What Restaurant did you eat at last night?

Went to Galvin @Windows last night, taking advantage of the £39 menu option at Toptable.

Started with a couple of nibbles as amuse including a wonderful truffle/cheese filled profiterole. My starter was a pigs head beignet - basically a nice slab of crisp, breaded pigs head meat with apple and frisee salad. Very piggy as you might imagine and not a dish for people watching their waistline.

Next was a freebie scallop with marsh samphire. The scallop was enormous and cooked to perfection with a beautiful buttery texture and a huge amount of flavour. It was probably the best scallop i've ever had.

Next I had pigs cheek for main with vanilla spiced lentils. This was probably the weakest dish of the night for me - it was good, but not quite as good as the rest. The vanilla certainly worked well with the pork cheeks and it was interesting to have it in a savoury dish.

Another freebie next - a pre-dessert of banana milkshake and a hazelnut flavoured chocolate. This was great - the hazelnut flavoured chocolate was like an amazing ferrero rocher!

Finally a dessert of chocolate cake/fondant with tonka bean ice cream and coffee cream. Beautiful. The chocolate cake oozed molten chocolate as soon as you dipped your spoon in and everything came together as well as you might expect.

Overall - There was nothing groundbreaking here, but for a £39 set menu the value was fantastic and the cooking flawless. I'd go back just for that scallop. Including a nice bottle of Argentinian Malbec we ended up paying £60/head inc. service (although we ended up leaving extra for tip given how good it had been). Given the setting (get a window seat if possible!) it's a bargain and would certainly be a good place to take your other half :)
 
Right, last night I had the burger experience of a lifetime. Having frequently missed out on the opportunity to visit Meat Wagon whenever it setup in its various locations around London, I was pretty excited about the opening of their permanent venue. If anyone watches any of the recent Jamie Oliver shows, there was an episode where he sampled the delights of East London and Essex, and the burger guy he interviews is the chap behind Meat Wagon, and now Meat Liquor.

Last night, I went to Meat Liquor on the corner of Wellbeck St and Henrietta Pl close to Bond Street Tube. It was heaven.

Firstly, get there early. I was there by 6.25pm and arrived just before the queue started - when we left at almost 9pm I imagine the wait was probably around an hour.

Food: I had two Bacon Cheese Burgers over the course of the night and I can hands-down say that these were the best burgers I've ever had. Not too much cheese or bacon (as I find the more overly packed it is, the saltier it gets), amazing medium-rare patty and bun was perfect - light, but with almost a chewy element to it. Thrown in are a thick and crunchy gherkin and onions.

Having eaten burgers all over the states, and going to quite a few of the Diners in London, I can comfortably say that this was by far and away the best I've ever had.

The Sides: Generally pretty poor. Buffalo Wings were pretty good, but not a whole load of meat on them. Battered Pickles were uninspiring and their Chili Cheese Fries were awful - however I'd made peace with the fact I was just there for a burger and some drink.

Drink: Cocktails were decent, well made and a decent variety. Nothing over the top, but as this is a British take on US/Diner traditions, most of the cocktails were Gin, Vodka or Bourbon based. Lager was either US stuff that our waitress (on her first shift) didn't know about, or Mean Time. I ordered three Mean Times, she delivered 3 Mai Tai's...

Service: Awful. I can only assume this was either because it was meant to be bad (in an arrogant and pretentious hipster way... for affect) or because it's been open less than a week and is still having teething problem. We waited 30 mins for drinks - had two wrong drink orders bought to us - and then waited an hour for our second helping of food. When I arrived at 6.30, food and drink service was prompt, however the busier it got the more chaotic the place seemed.

I'd recommend for a lunch or early evening visit. As it's just off Oxford St, it's ideal for a break in Christmas shopping. Burgers unbelievable, alcohol good, service crap.

Off to the new Hawksmoor in Guildhall tomorrow - looks like the menu is a bit more expansive than the meat, meat, meat fare at the Spitalfields venue!
 
oli collett said:
Went to Galvin @Windows last night, taking advantage of the £39 menu option at Toptable.

Started with a couple of nibbles as amuse including a wonderful truffle/cheese filled profiterole. My starter was a pigs head beignet - basically a nice slab of crisp, breaded pigs head meat with apple and frisee salad. Very piggy as you might imagine and not a dish for people watching their waistline.

