Isolabella, Red Lion Street

Posted on March 6, 2012 by admin

The holy grail of dining in London is finding that perfect balance between price and quality. Its not difficult at all to walk into any high end place and get amazing food, but it will cost you an arm and a leg. The key is finding somewhere thats good enough to return to again and again, and affordable to return to every week. Isolabella, a homely but classy Italian place near Holborn, has done this to perfection.

I’ve eaten here twice so far, and am going back this weekend, and have yet to be disappointed. The dining area is clean and comfortable, and the staff greet you in a friendly manner. I’ve yet to see the place empty, and it seems the owners understand that a small margin on a full house is far better than a huge mark up on empty tables, so best to book early to ensure you get a table.

The food at isolabella is best described as well prepared, hearty Italian. They get all the little touches right, like the complimentary olives and the presentation of dishes. While you aren’t getting haute cuisine, what you do get is done perfectly. Starters include some wonderful asparagus and poached egg, expertly cooked calamari, mussles as well as all the classic Italian antipasti you’d expect.
Main courses are where this place really comes into its own. The fish on offer is wonderful, excellently presented and fresh. Portions are not stingy, and preparation is very good. Seabass falls off the bone in the most satisfying of ways and tastes like you would expect from a top fish specialist eatery. For me, though, the reason to come here is the generous and wonderful Veal, which I had with a mushroom sauce. The depts of flavour shows the quality of the meat and the care in cooking. All table manners went out the window when it came to stripping the bone and I didn’t care. It was that good. Classic sides of sauteé potatoes accompany most dishes, apart from Pasta. Some people complain about this, but I believe a restaurant that serves generic sides does so because it is confident enough in its cooking that it doesn’t need to disguise the lackings of the main dish. The pasta dishers are also well prepared, with very accomplished sauces and generous portions of meat or fish. This is certainly more than just another Italian.

The wine list is accomplished, non-pretentions and most importantly very reasonable priced. Certainly no complaints here. House wines are under £15. In Central London. I’ll say that again, just in case you think its an error. The house wines in this zone 1 restaurant are under £15. I went for the little more expensive Pepolli Chianti Classico, which I’ve seen on Menus for £42.95. Its £29 at Isolabella. Says it all really.

Its not just the wine that is cheap, Both times eating here, I was presented with a bill that I though was calculated incorrectly. Expect 2 courses with Beer and wine to run you about £20 per head. Again, that is not a typo. Don’t believe me? Check the place out, you’ll probably see me eating there!

Posted in Italian | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Food On The Go – Brick Lane Beigel

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

While I do love the opportunity to eat out in London, with the amount of restaurants on offer, I have been meaning to shame my experiences of this little gem for a long time.

Now this is hardly the best kept secret in the world, as the queue is often out the door, but its surprising the amount of people I know who don’t make regular pilgrimages to this place. Every Sunday, after a trip to colombia road flower market, I feel the urge to head down here. It isa true revalation in fast food.

The shop is a traditional jewish bakery, doing all sorts of baked delights, but the real reason to come here is the wonderful Salt Beef beigels, which provide a level of satisfaction i have never before experienced for 3 minutes of queuing. They provide an excellently prepared fresh beigel (as you queue, you pass the perp area and see hundreds being freshly made), with the most tender and flavoursome meat imaginable. I never thought anything would surpass my craving for New York deli Pastrami on Rye, but this has. With a little mustard, you get a mouthful of tang combines with rich beef that sets you up perfectly. One is enough, but you always want more, and considering its about £3.50 or so, its a bargain. You can also get a smoked salmon and cream cheese beigel for less than £2, but as good as they are, I’m not sure why you’d bother when salt beef is on offer.

Go here, go here now!

Click here for a map!

Posted in Street food and takeaway | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cafe Mode

Posted on December 20, 2011 by admin

Rather than right a traditional review for this place, situated near Covent Garden, I prefer to bullet point the evening, some of which will contain opinions on the quality of food.

-We arrived having booked with assurance there was no problem in getting a table. The place was faily busy and we were sat at a large table in the front
-As soon as we had our jackets off and menus opened we were told to get up and moved to another section to a small two person table.
-That two person table was right next to an open door. In late November. we told them it was not acceptable and they looked at us as if we’d defecated on the floor.
-They moved us to another 4 seater in a dark corner.
-we decided not to do out usual starter and main course thing from the top table 50% off, and went for their 2 for 1 pizza offer. Mistake
- I ordered a farmhouse (ham and mushroom) and a bottle of wine.
-they brought the wrong wine out, but the waitress had the label turned backwards when presenting the bottle.
-I wasn’t offered a taste of the wine.
-When i mentioned that I’d ordered a chenin blanc, rather than a chardonnay, I was told there was nothing i coudl do because they’d poured a glass. Convenient that the bottle they poured was £3 more expensive.
- The Pizza came and the mushrooms were uncooked and the ham was supermarket reformed rubbish. It literally tasted of nothng. I was offered no condiments, no black pepper, nor parmesan and no chilli oil (a sinfull omission when serving pizza).
- we decided to order desserts. I had a cheese cake. I’ve bought better from Morrisson’s. (actually Morrisson’s new york cheesecake is quite good for the price – that doesn’t take away form the awfullness of this lumpy mess).
- My partnet ordered a normal english breakfast tea. She was given a pot of peppermint. My objection to this based on smell was ignored (“no, its normal tea, i checked). The awkward seating meant we didn’t get any contact with a waiter after tasting the error until the dropped the bill down (without being asked, which is pretty rude in my book).
-I’ve had better meals in kebab shops. Literally no flavour to anything I ate.

