Le Café du Marché – Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  Charterhouse mews, Charterhouse Square, London. EC1M 6BB.

Closest station(s): Farringdon, Barbican, Moorgate, Liverpool Street.  

Telephone: 0207 608 1609

Website: www.cafedumarche.co.uk

Café du Marché would struggle to hide itself away any further if it tried; in an area famous for its meat market and meat focused restaurants such as St. John it has not gone out of its way to advertise itself to death – it remains relatively unknown outside the immediate area; however it is a cracking place.

The main dining room has a feel that is very much like a French farmhouse kitchen with exposed wood and brick throughout creating a cosy atmosphere which looks well used without for a second becoming shabby. The menu is fantastically French; offering a selection of rustic and often little known provincial dishes.

The black pudding with which I started was some of the best I have ever tried and the ox cheeks with gnocchi with which I followed was divine; wickedly meaty and sitting in a sauce that saw me ordering more bread at the end of the meal to ensure I made the most of every last drop.

At £28.50 for two courses it seems reasonably priced and with the addition of house wine at under £19 the bill was less than I had expected. On the whole the service was good, with the exception of the waiter who took our order who didn’t seem to comprehend any of the dishes that we ordered, couldn’t explain an item on the menu and insisted on me telling him how many down from the top the wine I was ordering was as he couldn’t understand that order either – I can’t say I have ever had that problem before and I certainly hadn’t drunk enough to have reached the slurring stage.

Café du Marché is a great restaurant with a particularly wonderful atmosphere; the food was packed with flavour and would certainly be considered rustic over delicate. I will definitely be going back – possibly after some elocution lessons. 

Le Colombier - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?: 145,Dovehouse Street, Chelsea Square, London. SW3 6LB.

Closest station(s): South Kensington, Sloane Square, Gloucester Road.   

Telephone:  0207 351 1155

Website: http://www.le-colombier-restaurant.co.uk

Neither state of the art nor cutting edge are phrases that I would associate with Chelsea’s Le Colombier; and that is part of the reason that I hold it in such high regard. Approaching this SW3 stalwart I felt it exuded a relaxedness that I rarely encounter in London. Sitting down at a table on the large awning covered terrace I soon had a refreshing G&T in hand and transported to a French seaside town. Its location, just off the Fulham road, is surprisingly tranquil for London and I can’t say I noticed the traffic until I trudged pack onto the pavement and into the outside world.

This is a brasserie offering a fine selection of the most French of dishes. The selection for both mains and starters is considerable, with a clear intent to keep the dishes simple and of excellent quality, from the vintage sardines, to the terrine de foie gras to the bean salad. There is a lightness to the dishes that, for me, makes it the ideal place for lunch. Being in an almost childish mood I  decided to go for the two French dishes for which I hold the highest regard, namely steak tartare followed by confit duck – not perhaps the two dishes that were best however for my health. Both were excellent, delivering what they should and there was just about the perfect amount of both too.

At around £10 for starters and £22 for mains the menu is not cheap – however I certainly did not feel it to be over-priced. The set menu of two courses and coffee for £19.50 is particularly good value. Unsurprisingly the wine list is French, with bottle available from the £19 mark and a fair selection in the low to mid-£20s.

Le Colombier is certainly somewhere to which I will be returning; I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, the wine isn’t hideously priced and the service was attentive. It does not try to be modern or to impress with foams and theatre; for traditional French food in a very French setting it is up there with the best. 

Tom Ilic - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Modern European

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  123, Queenstown Road, Battersea, London. SW8 3RH

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road.

Telephone:  0207 622 0555

Website: www.tomilic.co.uk

Bizarrely placed bespoke tailor – tick. Random upmarket shoe shop – tick. Odd carpet and rug shop – tick. Plain looking restaurant offering a selection of modern European food by a Serbian chef – tick.  A short stretch of Queenstown Road in Battersea South West London contains all of the above; the highlight without a doubt being Tom Ilic – what is on offer is however far from a box ticking exercise.

