London Food Detective

Launceston Place: Putting a Smile on Our Face!

Recently we've had to (temporarily) move away from London, as Grace was finishing her current job and to mark the end of an era we wanted to leave with a gourmet bang.

We were recently given some D&D vouchers and so it was an easy decision to visit the star in their stable, Launceston Place in Kensington.

The reviews I'd read of the place were generally positive and as we approached the restaurant on a freezing cold night I was looking forward to some heart-warming fare.  I wasn't disappointed.

The restaurant looks like more like a glorified gastro-pub from the outside and the interior is dark, intimate and cosy.  We were seated by one of the windows and were brought some lightly spiced handmade crisps to begin with.  These were tied up with branded ribbons, which was a nice touch. 

Bizarrely, we then had to wait ten fifteen minutes to be given the menu, though to be fair, after that initial slow service the staff redeemed themselves (more of that later).

I love a menu that gets you talking and debating about choices and I was in a real quandary for all three courses, with a number of dishes catching my eye.  

Amuse Bouche: Cauliflower soup with truffle oil

Once I'd finally made my mind up, we were served an amuse bouche of cauliflower soup, which was creamy, rich and warming.  Just what you need on a cold night!

 
Starter: Potted Foie Gras, Quince Jelly & Liquorice Bread

Unfortunately, the picture of my scallops with aromatic herbs seems to have disappeared into the ether. However, it was beautifully presented on a wooden board with their shells.  The two scallops were like father and son. One was huge and the other much smaller.  They were perfectly cooked, but I found the accompanying herbs a bit underwhelming.  It wasn't a bad dish, but was by far and away the worst course of the evening.

By comparison Grace's starter was a memorable dish.

The potted foie gras was smooth, unctuous and had a hint of spice (we thought it was cinnamon) and it's rich flavour went perfectly with the sweet quince. The liquorice bread offered a contrast and the salt brought out the contrasting flavours further. Grace hasn't raved about a dish so much for a while and she made sure she scraped every last morsel out the jars!

Main Course: Salt Marsh Lamb, Crackling, Sea Beets & Salt Baked Potatoes

Wow! If I have a better dish than this all year I'll be delighted. I loved every element of it.  The salt marsh lamb was full of flavour, cooked perfectly pink and just melted in mouth. It was so tender and succulent, I'm salivating just thinking of it. 

The accompanying crackling was also a delight. Crunch on first bite, but then you get the underlying fat and a concentrated lamb taste. Why don't they serve these along pork scratchings in pubs?!

I hadn't tried sea beet before and it reminded me a bit of spinach (one of my fav veg) and so just added to my joy.  The salt baked potatoes came served in a little plastic bag and were pillowy soft in the middle with crispy skin.

The dish probably contained a month's worth of salt, but I couldn't fault it.  Wonderful stuff.

Main Course: Devonshire Duckling, Apples and Alexanders

Grace's main course was also very good. Like the lamb the duck was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and succulent pink breast. I wasn't sure if the apple sauce would work with it (I thought it might overpower the duck), but it went well and the slight tartness in it cut through the slightly oily sauce.

 

Cheese Course

We were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to have some cheese.  They kindly let us share one portion and we then cheekily asked if we could have pot of the quince from the starter, as it was so good and this was brought out with no fuss what so ever.  A nice touch.  We went for a fairly conservative selection, but I had some of my favourite Stinking Bishop and a medium/strong goats cheese.

 

Dessert: Rice Pudding Souffle, Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

Grace loved her dessert. It reminded me of an upscale school dinner dessert (well, the rice pudding and raspberry jam did, we didn't have too many souffles at school) and she was scooping every last bit out of the ice cream jar.  The souffle has risen perfectly and the rice pudding went perfectly with the creamy, smooth, raspberry ripple ice cream.

Dessert: Set Custard Cream, Caramel and Praline, Malt Ice Cream

My dessert was also very good and had a number of contrasting flavours and textures that I thought worked well together. My favour part was the concentrated malt flavour of the small jellies, these complimented the creamy custard wonderfully and I'd have been happy with just a plate full of that! 

Before I finish up I want to say a quick word about the service.  After a slow start, the staff really did a good job.  After the first course we asked if we could move tables, as we were sat by the window and there was a cold draft and Grace was freezing.  This was done immediately and without fuss.  The same went for when we asked for the quince to go with the cheese.  No problem and delivered quickly and efficiently. Then when we were leaving we were presented with a small box of chocolates to take home.

Overall, I was greatly impressed with Launceston Place and it did exactly what we wanted. A great meal out to celebrate the end of an era and we left with big smiles on our face after a highly satisfactory evening.

It was one of the best meals I've had for a while and I'm amazed the place doesn't have a Michelin star.  The service was attentive, the cooking inventive and overall we had a fabulous evening.

Great Queen Street, Holborn: Long Live the Queen!

A Meeting of Minds...and Food of Course!

