“Wicked Crispy Frog”, “Piggy Grill Aubergine” and other such exotica await you at ‘Viet Grill’ restaurant in the east end of London. Nestled amongst a dozen other Vietnamese restaurants, I would say that Viet Grill is most definitely a cut above the rest. The interior is covered in a modern and chic flocked wall paper and the room is simple in décor, but the unmistakable sizzling of the woks, smell of the grill and – somewhat annoying – clattering of china and cutlery remind me that “We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto”. I had worked myself into a proverbial lather at the thought of having some authentic Vietnamese food and if I can’t get to Hanoi, then what better place to eat it in then the London equivalent of ‘Little Vietnam’ on Kingsland Road, London E2.

Printed paper placemats proudly display the menu, a confusing plethora of dishes, each with the correct Vietnamese text above. Strange little smiley faces dotted all over the sheet and, unhelpfully, dishes aren’t numbered, which adds to the mayhem of trying to remember your place on the menu. Confusion confirmed when instead of ordering grilled sirloin steak served with pancakes, I had clearly lost my place and ended up with stir-fried Monkfish! Great. I did manage to correctly order some Vietnamese prawn rolls to accompany the Monkfish. I was pleasantly surprised that the Monkfish dish was actually a very lucky find for us, marinated with galangal, saffron and sautéed with fennel and dill it was fresh, light and delicious. The disappointing part being the bland, plain rice noodles it was served over. Nothing a dash of soya sauce and some chilli couldn’t fix.

More confusion with main courses, as all the dishes have Vietnamese names, which making absolutely no sense to me, made it all the more difficult to locate our agreed choices. A classic beef ‘Pho’, ‘Feudal’ sirloin beef steak and Sake lamb skewers with cumin and fennel all made the cut. The Pho arrived and straight off it looked unappealing. Thin quivvering slivers of meat, iridescent with oxidisation, yet grey and flabby with bits of unappetising, untrimmed fat and other unpleasant bits floating in a dull looking stock, covering some rice noodles and a few sliced spring onions. A side dish containing a few bean sprouts, some holy basil and a single small red chilli – that for me personally – couldn’t do any damage or impart any heat of flavour whatsoever. So I smash the chilli, bruise the holy basil and toss everything into the broth along with more of that soya sauce and chilli paste, but the result is still pretty inedible. My advice would be to steer clear of the ‘Classic Pho’ as it merely marrs what has the potential to be a perfectly good meal.

On the upside, the Sake lamb skewers were superb and had they brought the rice in time, perhaps I would have been able to enjoy them hot, but even cold, they were delicious and still very tender with a depth of spice infused by cumin. The ‘Feudal’ beef, whilst not strictly the Sirloin steak it has been advertised as, comes with a delicious sauce, which although flavoursome, was not as spicy as the waiter had promised. I'm beginning to think they are holding back on the spice factor to accommodate us Brits. Down with flexibility, i say! Up with tradition and authenticity!

At the end of the meal, I was definitely a little disappointed. The waiter was sweet enough to come over and ask what I thought about all the dishes and I told him quite honestly that I loved the meat dishes and was pleasantly surprised that the unplanned Monkfish dish was so good, but judging from my untouched ‘Pho’ he could see it definitely hadn't been the greatest of successes.

I guess I have always thought that Vietnamese food is a combination of fresh flavours, fresh ingredients and lots of heat from chillies and depth from spices. I don’t feel Viet Grill was a true reflection of the slice of Vietnam that I was after. However there is still hope, as their more authentic sister restaurant in Hoxton ‘Cay Tre’ is incredibly popular with queues outside the door! So why didn’t I go there? I was sucked in by the contemporary décor and slick menu…. Proof that you should never judge a book by its cover! How ‘Hanoi-ing’… Get it?

The first obstacle with this place is finding it, so it may be worth noting that it is at the Oxford Circus end of Wardour Street and not Shaftesbury Avenue end as I'd initially thought. Arriving at lunch time is a bit strange as the interior is very dark and the infamous lit interactive tables arent really and functional until you sit down and begin to order.

