THEGAYUK

Category: Lifestyle

  • The 15 best restaurants in London 2017

    There are thousands of restaurants in London ranging from the Michelin Starred to the greasy spoon. From Italian to Chinese from Hipster chic to LGBT enclaves. London’s cuisine scene has it all.

    The 15 best restaurants in London 2017

    Grills

    Brasserie Zedel (Piccadilly Circus) is steps away from Piccadilly Circus and is one of the most beautiful, elegant and affordable restaurants in London. The restaurant serves traditional French food at amazingly affordable prices. In what is perhaps the best dinner deal in London, they offer, for a mere £12.75, a three-course Prixe Fixe meal which includes Carottes Rapées, Steak Haché with Frites, and a Café Gourmand or a Tarte aux Fruits. It’s a very delicious and satisfying meal. (Tim Baros)

    Eccleston Square Hotel (Victoria) Just a brief walk from the chaos of Victoria Station lies the calm, stylish, uber-cool and uber-tech hotel within Eccleston Square. If you’re not a natural-born Londoner, sometimes the “buzz” is a bit overwhelming. Eccleston Square manages to create an ambience to instantly chill and transports you to a peaceful place. (Jordan Lohan)

    Bar + Block (Kings Cross) The Kings Cross area, if you haven’t recently been, is buzzing. Years ago it was a warren of prostitution and crime, now it’s gentrified with trendy and expensive apartments and a healthy choice of restaurant options. Bar + Block, in my opinion, is THE restaurant option in the area. It is, in fact, the perfect place to go for an excellent and very affordable meal. Located right next to Kings Cross Station on York Way and past McDonald’s and Nandos, Bar + Block, right underneath the Premier Inn, is an excellent find. In the space that used to be the dreary hotel bar, it has been remodelled, chomped and changed. It’s now a beautiful restaurant where the bar, dining area and kitchen are all in one superbly designed and spacious large room. But it’s not just the layout that’s fantastic, the food is also amazing. (Tim Baros)

     

    World

    Ping Pong (Soho) is a restaurant where the concept is Dim Sum – food that comes in small bite-sized portions which allow you to eat lots and lots of different types. Don’t assume the dishes will be quite small because the prices are quite low. Once the food arrives you’ll need a second table to capture the overflow! (Tim Baros)

    Thai Square is an oasis in the heart of central London. Away from the hustle and bustle and crowds and pollution, stepping into Thai Square is akin to stepping into a whole different world, a world that is calm and tranquil and where one can find excellent food. (Tim Baros)

    Zaika of Kensington (Kensington) went above and beyond the usual expectations of Indian cuisine. The pricing of the dishes are on point for the quality and execution. The whole experience felt grand and glam. If you have a team of curry fans, Zaika of Kensington is the place for you. (Jordan Lohan)

    Jamboree Foodfest & Bar (Blackfriars) Don’t be put off by the corporate exterior. The building is accessorised with a fun red neon Jamboree sign and their colourful interior can be seen from across the traffic-magnet main road. Once inside you’ll feel as though you’ve walked into a London take on a barn dance bar. High ceilings laden with multicoloured bunting and exposed vintage bulbs, bare wood beams, walls, floor and tables. A clean spit-without-the-sawdust gaff. We approve. (Thabian Sutherland)

    Gastropub

    The Narrow Is Gordon Ramsay’s gaff and it simmers with locals who’ve come straight from the office or schlepped from their Limehouse pied-à-terres. It gives the riverside eatery a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Good service in a Ramsay gaff is like buff, topless bar staff at Ku Bar – totally expected. You won’t be disappointed. No F Words and the staff are knowledgeable and will treat you as though you were regulars. (Thabian Sutherland)

    Marquis of Wellington (Bermondsey) Loud, brass and cheap as chips. The locals are lucky to have this pub on their doorstep, and visitors to the area will enjoy it as well. (Tim Baros)

     

    Italian

    Tozi (Victoria) A breeze to get to – being a five-minute walk from Victoria. The decor is spacious, cool and contemporary. You’ll love the sleek, swift (and suiting smart shirts) service. Their menu incorporates some wonderfully unique ingredients, such as their home made chestnut infused rum. And oh the men. All the Italian men. Overall, I am all over it, and it has been decided that this place is definitely Tozi ‘Mazeballs. (Jordan Lohan)

