Dockmasters House – pre cinema treat

Dockmasters House looks very out of place now in the Docklands, surrounded by warehouse style buildings and opposite a multiplex cinema. It is such a stunning building, both inside and out. The modern Indian food is top notch,  they do a pre theatre menu that is ideal if you want to splash out on something a bit special before hitting West India Quay Cineworld, which  is now my cinema of choice for several reasons:-

1 – it’s a modern cinema complex with a good sound system

2 – it’s cheaper than central London

3 – central London cinemas do not have Dockmasters House next door.

Marks out of 10 for Dockmasters House

Food 6.5

Service 6.5

Ambience 7

 

 

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Anchor & Hope – Time & Patience!

When aiming to eat in the Anchor & Hope “gastropub” (36 The Cut, Southwark) you will need time & patience. It is not an ideal venue for pre-theatre, unless you are very lucky.

The tables in the Restaurant section are for sharing.  We found the service was a bit hit and miss but the food certainly hit the mark, with its rustic style and good quality ingredients. My earlier experiences were before the recent change of Chef, however with the kind of reputation the Anchor & Hope has I would expect it to continue to deliver top class gastropub fare.

However if you don’t want the hassle of hanging around the busy bar, you always have the option of Tas on the opposite side of the street.

UPDATE: June 2010 – A recent visit does seem to indicated that the new team are keeping up the good work. I had a beautifully cooked lemon sole with tasty shrimps.

 

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Orsini – Savoy, Zurich – you wash I’ll dry

Some venues can be quite intimidating to walk into. One such occasion was an evening meal at the Italian restaurant Orsini inside the Savoy hotel in Zurich. On entering the hotel we asked at the reception for directions as there was no sign of the restaurant. No problem said the receptionist. I will show you the way. She then led us into the huge hotel kitchen. For a horrible moment I thought she had mistaken us for dishwashers. Fortunately we emerged through a small door into the restaurant….whew!

Zurich 114
The correct entrance

The food was okay but unremarkable. It was more interesting to watch the wealthy guests. The elderly lady who wouldn’t take off her fur coat even while eating her meal and the the middle aged man with a young redheaded twin on each arm. So from that point of view it was good value 😉

 

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Petermann’s Kunststuben – visiting the Gastro Gnomes!

While visiting the famous Gastro Gnomes of Zurich, we made a reservation at Petermann’s Kunststuben.
Knomes of Zurich
Gnomes of Zurich

We went for the tasting menu, the idea being to experience the widest possible range of food in what is often described as Zurichs top restaurant.  I really have no complaints with the food itself, which was off a high standard, the problem was the limitations in the tasting menu. Every course in a tasting menu by its very nature, should be different. That was not the case here, several identical ingredients were used in more that one course…..a mortal sin in my book 😉

 

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Abode – not so inviting!

Before I visited Abode in Canterbury, I had read a  review by a well known food critic which I thought was a bit harsh, this is after all one of Michael Caines projects.  Boy was I wrong, if anything he was being too kind!

When we arrived we were left waiting for what seemed an age as there was no staff in the dining room. Not a good start.

The food when it arrived was totally underwhelming, some of it was just downright unpleasant.  One desert tasted like play doh© and another tasted like cigarette ash.

The kitchen also recently came under criticism from other sources, see Caterersearch.

The service was in general chaotic. What was particularly hard to swallow was that they charged London Michelin star prices. You would get better value taking the train to London than eating here. Sadly another “Faux Gourmet” experience to chalk up.

Abode apparently merits 2 AA Rosettes – the definition for this is “Innovation, greater technical skill and more consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are all needed at this level.”

On leaving our opinion was that the only talent there was the busker playing outside.

 

 

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Eating and Drinking Guide (London Bridge, Bermondsey, Bankside – Southwark)

There are lots of restaurants to choose from in the Southwark area.  I have listed a few of my favorites.

Del’Aziz – Mediterranean Delicatessen and Brasserie, good venue for Cakes and Brunch.

Delfina – well cooked, quality food. Open for breakfast and lunch, occasional evening openings.

José – José Pizarro’s tiny Tapas bar in Bermondsey Street.

Tas (Borough High Street) and Tas Pide (Bankside)

Tapas Brindisa – Close to Borough Market

The Table – Tucked away a couple of streets behind the Tate Modern, it’s ideal for late Breakfasts and Brunch.

The Hide Bar – excellent selection of wines, beers, spirits and cocktails, it also does regular wine tastings.

Village East (171-173 Bermondsey Street) – Good venue for carnivores, a popular place that does excellent steaks.

Vinopolis – There are several restaurants in the “City of Wine”. The Cantina Vinopolis is the best one in my view.

Zucca – Bermondsey’s answer to the River Cafe.

 

 

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