"High Society!" - Zuma: Knightsbridge, Saturday 22nd December, 2012

High society is a funny thing. Especially if you are a fan of Ry Doon as I am. If you believe the Boston comedian, there ain't much to being in the upper echelons of class anywhere. In London, it's a bit more complicated than courting pigeons' company.

Whilst the very top end of high society in London is private members' clubs, exclusive boutiques and money spent on frivolities faster than most of us earn it, celebrity high society is that little bit more within the reach of us mere mortals. A few years ago the wife and I got a taste of the London celebrity diet by dining at Nobu, which neither of us particularly enjoyed.

Zuma is an entirely similar proposition to Nobu in that it is in a trendy part of town, adored by the moneyed masses and generally considered to be rather good. It's hidden away in the back streets between Brompton Road and Kensington Road, making it hard enough to find that it's exclusive and suitably trendy. I was hurried to Zuma by the wife, who was joining some friends, one of whom's mother had come to visit London. Given the short notice I had to get presentable and get out of the house, I was a little late.

Five of us ate during the evening but by the time I arrived, cold seafood was at the table already. The sashimi was extravagantly served on a bowl of ice and if the effect was to wow us in some vacuous, vaguely high society sort of way, it failed (left). What it did do was impress us with sheer freshness, a mixture of crisp coolness and smooth silken fish flesh and quality that just can't be ignored. Some of the best I've eaten without question.

The sushi was a similar story (right). My personal pick was the eel, leaving sweet, rich fishy saltiness on the palate, a bolder flavour than the salmon and the uni (sea urchin). That said, I am still no sushi buff so I was pleased enough. Again, this was food at the very top end of my experience.

We also ordered a dish which the place is famous for (so I was told). Seared scallops with uni and black sesame did not appeal much to me since it sounded like a waste of perfectly good scallops. However, the seafood itself was something else (left). It was honestly like nothing I have tasted before. Sweet, salty topping on lightly cooked scallops is nothing to sniff at, especially when they are cooked so well.

No visit to a Japanese restaurant is complete without some tempura (right). In this case, it was predictably sweet, fresh, crispy and expertly-cooked. One thing I cannot abide is under-cooked vegetables inside decent batter. It seems to be an ever more common occurrence with simple Japanese food and I was pleased that somewhere pulling the full-pocketed punters in could still get the basics right.

The wife was delighted with the final order of the evening: some wagyu beef (left). This was a prime cut of the world famous Japanese meat served with a simple citrus sauce and some spicy oil. In reality, all that was needed was a little seasoning because the beef was cooked perfectly and the texture was delightfully soft and subtle. For some of the most expensive beef I have eaten it was not quite the best but not far off. It was certainly a very easy eat; a very tender and lean piece of meat.

As a meal out, it was certainly one of the more high society events I enjoyed in 2012 and one of the more memorable to boot. One thing I can say about Zuma is that it is not cheap. These are Nobu prices alright and we were very lucky in this case that our generous hosts paid the bill. It was priced more or less how an extremely top-end Knightsbridge Japanese restaurant should be, including a 15% service charge on top.

But, if you have the spare money, Zuma is definitely worth a visit. Certainly the best high-end Japanese food I have eaten and somewhere which demands the attention of normal diners as well as the high society celebrity culture it is most recognisable with. And it's much better than Nobu.

Zuma

A Tradition is Born: Hereford Road - Bayswater, Sunday 2nd December, 2012

Winter time has come to mean a big meal with friends. What started in the autumn of 2010 and continued in the winter of 2011 has thrived. Last year, it seemed a given that a large group outing to an English restaurant was inevitable and it was equally inevitable that I would organise it. I had earmarked Hereford Road as a potential destination as soon as the planning began. It had twice proved its worth as a decent place for six, so doubling that number ought to have been a possible winner.

As with any large group meal, a number of late cancellations and forgetful excuses came out before the event, but 12 of us made it to the table and I have to say that getting this event sorted was a wonderfully straightforward process. There was no protracted discussion, no outlandish deposit, no reduction in the menu: we basically got the full a la carte for 12 people for Sunday lunch in December. Not since Joe Allen have I had such an easy ride in booking a big Christmas table.

