Le Colombier - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

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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. 

The Pig's Ear - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Gastropub

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  35, Old Church Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 5BS.

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

Telephone: 0207 352 2908

Website: www.thepigsear.info

Tucked away in Chelsea off Cheyne Walk this pub  is not somewhere that I had heard much about – venturing inside it is largely pub with a small dining area to one side. Not being very busy and not feeling like a table clothed dining experience we took a table in the bar.

Having kept its look as a pub the menu was rather more gastro than I had expected. The veal  bone marrow with which I started was delicious, however far too large. Despite sharing half with my dining partner I struggled to finish even my part – I would be surprised to see many people finish a whole plate with it being so rich. The scotch egg was also very good, perfectly cooked. The steak tartare with which I followed was enjoyable; not out of this world but certainly a decent plate of food.

At about £7 for starters and £14 mains it isn’t too bad for Chelsea and the food was good, though not faultless. The house wine is again well priced and the staff were extremely friendly. Overall it was a good find if in Chelsea and wanting a reliable bite in a relaxed environment  – though I’m not sure I would necessarily want to sit in the dining area; certainly a decent gastropub but I’m not sure whether it warrants a table cloth.          

Vingt Quatre - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Eclectic

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Where?:  325 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QL

Closest station(s): South Kensington, Gloucester Road, Earl’s Court.    

Telephone:  020 7376 7224

Website: www.vingtquatre.co.uk   

 I managed to even shock myself with how much I disliked my outing to Vingt Quatre. As its name suggests the selling point of Vingt Quatre is that it is open 24 hours a day, allegedly offering a fair selection of well cooked food at times that one would ordinarily be condemned to a kebab house.

The first thing that put me off was the décor; the high backed bench seating is unappealing and fails to create a restaurant atmosphere – surely the whole point of the venture is to offer a restaurant experience at anti-social hours. The menu managed to alienate me further; fish & chips, pork escalope Milanese, three cheese macaroni, wok fried vegetables – yes, the menu would appear to have been selected at random; reminiscent of a motorway service station.

You will however find Vingt Quatre busy on a Friday and Saturday between midnight and 3am; with those who have escaped local watering holes in search of food and importantly more alcohol not having a huge number of other options. I have little love for Vingt Quatre, the alcohol is absurdly priced (£17 for a half bottle of house wine in the early hours – when it is in the region of £13 for a bottle during the day) and the food too is rather steep for the mediocre fare.

Why the owners decided to churn out an eclectic mix of average food, rather than trying to offer something unique - namely decent food for when you leave a pub, bar or club I do not know. To my mind if you want food and drink at 3 or 4 in the morning then you would be better off going home,  ordering a pizza and visiting www.drinks-delivery.co.uk.

The Big Easy - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  American

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Rating: 

Where?:  332 – 334, King’s Road, Chelsea, London. SW3 5UR.  

Closest station(s): Sloane Square, Fulham Broadway, South Kensington.

Telephone: 0207 352 4071

Website: www.bigeasy.co.uk     

On each occasion that I have walked past the Big Easy on the King’s Roads over the years I have definitely noticed it. It’s full title is ‘Big Easy – Bar.B.Q & Crabshack’; it has gaudy neon signs and frankly I felt a pang of hatred everytime I walked past. My dislike for it was heightened when I saw its motto, namely: “Put a li’l South in yo’ mouth.” I think it is the yo’ that I particularly despise.

I am not a great fan of American theme restaurants; the perfect example of which would be TGI Friday – I’m not sure whether it could be described as a restaurant; whatever it is the food is vile. Thinking that the Big Easy would be akin to TGI Friday, when I decided to go there I was preparing to dislike it.

Is the Big Easy the best restaurant in London and one I would dream about a return visit? No. Is however the Big Easy surprisingly good and somewhere I would eat again if in the vicinity? Yes.

Having entered the restaurant we were warmly greeted and shown to a table – to my relief though this place is American themed it is not done in a ram it down the customer’s throat and annoy them way as in other places.

The thing that seems to draw many people to the Big Easy are the deals; the wings, burger and drink for £9.95, the lobster, chips and drink for £14.95 and other such combinations including shrimp, pork and fajitas.

The voodoo chicken wings with which I started certainly had a kick to them, though not out of this world they were perfectly acceptable. It was then onto a burger; which I have to say was surprisingly good. The plate of food was rather on the gross side when it comes to size, this was a true American portion. The beef burger was excellently cooked and was made of good quality beef. Whilst the chips were ok, the real surprise was the coleslaw which was great – I would be content being served that coleslaw anywhere.

The Big Easy was certainly a surprise. It is an American themed restaurant and is quite loud, brash and the portions are large. It provides surprisingly good food and those eating around us certainly seemed to be having a good time. The other clientele were a diverse mixture; but certainly not the morbidly obese licking spare rib juice off the floor types that I had envisaged. If I was going to the cinema in Chelsea and felt like a plate of meat to get me through the impending film then I would certainly consider the Big Easy. 

Tom’s Kitchen, Chelsea - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  British

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  27, Cale Street, Chelsea, London. SW3 3QP.

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

Telephone: 0207 349 0202

Website: www.tomskitchen.co.uk       

Following his Michelin-starred Chelsea venture Tom Aitkens opened his less formal restaurant offering breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.  With the Michelin-starred pedigree I had high hopes about eating there and the media hype that surrounded the restaurant’s launch only heighten my anticipation.

Looking past the stylish black interior I was greet by a surprisingly relaxed white walled room with no frills wooden tables – so far so good, this is what I want for a lunch with friends. Having been seated it soon became apparent just how tightly packed the tables are, I don’t expect to be seated metres away from another table; however at Tom’s Kitchen you feel that you are almost on top of your neighbour – alas I had no interest in being on top of my American businessman neighbour.

The menu is largely British, however with significant Italian influence throughout. My starter of pan fried foie gras, duck egg and bacon was well executed however it failed to come together as a dish and the foie gras was not as rich as would be expected (and for over £15 it certainly should have been). The beef burger with which I followed was again ok, however failed to deliver anything more than that – it was also significantly overcooked having asked for it rare. 

The acoustics in Tom’s Kitchen make it horrendously loud, I am in favour of eating in a buzzing environment however it was clear that most tables were having to shout in order to have a conversation. In addition, with the tables being tightly packed I saw a number of diners having to stand up and move in order for other tables to get out; something that should not happen.

Overall I did not warm to Tom’s Kitchen – with house wine at over £20; starters around £10 and mains around £20 you could expect much more for the money. The service also left a lot to be desired, whilst there I saw a number of other customers complaining about the service and poor food. The media hype on this occasion does not seem to be deserved.