Long time neighbourhood favourite, Joe's on Draycott Avenue, has long housed the chicest locals and ‘ladies that lunch’ who break up an otherwise strenuous day of shopping with a spot of lunch in this monied part of town. Packed to the rafters on weekends with glamorous types and yummy-mummies, it has recently seen Greek Cypriot TV Chef Maria Elia take the helm and I popped along to see what interesting new things Maria has done with the menu.

I didn't really know what to expect to be honest; a lot of the food in the area is overpriced, over-hyped and generally somewhat lacklustre for serious food devotees like myself. I was actually incredibly surprised to discover how innovative, well balanced and beautifully conceived the dishes were. I couldn't wait to try them! Chef Maria Elia was a gracious hostess and popped up to say a brief hello before sending out little ‘tasters’ – dish after beautiful dish of seductive plates just waiting to be savaged by a ravenous Persian girl like myself.

The first course, served on an elegant slate platter, was a beetroot and Beluga lentil salad with a sharp Greek yoghurt adorned with both golden beetroot as well as the classic deep purple beetroot also. This is just the kind of food I love to eat. Not heavy, not greasy, light and healthy but without sacrificing flavour or enjoyment. I could have eaten this 10 times over and been eternally happy.

The next course is possibly one of my favourite delights of the sea; the humble octopus. Scary looking for some but absolutely delicious and a staple of Greek culinary culture. If you haven't tried Octopus before, you are absolutely missing out! A delicate curled tentacle gently resting on a mix of braised barley and onions with a scattering of fennel seeds and elegant strands of fresh dill. What a treat; a fantastic combination and a great dish that I simply wouldn't have expected on a menu in this part of town.

Now admittedly pigeon is not one of my favourite things but every once in a while, I enjoy it, provided it is cooked properly and paired with the right accompaniments. Delicate but meaty chunks of pigeon breast with a vibrant green sauce (the name of which escapes me) akin to pesto but not pungent with excess basil of coarse in texture. The pigeon itself rests on a green gage tatin that provide the perfect sweet yet sharp fruit flavour that so often works well with pigeon. I must say, I was surprised at how much I liked this dish. I still day dream about it everytime I see pigeon on a menu anywhere.

More food? Absolutely. Maria Elia is Greek after all… And you know from my Greek adventures that they love to feed people… A LOT. This is not a problem whatsoever for me. In fact, I absolutely welcome it as long as it comes at a slow and sensible pace. Asian fish stew proved an almost virtuous 4th course, with a clear ocre-tinged seafood consomme infused with eastern aromatics like ginger and lemongrass with generous chunks of seabass, mussels and a scattering of puy lentils, coriander and bean sprouts to finish. It's the kind of food that feels healthy as its going down… do you know what I mean? Cleansing… rather zen, if you will. Enough said really as lets be honest, this is my 4th course with no end in sight so it's pretty safe to say I was now WAY past Zen/Virtous eating!

The 5th course (yes, there was yet ANOTHER course) was beyond intriguing for me… a savoury baklava! “Madness!” I hear you say… Layers of filo pastry with green beans, feta cheese, tomatoes and honey. Two word; ABSOLUTELY DIVINE. Even I wasn't initially sure of this little creation but it was the perfect balance of sweet versus savoury combined with the wonderful sharpness of brilliant white feta cheese. Totally moreish and yet another nod to Maria Elia's heritage. If I could have, I would have ordered another portion as takeaway. I'm pretty sure I cold try and attempt it at home although less confident about it turning out even half as decent as Maria's dish.

Last but not least came dessert, which at this point was a lost cause simply wasted on me. I ordered it but to be perfectly honest, I was so stuffed that they could have put George Clooney on a plate and I'd have little interest in tackling him. A simple slice of treacle tart with vanilla ice cream and an apricot puree was nice but I'd have to say Maria's talent shines in the savoury portion of the menu. Maybe I'm just not a dessert person as much as I am a savoury lover or maybe I'd just eaten my BODY WEIGHT in food!

Either way, Joe's exceeded my expectations on every scale. The menu was beyond reasonably priced which led me to wonder why on earth I never come here? Perhaps the illusion that the crowd of diners would be annoying Yummy-Mummies? UNFOUNDED. Perhaps the food wouldn't be anything of interest to me? UNFOUNDED and more importantly, perhaps the prices are ludicrously high because of the plush South Kensington location and the fact that it's owned by Joseph boutique across the road… UNFOUNDED. Very glad to have discovered this great little spot not so far from home and I can safely say, I will genuinely be coming back and look forward to sampling more from the regularly changing, seasonal menus created by Maria Elia.