Craig: Although I’ve been blogging on and off for nearly five years it is only in the last six months or so that I’ve been writing up my thoughts on restaurants I’ve visited.

In that time I’ve found a whole new world of people who share my passion for eating out and good food.

One of the blogs I’ve got subscribed in my RSS feed is Laissez Fare and I always enjoy reading his in-depth reviews.  We’ve been to a few of the same places and seem to have had similar experiences (see for example our thoughts on Le Gavroche here and here) and so I was delighted when he got in touch to see if I fancied meeting up for lunch.

After establishing we both work fairly close to each other we settled on Great Queen Street, Holborn, the sister restaurant to gastro-pub favourite the Anchor & Hope.

Now this is the first time I’ve ever met up with someone I’ve chatted too online and the occasion almost had a sense of a blind date to it.  Would LF be the friendly, helpful, chatty guy his online persona gives off or would he turn out to be some sort of foodie psycho?  I’m very pleased to report that it is the former, though whether the feeling is mutual you’ll have to check!

Anyway, we hit it off straight away and had a good chat before we got down to the serious business of ordering our food.  Great Queen Street is all about seasonal, hearty food and the menu reflects this with dishes like slowly braised mutton and pressed ox tongue.

After a bit of deliberation we decided the desserts sounded better than the starters, so we elected to go for a main and dessert.

I went for devilled Hereford Beef and LF chose the special of cold  room temperature slices of Old Spot pork with crab-apple jelly. We also shared a side of greens.

Laissez Fare: I had been looking forward to meeting fellow food blogger Craig Linton (London Food Detective, @craigdlinton) for a few weeks after I invited him to meet up for lunch a while back. Luckily, I wasn’t too nervous as I had already met another food blogger a few months back for lunch (see a post about that meal here).

Although it is always a bit disconcerting meeting someone you’ve emailed and tweeted with but never met in the flesh, I had the sneaking suspicion that we were going to get on, given our seemingly similar attitudes towards restaurants and food, which are of course the two most important things in the world (Mrs. LF is going to kill me if she reads this).

So, in the middle of our two places of work, Great Queen Street awaited. The little sister of some British gourmets’ favourite (and I cringe as I write the word) ‘gastropub’, GQS has no real name, no website, and no gimmicks. It is all simple wood and dim lighting inside, with informal but fairly knowledgeable staff. Like so many London restaurants today (St John and Bocca di Lupo spring to mind), the daily menu is presented on a loose sheet of paper, inferring that the menu changes daily and is probably more or less seasonal. And GQS checked all those boxes. The menus was quite traditionally British, and the simple, hearty fare sounded good to me as it had been a rather long and cold walk to get there.

Unsurprisingly, I arrived on time, and was shown to a little square table for two, where my blind, male food blogger date was to join me. It was all a bit weird, but luckily I had seen a photo of him online so more or less knew what to look for. A bit overanxious, I waved haphazardly to the next dude through the door based on just the faint outline of his face, who luckily happened to be the man himself. Phew.

After a long and enjoyable getting-to-know-you chat, we were scouring the menus like to men on a mission, trying to make wise selections in the presence of the seasoned foodie across the table. Decisions made, we continued with a very engaging and pleasant discussion, until the thing that united us finally arrived. Grub time.

Getting Down to Business

CL: They arrived pretty quickly and both looked good, so I was thankful when LF asked if I wanted to try some of his pork. Now my girlfriend found it hilarious when I told her that I was sharing food with a bloke I’d just met, but surely it makes sense for two people who love food to try each others dishes?

Main Course 1: Devilled Hereford Beef

My beef just melted in the mouth and the ‘devil’ in the title came with the accompanying stroganoff style sauce that had a satisfying curry kick to it and lifted the dish beyond a standard stew.  It was served with rice, half a boiled egg (not quite sure why) and some chopped gherkin, which gave a fresh, crunchy, acidic contrast to the beef that I really enjoyed.

I’m not normally a huge fan of cold pork as I find it can be quite dry, but this was moist and full of flavour.  I haven’t had crab-apple jelly for years and my memories of it are from school and I was surprised at how sweet it was.  I thought it worked well with the pork and made for a decent main dish.

Special mention needs to go to the greens we ordered as a side dish, which we believed to be black cabbage (kale).  They were well cooked and retained a bit of crunch and had a creamy mustard sauce that I thought really elevated them above the ordinary.  Very good indeed.

Brown Bread & Butter

LF: Some brown bread and butter had arrived, so we both had a small piece of it. It was pretty average and there’s nothing much more to say about it. I now eagerly awaited my main.

Slices of Old Spot Pork with Crab-Apple Jelly

I had heard a lot about Old Spot pork but had never knowingly tried it, so despite some reservations about a room temperature dish (that’s how they serve it) on a cold November day, I went for it. Luckily, I was not disappointed.