    Stuzzico (Marble Arch) is tucked away in a section of London called Connaught Village, steps away from Marble Arch and the Middle Eastern restaurants of Edgware Road, Stuzzico, as small as it is, is a standout. Luca, one of the proprietors, will greet you with a warm Italian smile and will recommend dishes and especially wine that superbly complements each other. Its smallish menu will allow you to try various specialities of the Puglia region, but it all depends on what you fancy; fish, meat and/or pasta. (Tim Baros)

     

    Hip

    Wringer & Mangle To enter W&M you walk through a terrace, and past a Moroccan-style den, where lattice fencing, riddled with ivy, sections off an outdoor seating area surrounding a fire pit. Ideal for an aperitif. Cushions, candles and outdoor heaters will keep you snug as a duvet in a tumble dryer. While schmoozing with the trendy-Wendys, happening-hacks and look-at-me-Larrys, canapés were wafted around like incense at a pilgrims’ gathering. Regular visits a must. (Thabian Sutherland)

    Tabun Kitchen It’s recommended that you sit on the lower ground floor. It’s quaint, Mediterranean-styled, and very cosy, perfect if you’re looking for a place to enjoy the food without being in the hustle and bustle and heat of the main room. Faisel, the charming manager, will take you through the menu if you have any questions. And while the pizza was not sexy and the service a bit disjointed, Tabun Kitchen will not disappoint. It’s warm food and cooking style and abundant fresh and delicious flavours will blow you away.  (Tim Baros)

    Rudie’s Jamaican (Dalston) offers what they call a ‘Boss Burger’ – a rare breed of beef chuck patty that is topped with apple wood smoked cheddar, sweet honey mustard, red onion, tomato, pickles and jalapeño chilli – and it’s huge – worth the £12 price. With Dalston becoming the hip place to live, Rudie’s will most definitely live up to a similar mantra – it will be the hip place to eat. (Tim Baros)

     

    LGBT

    Balans in Soho is an absolute must if you’re visiting London’s gay centre. Open 24 hrs you’ll find a bevvy of hot staff serving good value, hearty food with delicious drinks. (Jake Hook)

  • Setting the pace with Jaguar

    Jaguar has been busy of late with two launches over the past month of two cars. The first was of the XF Sportbrake. An important car in the burgeoning luxury estate segment. Now hot on its heels is yet a car probably more important, the smaller SUV brother of the F Pace, the E Pace.

    The launch was a spectacle of celebrities and journalists from all walks of life. Jaguar wants everyone to know about this car. Fact that the E Pace hit the world records even before anyone got to see it, demonstrates the big push to let you know about E Pace. It did a 15.3-meter barrel roll with a 270-degree roll. A feat no other “production” car has achieved. Sadly due to health and safety, we were not able to see this being performed. Instead, we had Pete Tong. I’m not complaining.

    If this car doesn’t entice you away from the Audi Q range, BMW X range and Mercedes confusing GL range then I do not know what Jaguar have to do to do so. This is a car to make the Germans worried. This E Pace is a car that is going to cause a lot of upset in the SUV market. Read on and I’ll tell you why.

    First up it is cheap. I don’t mean that in a detrimental way to Jaguar because the car itself is anything but when you feel the quality. I got speaking to a consultant for Jaguar who told me that prices were to start from around £28,500 for the base S model to £41,450 for the HSE (all before options) while the most popular model will retail for around £33k. For a Jaguar that almost seems like chicken feed money when you look at the small SUV market. This is a more than a premium car, a Jaguar is prestige!

    It’s the enticing that it will do in the showrooms. Design chief for the E Pace, Ian Callum, and his team have done a fantastic job in making this smaller Pace look even better than the F Pace it complements in the range. In doing so they have made a car that will appeal to many markets and importantly, young professionals of every kind. If there is one thing the E pace lacks it’s going to be the smell of the boardroom and a golf club. Not that you can’t get golf clubs in the back, it’s that you can get more in there without trying. Think of a sport, any sport. Think of the gear you need and double it. It’ll fit in the E Pace.

    The kit is impressive too. It has the usual large touch screen and power ports for devices around and the ability for up to 8 devices to stream the internet via its own 4g hotspot. Air, leather etc are pretty much standard with options available for upgrades of the furnishings.

    Air, leather etc are pretty much standard with options available for upgrades of the furnishings.