At long last, it appears that I have FINALLY found a restaurant within Russell Norman's little group (Spuntino, Polpo, Polpetto and now Da Polpo) that I actually like! I hate having to wait for tables and so a no-bookings policy is a complete and utter nightmare for me. Happily Da Polpo DO take bookings! The intertior is nicely laid out, not all cramped and uncomfortable like Polpo and service is really good too.

The menu is heavy on the carb-factor but you will find comfort classics like meatballs (galore!) including a meatball ‘smash’ of tortilla wrap bread stuffed with cheese and smashed up meatballs with lashings of sauce. Fritto Misto of seafood was lovely, except that underneath the batter, the prawns had their shells on, which we couldnt detect in advance, so there was a lot of uncomfortable spitting out of shells, which wasn't pleasant.

The Pizzettes are lovely individual, thin crust pizzas… exactly the same as in Italy, which is rather a good thing. Lots of side dishes such as spring greens, heirloom tomato salad and other veggie dishes make for great eats also.
The meal was nice, tasty and straightforward… and reasonably priced too (even without the 50% opening discount)

I would definitely go back for a quick Italian bite! Knocks the socks off other Italian joints in the local touristy areas.
Plus I do LOVE that they have Shirley Temple cocktails on the menu, which I hadnt had since I was a kid. All very fun and tongue in cheek.

I have amassed a mountain of respect for Marcus Wareing. Brought into our line of vision by Gordon Ramsay, who he has since eclipsed rather massively through his culinary achievements and dedication to staying firmly in the kitchen, where a good Chef should spent the majority of his working time. With Restaurant Marcus Wareing, his highly successful first restaurant at The Berkeley Hotel, firmly established… opening a second restaurant was the next natural step for Wareing. Interestingly, The Gilbert Scott is also located within a very glamourous hotel, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which is certainly a good business decision in my opinion, although Chefs of Wareing's calibre never have problems filling tables. In fact, since its opening in late April, The Gilbert Scott has been fully booked almost constantly although securing a table certainly isn't impossible if you book in advance.

The hotel is grand in a very old-school way; luxurious and old-money, rather than the boring overly styled sort of establishments that seem to be taking over the City. On the particular evening I dined, I was joined by wonderful food loving friends and we settled in at the bar with it's comfortable leather slouchy chairs and attentive service. A truly lovely place for dainty Negronis and other such classic cocktails; we could easily have whiled away many an hour in the bar alone.

Finally seated at the table, we peruse the menu and each settle on our chosen dishes for the evening. Decadence is the order of the day and how well-suited to The Gilbert Scott, it is. Lobster is one of those choices that I am always ashamed to make. Lobster is lobster, it's not exactly the most adventurous choice on the menu but never one to be swayed by general concensus, I opt for the lobster salad and I wasn't disappointed. Wonderfully meaty morcels of lobster meat, juicy and sweet with mixed leaves, croutons and an almost Marie Rose-like sauce and fennel shards proved to be the perfect opener to the meal. Not a big lover of quail, my friend assured me that I MUST try the quail Mulligatawny – served in a dainty little cocotte pot – and WOW, is all I can say. It is practically the only time I have actually enjoyed quail and wished I had ordered it. The quail was moist and tender, on the bone and bathed in a curried broth that did nothing to overpower the delicate bird. Superb.

For mains, the haddock and mussels poached in Camel Valley Brut sauce was lovely and light which in our case was a good idea as between the four of us, we ordered a HELL of a lot of side dishes; Peas pudding, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, chips, spinach, mini yorkshire puddings and (wait for it) Paxo stuffing. Yes, Paxo stuffing! This, my friends, is what happens when you put 4 die-hard decadent foodies together on a table. Excess takes over and you end up ordering double the amount of food required to satisfy. No matter, life is short and is to be enjoyed. Our lovely Scottish waiter (young Nick) is highly amused by the sheer volume of dishes we have ordered. He deserves a special mention, because he was so incredibly efficient and attentive. Old school service of this kind is perfectly at home in an establishment such as The Gilbert Scott and if only more restaurants would try to ensure the same, then London would be a better place for it.

Stuffed beyond all recognition, I still find it impossible to refuse the offer of dessert. I would ultimately only end of regretting it later on in the evening, so I hone in on a classic Bakewell tart (which seems to be appearing on menus everywhere) and it was rather wonderful, although incredibly sweet. I could have lived without the icing on top, but then again it wouldn't have been a proper Bakewell tart without it. The moist almondy sponge encased just a hint of jam and made for the perfect dessert with it's accompanying dollop of Jersey cream. Perfection that may have just sent me slightly over the edge of what my stomach feels comfortable with.