It was a very simple dish with three main components. The pork was sliced to a medium thickness and the circles of fat were left in tack around the rim. It definitely had a unique full, round, mouth filling flavor that I hadn’t experienced before.

It was surprisingly interesting and had me going back for more, especially when combined with the tangy yet slightly sweet and in-season crab-apple jelly. Because the side of greens we ordered was so delicious with its naughty, slightly creamy mustard sauce, which had a nice streak of acidity, I sort of ignored the little salad that came on my plate.

This was a shame, because when I tasted it as an afterthought, I found it was actually quite good and it would have been a nice little accompaniment to the meat and jelly. Overall, then, a simple and accomplished dish.

I had ordered a glass of Beaujolais to go with my pork, thinking a soft, easy-drinking fruity wine would marry well with the flavors. It was brought out in a little ridged tumbler (like a small water glass you get in a bistro), as was Craig’s Portuguese red, which I thought was taking the minimalism a tad too far.

It’s okay to serve wine on tap into a glass like that (like a place I went to in Venice once called Da Marisa), and Beaujolais after all is a very casual wine drunk with simple food in France, but I like my wine to breathe a bit and think a normal little wine glass would have been better.

Rants aside, the wine did what I hoped it would and was a nice sipping partner for my late Old Spotted friend.

It’s worth noting that before tasting my own dish, I was quite jealous of Craig’s main course just on the looks. It reminded me of the hearty beef stroganoff my mom used to make us when I was a teenager. Luckily, he didn’t think I was a complete freak when I asked if he wanted to taste some of my dish, and even offered up a bit of his beef. The meat itself was very soft and tender, having been stewed for a long time, and the sauce it was bathing in was not bad at all. If I had to label it, I’d say it was sort of a European beef curry sauce, with its richness being supported and enhanced by a nice underlying spice (the ‘devil’ bit, I supposed) that ruminated and lingered in the mouth for a good while. I didn’t taste the rice or the egg, but the bit of meat and sauce I did have was very satisfying indeed.

Just Desserts

CL: I’d have happily ordered four out of five of the desserts and after a bit of deliberation I went for white chocolate pudding, oranges and praline.  On the waiter’s advice LF went for the bitter chocolate terrine with chestnut ice cream. 

I often get dessert jealously, but with a certain sense of smugness I can say that I definitely chose the better dessert!

White Chocolate Pudding, Oranges & Praline

The white chocolate pudding was very good.  It had the consistency of thick whipped cream, but with a rich white chocolate flavour. The oranges had been cut into slices and been gently cooked so they had just started to caramelise and worked really well with the white chocolate.

There was nothing wrong with LF’s chocolate terrine, but it wasn’t anything special either.

LF: When the desserts arrived, I thought I’d definitely ‘won’. Oh, what, you haven’t noticed my competitive streak? :)

Bitter Chocolate Terrine & Chestnut Cream

Unfortunately, just as I learned at my other recent food blogger lunch, looks can definitely be deceiving. There was nothing wrong with my bitter chocolate terrine with chestnut ice cream. The cake itself was, dense, smooth and full of nice dark chocolate flavor. I guess it was just a bit one dimensional for my taste. The side of chestnut cream worked well and had little chunks of chestnut which paired nicely with the chocolate. It wasn’t a memorable dessert though, and I definitely had reason to be jealous this time.

My companion’s dessert was head and tails better than mine (yes, he did let me have a bite). It was a gorgeous pile of thick creamy white chocolate whipped creamy looking stuff, with a thick syrupy sauce of bittersweet oranges (and orange sections too) sprinkled with a bit of praline. The citrus cut right through the cream and made for a simple but sublime combination. I loved it and wished we had ordered two. Alas, I made my peace and tried to hide my disappointment by quickly scoffing down the rest of my okay dessert.


CL: Overall, a highly enjoyable two hour, two course lunch and I would definitely go back to Great Queen Street.  I recommended it to my boss when I returned to the office and will hopefully get him to take me on our next lunchtime meeting.

Really enjoyed my first lunch with a fellow blogger and fingers crossed we’ll do it again. 

LF: I think Great Queen Street has a lot going for it. It’s paired down, simple, seasonal and hearty food was good on this occasion and I’ll definitely be back as it’s walking distance from work. I thought that £25/person for two courses plus wine was fair enough as I left full, happy and contented. But, as is usually the case, what really made the meal was the company, which in this case made for a fun, relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable two hours.


Tips if You’re Eating with a Fellow Blogger for the First Time

Make sure you’ve read their recent blog posts.

Decide if you’re going to review the place individually, together or at all.

Know what the person you’re meeting looks like, so you don’t look slightly crazy by asking the other single diners in the restaurant if they are the person you are meant to be meeting.

Choose who is going to take the photos and then share them after.  Compare embarrassing stories of partners/friends/restaurant staff getting annoyed at you insisting photographing everything.

Despite funny looks from other diners, it is perfectly acceptable to request to try the other person’s food.

