Kuti's Southampton

Hey there, foodies. Sorry I dropped off the radar a bit but fear not, I've still been scoffing some culinary delights.

I spent my last weekend in Southampton where I went to the brilliant Kuti's . The chain boasts Indian, Bangladeshi and Thai restaurants and the one I went to was the Brasserie on Oxford Street, Southampton. The staff are very kind and very happy to help with every request; they are unfailingly polite and really take care of you. My only criticism was that when I was quite full and I needed a bit of a break before carrying on with the remainder of my meal, two staff came over separately to ask me if I'd finished. It was quite annoying and made me think that they were too eager to get us out of there.

However, onto the food. I was with my parents and between us we had the following.

- Batak (Duck) Tikka
- Chapa Kebab
- Tandoori Lamb Chops

Good-sized portions but the spices were way too hot for a tikka and a chapa kebab. My mouth was on fire and I had to ask for a glass of milk to make it cool down. Even my dad - he of the iron stomach - admitted it was very hot.



- Chicken Tikka Makhani (Butter)
- Rogan Josht
- Lamb Madras
- Pilau rice
- Mushroom pilau rice
- Boiled rice
- Bombay Aloo (spicy potatoes)
- Brinjal Bhaji (aubergine)
- Garlic Nan

This was all so lovely that I didn't want to give up, even when my stomach was fit to burst. The spices were mixed to create a subtle flavour which wasn't overpowering and was complimented by everything we ate. My butter chicken had a brilliant little after-kick which made it even nicer. The nan was unburned, something you'd take for granted but some restaurants don't seem to care. The aubergine dish was amazing and I'd recommend having it if you find it on a restaurant menu!

The price was great, the ambience was lovely and the main courses were sublime. Definitely head down there if you're in Southampton.

Vitals

Kuti's Brasserie
39 Oxford Street, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 3DP
Tel: 023 8022 1585
Website: http://www.kutis.co.uk/

Sneaky treat: Cologne Christmas Market, South Bank

Pssst... Want to know a great place to go to stuff yourself with good, cheap-ish food?

Head over to the Cologne Christmas Market on South Bank near the London Eye. This market is chocka full of food with hog roasts, burgers, French crepes, German waffles and pancakes, sweets, paellas and of course, German sausages. The mulled wine is blended to perfection and the view of the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben is just beautiful when it gets dark.

The Vitals

Cologne Christmas Market
South Bank (near London Eye)

Nearest tube: Waterloo or Westminster

tastelondon card!

Hurrah! Some food God somewhere has obviously heard my cry as I am the lucky recipient of a free tastelondon card, worth a fabulous £70! This is far more exciting than any golden ticket and a chocolate factory.

A bit about tastelondon: it's definitely one of the best restaurant sites in London in my opinion.

They have 1000+ restaurants on their database and their card allows so much choice that it's foolish not to get one. Indeed, I was planning on getting the parents to buy me one if I hadn't won. £70 sounds like a lot but if you think about it, you'll have saved more than it cost within 7 meals at the most.

Chain restaurants also use this site: pizza express, prezzo, strada and gourmet burger kitchen are amongst a few of them. Other more exclusive restaurants also use the site and its easy to use guide shows if you must ring first, if it's a one-time only deal, if you can book on Saturday or not and still use it. Really really useful.

So come all ye faithful, give a loved one a fabulous present for Christmas and get them the tastelondon card subscription!

Website: http://www.tastelondon.co.uk/

Banana Wharf, Ocean Village, Southampton

So a bit of a diversion maybe but I thought I'd tell you about this fabulous restaurant that I go to every time I'm in Southampton. My dad calls it 'the office' considering he's in it so often and it's owned by a friend of his who is a bit of a restaurant magnate in ye olde Southampton.

Banana Wharf is a friendly, busy place that serves some excellent food. It's contemporary, has a great view of Ocean Village and is child-friendly and adult-friendly (considering my dad, that's a must!). The bar staff are quick and efficient, the waitresses know their stuff and Kerry, the goddess who runs the show, is very organised and more importantly: friendly.

I'd like to point out that whilst we take friendliness for granted in restaurants, we often shouldn't. Some staff are rude, others are abrupt, and some are so busy that any attempts at niceties come off as completely false. It's not always their fault: busy kitchens and a packed restaurant does not always mean that staff have the time to take a lot of care over their customers but I really think that this is exactly the issue. Staff should have time to make a customer feel welcome, especially when they're parting with a lot of money for the experience. Why should I pay £50+ a head when the staff are rude little shits? This might sound a bit extreme but I assure you it isn't; some restaurants have the attitude that you should feel lucky to have gotten a table there and it's just not the right message to send.