The tables themselves are the key reason for eating here really… Its all a bit conceptualised and the fact the food happens to be pretty decent is just lucky really. Using the touch-screen interactive system on the tables, you can order food and drink, call a waitress (although it was faster to just wave to get their attention), you can play games and also change the colour or ‘skins’ of your table to lots of varied bright backgrounds.

But I ask you, is this really what you want to be doing over dinner??? Ignoring your fellow diners and fiddling with screen after screen of options? It can be quite tedious to have to figure it all out, and I did begin to wish I could just get a normal menu! The fact that we had to move because our first table wasn't working was also rather annoying but not enough to put me off the experience.

The food is your bog standard combo of Sushi, Asian-inspired salads and dishes and lots of interesting plates. Not bad at all, very decent in fact. They also do a good selection of cocktails, which is always great especially if you arent rushing through a meal and want to enjoy it. But then again, if you are planning on having a hurried meal, then Inamo is not really the right venue for you.

I do love Thai food. What’s not to love when the basic principle of their cooking encompasses spicy, sweet, hot and sour… something to appease everyone really. But I do find it a struggle to pay the prices demanded at some supposedly upscale Thai eateries (mentioning no names) as the whole point of Thai food is it is humble regional cuisine and should be full of flavour and low on price. Having once worked for a Thai restaurant group, I know what to expect and can therefore be a harsh critic at times. You only need to have visited Thailand once to know exactly how fresh and flavoursome the food really should be; it’s really not rocket science and as a nation we are more knowledgeable about food from the far east then ever before.

Busaba Eathai in Panton Street, just off of Leicester Square is the restaurant group’s latest opening. Brainchild of restaurateur Alan Yau, creator of eateries like Wagamama, Hakkasan, Yauatcha, Sake No Hana and Cha Cha Moon, Busaba now has 4 branches in London with another soon to open in Old Street, EC1. For those of us who have eaten at Wagamama, the concept at Busaba Eathai will be familiar with casual bench seating and tables shared with other diners, except Busaba’s tables are square instead of the classic elongated tables at Wagamama.

I sip an ice cold Guava Cooler as my eager eyes dart all over the menu, enticed by noodle and rice dishes, curries and sides. Pad Thai with prawns, Thai calamari, goong Tohd prawns along with red lamb curry, steamed rice and ‘morning glory’ greens in yellow bean sauce. My friend Mo and I are absolutely starving and have no qualms about possibly over-ordering; after all when it comes to Thai food variety of dishes is key as is sharing, which I find a little harder to do when something is really good.

The Pad Thai is a delicious heap of wok-fried rice noodles with crunchy vegetables, fried tofu and giant prawns and accompanied by a fat wedge of lime and some crushed peanuts which I add to the noodles. Every bite is zesty and moreish with huge meaty prawns that are a world away from the horrid supermarket variety, flabby and unpleasant in odour. Chunks of tender lamb are bathed in an earth red curry sauce with lychees that cut through the spicy heat of the curry sauce with a soothing sweet burst of their natural juices. Steamed rice also helps take the edge of the curry for those who need it and the morning glory provides a nice crunchy accompaniment.

The goong tohd prawns are served with a green mango and chilli dipping sauce which is lovely and sweet, but the real star of the show is the Thai calamari with ginger and peppercorns. Each piece of calamari is lightly battered, deep-fried and served with ornate strands of fresh green peppercorns. I don’t exactly know what they do to the squid but it is absolutely delicious and you just can’t help but wanting to eat more of the stuff. Needless to say after such a generous meal and upon reflection over-indulgence on the calamari front, we haven’t managed to leave any room for dessert which luckily I am ok with because they don’t offer dessert. But as in most far eastern restaurants, in most cases desserts really aren’t so great anyway.

