Less than meets the eye

The Duck and Waffle is really about the experience of taking the lift at street level and being swooshed to the 42nd floor at hyper speed. It's about seeing the dome of St. Paul raising before your eyes as you ascend and the dizziness of being at several hundred meters above the ground, looking out of the window and reminding yourself that this is still one of the most beautiful, energetic, exciting cities in the world. Unfortunately the restaurant is mostly about that and not much about the food. We were deluged with conceited, over stretched dishes. The signature (yes the duck served on a waffle) was distinctively un exciting. The textures don't go together, nor do the flavours. The pig ears (another signature dish) were rubbery and tasteless, we know food carts in East London who do a better job at that at a fraction of the price. The spicy ox check doughnut is so ill conceived that it beggars belief: no subtlety, it is a confusing, preposterous dish. The only high point was the charcuterie served on blocks of Himalayan salt. Full marks go to the service, the view and the atmosphere and to the fact that they are open 24hrs a day. However, go the for drinks, a chat and to enjoy the view but don't buy into the hype and for the food go somewhere else.

A rather disappointing lunch. There are few things in restaurants that put off more than over complicated dishes that don't deliver. The Modern Pantry has a long list of them on their menu. The veal chop was supposed to come with some sort of excitingly cooked kale but the famously green veg never materialised on the plate. My duck breast promised wonders with its curry yogourt but the sauce frankly tasted as it was straight off a jar. The meat was rubbery and flavourless.The food reached us lukewarm (my wife's) and cold (mine). I have two suggestions for the Modern Paintry: keep it simple and review the menu.

What can I say…the usual stereotypes apply. Don't go there if you are vegetarian etc…Maxela is a paradise for meat lovers. This is the outpost of a very successful Italian mini-chain. The beef comes from their own farm near Alba and it's aged 30 days and then shipped over. When it's received it is aged an additional 8 days at the restaruant site. And the result shows. Some of the cuts are in display (the restaurant doubles up as a butcher as well) and there isn't a single drop of blood in sight. My tagliata was very good although a bit more well done than I would I liked. My guests had the burger with melted lard and walnuts (yes it is as posh as it sounds) and the rib-eye (big slab of meat with just about the right level of salinity). The side dishes are a let down. They are slapped banged together. My cannellini beans were overcooked, the fries were the skinny type not well made at all. The service is a bit careless: we had to ask for bread twice, one of the side dishes was lost in transit and after we requested it twice it was cold when it reached us. Two espresso never materialized. The atmosphere was relaxed although not busy at all so we would have expected a much better service. We were told that lunchtime is quieter but the evenings are always fully booked. The bill was acceptable for this part of the world. Average experience. It could be a success but it needs to really sort out some basics before it's too late.

After a ten years hiatus today we went back to the Ivy for lunch. It was the wife's birthday and we were with the children. I must say that in the past I was never impressed by the “fame factor” of the place. I just always found it a very good restaurant with a great atmosphere. Well ten years on…nothing has changed. Everything is just as good as I remembered it. Actually even better. The service today was impeccable, unfussy, precise, friendly and efficient. As in the past the menu carries the old stalwarts. You go to the Ivy for the big meaty, comfortable dishes, because the portions are good size and the textures and flavors are huge and for no other reason. The kids had burgers and in their opinion the club sauce was the best thing in the northern hemisphere. I had a starter of pumpkin soup and the toasted pumpkin seeds floating in it were a nice touch. The wife had the iceberg salad with blue-cheese dressing and she gave the thumbs up. As main I had the veal rump with cepes and polenta and it was all you would ever want for lunch in a lovely autumn day. My wife had bangers and mash which I tasted and they were absolutely lovely. Sweet tender sausages, supported, not smothered, by a tasty onion sauce. Since it was a big occasion we went for the puddings with a vengeance. The apple crumble was by far the best I ever had, my son's syrup sponge was fluffy and delicate and the mint and chocolate ice cream accompanied by a slab of dark chocolate that popped on your tongue was a kid's dream come true. With coffees and two glasses of red, the bill was not outrageous for an establishment of this quality and history. Actually I think prices haven't changed much in ten years. In conclusion: well done Ivy. We will be back more often.

When a friend booked a table at Le Caprice for a post-concert dinner last Saturday, I had my misgivings. I had experienced too many business lunches there, unremarkable food, the noise culminating with a very bad meal a couple of years ago. However I was to be pleasantly surprised. Our table was ready on time but we decided to have a drink at the bar. My Negroni was mixed perfectly and my companion’s Whisky Sour also enjoyed a good report. The front of the house is a lot more relaxed than in the past and service is swift and to the point. The starters drew positive reviews from the table. The endive and fennel salad with sweet mustard dressing had the right balance of bitterness and sweetness. I had the rump of veal with sweet corn and girolles and it was cooked perfectly and the meat retained the right degree of milkiness. The calve’s liver also scored well and so did the suckling pig. The portions are good size and they are sufficient without adding any sides. I cannot resist a pavlova and I was assured by the waiter that it is the strongest pudding on the list. It was quiet good, with the merengue chewy inside but the blueberries were scarce… so nothing to write home about. We had a good bottle of Crozet-Hermitage 2009 Domaine Les Chenets that helped making the gathering even more convivial. Overall we had a good experience but I still think the prices are a bit too steep for a post-performance dinner, that the room still lacks atmosphere but the service and the food have improved enormously. Will I go back? Maybe. Will I reccomend it? Maybe