Anyway, back to the review. Banana Wharf thankfully has some great staff working there who are friendly, will relate messages on dietary requirements back to the kitchens and who are very knowledgeable about what they're serving. They've been trained well!

The menus are varied, with plenty of choice. There's fresh seafood, shellfish, pasta, oriental dishes, burgers, steaks and a multitude of pizzas and yummy starters. All the food is fresh, delicious and leaves you feeling full. I've tried a few things now and my favourite starter still has to be the chicken liver parfait which comes with warm bread & a side-salad. The steaks are beautiful and my knife always cuts through them like butter.

They also have a fab Sunday lunch (which isn't for the faint-hearted!). Kerry can tell you on the day or a couple of days before what the roast will be and it tends to be a shoulder of lamb which is so tender it falls off the bone with hardly any effort. Although I'm not a fan of bones or playing with my food, I have often made an exception for this culinary delight. It's too nice to turn down!

The prices aren't bad either. Although it's not a huge value-for-money establishment the prices are reasonable, the damage to the wallet is justifiable and the food is so nice that you won't care by the time the bill comes anyway. A starter is between £5-8, a pizza is about £9 and a good-sized fillet steak is £20. Like I said, very reasonable.

It's somewhere to head to for a gathering of girls, a family meal, a breakfast the morning after the night before (I believe most of the Ocean Village family have visited at one point or another!) or a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. The food is of a high quality, the service matches this and it's always a pleasure to eat there. So the next time you're in Southampton, head to Banana Wharf at Ocean Village to eat - You won't be disappointed!

The Vitals

Banana Wharf (Ocean Village)
Ocean Village, Southampton, SO14 3JF
Tel: 023 8033 8866
Website: http://www.bananawharf.co.uk/southampton/restaurant/home/

Boulevard Dining Room, Soho, London

Tonight's restaurant was somewhere I've been wanting to try for quite some time. The Boulevard Dining Room on Old Compton Street has had consistently good reviews from toptable and as it's just around the corner (practically!) from Haymarket where the theatre was, there seemed no better time to try it!

Although we booked in for the £15 for 3 courses and a Bellini deal - by the way to anybody who is reading this? GO. Go NOW - we arrived late and by the time the whole table was sat, we only had 30 mins until we had to leave to go and see Breakfast at Tiffany's. Because of this we went for a main meal and didn't have the wonderful deal. Alas!

The restaurant itself is pretty split up, there's several areas and it stops you from feeling crowded in. At the same time, it appears busy and there seems to be a careful seating arrangement to make sure that a happy, chatty ambiance is maintained at all times. It's very neutral; dark wood tables, beige leather boots, light beige walls with a smattering of terracotta. The staff were very patient with us and were happy to accommodate some of our needs, i.e. changing off of the toptable deal, getting one bill separate to the other diners, arriving late.

Food-wise I thought it was pretty good. Four of us ate and we had the following: 8oz Donald Russell chopped steak burger, Monterey Jack cheese with fresh cut fries; Texas three egg omelette with chorizo, sauté potato and red peppers with fresh cut fries; Californian chardonnay risotto with enoki mushrooms & Blackened tuna steak with a rocket and cherry tomato salad. It was all very nice but the burger - my meal - was nothing particularly special in comparison to Jamie's Italian which was around the same price.

I would go back there again with a friend as it's a central location, quite cheap and it's got a good vibe about it. However, I would definitely look for somewhere else to go first and fall back on it as a reserve if my first choice was booked out.

The Vitals

Boulevard Dining Room
57-59 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, W1D 6HP
Tel: 020 7287 0770
Website: http://www.boulevardsoho.com/
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=2361

Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Leicester Square, London

Hello my lovelies... What delicious dining experience do I have to tell you about this time?

This is actually a bit of an oldie but I've been waiting for my camera lead to be sent to me because I took actual photos on my real camera, not my iPhone. Shocker! Me and la belle Elaine headed to a lovely little French restaurant called l'Atelier de Joel Robuchon which is about a five minute walk from Leicester Square tube station.

This restaurant is 2 Michelin-starred and definitely deserves its reputation. A doorman lets you into a dark reception, all black, red and glass. Two women stand on the reception and take your coats before leading you into frankly, the most trendy French restaurant I've ever stepped foot into. Again it's black, red and glass and everything oozes style and sophistication. Ooh la la!

The restaurant itself is tiny. I really cannot stress this enough. Most of the 'tables' are side-by-side along the bar which faces into the restaurant. Think sushi without the revolving food. There are about 10 other tables, for 2 or 4 people, and it's fabulous. One of the walls is a hedge and the other walls are mirrors, making the restaurant look much larger.

Elaine and I went for the Toptable/pre-theatre dinner menu which is 2 courses for £19 or 3 courses for £25. Being the piggies we are, we went for 2 courses and ended up having 3 out of sheer greediness! The courses aren't huge - it's not a huge course kind of place - but what you get is exceptionally good.