LF: I couldn’t have said it better myself! :)

The Icecreamists at Selfridges, Mayfair

I may have mentioned before that I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so when I was at Selfridges recently for my Pierre Koffman visit I was intrigued to see the Icecreamists 'God Save the Cream' installation.

The Icecreamists claim to be 'Liberating the world one lick at a time' and 'Agents of Cool' and the pop up cafe certainly has a wow factor.  Dark walls with bright neon pink writing on the walls, over the top furniture and the Queen driving an ice cream van!

Such a cool (no pun intended) place needs a product to match and I took Grace the week after to see if the ice cream was as good as the place looks.

The menu, also in bright pink, has 16 flavours to choose from and a number of specials.  These range from an ice cream hot chocolate to a decadent selection of pink champagne ice lollies.  These come in at an eye watering £39.99!

On my first visit I stuck to the simple tub of up to three flavours for £4.99.

Narrowing my choice to three was tough, but with the servers allowing you a taste of them in advance I finally settled on chocolate, dulche de leche and a berry sorbet.  G went for liquorice, rose water and dulche de leche.

The quality of all them was superb: rich, creamy, full of flavour and with a velvety smooth texture.  We probably didn't choose the best combination as we both thought the dulche de leche was slightly over powered by the other two.

The portion didn't look the biggest, but due to the quality of the ice cream it was surprisingly filling - there were no ice crystals and very little air, which you tend to find in bad ice cream.

As soon as we finished we decided we must return before it closes on the 1st November. 

This I duly did with my parents, who've been down visiting from the North East. I persuaded my mum to share one of the ice cream cocktails and went for 'The Chocoholic'.  At £16.99 it was by far the most expensive ice cream i've ever had, but boy it was good.

The picture doesn't really do it justice, as the top hat it came in was about six inches deep and it was full of dark and white chocolate ice cream, fruit, whipped cream and hazelnuts.  On the side came a glass of warm dark chocolate sauce that just added to the indulgence.

I wish i'd taken a pic of my mum's face as she tucked into it, as I don't think i've ever seen her enjoy something so much. It took about 20 minutes to get through it, but every spoonful was an indulgent delight.

If you want to wow someone or have a taste for ice cream then clear your diary and get down there before it closes on the 1st November.

Pierre Koffman, Selfridges

There has been a lot of hype about Pierre Koffman's pop-up restauranton the roof of Selfridges and I was delighted to secure a Saturday night reservation after a tip on Twitter.  I can't remember who it was from, but thank you whoever you were!

The restaurant is one of the highlights of London Restaurant Week and demand has been so high that they've extended the restaurant's opening until the end of October.

My sense of expectation was raised even further after reading Kavey's review (check out Kavey's photos as they are a lot better than mine!) and I went along on Saturday evening expecting good things.  I'm pleased to report I wasn't disappointed.

Entrance to the restaurant was via an exclusive lift that took you up to the roof.  You walked out the lift into a impressive all-white grotto and a warm welcome from the hostess - who I'm led to believe is Pierre's partner Claire.  Our coats were taken and we were escorted into the huge marquee that has been erected on the roof and offered an aperitif at the bar.

Whilst seated there we got chatting to a lovely couple from Australia who were just finishing their drinks from lunch (at 6.30pm!) and they said what a wonderful meal they had, which increased our excitement even further.

We were escorted to our window seats which looked out over Mayfair and West London (which sadly isn't the greatest view of the city), but the sun was just going down and it was still an impressive setting.

We were given menus and informed that the guest chef was Tom Kitchin and the specials were a pig's head & scallop starter and beef wellington main (as featured on 'Great British Menu' on BBC2). On most menus I can usually narrow down my choices to two or three items quite quickly, but I can honestly say that I would have had happily had all the starters and all the meat main courses. *Note this isn't a place for vegetarians and there wasn't a veggie option on the menu.

Now, Koffman's signature dish are his pigs trotters stuffed with veal sweetbreads and morel mushrooms and I went fully intending to try this.  However, Grace didn't really fancy it and as we both love veal and beef wellington we decided to order these and go 50/50.  To make up for my lack of trotter I went for the pig's head special to start and Grace went for the lobster cocktail.

Excellent bread was brought (six choices, three warm) and we were offered two slices and happily accepted. I went for a roll with bacon (not quite as nice as it sounds) and a wonderfully crusty piece of granary.

Whilst waiting for our starters the hostess came over and had a quick chat, which I thought was a lovely touch. She said she'd been really surprised at how young a crowd the restaurant had attracted and hadn't anticipated that so many people would have heard of it via blogs and Twitter (she estimated about half the people had).  To make me feel even luckier about getting the reservation she said they'd had to turn loads of people away including Andrew Lloyd Webber!

Now, on to the food...

The amuse bouche was excellent duck rillettes that were served on melba toast. It boded well for what was to come.