Most of the, limited, negative press for this restaurant relates to the décor. Whilst it cannot be said to be stunning, equally it is not horrific. A decision was taken to go without table clothes to keep a light airy feel and to keep laundry prices to a minimum. The cost cutting also continues into the menu with cheaper cuts of meat often used such as: pig cheeks, osso bucco and rabbit.  That is not to say that the chef does not do something magical with them.

The staff were attentive and polite; the wine list offers a reasonable selection - with house wine coming in at under £20. The food is excellent throughout; the first time I ate here I believed I must have misread the lunch deal as it was far too good for the price. It is a shame that it doesn’t get a little busier sometime as it can feel a little spacious and cold when there aren’t many other diners there.

The presentation is wonderful and the flavours, such as of the stuffed rabbit saddle wrapped in Serrano ham with Savoy cabbage, wild mushrooms & roast langoustine, are beautifully matched. These are excellently constructed plates of food.

The prices,as with many places are slowly on the rise, with starters at £10 and mains at £17. Even at those prices it is good value. The greatest value is however in the set menus, currently £17 for 2 courses (it used to be a staggering £12.50) for both lunch & dinner.   For this money you get food that is as good as many one Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Varanasi chefs - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Indian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  142, Battersea high Street, London. SW11 3JR.

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction.  

Telephone: 020 7228 3145

Website: www.varanasichefs.co.uk

Varanasi Chefs is tucked away on Battersea High Street, a rather shabby road that I had not eaten on previously. The décor is pretty standard for a run of the mill Indian restaurant, perfectly comfortable and welcoming however little more. The menu immediately caught my attention with a selection of dishes that don’t prescribe to the standard ‘samosa, bhaji, sheikh kebab, chicken tikka’ formula that you find on so many high street Indian restaurant menus. Here instead you have papri chaat, aloo tikki chaat and the wonderfully named lamb mo mo. So, the menu may be a little out of the ordinary however at Varanasi Chefs prices (pretty much all starters under £5) I wasn’t expecting them to be anything special.

The starters that arrived at the table were stunning, real effort has been made to make the starters a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. These starters have the look of those you would find in an upmarket Indian restaurant; this is certainly more Benares or Cinnamon Kitchen than your bog standard high street Indian restaurant. The starters were without exception excellent.

The mains that followed were also very good, however they could not quite live up to the theatre or excellence of the starters. The sides, roti and naan were all particularly good – the Daal was one of the finest I have had.

I hold great affection for Varanasi Chefs, the staff are extremely friendly and attentive and the house wine comes in around £13. The last time I went I just had starters, which turned out to be a great meal. In addition, the restaurant often has offers in place that make the already reasonably priced food an absolute steal. 

El Rincon Latino - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Tapas

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  148, Clapham manor Street, Clapham Common, London. SW4 6BX.

Closest station(s):  Clapham Common, Clapham High Street Rail, Clapham North.

Telephone: 0207 622 0599

Website: www.rinconlatino.co.uk   

I’m not quite sure why but the front of El Rincon Latino made me think of an S&M club – having never been to an S&M club I don’t know what they look like, however if I had to hazard a guess I would guess a brooding black frontage with spikey metal railings might be about right.  

Despite knowing Clapham well I had never come across El Rincon previously and as soon as I stepped inside I thought that I was going to enjoy my evening. The place was heaving; when I asked for a table I was informed that we would have to wait at the bar until one became free but that it shouldn’t be more than 15 minutes.

The bar was already packed with people eating, though we managed to find a small gap where we could wait with a glass or two of bubbles to while away the waiting time. Looking through the restaurant it is much bigger than one would first image upon entry and there were lots of large groups. The atmosphere had a real buzz to it, without it being deafening or oppressive.  

Having been seated we started tucking into the perfectly acceptable house Rioja (£15.95) and awaited our mammoth selection of dishes. To my surprise rather just this being a buzzy restaurant with average food; this turned out to be a buzzy restaurant with good food – there was not a dud in our selection. The highlights were the calamares, Higado encebollado (calves liver) and the garlic prawns. Not usually being one for eating greenery in Tapas restaurants I was expecting to leave much of the Ensalada Rincon to my dining partner; it was however excellent – an odd mixture of salad leaves, asparagus, cheese and olives that accompanied the fish and meat dishes very well and made me feel slightly better about an otherwise unhealthy meal.  