Most importantly, the food:

For starters, we both had wild boar and foie gras terrine, sweet and sour oyster mushrooms and cranberries. The terrine was really delicate and lovely flavoured, not too game-y and not too heavy. I didn't eat the mushrooms but Elaine told me that they were gorgeous and I'll take her word for it.


We decided to go for separate dishes for the main. I had chicken stew served with seasonal vegetables which was very, very tasty. The flavours were - again - very delicate and it was light and refreshing instead of stolid. It would have been nice to have had a little more of it but it was beautifully flavoured. Elaine had pan-fried hake, parsley roots puree & crunch hazlenuts which was fabulous. I tried some and the flavours exploded on the tongue; the puree was also absolutely lump-free and perfect. I definitely think that Elaine had the better choice here!


For dessert, we once again mix and matched, having the cheese of the day (comte) and the dessert of the day (some sort of chocolate/caramel pudding with lemon ice-cream). We felt a little cheated by the cheese which is the French equivalent to cheddar but it was nice nevertheless. The pudding was delicious and not too rich, perfect for ending the meal.

All in all, it was a great experience even if we had serious food envy for the couple next to us who were having the very special tasting menu (£185 each with prestige wines!). Watch out with the drinks - £12 for a glass of the house champagne! - but otherwise definitely visit. It's a great place to go to, the atmosphere is very sophisticated and buzzy, and the staff are only too willing to help. Upon asking for a menu, I received a little envelope with our menu as well as the other menus inside. Very nice touch!

The Vitals

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
13-15 West Street, London, WC2H 9NE
Tel: 020 7010 8600
Website: www.joel-robuchon.com
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=4346

Nearest tube: Leicester Square

Golden Dragon, Chinatown, London

It's a grey Monday morning at work after the most horrible & rainy weekend but at least I have some tea & a pain au chocolat to cheer me up! Well that and Kirsty, who has just returned from a trip to Oslo. Note to all: it's dark and expensive.

So on Saturday - hellishly rainy day that it was - I met my friend Michaela for dinner. We were supposedly going to eat at hers but one thing leads to another and before we knew it, we were headed towards China Town near Leicester Square.

Now a word about China Town: it's a new concept to me. There isn't one in Leicester or Plymouth and apart from very good (and expensive) Chineses or all-you-can-eat buffets, I've never been exposed to good, cheap eats. You still have to be careful where you go to, of course, but on the whole it's a safe bet that no matter what you eat, it will be edible.

We went to the Golden Dragon on Gerrard Street which always seems to get mixed reviews. The reason we chose it was that it was busy (we only had to wait for 10 mins for a table on a Saturday night however) and there was plenty of choice on the menu. Once at the table the staff were very kind and although it was a bit rushed at times, they were generally nice people.

The decor/inside is what you'd expect of most Chineses. A bar, round tables, Chinese panelling/wallpaper, some portraits. It's not upscale or posh but it has a good atmosphere and is buzzy and chatty. The menu is quite varied and although some of the dishes were basic, they had a good selection of shellfish/seafood dishes and plenty of variation on the noodles, rice and beancurd.

So the food we had. For starter, we had 1/4 crispy duck & pancakes, vegetable spring rolls (tasted a bit fishy!) & a deep fried crab claw. For main course, we had beef satay, chicken with ginger & spring onion & egg-fried rice. We also had a couple of glasses of wine and a few soft drinks which pushed the bill up to £50. The chicken tasted more like garlic chicken, the vegetable spring rolls did taste of shellfish (I'm allergic so that wasn't a good thing!) and it wasn't the cheapest food in the world but it was good and I'd probably go back again but stick to the crispy duck which was ace.

China Town is a great place to wander around if you're hungry and fancy a nice bite to eat. You can eat in a lot of the restaurants for about £10 and there's a few gems hidden down Gerrard Street and in the surrounding area.

Vitals
Golden Dragon
28-29 Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JW
Tel: 020 7734 2763

Nearest tube: Leicester Square

Jamie Oliver's Italian @ Canary Wharf, London

So I'm already bored with the formatting - Not a surprise to anybody who knows me as I can't ever write anything unless I like the font I'm writing in.

Yesterday me and a fellow co-worker headed to Jamie Oliver's Italian @ Canary Wharf which happens to be just outside our work place. Note to all going there: get there early. They don't take bookings and the lunch rush is, to be frank, manic. We got there just before 12 and were seated immediately which meant we were fed & watered just in time for a 1pm meeting.

This restaurant - one of the chain which boasts 7 restaurants around the country - is the only one in the City and is pretty funky decor-wise. Organic market meets grafittied ghetto with a dash of city slick style would describe the feel of the place. Proper dishtowel napkins and food served on wooden boards make it feel like a proper eaterie and the unpretentious waiters & waitresses make it a great dining experience.