Busaba Eathai is a welcome addition to the surrounding area of the West End, littered with tourist-driven junk food stops and dodgy pizza and kebab outlets that the health and safety inspectors have clearly turned a blind eye to. So if like me you want to have a proper meal that is delicious and doesn’t carry the risk of making you ill whilst emptying your wallet of cash, then Busaba Eathai is a great place to stop for a bite to eat. It’s quick, affordable, and informal and even better, it’s open all day. Evenings can get busy which is tricky if you arrive in a group as they don’t take reservations so expect to wait for a little bit, but your patience will undoubtedly be well rewarded.

Just like most other reputable Japanese restaurants, Aqua Kyoto is not cheap. Having said that, the food is surprisingly good. The sushi is top grade, super fresh and I am really wondering why I keep going back to Nobu so often, when Aqua Kyoto is less stuffy, cooler and friendlier… Plus they have lovely terraces perfect for early evening drinks and bites, especially if the weather is nice… But even when its cold, its handy for the smokers who want a cheeky ciggie or those who are happy to sit under their outdoor heaters with a friend or loved one and look down on the lights of London town.

All the classic sushi, nigiri and sashimi is available, spider crab rolls always being a favourite. Their cooked food is also delicious with a huge selection to appease the non-Sushi lovers among you. The cocktails are also really delicious and against the really very glamorous backdrop of this stylish restaurant, it all makes for a lovely night of fun. They are open late too, which is handy if you want to stay out late but really want to dodge the West End club scene.

Find it annoying that delis attract swarms of people despite astronomical prices. Since opening a few weeks ago, Mount Street deli has been mentioned all over the place, so I had to see what all the fuss was about. Chocolate cake from Annabel's? I must say I have had the same cake at Annabel's and this isn't a patch on it I'm afraid whether it's the same recipe or not is questionable.

What is weird is that on a summer day in June their dish of the day is a very Wintery Irish stew with barley, which is really bizarre. Are they not aware of seasonality? How odd. Minestrone is the soup of the day, another slightly odd choice. For a Mayfair-based deli, I would expect more appropriate seasonal selections.
I'm sure they taste delicious but its not really what I want to eat on a Sunny day in June.

Mount Street Deli gets a luke-warm reception from me… When I want to pay exorbitant prices, I will happily plod along to Ottolenghi instead, where at least every single dish is utterly delicious and vibrant, colourful and full of flavour.

I regularly visit the Lavender Hill branch so when I found myself nearby the Kingsland road branch, I decided to pop in and see if they were as good as my local. This is the branch that was a contender of ‘Best local restaurant’ for Gordon Ramsay's F-Word back in Dec '09 / Jan '10.

The menu is exactly the same as the other branch, so its quite easy to navigate your way around it. I still CANNOT live without the wonderfully, crispy, nutty, meaty ‘Mien Tay’ spring rolls that really are my absolute favourite thing on the menu, they are delicious. The dried spicy beef and green papaya was also great but we ordered the Claypot prawn curry dish and also the lemongrass and chilli beef and although they were delicious and the abundant with beef and giant prawns, there was just too much turmeric in both dishes. If you are heavy handed with turmeric, it can be a tad harsh but both dishes were still packed with flavour and very satisfying.

The restaurant itself is a bit tacky… Odd clear table tops that house a small square of plastic grass (I kid you not) could do with proper wipe or even better, be disposed of completely. The staircase leading to the loos is a bit unsavoury with plastic matting stapled to the stairs and not in the best condition, but the loos are perfectly nice.

I would have to say, i still prefer my local branch of Mien Tay, where In my opinion, you can have some of the best Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam.

If I’m being perfectly honest, I have not been to El Pirata since 1996 when I used to work around the corner as a switchboard operator. It was the venue where our staff nights out would be held and looking back, they were actually incredibly fun nights. We would get utterly hammered, eat plate after plate of Tapas and then tuck in to huge pans of Paella, staggering out around midnight and head to some late night not-so-hot-spot and continue the party. I guess I put El Pirata to the back of my mind along with all those memories of my late teens.