El Rincon Latino is a great restaurant for the price, it isn’t out of this world food; however at around £6 a plate (surprisingly large portions) it was well worth it. It would be a great place to go with a large group or just when you feel like going somewhere with a decent whack of atmosphere. 

Mien Tay, Battersea - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Vietnamese

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  180, Lavender Hill, Battersea, SW11 5TQ.   

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction, Queenstown Road.  

Telephone: 0207 350 0721

Website: www.mientay.co.uk  

There is something about bring your own (BYO) restaurants that I love, it is such a pleasant surprise to come across them as I know that I can enjoy a decent bottle of wine or two with a meal and not have to pay the earth – the great shame is that the majority of BYO restaurants are, frankly, crap. I was therefore intrigued when I heard about Mien Tay, a Vietnamese BYO restaurant with great plaudits from those I trust when it comes to food.

The outside of the restaurant is not very appealing to say the least. The colour scheme includes a decidedly unpleasant green and I don’t think they have done themselves any favours by sticking up newspaper cuttings of reviews they have received. Inside it is pretty bare; white table clothes adorn closely packed tables with little of interest on the walls.

You will generally find Mien Tay packed. When seeking to go for the first time I was surprised to be informed that they were fully booked for the first two attempts. The food in Mien Tay is largely very good. The spring rolls were exceptional and the sesame prawn toast were delicious, without a hint of grease. The clay pot prawn curry with which I followed was also excellent and came as a very generous portion. On the occasions I have been the only culinary disappointments were a decidedly average Singapore noodles.

The menu is long and interesting, including slightly less mainstream dishes including quail, eel and frogs legs – I look forward to returning to sample more dishes. The service can be hit and miss; it always seems rather rude and dishes often don’t come out together. Mien Tay is often set upon by large groups – this has meant on a couple of occasions that it gets very loud in there; fine sometimes but if not in the mood it can ruin a meal.

Overall I would highly recommend Mien Tay – the food is top drawer and you can take whatever you want to wash it down with. I would certainly recommend for when anyone wants a relaxed but reliable meal. Don’t go there however if you are a stickler for good service.  

One O One - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Fish

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  101, Knightsbridge, London. SW1X 7RN.

Closest station(s): Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Sloane Square.       

Telephone: 0207 290 7101

Website: www.oneoonerestaurant.com        

The Sheraton Park Tower is a hideously ugly building moments from Harvey Nichols on Knightsbridge, it is at the base of this concrete monstrosity that you find One O One. The bar area is not attractive, it fails to encourage you to relax and has been designed by someone with poor taste. After a glass of the house champagne we were then taken through to the dining room. Unfortunately this had been decorated by the same person as the bar. It looks as if they might have been given the dummies guide to hotel restaurant décor for Christmas; if that was the case then they should at least be praised for sticking to the book extremely closely. The dining room lacks any form of character and looks how I imagine an upmarket motorway service station might.

The décor is the first and last thing that I can possibly fault One O One for, the rest of the experience was superb. On the menu the fish is certainly the star, there are a number of meat dishes offered however someone who didn’t love fish would certainly not get the best out of One O One.

The wild Norwegian Red King Crab Legs were stunning, without doubt one of the best plates of food that I have ever had. I love crab, these crab legs however were in a league of their own – huge, meaty and packed with flavour.

At One O One you have the option to opt for the petits plats; these being downsized versions of the starters and mains for a lower price, allowing you to try a greater selection of the menu. I could not encourage someone more to take up this option the petits plats are perfect for sharing; allowing you to share 6, 7 or 8 dishes.

Heightening the exceptional food experience further is the presentation; each dish is beautifully laid out – rarely have I ever been so reluctant to destroy a piece of art on a plate. The final area of great quality is the service; the waiters could not have been more helpful, polite or amiable.

One O One is not cheap at £20 for starters and £30 for mains; the experience is however fully deserving of the price. There are often offers out there to get significant reductions on the price midweek and when discounted the food is some of the best value in London. If the décor had a little character then this restaurant would be one of the best in London. 