Jamie's strapline on his website is: Jamie Oliver's first independent restaurant venture brings what's best about casual dining to the high street and to an extent, I'd agree. The menu is mostly uncomplicated and everything that came out of the kitchen make my stomach rumble.



Food-wise, I went for the CHARGRILLED CHOP STEAK BEEF BURGER - Served with fontina cheese, spicy coppa, soft lettuce, pickles, gherkins and my crispy fried onions in our own fennel crusted bun with mayonnaise which at £10.95 was a steal! I also had some POSH TRUFFLE CHIPS INSANELY GOOD WITH TRUFFLE OIL AND PARMESAN which were amazing and I'd recommend. The truffle oil made them crunchy and utterly delicious.

My colleague had a tried & tested favourite - although she does have a half-Italian boyfriend so she knows her pasta - and ordered BEAUTIFUL BUCATINI CARBONARA - Crispy fried smoked pancetta with ribbons of courgettes, tossed with eggs, thyme and parmesan cheese. Again this was a very reasonable £7.95 and was more than enough for a lunch time.

It was a great lunch, the food was fantastic and we didn't feel rushed nor that we had to hurry to leave in time for work. The burger was cooked medium like I asked for, they took off the gherkin and pickle (I'm a gherkout, people!) and were happy to accommodate that.

It's somewhere I'd definitely go to again, with friends or family. I think with starters it has the capability to become a little price-y but for a burger or pasta dish with a great atmosphere and more importantly great flavour, you can do a lot worse than visit Jamie Oliver's Italian @ Canary Wharf.

The Vitals

Jamie Oliver's Italian,
Unit 17, 2 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5RB
Tel: 020 3002 5252
Website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/

Nearest tube: Canary Wharf (DLR / Jubilee)

Palm Court Brasserie, Covent Garden, London

The Sitch

So after going into work and having a drink at The Saint (near St Pauls, a great place for an after-work drink!) at about 6:30pm, my lovely partner-in-crime - Vicki - and I decided that we should go for food to combat the torrential rain which London was experiencing and the bitter cold. Note to self: buy a new coat.

After trying to book Mango Tree - and quel horreur, no meal deal! - we decided to go to the Palm Court Brasserie, deciding that 3 courses for £19 and a free glass of Kir Royal through Top Table was really far too good to pass up.

The Place

After a very easy trip to Covent Garden, the place was very easy to find and thankfully uncrowded when we arrived. We were placed on the table next to the door - great for me because I'm a ridiculously nosy person - although some might not have liked the slight draft nor the fact that people are standing around them.

The restaurant is very French-looking, booths on the side, rattan chairs and dark wood throughout. It probably does need a bit of freshening up but we didn't seem to notice anything amiss and the restaurant was set out in a way which meant that the staff weren't having to weave through tables and the diners weren't disturbed.

The Food



Starter:
- Chicken Liver & Foie Gras parfait - toasted sourdough and red onion marmalade
- Goat's cheese on foccacia

Main course:
- Roast salmon fillet with crushed garlic new potatoes and hollandaise sauce
- Beef bourguignon and mash

Dessert:
- Classic crème brûlée
- Duo of dark chocolate and white chocolate terrine with raspberry coulis

The food was absolutely bloody lovely to keep it short. It was tasty, good and the service was very prompt. We were in and out within about an hour and a half which I think is very good for a quick-ish dinner. My foie gras was delicate and not too overpowering; I should think that even non-foie gras fans would have been hard-pressed to slate it.

Personally I think you get a decent amount of food for the price but I wasn't too hungry. I would perhaps have had a side dish if I had been hungrier (only £3.25 so not bank breaking!) and there was a great selection of those.

The Decision

I'd definitely go back - even without a meal deal because the full-price portions are huge and you probably wouldn't need more than the one course. The staff were friendly but not pestering, the food was really good and the price was even better.

Palm Court Brasserie is the perfect place to nip into after a hard day's shopping or a long day at work when you want decent food quickly at a great price and I'd advise anybody and everybody to go there at least once.

The Vitals

Palm Court Brasserie,
39 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JS
Tel: 020 7240 2939
Website: http://www.palmcourtbrasserie.co.uk/
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=1259

Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Awana, South Kensington, London

The Sitch

So I picked this restaurant because it's had such consistently good ratings on Toptable.com and after looking at the menu, I was practically salivating at the thought of eating most (read: any) of the food which wasn't a good thing considering I had a day of work to get through... Argh!

