WSN's Reviews

Pucker at 45 Park Lane

It was a weekday night, after an evening of art at one of the Bond Street jouilleries, that my dear friend who had hosted the evening decided we should try to get a bite nearby and that Wolfgang Puck's Cut Restaurant at 45 Park Lane might afford us a table. And so despite my doubts at any availability it seemed on arrival that if we were patient we would be accommodated within 20 minutes of so.

The restaurant is situated at the end of the slightly tight but extremely well appointed lobby of 45, which is modern and club in decor, a style which flows through to Cut itself. Being a fairly narrow and elongated restaurant, there are celebrations of chandeliers which are on the high lightened end of things, keeping the environs light and looking more spacious than it really is.

And so to the steaks which vary hugely in price; but that evening having chosen an average priced steak by comparison, it was succulent, flavoursome, and entirely satisfying. I will not go into detail as to what and why but signs that the beef was cooked slowly or seared to perfection in one of many ways to retain flavour and juice, were likely few factors of many that contributed to the delivery.

Having previously been somewhat sceptical of a “steak house” focus being haute cuisine, I came away with refreshed admiration of what can still be relatively innovative within this segment of the market. All in all, go try it though I would say that Cut takes full advantage of Park Lane prices.

Tapas on Portland Place

Finding a table for 2 on a weekend night at Iberica is normally a rare event having tried numerous times before. However being a January night and still a reasonably recent post-festivities weekend perhaps meant that all Londoners were not yet out to play in full, providing us with this opportunity to book just 5 minutes ahead.

We were seated on the 1st floor which is architectured like a mezzanine gallery overlooking the ground floor and our table by the balustrades certainly afforded a full vista point. We ordered swiftly and recalled that the black rice and the asparagus, as well as the burger tapas were the ones we favoured from last time. We accompanied this with a glass of Shiraz as we are accustomed not to trusting Spanish wines that much, though there are some excellent ones of course. Service as mentioned in other reviews, is somewhat haphazard at times and it seems they have a friendly but slightly disorganised manner in their delivery, however all is not lost and it gets there as it were, be it with some spillage.

Its not a cheap evening either at Iberica, as one gradually realises after having frequented a number of tapas venues, that its not wholly always the pricing to be of blame of course, but often just the tapas format being one that lends itself to a little over eating without realising it until its too late!

Iberica is a hearty and good venue to tapas at however, and certainly one that I would return to again.

It was with anticipation that one booked this small but well appointed “Skandy” restaurant which is tucked just behind the South end of Marylebone High Street.

On arrival one realises that it really is a very small venue which has been optimised by the designer to allow this to be a full fledged restaurant at all. There is a front section with around 3 or 4 tables and similarly another section in the lower back where a banquette of tables are set against the back wall. The design is slick and modern contrasted against brickwork and low lighting and the overall effect works well

And so to the food and service, both of which were delivered to a standard expected of an establishment which is “sur chef” ed by someone who is ex Pied a Terre. We ordered from the small succinct menu and had scallops, shrimps, sea bass and cod, which were all cooked well and with interest, and presented much like a Kandinsky masterpiece, colourful and rhythmically picturesque, each course filling the entire landscape of its plate as it were.

The clientele were congenial and a mixed international crowd and seemed all to be engrossed with enjoying the food rather than finding the restaurant in anyway too cramped, which it does keep reminding you of being if you have to go to the restrooms or move around. The waiters seem to do very well in this respect and there is never any bumping into chairs or the sort.

Definitely a good-to-know on the Marylebone High Street and not only that, given the cuisine is though not yet completely stellar, it certainly is inspired with some interest and flavours, and showing burgeoning pedigree.

Hungry after having been to an inspiring play at the Royal Court Theatre on the Sloane Square, the Botanist on the corner seemed like a good idea for dinner before we were to retire for the evening.

As you enter, there is a chic drinks bar and restaurant, each with its own specific areas and both buzzing with activity I must say on this Friday evening.

Though we did not have reservations, we were courteously shown to our table for 2 and quickly settled into making orders and enjoying the slick ambience of this restaurant. We just had a single course each this evening, and for my friend it was a dressed crab in main course portion, whilst I chose to try the confit de canard. We shared sides of broccoli which were tastefully done in a white cream sauce. Food was good to adequate, whilst the service was helpful and polite without being too intrusive.

We spoke of course about the play and replayed some of the dynamics of how it took such real excerpts from our modern day life, and how it was really rather realistic and thus foreboding.

The Botanist certainly scores not only for location but also its buzz, and though food was probably more adequate to good, we would certainly not be weary to turn up again after any other activities we might have finished with on the Sloane Square in future.