Over 14 years later and shockingly little has changed at El Pirata. In fact nothing has changed here apart from the fact that chain-smoking inside the restaurant is no longer a viable which, now I’m virtually smoke free, is not such a bad thing. The décor is still exactly the same, white (ish) walls with dark wood beams and terracotta tile floors; very simple and really on-the-money in the authenticity sweepstakes. Our host is a portrait of the stereotypical Spanish waiter with thick Spanish accent, almost jolly in his enthusiasm but very nice and hospitable.

We are served a platter of delicately sliced Pata Negra ham, the most expensive ham in the world delivering a delicious nutty flavour courtesy of the acorns the pigs are fed on. I am quite happy to make this my entire meal but cannot resist the selection of Spanish cheeses, Padron peppers, tender deep-fried medallions of monkfish and the popular ‘Gambas a la plancha’ – prawns dropped into boiling hot oil with garlic and a fiery kick of chillies. A wonderful selection of delicious and varied dishes that were fresh and flavoursome and very enjoyable.

Our main course had to be the Paella Marinara; it’s vibrant gold hue reminiscent of the warm early evening sunshine of Spain in summer. The huge cast iron Paella pan is served straight to the table and is studded with giant prawns, tender squid perfectly cooked mussels and clams. I love sunshine cooking and anything that comes from the Mediterranean but Paella is one of my favourites as long as there is tender meat and (or) seafood, perfectly cooked rice, soft and moist on the bottom of the pan and slightly crunchier on the top and plenty of saffron, onions and juice that bring the whole thing together. I am not disappointed as literally finished the whole dish within 15 minutes of it being served.

Dessert was a slightly different affair with the Crema Catalana not delivering the required pizzazz that the other dishes managed to, which was a little disappointing. Luckily I am not, nor have I ever been someone that lives and dies for sweet things. The savoury part of the meal is the most important thing for me and desserts, as on this occasion, can only pale in comparison.

Dinner at El Pirata proved to be a great evening out in the end. I did panic at first when I walked in and it appeared that nothing had changed in 14 years, but perhaps this is exactly why they are still open, doing great trade and serving locals as they were years ago. Sometimes change isn’t such a good thing, as the old adage goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and El Pirata most definitely ain’t broke.

Finally made it to Bar Boulud at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel to see what all the fuss about and after an incredibly disappointing experience at ‘Daniel’ in New York, I must admit my expectations of Bar Boulud were not high. Perhaps this is the best way to tackle these foofy, over-hyped places, but on arrival I see the venue is not so much the ‘Bar’ that it claims to be and in fact crams double the amount of covers I would have thought to be sensible for a venue of this size. I don't like this at all. If anything, when you first open a restaurant, quality of service and attentiveness should be your key focus surely? Not so at ‘Bar Boulud’; it's most definitely a “Cram 'em in and kick 'em out” type affair, with fabulously snooty French service to boot. This may wash in America, because Americans love our Euro-snobby ways and find it endearing, but we Brits expect better, especially in our own country/.

I wonder why they call it ‘BAR Boulud’ when it's really more of a Brasserie. Doesn't Brasserie Boulud sound better? I digress. Chatting to my companion we quickly realised how the interior reminded us of the formulaic standard decor of the ‘Strada’ restaurant chain. Bizarre considering how high profile the brand is, did they not think to try and do something a little better suited to Knightsbridge and the 5 star hotel that houses the restaurant? ‘Null points’ for decor.

Food wise, I dont buy into paying twenty quid for a charcuterie platter. Stuff that, if I want sliced meats I will nip to my local deli and get them there. I ordered the New York Burger (DBGB or was it DBBG???) and actually it was really very good, a bit on the small side, but accompanied by some pommes frites it was just enough for a greedy girl like me. My friend has the steak which she seemed to enjoy but she said her chips were hard and not very hot. The devil is in the detail you know.

Dessert was not good. My friend said that “A meal without dessert is like sex without a climax” and I laughed, but sadly there was no food-gasm this time. The dessert choices fell flat and we opted for some Madeleines and a trio of not-so-nice sorbets and ice cream accompanied by the ugliest biscuits I have ever seen, which needless to say we didn't touch. And to think we were charged so much money for the pleasure of desserts that we didn't enjoy – The biggest shock being that they charge a fiver for the Madeleines, which are usually complimentary in ‘Daniel’.