I went out tonight with my darling Emily, a childhood friend. We used to have holiday homes next to each other in Puerto Banus and even though she moved down the road, we still remained fab friends. We meet up once a month, go out and generally act like toddlers in a restaurant. As you can imagine: staff love us a ridiculous amount although we were really quite good this time. There was no chilli ice-cream thrown across the table.

Again we used the 50% food offer which is becoming quite near and dear to my heart. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to eat without this offer to be honest.

The Place

So Awana is freaking cool although a bit romantic. Very nice and quiet although for the life of me I can't understand why they put us on a table next to a couple enjoying a date when there was literally an entire restaurant available to sit in. I would say that it's a later-night eatery; we were there at 7.30 and people didn't really start getting there till 8.30-9.

It's all wooden floors, comfy banquettes and candles, very chic and sophisticated. They also have a TV screen showing the chef in the kitchen although - worryingly - he didn't seem to be there very often!

The Food


Starter:
- Mixed asian vegetable spring rolls served with sweet chilli sauce
- Barbecued beef strips in oyster sauce and palm sugar, mixed with salad in sambal sauce

Main Course:
- Poussin marinaded in soy and coriander (supposed to be a curry, definitely wasn't!)
- Mixed seasonal vegetable and cashew stir fry

Dessert:
- Selection of desserts: Chocolate cake, banana cheesecake, lemongrass and chilli sorbet, star anis and blood orange sorbet, sweet coconut filled pandan pancake, chocolate sauce

I was a bit cheesed off with the food to be honest. They brought over three menus for the table and as we ordered stuff, kept taking them away! We went for the full a la carte firstly and ordered some tasty food before they then informed us that we weren't allowed that with our deal. They then told us to look at this tiny menu with four choices which was the toptable rewards menu. We once again ordered and then they said that that was the one for free meals, not us. We then got an in between menu which mainly consisted of chicken and vegetarian meals, nothing particularly inspiring.

The starters were lovely flavoured but the mains and desserts were quite average to be honest. I'm still not convinced that the poussin I received (photo 2) was what I ordered considering it was supposed to be a curry and definitely wasn't!

The Decision

I definitely won't be going back any time soon. Whilst we had a good night, I think it was mostly down to the gossip we were sharing rather than the food. The staff were pleasant, the decor was great but I think the food let this place down. If I hadn't had the 50% offer I would have been most distressed at the thought of paying full price! I suppose I would have gotten a better selection of food but I really don't see how they can just limit the menu so much and expect people not to think that they're getting what basically amounts to the kitchen scraps, price and ingredients-wise.

Awana was a bit of a let-down: I think there's probably similar restaurants at a better price with better food.

Still let's look on the bright side: I gave them feedback in return for a chance to win a return flight to Malaysia (Jesus Christ I hope the food is better!) so I might get something more out of this trip?!

The Vitals

Awana - Chelsea
85 Sloane Avenue, London, SW3 3DX
Tel: 020 7584 8880
Website: http://www.awana.co.uk/index.php
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=2587

Nearest tube: South Kensington

Pizza Express, Abbey Road, London

The Sitch

One of my best friends has moved to London and weirdly has ended up living about ten minutes away. Considering she was first thinking of South London and I live in North-West, this was a very nice surprise! She's just started a new job - welcome to the real world, Hannah! - and to celebrate her first full day, we decided to go and do din dins.

Pizza Express has this mystical - as in I can never normally find it - 2 pizzas for £10 deal and I decided to use our vouchers and go to the Pizza Express on Abbey Road. We - once again stupidly - walked from Kilburn park but for all those who are clever and can remember to use a bus, the 189 and 139 passes right by the restaurant.

Of course, I should add that it's really not a bad place to walk to. Abbey Road is beautiful and I have to admit that when I'm on the bus going into town on a weekend - thanks so much Jubilee line - I like to have a sneaky peek into the gardens of the houses I will probably only long to own.

The Place

The restaurant on Abbey Road isn't like your usual Pizza Express; there's a huge black conservatory on the side of the building and it's a period building from the outside. From the inside it's decorated quite funkily but the acoustics are terrible; one table told another to shut up because the laughing and talking carried really badly.

The waiters know their menu well; they were more than happy to explain some bits of the menu to my friend when she asked about a type of pasta and when I asked them to recommend a wine. They helped to create a friendly, buzzy atmosphere which was great for a cold, dark and windy Monday night.

The Food

Starter:
- Formaggio Bread - Baked dough topped with creamy fontal cheese, tangy caramelised onions and a sprinkle of fresh parsley

Main Course:
- Pollo ad Astra - Torn chicken breast and peppadew sweet peppers, mixed with cajun spices, garlic oil and red onions
- Diavolo - Devilishly hot with spicy beef, pepperoni, onions and Tabasco, with hot green or jalapeno peppers

Dessert:
Lemon Gelato - This creamy gelato will really get your taste buds racing. Served with a dark chocolate straw

The starter portions were embarrassingly small. We had a Formaggio bread between two of us and received a small slate platter with a piece of bread no larger than an A6 postcard. Considering it cost £3.50, I was expecting something a little bigger to be honest.