Franco Manca - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Italian

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  Unit 4, Market Row, Brixton, London. SW9 8LD.

Closest station(s): Brixton, Clapham North.     

Telephone: 0207 738 3021

Website: www.francomanca.co.uk     

So, where is London’s best pizza served? An answer to this question that I had repeatedly heard was Franco Manca. When I enquired where I could find this great restaurant I was surprised to discover that it was nestled in the heart of Brixton Market; certainly not where I would not have expected to find the capital’s more prestigious Italian restaurant.

I found myself meandering through Brixton Market in search of Franco Manca. On arrival its celebrity was clear – it was packed; with a queue about fifteen deep. The restaurant is split across two sides of a thoroughfare in the market itself. The tables are small and tightly packed - creating a buzzing atmosphere.

Having been seated we were given the menu. I have never warmed to a menu so swiftly before. There are six pizzas to choose from (ranging from £4.50 - £7); two types of red wine and two types of white – that is pretty much it.

Having ordered it was not long before large, beautifully blister wood fired pizzas came to the table – a light tomato sauce and a generous sprinkling of toppings simply highlighted the beauty of the stunning dough.

This is not a restaurant where you are encouraged to while away hours; the food is however excellent and the prices stunning. One thing that is clear is that you need Franco Manca more than it needs you – evidenced by the fact that it does not open in the evenings and is closed Sundays. It also does not allow reservations. A great place to eat and I can honestly say I have never had better pizza in the UK.  

La Movida - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Spanish / Tapas

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  300,  Battersea Park Rd, Battersea. SW11 3BU.

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road, Clapham Junction.

Telephone:  0207 924 2595

Website: N/A

Certainly one of my finds of the year. Having been past this unassuming restaurant on many occasions it certainly isn’t a restaurant that will be drawing people in off the street. This family run restaurant cannot be said to be pretty and the fact that it is rarely busy does little to suggest that it would be worth a go. How wrong I was.

Finding myself in the area with a penchant for tapas I decided to give it a stab, nothing ventured nothing gained. From start to finish there was little to fault from this friendly and relaxed venue. The liver was possibly the finest I have had and the squid was cooked to perfection. The prices are extremely reasonable; most dishes for around £5; in addition to which there has been a 50% off deal running three nights a week for the past few months.

The wine list cannot be said to amaze however it provides a perfectly good selection of wines with which to wash down the great food, again at extremely modest prices. My greatest worry is that the lack of business will see it go under as it really is a gem of a restaurant. When looking for great tapas which won’t leave too great a dent in your wallet then La Movida would be difficult to top. It would also be a great place for large groups. 

Chez Bruce - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  2, Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common, SW17 7EG

Closest station(s): Wandsworth Common, Balham.  

Telephone:  0208 672 0114

Website: www.chezbruce.co.uk

Having previously been to La Trompette, Chez Bruce’s Chiswick based sibling I had extremely high hopes for the meal as it is certainly the better known and often more highly praised older brother. I have to say that my experience at Chez Bruce was excellent. From start to finish the service was impeccable without becoming intrusive or overbearing. The tongue and brain starter was delicious, as were the potted shrimps.

The mains managed to keep up the high standards, turning out fresh and tasty food; my cod with olive oil mash was a great success. The puddings and cheese rounded off the meal excellently – the cheese board should not be missed. The wine list has considerable Gallic persuasion, not a bad thing in my book; with effort clearly being put into keeping the top section of the list reasonably priced – there are a couple of bottles for under £25. If you want glitz, glamour and pretention then don’t go. Chez Bruce serves up excellent food in a modest but pleasant environment with great service and decent wine to wash down each delicious morsel. 

My only real complaint about Chez Bruce is that they seem to have a rather small wine fridge, on a couple of occasions when I have order a bottle of wine they have said that they haven’t got one cold as they have just sold a bottle of it – surely they could keep more than one bottle chilled!

Despite the prices creeping up this Michelin-starred food leaves not too large a dent on the wallet, the lunch menu being particularly good with 3 courses for around £27; dinner being around £45. Certainly one of the best, if not the best, restaurant south of the river.