Michelin Guide 2015 - London Restaurants

Like the inevitability of Christmas tastelessness in the shops, The Michelin Guide pops up startlingly early in the year. So much so that this post, whilst earlier than last year's, is actually slightly tardier in terms of the Guide's release. I would apologise but doing so seems patronising given my form so far this year.

To business, it's something of an anti-climactic year for London (or next year will be - it's the 2015 Guide I guess...) with two fewer restaurants in the list overall. There are no changes at the top, with the two- and three-star joints untouched. In the one-star category, there are some hard falls. Nobu and its sister restaurant in Berkeley Square both lost their stars, which somewhat vindicates my review but is a surprise nonetheless.

Bo London, Tom Aikens and Viajante all closed, rendering their losses academic. Aikens is looking at re-locating out of Chelsea into somewhere more central which will be an interesting story to keep an eye on. Elsewhere, Medlar lost its star which I thought near-impossible but at least it should ensure their pricing remains gloriously competitive. Worryingly, One Leicester Street (which replaced the St John Hotel restaurant) and Aspley's by Heinz Beck also lost their stars. Even more worryingly, due to closures. I can't find evidence of these at the time of writing but it's dreadfully sad if so.

The good news, despite the eight losses,  is there are six new stars to celebrate. Gymkhana, recently named the best restaurant in the country, is the most predictable of these, capping quite a first year. The Clove Club and Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs also see their high-ranking places on the list gaining official recognition. Jason Atherton's gradual spread across the capital sees a new star for City Social, while Claridges' decision to recruit Simon Rogan of L'Enclume to run their restaurant has paid swift dividends. I am personally pleased that Barrafina has got itself a star, though it's going to make getting a table even more difficult.

The full list of London's representation is below. Whilst awards don't always count for much, Michelin Stars usually give us all a steer on where to go when the occasion dictates...

Three Stars

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea

Two Stars

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Hyde Park & Knightsbridge

Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair

Hibiscus, Mayfair

Le Gavroche, Mayfair

Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, Belgravia

Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair

The Greenhouse, Mayfair

The Ledbury, North Kensington

The Square, Mayfair

One Star

Alyn Williams at the Westbury, Mayfair

Amaya, Belgravia

Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, Belgravia

Angler, Islington

Arbutus, Soho

Barrafina, Soho - New Star

Benares, Mayfair

Brasserie Chavot, Mayfair

Chez Bruce, Wandsworth

City Social, City of London - New Star

Clove Club, Shoreditch - New Star

Club Gascon, City of London

Dabbous, Fitzrovia

Fera at Claridges, Mayfair - New Star

Galvin at Windows, Mayfair

Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields

Gymkhana, Mayfair - New Star

Hakkasan Hanway Place, Bloomsbury

Hakkasan Mayfair, Mayfair

Harwood Arms, Fulham

Hedone, Chiswick

HKK, Shoreditch

Kai, Mayfair

Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, Bloomsbury - New Star

Kitchen W8, Kensington

La Trompette, Chiswick

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Strand & Covent Garden

Launceston Place, Kensington

L'Autre Pied, Regent's Park & Marylebone

Lima, Regent's Park & Marylebone

Locanda Locatelli, Regent's Park & Marylebone

Maze, Mayfair

Murano, Mayfair

Outlaw's at the Capital, Belgravia

Pétrus, Belgravia

Pied à Terre, Bloomsbury

Pollen Street Social, Mayfair

Quilon, Victoria

Rasoi, Chelsea

Seven Park Place, St James's

Social Eating House, Soho

St John, Clerkenwell

Story, Bermondsey

Tamarind, Mayfair

Texture, Regent's  Park & Marylebone

The Glasshouse, Kew

The River Café, Hammersmith

Trishna, Marylebone

Umu, Mayfair

Wild Honey, Mayfair

Yauatcha, Soho

Mews Of Mayfair - Mayfair, Friday May 17th, 2013

One of the many wonders of eating out in London is how there's always something new to try. It's virtually impossible to get bored or ever be out of places to go. Equally, it's often the case that you just can't decide where to go and, instead of trying somewhere new, you end up reverting to type. But that's okay too. We all have our favourites and one of the best things about eating out in my book is re-trying places hoping for, sometimes experiencing, different outcomes.

This was a third visit to Mews Of Mayfair, the first having been in pre-blog days, and the wife plus two companions and I essentially decided on going there because nowhere else would be able to fit us in on a Friday night at short notice. It's not the most glamorous of reasons to choose anywhere but sometimes necessity dictates the way.

Given that my experiences here have spanned some six years or so, it's interesting reflecting on the changes that have taken place. At first, it was an upmarket joint serving very of-the-moment food and trying to move into a slightly higher level of cuisine without totally hitting the mark. A few years on, it was undecided as to whether or not to pursue this or to settle for something more homely. Last year, it seemed to have gone down more of the comfortable embrace of British locality, their menu giving us a rather charming map of where all their choice produce came from (left).

