No Expert …but I know what I like – Food Blog, Restaurant reviews
Reviews, Guides & Maps
RSJ delivers good rustic food and an excellent selection of wines from the Loire valley. Spread over three floors, the upstairs room is by far the nicest.
We have had a couple of stand out dishes here over the course of a few visits. The Pumpkin soup and the Poached pear with Perkin ice cream for example.
RSJ have 2 AA Rosettes, which sounds about right.
Marks out of 10
Food 5.5
Service 6
Ambience 5
I had been to the rather lively branch of The Lavender restaurant in Battersea, and enjoyed the ambience. So I expected something similar when I went to the Vauxhall branch. This visit was not recent, but it was one of my most memorable restaurant experiences.
We walked into a near empty bar in the middle of what felt like an industrial estate. It looked like the sort of place you go to by mistake and basically turn around and leave immediately. It looked shabby, one of the windows was boarded up. There were a couple of Bikers drinking in the corner and a girl standing by the bar dressed very much like a lady of the night!. However we had made a reservation for dinner, and were hungry, so we braved it out.
We were the only diners and our expectations were so low, we were absolutely shocked (jaw-dropingly shocked) when another biker type from the Kitchen delivered our food. Not because there was anything wrong with it, quite the opposite. The real shock was the presentation. It was totally out of keeping with the venue. I have been to top restaurants that can not deliver food that looked as good. It tasted good too.
This was a rare example where the food took precedence over the venue, which was really refreshing, and made us realise that you really should not judge by appearances.
Marks out of 10
Food 6.5
Service 5
Ambience – so odd I am not sure I can give a mark.
Unless you are in an area that specialises in Tea Shops, its often hard to find good venues to relax with a coffee or tea and eat cake. Why go to the big chains like Starbucks, when you have alternatives.
London
If you really want to go up market and have Afternoon Tea somewhere grand, like The Athenaeum or The Berkeley, then great, but if you are looking for something cheaper, then here are a few options.
New York
Actually the Starbucks I have been to in New York are a lot better than London. I had an amazing piece of Cognac and Pumpkin cheese cake in one on the Upper East Side, but for something more unique try:-
Paris
Pretty much the home of the pâtisserie, so you are spoilt for choice, however for an inexpensive option, try:-
or for a not so inexpensive option, visit Ladurée.
Off topic, but also worth mentioning is The Chocolate Consultancy – Parisian Chocolatiers Map showing locations of some really good Chocolatiers in Paris.
Quirinale although in a basement is light and quite lovely. I am sure it turns up on a lot of MPs expense claims, as it is very much a politico hangout.
The food is off a high standard. They have an excellent wine list and do a really good cheese course, that you select from the menu. It is served with a selection of biscuits, fruit and preserves.
The Restaurant used to only open during the week, but from September it is opening on Saturday evenings as well. This will be interesting, as this place can not afford to let its standards slip – it used to be unquestionably the best upmarket Italian restaurant in the area, now however it has stiff competition from the nearby Osteria Dell’Angolo.
Marks out of 10
Food 6.8
Service 6.5
Ambience 6.5
It is always interesting doing return visits. My first visit to Atul Kochhars flag ship London Restaurant Benares was well over a year ago on a Friday evening.
We went for the tasting menu and were blown away by the glorious food and the subtle wine combinations. We’d been to the Cinnamon Club and our experience there with Indian Food Wine matching was scary – give the customer lots of really strong red wine, being the basic philosophy I think. Not so at Benares. Indeed the meal was close to perfect, let down only by the meat course which was fine, but not that different from the sort off food you can get at a good curry house. Ironically our dinning neighbours had the opposite reaction “finally something we recognise” they said. So I guess you can not please everyone!.
Marks of 10
Food 8
Service 8
Ambience 7
Now comes the second visit, it was like going to a different Restaurant. This time I went with friends who were experiencing the restaurant for the first time, it was for Sunday Lunch, on a weekend where Atul was not in the kitchen. One of my companions had to send her Lamb back, and when it returned (much too quickly) it was still not as ordered. We also had to redirect the waiter to a nearby table that had been trying to get his attention for ages.
Marks out of 10
Food 4
Service 4
UPDATE October 2019 – No longer has a Michelin Star
The first one Tas The Cut is still the best, followed by the Tas Borough High Street. The one in The Cut is very efficient and delivers good quality food. Ironically based on my experience you are more likely to spot a celebrity here, than at the Ivy – the Old and Young Vic Theatres are in the same street. On our last visit the actress Jenny Agutter was dining at the table next to ours.
The Tas group specialises in Anatolian cuisine, and also runs a couple of delicatessens.
They have a larger venue call EV located under the arches near Southwark Tube station. This is great on a summer evening for drinks or for a cheap night out with a large group, as is Tas Pide, which is right next to the Globe Theatre.