Category: Restaurant

Smoked chicken at the IoD

Lunching for my first time at the Institute of Directors, I ordered their smoked chicken starter.  It was excellent with the chicken moist and not over-smoked.  The herb-crusted half egg was done just right, and the blobs of aubergine mousse were a great complement.  A great starter....

Loose Cannon at the Punt Yard

When I visit the Punt Yard in Cambridge’s Quayside, I often seem to order their “Loose Cannon” pizza.  It features tomato sauce, mozzarella, Wiltshire ham, wild mushrooms, olives, oregano, and I always put some chilli oil on it to give it even more spice. It’s a big plateful, and...

Bavette at the Loose Box

A most welcome dish has been added to the menu of the Loose Box in Horseferry Road, Westminster. It’s a Hereford bavette steak, served with skin-on fries, roasted tomato and rocket garnish, and a peppercorn sauce. It’s very nicely done, served in thick slices and medium rare, as I...

Steak on a stone, or not

Steak & Co, just off Leicester Square, offers steak you cook yourself on a hot stone.  They supply it in raw slices ready to cook, with side dishes. Most diners choose this, but I prefer to receive it cooked, because then I can have it medium rare, difficult to...

Salad Nicoise

I was at the Cafe de Paris, just outside the Casino at Monaco. Their salad Nicoise was certainly ample. It had big chunks of tuna, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, capers, and of course lettuce. It went well with a Provence rosé wine....

Ivy Market Grill

The Ivy Market Grill is a fairly recent discovery for me. It’s very close to Covent Garden and has outside tables for warm days.  The menu is actually closer in style to the nearby Delaunay than to its parent Ivy, but it’s very good. And the bar is spectacularly...

black lobster ravioli with crab

Cicchetti’s Italian restaurant on Piccadilly is a great discovery.  I like to sit at their long bar with a friend and sample their tapas dishes.  This time I had their black lobster ravioli with crab, done with tangy tomatoes in a tomato sauce.  It was outstanding.  The service was...

Ivy Market Grill, Covent Garden

They had no tables left to book for lunch at the Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden, but I knew they always keep a few spare for walk-in customers, and do not let people book the outside tables.  I took a chance and arranged for my friend and I...

Bright Courtyard Club

I returned to the Bright Courtyard Club in Baker Street.  It is up-market Chinese.  On my previous visit I had a special three course crab menu, including Alaskan king crab.  This time with two friends we shared a dim sum basket and then crispy aromatic duck with plum sauce...

Lunch at the Ritz

The Ritz hotel restaurant has to be among the poshest in London.  I had lunch there, starting with terrine of goose liver and going on to Bresse duck for the main course. Both were excellent, but the raspberry and elderflower soufflé with yoghurt sorbet took my breath away.  It...