The pig's head starter was beautiful and the flavours went perfectly together.  The melt in the mouth meat of the head was wrapped in it's own fatty skin, was topped with some crushed tomato and came with two huge, perfectly cooked scallops. A lattice of crunchy crackling was also thrown in for good measure. It just all worked together perfectly and it's hard to do justice to just how good it was.  Undoubtedly one of the best starters i've ever had.

In comparison, the cocktail of Scottish lobster, avocado and lime jelly was good, but not outstanding. Grace found it a little bland (compared with the pig) and thought it could do with a little more seasoning. Overall though, it was a very promising start.

As you can see, the beef wellington looked fantastic and i'm pleased to say it tasted pretty good too. The pastry was crispy, the beef perfectly cooked and the stuffing of chicken mousse and spinach lovely - you can find the Great British Menu recipe here.  All in all an excellent beef wellington, which was enhanced by the accompanying mushrooms, rich beef sauce and insanely buttery horseradish mash.

Grace had already declared the veal the best she'd ever had and so at 'half time' I was looking forward to swapping dishes, as i'm a huge fan of veal.  For me, it wasn't quite the best i've had (that honour still remains with the Waterside Inn) but it was still excellent. The accompanying sauce wasn't as rich or satisfying as the beef wellington one, but it was still a very good plate of food.

On to dessert and unlike the starters and mains there wasn't too much that appealed, as I don't like pistachio or grand marnier and wasn't in the mood for cheese.  Almost by Hobson's choice I went for the Gascon Apple Pie (as did Grace).

Wow. It was sensational.

It wouldn't normally be the kind of dessert I go for.  I'm normally a chocoholic or go for something creamy, so I was slightly shocked at just how much I loved it.  The pastry lid was sugary sweet, the apple had a hint of cinnamon which went well with the caramel sauce and there was a small pot of slightly sour cream that helped combat all the sweetness.  All in all a triumph.

Petits fours were served and the entire bill came to under £200, which I thought was very reasonable given the quality of food on offer.

A quick word about the service. It was far from perfect and not what you'd get in a Michelin quality restaurant normally.  I spoke to the restaurant manager when she brought over the bill and asked how everything was. We had a quick chat and she told us that she'd opened nine restaurants and this by far the toughest given the level of expectation and other challenges.

Apparently the staff all normally worked at events and a large number of them had never worked in a restaurant before! Personally I think the whole experience benefited from the informal atmosphere and I was impressed by the staff's friendly attitude and willingness to engage with everyone.  They were chatty, attentive and although they may not have served from the left and removed from the right, the experience was none the worse for it. 

Overall, a great night, with some excellent food in a wonderful location.  On the way out we put our name down for the cancellations list and would happily go again before the month is out - mainly because I still want to try the trotters!  If you get a chance to go, take it....

Maze, Mayfair

Twitter Summary Review: Excellent quality tasting dishes in stylish setting. If you've a sweet tooth go for two desserts!

Full review:

Gordon Ramsay has had a hard time of it lately, but the shining light in his culinary empire is meant to be Maze, which has continued to draw plaudits from critics and the public alike. Maze is run by Jason Atherton and has one Michelin star. It has an interesting concept and the menu is made up of a series of ‘small plates’ of beautiful sounding food and you are encouraged to order between four and six dishes.

I went along with my girlfriend for lunch on a Saturday and we quickly decided to ditch the reasonably priced lunch and tasting menus for the a la carte.

Maze is a lovely room. It is spacious, light, modern and informal. Service was friendly and attentive throughout, although the waiters kept spilling water when pouring and then not cleaning it up which annoyed me.

We went for three savoury dishes each and two desserts and can honestly say the quality was superb throughout.

My first dish was a beautifully cooked piece of cod that was accompanied with prawns, a cockle with cheese topping and a lobster bisque. The cod was delicate and melted in the mouth and was a lovely light dish to start the meal.

Secondly I went for hake wrapped in parma ham. I found it a bit dry and it could have done with a bit more of the intense pimento puree (it was meant to also contain chorizo, but I couldn't taste it) that it was served with. It was still above average though.

My favourite savoury dish was a melt in the mouth bit of pork belly. Again it was perfectly cooked. It wasn't overly fatty for pork belly and the rich, sticky, intense marinade reminded me of the best bits that are normally left in the roasting tin after cooking a joint. Lovely. It came with some really good pork crackling and a small piece of pig's head with a blob of apple sauce on that was probably not needed, but I really enjoyed anyway!

I have to admit to a bit of food envy at my girlfriends dishes. I decided we wouldn't go for the same dishes and gave her the first pick of savoury dishes.

She generously allowed me a taste of them and the undoubted highlight was the lamb dish. A perfectly cooked (medium rare) lamb cutlet that came with a side of Shepherd's pie. The mash on the pie was perfect - smooth and creamy with an obscene amount of butter in it and the mince underneath was equally good. A really fantastic dish and one we'll both have if we go back.

