Category: UK

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).

The food wasn’t bad either.  I especially enjoyed the duck with kumquats, the cheese stuffed pepper tempura, and the dessert platter.

UPDATE : January 2023

Hotel & Restaurant closed, now a Hyatt hotel, click here to see article for details.

 

 

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Zucca – a significant addition to Bermondsey’s burgeoning foodie scene

The Evening Standard and Time Out reviewers really rated Zucca, a new Italian in Bermondsey – see Review of the Reviews

We tried it for Sunday lunch.

It is a modern take on a good Italian Trattoria, in that it is informal and makes no attempt to “tart up” the presentation of the dishes. Which are made from fresh ingredients and beautifully cooked.

For starters I had the Zucca Friters (Pumpkin in batter) and my companion had the Speck (juniper flavored ham) and Pigeon Crostini, both very nice but we had to make use of the olive oil provided with the bread to enhance them. Some pesto or a dip of some sort would have been ideal with my Friters.

There was small selection of  main courses, basically meat/fish with some greens, so if you want pasta you need to order as a separate course.  I ordered Pigeon, it was superb, tasty and moist – actually better than the Pigeon I had in Cibrèo in Florence which is a real compliment.

I would have liked to have tried the Amaretto tart for dessert but they had ran out, so we made do with some home made ice cream.

The wine list included several options by the glass and a range of reasonably priced bottles.

The marketing for Alfies a near neighbour to Zucca, describes Alfies as “a significant addition to Bermondsey’s burgeoning foodie scene”.  That description did not fit Alfies, but does most definately describe Zucca.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.3

Service 5

Ambience 5.9

UPDATE : Zucca has closed.

Tamarai – gets it right again

This was our second visit to Tamarai.  It’s always interesting to make return visits to the places where you have had an especially good culinary experience, to see if they are consistent.  For our first review see:-

We had the same toptable deal of 50% off the tasting menu, the contents of which  had not changed since our last visit. This was not a problem as we had really enjoyed that menu.  It’s a well thought out selection of beautifully balanced dishes, with the little extras you typically get in high end restaurants, i.e., the amuse bouche and the palette cleanser.

We found on this visit, that the food and the service were just as good as the last time.  So it’s full marks for consistency, and for having regular top table deals. This place is now firmly on our list of venues to return too.

Marks out of 10

Food 7

Service 6.8

Ambience 7

 

Eddie Gilberts – reasons to leave London? (Closed)

Will Eddie Gilberts do for Ramsgate what the Sportsman has done for Whitstable?

Does it give gourmets a good reason to leave London?

Well, it is most definitely a find, already fully booked weeks in advance, and serving up top notch food that puts a lot of London Restaurants too shame.

Getting there is really easy now too, 1 hour 16 minutes on the high speed train from St Pancras to Ramsgate then a 5 minutes taxi ride.

It is located on Ramsgates’ King Street. Not the most salubrious of locations as it is a few streets away from the more attractive harbour area. However as soon as you part the chainmail curtains at the entrance to the fishmongers on the ground floor you just know this place is a quality establishment.

To start we had the scallops and what is fast becoming Eddie Gilberts signature dish,  duck egg and smoked eel soldiers, both delicious. Then came the main courses, we went for the turbot and the cod with chorizo, another two stunning dishes.  All the dishes were well cooked with nicely balanced flavours. You do get the impression that you could choose anything on the menu and not be disappointed.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the quality and presentation of the desserts. The only weak spot if we were being picky was the limited choice of dessert wines, from an otherwise fairly impressive wine list.  The Trimbach Pinot Gris was a good match for the dishes we chose.

This restaurant deserves the plaudits it has received from the national press. We certainly plan to return.

Marks 7/10.

 

UPDATE : August 2011, added a few more pictures from a return visit.

UPDATE: May 2013 – Sad to hear that Eddie Gilberts is closed, see Thanet Gazette article.

 

 

 

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Peyton & Byrne – false economy

Made a pit stop at Peyton & Byrne in St Pancras Station. I just do not get it. What is the point of building up a brand as something a bit special, then cutting corners.  Mass market coffee shops like Starbucks and Cafe Neros for example do not resort to using paper cups and plastic crockery for non take away customers, so why somewhere more bespoke like Peyton & Byrne has to, is beyond me. Invest in a dish washer or two please.

Marks out of 10

Food 4

Service 3

Ambience 3

 

 

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