What a shame. I really thought they would exceed my low expectations tonight, but sadly the mediocrity of the experience did nothing but reinforce the fact that I was right in my pre-conceptions and that unless you are in the area and fancy a quick bite, you are probably better off avoiding ‘Bar Boulud’ altogether.

Hallelujah! Finally, the City has been given a decent restaurant and bar that offers great quality food without charging ridiculous prices. Not everyone in the City gets a fat-cat bonus at the end of the year you know! Not only is The Anthologist welcome but it is a breath of fresh air. A huge bar coupled with so many different dining areas, each unique from secluded tables for two to bench seating, bar seating and even deli counter seating, there is something for everyone here. The decor is lovely, the open kitchen does lots to keep you entertained. They have a fab seafood bar and a proper deli that sells all kinds of delights including speciality teas and wonderful olive oils. Anthologist caters to everyones needs. The menu is really varied, peppered with lots of City boy favourites like burgers and what can only be described as the biggest club sandwich I have ever seen, so large that even me (mouth-almighty) could not get my mouth around it and I cant believe how reasonably priced it all is… Did I mention it was resonably priced? If sarnies aren't your thing, fabulous seafood, spaghetti vongole, steaks, chicken, sharing platters, prawn and lemongrass lollipops, calamari – well, the list is endless!

Desserts are super cool with childhood favourites like banana splits and knickerbocker glory on the menu, its official, I'm in love. The only problem is that this place is so busy, you really need to book a week in advance, which is a bit of a dampener for a spontaneous lunch or dinner… But its well worth it!

Dinner at The Wolseley can be mediocre, lunches are a bit stiff, I have not yet had breakfast there (which I know is the best meal to have at The Wolseley) – But on this occasion, it is Afternoon Tea that brings me to here. Annoyingly it is absolutely packed and the accoustics aren't great as every laugh, shriek or bellow from fellow diners just bounces off the ceiling and dives straight into ones ear.

I despise the fact that AA Gill had to go and write a book about how damn fabulous The Wolseley is, which has now sent it rocketing into the orbits of super stardom, but I think Afternoon Tea should be a down-to-earth affair and priced very reasonably at £19.50, which technically still isnt cheap for a few finger sarnies and a couple of scones – it is a damn sight better value than the ludicrous Afternoon tea prices at hotels these days.

This particular afternoon on a sunny Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend seems to have attracted an eclectic mix of patrons from all walks of life… Tourist, chavs and Londoners alike. Luckily, the nauseatingly gobby table of shrill lady-chavs have already paid their bill and are leaving shortly… and in good time too, as one of my guests is a toddler, who is better off without the ‘colourful’ language of the soon-to-be-departed neighbouring table.

The Tea itself is pretty simple and this is where the price point shows… 2 fat scones, nice and warm and I cannot tell you how fluffy and light they are, really quite remarkable, considering they held their shape so well. The finger sandwiches are classic cucumber, chicken and tarragon, egg mayonnaise and cream cheese and celery… With the crusts cut off, of course! A mini coffee eclair, raspberry tartlette and bright yellow macaroon enrobed in dark chocolate finish off the 3-tiered serving platter. I chose Darjeeling to accompany it all and I must say, it all makes for very good value at £19.50. It's not a flashy, incredible, elaborate Afternoon Tea, but it does the trick and is very good quality and in a great venue too, if not a tad too loud for my liking.

I shall definitely go back for Afternoon Tea again… But I feel I need to go for a nice long breakfast first and really experience the infamous Vienoisserie that this now cult-like famous restaurant is renowned for.

Literally meaning ‘Sake Flower’, Sake No Hana has had a recent facelift, transforming the ground floor entrance with a little cocktail bar. Gone are the Japanese Tatami tables which have made way for a more slick dining room, concentrating on normal seating with an open kitchen prep area poised for showmanship.