Next was a freebie scallop with marsh samphire. The scallop was enormous and cooked to perfection with a beautiful buttery texture and a huge amount of flavour. It was probably the best scallop i've ever had.

Next I had pigs cheek for main with vanilla spiced lentils. This was probably the weakest dish of the night for me - it was good, but not quite as good as the rest. The vanilla certainly worked well with the pork cheeks and it was interesting to have it in a savoury dish.

Another freebie next - a pre-dessert of banana milkshake and a hazelnut flavoured chocolate. This was great - the hazelnut flavoured chocolate was like an amazing ferrero rocher!

Finally a dessert of chocolate cake/fondant with tonka bean ice cream and coffee cream. Beautiful. The chocolate cake oozed molten chocolate as soon as you dipped your spoon in and everything came together as well as you might expect.

Overall - There was nothing groundbreaking here, but for a £39 set menu the value was fantastic and the cooking flawless. I'd go back just for that scallop. Including a nice bottle of Argentinian Malbec we ended up paying £60/head inc. service (although we ended up leaving extra for tip given how good it had been). Given the setting (get a window seat if possible!) it's a bargain and would certainly be a good place to take your other half :)
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I love the place. One of my tops for excellent service (but not too much) I too did the top table deal and thought for the value, they didn't skimp on all the freebies we had as well like homemade chocolates with coffee, amuse bouche, and taster before the dessert. We had a window table on a clear night and it was a fantastic setting.
 
toshj said:
Service: Awful. I can only assume this was either because it was meant to be bad (in an arrogant and pretentious hipster way... for affect) or because it's been open less than a week and is still having teething problem. We waited 30 mins for drinks - had two wrong drink orders bought to us - and then waited an hour for our second helping of food.
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So many restaurants seem to take forever to serve first drink now - which is just terrible business. Done a lot of waiting at mid-high end places as a teen/student, and the importance of ensuring people always had a drink was drummed into us.
 
As I mentioned in another thread, bad service really irritates me and can ruin a dinner. It's so simple, yet so many places are incapable of delivering good service. Drinks are a priority, get them down and get them down quickly and then make sure that the guests are never without one or at least if they are then they want to be without one. Argh!
 
The lack of service got so annoying, that at one point - having waited for a round of beers for 30 mins - we saw our drinks sat on the side of the bar waiting to be sent over to our table. After almost 10 mins of them sat there, my mate walked over and effectively told the barman they were for us and that he was taking them! The receipt also had "Cheers Mate is not an adequate tip!" printed on the bottom, which was laughably ironic given how bad the service was.

The service at first was pretty good, but fell to pieces as the night went on. Also, with the queue being so long the head waiter was getting anxious to "move people on" once they'd finished eating. Whilst my mates were outside having a cigarette he came over 3 times to basically say "You've finished eating. Leave!" despite us having another round of burgers and food waiting to arrive! Wasn't impressed to say the least.

I'd more than happily go back purely for the burgers, but would only go for lunch.
 
Good service is very hard and something few restraints manage. Even Atul Kochhars Benares got it wrong. Far to smoothering and far far far to many waiters at our table at the same time.
Should be attentitive from afar.
 
toshj said:
Right, last night I had the burger experience of a lifetime. Having frequently missed out on the opportunity to visit Meat Wagon whenever it setup in its various locations around London, I was pretty excited about the opening of their permanent venue. If anyone watches any of the recent Jamie Oliver shows, there was an episode where he sampled the delights of East London and Essex, and the burger guy he interviews is the chap behind Meat Wagon, and now Meat Liquor.

Last night, I went to Meat Liquor on the corner of Wellbeck St and Henrietta Pl close to Bond Street Tube. It was heaven.

Firstly, get there early. I was there by 6.25pm and arrived just before the queue started - when we left at almost 9pm I imagine the wait was probably around an hour.

Food: I had two Bacon Cheese Burgers over the course of the night and I can hands-down say that these were the best burgers I've ever had. Not too much cheese or bacon (as I find the more overly packed it is, the saltier it gets), amazing medium-rare patty and bun was perfect - light, but with almost a chewy element to it. Thrown in are a thick and crunchy gherkin and onions.

Having eaten burgers all over the states, and going to quite a few of the Diners in London, I can comfortably say that this was by far and away the best I've ever had.