I normally like to offer directions or an opportunity to book. No real point this time. Don’t waste an evening here. Check out Cafe Des Amis, which is two minutes walk from this place. Its the same price and a billion times better.

Posted in Bad places | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Smithfield Bar and Grill

Posted on September 25, 2011 by admin
Smithfield bar and grill

logo

On the face of it, the Smithfield Bar and Grill seems to be just another steak and cocktail joint in London’s trendy Farringdon, even slightly further walk away than the likes of Guacho. Having booked there, I wasn’t expecting haute cuisine, but I was hopeful that what was on offer would be on the right side of quality. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.

Entering the restaurant through the dark and ambient bar area, we stopped to sample their cocktails. I often ignore the menu when ordering, as I like to be reassured that the barstaff know their cocktails rather than reading it off a placecard. From my order of a Singapore Sling and an Old Fashioned, neither of which were on the menu, they did indeed know their stuff. Test 1 passed with flying colours.

We were quickly seated in a nice booth and we greeted by knowledgeable staff who explained the special steaks they had for thast period. I’ve previously eaten in a very well renowned London steakhouse owned by a very well know personality, and when I questioned the fat content and marbling of a rib eye steak I was told “er…oh.. they’re very lean, no fat”. Thankfully this wasn’t the case here, and the meat quality was explained without error. I’m not sure if the wiatress was wasted working on the floor and should be working as a produce buyer, or if they just train people really well, either way its a positive thing.
Smithfield bar and grill dining area
We ordered a duck breast salad with orange and pomegranate, which was a little too delicate, it could have been twice as big. my companion had a crayfish cocktail, which was flavoured well and generous, although I do find this habvit of presenting in a large martini glass to be a little too 70′s. We also shared a garlic rub bread, which was very satisfying and interestingly interactive. The accompanying extra virgin olive oil was good, and didn’t seem to have come from a cheap catering sized tin.

For main course we both went for steaks, despite us being fish lovers and the fish section of the menu looking very accomplished. We resisted the temptation to splash out on the Kobe/Wagyu (I don’t recall if it was actually Kobe, or “Kobe Style” Wagyu, I did ask, but only after some quantity of wine!). I figure the likes of Kobe is left for the very special occasions. My middle of the road Rib eye, cooked perfectly rare, did not disappoint. It was rich and tender and served with the right sized portion of proper chips. I also went for the surf and turf option, which ads 3 large garlic grilled prawns, which we also very nice. Our only complaint was that a misunderstanding led to my companion not being served the prawns, and instead receiving some unordered bernaise sauce. Many apologies were issued (probably a little too many, as I always hate it when a manager feels the need to supercede the perfectly reasonable apology from the waitress). It turned out to be a blessing, as one serving of prawns was enough and the bernaise was actually very good, not the preprepared nonsense you normally get.

Wine selection was very good, and reasonable. We had a solid Rioja (I know, sacrilage, but I like it). No room for desert althouhg the selection seemed fairly standard. Best thing was the bill, which was much less than I had expected and budgeted for. Fantastic.

Click Here to book and get 50% off food!

Posted in Steakhouse | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cafe Des Amis, Covent Garden

Posted on July 19, 2011 by admin

Cafe Des Amis, covent garden

Cafe Des Amisl

Located in the heart of London’s west end, this place is a welcome change from the carbon copy brasserie menu’s of the local area, providing surprisingly good quality food, without the tourist trap prices.

Entering this restaurant you are greeted in a warm and initimate dining area, with comfortable seating arrangements. The tables are traditional and the menu leave’s alot of choice. For Starter I went with Steak Tartare which came served with a Quails egg and was wonderfully indulgant. Dining with 3 companions, we were able to get a good idea of the different starters, and I was hugely greatful to try the full flavoured wild mushroom rissotto with truffle oil, the delicate seared tuna and the sharp and satisfying roasted beetroot and recotta salad with pine nuts. All very well presented and prepared.

The mains were a triumph of well cooked rich food, which complimented the delicate starters perfectly. Hard to avoid red meat here, not because of any absence of other dishes, but because you know ifs going to be of good quality and very well prepared. I went for the rack of lamb with rosemard jus and roast new potatoes, which was a wonderful pieve of meat, and cooked nice and simple with great flavour. My dining companions had Filet Steak with a Pomme Fondant and Soour cream, again excellently cooked and quality beef. Be aware, if you like well done, they will butterfly this, so best stick with the rib eye. My companions also had Sea Bream with Aubergine Caponata, again a very good piece of fish and an excelletn Halibut with Mussel Sauce (which I actually would order my self next time, and there will be a next time.