The pizzas were tasty and well-flavoured but slightly overcooked as I pointed out to the waitress who apologised. If I hadn't been so hungry - thanks to the small starters - I would have sent it back and ordered a new one. I really don't enjoy a blackened pizza but the flavours, ingredients and freshness more than made up for it.

My lemon gelato was lovely and there was plenty of this; a great way to digest and breakdown all of the carbohydrates I had just consumed! The wine wasn't bad either which was a huge plus considering I'd cheaped out and gone for the cheapest on the menu.

The Decision

I was more than happy with the size of the bill after the 2 pizzas for £10 offer and I'd go back; I think with Pizza Express, the food is of a middling-good standard and you kind of have to pick and choose the ones you go to.

I'd definitely go back to the Abbey Road Pizza Express as I assume the black-topped pizzas were an anomaly and not a regular thing. The clientele were mixed; families, young professionals and older couples and it helped to create a great atmosphere in which I could chill out, relax and catch up with a friend.

The Vitals

Pizza Express - Abbey Road,
39, Abbey Road, NW8 0AA
Tel: 020 7624 5577
Website: http://www.pizzaexpress.com/

Nearest tube: St John's Wood

Gilgamesh, Camden, London

The Sitch

A friend and I (god this is a recurring theme) decided to go for dinner. Although we work for the same company, we're in different projects and catching up can be a lesson in endurance. Therefore we finally agreed upon a day and as she's a complete foodie - hurrah - she sent me lots of lovely restaurants to look at.

We decided on Gilgamesh for several reasons: our first choice was full for that night, it had good word of mouth reviews and they had a taste menu on toptable.com (getting sick of that yet?) for £20 each. We thought this was too good to be true and booked it then and there, both of us getting quite excited about the night ahead.

The Place

The building is incredibly funky, there's no denying its charms. Its entrance is dominated by a huge sign and an escalator takes you up to the restaurant level. The main restaurant is huge and open-plan with Thai wooden engravings and amazing tables and chairs that are very solid and Thai-looking in appearance. The restaurant is on a few different levels which is a nice touch and the bar and kitchen faces the tables. There's also a sort-of lounge behind the bar and a private room fenced off on the way to the toilets.

The staff were rude which, unfortunately, I feel I must point out. The man on the front desk didn't even deign to speak to us on arrival or departure, merely pointing us in the direction of his colleagues who were also very dismissive. It almost felt as if we weren't as good as those who were paying full price which seemed rather ridiculous to me.

The Food

Taster menu:

Starter
- Duck spring roll with hoisin sauce
- Salmon sashimi salad
- Steamed prawn & chive dumplings

Main
- Thai Green crispy fish curry, Thai basil & lime leaf
- Grilled beef Japanese chive mash, sweet soy glaze
- Jasmine rice
- Stir-fried Asian greens

Dessert
- Chocolate & lemongrass brulee

The food was lovely in flavour (can't comment on the dumplings; I'm allergic to shellfish) and very well presented. The sauce on the sashimi salad was a tad fishy for me but Michaela lapped it up.

My biggest problem with Gilgamesh is the portion-size. We're two girls with a decent appetite and we were both mostly hungry when we had finished our meal. There wasn't nearly enough and I didn't feel happy parting with my money afterwards. I refused to pay the service charge because I felt as if a. the staff had been dismissive and b. I hadn't had a good dining experience. I didn't want to go back.

The Decision

I wouldn't go to Gilgamesh again unless I could afford to have a non-set menu. I feel it's overpriced, overhyped and worse, it believes in its own hype. The staff are very cold, not very welcoming and almost intimidating. Asking them for anything felt as if I was inconveniencing them which shouldn't be the case.

If the chef ever reads this - which I doubt - double your portion sizes for the set menu and you'll double your clientele. People like to feel as if they've gotten good value for money and in this case? I most definitely didn't.

In short: don't go to Gilgamesh if you're hungry!

The Vitals

Gilgamesh Restaurant Bar & Lounge
The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH
Tel: 0207 428 4922
Website: http://www.gilgameshbar.com/index.htm
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=2947

Nearest tube:
Camden Town, Chalk Farm

Carluccio's, Covent Garden, London

The Sitch

A group of people were going for dinner to discuss a new project and I was invited to a free meal. By now you've probably figured out that just the word 'meal' gets me to a restaurant; making it free only gives me more of an incentive to go!

I didn't pick the place but Carluccio's at Covent Garden seemed central for everybody and Covent Garden is a nice area of London to wander around. It's not somewhere you mind getting lost in per se.