    Available with 2wd or 4wd. 4wd will be the bigger seller for sure. The computer keeps track of the power to wheels every 10 milliseconds with the ability to transfer it to the wheel that needs it most thus keeping you where you should be.

    2-litre engines options in petrol and diesel range from 147 to 197bhp with 0-60 times ranging from just under 10 seconds to 6 seconds depending on engine and spec. Add to this the usual choice of a practical wheel to rubber size to thin banded rubber and blinging alloys and the options list starts getting bigger.

    This ladies and gentlemen is E for excitement at Jaguar.

  • MOTORING | Happy Birthday Bambino

    A Little Gem Celebrates

    Who would have thought it, the Fiat 500 turned 60. The little city friend of the Italians that kick started Italy’s motoring for many has become a pensioner. OK, a little time lapsing magic has happened in that time of Dr Who proportions in Time And Relative Dimension In Space.

    From 1957 to 1975 you could purchase a new 500. It was replaced by the square Fiat 126 that just never quite did it. Like most second comings it is never as good as the first and thus the 500 was born an icon like the Citroen 2CV and Volkswagen Beetle. Both cars that have never been replaced with a car as affectionately loved the world over.

    Almost four million 500’s were built in those short 18 years and while many rusted away, many have been survived due to an ever increasing number of fans willing to take on the challenge of restoring or keeping on top of the problems you once got with an Italian car.

    The cheeky chap of Turin also sported a roofless version and even an estate called the Giardiniera. The magic of making this an estate was to lay the engine on its side. I often wonder if they had done this to the normal saloon, they could have created a hatchback version too.

    And so 32 years later we get the 500 with a hatchback when it was suddenly brought back to life with a design by Roberto Giolito that didn’t alter that much from his concept to reality.

    Sales of the 500 took off almost instantly and now you can’t see a street that hasn’t got a 500 on it. Admittedly it is miles away from the original. The engine now sits at the front but like the original, you can now get it with 2 cylinders. In keeping with the philosophy of the 500, Abarth has also been responsible for breathing angry fire onto the current 500 too.

    It’s not hard to see the appeal of the current 500. They are cute and retain the fun and essence of 500. It grew in age but not as much as the new Beetle or new Mini. In keeping it on a small platform Fiat was able to make it fall into the cheaper end of the car market where retro is still big bucks. With this in mind the options are now endless and 10 years on, new and inventive models are being created to keep 500 fresh. Look out for some swanky new models coming out soon.

    Like a lot of cars, at some point, you need to have owned an iconic car. We owned one from 2010 to 2015. A 1400cc 100bhp Pop auto. And in those 5 years, nothing went wrong. It really was a gem.

    So happy birthday Fiat 500 you cheeky little devil.

  • VINTAGE CAR REVIEW | Fiat X1/9

    A Champagne Lifestyle for Fiat Money

    VINTAGE CAR REVIEW | Fiat X1/9

    Picture the scene. America sometime in the in the mid 60s. Following many fatal crashes with people being decapitated or thrown out of their cars, the land of the free was talking about banning convertible cars. European companies that imported to the States went into meltdown.

    Open top cars are their money makers.

    The British are doomed.

    The Germans are still selling a lot of drop top Beetles but struggling to sell the expensive 914/4 and 914/6 targa tops.

    The Italians feel unsure.

    Step in Nuccio Bertone and his design house in Grugliasco, Italy. He walks into Fiat with a bold new design. At about the same time a new sports model was being designed in-house at Fiat to complement the soon to be released 128.

    In a backroom at Bertone, a designer named Marcello Gandini has penned a wedge designed 2 seater putting the Fiat 128 engine behind the driver. Nuccio is a persuasive man. His design house is legendary with designing some of the finest cars in the world. Fiat bosses like it. Bertone is to build it. A beautiful marriage is formed and a mid-engined sports car is within easy grasp of the everyday man and woman.

    To be honest the Bertone design isn’t all that new. Mid-engined cars had been around for a number of years for the rich and famous. Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati all offered those people the chance to get close to the ultimate road-going racing car layout. Here, however, was Nuccio with an idea to bring a whole new concept to the masses.

    On its launch in 1972, it was praised for its handling, looks and practicality. It also met the US criteria for open top cars. It was all win win win for Fiat. That strict criterion for open topped cars was soon scrapped. Oh well, what was done was done and without it, we might never have had the X1/9.

