66-70 Brewer St
London W1F 9TR
I’ve only so far experienced the downstairs bar “Mark’s Bar”, has the feeling of a members club. The drinks menu had some of the most unusual cocktails I’d seen in a while and mine was a really tasty concoction which I struggle to explain.
Definitely worth a visit if you want a drink in civilised and quirky surrounds without the usual crush of Soho…
41 Beak Street
London, W1F 9SB
020 7734 4479
www.polpo.co.uk
Only working a block away, I had high hopes from the moment this place opened its doors. We strolled in yesterday at about 1pm without a reservation and were offered a seat at the bar.
The menu was appetising, and we ordered quickly as we didn’t have long. Our drinks arrived straight away and our first order (Polenta topped with Salt Cod) came within 5 minutes. The creamed cod was really tasty but unfortunately the Polenta really let the side down being cold, damp and sweet. I suspect it would have been lovely had the polenta been crispy and hot. Also it was only one rather small piece.
Our Tapenade & Tomato Pizette arrived another 5 minutes later, hot crispy and tasty. It was nice but nothing to scream about.
We were already halfway through our beers at this point when the food simply stopped coming. We’d probably had 50g of food each and both looked around confused and food kept arriving but nowhere nearby enough to eat.
30+ minutes later we had chased and cajoled and though the staff seemed to be looking into it and promising us of food shortly to arrive nothing did. They were all very sweet and obliging but this didn’t seem to help expedite our food.
So after almost an hour we’d had a beer each and 75g of food and we cancelled our order to go to the sandwich bar next door. They initially intended to charge for our two tiny pieces of food and beers, though whilst we were in the midst of paying, the manager came over and apologised for the wait and said there would be no need to pay. This was definitely a saving grace on their part, had they not said that the tone of this review would have been much harsher and I would have definitely not returned.
All this said; the sweet staff, tasty food (what we received), & nice ambience will make me go back again. I’d really like to experience what all those food reviewers loved so much; surely Giles Coren can’t be wrong…
3/10 : Definitely some overdue homework
46 Broadwick Street
London, W1F 7AF
020 7534 1690
Having walked past this place a million and one times I had hopes of Tierra Brindisa. I’d read enough reviews by others to know that the back half with the bar was the best place to eat. And my forerunners were right; the airy second half of the room was a pleasurable light environment.
We’d had no plans to dine out and as such hadn’t thought of reservations, luckily it was relatively early and we were found a table for 3.
The waitress who greeted us at the door was charming and accommodating, this trend continued throughout our meal. They smiled at our poor jokes, frequently cleared the tables and re-filled our glasses.
To the dismay/confusion of my fellow diners I had already decided that choosing a wine would be easy. My theory that a good mid range European restaurant should have a quaffable fruity red under £20, perfect with tapas was met with a great house red (Tempranillo) at £16.50 (?).
We opted for the staples of toast with tomato (what I’ve always known as Pan Tomaquet), and Potatoes with Aioli (not dissimilar to Patatas Bravas) for some starch to absorb the worryingly drinkable wine. They were both tasty well executed versions of their Spanish counterparts. We mulled over the cheeseboard, and having seen a few passed decided that it was quite possibly too much cheese for this occasion. Though having missed out, will mean that I’ll inevitably have to go back.
We opted for the deep fried goats cheese with honey and beetroot to ensure dairy received a mention. It was a beautiful combination of sweet/tart and creamy/crisp, and should rightfully spawn many a dinner party interpretation. We attempted to order the scallops from the specials, but were dutifully unformed that they had run out(read: some greedy person in front of us had eaten them all).
All up we’d spent about £30’s each had 2/3rd’s of a bottle of wine and more food than you need in a day. Lovely service and great atmosphere, all in all a winning combination…
9/10
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Tabernacle, Powis Square, London, W11 2AY, 020 7565 7800, http://www.carnivalvillage.org.uk, http://www.tabernaclelive.co.uk
This non-profit community centre in which I spent many an hour as a child has now all grown up.
A beautiful courtyard, with a lovely and sympathetically created bar inside. Lovely cocktails, at reasonable (it is Notting Hill) prices, a tasty bbq and friendly if a bit scatty service.
Simply by virtue of the huge open space this place is a winner, and I noticed they did reasonable private hire rates also, and could see it’s potential for great parties.
They do what sounded like a good breakfast but I’ll save that for my next visit.
Bumbles, 16 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0QP, 020 7828 2903, http://www.bumbles1950.com
So I was a critic of this place before I walked through the door. I’m not sure if the location and exterior could have made me any more sceptical, but the set menu (3 courses for £10) really tipped the balance and so I entered with a sigh.
The interior is simple and nothing to write about, the service was a little slow initially though consistently friendly.
This is all I could find negative and I wanted to get it out of the way before I gush for the next three paragraphs about the food.
We almost all opted for the inspiring options on the 3 for £20 menu. How can you have fish and chips when snails & garlic risotto is an option? Also not to mention that the desserts included in that option alone seemed to be worth the menu price.