The Sides: Generally pretty poor. Buffalo Wings were pretty good, but not a whole load of meat on them. Battered Pickles were uninspiring and their Chili Cheese Fries were awful - however I'd made peace with the fact I was just there for a burger and some drink.

Drink: Cocktails were decent, well made and a decent variety. Nothing over the top, but as this is a British take on US/Diner traditions, most of the cocktails were Gin, Vodka or Bourbon based. Lager was either US stuff that our waitress (on her first shift) didn't know about, or Mean Time. I ordered three Mean Times, she delivered 3 Mai Tai's...

Service: Awful. I can only assume this was either because it was meant to be bad (in an arrogant and pretentious hipster way... for affect) or because it's been open less than a week and is still having teething problem. We waited 30 mins for drinks - had two wrong drink orders bought to us - and then waited an hour for our second helping of food. When I arrived at 6.30, food and drink service was prompt, however the busier it got the more chaotic the place seemed.

I'd recommend for a lunch or early evening visit. As it's just off Oxford St, it's ideal for a break in Christmas shopping. Burgers unbelievable, alcohol good, service crap.

Off to the new Hawksmoor in Guildhall tomorrow - looks like the menu is a bit more expansive than the meat, meat, meat fare at the Spitalfields venue!
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Ended up at Meat Liquor last night - we turned up at 8pm and it didn't come as a surprise to see a very large queue. Neither of us were particularly hungry so we opted to go and have a couple of pints down the road and come back later.

2hrs later and the queue has gone - straight in. We ordered some deep fried pickles, a chicken fillet burger and a dead hippie, washed down with a bottle of cheap and decent argentinian Malbec.

Philly steak was a bit of a disappointment - the rump steak tasted a little overdone. The other burgers were fantastic though - cooked beautifully with great buns. Best burger I've ever had? Not sure, but certainly up there with the best.

Service was a bit on the slow side but friendly. I'll definitely be back again, it's great having a place like this outside of East London!
 
Couple of weeks back i was at Gidleigh Park for the 8 course signature menu...

All i can say, it was awesome, best meal i have ever eaten and maybe best meal i will ever eat!

Canapes: Rillete of Salmon, Dartmoor lamb with fennel puree, Apple and Beetroot Salad


Appetiser: Brixham Scallop with Tomato, obergine, tapanade vinaigrette,

Starter: Terrine of Foie Gras, Maderia Jelly, Truffled green bean sald

Intermediate: Brixham Turbot with chive butter sauce, wild mushrooms, leek (this was my favourite dish, out of this world..)

1st Main: Partridge, quince puree, candied walnuts, chicory

2nd Main: Dartmoor Beef, Truffled pomme puree, maderia sauce, lardons of bacon, and in house smoked bone marrow

Selection of sorbets (instead of cheese as not a fan)

Pre-Dessert: Exotic fruit salad with pineapple crystalline

Main Dessert: Caramel and Cardamom Parfait with nougatine and milk chocolate mousse

followed by coffee and petit fours. Petit fours being mini plum doughnut, trio of chocolate, orange tartlet

Was proper full at the end!
 
oli collett said:
Service was a bit on the slow side but friendly. I'll definitely be back again, it's great having a place like this outside of East London!
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I hope the service is purely a teething problem rather than an attitude problem, but it certainly adds an option when in need of good, easy food when in the West End!

I made my first visit to the new Hawksmoor, City on Basinghall St. near Moorgate station on Friday. Having been to the Spitalfields venue quite a few times, but not having not yet visited their Covent Garden site, I was unsure what to expect.

Firstly, it's very much more "City" than the Spitalfields restaurant - certainly less cosy, with it's large dining hall. Service is just as good as I've experienced with them before.

I took the old man for lunch with the promise of a quality bottle of Burgundy, and we started off with a Ginger Brew - a measure of gin, ginger syrup, lemon juice and topped up (in a 3/4 pint glass) with London Pride over fine crushed ice - somewhere between a Shandy and a Ginger Ale.