After dinner, we are given a tour of the kitchens and there, busily toiling over the pass is Marcus Wareing himself. This is the most pleasing part of the evening to me. Shunning the limelight and PR shenannigans of his new opening, Wareing has his head down and is focused on delivering top quality food to his dinners. The Chefs table in the kitchen is filled with diners, many of whom are food writers I recognise and Wareing doesn't take his eyes off the pass for a second. He isn't schmoozing them or chatting with them; he is a Chef and is dedicated to his craft. An admirable quality in a Chef and especially in Wareing, who could so easily become the latest TV darling of our nation, but hasn't succumbed to the bright lights and camera flashes, thankfully.

As we leave, we spy a large table of about 16 or so of some of the most well known Chefs, restaurateurs and critics in the industry. Peter Gordon, Yotam Ottolenghi and Trevor Gulliver but to name a few… all seated in a cramped manner at a table in the bar tucking into their chosen dishes, seemingly just happy to be there. Who knew Tuesdays nights were the new Friday? The Gilbert Scott could be set to eclipse Heston Blumenthal's ‘Dinner’ restaurant as the greatest new opening of 2011. Either way, it is a MUST-visit destination for serious foodies who are looking for something infinitely less formal than Wareing's first opening. It's a real slice of what is best and should be revered about Britain and it's food… and what a thoroughly enjoyable experience it was.

(REVIEW OF SOHO BRANCH) I know good food. I know what it should taste like, how it should look, what the portion sizes should be and how I should feel once I've left a restaurant. Vietnamese food is definitely a favourite of mine; I love it's capacity to fill you up without feeling nauseous or heavy. On the contrary, Vietnamese food is so fresh in flavour, packed herbs, vegetables and plenty of full-flavoured, cleansing dishes bursting with ginger and lemongrass aromas.

When a friend asked me to join her at the newly opened Cay Tre Soho, I was excited to try something different to my usual favourite Vietnamese joint ‘Mien Tay’. The restaurant decor is incredibly different to the usual interiors of a Vietnamese restaurant. Slick white tiled walls, New York-style canteen design with modern accents and lighting house a 50 cover restaurant. Staff seem friendly, if a tad impersonal. The menus are printed on paper placemats and the selection is rather smaller than I'm accustomed to and many of the dishes are the same you will find in most Vietnamese restaurants… Not too many of the dishes stand out as unusual or unique to Cay Tre.

We ordered a selection of starters including classic Vietnamese spring rolls, spicy beef and papaya salad as well as spicy barbecue pork ribs. The ribs were very nice and rather more different than I have tasted anywhere previously; my usually favourite dish of spicy beef salad with a soggy let down of pre-prepared, overly macerated shredded vegetables with flabby, unappealing slices of cheap brisket meat instead of the usual chewy matchsticks of beef. The spring rolls were very good but with just 2 per serving, the portion was a surprisingly meagre. We did wonder if this had something to do with the soft opening offer of 50% off; technically the discount should not have made the slight bit of difference and it was a shame that they scrimped on something so low cost.

The main courses were unfortunately an even greater disappointment; Mekong catfish in a sweet, rich sauce with notes of hoi-sin was an unusual pairing. The catfish was overcooked somewhat and flabby in texture, akin to that of black cod. Not a winning dish for me but I had high hopes for my choice of soft shell crab and tamarind curry. All I can say is what a complete an utter disappointment. A small bowl of brown, unappetising sludge was placed before us, with deep pools of oil and underneath lay one anorexic soft shell crab hiding underneath a mass of brown gloop. We divided the tiny little crab (which at £11.50 was a total rip-off) and as soon as I bit into it, I had to contend with bits that needed to be spat out. There was, in actual fact, very little that was ‘soft’ about the shell of this crab. Every mouthful required a seperation of shell/legs from soft white meat. The sauce had no obvious tamarind flavour and instead was an oily, unpleasant, heavily-spiced mess. To make matters worse, we we served these bizarre looking limp, stale rice lumps shaped into little cigars, which were cold and to be honest, I have absolutely NO IDEA what part they played in this whole ordeal.

Needless to say, dessert wasn't on the cards and to be fair, we both felt quite sick. Not the usual feeling I would associate with a lovely meal at a Vietnamese restaurant… and the next day? Our sickness showed no signs of holding back and gave us our money's worth for the better part of a whole day. The words NEVER GOING BACK spring to mind when I think of Cay Tre. I find it hilarious that so many people have been raving about how great it is, when the 2 other tables we spoke to that evening, echoed our sentiments in their entirety. All I can say is thank god we paid just 50% of the overal price, because that was most definitely all it was worth.

Mien Tay is still the BEST food, value and Vietnamese eatery in town and I believe AA Gill wholeheartedly agrees with me!

