HP's Reviews

Dinner in the private dining room at Hotel Du Vin last Friday night turned out to be a very pleasant evening. The building itself is charming and the place felt very welcoming and cosy, just what you want on a wet and cold February night.

We began the evening with some English champagne courtesy of Chapel Down in Tenterden, accompanied by a generous array of canapes. For the meal itself, we had a choice of four dishes from each course and everyone was very pleased with the quality and presentation of their food, which arrived together and piping hot.

My only gripe was that we had to choose our dessert prior to the meal which seemed a little unnecessary and that the waiter insisted on pouring the wine rather than it being left on the table, which would have made his life a lot easier! However, the service was very good and the staff in the hotel were generally friendly and helpful. I would certainly recommend Hotel du Vin as a reliable option for anyone looking for a dinner venue.

There's no shortage of high street pizza chains in the UK, and they tend to offer a very similar experience in terms of casual dining. However, in my recent experience, the food at Strada does tend to outdo the competition, thanks to the good selection of relatively ‘authentic’ Italian mains in addition to the usual pizza/pasta offerings.

In fact, lunch today at the recently refurbished Market Place restaurant was the best meal I've ever had in one. The service was attentive and the staff happy and accommodating. The napoletana bread basket was an excellent introduction to the meal and extremely generous as were both our mains. The delicate and creamy scallop risotto had a nick chilli kick and a ‘seasonal special’ of pappadelle with duck confit was surprisingly fresh and well seasoned. Sadly, we were too full for dessert.

While the prices are a little higher than any of the offerings from Gondola Holdings (Pizza Express, Zizzi, and Ask), like the others, there always seems to be an offer on at Strada and today's meal was a steal at £7 a head. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just a place for a quick pizza; judging by today's experience, it's certainly worth bearing in mind as a worthy alternative for the likes of Bertorelli.

I've passed by the Elk many times and at the weekends, it's always packed. A late breakfast there today was a pleasantly quiet affair and we couldn't fault the food, service or setting. The prices are about average for this part of town but the quality was above standard. Both dishes were beautifully presented; the warm croissant came with a whole pot of jam and the toasted muffin (with bacon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce) had been put together artfully. The coffee was notably better than the norm and not at all overpriced for London (£2.20). I can see why this place is so popular with the Islington in-crowd.

Sushi isn't the first cuisine that springs to mind in the cold, dark days of January, the current 40% off at Yo is hard to resist. While sushi snobs might scoff at the UK chain, I enjoy the experience Yo offers and was very impressed by the quality of the food at the Bloomsbury branch the other evening. The conveyor belt was well stocked and staff quick to assist with any individual orders. The place was spotless and all the condiments fresh and plentiful; in fact, on a par with that which I've had in high end Japanese establishments. All the dishes we tried were of a very high standard; the sashimi was light and melt-in-the-mouth and considering the price, excellent value. While I've never really found fault with Yo, the food has undoubtedly improved since our last visit and we won't hesitate to return.

I'm sad that the other reviews for Santo aren't so positive as we were very impressed by the meal we had there at the weekend. It has been some time since they were written and I can only assume that things have dramatically improved over the last 6 months.
It's a funny place, full of rickety tables and chairs, but very suited to that part of London. While some of the main courses are quite expensive, you can eat on the cheap if you pick wisely. There's a good range of burritos to suit all tastes; I had the cochinita pibil, which was well sized and stuffed with meat. In fact, it was possibly one of the best burritos I've had in London in a long time…certainly one of the spiciest! A dish of enchiladas was also very good although almost twice the price and a lot smaller than the burrito. While Santo is a little out of the way, it's worth making the trip here as it does offer more offbeat taste of Mexico that you won't find elsewhere in London.

As far as chain formulas go, Wagamama has it down to a fine art. I have been a fan of the this now global noodle bar since frequenting the Bloomsbury branch in the mid 1990s and the standards remain consistently high. In fact, the only thing that's really changed is the price…at least the green tea is still free.
The Islington site looks out onto the N1 shopping centre and I particularly like the seating arrangement here with smaller benches for couples running down the side of one wall. The duck gyoza are somewhat of a signature dish and mains of Cha Han fried rice and Salmon ramen met expectations. For a reliable if perhaps not revolutionary taste of Japan, then Wagamama is pretty hard to beat.

While the restaurant must be a sea of suits during the week, lunch on a Sunday at Coq D'argent proved to be an incredibly peaceful and relaxing affair. Up on top of 1 Poultry, the Art Deco interior is just as attractive as the views past the alfresco eating areas and rooftops beyond. The menu is creative and unfussy and there's a good choice of dishes; we all had difficulty in making a decision. Cautious of anything involving uncooked meat, I decided to break with tradition and started with the venison tartare. It was lovely and fresh, the richness of the meat set off by the accompanying horseradish cream. All our main dishes had a very favourable response (from the braised venison to the milk fed veal) and the desserts disappeared quickly enough! The food is well-portioned and well-presented and worthy of its price tag ( £30 for 3 courses). Neither could we fault the service and I can only assume that the kitchen must have been undergoing some disaster during the previous reviewer's visit. If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the West End, then this place is definitely worth a visit, particularly as it makes a memorable meal out of Sunday lunch.

This was our first visit to a Ricker restaurant and the food was exactly how I was hoping it would be; well-presented, of a high quality and a real treat for the tastebuds. The restaurant is stylish (lots of dark wood and funky lighting), separated into two areas by a sleek bar. As it was quiet we opted to sit in the front by the bar, with a handful of other diners. The set lunch menu (£15 for starter, main, side, dessert and a drink) appeared to be popular and judging by the size of the portions, incredibly good vaule. However, as we were only looking for a light bite, we decided to order a la carte. The dim sum was lovely and the chilli salt squid tender and moreish. I chose the sushi and sashimi platter to follow and was treated to some of the freshest tuna and salmon I have had in a long time, the kind that melts in the mouth. I'm not a huge fan of ginger but it was also very fresh; sweet and clean without being too overpowering. The home-made pineapple sorbet was a great finish to a very nice meal. The wine list is extensive, the cocktails well-made and the service was friendly and attentive. Although the a la carte prices are a little steep, I would certainly come back to try the lunch deal.