Back To Basics

Victoria ( 30s, Female, United Kingdom )

Back to Basics doesn't feel like a London restaurant – more like you're on holiday somewhere. With cramped tables, easy wipe clean menus (with stickers of fish on them) but more because of the abundance of obviously very fresh fish, you could almost be on the coast.

It's a famous summer restaurant as they pack the pavements with tables when it's nice and it almost triples the size of the restaurant so make sure you book in the winter as it shrinks quite dramatically.

My friend had the oysters to start which she said were fantastic, very fresh. I had the crab cakes which were packed full of meat and not bulked out with potatoes. She then followed with a very simple turbot fillet with veg which looked a little plain to me but she assured me was lovely. I had the swordfish steak with pesto and feta and it was really tasty and a very generous portion.

The pudding which we shared was far better than I was expecting. It was a crepe with grand marnier oranges and vanilla ice cream. It was a deliciously light sauce – not as rich as I was expecting and had the added bonus of flakes of toasted almonds.

Special mention must go to the bread and butter. Half a hot bloomer served with roasted pepper, garlic and anchovy butters.

The wine was a reasonably priced, we chose from the selection of ‘table wines’ that range from £14-26, there is another list where prices go beyond £100 so there is something for everyone.

The service is charmingly simple. No frills and absolutely no banter (I made that mistake…) but efficient and accomodating. I asked where the crab claws were on the starter menu as they were amazing on my last visit, I got the most refreshingly honest reply “They were expensive and the man didn't always deliver”. Nuff said.