So Nikita (told you you'd be mentioned!) and I, armed with the trusty iPhone, headed to Garrick Street to meet the rest of the group and this is kind of how it went.

The Place

Quite small and noisy were my first impressions. The staff seemed very nice - our waiter was attentive and sensitive to the fact that we were waiting for 9 people to arrive from different places - and eager to please. He brought us over wine, topped up our glasses without us having to ask and brought us jugs of water, starters and olives. Yummy!

The restaurant is of a middling size, no real privacy unless you have a booth however. We were on a table near the bar and there didn't seem much room for the staff to squeeze past us which was quite off-putting.

The Food

Food choices (that I remember):

- Chargrilled garlic bread
- Chargrilled garlic bread topped with provolone cheese
- 10oz Bone in rib steak, chargrilled and served with rosemary potatoes and pepolata
- Fillet of sea bass pan-fried with a tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes
- Pumpkin risotto


It was of a middling standard to be honest. Despite ordering my steak medium, it was very well cooked and very thin considering it was 10oz. I was expecting more of a juicy steak than the thin frying steak I got on my plate but then this isn't a meat restaurant; I perhaps picked wrong. Those in my group who ordered pasta seemed to get very good portions of lovely food.

We also had some starters which were very nice and easy to share: great when you have a group of nine people who need to talk and eat at the same time.

The Decision

It's not somewhere I'd hurry to go to again but this is mainly because I'm a little wary of Italian chains or chains in general. Whilst I can generally predict the standard of Zizzi or Pizza Express, Carluccio's is not somewhere I've been before and I'd have to go to a few others before I could really make an informed decision.

However with the wealth of restaurants in London, I doubt I'll be making a return visit any time soon.

The Vitals

Carluccio's Covent Garden,
Garrick Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9BH
Tel: 020 7836 0990
Website: http://www.carluccios.com/

Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Kings Road Steakhouse and Grill, Chelsea, London

The Sitch

What can I say? Another day, another excuse to go out. This time two girls who work on the same project (Laura & Olivia) came down from Leeds and so the four of us - it would have been five but Phil refused to join us because of the football - Men! - decided to meander down to the Kings Road Steakhouse and Grill, courtesy of 50% off from toptable.com

A word to the wise however: The restaurant when I rang said that the offer only counted until 7.30 at night whereas toptable states 7 - 10pm. Make sure you check because you could be in for a nasty shock when your bill comes. The time refers to the time of ordering, not when you get the bill so as long as your food is in for then then you're set!

One of the reasons I went to this restaurant was the word-of-mouth from my boss and when I saw the offer I jumped at it. The restaurant used to be known as Jimmy's and became one of Marco Pierre White's Restaurant (I think) reasonably recently.

The Place

Firstly? Get a taxi and do not walk from Fulham Broadway as we did because it really is about a twenty minute walk which, whilst great for setting up my appetite, isn't great for my feet in heels! This restaurant is on Kings Road in Chelsea which packs a punch to start with.

The restaurant is smaller than expected but cosy, with a nice decor and good lighting. There's a mezzanine level and a sub-level with one large table which I assume is for groups. The waiters were really kind as two of our party didn't get there till quite a while after the booking and were happy to bring us bread and wine (the most important part of a meal) whilst they arrived.

The Food

As with most toptable.com offers, we had to have two courses. I was the sole orderer of a starter, the other three girls opted for desserts and our experiences were all fabulous. One of our party was a vegetarian and there wasn't a lot of choice (i.e. only one) for her.

- Smoked Salmon with lemon blinis and horseradish cream
- 8oz Fillet steak with a small side salad
- Triple Cooked Chips
- Chargrilled Chicken - half a chicken & caesar salad
- Steamed Fillet of Halibut with marsh samphire, lemongrass, chilli, ginger
- Stuffed Artichoke Globe with provençale ratatouille and parmesan
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Strawberries & Cream

It was all very good and I really couldn't fault the meal: the quality of the ingredients and the freshness of the food was undeniable. Our food portions were of a very decent size and I struggled to finish my main which is always a good thing in my book! We also didn't have to wait too long between courses and yet we didn't feel harried to finish and get out, despite the 1h30 minute turnaround on tables.

The Decision

Brownie points for it a. being a Marco Pierre White restaurant and b. maintaining a very high standard of food despite having a very busy restaurant with plenty of people coming in and out of the door. It's one I'd go back to but only with people who are easily impressed by names. It is a bit of a trek and not really in my usual hunting ground restaurant-wise. From work it took almost an hour to get there with that 20 minute walk!