Equally, the décor and atmosphere are now closer to a simple, more laid back brasserie or bistro style. The place has relaxed for sure. But what does it mean to the food? As I am always saying, provided the stuff on the table tastes good, I'll eat and enjoy whatever the case. Four of us got through a decent amount of dishes (sadly not the 12 I would expect at dinner for four but close enough) which gave an interesting insight into Mews Of Mayfair's current ambitions.

Starters were more for sharing than anything else, and the two dishes we ordered fit the bill. Crispy baby squid with salad and mayo is always going to work as long as it's cooked right and in this case, it was about right (right). There was a sensible mixture of crunch and chew within the meat of the dish and we all nabbed a piece or two as we got on with things.

Next up was a dish that could only be considered a sharing plate in the circles I move in: scallops with samphire and bacon (left). Many people find my proclivity for sharing food an odd, slightly over-personal thing but those who know me best seem to accept it. As such, three scallops were carved up between the group and we all tried a bit. The consensus was that, whilst the scallops were by no means the best out there, the dish worked. Samphire is a delicious, slightly salty textural contrast to a scallop and the bacon was honey-cured and smoked, meaning there was no overload of salt and the sweetness completed the dish. It was a nice, if slightly unimaginative starter, though for £12.50 I would have been rather peeved if it hadn't delivered.

The wife went for the rump of lamb which came with tinkerbelle peppers and basil (right). The construct of the dish worked fairly well, with the peppers diced as a base for the meat, with basil used as seasoning. There were breadcrumbed vegetables on the side to add texture and the cook on the meat was about right. Not a spectacular dish by any means but a good one. The thing was, for £24, lamb rump should be moving above just "good" and this was a problem.

One dish we had no problems with was the safe but well-executed sea trout with scallop, asparagus and pea purée (left). Combinations like this (similar to the scallop starter) are hard to get wrong but difficult to make spectacular. In the event, the creaminess of the peas and the properly-cooked asparagus combined wonderfully well with the trout and the scallop. The saltiness of the main events with the sweetness and textural variation of the vegetables were smart, modern and enjoyable. At £17.50, this was a lot more in line with what I would expect to be paying at a modern British restaurant for pleasant food.

I opted for the Gressingham duck with peppercorn sauce (right). It seemed like a no-brainer to me: I fancied something meaty, it seemed a snip at £15.50 and there's something ever so appealing about a dish which speaks to you as soon as you read it on a menu. There were issues though... The duck was a touch overcooked which made for a grim start. The apples weren't prominent in the sauce, overpowered by the peppercorns. I'm not sure this was a bad thing however, since the sauce did work. The real downer was the pointless addition of sloppy spinach along with diced pepper. Adding nothing but bulk and colour, I was fairly bored halfway through.

We were all a bit unsure of what to make of the meal so far. There had been ups and downs and desserts could have a big influence on how we felt about the meal. We decided to share two between four since nobody was still significantly hungry and the first of these was something called '"Ethel Brumpton's" vanilla cheesecake' (left). It was a decent enough cheesecake; light, creamy and not too sweet. The addition of a passion fruit marshmallow on top was a nice enough touch which added some sweetness and acidity came from the raspberry sauce. Not bad at all.

We finished off with the custard tart which was served with rhubarb (right). This was a real treat, with the tart rich and comforting, served with a side of delicious poached rhubarb which added a typical sweet and tart contrast to the simple creaminess of the custard. Rhubarb ripple ice cream on the side was a real touch of class, adding a temperature contrast and an element of fun to the plate. This was quite possibly the best thing we ate all evening.

It was an interesting meal with some high notes and a few shockers, but it averaged out as a decent night with a few friends. In one sense, that's all one can ask for at a fairly standard kind of place in London, but then again at some of the prices we paid, average isn't good enough. I'm not sure I'd go back to Mews - maybe once more to decide what I really think of it - but it's certainly not somewhere I'll be hurrying back to. There's something I don't like about places where one will have a good meal provided one orders "the right dishes". I'm starting to think Mews Of Mayfair is one of those places.

Mews Of Mayfair

Patara: Soho, Thursday May 9th, 2013

Anybody who has been reading these pages for some time now will know my feelings on Thai food have changed a lot in the last few years. Once I felt it was a sort of fad which meant Asian food I liked was getting unfairly overlooked. More recently, I have come around to the fact that it can actually deliver on the sort of flavours and sensations I really enjoy in Asian foods. Of course, there's the natural level of spice which doesn't agree with me and the frequent use of ingredients I can't stand, but I have discovered there's plenty out there I can get on board with.

Last May a former colleague of mine was visiting London with his family, so a meal out was suggested, as tends to be my way. The wife and I met the family of four in Covent Garden and took a walk down to Soho in search of somewhere suitable. We decided Thai food was a viable option so went for a table for six at Patara, a chain which has several branches across the world, with a strong presence in London.