I have to just say how impressed I was by the lastest offering to the Old Brompton strip from the same owner that gave us ‘Cambio de Tercio’, ‘Tendido Cero’ and ‘Tendido Cuatro’ (2 out of 3) of which are located virtually next door to one another. Capote y Toros is a small space with perhaps 25 covers maximum, with walls lined with over 100 different labels of sherry from dry clear variety to the deeply dark and syrupy aged types.

I had accidentally gate-crashed a dinner and sat perched on the edge of the table but found the staff to be most accommodating and considerate of my unexpected arrival. A platter of wafer thin slices of 5J Jamon was served along with chorizo cooked in sherry with a divine tomato sauce, black pudding, stuffed piquillo peppers, the most deliciously moist octopus and wonderful little meatballs in a sherry-soused tomato sauce. Each dish bursting with flavour with just the right amount of sauce/juice to be mopped up with a hunk of bread.

My friends ordered a flight of sherries to accompany the meal and I got a little taster of each along with an unexpected education of how versatile sherry actually is. I never thought I would be a drinker of sherry but I really enjoyed the less dry, aged and almost syrupy sherries… How wonderful. No wonder the place with heaving… Trendy local blondes greet the owner affectionately with kisses and hugs and you immediately see why yet another opening on the same 10 metre strip of Old Brompton Road, makes absolute sense in every way. Good luck to them and I will most definitely be back, the very next chance I get!

A clue about the concept, lies in the title under ‘Social’; the very crux of this new establishment is built upon a foundation of informality and an unpretentious venue and staff serving good drinks and food, much of which is meant for ‘sharing’. God how I bloody hate sharing. I am an only child; I never had to share anything as a kid and I’m not quite certain I am ready for the trauma of having to share anything with anyone as an adult. Especially not my food!

The restaurant is tastefully decorated and although trading on the sociability factor, it does still have an element of fine-dining, both in the décor and the rather formal service. Guests are enjoying Tapas in the bar area as we are seated at our table covered with a delicate linen cloth (fine dining alert!) Our waiter is French and explains things to us a little too quickly which when paired with his otherwise nice accent, was a little too difficult to catch in such quick succession. He volunteers to us that he is ‘very nervous’ and apologises, which was very sweet although he probably didn’t need to reveal his nerves to us.

The menu is a bit strange… half a page of cold starters (or ‘sharing’ plates, as they are referred to) and another half a page with all hot dishes. A very minimal selection of just five main courses with an almighty fail for me who was looking forward to the Turbot with Paella which has now been replaced by Halibut (Boooooooo). Another five dishes are listed under the heading ‘vegetarian; although I was thinking that perhaps they were more side dishes being touted as vegetarian just because they coincidentally were? Per the waiter’s suggestion, we each decide to order three starters each as our meal to get a good selection of different dishes and combinations.

The wait staff circle our table at least 4 times offering us bread; at first, we weren’t entirely sure why but as the meals came out, the reasoning behind the excessive generosity of bread service became apparent. The portions are pretty tiny in some dishes which baffles us as to how and why these dishes could possibly be shared? Luckily none of us were into sharing, but there were some big disappointments with many of the dishes. My ‘Tomato and tomato with vanilla’ was a small bowl of 5 small half slices of different tomatoes at fridge cold temperature (the worst way to serve tomatoes, as you know) with a splodge of tomato pulp and a last minute immersion in ice-cold Gazpacho and no detectable presence of vanilla. It was fine but at £9 you do have higher expectations from a dish like this. Similar icy temperature comments came from those eating the crab and also the smoked foie gras dishes too.

My next dish was the Cauliflower and squid with clear roasted squid juice; The dish was explained to me as a ‘sort of risotto’ but there was no rice present. In principle the dish was absolutely delicious and something I would happily eat again but despite being chosen from the ‘hot’ selection of starters, the dish was rather cold and the squid juice consommé poured over the top was rather like warm, which was a shame. More feedback coming from my fellow diners regarding more ‘colder than necessary’ dishes as well as a rather bizarre concoction entitled ‘Full English Breakfast’ – a ‘deconstructed’ (I HATE that word) dish of egg, which a few lardons and the promise of a ‘fried bread’ sauce… I’m told this dish didn’t hit the spot and when quizzing the waiter, the fried bread sauce was just buttered toast blitzed with milk. So not actually fried then? **sulks**.