    The first cars were fitted with the little 1300cc engine. It liked lots of revving and it was a willing engine alas it lacked the ultimate punch that the looks suggested it should have had. The Fiat 128 coupe could outrun the heavier X1/9 by a few seconds and had a faster top speed too.

    This was addressed in 1978 with the fitment of the Fiat Strada 1500cc engine raising power to 85bhp and the killing off of the coupe. It doesn’t sound a great deal when in 1978 the Golf GTi had 110bhp but the magic of the X1/9 was so alive that the lowly performance figures somehow could match the Golf in many areas including top speed. Up against the new generation of hot hatches, the X1/9 had great handling up its sleeve that helped make up for the lower figures. In some ways, the X1/9 suffers from small man syndrome and gives its best shot in making up for shortfalls in outright figures.

    Even today the looks are the talk of the town. It’s sleek. It has vents in the rear. All panels opened up like a Lamborghini Countach. It has pop-up head lights. The driving position was quite neutral and the seats comfortable and supportive even over long distances. The roof was removable. It was pretty.

    Now there lay the problem. It looked pretty. It soon became known as a hairdressers car and quite unfairly so. Those cute looks and lack of power gave you a sense of security until you overstep the mark. The legendary handling is phenomenal if kept within both yours and the cars limits. The X1/9 will bite you and bite you hard if you take your mind off the road.

    Sports cars were never practical. Boots were small and only squishy bags could be accommodated for those going away for the weekend. Not so in the X1/9. The car possessed a neat trick in its design by having 2 boots. Even with the roof stored in the front, it was still more than enough for more than a weekend. And up until 1982 Fiat even gave 2 matching bags with every car sold. Today they are the ultimate X1/9 accessory to have if you can find them.

    It is an involving car to drive. You can exploit its handling and have fun. In the wet, it needs a lot more care and thought put into the moves. All this happens on skinny 165 section tyres and tyre pressures are essential.

    The example in the pictures is mine. Don’t for one moment think that l am biased and I’ll rave about it being perfect. It isn’t the perfect car by a long shot. It’s called ignition key roulette. It’s temperamental. Sometimes it’ll start on the first turn and sometimes it won’t. You just never know.

    The handling is fun. It has bitten me in the arse when it got a little messy. The cost was a new wheel. The steering is low geared and requires a lot of twirling of the wheel. A quick rack is available and at some point, I will fit one.

    Like all ageing Italians, it needs looking after. The biggest killer is rust. Once rust has set in it can set you onto the road to ruin. The shells have 3 bulkheads that are complex with double and triple skinned areas to increase rigidity in an open top car. Thankfully most body panels are available and there is a good Facebook page and members club out there to help.

    Running faults to date include an oil leak from the fuel pump, carburettor air leaks and coolant leak from ageing hoses. All easy fixes thanks to the mechanicals being basic Fiat 128/Strada and far simpler to repair than a Samsung printer. It’s a great little car for that occasion when the wind in the hair is needed but comes with one major flaw. Just be prepared to correct people when they call it a Triumph TR7!

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Ping Pong, London

    ★★★★★| Ping Pong

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Ping Pong, London

    Ping Pong is a restaurant in London where the concept is Dim Sum – food that comes in small bite-sized portions which allow you to eat lots and lots of different types. This is what me and a friend did on a recent Saturday night. We assumed the dishes would be quite small because the prices were quite low – but once the food arrived at our table, we needed a second table to capture the overflow!

    Ordering at Ping Pong is quite simple. You are given a piece of paper with all the dishes and the ones you want just tick the box and give to the waitress and then the food comes out when it’s ready, or as in our case, it pretty much came out all at once. And we ordered 11 dishes. OK, in my own defence the last time I was at Ping Pong I went with 8 other people (this was years ago) and I left the restaurant hungry as everyone had grabbed a piece of this and a piece of that so I didn’t get to eat much food. But this time it was the opposite – we left stuffed!

    Ping Pong’s menu is broken down into several categories. From the Nibbles and Sauces menu we had the Edamame with honey garlic sauce – and for a nice size portion at only £3.75 it was excellent. From the Rice dishes, we ordered the Honeyed Chilli Chicken and Mushroom Rice Pot. At only £6.25, it was a nice-sized bowl and included edamame peas with very tender chicken accompanied by the nice soy sauce. I would order this dish again. Then from the Soup and Salad section, we ordered, for only £5.95, the Purple Power Chicken Salad. It’s gluten free, but thankfully not flavour free – it was very very good. The purple part of the salad comes from the inclusion of rice berries – basically purple rice. At only £5.95, it’s a lot of healthiness in the large bowl which included edamame peas and rocket salad, smoked almonds and cashew nuts, and black eyed beans, plus of course the chicken, and mixed with ginger and soy dressing.