The atmosphere within the restaurant is quite a pleasant, refined one. It is quiet - possibly a little too quiet if the meal was for just the two of us - which made it a well-judged choice for the two children at the table. What I found slightly off-putting was the way it occasionally, in terms of service and menu, veered into the realms of that slightly tacky stereotypical Asian style which can be most unappealing. Fortunately it never became patronising which was a relief.

The food itself was pleasant and rather varied. The menu did have a slightly vague feel to it, with probably a few too many dishes at first glance. Things started with a surprisingly refreshing stuffed chicken wings plate (left). They were tender, moist and crispy, with crunchy lemongrass and lime as a dressing. This is the kind of comfort food I didn't think was possible in a Thai restaurant.

Next up were some kong neum ruam, or dumplings (right). These were fairly close to the kind of dim sum snacks I just adore and they were not bad at all. A combination of attractive colours with prawns, chicken and pork made for a great sharing starter. Elsewhere we had some chicken skewers with satay sauce which wasn't far away from the kind of standard fare one expects from a takeaway place.

Main courses featured an interesting beef cooked in an 'aromatic coconut reduction' (left). The beef was nicely slow-cooked, falling apart with minimal fuss. The sauce was a little too heady for me, too strong with coconut but the spicing was excellent. A dish which really surprised me and I finished almost all of it.

The wife ordered a speciality dish of lamb shank braised in red coconut curry (right). It was too hot for me but the meat was cooked expertly, even better than the beef I'd chosen. The sauce was a rich, deep orange which coated the meat appetisingly. It was an interesting take on Thai food which I had not seen before, taking something rather rustic and homely, transforming it into a special, celebratory plate of food.

Another dish which was a bit much for me but widely praised by others was the sliced duck served with garlic, chilli and crispy basil (left). I'd not seen much duck used in Thai cookery until this but it was inventive, if over-spiced. There was a distinct freshness to the dish which helped elevate it.

The evening progressed in a pleasant and comfortable sort of way. There is something quite incongruous about a refined Thai restaurant in Soho - it certainly doesn't capture the Zeitgeist of where Soho is moving these days - but it's a nice place to be. The younger of the children was very tired but the staff were perfectly happy to let her take a nap on the banquette. It was a fun evening with friends and - though it's not somewhere I'd go again in a hurry - if you're into your Thai food in a classic surrounding, it may well be the place for you.

Patara

Birthday Tapas - Barrafina: Soho, Sunday May 5th, 2013

I always believed that the finest food was found somewhere between Italy and France. People have remarked that northern Italy is fantastic in this regard because it combines both extraordinary European cuisines in a perfect way. My father once took a business trip to the region and returned saying he was almost fed up of truffles, so rich and common were they in the season he'd visited. They don't mess about in Piedmont.

This remained my opinion for a number of years until the wife and I met a fellow food writer in Barcelona where we had a wonderful lunch. We went to a lovely restaurant and got some really interesting insight into Catalan and Spanish cuisine. I also realised there may be a second place in the world in which to find the finest food. San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain borders France and, in much the same way as northern Italy, you get the best of both worlds. I'm now torn as to which place I should visit first, but proper tapas in San Sebastian is something I can't wait to sample one day. The man behind this excellent site certainly sold me on the idea.

Good tapas is hard to find anywhere. Many places serve it, few can get it right. Barrafina was a great meal out for my birthday a while back and, when a friend of ours suggested a meal for her birthday there, we were only to keen to join. In the event, three of us attended, but for an early lunch on a Sunday, it was just about right. We took an outside table, ordered a huge variety of dishes and whiled away the early afternoon as they arrived.

We split our orders between the specials board and the main menu, meaning we had a pleasant spread of familiarity and adventure. The first thing we ate was the reliable, dependable, un-exciting but totally reassuring ham croquette (left). Salty but slightly sweet, soft and creamy on the inside, two of these for £4.50 is nothing to sniff at. Spanish ham is never to be taken for granted, and putting it in a croquette is a beautiful way to invoke such excellent flavour.

Next up was a special in the form of cuttlefish with fennel alioli (right). This was very well prepared and fresh. I am not the hugest fan of shellfish but it was an enjoyable taster. The fennel mayonnaise worked quite well, adding some sharp flavour to the dish. I do think it was slightly over-priced at nearly £8 but that's probably down to my tastes. The girls enjoyed it very much and polished it off promptly.

If the cuttlefish hadn't quite done it for me, the next seafood special was much closer to my idea of fun: razor clams (left). These were the same £7.80 as the cuttlefish but, for me, far more enjoyable. Served with diced fresh parsley and seasoned butter, they were worth every penny. Cooked to a just-right resistance, they were soft with enough bite to be flavoursome and rich. The seasoning was understated enough to bring the seafood to the fore and the whole plate was excellent.

There are certain things on a menu which cannot be ignored. When you see a certain dish, said dish must be ordered without delay. The words "Chicken Thigh with Romesco Sauce" lend themselves to such an impulse (right). We'd eaten this before but this was better. The over-seasoning from our first visit had been dealt with, the skin was gorgeously crispy, the spicy tomato sauce and the garlic mayonnaise were superb complementary dressings. When upmarket Spanish tapas becomes comforting and homely, it's a lovely thing.