You wouldn’t expect a restaurant to have escalators inside, but they do at Sake No Hana and once at the top the dining room reminds me of a Swedish sauna with wood clad walls and flooring, all earth-Motherish and soothing. A vast contrast from the electric blue lights and dark black panelling of the slick, chic interior of Yau’s Hakkasan design choice.

Service is impeccable and polished and the menu, courtesy of Chef Daisuke Hayashi, is several pages long but features lots of traditional dishes like ‘Shabu Shabu’ as well as the more common Robata grill selections and a huge selection of assorted Tempuras. We chose an assortment of dishes including seared razor clams with wasabi and soya, rib-beef tataki, braised aubergine with duck, seared tuna and green tea soba salad, Iberico pork and ribeye beef Shabu Shabu and a selection of sushi including the crunchy Alaskan snow crab maki rolls.

At first bite the razor clams are delicate and sweet and accompanying wasabi and soya dressing is pleasant and not overpowering in anyway. Beef tataki is as it should be with thinly sliced slivers of raw beef with a delicious sesame dressing and the thick ruby slices of seared tuna are a delight accompanied by green tea soba noodle salad, which is nice enough although the yoghurt like dressing seems a little out of place.

The braised aubergine with duck is a real triumph served in a small bowl with dainty cubes of aubergine in a deep and glossy sauce and sitting underneath them hides a little shredded duck and red bean paste. The duck has imparted a meaty rich flavour into the sauce and the whole thing is just beyond delicious.

I am very excited about the arrival of the Shabu Shabu, after my experience in Tokyo, getting to have it again in London will remind me of my wonderful trip around Japan last year. Top quality Iberico pork and ribeye beef, thinly sliced and assembled on a platter with some greens, including rocket. A bubbling cauldron of stock is placed on the table on top of a flame to keep the stock bubbling and hot.

I pile the vegetables and some of the meat into the broth and once cooked remove it ready for my first hit of taste explosion and I have to say I was a tad disappointed. The stock is the crux of this dish and although I could not fault the quality of ingredients, the stock was not packed with intense flavour and in fact was too bland to deliver the expected wow-factor, which at £37 a pop, can be disappointing.

The sushi, nigiri and maki rolls arrive and the superior quality of the fish is evident and each piece is expertly sliced and prepared, demonstrating the expert-hands of the in-house Sushi dons. What really impressed me was the freshness and incredible sweet flesh of the plump seared scallop nigiri and the deliciously crunchy Alaskan snow crab maki rolls. A rich green tea crème brulee and a gooey chocolate fondant give the meal a predictable but nevertheless enjoyable ending that leaves us very satisfied indeed.

Sake No Hana can definitely hold its own in St James. They are however, neither innovators nor trend-setters in the field of Japanese Cuisine and thankfully have steered well clear of the outdated trend ‘fusion’ dishes that seemed to sweep through pseudo-Japanese restaurants in London at one time. Instead, what they do offer is excellent sushi as well as some other great Japanese dishes and I really like what they are doing here.

Sake No Hana feels comfortable, intimate and not remotely pretentious like some of the other well known celeb-laden Japanese eateries (mentioning no names…) in the vicinity. So if you want great food, attentive service in an un-fussy environment than Sake No Hana is for you. But if WAG culture, drunk D-list celebrities and rude staff and generic service is what your after then head to Berkeley Street for your Sushi.

I’ve been meaning to eat at The Botanist for quite some time but never seemed to find an opportunity to make it there. Every time I drive past it’s teeming with slick-looking Chelsea chaps and attractive blondes sipping on cocktails and chain-smoking Marlboro Lights. Today is no exception; we fight our way through the packed main bar to get to the restaurant which, happily, is a much more calm and less hectic affair.

The menu is not over-complicated with just a handful of dishes for each course, I kick-start the meal with mmarinated scallops and potatoes with hazelnuts and truffled mayonnaise and my companion opts for the Foie gras and chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche. My scallops dish is essentially raw but cooked by the acidity of the marinade, which is lovely and subtle and doesn’t overpower the delicate slivers of scallops.