Maze also works well for those with a sweet tooth and we decided to treat ourselves to two desserts each. Again, they were excellent.

First for me was the chocolate delice with olive oil ice-cream & honey gelatine. The delice itself was very good and the dark chocolate on the top came with a dash of salt that really brought out the flavours. The ice-cream was ok, but I couldn't really taste the olive oil and the honey wasn't as intense as I hoped.

My second dessert was wonderful. Buttermilk pannacotta, strawberry jelly and granite, a shortbread biscuit and a pipette of caramel. The pannacotta was beautifully milky and the accompanying strawberry went perfectly with it. The shot of caramel was equally good (though I would have liked a touch more) and the biscuit added a bit of crunch. Overall it was a beautifully balanced dessert and one that I will look back on with much fondness!

The girlfriend was equally impressed with her desserts. She loved her deconstructed peanut butter sandwich and wanted to lick the plate to get the last of the cherry sauce off the plate!

The lemon meringue pie was equally good, although she felt that the basil sorbet didn't really add anything.

Overall, Maze impressed me greatly. The concept of trying a number of small plates really worked and for the quality of ingredients and cooking we felt the £9-12.50 price tag for the savoury dishes and £7.50 for desserts was well worth it. From other reviews I'd read I thought the dishes might be quite small, but I thought the portions were good and we certainly felt full after the five courses.

The Maze concept does mean you don't get any of the amuse bouches or canapes that you might expect at a high end restaurant, but I think it's worth the sacrifice for trying a number of dishes. I definitely want to go back and can't wait to find an excuse to do so.

Bodean's, Soho

I love Lucky Voice in Soho, but whenever I visit I try to avoid eating for most of the day.

There are two reasons for this:

• My singing ability increases proportionately to my level of drunkenness and so an empty stomach means a couple of drinks and I’m in the singing ‘zone’ and can murder various songs.
• I can gorge out afterwards at American rib place Bodeans, which is just over the road.

Bodean’s comprises of an upstairs no-nonsense takeaway/café and a smart basement restaurant, with wood panels, baseball on numerous plasma screen teles, various U.S. lagers (served appropriately cold) and Bruce Springsteen, the Killers and other classic American bands on the sound system.  It might not be everyones cup of tea, but as an unabashed fan of the old U.S. of A, I like it.

Our party of 12 had booked into the restaurant and by this point the beer muchies had set in and so I orderd some nachos to start and then a half rack of ribs and pulled pork for my main.

Pulled pork is a Bodeans speciality.  It is slowed cooked pork that just melts in the mouth and is packed full of BBQ flavour.  Once again it didn't disappoint.

The best ribs I ever had were in Memphis (after visiting the city I see why Elvis had an overeating problem!) and I still dream about them: they were beautifully seasoned and marinated with meat so tender it nearly bought tears to my eyes.  While Bodeans doesn't reach those heights the ribs are still pretty good with plenty of meat on them and a smoky BBQ flavour.  

The mains come with crunchy, creamy homemeade coleslaw and fries and just for good measure I shared some onion rings as well. Mention also needs to go the impressive range of BBQ sauces that are found on every table, which can add an extra kick to the ribs if you think they need them.

If you do visit then i'd urge you to stick with the specialities of the house as the only dishes that drew any complaints were the prawns (overcooked) and the chicken (dry), but people who stuck to the red meat were delighted.

Service was good and we were asked if we wanted more drinks before the last one had been finished and the food all arrived together despite the large order.

All in all a good meal and Bodean's just needs to keep on doing its thing...

Hache, Camden

Twitter Review:

Good burgers and great toppings and sides make this the best burger joint i've been to in London.

Full review:

I'm a bit of a burger monster.  I've been to most of the burger chains, such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Fine Burger, that have sprung up around London in the last few years.  Whilst they are a big improvement on previous efforts, for me none of them have really delivered a truly great burger that competes with the best i've had in America.

To be truly great the burger has got to be medium thickness, not overly seasoned and be juicy and cooked medium.  So after hearing great things about Hache in Camden I thought I better give it a try.

I'd been for a few beers with friends in Camden and five of us turned up for dinner on a Saturday night.  The restaurant was fully booked, but the staff agreed to let us squeeze round one of the outside tables.

The first thing to say is that the menu presents a truly impressive range of burgers and sides.  They've got a great combination of burgers (beef, chicken, lamb, duck, venison, fish and vegetarian) and some original and appetising toppings, such as red peppers and goats cheese; chorizo and chilli jam; and jerk spices and Caribbean mango chutney.

Therefore choice was going to be difficult and I was going to get jealous at something my friend ordered!

In the end, I kept it simple and went for the classic bacon and cheese burger and as a table we decided to share some fries, onion rings and halloumi as well.

The place was packed, but service was friendly, quick and efficient and our food arrived in good time.  There is something aethestically pleasing about a seeing a burger stacked high on a plate and when the food arrived it truly looked the business.