We walked past the Penny Black many times and it was a mistake. We should have had dinner there sooner. So last night we decided to book there. We took a well travelled friend of ours with us and she equally enjoyed it. For starter we had the mushroom veloute' that was as the name implies: velvety. Not the usual watered down version or the glutinous stodge that you normally get. The hash brown was full of taste althought I would have liked my egg a bit more runny. For mains we had tiger prawns and our guest said that they were some of the best she ever had. The Wellington was extremely well executed and the spinach that came with it was crunchy and tasty. The puds menu has all the classics and the apple crumble is delicious. However what is really remarkable is the wine list. All the wines are available by the bottle and by the glass. The list is incredibly well assembled and it is long. The service was competent, friendly and completely unfussy. We hope that teh Penny Black will endure and will not follow the fate of its predecessors on the same site. From our part we will be back very very soon.

Now this is refreshing. Colchis balances slick decor and menu with a very unpretentious, relaxed attitude. We also found Georgian food the perfect comfort food for a freezing London night. However comfort in this case doesn't mean thick, grubby stodge. The food is quiet refined and well thought through. We started off with ham and figs and despite the figs being a bit out of season the ham was outstanding. The beans with bacon and cheese bread were a good starting point: full of flavour but not so overwhelming that you wouldn't taste the nuttiness of the beans. We had lamb stew and kebabs for mains and they were also very well executed. The lamb cooked with aubergine and thyme was tender and sweet. The kebabs were accompanied by two excellent spicy sauces that arrived in two separate pots. Great care is taken in the presentation of the dishes and this is a plus. The portions are very generous. We washed it all down with a caraffe of Georgian red and a bottle of Georgian sparklin water that we are told comes from Stalin's favorite spa (some achievement!). The service was good, friendly and competent. We had drinks at the bar and the Italian bartender does mix a mean Negroni. The dinidng room is very relaxing and being a jazz fan I appreciated the not obvious choices of background music. The only fault we could find was a slightly too long wait between apetizers and main courses but you can excuse that as the restaurant has been opened only three weeks and it is inevitable that they might have some teething problems. However we had a very pleasant night out, the food was new, the wine good and we really enjoyed ourselves. Colchis is relatively new and we think will become a destination for foodies looking for something different. We certainly go back and bring friends with us.

We litterally dropped in without a reservation late on a Saturday night. We got a table for two immediately (they had a no-show). We were wisked to the dining room by a very friendly maitre d'. The decor is very nice, modern but not run of the mill. We really liked the copper lampshades. However the room could do with a bit more light and it wouldn't detract from the sense of intimacy. It was so dark we had a real problem reading our menus. The menu is good if somewhat short. We both ordered the pulled pork, but there were a couple of other dishes that sounded great. The meat was impeccably coocked. The only problem is that the barbecue sauce was absolutely overwhelming and ruined the delicate flavour. A pitty for a piece of very good meat that must have spent several hours cooking (we mentioned that to the maitre d' and said that they are still “experimenting”…mmmhh). The portions are on the right side of large and the coleslaw that accompanied the main dish was deliciously made and very balanced in flavour. The wine list is carefully selected to go with the strong flavours. The Melbec is worth a try. However the puddings are a real revelation. The Vin Santo cake is absolutely incredible: spongy and light. Forget the rest and go for that instead. Overall a very pleasant experience. The service was very good and competent. For a fun night out accompanied by a good bite to eat and good lively atmosphere this is a very good place.

What a delightful surprise. A very popular establishment with locals, we were very keen to try it and we took the plunge with a couple of our foodie friends from NY. The dining room is smartly decorated and the atmosphere lively although a bit loud. The service was relaxed and to the point. Our your waitress was very competent and made very good suggestions for the wine. The focus is really on the food. The chicken raviolo was a real revelation: moist, tasty filling wrapped in lovely light pasta. All my companions had the foie gras and rated it highly. My main of Rump of veal, caramelised cauliflower, roast salsify and parmesan was bordering on exquisite. I am partial to salsify and it matched beautifully the milky sweetness of the veal. A quick taste of
the fried sea bream and of the pork belly and cheek made me realize that I want to go back before these to dishes go off the menu. The deserts were equally compelling. The creme catalan with vanilla doughnuts and seville orange marmalade was a triumph of bold flavours. The bill was accetable for a restaurant of this caliber. There is some real passion for food in this place. They just got a star, it is completely deserved and we will be keeping watch of how the progress to the next one.

In our first visit we found a very relaxed atmosphere and some inventive food. This has not changed in our following outings there. We like that some old classics are paired with more adventurous items on the menu. We wish there were more restaurants like this in London. The only fault we have found is that some items on the menu seem to be running out pretty soon in the evening. If you have a late booking you might be left with rather impaired menu.

Bryn Williams is a masterful chef with a talent for combining flavours and textures. The dishes are skillfully assembled and beautifully presented. The restaurant's wine list is well put together with some very interesting bottles at reasonable prices. The restaurant's revamped decor is warm and cozy. However the service is amateurish and approximative. In our visit it was shambolic and careless. From the moment we walked in (we booked for four and we were given a tiny table for three), to waiting for 45 minutes for someone to take our orders. We had to ask for bread and the wine list four times. With a front of house like this Williams makes a disservice to his excellent cooking. The restaurant has a lot of potential but he needs to employ professional staff. A real pity. Our suggestion: try it. Just ignore the hit-and-miss service and just enjoy some very fine food.