My starter of poached quails egg with pesto, tomato sorbet, cheese (Wensleydale?) and rocket, was a beautiful taste of summer. I found the tomato sorbet with a bitter overtone of balsamic inspiring and will be attempting this at home shortly.
Our tomato soup amuse bouche was a very cleanly and well executed example of good tomato soup, with a great texture and loads of flavour. By the time my plate of Garlic Risotto with Snails and Ham arrived I was excited, and rightfully so, it was lovely, creamy, deeply seasoned with an amazing green colour. The de-shelled snails we lovely and more the better for the absence of effort required.
For dessert we were torn; cheese or a trio of ices. I agreed with one of our eating companions to share the both, as to avoid any unnecessary hardship. The trio of ices was simply beautiful, a sweet but tart fragrant raspberry sorbet, a creamy blue cheese ice cream, with an amazing blue aftertaste) that kept me going back for more, both served in lovely miniature handmade sugar covered cones. Though the best third was the Gin & Tonic Slush Puppie, clearly made with Sloe Gin (the beautiful pink/purple hue) and served in a shot glass was the perfect marriage of the 5 and 25 year old Becky. To finish we had three/four lovely cheeses, though my mind was still with dessert, so I sadly almost completely neglected the marmite cheddar, blue cheese, and camembert.
About 2 thirds of a bottle of very tasty house red, 4 courses, wonderful presentation of a birthday cake we brought with us and it all came in under £30. I can honestly say it’s been a long time since I had so much of such quality for so little.
9/10 Definitely a new regular and James to thank…
This is all I could find negative and I wanted to get it out of the way before I gush for the next three paragraohs about the food.
133 Portobello Road, London W11 2DY, 020 7229 6446
Simply Wonderful.
The specials are not to miss, my personal favourite is the Cookies & Cream, though nearly all are a good substitute.
Not to mention their “cakes to order” with hand decorations, their large enough to feed twice the estimates they give you. The Carrot Cake is a brilliant unusual birthday cake.
They aren’t cheap but great as a treat, just a shame I live a block away, it makes that once in a while more like once a week :/
8/10 (The price brings it down from a 9)
170 Thompson Street, between Houston St. and Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012, (212) 982-5089
I had to have my arm twisted to visit this place. Only for the reason that I already know and love so many Italian’s at home. But it has to be said, Lucy was right this place is a gem.
We ordered three starters between us: Beetroot with Pistachios, Market Fish Scabece, and the Escarole, Walnuts, Red Onion & Pecorino Salad. They were all wonderful, the delicately seasoned cold fish was strangely lovely, and the combination of Beetroot & Pistachio was masterful, I’m sure inspire some of my own recipes in the future. We opted for Pasta as a Main (Entree) as we loved the sound of the dishes and sure we wouldn’t have space for the entrees as well. I opted for the Sausage Gnocchi, and my companion for Veal Ravioli. My Gnocchi was amazing and my only complaint was that I could have eaten more, though this was simply my greediness rather than the small portions. The ravioli was lovely as described, as this is as a non veal eater. We opted for the Nero D’Avola Nausica, which was light and fruity, perfect companion to all our food.
To finish we chose to share the cheeseboard, and some dessert wine. We went for Three Cheeses for $12.00: Ricotta with Honey, Coach Farm Goat Curd , Pecorino Romano. They came with Apple Sauce, Bread, & Nut Brittle, which accompanied the cheeses perfectly. It was beautiful and lovely at the same time. Wonderful service, including saving us from a noisy man on the shared table, competent recommendations, and a knowledge of the wine menu which I hadn’t encountered before.
9/10
18 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SH, 020 7437 6482
A family run establishment that makes you feel transported to Italy. Prices are comparable to buying the good from the specialist food aisles in the supermarket but far more enjoyable. There so chatty and make you feel like a member of the family.
The fresh Pumpkin Ravioli, Crayfish Ravioli, and Canoli are brilliant. You can buy every type of essential Italian ingredient, my current favorite being the Farro, inspired by dinners at the nearby Bocca Di Lupo. The sandwiches are made fresh to order are brilliant, the tastiest Mozzarella, Tomato, and Pesto Baguette, is better than anything else I’ve ever eaten from a deli. The bread selection is also amazing, all this taken into consideration when the store is so small make it like an Italian treasure trove.
10/10
1b Argyll Road, London W8 7DB, 020 7937 8484
Wonderful Kensington lunch venue, grab a couple of slices of pizza (Courgette or Potato with Rosemary). Sit outside in the sun, or keep warm at one of the window benches. The chocolate pizza is amazing and a great treat for friends. All the bread is great quality and super tasty, stocked in certain Waitrose and the John Lewis food Hall, though for the best experience it’s worth making the trip to Kensington.
10/10
28 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JF, 020 7636 8228
Twee brilliance.
Their Gin Fizz’s are lovely, it’s small, about the size of my living room but all the better for it. Cocktails are all good value and competently made.
Worth the treck…