So how did the burger fair?  Well it was cooked a perfect medium and was good, but for me it was just a little dry and not quite as succulent as i would have liked.  However, the sweet cure bacon was thick, and crisp, the cheese was nicely melted and the ciabatta fresh and crusty.  Overall it was a very good, but not quite great burger.

The fries were excellent - they were crisp, nicely seasoned with salt and not at all greasy.  The onion rings were also very good and my halloumi fetish was nicely sated by some well grilled slices.

Out of my friends food there were two stand-outs: the crispy duck burger was fantastic - a classic combination of duck, hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onion.  Another highlight was the calorific chicken burger with cheese, bacon and honey mustard.

The bill was very reasonable (the burgers are typically £7-£10) and overall i'd say Hache is the best burger restaurant i've been to in London, but for me there is still room for improvement and it's crown could be taken by someone who can combine Hache's range and quality of toppings with a jucier burger...the challenge is on!

Rivington Grill, Shoreditch

Twitter Review:

Trendy Shoreditch brasserie serving British classics. Food ok but nothing special. Won't be rushing back, but not bad if you're in the area.

Full review:

Another glorious Saturday and I was looking for some alfresco dining to treat my brother and his wife who were down visiting for the weekend.  After a quick check of Time Out's 'Best Alfresco Dining' I thought we'd give the Boundary in Shoreditch a try.  You couldn't book a table on the uncovered roof terrace, but I was told we should get a table no problem if we got there early enough. 

Anyway, off we set from Belsize in glorious sunshine only to arrive at Old Street to a massive thunderstorm.  D'oh! 

A quick call to the Boundary confirmed that the uncovered roof was no longer an option and so plan B swang into action: the Rivington Grill, which is part of the Caprice group of restaurants. I absolutely love the Ivy (both the food and the atmosphere) and so thought this would make a good alternative.

We got there about 19.00 and it was just starting to fill up.  We hadn't booked in advance, but the staff were helpful and managed to find us a table.  The menu is full of classic English comfort food dishes - sausage & mash, fish fingers, lamb chop, roast chicken - to name but a few. 

After flipping between three or four choices I went for the rose veal escalop with girolles (mushrooms) and spinach.  The other choices on the table were: Caerphilly & leek sausages, flat-iron steak, and scallops with black pudding and bacon.  We also went for a couple of side dishes.

Service was generally good.  The waiter we had to begin with was chatty and attentive, but he disappeared half way through the meal and his colleague failed to bring us a drink order (though we weren't charged for it), but waiter number 1 returned to take our dessert orders.

We brought lovely warm, fresh bread whilst we waited for the main courses, which arrived fairly promptly.  There was nothing wrong with any of the food we had, but then again, there was nothing memorable about it either.  My veal was a little overcooked round the edges but had a nice lemon flavour, the scallops and black pudding we're ok (but came on a bed of very buttery mash that isn't mentioned on the menu), the steak well cooked and the sides all adequate, but none of it was stand out.

The same went for the desserts.  I had went for the 'Raspberry burnt cream', which was creme brulee with four raspberries plonked in the middle of it.  My sister-in-law declared her gooseberry pie 'lovely' and my brother thought his elderflower jelly was 'ok'.

It may be that none of us went for the standout dishes (the roast chicken on the next table smelt delicious to be fair) but I was left with the feeling that the Rivington Grill was going through the motions a little bit and could be a real class establishment with just a little bit more attention and imagination.

How i'd improve it:

• The tables were really packed in tight and I could hear every word of the conversation of the people next to us.  A bit more room would've been nice!
• Bring our drinks when we order them.
• Just a little bit more attention to detail and presentation.

Rodizio Rico, Islington

Twitter Summary Review:

Unlimited meat feast with salad buffet.  Great for groups. Buzzing atmosphere. Ideal for blood thirsty carnivores! 

 Full review:

I needed cheering up. 

The trip to Rodizio was planned as a celebratory meal to toast Everton's F.A. Cup success, but sadly it wasn't to be.  Instead, I turned to Plan B: drown my sorrows and eat until I couldn't move.  After a couple of hours and half a cow later I'd succeeded.

We had a table for six booked for 9.00pm and were sat near the window.  The menus don't really need looking at as there are only really two options: meat (£20.50) or vegetarian (£15.50).  Everyone went for the meat.

Whilst we waited for our drinks order to be taken, the sense of anticipation was rising as my mouth salivated at the skewers of meat the waiters were carving and giving out to each diner.

After 20 minutes, I couldn't wait any longer and so I went up to the buffet and helped myself to a plate.  The buffet looked pretty good with a decent selection of items, but to be honest, i'd come for the meat and didn't want to stuff my plate with salad and so I (like the rest of the lads) opted for only a couple of token bits.  The girls were a bit more sensible and went for a plate full of salad and reported that it was good.