My last dish was the a crab salad with almond and crab sorbet and pickled daikon radish. The dish was again far too cold; for those who don’t know why I keep rambling on about cold temperatures is because when food is too cold, the depth of flavours are masked and you cant really pick up on the true and intended taste of the dish. I couldn’t fault the dish flavour-wise, except for a rather unpleasant almond and crab sorbet, the bulk of which remained uneaten on my plate. My friends Mackerel was again ‘fridge-cold’ as she said and not up to it’s best potential but the resounding ‘no-no’ of the evening had to be the ‘Red gambas seaweed tea consommé, dumplings & ginger’. Served on bed of rather pongy seaweed that we were expressly told was inedible (begging the question as to why it was on the dish) on a bamboo steamer with two small prawns, not quite the large gambas I am familiar with, concealing a bowl underneath with two dumplings filled with scallops and mussels. A broth was poured over the top layer (yes, through the bamboo steamer basket and the seaweed) and the smell was so off putting that two of my friends barely touched it.

Rather than retreat to the dessert bar, a novel area that you are moved to after your starters and mains, we retreated to the main bar for another cocktail before heading out to Hix restaurant in Brewer Street for a few more drinks, where shamefully we order several plates of fish and chips with curry sauce as we ended up being rather hungry!

I know we should have stayed for dessert as I have been hearing excellent things about many of the sweet treats on offer but we were a little underwhelmed by the savoury part of the evening, especially as we had all gotten so excited for the big night. I wouldn’t write Pollen Street Social off by any means although attention to detail is a little lacking. People say “Oh but it’s the first day” and “It’s just a soft opening” but we paid full price for dishes that did not deliver as much as they should have and to be honest, I think more restaurants should place extra emphasis on perfecting dishes during opening because that is when the bulk of people come flooding your way. So, I am divided and not sure what I feel about Pollen Street Social right now. I am a huge fan of Jason Atherton, of that there is no doubt and perhaps I will return to the bar for Tapas and cocktails but would probably need to return a little later on in the year when things have settled and I can have another go at getting the best experience for my money.

When my friend invited me to dinner at Vinoteca, I heard the word ‘Vino’ and being someone who doesn't actually drink wine (unless its a dessert wine) I wasn't overly enthused. Tucked away in Seymour Place, behind Edgware Road, Vinoteca is an intimate buzzy bistro with walls lined with scores of different wines and a list of over 285 wines available for purchase. They don't take reservations and although the restaurant was totally full, we didn't wait more than 10 minutes before we were seated… this in itself means extra brownie points for them in my opinion.

The menu is an informal mix of hearty rustic dishes, Tapas style dining and other delicious sounding combinations each paired with a wine recommendation, for the devoted wine drinker. The kitchen is visible and the Chefs pass is in plain sight for all to see. Not feeling overly hungry (yes, a rare event in my lifetime) I chose the goat cheese and beetroot salad with vinaigrette dressing and walnuts and my friend chose the salad of smoked eel with potatoes and mixed leaves. Now eel is something that I have always said, you would have to kill me to make me eat and how on earth people eat jellied eels, is beyond me! But, when the salad was served up, it did look rather good. My friend offered some to me and I was quick to turn her down but changed my mind in the spirit of trying new things and was surprised how delicious it was. My own salad was pretty straight forward but really gratifying. I love beetroots, yellow and purple and love goats cheese and walnuts, so it was a winning combination for me.

I realised that for the first time in my life, I accidentally ordered an entirely vegetarian menu… This has NEVER happened before… so once my tagliatelle with Pied de Mouton mushrooms arrived, I was hoping that it would do the trick for me and I wasn't disappointed. An extra heavy hit of garlic which luckily I love was a suitable companion to the mushrooms and the al dente ribbons of homemade tagliatelle; very satisfying. My friend opted for a lighter main course of ‘Lomito’ cured pork loin with blood oranges with almonds and Jalapeno peppers; a vibrant visual plate or delicious cured meat with the juicy citrus kick from the sharp slivers of blood orange. Delicious and so much better then the non-existent blood orange slivers hiding under the Burrata cheese I ate at Nopi restaurant recently and curiously almost half the price!

Three of the dishes we ate were priced at just £6.50; what a bargain, no? My handmade tagliatelle pasta was priced at just £10.50 and loaded with meaty mushrooms. You can't even get that sort of value at Ask, Zizzi or any of the other dodgy high street chains anymore; and you certainly can't match the quality of produce used by Vinoteca. For dessert, we shared a lovely rhubarb fool which was served in a rather stylish Martini glass with a lovely biscotti and I did have a cheeky glass of 2007 VAT 5 Botrytis Semillon de Bortoli to wash my dessert down with, which was a rather splendid way to end a rather splendid meal.

Vinoteca, despite its wine affiliation, won me over for its food. I am definitely coming back to eat here because the food is fantastic and the prices are incredibly reasonable for the high standard of cooking and service you receive. A gem of a find that I am reluctantly sharing with you but this is definitely one of those lovely little London discoveries that is too good to keep secret.

