London – Page 13 – No Expert …but I know what I like

Athenaeum – Evergreen

Had Afternoon Tea at The Athenaeum – they’re celebrating the first anniversary of the hotel’s living wall – a vertical garden. At £27.50 for Afternoon Tea and a glass of Kir Royal (if booked via toptable), this is a lot cheaper than the fabulous Pret a Portea at The Berkeley my favorite afternoon tea venue. To be honest though I have to say that the Athenaeums Afternoon Tea it is not in the same league as the Pret a Portea. However it is still a better than average venue to experience a typical English Afternoon Tea.

Included in the Afternoon Tea is your choice of teas, 2 rounds of sandwiches, 2 small scones, 3 items from the cake trolley and just when you think it is all over, Crumpets or Tea cakes. Rather strangely we had lots of jam for the Crumpets and Tea cakes, when we did not need it, and not enough for the scones. You may also find if you like stronger tea, that you need to ask for it, as the tea can be quite weak.

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Murano – oh dear!

Lunch at Murano today, what a disappointment. It is so old fashioned and not in good way, rather the kind of food you might have found acceptable in the 80’s. Just not a gourmet experience. We were really glad we decided to go for the £30 set lunch and not the overpriced tasting menu.

We started with fairly ordinary bread with a good olive oil and some charcuterie. Then a Chicken Ravioli that was too salty and a rather ordinary beef carpaccio. The main courses consisted off a coronary inducing calf liver, with capers in a red wine jus with mash and a salmon dish decorated with pea shoots. Pre dessert was Tiramisu and dessert was a peanut butter crumble with caramelized bananas – very uninspiring.

The wine list was disappointing too, the mark up did seem to be excessive. It was difficult to find a decent glass of wine for less than £14.00.

It was so hard not to compare the Murano experience with our recent visit to Texture, which just served to emphasize everything that was wrong with Murano.

Overrated and based on our experience, cooking that is not of a Michelin star level. Another Faux Gourmet experience in a restaurant that looked the part but failed to deliver.

Marks out of 10

Food 4.9

Service 5

Ambience 5

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Texture – something good from Iceland!

One definition of the word “Texture” is “the distinctive character or quality of something” and Texture the restaurant is all about character and quality. Angnar Sverrisson who is originally from Iceland does it all, delivering great tasting, beautifully presented food that has its own distinct personality.

We had our usual debate, should we go for the tasting menu or stick with our original idea of trying the set lunch menu at a fraction of the cost. Fortunately we opted for the tasting menu with matching wines. Indeed as soon as we tasted the amuse-bouche, a selection of different textured “crisps” artfully arranged on a piece of slate with a dip and the Pea and Mint iced tea, we knew we had made the right choice. With every course and every glass of wine, we echoed that sentiment. The appetizer was asparagus with parmesan snow and hazel nuts. This was followed by a sublime pigeon dish with sweetcorn and bacon popcorn. The next two courses were just as good, they consisted of Icelandic cod with Chorizo and a very refined version of steak and chips. Then came the entertainment, a rather topical looking pre dessert, a green apple concoction set in a bowl of dry ice, that spilled out on to the table like something from a volcano! We finished with a Mango and Pineapple dessert and a selection of petit fours that included a crispy variation of a traditional french magdalene which was surprisingly good.

So far we have just mentioned the food, but the wines were equally special. We particularly enjoyed the Californian Pinot Noir and the Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine selections were perfect matches for every course, and very reasonable at £45 for a flight of 5 glasses.

Definitely looking forward to coming back here – a rare treat.

Marks out of 10

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The Capital – comforting

Made a lunch time visit to The Capital, to see how it fairs under “newish” head chef Jérôme Ponchelle, compared to my last visit when Eric Chavot was running the kitchen.

It was actually impossible to judge as the set lunch was very different from my last à la carte experience. However that is not to say it was not excellent, it was. Well worth it, especially the amazing portion of lamb carved at the table. Delicious.

They had a good selection of wines by the glass. Prices were typically between £8.00 and £12.00 a glass, so ordering bottles was a better deal. We got through a very full bodied bottle of Gewürztraminer which went well with the Lobster and Langoustine Bisque and a smooth New Zealand Pinot Noir that was perfect for the Lamb.

The Capital restaurant is actually well worth a visit, comfortable rather than fashionable, which has to be a good thing.

It did lose its two Michelin stars this year, but that is certainly not going to stop me returning.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.9

Service 6.9

Ambience 6.9

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Awana – on a quiet day

Experienced Awana in what was probably an untypical situation. That is, on a bank holiday using an evening standard £15 three course set lunch deal. Other reviews I have read do indicate that this place is normally buzzing. Today however we were one of only four tables occupied over lunch. Not that I am complaining – I enjoyed the lunch. It was a very good deal and I suspect because the kitchen was not so busy maybe slightly better cooked food than normal.

The scallops in particular were lovely, subtly flavoured with chilli and lemongrass – really moorish. I joked that they were better than the ones we had at Hibiscus, and realised it was not a joke, as they really were discernibly better. The main course selection was more basic, we had a stir fry and a curry dish. Neither of which would have been worth the full price (but as part of the deal – were more than acceptable). The desserts were interesting too, I had a lovely dish described as egg custard, sogo coconut and caramel, and my companion had a selection of ice creams which were much more adventurous than you expect with a set lunch – including one made from the rather infamous Durian fruit.

We had a couple of very good reasonably priced cocktails in the bar and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and range of their wine list. As well as a good selection by the glass and several bottles under £30, they had an excellent range of fine wines and champagnes.

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Chino Latino – Room with a view

For one week only Chino Latino at the Park Plaza Riverbank has a real view. They have temporarily moved the ground floor restaurant to the 1st floor, where from the Thames Suite you have unrestricted panoramic views of the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament.

Even without the view Chino Latino is always worth a visit, especially if they have a Top Table discount, this time it was only 25% off the a la carte menu, but I have seen deals of up to 50% here too.

However with the view, I have only one word to sum up the experience and that is “WOW!”. The Thames Suite is just stunning. With live music and well spaced out tables it just had so much going for it. If this were the normal restaurant, then Chino Latino I suspect would be a top London destination restaurant. Alas this is not the case – I guess that the Thames Suite as a banqueting room is probably too big a revenue generator to use as mere restaurant space. I am just so pleased to have been there for this one week only experience. Who would have thought a refurbishment standby location, could be so spectactular (especially on a wet bank holiday weekend).