us awhile to find the entrance to the restaurant, but we certainly felt very English dining here, and the plush (if not practical) chairs certainly added to its gentleman's club looks.

Rating - 2

Service

Exceptional, in that English way. The waiters here dress up in the full dinner suit. Suitably, we were attended to our needs, and our bread basket got refilled without any questions asked.

Rating - 4

C-factor

£15 for 3 courses and another £5 for 2 glasses of wine. This is exceptional value.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 14

Info

Sofitel St James London
6 Waterloo Place
London
SW1 Y4A
Phone 020 7968 2900
Website

The Old Explorer

There are two kinds of pubs in London, the first, a pub where it's all about the drinks, the food is only an accompaniment to the drinks. The second, is termed the "gastro-pub", where they serve restaurant quality meals at the pub. The Old Explorer, our first pub meal in London, belongs to the former category. Still, you can do simple food well, or you can do it badly. Unfortunately, The Old Explorer put our pub experience off to a pretty bad start.

Food

Since this was our first pub experience, we decided to go try some British "cuisine". The Cumberland Sausages & mash (£6.75)- British farm assured sausages served with petit pois & IPA spiced onion gravy and giant Yorkshire pudding definitely fits the bill. The plate was filled with a giant square pastry, with sausages and mash filling the middle, and then the whole thing covered with gravy. I should have known better. This definitely looked better than it tasted. The sausages were bland and dry, the mash of the instant variety. The gravy was tasteless, but at least it gave some moisture to the reconstituted peas.

The Minestrone Soup with Doorstop Bread and Butter (£3.35) was not much better. The soup resembled those alphabet soup you get in a can, overly sweet and tasting of tomato paste. It's a sin to call this minestrone.

Rating - 3

Atmosphere

There are a few pokies machine, a separate smoking and non-smoking area, otherwise it's a refurbished pub, with the usual polished wood. There are bar stools, normal tables and comfy sofas, which were all taken this lunch time. We sat on a table next to some screens showing what looked like a talent contest. Thankfully the sound has been turned off.

Rating - 1.5

Service

It's a pub, so you just about serve yourself. They bring the food to the table after you order, so I guess that's above average.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

A rip off for some mediocre food.

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 7

Info

23 Great Castle St
London
W1G 0HY
Phone 020 7491 0467

Le Tour de la Pont

Located along the trendy Shad Thames harbourside, Le Tour offers indoor and outdoor dining, all with a view of the magnificent Tower Bridge. You can choose to dine in the more formal restaurant, but we chose the more relaxed bistro.

Food

We ordered from Le Menu du Marche, which offered 3 choices of each item. As you might've figured out from the name, Le Tour serves up modern French cuisine.

Entrees:

• Deep fried salt & pepper squid - a super light batter, with a fresh tangy lemon dipping sauce.
• Duck & pork rillette - quite meaty, with a great flavour.

Mains:

• Braised chicken with olives - a rich tomato based sauce.
• Classic fish pie - like a cottage pie really, not what I imagined, but quite good nevertheless.

Dessert:

• Eton mess - how very English for a French restaurant. Berries were still in season, so made this dessert much better than it should be.

All in all, much better than I expect for a place with a view.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

Situated by the Thames with a great view of Tower Bridge. We sat outside in the covered patio, and watched the sunset over the Tower. There were groups and couples, all enjoying drinks or snacks, winding away a lovely spring weekend. This is definitely a place to bring your date.

Rating - 3

Service

Very slow to take our order and deliver drinks, but the food arrived very quickly. Nearly all the waiters were genuine French, so I forgive them.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Two courses at £13.50, Three courses at £17.50, pretty decent for great food.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

The Butlers Wharf Building
36d Shad Thames
London
SE1 2YE
Phone 020 7403 8403

Website

The Clerkenwell Dining Room & Bar

This is the first dinner of what will become our regular Wednesday nights dinner, where I will be attempting to try a different London restaurant every week.

Food

I wasn't going to get 3 courses, but the menu sounded so inviting, I couldn't help it. The servings were HUGE too, so I was really stuffed by the end of the night, but very satisfied.

There were already some white and wholemeal olive bread on the table when we sat down. UK bread is normally very yummy, and these were no exception. Paired with the luscious butter, they went some way to explaining why I was so bloated afterwards.