Revisiting Mango Tree after a few years now, leaves the same impression which is that it has maintained its stature as a large Thai eatery, probably more typical in size to something you would find in NewYork. The ambience feels “club” & waiters are suitably decked out with mobile speaker/headphones.

Food is just ok to be honest if one is familiar with Thai, though it will probably pass quite well with the fairly diverse crowd that one finds here. We took the 4 course set dinner which comes with the various offers of a typical papaya salad, fried prawns and scallops, chicken “tom ka gai” soup and of course the red duck curry and rice.

Its also a good venue to meet up for a drink before your dinner there, as the bar area is quite decent & well sized. The restaurant caters well for larger groups as they have enormous round tables at the corners of the expansive dining room.

Chisou has always been very conveniently located, being not only just off and in between the Regent street and Hannover Square, but also close to the Apple Store where I had just spent 20 minutes perusing the latest and the greatest in Apple technology, as I was a touch early for lunch.

As you enter you realise the set up is modern but has elements of tradition, including the small tea-house entrance
section, which is more typical of traditional restaurants in Japan. Tables are small and extend through to next door, which originally served as a part-casual take away shop, but now also has more tables for the main restaurant in the back section.

Food is authentic, with the barometers for this being the tempura's batter being properly light and crispy whilst the raw fish is fresh and appropriately cut. The pricing is not cheap on the a la carte menu though the set lunches are all around the expected twenty pounds level.

Service is the usual “Japanese polite” and overall its a pleasant experience dining here. A reliably consistent Japanese restaurant which is very centrally located and just a stones throw from Bond Street.

"Return visit after a decade?'

It was after an afternoon of discussion and chat over difficult personal circumstances that the evening quickly drew close, and so one ventured towards the Sloane Square where there are many choices for a light dinner. However long though it had been, and it has been well over 10 years, the thought of revisiting Como Lario just off the square for some grilled vegetables and other Italian antipasti sounded like a good idea.

Drawing up towards the entrance one is met with the bustle of a typical Italian restaurant which is cosy and well decked out in a traditional feel, and with single but perfectly blossomed champagne roses on each table. The waiters are very cheerful, and some song and dance one would imagine could even be quite possible later on in the proceedings.

We did stick to our intended plan and had grilled vegetables but also some spinach on the side accompanied by the house white and some San Benedicta fizzy mineral water. Its still a delight to sit in a more period feel restaurant, with the comforts of cushions and warm ambience. One is actually reminded on the contrary, how overly contemporary and bland or even cold, modern restaurants can be in their strivings for a clean decor. Anyway perhaps one was filled with some nostalgia having not been here for over a decade, to start reminiscing about the warmth of the restaurant.

It was a light and short meal which was also sweet. Other clientele seemed to be often international and even American, and of friends dining, even parents with their son (who we overheard was complaining how his investment acumen and track record had not been appreciated by the greater good), and other larger groups of family and friends. Congenial enough and certainly a comforting environment, especially after the afternoon that had just gone by.

All in all and although one had not had the whole hog of a meal as it were, the impression was that Como L still delivers what it did so many years ago.

“Regular for dim sum in Mayfair”

Ever since the advent of London as a food capital probably over a decade ago now, it almost seemed Chinese food / restaurants had been forgotten as one of the possible choice of many dining venues in London. However dim sum at the weekends was something that sustained throughout, and still is a great focal point for gathering families and friends. The Princess Garden certainly provides this.

A well appointed corner location in Mayfair, with large glass screen windows which allow much light through during lunchtimes, Princess Garden is unusual amongst Chinese restaurants in having a clean modern interior. This is adorned in the odd corner or wall with appropriate Chinese carvings and art. The light marble flooring which also helps to complement this fairly slick interior, brings you from the entrance right through to the 2 dining areas, one in a smaller conservatory area, the other a much larger main dining room.

Large groups are catered for at typical round tables for a dozen or so, but there are also sufficient numbers of smaller “tete-a-tete” or tables for four, scattered around. The service is efficient and if anything a touch perfunctory, however it tends to be quite busy and “free flow”, and the staff manage well given this. It is noteworthy that one can actually book a table here for dim sum, which is not always the case for dim sum at other restaurants during weekends.

Though Princess Garden is a full fledged dinner and lunch venue, dim sum at the weekends remains my pick. They provide the usual fare with hot steamed dishes in the little bamboo baskets, all done to near perfection I might add. The usual “har gau” prawn dumplings, “cheung fun” ravioli and “char siu bao” pork buns are staple tests which Princess Garden passes with flying colours. One can still order from the main menu and I usually add some Chinese vegetables as well as some noodles to complement the other dishes.

It has become quite a regular for us, and one that… More