UK – Page 31 – No Expert …but I know what I like

What’s coming in September

This month we have plans to revisit some of the restaurants covered in this blog :-

London

Foliage – to see what has changed following Chris Staines departure.
Osteria Dell’Angolo – to try out their new menu.
The Berkeley – for Afternoon Tea.
Tom Aikens – to see if we can visit and not over order.

Barcelona

Cinc Sentits – to support one of our all time favorite restaurants.
Comerc 24 – to see if it can deliver on a return visit.
Cuines Santa Caterina – for the Catalan sausage with foie gras.
El Jardi – to chill out.
Moovida – to enjoy their excellent bar food.
Tram Tram – to eat top quality food at a reasonable price
Tragaluz – because it’s open on a Public Holiday!

Thailand Festival at Secretts

A departure from the normal theme for this post, to cover a food festival rather than a restaurant, the 7th Amazing Thailand Festival at Secretts to be specific.

Secretts farm in Milford, Surrey is a stunning location, especially when the weather is as good as it was today. This is a very well organised and popular event, focusing on both Thai food and culture.

The event included cookery demonstrations from celebrity chef Ob-oom “Mini C” Chutrakul.

The Festival takes place every two years so plenty of notice for the next one.

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Foliage replacement – the gossip!

As you will see from the earlier post – Fairwell to Chris Staines, the Foliage is not going to be with us for that much longer in its current form. I do not know the exact date of its demise. According to our sources, the plan is to combine the space currently occupied by the Foliage and The Park Restaurant to provide a new 140 cover restaurant (Heston Blumenthals London flagship). Most of the area currently used by the Foliage will become the kitchen. A new (temporary) restaurant will be housed in the basement while this work is going on.

Update : November 2009 – Looks like the basement restaurant is not going to be temporary after all, as New York restauranteur Daniel Boulud is opening Europes first Bar Boulud restaurant in a previously unused space beneath the hotel.

Update : January 2010 – The latest information seems to be that the Foliage will be closing sometime in March.

Update : March 2010 – We attended a fairwell lunch at the Foliage, for details see post:

Foliage – The Last Post

Marcus Wareing…a bit thin?

This was my first visit to The Berkeley to experience the 2 star Michelin cooking of Marcus Wareing. A chef that many critics believe to be eclipsing the cooking of his former boss Gordon Ramsay. I must say the room was very impressive. Unfortunately the cooking didn’t live up to expectations. I did get the chance to try the famous custard tart. It was certainly an amazing texture. It was so light that it seemed to defy the laws of physics. You’d think it would collapse under its own weight. I didn’t think the taste was that great however so overall was not that impressed.

This restaurant is currently number 52 on the S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list and has 5 AA Rosettes.

Marks out of 10

Food 6

Service 6

Ambience 8

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Del’Aziz – expanding!

For a bit of everything Del’Aziz the Mediterranean Delicatessen and Brasserie is great, they have their deli counters (of course) and a really good selection of cakes (portion control is a problem though, sometimes bigger is not better!). I have only been to the ones in Bankside and Fulham.

UPDATE : September 2010 – I passed by their new outpost in Bermondsey Square yesterday during the annual Bermondsey Street Festival and it looked good.

IMGP2407 — Del’Aziz in Bermondsey Square

tn_CIMG3211 — Del Aziz – Long Lane entrance

UPDATE : May 2011 – Finally tried the Bermondsey Square branch, it has outdoor seating at the front and in the Square, which is a great little sun trap. Identical formula and quality level as the other branches of Del’Aziz.

Marks out of 10

Food 6

Service 6

Ambience 6

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The Table – by design!

For a late breakfast or brunch away from the crowds, I would recommend The Table.

It is perhaps not somewhere you would find in passing, as it is located a couple of streets behind Tate Modern, housed within an architects’ head quarters. (I found it while visiting the offices as part of Open House London). It is a casual venue with shared tables and a small outside seating area.

There is also usually a small selection of Cakes

The Table – upping its game!

The Table just gets better and better. There was a real buzz during my visit today, see video :-

Buzz at The Table

It was busy when I arrived, but one of the waiters immediately spotted me and found me a space. The service and the food based on this visit was actually better than I remember from earlier visits. My sweetcorn fritters (which the waiter advised me would take at least 10 minutes to make) were just perfect. They were served with two lovely runny poached eggs as well – an addition that had not been part of the dish last time I ordered it. The staff were really on the ball, a glass of tap water was provided within about a minute off asking for it, as was the bill.

The area (Southwark Street – near the Blue Fin Building) is much more lively now too, lots of restaurants and bars with outdoor seating.

UPDATE – The Table’s menu and chef has changed. The interior is slightly different as they have removed the area that used to be used to display cakes, so no longer somewhere to pop in for just coffee and cake. It’s main focus is still breakfast and brunch type dishes, it is also now possible to make reservations.

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