Well, we only ordered what was obviously the 2 best sounding entrees for the night. Two of us got the Foie gras terrine (£10) - duck confit, fig jam and toasted brioche . The confit was suitable gamey, the game sweet and the brioche just dry enough for the terrine. I think the great English produce has been put to good use here. Oxtail ravioli (£9) - scallops, cauliflower, mizuna and red wine jus was pretty amazing. Again, excellent meat with TASTE. The meat was not quite melt in the mouth, but the pastry was silky smooth, the sauce was fragrant and sweet. The only letdown was the scallops. Here though, I blame the produce, as they were seared perfectly. Instead of the sweet, juice scallops, with that firm texture I am used to in Australia, I get huge but tasteless scallops.

Main course though, we were divided. I wanted to get everything on the menu, but settled on the Lamb rump (£17) - butternut squash, black olives, ravioli of lamb shoulder and star anise jus - the meat here tastes like really nice (well compared to the dismal seafood). The butternut squash (pumpkin to the Aussies), presented as a mash, was very sweet and velvety. The ravioli tasted very similar to the Oxtail ravioli from earlier (goody!). Slokky's Halibut (£17) - pork belly, celeriac, cous cous and red wine jus was disappointing. The fish was dry, and while the fish was firm, it was overcooked and a bit tasteless. The pork belly accompaniment though, was not playing second fiddle. It shined through with its crunchy skin, melt in the mouth sweetness, and superb saucing. The rabbit and duck dishes looked wonderful and were also polished off.

The desserts were something else altogether. Being a sucker for souffle, it was a no-brainer for me, and the Raspberry souffle (£7) - raspberry ice cream was beautiful. Not the best souffle I've had, but definitely passes the test for a good souffle. The Orange creme brulee (£7) - mandarin ice cream was better, because the dish used to make it was shallower and wider, meaning more surface for the burnt sugar!

At that point we were literally stuffed, so the petite fours were only sampled. They were very innovative too, the chocolate pistachio slice was very moorish, made with real dark chocolate, the marshmallow light as air but very sweet, the almond biscotti was thin and crunchy, and didn't taste too much of almond though.

Rating - 8

Atmosphere

The restaurant looked very modern and inviting, starched white tablecloth, nice stemware, good cutlery, dim lighting. There was not really any distinguishing features about it. One thing I didn't like though, the tables were so close together you have to feel comfortable sharing your conversation with your neighbours. That's how we discovered that more than half the clientele were not native Englishmen. There were quite a few groups there too so the noise level was quite high.

Rating - 1.5

Service

The service was promising at the start. My coat was taken and I was given a tag. We were promptly seated. From here on, the service became somewhat disjointed. The menu took awhile to arrive, it took even longer for them to take our orders, but since we were chatting, it didn't matter too much. There were discrepancies in the way they were serving the wine. They poured us some for tasting, but yet the way they poured the wine suggested that they didn't have a deep understanding of wine and the correct way of doing it.

I think the problem is actually from the different experiences of the waiters themselves. Some were excellent and professional, while others seemed like they were on training. For example, our entrees were totally mixed up, but our mains arrived without a hitch. The waiters, like the clientele, were also from non English speaking background, which made them just that little bit more charming.

Rating - 3

C-factor

The final bill, plus wine, came to around £25 a head, which was very good for the generous amount of food we were given.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 14

Info

69-73 St John Street
London
EC1M 4AN
Phone 020 7253 9000
Website

Yo! Sushi St Pauls

Surprisingly, I haven't had sushi train for years, well, I haven't exactly had great experiences in the past, so I was never in any rush to go and try it. But, London is another matter. Yo! Sushi is another one of those food chains that I said I would eventually get around to trying, so when they were having a special offer, this was as good a time as any to catch up with some old friends.