The girls were drawn to the oysters from the specials board and ordered one each (left). served with diced red pepper and spring onion, they enjoyed them without much fuss. At £2.80 per oyster they were a bit toppy but that's what one should expect in Soho for fresh oysters. I was feeling a little more rustic so I occupied myself with chips & bravas sauce (right). Crunchy, crisp chips seasoned with thyme salt, spicy tomato sauce on the side... Nothing wrong here, which means they were excellent.

Last visit, we'd ordered some pork belly which was an indulgence we regretted. This time, pig cheeks with celeriac purée was something the three of us couldn't resist. Maybe it was the fact that three of us meant it was more reasonably spread, but this was much better judged than the belly had been. Tender, slow-cooked meat in rich, strong gravy with a smooth root purée was just lovely and not at all like the forced dish we'd tried the year before (left). To go with this, we ordered some beautifully fresh summer peas with ham (right). Perfectly balanced, this was a side plate to remind us how much we should treasure the simple things on our tables.

Three diners, three desserts seems like a simple equation. The wife and I have been known to buck that trend, along with various friends over time. The ordering of four desserts between three, six between four and so on is a total luxury but a lot of fun if you're as fond of sugar as I. In the event, the three along with all the food we'd already eaten were plenty (left). We tried a Santiago Tart, which turned out to be a bit like a fruit cake in pastry-based form. It was rich with fruit, spicing and soft filling. I loved it, despite the presence of almonds (which aren't really nuts anyway).

The Catalan Cream (Spanish crème brulee to you and me) was perfectly nice. Not over-hard on top and suitably comforting underneath, it's like it's French equivalent - or the one that was invented in England first - just not quite as fine. Still, there was none left so I shan't complain. The chocolate tart was a thing of rich and sumptuous quality, with pastry of the right crumbly texture and the chocolate ganache dark, thick and strong. The richness of the mix lent a slight nuttiness to the tart which convinced the wife there were actual nuts in it. A literal debate with the waiter began, much to my amusement as I continued to eat about 60% of the pudding we'd ordered.

This was a lovely birthday meal: an excellent choice for some Sunday lunch at a quality which is frequently unattainable when looking for tapas in London. We were very satisfied with our choices, the service and most importantly the quality of the dishes on show. The big drawback of this place can be the waiting time for a table, but once you're there it's in a league of its own.

Barrafina

Top 100 UK Restaurants 2014 - London

As with every year, the 100 best restaurants in the UK gives me an opportunity to maintain some sort of freshness and relevance. Whilst massively out-of-date reviews are of little consequence to anyone, making sure we all know where's where to eat is actually pretty useful. At the end of June, the National Restaurant Awards were held, giving us a revised list of the hundred best places to eat in the UK. As usual, I have catalogued the capital's interests, complete with last year's positions.

The most impressive news for London is the reclaiming of the top spot, with Mayfair's Gymkhana storming in at number one after less than a year in operation. Karam Sethi has been winning over diners and critics with an authentic style of cooking which I can't wait to sample. Something of a shock but an exciting surprise nonetheless.

The Clove Club of Shoreditch continues its meteoric rise, sitting at number 2, whilst The Ledbury's position of third is testament to the hard work which has given the restaurant years at the top. Hedone rises into the top ten whilst The Square deservedly holds its place in the higher rankings. Restaurant Story in Bermondsey won the award for highest climber, moving up nearly 70 places.

Other notable runs up the list came from the Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, somewhere I had not realised as being such an appealing prospect, Koya of Soho which rose 30 places and Jose, shooting into the top 40. Goodman Mayfair may be at number 40 this year, but that's still a remarkable jump of 53 places. Conversely, there are significant drops for 10 Greek Street (42 places), La Petite Maison (40 places) and, most dramatically, Chez Bruce (49 places). Consistency expected at the highest level is unwavering.

The new entry count is encouraging too, with The Chiltern Firehouse cracking the top 20, The Dairy in Clapham the top 30 and Sushi Tetsu a rather disappointing 41. I say disappointing because there is a review of this place in the offing. And yes, it's superbly late as ever. Marcus Wareing's re-launch of his Berkeley Hotel outfit (as simply 'Marcus') sees the newly-appointed BBC MasterChef Professionals judge re-take a top 50 place.

Have a read, make a reservation, sample some of the UK's best. London might have a couple fewer restaurants in the top 100 than last year, but it's taken back the number one spot, shot a load of new places into the list and is still a great place to be eating food.