Crunchy sugar coated hazelnuts and sliced new potatoes are pleasant, although I would have preferred a simple marinated scallop starter with just a little of the mayonnaise. The Foie gras and chicken liver parfait is delicious with a vanilla and raspberry vinaigrette to cut through rich, almost buttery goodness of the parfait.

I choose a simple main course of gently poached wild cod with aioli which is simply plated and dotted with bursts of almost neon-green broad beans and has an intense garlic punch from the aioli, making it a perfectly satisfying dish for spring. My companion doesn’t do fish and chooses instead the 35 day aged Angus rib-eye steak with chips and Béarnaise sauce which hits the spot nicely, although the meat seems to have lost some of its heat en-route from kitchen to table, it is still enjoyed.

Staff are friendly and allow us time to digest our main before offering us dessert, which is always a good move and doesn’t make you feel hurried. The warm chocolate cake with pistachio praline ice cream is calling for me and I persuade my companion to go for the white chocolate and honeycomb parfait with strawberry compote.

Desserts arrive with a nice but slightly un-chilled glass of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise dessert wine. My chocolate cake doesn’t quite hit the desired note of satisfaction and is essentially a nice enough square of sponge but the accompanying pistachio praline ice cream more than made up for it. As usual I always have to take a bite the other dessert; white chocolate and honeycomb parfait which is nice enough but not really for me either. Perhaps I’m too much of a savoury girl or perhaps desserts have to really be super special to grab my attention – I am not certain which is more true, but I did enjoy my starter and main, so it really isn’t so bad.

A favourite of many Iranians across town, Mohsen was once the best restaurant forPersian Kebab in town, but these days I do what I can to avoid it. It's not to say that the food isn't good but there is no consistency, the owners wife who manages it can be very heavy handed and forceful and sometimes the food just isn't up to scratch. There are, in my opinion, my better destinations for having great Persian food in London, but there will always be a mixed roar of opinions from us Iranian folk. Nevertheless, if you are in the area and want to eat a decent meal, then you shouldnt let my personal opinion deter you. Sunday lunch is the best time to go here, it is heaving, which usually means service is in full swing. Dont feel pressured if the bill is placed on your table, frankly having ruined a date I had a few years ago, I would actually ignore it until you feel ready to go.

Gordon Ramsay’s latest opening comes in the shape of the re-vamped and re-located Petrus restaurant. The new location is so discreet that you could miss it, which in fact exactly what happened but I found it eventually. The décor is as you would expect of a Ramsay restaurant, plush with deep red fabric-covered walls and stylish cream chairs which are surprisingly comfortable. The A La Carte menu offers 3 courses for £55.00, the Chef’s 5 course tasting menu comes in at £65.00 but the real value is lunch menu which is priced at just £25.00 for 3 courses but could it be too good to be true? I have never been a big fan of set lunch menus as they are a bit of a cop-out at times but I want to see exactly what £25.00 buys you at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant these days so I decide to go for it. With Head Chef Sean Burbridge at the helm under the watchful eye of Group Executive Head Chef Mark Askew, my expectations are high.

Two little cones of popcorn are placed on the table, one seasoned with lemon and pepper and the other with smoked paprika, neither of which is my thing. Popcorn is not something I want to begin a restaurant meal with, it is awkward, chewy and always gets stuck in my teeth, which is fine if you are in the dark at a cinema but picking your teeth at the table of a any restaurant is something my mother taught me never to do. An Amuse Bouche is served but for the life of me, I simply cannot recall what it was but I do remember liking it.

For my starter, I go with the curried pollock fillet with braised lentils and cauliflower soup and my guest goes for the crab and salmon cannelloni. I do love cauliflower, especially in soup form and if it comes with fish and lentils, then even better. The crab and salmon cannelloni is beautifully presented in all its cylindrical glory, but for me the earthy curry spice of the pollock worked beautifully and paired with the velvety-smooth cauliflower soup it was the clear winner of the two dishes. My only gripe would be that they were a tad heavy-handed with the salt, but under-seasoning it would have been a worse crime.