    There was more food to come! From the friend and Griddled section, the Potato and Edamame Cake (only £3.25 for 2) did just what it said on the tin, as did the Crispy Duck Spring Rolls (4 for £5.35) – crunchy and stuffed with duck, cucumber with a nice and not hot hoi sin sauce.

    When you go to Ping Pong you must must order items from the Steamed menu. Buns and Dumplings come in all sorts of flavors and types, and we perhaps with our eyes and not our stomachs ordered 5 of them, and they were all very very delicious and all priced between £3.55 to £4.65 and come in threes, but the highlights for me were the beef dumplings (succulent and delicious) and the Char Sui Buns, stuffed with honey barbecued pork – yummy! My dining companion enjoyed his seafood dumplings (stuffed with snow crab, prawn and scallops with carrot pastry) while we both thoroughly enjoyed the Har Gau (prawn and bamboo shot with a very crunchy coating – one of the highlights of the meal). We also ordered the Long Stem Broccoli – superbly cooked and a generous portion at only £3.95.

    Believe it or not, we wanted to taste something from the Signature and Special dishes – so I ordered us the Crispy Aubergine Bao. You’ve been living under a rock if you don’t know what bao is, but this dish came with three very large bao buns and the point is to stuff the contents into the bao. Well, the contents were superb: cooked aubergines with slices and dices of carrot, cabbage, cucumber and tomatoes and massively generous 6 large aubergine slices – and yes we ate the whole thing, almost. It was superb at only £11.50.

    On a lighter note, dessert was fine. My friend had the Iced Blackcurrant Parfait – it was iced – very hard to eat! But the light cream cheese with the blackcurrant coulis and meringue disc was good, while my tiny Mochi – a Japanese rice cake with mango sorbet inside – was hard to eat because the outer casing was hard, but I got there in the end.

    To wash it all down Ping Pong, as expected, serves almost any sort of drink you want. From Margaritas to sweet juicy drinks to long and short cocktails and the Asian Pimms and Lemonade for two (£16.95) which was what we had, lots of refreshing looking drinks to go with your excellent dinner. Red, White, Rosé wines along with oriental beer (and mocktails) and iced teas and lemonades round out the menu.

    All the food we ate (and we ate a LOT of food) came to only, and I say only £74. As we had so many different varieties and types of food, with so many dishes that overflowed onto another table, that was one heck of a deal. We ate beef, chicken, seafood, and lots and lots of other varieties, it was an excellent and superb value for the money. And there were lots of other dishes we didn’t get to try, but on our next visit, I will remind myself to just order what can fit on one table.

    Ping Pong has branches in Southbank, Soho, Westfield Stratford and Shepherd’s Bush, Wembley, St. Katherine’s Docks and Covent Garden

    To book a table and for phone numbers and address to their various locations, please go to:

    Home

  • CAR REVIEW | VW Golf SE Nav 1.0 TSi

    ★★★★ |  VW Golf SE Nav 1.0 TSi – Tortoise Powered hare

    REVIEW | VW Golf SE Nav 1.0 TSi

    One of the shocks I had this year was with the smallest engined Golf in their popular petrol SE Nav range.

    It lacked the bells and whistles of the R, GTE and Alltrack estate in a lot of ways. The Golf now comes with a more confusing array of options and dashboards and specs but is the SE Nav with its one whole litre worth of power pack going to leave you left out of the Golf club?

    No is the answer. I wanted to try a lowly model and while not the base model, it still lacks the touches. Or so I thought. By comparison, the S is the base model now at £17,625. The SE Nav comes in at a shade under £19,500. Spec wise you’d be a fool to look at the S when the SE Nav gives you parking sensors, cruise controls, Sat Nav with 8” screen and mirror link to your smartphone along with a host of other options.

    For the extra money, you do get more power from your little engine too. A whole 25 more horses and 1g/km of CO2 worse for the environment. That extra money is worth it for the extra oomph from the engine alone.