The biggest restaurant opening of 2011 will undoubtedly remain ‘Dinner – by Heston Blumenthal’. The sheer volume of reviews and write-ups about his latest venture are unlikely to be rivalled by any other restaurant opening this year and perhaps even next year. Ashley Palmer-Watts is the Chef at the helm of this operation at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park. Ashley and his team are continuing Heston's fantastic work but in a much toned down version minus all the mind-scrambling trickery and special effects and instead, with the help of a bonafide food Historian, reviving the dishes of centuries-old Britain.Dishes can sound a bit alien to most with ‘Rice and Flesh’, ‘Meat Fruit’ and ‘Salamagundy’ featuring as starters; but have faith because everyone knows that whatever Heston gets behind, tends to be very magical indeed. ‘Meat Fruit’ has been causing quite a sensation among those who have dined here. A seemingly normal looking mandarin orange on a wooden board accompanied by slices of toasted bread, conceals a flavoursome centre of chicken liver pate enriched with foie gras and encased in a delicate mandarin jelly cutting beautifully through the rich fattiness of the pate itself. A perfect example of point and counterpoint at its finest and a wonderful dish that I could quite happily eat over and over again. ‘Salamagundy’, a simple salad of soft chicken oysters with quivvering slivers of bone marrow amid roasted salsify and mixed leaves was an interesting combination that worked well although couldn't possibly outshine the meat fruit of the final starter of ‘Rice and Flesh’. Gory as it sounds, ‘Rice and Flesh’ is little more than a Risotto Milanese, buttery rich in it's ocre saffron glory, studded with meat chunks of veal tail with perfectly al-dente rice and the most perfect version of this dish that I have ever had the good fortune to taste. A definite addition to the menu of my final meal on earth.

Main courses, whilst retaining the highly skilled execution and ingredient combinations you would expect of such a kitchen, didn't enthrall me in quite the same capacity as the starters. That is not to say that the dishes were not fantastic, because au contraire, they absolutely were but they were more along the lines of exemplary seasonal cooking rather than the wow-factor style that Heston is known for. And this is perhaps something that should be explained; ‘Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’ is not supposed to be anything like ‘Fat Duck’ and you should remember that when eating here, so as to avoid any potential disappointment. Our main courses of ‘Powdered duck with fennel and jus’ and ‘Black foot pork chop with cabbage’ were both very good, although whilst the duck was ‘lifted’ by its pairing with the fennel, my companion did leave rather a lot on her plate and when quizzed about the matter the words “fiddly” and “lacklustre” were mentioned. Not my own opinion, you understand but duck legs are not for everyone and the cooking method can impact on the smell and flavour of the duck in a way that is not to everyone's taste. However full marks for my pork chop that was cooked to perfection with a rich jus that lifted the gentle flavour of the meat beautifully.

The wonderful pineapple spit-roast in the kitchen is a thing of beauty, so much so that I simply had to get into the kitchen myself to photograph them in all their rum-drenched glory. Making up part of the delightfully indulgent ‘Tipsy cake’, I ordered a nice glass of Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine and enjoyed every last buttery mouthful of the delicious sugar crusted bread-like cake, in it's own mini cast-iron dish accompanied by the exquisite and perfectly caramelised wedge of roasted pineapple. Another dish I would happily include on the menu for my final meal on earth.A final complimentary dish is brought to the table; a dainty little tea cup and saucer filled with an Earl Grey and white chocolate ganache accompanied by a finger sized caraway seed shortbread biscuit. What a splendidly unctuous combination, the perfect way to end such a lovely meal… even if you do have to ‘waddle’ out of the restaurant like a pregnant woman.

I visited Nopi during their soft opening, where a 50% discount was extended to all diners allowing me to try as many dishes as I liked. With my fellow Ottonlenghipiles in tow, we reviewed the menu divided simply into meat, fish, vegetable and dessert categories.

Carpaccio of rose veal and beetroot with Kashk (Dried whey, a common Persian ingredient) was pretty good although the kashk was overly diluted by yoghurt and lacked the intense saltiness familiar to me. Scallops with pickled daikon radish and apple were nicely caramelised and though soft on the inside, imparted a slightly unpleasant fishy aftertaste in my mouth which felt they like had ‘stewed’ rather than the desired searing expected. I was more hopeful of our lamb cutlets with a spiced aubergines and goat cheese but the cutlets were rather lukewarm and although the aubergine was delicious (similar to Sicialian Caponata) it didn't do much to mask the excessively rare nature of the lamb and the worryingly solidified stretch of cold fat on one of the cutlets. Fortunately the second cutlet fared a little better and combined with the aubergine salad and a bite of the goat cheese, made for an explosion of Mediterranean flavours.