Main courses are tricky for me as more often then not, I tend to gravitate towards red meat but if I eat one more beef cheek this year, I think it may turn me against them. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beef cheek but they have become so trendy and mainstream, that it has become impossible to avoid them, so against my will I go for the roasted chicken breast with confit leg, creamed leeks and caper jus. Chicken is not something I like to choose at a restaurant. It is usually bland, tough and utterly disappointing but after a recent meal at Galvin La Chapelle I became a convert and I am confident that I am in safe hands here at Petrus.

Our chicken main courses are tender, juicy breasts of chicken with a light sauce of creamed leeks, although I am not a big fan of the confit leg meat, a little too slippery for my liking. Two quaint little saucepans accompany our main, one containing potato Dauphinoise and the other steamed broccoli with a hint of lemon. It is all very nice, if once again a little to salty but generally another good course, especially where value is concerned.

For dessert we go for the chocolate sphere with milk ice cream and honeycomb and also the marinated pineapple with coconut pannacotta, lime and chilli syrup. The chocolate sphere arrives as a gold-sprayed chocolate ball amidst a sea of white foam. The waiter ensures he has our attention as he pour a rich, indulgent chocolate sauce over it and instantly the chocolate sphere is no more, melting in to a pool of chocolate with a honeycomb centre. One taste is all you need to realise just how fabulous this dessert is, it does make me think I have perhaps chosen the wrong dessert for myself but my marinated pineapple with coconut pannacotta is no less of a show-stopper and is every bit as delicious as it looks.

Well, I hate to say it but I am rather surprised and most definitely a little impressed. The staff are very friendly; the food is really very good and even better than that is the value you get with the unbeatable set lunch menu is almost unbelievable. It is early days yet, but if this is a taste of things to come then I would dismiss the foul-mouthed one just yet, I know we love to hate him, but we can’t seem to get enough of him.

I have only ever been to Hache a handful of times, largely because when I do get time on the weekends to eat there, the place turns into a Kid's nursery and the accoustics, coupled with the screams and loud yapping of other peoples little darlings, become just too much for me to cope with. The service has never been entirely friendly nor efficient, however they did always have one of the best burgers around.

I went back again yesterday and the restaurant was less than half full. We ask for a ‘comfortable’ table and the waiter looks at me and actually has the nerve to say “As you can see we are quite packed…” – which I thought was more than laughable, but I was in no mood to argue. Despite oodles of comfortable banquette seating in various sections of the restaurant, he plonks us down on literally the worst table he could find, sandwiched in between two large parties and, rather more annoyingly, a pillar. Great. Anything that we needed, included menus, ordering of food and drinks, condiments and extra napkins, we had to stop what we were doing to grab his attention as no doubt we would never have gotten to even see a menu!

I order my usual Catalan burger, which is a normal beef burger topped with Chorizo and chutney with a side of Hache ‘Frites’… And from what I can remember, the food was always good here. What arrived was anything other than good. Chewy, not crispy mock-frites and a beast of a burger cooked for much longer than needed for ‘medium’ was a big bland slab of dull grey meat. Not flavoursome, not tender and NOTHING like the burgers they used to serve. The Chorizo is now a cheap substitute for what used to be wonderful juicy sausage of proper cooking Chorizo and the bun was dry and hard and the smattering of flour on top of it made it even harder to swallow.

How utterly disappointing. The fact that the staff STOMP around like elephants on the wooden floors make it feel like you are at the summit of an earthquake, which does little to make you feel better. It seems the waiter has seated every other party of 2 at nice, plush banquette tables for 4 since we walked in, so perhaps his absent personality made a come back after we were seated. I can definitely tell you it may a come back when it was time to pay the bill. He is very lucky I paid service charge… I dont believe I should punish everyone just because 1 person had absolutely no interest in looking after us.