Archive for the ‘Gastronomic’ 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…
Pied à Terre, London, W1
Pied à Terre very proudly wears its two michelin stars clearly proclaiming the double accolade on their website. With that, I must preface my commentary on this restaurant in that my only other recent experience of two stars is Marcus Wareing, an unmemorable tasting menu experience in a stuffy and pompus environment albeit great service in the early summer of this year. However the fine showcase of food photography that is the PaT website is a statement in itself, and I throughly enjoy watching the changing background images. Whoever the skilled photographer was, certainly had his share of great lighting. They make the restaurant certainly tempting at the very least. So, the restaurant was booked with just over a week of notice and so happened to be on the night of snow storms and transport melt down in London. Not a single taxi was in sight and I ended up having to traverse from the office in treacherous snow and icy conditions. It was a fantastic start to the night as I sweatily slid into the restaurant in my leather shoes. The outside of Pied à Terre was deceptively ordinary looking on Charlotte Street. The front section of the restaurant was small, with four tables tightly placed designed for diners in pairs. Glass and mirrors have been used to create the illusion of space and soft furnishings to absorb noise. We were sat in the corner of the minimal yet intimate dining room.
Pierre Koffmann, Restaurant On The Roof at Selfridges
Pierre Koffmann, a name synonymous with the very finest french food in England in the past 37 years. A man who once cooked alongside Michel Roux at the Waterside Inn in Bray. Pierre Koffmann. A grand chef that then held no less than 3 michelin stars at the legendary La Tante Claire, also the most romantic of restaurants in London. I didn’t know this. Well… ok I needed reminding after I’d committed to going. When it closed it doors I had just entered my twenties and pretty much unaware of this man and his cooking. Finding the entrance to the restaurant was easy enough, when I walked in, the Selfridges store guide actually walked with me to the designated elevator and introduced me to the accompanying statuesque guest list lady stood opposite the brightly lit Chanel perfume concession at the front of the store. Clearly, if your name (or your host in my case), wasn’t on the list you didn’t have the privilege of riding in this elevator. Being first to arrive, I was joined by a property tycoon, who I can thank for the invitation to join his table, a Viktor and Rolf foot model, and later a 70s photography book collector. Continue Reading…
Le Moulin de la Galette, Paris, France
Le Moulin de la Galette
83 Rue Lepic,
Paris, 75018
France
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 06 84 77
http://www.lemoulindelagalette.eu/
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) Excellent
Date of visit: 13th October, 2008
Meal: Lunch
The Moulin de La Galette, the last Montmartre windmill, was painted by many famous painters including Renoir, Van Gogh, and Picasso, and is situated near the top of the Montmartre district in Paris. Often that you find yourself disappointed by famous places as they do not meet expectations. With a rich and vibrant history dating back to the 18th Century it is does not disappoint.
Straight off the Eurostar, on a beautiful and warm (almost hot) October day reaching 25C, we arrived for a 2pm lunch reservation and chose to do our lunch meeting outside in the tiny terrace area. We were promptly brought menus in both French and English and a separate sheet for the Prix Fixe titled “Propositions For The Lunch” from which we chose 3 courses for 25 Euros, a glass of house red, house white and a bottle of Evian. See menu here. Our drinks were promptly served and out waiter was friendly and talkative in both English and French. Continue Reading…
Copyright © Food By Mark 2008-2010. All rights reserved. Optimised for 1024x640 minimum resolution.
You say…