Food

Because filtered water is actually £1, we opted to have green tea (£1.25 unlimited) and miso soup (£1.75 unlimited). The green tea tasted like water and the miso soup was really salty, but I still refuse to pay for water. Anyway, onto the main event. We tried:

green:
• Crispy Salmon Skin Hand Roll - grilled crispy salmon skin with spring onion - I love the really crunchy texture and the fresh hand roll. A winner.
• Vegetable ISO (inside out) - tamago, cucumber, avocado, mizuna leaf, and mayonnaise ISO with chives - ok, but not spectacular.

blue:
• California Hand Roll - crabstick, avocado, mayonnaise and sesame seed - surprisingly tasty, with a smudge of mayo and retaining the great texture of the nori.
• Salmon Nigiri - fresh sliced salmon with wasabi - the salmon was very thin, so that the ratio of rice to fish was not right, but at least the salmon was fresh enough.

purple:
• Spicy Chicken Katsu ISO - shredded crispy chicken, in a spicy dressing, and misuna ISO. Drizzled with fruity katsu sauce - wow, this was actually spciy. The sauce was delightful. Great combo.
• Squid Nigiri - fine slices of squid with yuzu tobiko - yum! the squid was so tender and fresh, wonderful

orange:
• Crunchy Tuna Salad - slices of tuna, crunchy mixed salad dressed in light tangy dressing - a big success. The tuna was pepper seared on the outside, but still raw and tender on the inside. This one reminds me of the wagamama salad. The leaves have that bitter kick and the sauce is superb.
• YO! Roll - Salmon, avocado and mayonnaise ISO with tobiko (flying fish roe) - basic but yummy combination

pink:
• Crispy Duck and Moromi Miso Hand Roll- shredded crispy duck, brown rice miso, sliced cucumber and spring onion - not very successful at all. Pretending to be a duck pancake but not even close. The duck was not very flavoursome or melt in the mouth, and the flavours don't jar.
• Crunchy Prawn and Avocado ISO - crispy battered prawn and avocado ISO with wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe) - looked great with the green outside, but tastes pretty bland.

platinum:
• soft shell crab - soft shell blue crab - not that soft and not that crunchy. I've had better

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

The place was packed when we arrived just before 7:30. I guess people in London don't work late. The place is bright an airy, with a corner that's dedicated to take-away. The majority of the space is of course taken up by the "kitchen", with the sushi train surrounding it. You mostly sit around the train, on special benches that have filtered tap water and holes built in to hold all your bowls, wasabi, soy sauce...etc, except there are a few actual tables at the back, and that's where we were placed, which was great as it was quieter and away from the wind. It's not really a place to come in a big group, as you can never really sit together, and it's not a place for a date. But for a quick, relatively healthy meal, it's not bad at all.

Rating - 2

Service

It's not surprising that none of the wait staff here comes from an English speaking background. This being London, the staff do stuff very slowly, and were all run off their feet. It took ages to get any service and they weren't very good at remembering orders, having mixed up ours a few times. But at least these people try...unlike some other places I have been to.

Their waiting system left a bit to be desired though. There's no system at all, and whether you go in a queue or push in front of someone else, it's all up to the staff. Luckily the staff at that particular time were great and remembered the order.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Like all sushi trains, the price is calculated from the number of coloured dishes you have. At Yo!, these are their prices. Green - £1.50, Blue - £2, Purple - £2.50, Orange - £3, Pink - £3.50, Platinum -£4. Usually if you have "the rainbow" (i.e. one of each colour plate), it'll cost you £17.50, but because we had our vouchers, our bill came to £10 each. Which is not too bad for sushi in London.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 12

Info

Condor House
5-14 St Pauls Church Yard
London
EC4M 8AY
Phone +44 (0) 20 7248 8726
Website

Bib Gourmand 2007 - Netherlands

Aalden
Adema

Almere
Bakboord

Alphen
Bunga Melati

Amersfoort
Blok's Restaurant

Amstelveen
De Jonge Dikkert

Amsterdam
Van Baerle
Envy
Spring
Le zinc ... et les autres
De Belhamel
Le Camelia
ElkaarEntresol
Gorgeous
Le Relais