 

For Deserts they offered some interesting Sorbets and good cheesecake with fig coulis. The winners of this course were, however, the Marinated Strawberries and the Amazing Soup au Chocolat with Black Pepper Ice cream. Yes, thats black pepper Ice-cream. And boy how it works! One of the best deserts I’ve eaten.

I highly recomment this place, and combine that with a good wine list, and the availability of beer for a more casual evening, its great. Also worth noting that on some nights, if you dine, you get half price in the wine bar below after. Just all the more reason to check it out!

50% off food at Cafe Des Amis

Location

 

Posted in Fusion | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Larder – St John’s Street, Clerkenwell

Posted on June 26, 2011 by admin

Situated in Trendy Clerkenwell, just around from Farringdon station, The Larder is a stylish large dining room, with a small bar in the foyer. While very spacious, the dining area never seems vacumous and the atmosphere is failry intimate. More importantly, the food quality is excellent.

Modern British cuisine can be very hit or miss, and this place certainly falls firmly within the hit category. They combine hearty British fare with various world influences, including Oriantal and Cajun, to really good effect.

My starter was a sublime Salt and Cayenne Pepper Squid with a Chilli Mayo. Battered delicately and perfectly cooked, the flavours were excellent. I’m a squid lover at the best of times, but this is exactly how I like it to be served. The chilli mayo was spot on also, just rich and spicy enough to not be overpowering, but not in any way weak. My dining companion had Smoked Haddock Macaroni with a  poached egg, which was beautifully rich and inviting, although on a previous visit they did a smoked Haddock Risotto, which I feel was a more accomplished dish.

Mains were also wonderful, with a very good range of fish available – more than on most non-fish specialist places. We decided to go for one fish and one meat dish, and I plumped for the Whole Roast Seabass with Crab Risotto. Unfortunately just a fillet, rather than a whole one, this did not take away from the delicate and intircate flavouring of the dish. Fish perfectly cooked, and the risortto nice and sticky, overall definately a dish I would eat again. My companion went for the Confit of Duck with King Scallops, Bok Choi and Corainder. Apart from the jus, it is exactly what it says, but don’t let that fool you, it is an excellent dish, and should be seen as a lesson to chefs often too keen on over complicating a dish. 4 ingredients, perfection. I very much enjoyed sharing this one!

Deserts were very much what you’d expect in any standard British restaurant, sticky toffee pudding and hot chocolate fondant were satisfying, if a little rich, but it was the sorbet’s that impressed me, with a range of Bramley Apple, Blood Orange, Blackcurrant, Mango and Melon. Very good choice and not a copy of every menu in the land.

Overall I would definately recommend you try the Larder, while not Haute Cuisine, it is fantastically executed homely food witha modern twist. Definately worth the trip to Clerkenwell, and great pubs in the area for when you eventually drag yourself out of there!

Posted in British, Fusion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thai Thai, Old Street

Posted on June 26, 2011 by admin

 

The only negative thing I can say about Thai Thai is how is it so cheap? This little gem in the less trendy end of old street is one of my favourite eastern cuisine restaurants in London, and a place I will repeatedly go back to again and again.
The Dining area is well decorated, authentic and not over dressed, with lovely comfortable seating and a warm atmosphere. The first time I ate here I was reassured to see many Thai people dining, which is always a good sign. This reassurance was, however, unnecessary when I tasted the food.
Starting with excellently prepared prawn crackers and lovely cold chang beer, we salivated over the menu, and selected Prawn Tempura and Por Pia Ped (duck spring rolls) for starter. Deciding that my and my companion would share, we had debated the many nice things listed, but think we made the right choice. The Tempura batter was awesome, and the duck spring rolls were filled to the brim and full of ingrediens, which were an absolute pleasure. A starter is always good when you wish there was more despite it being a very generous portion.
Sufficiently appetized we moved onto a main course of Duck Pad Med Mamung (Dry oyster sauce and cashew nuts) which was served with some of the most juicy and tender pieces of duck i’ve tasted in a long time. My friend has Pad Ho La Pa Krob with batter chicken (Stir-fried with onion, chilli and crispy thai sweet basil) which was a pleasant surprise (i thought he had been mistaken choosing it) as the chicken was wonderfully cooked with crispy batter but tender meat and the Crispy Thai sweet basil being a revelation, with the obvious let down of me being totally unable to recrate it at home, despite repeated attempts!

This, along with Jasmine rice and a reasonably priced bottle of chiliean white, left us totally stuffed but incredibly satisfied. I’m sure the deserts are nice, but doubt anyone gets that far. When we got the bill, we thought they’d made a mistake. I checked online when I got home, they hadn’t. That was the icing on the cake.

Go eat here, Go eat here now!

Location

Posted in Thai | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment