Christopher's Reviews

You can always judge a restaurant by it's Cheese Board.

Pied a Terre's for example, is pathetic. Le Bouchon Breton, a completely unassuming all-day brasserie has a terrific selection. The margin on Cheese is notoriously poor, so a restaurant either needs to extort customers or take the hit. I don't think Auberge were taking a hit on our £150/head tasting menu with Wine that evening, but the Cheese Trolley I spotted on the way in looked amazing and I wobbled out innumerable courses later, it stood to confirm my theory. I won't bang on about how good the food is, as the Michelin guys have been there more often and awarded two stars. Well earned and an extra one for the stunning location. A very memorable evening, perfect for a special occasion.

Inamo is worth visiting. Not for a romantic meal or for a very special occasion but for a casual bite to eat and fun. The concept is new in the UK (to my knowledge) and ideal for a friend or family member visiting London for something unique and entertaining they will talk about. Gimmekery aside, the food is actually quite good and the the ability to be able to order a drink at the push of a button or more dishes as required ensured that after we had finished playing battleships our converasation was not interrupted once. I like it.

I echo Foodess's assesment on JSW – it is a real gem of a restaurant and highly reccomended for a visit. We had the tasting menu with accompanying Wine on Saturday afternoon – beginning with Scallops, lightly spiced mussels and Razor Clams, Cod with Truffle mash, Guinea Fowl Boudin, Loin of lamb and one of the finest desserts I have ever tasted, a stunning Salted Caramel Mousse with Chocolate and Honeycomb. The food was excellent and the the wine pairing took some of the work out of a nice long lunch. JSW has rooms, a Michelin * and is located in the centre of Peterfield, a quaint market town with some nice pubs and antique shops.

A £20 Sunday set menu at a restaurant opposite a set of crossroads on the A21 just outside of Bromley, not the most obvious venue for one of the best Sunday lunches for some time. It is, according to the Michelin guide “A very good restaurant in its own Category” and they were spot on.
The Sunday lunch, whilst sticking to theme, was not your uncomplicated and obvious options. To begin there was Veloute of butternut pumpkin, Espuma of spring peas with confit smoked salmon poached hnes egg pea shoots, Risotto of chorizo &wild garlic with parmesan & Crème Fraiche amongst others. Main courses were Slow braised Pork belly, Roast Salmon with brown nut butter and red wine sauce, Sirloin of beef with braised red cabbage, roast potatoes and jus and these just the highlights, the menu was not limited either. The bread was freshly baked, the service was impeccable and by 12.30pm the restaurant was almost fully, occupied by couples enjoying a romantic lunch, to families with a dozen members of all ages enjoying high quality, creative cooking. I look forward to returning for dinner very soon.

I was excited about Sunday lunch at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen. To enter the restaurant you walk first through the annexed shop / deli packed with local Cheeses, freshly baked breads and pastries. Then into the light, airy dining room with vaulted ceiling and hotch-potch of wooden chairs. This, I thought is HFW’s showcase for seasonal, local produce and I studied the blackboard menu. Firstly I was surprised that A4 paper ‘Wine List’ offered a ‘Winter Warmer’, given that we were well into April. Secondly that there was no still or sparkling mineral water available (changing suppliers) or any soft drinks apart from fruit juices. The bread momentarily perked me up. Then for the starters, Wild Garlic soup which was losing heat by the second due to being served on a dinner plate, a salad of goats cheese (truffle size shavings) with Hazelnuts (autumnal surely?) all coated with sticky balsamic which killed the entire dish. A glass of iceless tap water later and the £17 Roast arrived I hoped would save the day. Once crispy Roast Potatoes sat soggily in a puddle of jus / thin gravy with decent vegetables, two fatty, chewy pork slices and spoonful of mash. No condiments offered which was a great shame as English Mustard or Horseradish could have brought some much needed flavour to the dish. All credit to the staff, the question of uneaten food was dealt with and we left with some excellent produce from the shop. It seems Hugh is following the well trodden route of celebrity Chefs. Pity that.

A last minute decision to drop in for Sunday lunch at Chilworth Manor proved to be a good one. As the description would suggest, this is a venue which seems primarily designed for large functions and not a destination restaurant. The layout was a little confusing, entering into what appeared to be a huge bar and then walking immediately into what we discovered was the restaurant. My initial apprehension was short lived as we quickly realised we were in good hands. There was no sniffing as our wine glasses were removed and instead a champagne bucket with ice was quickly brought to the table to keep our bottle of Hildon chilled. The Sunday lunch menu was varied and interesting and the dishes presented with real precision. The cured Salmon tian was a delight and the roast Beef cooked rare as requested. My only critiicism was the vegetables which looked a little tired, but as we arrived the end of the lunchtime and with 3 courses at £17.50 I didn't.

Had an excellent dinner at Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte. The concept of a no menu restaurant sounded as gimmicky as eating in darkness but it turns out this concept has been popular in Paris for the past 50 years. I can't imagine many restaurants that have been around for half a century, let alone only serving one dish.

Once we had ordered ( rare & medium ) we were brought a small plate of french stick and a salad each with walnut dressing. The main course was brought to the table in two stages, ingeniously, to keep the steak and frites warm. Rowley's has a similar concept with it's own secret sauce although I actually prefer the buzzy City atmosphere to the formality of Jermyn Street, it was nice to have a conversation without being overheard or interrupted or even having to worry about what to order. Will L’Entrecôte maintain its popularity for 50 years in London ? At £20 a head I imagine it just might…

Champor Champor is an unusual SE1 outpost, a chintzy neighbourhood restaurant where the perfume of incense and romance hangs in the air.

The ‘mix and match’ (Malaysian Translation) cuisine is rather unusual; primarily for the fact that it is fusion cooking that actually works (there’s invariably a reason it hasn’t been done before). The highlights were Roast duck breast with sun-dried fish ‘consommé’ with a stripe of fresh chilli sauce; duck leg confit with something called ‘som tam’ and a herbaceous Ostrich (Malaysian Ostrich?) Fillet Stir Fry with a nice spicy kick, breads were moist Banana bread and curd skin with cumin. The flavours of our dishes worked well together, very well balanced and definitely innovative. Very little to criticise here, the paper menus could do with a reprint but otherwise a very charming, intimate restaurant and positive experience.