Apeldoorn
Navet beoordelingen

Arnhem
Memories Of Asia

Breda
De Stadstuin

Delft
l' Escalier

Deventer
Arsenaal

Haren
Villa Sasso

Harlingen
De Gastronoom

Hoorn
Hendrickje Stoffels

Middelharnis
't Vingerling

Molenrij
't Korensant

Ruurlo
De Tuinkamer

Vught
Ons Kabinet
Gildehuys Beverwijk
Terra Cotta Bloemendaal
Het Spijshuys Boornbergum
Chocolat Breda
Akkers Broek op Langedijk
Artisan Den Bosch
Promessa Eersel
Binnenhof Goes
Bij de Watermölle Haaksbergen
Sir Sèbastian Heerenveen
Het Kookhuys Hilvarenbeek
No.33 beoordelingen Hilversum
De Gasterie Hindeloopen
De Holterberg Holten
Coco Pazzo Houten
Bij Mette Linschoten
Het Lisser Spijshuis Lisse
Het Heerenhuis Middenbeemster
De Posthoorn Monnickendam
Kesselshof Nederweert
Liberty Nijmegen
Het Savarijn Nijmegen
Vesters Nijmegen
Onder de Linde Noordwijk
Bloemers Oeffelt
La Fleurie Oirschot
De Oude Raadskelder Oldenzaal
Des Moules Philippine
Frouckje State Rijperkerk
De Herberg van Smallingerland Rottevalle
Hosman Freres Schiedam
Aan Sjuuteeanjd Schinnen
De Seghesteen beoordelingen Slochteren
De Molenmeester Staphorst
De Limonadefabriek menukaart Streefkerk
Droste's Tubbergen
Mes Amis Urk
La Mangerie Venlo
De Bourgondiër Vlissingen
Papermoon Voorburg
Bibelot Waddinxveen
d' Oude Weeghbrug Wamel
De Vijf Sinnen Weidum
Nolet's Vistro Yerseke
Het Seminar Zenderen
Corneille Rijsoord

Goodman’s Field

This is literally our local pub. It's situated right downstairs of our building. It's one of the chain of JD Weatherspoon pubs around, and since they were having their "Fullers Festival" for 10 days only, I decided it was now or never to visit.

Food

Well, it's pub grub, no gastro pubs here. Slokky had the Fish and chips - Battered fillet of cod, with chips, peas and tartare sauce. We got a pretty generous piece of fish, but the batter was kinda limp and the dish tasteless. The chips tastes really healthy but at least they were nice and fat. And peas are peas, even in London. I tried the Cottage pie, chips and peas. This was more successful, but don't expect anything spectacular. Some salty, but at least not dried beef paired with some fake mash. The best thing though, was the vast arrange of sauces they provide for you. Besides your normal tomato and mayonnaise, you also get all different kinds of mustards, salad cream, mint sauce and malt vinegar. Just pour a vast amount of these all over your food, and you'll be set.

I think I am going to develop a beer drinking habit soon, but the Fullers London Pride I tried was not as good as the John Smith's. Better than anything Australia produces, but I don't think this one does London proud.

Rating - 4.5

Atmosphere

Well, the place was really crowded on a Wednesday night. The crowd though, is more of your family hangout than anything else. In face, it's extremely children friendly.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Well, at least the barman knows how to pour a beer. Besides that, it's a pub, so leave or take as you will.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

We had the two meals for 7.49 deal. On Wednesdays, all pints are 1.89. It used to be cheaper too, but prices here have gone up. I guess for London it's not too bad.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 9

Info

87–91 Mansell Street
Aldgate
London
E1 8AN
Phone 020 7680 2850

Website

Isis Bar and Lounge

We went looking for pub that was showing the Premier League instead of the rugby on a Sunday afternoon. We expected it to be and easy task, this was London afterall. Little did we know that the CBD is basically dead on a weekend. We walked past several closed pubs, a few showing the rugby, even one showing BBC news (!), and was getting a bit desperate before we stumbled on this quiet little bar situated in a hotel. They had the Premier League on, and that was good enough for us.

It's a bit more pricey than some, but they have made it more like a bar than a pub. I actually don't mind the pubs here, but this "bar" has banquet seating, so I guess that's why they can charge more. Still, there are enough beers on tap to please. I chose something that I'd never tried before, and something that I thought was a bit "English sounding", so that's how I ended up with a glass of John Smith's Extra Smooth, which was actually very smooth, not unlike German beers.

The bar girl was so slow, even though we were the only customers, and took over 10 minutes before our drinks were ready. And the game? Chelsea won 2-1 over Man United. Not that I care. I had my beer and my bar snack (free nuts) to keep me happy.