    It’s a sweet little unit. It will carry you to 122mph and will do the traffic light Grand Prix in 9.9 seconds. Not quick but not slow. An original Mk1 GTi would only do it a bit faster. There was no hint of turbo lag at all or raging surge. This SE Nav felt very linear in its power supply. And all from 3 cylinders too.

    Living with this little engined big car is quite easy too. It has all the attributes of a Golf. You can’t fault the fit and finish. Again VW has moved the goal posts on quality. There was once a state of play where lower models really did feel like the bread and butter of the range. Not so here. It clunked like a Golf should.

    Easy is probably the key to the 1 litre SE Nav. Combined fuel economy of 58.9 mpg is good. How good that will be with 4 up and some luggage is anyone’s guess. The trouble with a little engine is that it needs to be worked hard. If most of the time you will travel by yourself or with one other, I doubt you will notice much of a difference.

    On the move, it shifted. The 6-speed gearbox was easily matched in ratios to the engine. The course set out comprised of a variety of driving situations you’d encounter in a week’s worth of driving. I expected to do a lot of cog swapping but I didn’t. Admittedly 5th and 6th seemed very high and more suited for when the engine is on the A and M roads.  I found 3rd and 4th more than ample in getting me buzzing along.

    Inside there wasn’t much of a cacophony of sounds. Sound deadening being key to the serine driving ambience and quality feel of the cabin. It’s not an exciting cabin to sit in if I’m honest but at £12k less than the higher spec models I have tested you would expect it. It’s Germanic. At the end of the day, it is a Golf and this is what Golf does. And it does it very well.

    I’ve spent a lot of this review talking about the engine and with good reason too. We in the UK seem to sway away from the smaller engined bigger cars and that is a shame. This engine livens up a normal hatchback. The big selling Golf SE Nav 1.4 just can’t better the thrill of the turbo 3 cylinder engine. That said the quandary VW put you in is that the 1.4 starts at just £1300 more. It has more power and will go faster for 4 miles to the gallon less. It’s a tricky one to now call but I’d go with the little engine. From tortoise expectations to hare ability, it’s a total buzz.

    Likes

    Good value
    Sweet little engine
    Ride quality

    Dislikes

    Bit drab inside
    Plain fascia
    Difficult choice choosing 1.0 or 1.4 engines

    The Lowdown
    Car – VW Golf SE Nav 1.0 TSi
    Price – £ 20,065 (as tested)
    MPG – 58.9 mpg (combined)
    Power – 110 bhp
    0-62mph – 9.9 seconds
    Top Speed – 122 mph
    Co2 – 109 (g/km)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Gallery Mess, London

    ★★★★| Gallery Mess

    Gallery Mess, London

    Gallery Mess is a restaurant that ticks all the boxes: location, food, service and atmosphere.

    Situated right next to the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea on Kings Road, Gallery Mess is everything you would want and expect it to be. Overlooking the Saatchi Gallery lawn called The Green and the multi-million-pound townhouses on the other side, Gallery Mess is elegant and classy without being too expensive.

    A friend and I dined there on a recent warm evening at 7 pm only to find the place buzzing. Since it was very warm that night, the outside tables were all full, but we were happy to sit inside to enjoy the cool ambience of the restaurant. And boy was it cool: white tablecloths, exposed red brick walls with white arches and vaulting ceilings, flowers (some fake) everywhere, plus interesting artwork as well (including a big shoe in the private dining room). But we were there for the food, and here’s how it went.

    Tim the manager from Albania greeted us very warmly and showed us to our table. We let him decide what we were going to eat, and drink, and me and my dining companion said ‘bring it on’! To start off with we were given a very nice glass of Prosecco Brut (£8.50) a glass. And then the symphony of food started. The Heritage Tomato (basically a bruschetta) with grilled rosemary focaccia, anchovies and mozzarella was vey good and was nice size portion, but a little pricey at £10.50 as it was really nothing out of the ordinary. What was good was the English air-cured ham & celeriac remoulade (£10). The ham, with apple and truffle as well, was very tender and just perfectly salty and beautifully presented.

