Ms. Macaroon's Forum Posts

What a shame! Fino is more ‘Spanish fine dining’ than tapas, hence your experience. No atmopshere either which isn't what you'd expect from a Spanish restaurant – I was disappointed too.

I'm a big fan of good tapas: Brindisa in Borough Market or Barrafina in Soho are my favourites and the most authentic, both in food and in atmosphere. Neither are cheap but fairly priced given that the quality of ingredients is A+. I have heard great things about Morito in Exmouth Market too, though the cooking is Spanish/North African rather than traditional Iberian.

Viva tapas & enjoy! More

My absolute favourite set lunch is the fabulous Viajante. Weekend lunches are a more accessible way to sample Nuno Mendes' culinary skills – instead of the 9 or 12 course tasting menus which are offered in the evening (with the 12 course menu taking a whopping 4.5 hours to munch through!), weekends are a more relaxed affair with tasting menus of just 3 or 6 courses. We chose 3 courses, which was perfect for lunch, but is pretty hefty in itself as it also includes a couple of amuses, a pre-dessert and petit fours. At £25, this has to be the bargain of the century, especially as you can add well-chosen matching wines for each course for a paltry £15.

Everything, from bread and spicy whipped butter, to the brilliantly attentive service, and the theatre of watching sharply skilled chefs preparing your lunch about 2 feet away, makes for a dazzling experience. Our first course of sous vide-cooked lobster with milk skin and leek ash was challenging at first, but once we got used to the crazy ingredients, it really came together. The main course was duck two ways, one a confit, the other cooked sous vide (notice a theme?), which was earthy but elegant. Pudding showed off Mendes' skills honed at El Bulli with light as air chocolate mousse encased in a chocolate cube, with a salty chocolate ‘soil’ scattered around. It was beautiful to look at and the textures were intriguing, but I would have preferred an extra ingedient or flavour, as it was all a bit too chocolately. The highlight for me was a beauiful pre-dessert of sea-buckthorn granita. Sea buckthorn is a new one to me, but the flavour was instantly addictive, incredibly delicate but very memorable.

I can't rate the experience highly enough and am planning to return again and again. Shame about the dodgy Bethnal Green location but it only serves to make the restaurant sparkle even more. A true gem.

Top tips: start with crazy cocktails in the bar, and ask for tables 1, 2 or 3, closest to the kitchen action. More

I agree – tried stone grilled ox in Ibiza and it was delicious, plus great fun.

Cocoon do sizzling wagyu beef on hot volcanic rocks. The Japanese style of cooking meat/fish on a hot stones is called Ishi Yaki – I think Nobu does it and perhaps Aqua Kyoto.

Someone could make a killing is they opened a proper steak on stone restaurant in London. Restaurateurs, take note!

Good luck with the search!

Ms Macaroon More

I think you can just email editor@squaremeal.co.uk More

I would try Callooh Callay – very cool, amazing cocktails, great staff and various areas to hire for private patries. Oh and they do great canapes. Had my birthday party there and everyone was raving about it. More

You could try the Event School – they seem to have quite a wide range of courses More

Chris – is this just a stall or can you actually sit down and have a steak? sounds fab. More

Try Santa Maria Del Buen Ayre in London Fields for a mega-authentic Argentinean experience. And defintiely have the provoletta to start. More

I'm organising my office's Christmas party and want to find somewhere different – we don't want all the usual tacky decorations or silly themes, we want something funky and unusual. Any ideas gratefully received as I have reached a dead end! More

Take her to Helene Darroze on Rue d'Assas. Fabulous, but not snooty or overly formal. And just around the corner from Pierre Herme, who makes the best macaroons in the world.

Don't forget a few cocktails at the Experimental Cocktail Club – what an experience. Enjoy! More