1 Gymkhana - New Entry

2 The Clove Club (5)

3 The Ledbury (2)

5 Pollen Street Social (3)

7 Hedone (14)

9 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (10)

10 The Square (8)

15 Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs (38)

17 Chiltern Firehouse - New Entry

21 Le Gavroche (19)

22 Koya (52)

24 The Dairy - New Entry

25 Hibiscus (21)

26 Restaurant Story (95)

28 Grain Store (9)

29 Brasserie Chavot (16)

30 Mayfields - New Entry

31 Bocca di Lupo (15)

33 The River Café (44)

34 St John (42)

35 Quo Vadis (23)

37 The Quality Chop House (27)

38 Jose (63)

40 Goodman Mayfair (93)

41 Sushi Tetsu - New Entry

43 Social Eating House (33)

45 Galvin at Windows (71)

46 Berners Tavern - New Entry

47 Barrafina (46)

48 HKK (29)

49 Marcus - New Entry

53 Merchants Tavern - New Entry

57 Hawksmoor Air Street (32)

59 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (62)

60 10 Greek Street (18)

61 Ember Yard - New Entry

64 Koffmann's - New Entry

65 L'Anima (30)

67 40 Maltby Street - New Entry

69 Alyn Williams at the Westbury (39)

70 Pitt Cue (70)

79 Hutong (88)

80 MEATliquor (77)

83 Chez Bruce (34)

86 La Trompette - New Entry

87 Bar Boulud (53)

89 Café Murano - New Entry

90 Toasted - New Entry

91 The Wolseley - New Entry

92 Newman Street Tavern (97)

94 Moro - New Entry

97 The Greenhouse - New Entry

98 La Petite Maison (58)

99 Gauthier Soho - New Entry

100 Umu - New Entry

Ducksoup: Soho, Thursday April 25th, 2013

Back in the days when this blog was only laughably out of date, I wrote a review of a Ducksoup dinner for three. It was an unexpectedly enjoyable evening with some impressive dishes which still stick in the memory today. Some time on - with the blog now hilariously out of date - I'm writing about another visit there when four of us went for dinner.

Ducksoup remains a place I find exciting and interesting. It's quirky with its handwritten menus and wine list daubed on the room-wide mirrors, welcoming with the low-lit candles and vinyl player and - most importantly - good food. It's the last part that makes the whole thing work, since without good food, gimmicks become mind-numbing and irrelevant.

We ate dinner the way four friends should eat dinner - in a collaborative and unreserved way. After bread & butter were dispensed with, we ordered some salted foie gras on crispy toast (left). It was soft, unctuously rich and satisfying but (critically) not over-dressed or showy. For something that tends to be considered rather pretentious, this was refreshingly simple and fairly priced at £8.

Our next choice was a pleasant-sounding combination of goat's curd, courgette flowers and honeycomb. These delivered visually but the taste was a revelation for me (right). They were crisp-fried golden in a light batter, but the creamy, salty filling was complemented perfectly by the refreshing crunchy coating and the coarse, sweet honeycomb. For someone who usually steers clear of goat's cheese, this was a huge surprise, which we hadn't heard the last of...

We spent £10 on some raw langoustines with chilli & lemon, which meant half of one each around the table (left). This was a mistake since, whilst fresh and nicely chilled, the seafood was rather tasteless and an unrewarding struggle to remove from the shells. There was a distinct absence of flavour, which made me wonder if we'd missed something in eating these. At £5 a prawn, I would expect more bang for my buck here.

It was back to familiar and reliable territory for the next small plate, which was lardo on toast (right). At this point, we had started to overdo it with the bread, but the silky, salty meat was a welcome savoury punch, showing again that with a dish like this, simple really is the way to go.

A Lyonnaise salad was the first choice from the 'kitchen' section of the menu, and at £7, this was just about right (left). A proper blend of bitter leaves with lardons, breadcrumbs and vinaigrette over a deliciously-poached egg, it was balanced, delicate, flavoursome and enjoyable. If you're going to eat salad, this is the way to do it. Our friends were particularly impressed and started debating how it could be recreated at home.

Our next larger plate was an interesting-sounding lamb, broad beans & labneh combination (right). There was something off about this, though it wasn't the temperature of the meat, which was a lovely red-pink inside. However, it was slightly charred on the outside, which doesn't really suit lamb - had it been a piece of beef it might have been great. Combined with the very mild yoghurt dressing and the inoffensive broad beans, this was a plate really missing a hit of flavour to take it to the next level.

We shared a plate of St. George's mushrooms with thyme & parmesan (left). These are (I later found out) very popular seasonal mushrooms in Europe and I really hope they had been picked locally - particularly given the name. They were an interesting variation of textures and sizes and they certainly had the flavour the lamb had been missing. The delicate seasoning of thyme and the saltiness of the cheese made for a sensible overall plate but there was still something nagging away at me. I think it was the relative insubstantial feel of the whole thing. It just didn't feel right without a bit of starch to give it body. I'm aware that's probably not what the kitchen was going for but in terms of textural dimension, it was a near miss.

At this point, we decided the courgette flowers were so great we had to have another couple before turning our thoughts to pudding. The wife and friends demolished their crème caramel as soon as it hit the table (right). There's something about this classic which never hits the mark for me. Always too gelatinous to the touch and too bitter from the caramel sauce, I can't say I've ever loved it. However, the guys all thought it was excellent and - as often in cases like these - I bow to their superior knowledge.