Sea bream with an accompanying salad of fresh coconut, mint and cashew was less successful; the fish was overcooked and chewy and the salad a little too bland for my liking. But the slow cooked pigs cheeks with a celeriac and barberry salad were fantastic although I find myself asking why almost every dishes comes with a salad? A nice, smooth root vegetable puree would have been a better pairing with this kind of braised meat in my opinion. Twice-cooked baby chicken with lemon myrtle salt and chilli sauce was nice but not as tender as I would have liked although the lemon myrtle salt was a zingy and aromatic revelation.

Next up came a whole ball of Burrata cheese with blood oranges topped with coriander seeds. This dish just didn't work for me; the coriander seeds interfered with the creamy (dreamy) flavour of the Burrata and the blood oranges didn't have enough of a presence to warrant being a component of the dish. I also like my Burrata to ooze; that's the whole point of Burrata. When you break it open, a cream like substance usually pours out and in this case I could only liken the cheese to a very soft-centred buffalo Mozzarella. The giant prawns with oregano, feta and fennel were excellent. Proper grown-up, meaty prawns with sharp feta cheese and a delicate tomato sauce. Excellent.

Desserts were a very different affair and not only did the dessert portion of the menu read disappointingly but the churros my companions selected were rock hard on and weighty and the look of the chocolate didn't do much to invite me to taste it. Considering Yotam Ottolenghi is a bit of a cake-God, I'm surprised to see that the sweet section of the menu consisted of little more than a Financier cake, some ice cream, quince with quince paste (overkill, perhaps?) and churros.

Overall I feel the food was a bit hit and miss and perhaps thats the trouble when you are trying to move from deli-style shops to a formal restaurant. In a deli you can afford to pay less attention to the overall cooking of meats and fish as they are often purchased cold but when cooking to order, you need to get it right. Expect to pay anywhere from £8-£12 per dish which is fine except for the fact that the dishes are “Small and good for sharing” and with 3 dishes recommended per person, plus dessert and wines, you could be heading for a rather huge bill at the end.

I do largely believe that many of the menu ‘wrinkles’ will be ironed out in the coming weeks and in time, the menu will evolve accordingly and find an even keel that suits both the restaurant and it's patrons. Would I go back? Yes I would but I would much prefer to go midweek for a quiet late lunch, grab a paper and head downstairs to the communal bar table and eat informally whilst I watch the chefs work there magic as I pretend to read my newspaper. Yotam Ottolenghi is a man of many talents with many successes under his belt. I sincerely hope he stays sufficiently invested and hands-on in his businesses and doesn't spread himself out too thinly as he is the real magic behind the Ottolenghi brand and without him things don't quite have the same sparkle.

I'm all for fab new openings in the City and the 3rd branch of Tsuru in Mansion house, is yet another welcome addition to the Square Mile. The dining room is thoroughly Japanese with simple, yet efficient modern interiors condusive to the traditional Japanase style of decor.

The menu for lunch is pretty straight forward with sushi boxes and salad available from a chiller adjacent to the cashiers tills and you can order chicken or potato croquettes (Korroke), Chicken Terriyaki and the most delicious (and seriously quite adult) chicken/pork/beef/salmon Katsu Curry I've ever had outside of Nippon!

The sight of ‘Katsu Sando’ A Katsu fried chicken portion sandwiched in soft white bread with cabbage and Tonkatsu sauce was a nostalgic salute to my trip to Japan, where they are sold everywhere from trains to Sumo matches for people to snack on. Lunch was fabulous and I look forward to going back for dinner where the menu is much more varied and the real ‘restaurant’ side kicks in.

Never will many eateries score so highly for me as this simple, unfussy new addition to the city. Initially hearing my colleagues ramble on about it made me think it was some dodgy Cafe, serving up greasy Vietnamese fare but oh how wrong I was.

Delilcious, simple, reasonably priced and thoroughly welcome in the Square Mile! Great salads, Banh Mi baguettes, lovely warming Pho noodles and great meat/rice dishes all under £6. A complete and utter bargain if you ask me; no wonder the place has queues outside the door each lunchtime.

I did feel that the 2 bouncers and the guestlist girl on the door was a bit much… after all, Cocochan isn't exactly Chinawhite! Inside, the PR girls hover from table to table standing over guests as they dine. It's all too much for me because all I wanted to do was sit, eat and get out.

The table we were seated at had an inexplicable constant vibration. The wall and floor was also vibrating. Resting my arm on the table resulted in said arm going completely numb… when I asked the staff why the table is vibrating, I was told “But it's a good vibration, no???” I politely reassured them that it was rather more of an uncomfortable, unpleasant vibration. Bizarre.