The menu itself read exactly as a classic British restaurant's should do: basic, simple combinations with a premise to exact them in a precise and satisfying way. There was enough choice to go around the table and, as ever, the prices were remarkably reasonable. I am not going to list every dish which was eaten and I certainly did not eat everything on the table, but - to business.

The starters were - at least in my area of the table - excellent. In typical uncomplicated and classic fashion, they delivered on every level. The seafood on show was seriously excellent. Our waiter mentioned that there was only one remaining portion of razor clams for the lunch service which the wife nearly leapt out of her seat at (left). These were impeccably fresh with a slight resistance so as to be moderately chewy but holding a delightfully creamy seafood taste. The accompaniments were nearly imperceptible outside of some thyme which gave a beautiful finish to the plate.

Continuing on the fish theme, some mackerel with potato salad and horseradish was another triumph of simplicity (right). In slicing the fish in half, the portion appealed as something a little different yet totally genuine and very fresh. The Jerusalem artichoke salad was also excellent, combining the robust, soft taste of the main ingredient with some well-seasoned leaves and dressing (above left).

Further down the table, the wife procured me a smidgen of some fish roe on toast (right). This was something I only had a mouthful of, but my friends laughed as my eyes were wide with surprise after tasting it. Buttery, rich, almost sweet and enjoyably meaty, this was food to impress to the point of amusing facial expressions.

My starter of quail and aioli was just about as great as it sounds, with mixed leaves on the side and half a lemon to season (left). No fuss, no frills, just expertly-cooked bird with potent garlic mayonnaise is about as perfect as you can get for a simple starter. We gnawed at the bones to extract the last of the salty, moist flesh.

After the feeding frenzy of the starters - we had waited quite a long time for certain guests to arrive - main courses arrived and we were all a little more reserved and dignified. The main courses read like a dream; a mixture of reassuring comfort foods and slightly upmarket restaurant ventures you'd never cook at home. Two of these - partridge and guinea fowl for two - were enjoyed at various points of the table. I tried a bit of the guinea fowl and it was nicely gamy, rich and interestingly served with a fennel salad. The partridge took some flak for having shot in it but that is a risk you run when ordering fresh game. Generally though, it was a success of well-cooked meat at the end of the game season.

A few around me went for the roast beef and the portion was as down-to-earth as one tends to get at Hereford Road (right). Never too over-imposing or excessive, the roast vegetables, mid-rare beef and gravy were an enjoyable balance of Sunday lunch on a plate.

The menu had advertised pork belly but, as with the razor clams earlier, they had run out. However, myself and a friend were clued-in and fortunate enough to get the last of the modified dish of pork chop with mash, red cabbage and apple sauce (left). I am not usually a fan of chops but this was something different entirely. A well-sized, juicy and exceptionally flavoursome piece of meat, properly coated in fat...it hit all the right notes, providing a rich and salty contrast to the sweet cabbage and sauce. Dishes like this are what make me continue to return to Hereford Road: sheer simplicity but executed with such assuredness that you just enjoy without any pretentious narrative at the table.

The dessert menu again read like a dream (as any list of English puddings should), but I will focus on two in particular. The rice pudding, yet again, was perfect: a spoonful of berry jam to balance some acidity and colour within a bowl of cuddling, sweet rice (right). If they keep serving puddings like this, I'll keep raving about them.

The sticky date pudding was also a major hit (left). What supermarkets are contriving to call sticky toffee still retains a certain original charm here and it's still just about the best out there. Marbled with a generous portion of pouring cream, this hot cake with rich, sweet caramel sauce is one worth travelling west for.

A tradition it has become, and one that (most likely 15 months from now) I will be writing about from 2013 as well. A big meal with friends is something you just can't beat. When the food is this good, it just makes people happy. Hereford Road remains somewhere I keep going to because it always manages to hit the mark in such an understated, humble way. If anyone asks me where to find classic English cooking at a reasonable price, this is where I suggest they go.

Hereford Road