 

Back in our seats we waited.  The first two waiters ran out of meat before reaching us, but it didn't take long before a variety of meat was being presented to us.

The list of meat was impressive:

• Fillet, ribs and sirloin of beef
• Pork fillet and ribs
• Chicken Wings
• Lamb
• Sausage (a Toulouse style one and a smoked louzna-like one)

Most of the beef and lamb was served rare (some maybe a little too rare bordering on raw at times), but it was juicy, succulent and decent quality.

My favourite was a fantastic piece of pork fillet, that was beautifully moist and full of flavour. The  beef fillet was equally good.

The only disappointment were the ribs.  I thought the marinade was bland and the rib meat was tough. That said it was a minor blip and the rest of the meal made up for it.

 

The place was packed and it made for a lively atmosphere.  The waiters serving the meat were friendly and chatty and we never had to wait too long for the next skewer to come along.  They had to come regularly as it's fair to say that the four lads in the party all had healthy, bordering on gluttonous, appetites!

Rodizio Rico will never be haute-cuisine and it's nothing more than a conveyor belt of meat, but that said sometimes simple is good.  As an unabashed carnivore I really liked the place.  It's got an informal and lively atmosphere and it's ideal for groups and celebrations.  Overall i'd recommend it - just leave the vegetarians at home...

How i'd improve it

• We weren't sure what meats were available and due to be coming.  A chalk board listing the evening's selections or even a simple list on the table that you could keep track of what you've had so far would have been good.
• A better introduction to how it works - we weren't sure if we were meant to just go and help ourselves to the buffet or wait to be brought plates.

Bar Gansa, Camden

Twitter Summary Review:

Good buzz, slow service. Reasonably priced, but average tapas. Decent wine & cocktails. Veggie & seafood dishes better than the meat.

Full Review:

A few friends were staying with me ahead of a wedding we were all going to yesterday, so we thought we'd have a leisurely stroll down to Camden for a few pints and a bite to eat.  It was gone 9.30pm by the time we decided to put food choices to the vote.  I nominated burgers at Hache but was outvoted in favour of tapas at Bar Gansa. 

As we entered the place was full and really buzzing and we got a table near the front door, which is great for people watching.  At 10.00pm on a Saturday though this was mainly an electic mix of drunk teenagers queueing for the off-licence next door!

Before I go any further I should declare that Spanish food is one of my favourites and i've been known to spend a small fortune at Brindisa - so my standards are high when it comes to tapas.

Anyway, back to the meal.  We were waiting 20 minutes before anyone asked if we'd like a drink and we decided to order at the same time.

Three of us went for a selection of tapas, one for a seafood paella and one for a sizzling seafood dish.

Forty minutes and a couple of bottles of wine later the first tapas dishes arrived.

I tucked straight into the meatballs and stuffed yellow peppers (not red as it said on the menu). The meatballs were reasonable, but the sauce was fairly bland, however the peppers were pretty good with a generous helping of rice and melted cheese.

Next up was some disappointing and overcooked chorizo in red wine.  I'm a bit obsessed with chorizo and love the texture and flavour, but this was fairly chewy and no better than you can get from your local supermarket.

My favourite dish was a bit of a surprise.  The 'Tumbert' (a sort of aubergine lasagne) was excellent.  It was what good tapas should be all about - simple food, well executed and with plenty of flavour.

Garlic king prawns were ok, though my friend wasn't too keen on pulling their heads off, which is something I find strangely satisfying.  The dish I was most looking forward too was the Morcilla with black pudding and chilli pineapple salsa.  Sadly, like the previous chorizo, the morcilla disappointed.  In fact, i'm pretty sure it wasn't morcilla at all, but bog-standard British black pudding.  Most people probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, but I could, it was drier and didn't crumble like the best morcilla i've had and the pineapple salsa just didn't work with it.

We had to pester the waiters to get us another bottle of wine whilst we waited for the two main dishes to arrive.  For some reason they decided to wait until three of us had finished our tapas before bringing out the paella and platter, which meant it was gone 11.00p.m. by the time it arrived!

Both the paella and platter contained a generous amount of fish.  I managed to nab a muscle and some squid when my friends weren't looking and both were good and tasty, which led to my inevitable food jealousy of not choosing the same...

We finished off the wine, got the bill (about £125 for 5, including 3 bottles of wine and the obligatory 12.5% service) and walked back up the hill home with a warm wine glow.

Overall, a good evening and I thought the buzz and vibe of the place compensated for the average food and slow service.  My friends enjoyed their meals, so it could be my Spanish food snobbery that has led me to be fairly critical and only rating the food average.

How i'd improve it

• The menu outside looked a bit shabby.  The case could do with a clean and it needs to lose the bluetac and things behind it.  It was also low down and so hard to read.
• The staff were really friendly, but could have been a bit more attentive.  We had to ask for more wine (twice) and also had to wait over an hour from arriving to getting our first dish.