Month: February 2010

Delfina – Sunday Opening

Due to popular demand the Delfina Restaurant is now open on Sundays for Lunch, and being pushed as a venue to relax, eat, drink and enjoy reading the Sunday papers.

It was not too popular on our visit, there were only about 12 people in the Restaurant, but a few of them were managing to read the Sunday papers!  Something that surprised me based on the speed of the service.

The place really needs to be busier to get a buzz going, as being located in a gallery space does make the restaurant a bit stark/cold.  However going by the number of people passing by and checking out the menu, the potential is here.

The Sunday menu is off the usual standard for Delfina’s, i.e., good well cooked comfort food. We started with the Ham hock terrine which was accompanied by very refreshing and tasty pickled spring cabbage, followed by Lamb and beautifully cooked vegetables. We finished with the cheese course (one between two is plenty).

The staff seem inexperienced, but they are enthusiastic and friendly.  My main complaint, and it is not a major one,  is that the service is a little too quick.  It would have been nice to relax between courses, “maybe read a newspaper” and not be in and out in an hour.

Marks out of 10

Food 5.4

Service 5

Ambience 4

UPDATE – May  2013 : Relaunched as Tanner & Co – for more information see Big Hospitality Article.

 

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Dog & Fox – less is more

The Dog & Fox is a well known and long standing Youngs Pub in the heart of Wimbledon Village, with a separate restaurant.  Their web site highlights the chefs Pacific Rim influences (interesting), but shows a very British Pub style food menu (not so interesting).

The entrance via the Pub, past the bouncer, is off-putting, but fortunately there is also a side entrance that takes you directly to the restaurant. The room is warm and nicely decorated.

On our visit, I found there were more negatives than positives here:-

1. All the prices on the menu had been tippexed out (an indication of  a recent and unjustified price increase in my opinion  – £19.30 for a lamb chop!  – see review for Coq d’Argent, where my excellent  3 course lunch in a vastly superior venue cost less).

2. The Salsa and Relishes provided with some of the dishes were really OTT.  The Salsa I had with my Thai Chicken cakes (Chicken Rissoles) for example consisted of a small bowl containing huge chunks of tomatoes with red onion and chilli – I could not eat it, it just killed my taste buds. One of my companions had the burger which was nicely cooked, but accompanied by another completely OTT Relish containing way too much garlic or horseradish. It was so strong you could not tell what it was. The Smoked Haddock was cooked ok as well, but would have been better if the accompanying egg had not been hard boiled.

Basically this was a missed opportunity. The Restaurant has a good room, it’s in an excellent location. It just needs to get it’s act together and be more like a restaurant and less like a bar food area. In it’s current incarnation I do not think it even qualifies as a gastropub!

Marks out of 10

Food 3

Service 3

Ambience 4

 

 

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Coq d’argent – Right on the Money

Coq d’argent is a rather fabulous venue on the roof of Number 1 The Poultry, right in the middle of the Square Mile. Visiting a City restaurant with a roof top garden on a Sunday in January may not be the best timing, but we got a real feel for just how good a location this actually is. In the Winter, when the garden is not in use,  you can appreciate just how well designed this place is and take in the views without being disturbed by the usual cityboy revellers. We had booked a Top Table deal of 3 courses for £19 (the normal 3 course lunch price is £30), and that is where it gets interesting.  Most places cut corners on deals. They do not always seem to appreciate that these deals are an ideal way to showcase the restaurant.  Coq d’argent got it 100% right. At no point did we feel like second class citizens or cheapskates. The set menu had sufficient choices and included top end items like escargot and venison. This actually encouraged us to upgrade our wine choices to something from their selection of fine wines.

The service was friendly and efficient, and the place was buzzing. The Jazz band from the bar area also made a couple of  sorties into the Restaurant to play “happy birthday”, which was certainly entertaining the first time, but maybe not so much the sixth time.  However it is easy to understand why people come here to celebrate.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.7

Service 6.7

Ambience 6.7

 

 

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