Category: London

Mint Leaf – deal or no deal?

I really like the Mint Leaf, but it can be expensive for what it is (a mid range Modern Indian restaurant).  Fortunately Top table regularly offer 50% discounts on the food, covering a subset of the menu.  I did notice however on this visit that the size of the menu had shrunk for the toptable deal, which is a shame.

The food is first rate, we were especially impressed by the delicious Chicken Tikka, the sauce was amazing.

The dessert selection is also good, I especially like the way they recommend matching wines or liqueurs.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.5

Service 6.7

Ambience 6

 

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What’s coming in October

This month is going to have a distinct chocolate theme to celebrate chocolate week.

Here is a list of some of the planned posts for October :-

London – Restaurants

  • Almeida – for the chocolate themed dinner.
  • Galvin at Windows – for the view and maybe have a “chocolate” Martini in Windows on the World!
  • The Square –  to indulge.

London – Events

Chocolate is not just for Easter
Chocolate is not just for Easter

Tom Aikens – Downsizing

Readers of our earlier post  (Tom Aikens – Flavour, Flavour, Flavour) will have noticed that our only criticism, applied to portion control. It does rather seem that Tom Aikens has had this feedback from a number of customers and has made some changes. Ironically we went here, without having had breakfast, ready for a feast, instead we had a well balanced lunch.

The petit fours also used to be a highlight, and now at lunch time are limited to some Madeline’s and rather tiny chocolates, which might have been ok, if we had not been aware of how spectacular this part of the meal used to be.

We had  the Tasting Menu with some stunning matching wines. The lamb course with artichokes was the weakest course, but on the whole the food was superb.

It is also great to be given the details of the wine parings.

One day we will visit and stick to our original intention of trying the much cheaper lunch menu. The temptation was just too much for us yet again.

Update: Tom Aikins is now doing BYO – see

http://www.hardens.com/restaurant-news/uk-london/17-09-09/byo-tom-aikens-bob-ricard/

Marks out of 10

Food 8

Service 8

Ambience 8

 

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The Berkeley – Pret a Portea

KiA friend reserved a table for the Pret a Portea at The Berkeley – the famous fashionista’s afternoon tea. Not that I qualify in any way for the description of fashionista, but there were plenty of them in the room to make up the shortfall.

The table was beautifully set, with individual stylised menus and a personalised name card.  Our only criticism was the size of the font on the menu (see vent number 21). We also had some concerns when only one cake stand was set on the table for four people – there was only two handbags!.  However the waiter quickly reassured us that the plates would be swapped out as and when we finished them. He was true to his word as we discovered following multiple plate changes.

The sandwiches (we had 3 rounds each and were offered more!), savoury spoonfuls and cakes were all of a very high standard. In fact I actually enjoyed the afternoon tea more than the lunch we had a few months back in Marcus Wareings restaurant!

We also had a few glasses of champagne – they offer standard or couture. The waiter serving the champagne was particularly proficient as he single handedly poured the champagne, smoothly swapping from one hand to the other. He also used a small laser pointer to individually identify and describe the sandwiches and cakes! I jokingly commented that he put on a better show than the Fat Duck.  So you can imagine my shock when Heston Blumental walked by a few minutes later. The Berkeley will be a rival to his planned new Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental just around the corner (see Foliage replacement – the gossip!), so I guess he was just being neighbourly!

 

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Osteria Dell’Angolo – 3’s a disappointment

Visited the Osteria Dell’Angolo for the third time, after its holiday closure and menu change. First couple of visits led us to believe we might have found an exceptional restaurant, especially the meal on our second visit.  Not the case however as this visit showed.

We had a rather boring amuse-bouche and a couple of quite bland dishes, based on this it does look like the Osteria has lost its wow factor.

Marks out of 10

Food 6

Service 6

Ambience 6

 

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Rex Whistler @ The Tate

Had afternoon tea in Tate Britain’s Rex Whistler Restaurant. It is actually a real bargain at £6.50 – just work out what the equivalent cost would be in the cafeteria next door to see what I mean.

The afternoon tea is not grand in the way it would be in a top hotel, but it’s a pleasant way to spend a hour or so.

The sandwiches were presented on individual cake stands, which also held a tiny but rather delicious piece of chocolate cake. While good value it was not something to go out of your way for.

They also have a breakfast menu. We made a return visit for the Full English breakfast, which is substantial but pricey.

Marks out of 10

Food 5

Service 5

Ambience 5.5

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