Next up was the main:

300g Fillet, medium-rare x 2
Cauliflower Cheese
Mash with bone marrow gravy
Buttered Carrots
Beef Dripping Chips

My steak was phenomenal, and possibly the nicest piece of meat I've had at a Hawksmoor. Unfortunately my dad's steak was sporting that dry grey somewhere between medium-well and well done. Without him having to say anything, the waitress came over and agreed that it wasn't how he'd ordered it. They took his steak away (whilst I greedily carried on eating mine) and returned 10 minutes later with a perfect looking steak (as well as fresh mash potato and cauliflower cheese). This was all washed done with a nice bottle of red.

Then came a great cheeseboard and a glass each of Gigondas. Then he had a glass of Somerset apple brandy and I had a whiskey.

Whilst they booked us a cab, we sat at the bar and had a Meantime London Pale Ale (quickly becoming my favourite beer).

The messed up steak, took the shine off the day, but a three and a half our meal on a friday afternoon is a great way to start the weekend. They didn't charge us for his steak, the two glasses of wine or the cheeseboard - saved us almost £60 off the bill. All in all it was a great experience, and it's nice to see that the bar area isn't overly exclusive.
 
toshj said:
The messed up steak, took the shine off the day, but a three and a half our meal on a friday afternoon is a great way to start the weekend. They didn't charge us for his steak, the two glasses of wine or the cheeseboard - saved us almost £60 off the bill. All in all it was a great experience, and it's nice to see that the bar area isn't overly exclusive.
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I can understand not charging for the steak, but I assume that the glasses of wine and the cheeseboard was a mistake? Seems mad that they'd give you all of that for free just for serving (and quickly rectifying) a overdone steak!
 
Ahleckz said:
I can understand not charging for the steak, but I assume that the glasses of wine and the cheeseboard was a mistake? Seems mad that they'd give you all of that for free just for serving (and quickly rectifying) a overdone steak!
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Nope, they told us that the desert was going to be on the house as well, and as we only indulged in the cheeseboard, it would seem that this replaced the free desert. Also, having had a look a look at their wine list, it seems that they don't even sell Gigondas by the glass and therefore I can only assume they opened a bottle of this to give us two free complimentary glasses!

Like I said, it really is top-drawer service there. We went at 3pm on a Friday (in between their lunch and dinner timeslots) so not only did we have the restaurant to ourselves but also most of the waiters (we must have had at least 6 different people serving us - each knowing everything about the table, who'd ordered what, what was up next, the freebies, etc.)

As a steak restaurant, they live and die on their reputation to serve top quality steaks, and therefore if a bad piece of meat comes out, they naturally go over the top to make amends.
 
Well I've just been emailed by Bruno Loubet with a set menu @ 40pp for the booking I have. Now, the price isn't the issue (3 courses for 40 is actually good) but it's the fact at the time of booking nothing was mentioned about a set menu.

I don't particularly want anything from this menu, nor do half the party going. Properly annoyed.

So now I'm looking for somewhere else to go so I'm going to see if Hawksmoor seven dials has space for us... If not more searching.

Balls.
 
QuickLink said:
3rd Dec! 6 People. Tried Goodman's 2 locations (not canary wharf as it's a mission) and none there also.

Proper pain this.
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The first weekend in December is always a pain. I know a couple of people at Goodmans so happily ask (what time you want to go?) but squeezing 6 people in is going to be tricky!

Have you looked at The Palm in Sloane Square area? Never been myself, but all the Americans I know in London go there for their "American Steak fix".
 
toshj said:
Nope, they told us that the desert was going to be on the house as well, and as we only indulged in the cheeseboard, it would seem that this replaced the free desert. Also, having had a look a look at their wine list, it seems that they don't even sell Gigondas by the glass and therefore I can only assume they opened a bottle of this to give us two free complimentary glasses!

Like I said, it really is top-drawer service there. We went at 3pm on a Friday (in between their lunch and dinner timeslots) so not only did we have the restaurant to ourselves but also most of the waiters (we must have had at least 6 different people serving us - each knowing everything about the table, who'd ordered what, what was up next, the freebies, etc.)

As a steak restaurant, they live and die on their reputation to serve top quality steaks, and therefore if a bad piece of meat comes out, they naturally go over the top to make amends.
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Awesome! Yea, I appreciate that there reputation is everything but that really is beyond the call of duty.

I really need a good steak one of these days! Any OcUKers fancy the Tuesday deal at The Butchershop? ;) All of my friends are broke or don't like steak. The morons.
 
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