Archive for the ‘English’ Category
Eastside Inn: A Thanksgiving Experience
It seems a little odd perhaps reading about a thanksgiving dinner in January, not least one written by a Brit. Over numerous thanksgiving dinners at Bodeans and once at Christophers over the years, my Franco-American girlfriend and I really needed to try somewhere else or end up doing it all ourselves. But a 3kg turkey, mashed Idaho potatoes, battleships of gravy, and so on are just too much for a couple to put together. I’d not read much about Eastside Inn but when I did a little research I had found nothing but praise for chef-proprietor Bjorn van der Horst’s cooking albeit the mention of slightly high prices. Bjorn was previously the chef-patron of La Noisette and cut his teeth at the Greenhouse in Mayfair. So arriving at the restaurant we find it comprises of two sections, on the right a fine dining restaurant with the décor of high end waiting room and through to the left a much more open, inviting and ultimately affordable bistro. Each section is separated by the central open plan kitchen where you can see Bjorn and his team in action at any moment. Serving both the top end and mid range area of the restaurant crowd… Continue Reading…
Launceston Place, W8: How to ruin a good meal.
Another cold wintry day in London and brisk walk from Gloucester Road underground station, Launceston Place is amongst one of the more idyllic residential addresses in central London. Along a parade of almost village-esque shops in an area known as Kensington village, Launceston Place the restaurant, finds its home. Acquired in the summer of 2007 by D&D London, owners of Coq d’Argent, Le Pont de la Tour, Sartoria, and Butlers Wharf Chop House amongst others. They brought in Tristan Welch, former head chef of Marcus Wareing in the days of Petrus. Most recently Steve Groves, their Junior Sous Chef, won Masterchef The Professionals Competition 2009. Checking all the right boxes. Small and intimate, their dining room was warm, separated in the middle by an internal window, and with the feel of a sitting room with sombre dark gray walls and carpet not much lighter. We were sat in the middle of the restaurant and had spiced savoury parsnip crisps, wrapped in ribbons, to nibble on whilst we made our choices. There were two menus during lunch service, a “lunch” and a “dinner” menu varying in price, £20 and £45 respectively, and I chose the latter. Continue Reading…
Konstam at the Prince Albert, Kings Cross, London
I recently met Oliver Rowe from Konstam and I never got round to writing up a full post about dining at his restaurant. Konstam at the Prince Albert famously claims that it sources 80% of its produce from inside the M25. It’s far too long ago to think about a retrospective post but I can say that whilst we had a good time it took almost 45 minutes to get our main course. We were the first table at dinner service that night and there no more than 10 covers by the time we got our main. We did not have an entrées. The pork chop was beautifully cooked. So the recent blagger banquet auction of a chance to cook Pork Belly with Oliver Rowe was a big win for sure. Worth a revisit.
Here are some photos taken with my late Panasonic DMC TZ-5… it was a great point and shoot camera…
32 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London
Whilst searching for a venue for Sunday lunches in Central London, I came across a mention by TimeOut on their London’s best Sunday lunches article earlier this year. However this debut visit to 32 Great Queen Street, was called by tehbus, who just really wanted to have steak that week. I would of course join him. After unsuccessful attempts to get reservations at Goodman’s and being shrugged off for suggesting Angus Steakhouse, we managed to get a reservation at thirty-two at a sociable hour.
32 Great Queen Street is the newest cousin of the infamous Anchor and Hope in The Cut, SE1. The Anchor and Hope being one of the great gastropubs of London and one that I haven’t eaten at. I read that thirty-two is like The Anchor and Hope except that it is bookable. I’m as much of a fan of queuing as the next punter. Let me book. The Grand Lodge of the Freemasons, a monumental, Art Deco building is directly opposite but it’s easy to miss thirty-two. Red walls, wooden tables and wooden chairs. Plain, plain and plain. No frills. Nothing fancy to see there. The clientèle isn’t young and trendy and are well into their 30s. First to arrive I sit at the long wooden bar towards the back and order myself a lilliputian glass of Merlot. Continue Reading…
HIX, Brewer Street, London
I was intrigued to read BooinLondon’s recent blog about HIX on Brewer Street having noticed it a week or so back when going for a drink after work at The Glassblower. HIX opened at the start of October this year on the site of the Aaya which closed sadly before I was able to go. Here’s the Giles Coren article. Apparently Mark Hix chose the site because of its very central location and its recent refurbishments while as Aaya. HIX is the third and most recent of the chef Mark Hix’s restaurants, which include Hix Oyster & Chop House in London’s Smithfield’s Market and also Hix Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis. The head chef at HIX is Kevin Gratton, formerly of Le Caprice. Continue Reading…
Canteen, Spitalfields, E1
2 Crispin Place, Spitalfields
London, E1 6DW
0845 686 1122
Rating: 2 stars (out of 5) previously 3 stars
The word Canteen makes me think of school. I remember the canteen at school serving a variety of mainly English and globally inspired dishes with it’s daily salad bar and puddings. I had plenty of choice when I was at school and it wasn’t all that bad as the kitchens improved dramatically by the time I was in sixth form. The Canteen group of restaurants are informal with all day menus serving up British cuisine. We’ve had good experiences many times before and had always considered Canteen to be a safe if slightly more expensive than average option in Spitalfields. Continue Reading…
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