A reduced menu was the order of the day; I'm told the Chef was in New York and so they were only offering a reduced menu until next week; lucky old me, eh? The usual Pan-Asian suspects appear on the menu making it a hybrid of Hakkasan, E&O and Ping Pong all rolled into one. Duck and watermelon salad was not unpleasant, garnished with a purple edible flower (I'm thinking this kind of detail won't last very long) but the duck was tasty, chunky and not fried to death like many crispy duck salads tend to be.

Chilean Seabass and chilli bean dumplings were melt in the mouth encased in green rice pastry but with the curious addition of semi-cooked carrot replacing the chilli bean; placed not in the seabass filling itself but actually on the pastry. The ‘XO’ prawn dumplings did not deliver and had a very heavy pastry casing with a tough seafood centre. The scallop and prawn dumplings topped with tobiko fared somewhat better, but still not a patch on the delicate offerings of Hakkasan.

Our last dish of Hamachi, tobiki with a truffled mirin dressing was a bit of a disaster. There was no tobiko to be found anywhere on the plate and the truffle was a distant flavour in the background, not enough to warrant the hefty £8.75 price tag for five coin-sized slivers of Hamachi. What completely overpowered the delicate flesh of the fish was the addition of raw shards of green beans that attacked and killed off any remnant of fish/truffle flavour in your mouth and certainly weren't mentioned as part of the meal.

Overall the experience was ok… but its abundantly clear to see that they are trying way too hard already to build an air of exclusivity on site when if they could simply brush up on a couple of dishes and pay a little more attention to preparation and ingredient use, they will probably do quite well in the long term. The staff are really very nice if not a tad too over-ethusiastic (a syndrome on new eateries) but they would do good to observe the term ‘less-is-more’ at Cocochan and peel away the PR girls, bouncers and door bunnies, fix the inexplicably vibrating tables and concentrate on serving simple pan-asian fare. Because the reality is that with Ping-Pong literally across the road, the competition looks to be stiff!

Chef and Godfather of Fusion cookery Peter Gordon's Kopapa Cafe deserves a special mention as it is literally the first place in London that I wishes was located right next to my house. Reason? Because on weekend, this is just the kind of place where I could happily indulge in breakfast/brunch or a languid lunch with friends and family. The menu is absolutely superb with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch dishes that are truly captivating and exotic. Along with the more traditional breakfast dishes, you can get ‘Turkish eggs’ a wonderful dish I had when in Istanbul. For those wanting to avoid the key breakfast ingredients, why not try a mouth-watering seared tuna with a side of papaya salad? This clicks of ruby seared tuna with a sweet and citrusy dressing.

There is a delightful little counter bar where you can get full service and watch the friendly staff conjure up magical smoothies and exotic blends of juices using Tamarillo, Kiwi and the like… On display in the corner are 3 mini-mountains of baked goods including blueberry and white chocolate muffins, chorizo and feta cheese muffins and HANDS-DOWN the most amazing date scones you will ever try. The coffee is absolutely superb and in such a touristy neighbourhood as Covent Garden, you will be hard pushed to find better coffee and with 2 Greeks and a Polish friend in tow, I can't afford to go anywhere where the coffee is dreadful! Overall the whole experience was such so unhurried and pleasurable and the staff are beyond attentive and accommodating.

For years I was put off by coming to Electric because of the hoards of people waiting to get in on a Saturday. Last night I finally made it there and was surprised at how attentive the service was and how good the menu was. Everything from little light bites (Juicy ribs, crispy calamari and sweetcorn fritters) to lovely comforting main courses like pork belly and slow braised stews.

Service was spot on and the place was buzzing by 7pm in dimly candle-lit background with low-level music. I think midweeks are a must here at Electric, although I would still probably give the weekends a miss!

Whilst it may not be cheap, I have always found the service at Locanda Locatelli to be excellent. In fact it was the service that from day one, drew me in and encouraged me to make repeat visits. The food is excellent and LL is home to the best scallop dish I have ever had… The Capesante Al'Aspretto di Zafferano is a revelation of carefully balanced flavours. Plump scallops with celery and a saffron vinaigrette are a great way to kick off the meal. The one thing about LL is that the food is pretty simple. If its innovative, stylised cooking you are looking for then you are better off spending your money elsewhere. My Italian friends blast LL for what is essentially overpriced and very simple and rustic cookery… But where quality is concerned, there is no scrimping here. The standard of cookery is excellent, even if the skill involved isn't overly complex.

I always like to choose fish when I eat here but depending on the time of year, they do a mean pork and also veal chop, cooked to perfection, juicy and succulent. I am always happy to pay those prices for beautifully cooked and prepared food.

The only down side is that the dining room is a bit lifeless, which is why I prefer to lunch here as dinner's lack ambience.