I, on the other hand, was quietly working my way through a glass of chocolate mousse (left). This was a sweet, rich, hint-of-bitterness triumph. Unless you go seriously upmarket with a chocolate mousse, there are two outcomes: it's either good or it's not. In this case, it definitely was and as such we ordered another straight away. The crème fraiche as a topping was the right way to temper the richness and there's no finer endorsement of this dessert than the fact we ate two.

Ducksoup is now affirmed as one of my very favourite casual places to eat. Always affordable, rarely off point and adorably appropriate. This is a restaurant which deserves to be more than just an also-ran in the Soho pantheon of friendly, rustic eateries. It's a great restaurant in its own right.

Ducksoup

Bone Daddies: Soho, Sunday April 7th, 2013

Soho as a food district is still the most happening place in London. For all the east end's newfound hipster energy and the expansion of Brixton's food scene, pretty much all successful new franchises are opening up in the busiest part of the west end. Any new opening in Soho is worth a study, and Bone Daddies ramen bar was a place the wife and I were hoping to try sooner rather than later.

Last spring presented an opportunity with a friend from Germany dropping into town for a few days so three of us showed up on a Sunday evening and had a pleasantly short wait for a table (of course you can't reserve tables since it's a modern-day Soho restaurant.) It has the perfect look and feel: bustling, noisy, casual and welcoming. For anywhere calling itself a ramen bar, this is what I'm interested in.

The menu is refreshingly simple too. A few types of ramen noodle bowls, a few specials on the board, a small variety of drinks... this is modern Japanese eating in the most appealing way. We got started with a few different items from the 'snacks' portion of the menu. First up were sweet 'n spicy ribs, which had the wife in particular in raptures (left). They were chunky, meaty, spicy as anything and genuinely close to the sort of pork ribs you might find in Asia, I was told. They were too hot for me but the wife and our friend made short work of them.

I was more interested in the fried chicken (right). Served oh-so-Soho in a mini metal bucket, it was crispy, tender and moist. The skin had been left on before frying which added a juicy, fatty texture without being flabby or excessive. The girls both tried some but about 75% of this was wolfed down by yours truly. If this is really a 'snack', I want a bucketful at my desk daily. Genuinely excellent starter finger food.

We also went for some yellowtail sashimi with lime & soy sauce (left). This was chilled, fresh, soft and just about everything you want for a cold fish starter. The nature of this starter was that little bit more upmarket than the chicken and ribs. It was scaled back, elegant and just surprisingly fine. From the so-called 'snacks' alone, Bone Daddies had already won me over. The real challenge was to come with the main course though, since I'm not a huge fan of ramen or Asian soups in general.

I tend to enjoy thick, rich, velouté-style soups. The kinds of bowls which are the kind of sumptuous thing you need a spoon to eat, rather than being able to drink it out of a glass. Since Asian soups are most often thin they don't quite sit well with me. That said, anything one terms as 'soup' which also contains cuts of meat, eggs, vegetables and other tasty gubbins is a pleasant misnomer for me.

I looked at the menu and it advertised a special of 'BLTEC ramen'. As a joke I remarked that it might stand for bacon, lettuce, tomato, egg & cheese. A passing waitress mentioned that I was actually right, so I just had to give it a go. What I got was not quite in line with what I had imagined (right). It was more or less carbonara soup but thinner, with too much pepper. It was so rich you couldn't really taste the noodles and whilst some of the flavours were enjoyable, it just wasn't a bowl of what I would call Japanese food.

The ladies decided to stick to more traditional ramen fare and were happy in doing so. The classic pork ramen was a sight to behold even to me (left). Combining shredded pork meat, pork bone broth, a poached egg, grilled sweetcorn, seaweed and all manner of subtle seasoning, this was a surprise to me and a happy familiarity to the wife and our friend. This had changed my opinion of ramen as I knew it which is no mean feat. The wife opted for a similarly soothing and fresh broth with seafood and Korean kim-chi. Too spicy for me by half but it was met with resounding approval.

Bone Daddies is one of the places in Soho which doesn't feel forced or tired. It's worth a visit because it is a smartly exciting restaurant serving food which actively stands out against its competition in the west end. It's authentic, inexpensive and fun. What else could one want?

Bone Daddies

Polpo: Covent Garden, Sunday March 31st, 2013

2013 was a year of big plans, big saving and big eating. Somehow we managed to fit the last part in there, though I can't really work out how. The wife and I continued to dine well all through last year, which, considering the lack of meals so far in 2014, is a blessing for my beleaguered efforts to bring this damn thing up to date. Over Easter, a friend visiting a friend visiting London gave us a great excuse to get another meal in there at the end of March.

