London – Page 22 – No Expert …but I know what I like

Roussillon – easy on the wine (Closed)

I have been to Roussillon a number of times. It is a first class french restaurant in a pretty town house, just off Pimlico Road. An ideal spot for a really special occasion. The Food is off a high standard, and the tasting menus are excellent. This is one of the few places I know that seriously caters for the Vegetarian Gourmet.

On my last visit, I had a lot more wine than normal due to fact they matched 4 different wines with the cheese course – very OTT, so be warned.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.9

Service 6.8

Ambience 6.2

UPDATE: June 2012 – The restaurant is now closed.

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Farewell to Chris Staines @ the Foliage

Had my last meal at my favourite London restaurant the Foliage with Chris Staines as Head Chef. Chris was in the last week of his 3 months notice before he moves onto pastures new. Heston Blumenthal will open up his first London restaurant in its place in the Mandarin Oriental in a years time.

What amazed me was that even in his last week Chris was producing simply breathtakingly stunning dishes…Respect.

Over the years I’ve had some fantastic meals at the Foliage. In fact I use it as a benchmark to judge every other restaurant I visit. The service there is exceptional and the way Chris uses flavour and texture is the mark of a true artist. I suspect that the much larger replacement restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental will not live up to the high standard set by Chris or indeed Heston at the Fat Duck.

So many celebrity chefs are going down the “franchise” route, with disastrous results. The Abode chain (Micheal Caines) being a prime example and don’t get me started on how awful Harveys is (John Burton Race).

I’d like to thank Chris and his team at the Foliage for giving us many memorable meals (It was my experience of eating at the Foliage that got me interested in food) and to wish him the very best for the future. I just wish he was staying in London as his talent will be sorely missed.

Marks out of 10

Food 8

Service 9

Ambience 7

UPDATE : Chris Staines is now Head Chef at the Allium Brasserie in Bath

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40|30 at the Gherkin – the high life!

I was lucky enough to be able to book a table at the 40|30 Restaurant in the Gherkin, Norman Fosters landmark building.

This is normally for private dining only, so not easy to get in, but if you ever get the chance, go for it. The views and the architecture are breathtaking, the photographs do not do it justice. However what really surprised me was the food, it actually managed to compete, we went for the tasting menu with matching wines, so not a cheap night out by any means.

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City Cafe – Summer in the City!

The City Inn’s restaurant is called City Cafe, it has an attractive covered outside seating area, great for the summer, even when the evenings get cooler as there are plenty of heaters.

A large screen TV is usually wheeled out for Wimbledon and other major events. The food is above average for a Hotel Chain Restaurant and reasonably priced. It has 2 AA Rosettes, which sounds about right. It was also recently featured on Celebrity Master Chef.

Art Street - The City Inns outdoor space — Art Street – The City Inns outdoor space

There are two bars, one next to the City Cafe and the main one on the first floor, the Millbank Lounge. The Millbank Lounge has waitress service and focuses on whiskeys and pretty good cocktails, food there can be a bit hit and miss.

I love the fact you can actually use the excellent Tate to Tate boat service as a means of getting to/from this hotel.

Marks out of 10 – for City Cafe

Food – 5.8

Service 5.5

Ambience 5.5

Marks out of 10 – for Millbank Lounge

Food 5

Service 7

Ambience 6

UPDATE : November 2010 – The City Inn has been rebranded and is now the Mint Hotel.

UPDATE : January 2012 – This hotel has now been rebranded as a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,

UPDATE : May 2013 – Not sure if Hilton are paying much attention to the restaurant now, when I have passed by it at lunch times during the week and weekends it has been completely empty.

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The Gun – a real hidey hole

The Gun is a rather special pub in the Docklands. I have had drinks there on more than one occasion. It’s quite hard to find, but well worth the trip. It has great river views and is certainly a good vantage point for viewing the Millennium Dome. However what is really special about this place is the River Room. This private dining room is accessed from behind the bar, you go up a narrow set of stairs and then you are presented with this amazing hidden room.

The room is very elegant, and has a telescope you can use to take in the stunning view. The food is not spectacular but it is good enough to make this venue a real treat.

Marks out of 10

Food 5

Service 5

Ambience 6

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Alfie’s – what’s it all about! (Closed)

Didn’t like the name before I visited, didn’t like the food when I visited. Then came the bill!, I certainly didn’t like that.

Alfies at the Bermondsey Square Hotel is not cheap, we went shortly after it opened when they were doing an introductory 50% discount, even with the discount I felt completely ripped off.

For starters I had asparagus with egg (expecting a nice runny egg to dip the asparagus in – got a hard boiled egg and some horrid mushroom sauce). Then it just got worse, more of the disgusting gravy with my next course, it wasn’t the mushroom sauce but something rather close in taste and consistency.

We ordered a bottle of Chablis for about £26, and like the food it was decidedly inferior, basically I can only describe it as plonk.

This place is way below the standards of the other restaurants in the area. How it can be described as “a significant addition to Bermondsey’s burgeoning foodie scene” or as “a place that champions fresh English dishes” is a joke. I rather wonder if the people who wrote this “advertising copy” actually ate there!

Marks out of 10

Food 2

Service 4

Ambience 2

UPDATE December 2010 – Alfie’s now have a new chef; not sure I can bring myself to go back though.

UPDATE January 2011 – In a few weeks time Masterchef Judge Gregg Wallace is opening a new restaurant in the Hotel, replacing Alfies, see Big Hospitality Artical for details.

UPDATE April 2012 – Have yet to read a positive review of the restaurant (Greggs Table).

UPDATE September 2012 – The Hotel and restaurant are currently being used for the reality show Hotel GB – have to say that the place seems to be more about PR than food.

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