Info

14 Coopers Row,
Tower Hill,
London,
EC3N 2BQ
Phone 20 7863 3700
Website

Bib Gourmand 2007 - UK

London
Beckenham, Mello
Bloomsbury, The Salt Yard
Blackheath, Chapter Two
Hammersmith, Agni
Shepherd’s Bush, Havelock Tavern
Archway, The Parsee
Clerkenwell, Comptoir Gascon
Islington, Metrogusto
Chelsea, Racine
Kensington, Malabar
Kew, Ma Cuisine
Twickenham, Brula Bistrot
Twickenham, Tangawizi
Twickenham, Ma Cuisine
Southwark, Anchor and Hope
Whitechapel, Cafe Spice Namaste
Battersea, The Butcher & Grill
Southfields, Sarkhel’s
Bayswater & Maida Vale, L’Accento
Mayfair, Via Condotti
St James’s, Al Duca
St James’s, Brasserie Roux

England
Aldeburgh, The Lighthouse.
Alderley Edge, The Wizard
Blackpool, Twelve
Boroughbridge, thediningroom
Bray-on-Thames, Hinds Head
Brighton, The Real Eating Company
Brighton, Terre à Terre
Bromsgrove, Epic
Budleigh Salterton, Gardiners
Burnham Market, The Restaurant
Bury, The Waggon
Cambridge, 22 Chesterton
Canterbury, The Granville
Castle Cary, The Camelot
Guernsey, The Pavilion
Jersey, Village Bistro
Jersey, Green Island
Chipping Campden, Churchill Arms
Cranbrook, Apicius
Danehill, Coach & Horses
Durham, Bistro 21
Exeter, Jack in the Green Inn
Faversham, The Dove
Haddenham, Green Dragon
Hurley, Black Boys Inn
Husthwaite, The Roasted Pepper
Hutton Magna, Oak Tree Inn
Itteringham, Walpole Arms
Kenilworth, Simply Simpsons
Knaresborough, The General Tarleton Inn
Leeds, Anthony’s at Flannels
Leeds, Brasserie Forty Four
Little Wilbraham, The Hole in the Wall
Liverpool, Simply Heathcotes
Loughborough, Lang’s
Lowick, Snooty Fox
Manchester, Café Jem&I
Manchester, Palmiro
Masham, Vennell’s
Melton Mowbray, Red Lion Inn
Mistley, The Mistley Thorn
Newcastle upon Tyne, Amer’s
Norwich, 1Up at the Mad Moose Arms
Norwich, Wildebeest Arms
Oldham, The White Hart Inn
Orford, The Trinity
Oxford, Mole Inn
Padstow, Rick Stein’s Café
Preston, Inside Out
Preston, Winkleigh Square Chop House
Ross-on-Wye, The Lough Pool Inn
Rushlake Green, Stone House
St Albans, Sukiyaki
Saxmundham, The Bell
Sheffield, Artisan
Skipton, Angel Inn
Southport, Warehouse Brasserie
Sowerby Bridge, The Millbank
Speldhurst, George & Dragon
Stamford, Jim’s Yard
Stamford, The Jackson Stops Inn
Stow-on-the Wold, The Old Butchers
Summercourt, Viners
Sutton-on-the-Forest, Rose & Crown
Tetbury, The Gumstool Inn
Tynemout, Sidney’s
Ullingswick, Three Crowns
Wells, The Old Spot
Westfield,The Wild Mushroom
West Malling, The Swan
Whitstable, The Sportsman
Witney, The Navy Oak
Woodbridge, The Captain’s Table
York, J. Bakers

Scotland
Crieff, The Bank
Edinburgh, Atrium
Kilberry (Kintyre), Kilberry Inn
Perth, 63 Tay Street
Sorn, Sorn Inn
Strathyre, Creagan House

Wales
Abergavenny, The Hardwick
Newport, The Chandlery

Northern Ireland
Belfast, Cayenne
Belfast, Deanes Brasserie
Holywood, Fontana

Republic of Ireland
Baltimore, Customs House
Cashel, Café Hans
Dingle, The Chart House
Dublin, Bang Café
Dublin, La Maison des Gourmets
Duncannon, Aldridge Lodge
Durrus, Good Things Café
Kenmare, The Lime Tree
Kilbrittain, Casino House
Kinsale, Fishy Fishy Café