Polpo has served us well since it opened on Soho's Beak Street. There have been occasional trips back and we have recommended it to just about everyone because if you want affordable, charismatic, fashionable Italian food; this is it. Covent Garden has been re-branded from the original guise of Da Polpo to simply 'Polpo Covent Garden'. There are now three branches with the opening of a newer site in Smithfield and Polpetto has been re-located to Berwick Street in Soho. In amongst this, Russell Norman has also opened the Ape And Bird pub, just to keep things fresh.

Keeping it fresh is not something the wife and I tend to do when visiting a Polpo restaurant. It tends to be what we know we like with a little variation thrown in once in a while. Having others with us is good because it means we can try some dishes we would not usually give much thought to. In this case, the Sicilian white anchovy salad was one of them (left). Combining bitter, crunchy leaves with the salty fish, this was a pleasant and appropriate way to kick off an evening's eating.

Our next stop was a special of the day we just could not resist: wild mushroom pizzetta (right). There is something about robustly-flavoured, soft mushrooms on a doughy base which I find irresistible and this was worth the £7.50 for sure. Equal parts delicate and simple, food like this needs no fanfare, it just needs eating.

We kept things very standard with our next two choices. We always seem to go for the spaghettini and meatballs at Polpo, the beef & pork a suitably comforting, bullish flavour with the ever so slightly spicy tomato sauce (above left). They were as hearty, warming and delightful as ever. Equally, the fritto misto was a crunchy, crispy plate of properly-battered and fried seafood (above right). It was light, full-flavoured, salty and fresh. The three of us devoured it with little regard for etiquette.

The dessert we were all drawn to was the panna cotta, served with rhubarb and pistachio (left). Whilst I could see the appeal of some nut crumble to provide textural variation, the wife and I weren't interested and had one each with no nuts. Panna cotta is something I wouldn't usually choose when dessert comes around but rhubarb is. In this case, I was delighted with the choice. The cream was not overly set or gelatinous which is half the battle with pannna cotta. The rhubarb was poached to a gentle bite and the whole thing worked wonderfully well. It was a great end to a pleasant meal. So much so that the wife and I instantly ordered another each. When the bill came, we realised £32.50 had been spent on panna cotta. They were that good.

A meal at pretty much any Polpo branch is guaranteed to be fun, interesting and generally enjoyable. The food is not overpriced, it stays simple and is a reminder that good Italian food is all about a sensible balance between rustic and refined.

Polpo

Universal Appeal? Jamie's Italian: Covent Garden, Tuesday March 19th, 2013

I've never been one for attacking anything just because it's popular. If I don't particularly care for something which people seem to rave about, my resolve to stand by my opinion stiffens. Of course there are things in this world which are genuinely evil (The Black Eyed Peas' biggest hits and The X-Factor spring to mind) and their popularity ought to be challenged and derided at every opportunity.

Jamie Oliver is not someone (or something, so huge is his franchise now) that I despise, despite popularity. He is a champion of various righteous causes, he's encouraging people to cook better food and he is a realistic kind of guy. Well, maybe a meal in 30 or 15 minutes is a stretch since not everyone has a team helpfully assembling everything for you, but still. There are decent recipes in there and we've all made a Jamie dish at some point.

What I cannot abide, however, is the horrendous mockney shtick, the endless development of new ways to get the face on screen, the cavalcade of books (would you buy a book on great American cooking from a chef who half-trained in an Italian restaurant in London?), the ludicrous number of ingredients thrown into food which simply does not need it... So maybe there are some issues there after all. But, as I started by saying, the guy's alright.

Going to Jamie's Italian should be a sure thing, a home banker. Italian food is one of the things Jamie should be good at, given his background, and there can be great things in the simplest of Italian restaurants. The problem is, given that Jamie has put his name on everything, you're caught between expecting fantastic food which you 'n all yer mates can get stuck into and an apprehensive distaste for the oi oi saveloy feel of the place. The waiting staff all pedal a degree of the pseudo-cockney and it's not that enjoyable.

The menu is also a little confusing. One can order 'planks' as starters. I get the idea of the kitsch sharing dishes but it leaves an annoying taste in the mouth just from reading it. Surely a plate would be better, no? The contradictions continue: two friends ordered a plank to share and enjoyed it. A nice selection of cured meats is no bad way to get going... I chose to start with some stuffed pasta which were described as 'pillows' on the menu and which actually were pretty damn close to being so (left). The problem with these was the creamy cheese filling, which was a little too light and not giving a full-bodied Italian punch of flavour.

Main courses were another mixed bag. One friend ordered a crab pasta dish which he was delighted with and which, having tried, I thought wasn't half bad either. I decided to go for a favourite of mine: mushroom risotto (right). I had settled on this choice since the menu is such a large tome to study, littered with nauseating phrases - "Jamie's favourite!", "Jules's favourite!" - and dishes which just didn't belong. A burger on an Italian restaurant menu feels like playing to the lowest common denominator. This was somewhat lacking in the flavour, richness and creaminess one associates with great risotto. The mushrooms weren't strong enough, there wasn't enough butter and the whole thing was flat.