The Vitals

Kings Road Steakhouse & Grill (formally Jimmy's)
386, Kings Road, SW3 5UZ
Tel: 020 7351 9997
Website: http://www.kingsroadsteakhouseandgrill.com/
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=8048

Nearest tube station: Fulham Broadway / Earls Court

The Diner, Shoreditch, London

The Sitch

You'll get to hear a lot about Kirsty: she's my sidekick in pretty much everything. We work together, party together and eat together which is why we ended up going to The Diner in Shoreditch where her housemate Cyd (best waitress ever!) works.

It's a bit of a star-spotting venue: Keira Knightley and We are Scientists were in the day before us and Dirty Pretty Things and Mark Ronson have been in since our visit. It's a friendly, busy diner just off of Old Street and serves amazingly cheap food.

The Place

It's quite small and TGI Friday-ish in menu but without the kitsch decoration. Think chic and slick with a view into the kitchen as the team prepare everything with a minimum of fuss and a maximum attention to detail. The menu consists of all-American favourites and all are tasty and delicious.

The Food

We decided that instead of having a main course each - we weren't that hungry - we'd have a mixture of side dishes. They didn't mind us doing this and so we ordered the following:

- Onion rings
- Potato Skins with Cheese and Bacon
- Diner Fries (cajun seasoning)
- Macaroni Cheese Side

The food was out very quickly and it was absolutely scrumptious. I especially liked the Potato Skins although Kirsty preferred the Macaroni Cheese. The food was very cheap (£26 for all of our food and a bottle of wine) and the atmosphere and attitudes of the staff were really upbeat and positive.

The Decision

The Diner is a chain of sorts: there's five of them around London and I believe that they're all of a similar standard. I'd definitely go if American 50's dining is what you're looking for but prepare for a queue; there's a bit of a wait at the Shoreditch branch of this fabulous dining experience!

The Vitals

The Diner in Shoreditch
128 - 130 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, EC21 3AQ
Tel: 020 7729 4452
Website: http://www.goodlifediner.com/

Nearest tube: Old Street

Mango Tree, Belgravia, London

The Sitch

Last night me and a friend decided that enough was enough and we would meet and go out for dinner. This shouldn't have been as hard as it was but our schedules are both pretty messy and we tend to go for a couple of weeks at a time without seeing each other. Of course then the obvious question was 'where shall we eat?'

I'm a big fan of toptable.com and I've been wanting to try out the majority of their restaurant offers for quite some time. To those who are new to toptable, a bit of history about how their reward scheme works.

It's really very simple: you book a restaurant with their special offers (50% off, 2 courses for £15 etc) through their website by choosing the time, date and number of people. You then add on the offer, put in a name and contact number and it reserves the table for you. After you've dined at the restaurant, you get points for reviewing it - 200 per restaurant. After you've accrued 1,400 points you can eat for free in certain restaurants and as it's a free service to begin with, this is a very good deal!

Anyway, back to the review. We decided last night to go to Mango Tree, a restaurant in Belgravia, as there was a 50% off food offer on toptable.com. I know it's a bit of a celebrity haunt (as shown by the OK! magazine pictures on the way to the loo) and we thought it would be fun so we met up at Victoria and wandered our way over.

The Place

We weren't disappointed. The decor is chic and the room is large and open-plan, making dinner conversation a bit noisy but the atmosphere was buzzy and great. There was an abundance of waiters (always a plus) and the food that was coming past smelled delicious.

The Food

We decided to play it relatively safe and order well-known favourites of ours:

- Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai (Green curry with corn fed chicken)
- Nuer Pad Nam Man Hoi (Stir Fried Sirloin Beef with ginger, garlic and spicy soy sauce)
- Pad Thai Jay (Stir fried Thai rice noodles in house spicy sauce served with Chinese chives, peanuts and bean sprouts)
- Sticky Rice
- Sorbet (Coconut Lime / Lavender Rose / Exotic Fruit)
- Ice-cream (Vanilla Pandan, Chocolate Lemongrass, Very Berry)

(All descriptions taken from the menu)










The food was wonderful. The portions were large and definitely enough for two. It was tasty, spicy and hot: everything I look for in a Thai meal in short. They were more than willing to give us jugs of tap water (not such a guaranteed thing in some London restaurants where getting tap water feels like drawing blood from a stone) and to accommodate our every need.

The Decision

I'd, without a doubt, recommend going back and I'm planning on dragging another friend there asap! The only downside for me was that the 50% off deal only applied to food and therefore the cheapest bottle of wine at around £40 seemed very expensive. However the cocktails were at a much more reasonable price at around £7-8 and were yummy to boot!

Definitely head there soon and experience a bargain meal at one of London's best Thai restaurants!

The vitals:

Mango Tree
46 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7EQ
Tel: 020 7823 1888
Website: http://www.mangotree.org.uk/index.php
Toptable listing: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=1313

Nearest tube station: Victoria (3 mins walk)