Jon's Reviews

Set Lunch – changes every so often – 3 courses £23, bottle water 75cl @ £4.75 (could have had tap if I wanted but went for the fizzy) + 12.5% service. This has come down. for the previous couple of years, as I have passed this establishment on the way to meetings, 3 courses were nearer £30. Credit crunch reducing turnover perhaps? Cut the price, get bums on seats, try to get the extras with drinks etc etc?

The appetiser:
No problem with the assorted homemade “crackers”, sesame, poppy and seaweed (this one left a little oil on the fingers)
The dips, hummus – standard, beetroot, light and sweet, good contrast, smoked anchovy, a cross between brandade and taramasalata, the chopped capers nice touch. Presentation looked good, but the crispy crackers meant difficult to scoop out of the dimples of the long dish/plate.
The bread: good crusty mini loaf, butter ok, hard enough to hold form, soft enough to spread. The little bread board?? The knife ok for the butter but not the bread. Tear and crumbs everywhere!
The Starter:
Hare Faggots, fondant turnip, truffled spatzle, chanterelles:
Firstly, where the edge of the pan had been “wiped” to clean perhaps a dribble there was a remaining “smudge” very noticeable. 3 faggots but only 2 fondant turnip? Nice rich taste of the hare. Eat a faggot as a whole then fine, but if you cut, to sample with the other elements then a little “string” (was it caul?) Winter/golden chanterelles good but slightly over soft. I couldn't detect truffle in the spatzle and they didn't really add anything for me. Maybe crisper as mini beignet? I felt it needed perhaps an acid contrast. The game flavour of the hare was too softened by the butteryness of the turnip and sauce. A pickled walnut or two would add both acid and texture. Just to make it “dance”!?
The main course:
Pan fried Loin of cod, beans, leeks, mousseron, cockles:
The piece of fish was superb. Excellent crust, great golden brown colour cooked just right so just opaque in the middle, the beans soft… More

had the set lunch (£12.90) where there were choices for each course
piquino peppers stuffed with brandade of salt cod, salad garnish, the peppers slightly pickled, the brandade soft and creamy, served slightly warm, with a basic garnish of dressed salad leaves.
Followed by
Casserole of venison with mushrooms, carrots, served with wilted spinach and french fries . The venison well cooked and tenderly melting, its sauce tasty and hearty, the spinch perhaps a little over wilted, but seasoned very well and tasty, the french fries were slightly over salted, but hot and crisp.
to finish
Raspberry mousse . Soft and creamy, well set but not rubbery, with a raspberry coulis with good contrasting tanginess. Could perhaps have done with a small shortbread or tuile biscuit.

glass of house wine & a coffee

all for £18.70 (+ tip)

This is a great little restaurant with well cooked food with all the french flavour you want, and different from the normal “pub” lunch you may get for similar cost.
The dishes, portions, presentation and service are akin to a small restaurant you may come across in France. If you are in the area, make a trip there for a meal. I would quite happily eat here regularly if I lived more locally rather than over 200 miles away. Had to dash off for a meeting but could easily have spent longer in relaxing unfussy atmosphere.
My marks reflect against similar of this type, but if comparing to Michelin standard then knock 2 or 3 of each

Lunch 10th November 2009: Went for the Set menu £27 inc 250ml wine. Starter Smoked Cod Roe with Celeriac & Bacon. Roe seemed dry and overdone, diced garnish ok included carrots and sweetcorn, butter sauce with spring onion. Taste ok. Main Course Braised beef shin. Presentation ok, but if I hadn't been recommended to order a side dish all I would have had was the piece of beef for my plate (I had sprouting brocolli with blue cheese – (an extra £4.20) – almost raw, never mind al dente! and this was not declared on the menu that I would have to order “sides”) The Beef was tepid at most, the buttered snail garnish barely a level teaspoonful, and the jus struggled to show itself. I reckon many would have sent this back to the kitchen just on the temperature alone, but the taste was very good. Dessert, I had goats cheese bun – 3 profiteroles with a goats cheese filling, black pepper honey, julienne of celery and watercress leaves. This was the best dish of the three, though still missing a beat in my opinion. Pre-meal nibbles and post meal petit fours (came alongside the dessert!) didn't enthuse me (was this what the £2 cover charge was for along with the bread?). Wine was ok. No charge for tap water. Service was initially a bit “simpering” from the lead staff, but ended as if they didn't really want me there as I was not “blowing a corporate expense account”. the £27 had grown to over £37 at the end with service) If you are going to do a prix fixe then it should be a complete meal IMHO.
I won't rush back.

22/02/09. So I had to go to London again , this time for a Monday meeting . I took the opportunity to go early on Sunday in my own time, allowing me again to sample a nice lunch. I opted for Benares, the One Michelin starred restaurant of Atol Kochhar, the Indian chef you may well have seen on tv (Great British Menu & Saturday Kitchen) . (It has 2 "h"s on his website!) (note: this was not a claimable work expense!) & (my collection of stars is growing)
Sunday Lunch booking 13:30 hours – train was 9 mins late into Kings Cross giving me 23 mins to get to Green Park on the tube including 5 minutes walk. I arrived 13:28.
With a prestigious Mayfair location on Berkeley Square, (didn't hear the nightingale!) it promises much. The slick entrance (Next to a Rolls Royce and Bentley Showroom – no prices = can't afford) sees you greeted pleasantly, (coats and bags taken to cloakroom & ticketed), before being led up the stairs to the bar, past the pond with floating flowers, and to the restaurant (both windowless) , the lighting is subdued and subtle in the bar, where, if you arrived in good time, you can relax with a cocktail or two. I declined and was shown to my table. The restaurant also has subdued lighting but “spots” over each table enable you to see well enough. Most of the staff appear to be from the sub-continent, dressed in black, with seniority seeming to be indicated by an orange tie. Although the Maitre D' seemed French, with jacket too. The menus (A la carte, prix fixe and wine) were presented, and a quartered open box with mini poppadums and square plate with four square pots of homemade chutneys, (tomato, cucumber, apple and I can't remember the other). A la carte dishes range starters 6 to 12 pounds, mains 12 to 24 pounds, desserts as starters. I opted for the prix fixe at £24.95 three courses including a glass of house wine, I chose a glass of red. .(at time of writing last week of February 09 the menu was as displayed on the website) Though it didn't mention the… More