I wasn't sure what to make of this all so far. I had to go for a dessert to find out if something could salvage the meal and thankfully I chose well. The raspberry tart with almond was a pretty good way to finish (left). It was satisfyingly soft, rich and well-judged. This was by far my highlight of the evening and showed me there is some genuine simplicity lurking underneath the baffling menus and stacks of cooking books.

So there you have it. I think I wanted to dislike the place but in truth it isn't that bad. Given the array of restaurants in and around Covent Garden, it's not somewhere I would go back to, but if it was a family occasion with children I could totally see the appeal. This is not a restaurant striving for culinary perfection or epicurean purity, it's just trying to put people at tables. And it's doing so with ease.

And that's what I really do admire about Jamie Oliver. For all that's irritating, he's a remarkably savvy businessman. The success of his ventures speak for themselves and he's making a lot more money than some of his former contemporaries who were far more decorated cooks than he. Our obsession with Jamie has got to the point we'll eat just about anywhere he slaps his name on. My first musings on the guy were when the wife and I were surprised with his take on pizza at Union Jacks, which has sadly now only one location remaining, also in Covent Garden. Whilst that might have been a commercial failure, Jamie's Italian remains an internationally-renowned brand.

Maybe after all I just feel indifferent to Jamie Oliver. Unless he starts doing stuff like this. Then he invokes all the kind of unfettered loathing I usually reserve for the likes of Simon Cowell ventures and reality television.

Jamie's Italian

A Complaint Retracted - Thai Rice: Fulham, Friday 15th February, 2013

Some time ago I wrote this piece on how Thai food was growing on me. Aside from all the irritating spicing, nuts where they don't belong and fragrances which just aren't to my taste, there is a lot of good in Thai food. On a Friday night early last year, I got a call from a good friend who fancied catching up. We compromised on Fulham as a location we could get to easily and were on our way.

Thai Rice is part of what you'd usually call a chain, five restaurants owned by the same group. Except they're not really a chain. Each restaurant has its own distinct website and menu. There are small intricacies which make each branch slightly different, meaning you're never quite sure what to expect. The Fulham place came with a pretty decent reputation, so I was happy to give it a go.

The evening sprawled out of control instantly. We ended up spending a frankly irresponsible amount of money on a last minute dinner for four, ordering what seemed like way too much but all of which was eaten. That tells you one thing: it was a fun evening. The wife had taken some advice from a friend in the know on what to order so we also sampled a few dishes we wouldn't have otherwise been aware of; a sure bonus when visiting a Thai restaurant.

Several dishes stood out for the right reasons. Some scallops weren't cheap at around £6 each but the result was worth the expense (left). Delicately spiced and seasoned, swimming in a butter sauce, they were a great way to get us started. It was a similar story with the soft shell crab tempura, which for around £5 was great value and a typically crunchy, sweet, salty and greasy proposition (above right).

The wife tends to go crazy for a decent papaya salad when eating Thai food, something I am rarely enthused by since it is usually both too bitter and packed with nuts for me. In this case it was refreshing, cool and a great accompaniment to the food (left). Still too many nuts for me but the wife loved every mouthful. She remarked that the salad was very traditionally and typically Thai, with the sweetness coming from the peanuts.

In ordering our food we had thrown caution to the wind and dishes to the table were a procession at this point. Some 'off menu' beef with noodles was a delight which I had not been expecting at all. The meat was tender, salty, savoury and sitting in a throaty, rich broth. All the tiresome clichés I had been dismissing about Thai food began to drift away somewhere in amongst the table which was now becoming so full we could barely fit our own plates on it.

No English person's visit to a Thai restaurant is complete without either a curry or some noodles. Naturally we had both. The curry was a delicately-balanced, mild yet flavoursome bowl (right). This was a Panaeng curry which I had never heard of, but our friends in particular put paid to this with no time to stand on ceremony. The noodles were a fairly unadventurous chicken variety but were a nicely grounded plate around some of the headier flavours.

We ordered some Pla Ma Kham which was sea bass served with pineapple, vegetables and a spicy sauce (left). I was not so bothered with all the sides to the dish, just hugely impressed with the tender, moist flesh underneath. There's something so delightfully refined and pure about a fillet of Asian fish and this was a terrific example. It was another plate which sat well with the rest of the cavalcade of food we were eating.

Making sure we had enough meat, we ordered two dishes which had been sliced and grilled, then served with variations on spicy sauce. Both the chicken and the pork were delicious and earned us the dubious achievement of having eaten just about every animal on the menu. This was all being washed down with mango lassi for me, beer for one friend and Thai milk tea for the other and the wife.

This was a ridiculous exuberance of a night out but a great one. The meal was lots of fun and all the food was great. I can't say I am now a huge Thai food fan but this kind of experience is making me re-think my past criticisms. Thai Rice is a great place to spend a Friday evening with friends. If that's not a ringing endorsement of a restaurant, I don't know what is.

Thai Rice