     

    We weren’t too sure what we were getting as our main courses, and were pleasantly surprised when the chicken and the trout landed on our very white tablecloth. The Roast corn-fed Chicken Breast was a beautifully presented dish in a wonderful tarragon sauce which included mushrooms and spring greens. The four large slices of chicken were, of course, just chicken, but they were perfectly cooked and the onion bulbs in the sauce gave it the kick to push the meal up a level. Delicious, and at £16.50, a good value. But it was the Poached Sea Trout that was the star dish of the evening. A very large piece, yellow in color, in a mussel broth, with spinach and samphire, it was absolutely wonderful! I am not a trout lover at all, but this piece of trout has converted me. It was thick, and cooked perfectly, and is highly recommended, and at £17.50 – the best-tasting bargain that side of the river! We also had a side of the minted new potatoes, sprinkled with dill (£4) that were huge in portion and very very good. Other main course choices include Potato Gnocchi (£16), Confit Lamb Shoulder (£17.50) and surprisingly, Fish & Chips (£16) – all very affordable for such an expensive neighbourhood.

    Tim expertly picked out the Via Nova Pinot Grigio to go with our dinner (only £5.75 a glass). The wine was tasty without tasting too winey, and absolutely complemented our meal. My dining companion liked it so much he asked for a second glass! It was an excellent choice as the restaurant has an excellent wine list selection, very comprehensive and inviting, and includes Spanish, French, Chile, South African and German selections, among others. And by the time we had finished our main courses, we knew, we just knew, that the desserts were going to be fantastic, and they were. The Creme Brulee (served with shortbread and raspberries) was just divine, and the seasonal berry fruit salad was ah so refreshing and topped with fruit sorbet, with the dish a very beautiful berry color…..ah so good, and nice to eat on that very warm night.

    The seasonal menu and extensive bar selection is provided by award winning caterer and restaurant operator rhubarb, and they do a very good job of it. Their private dining room – The Mess Room – is available for private hire or seated dinners of up to 80 guests. This room is discreetly set back from the restaurant and offers an elegant, bespoke dining opportunity.

    Gallery Mess has an international staff who will take care of your every need, they are very attentive and very well dressed – it’s service (and food) like this that is welcome. It was a theatrical experience of a gourmet three-course meal fit for an artistic delight. Very very reasonable prices in a very very nice setting.

    http://www.saatchigallery.com/gallerymess

    To book call: +44 (0) 207 730 8135

    Saatchi Gallery
    Duke of York HQ

    Opening hours:
    10:00am-11:30pm, Monday to Saturday
    10:00am-7:00pm, Sunday

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Sparrow, Lewisham

    ★★★★| Sparrow, Lewisham

    In a no man’s land part of Lewisham, there’s a restaurant doing amazing and fabulous things with Sri Lankan food. It’s Sparrow.

    At the end of the road that is Lewisham High Street, behind the Lewisham Shopping Centre, Sparrow sits all alone, facing the DLR and an unsightly massive construction site.

    But step inside and feel the charm and warmth of the staff, and enjoy the food that is different, delicious, and worth the trip.

    Me and a friend went for a Saturday brunch meal on what was one of the hottest days of the year. We immediately ordered cool drinks. I had the delicious pineapple, melon and grapefruit drink that hit the spot, sweet and colourful and yummy – and only £3.50. My friend had a smoothie that was very milky and white, with coconut, with condensed milk and raspberries thrown in, a bit too heavy for my tastes but he enjoyed it and drank it within minutes.

    I had seen a photo online of their pancakes so I knew this is what I was going to have. They were coconut pancakes with peanut caramel and pineapple salsa, with a dollop of sour cream on top, and it was superbly delicious – like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It’s the bits of pineapple with small bits of peanuts scattered about that give this dish the wow factor – and at only £8 I would definitely order it again. My companion enjoyed his chicken and curry pastry. It was like a pie only smaller, and he said that the crust was nice and light, and it was delicious, and a deal at £8 (it’s not alway on the menu, Sparrow does tend to mix up their offerings from day to day with daily specials).

    We would’ve been remiss if we didn’t try out the typical Sri Lankan dish Appam. It’s a type of pancake made with fermented rice and coconut milk, and comes shaped like a bowl. While I had a plain one, it is recommended that ingredients be put into it as this is a very typical Sri Lanka dish, and Sparrow does offer up various combinations of eggs and other ingredients to include, and not costing more than £6.

    Sparrow also has quite a unique dinner menu. From fried rabbit (£7.5), fennel and blood orange salad (£7), roast pork belly with harissa (£12) and then the malt duck with chilli jam (£13.50) all of which will probably knock your socks off. Along with Sparrow’s nice selection of drinks, Sparrow is perhaps one of the only reasons to go to Lewisham, unless you live there, and if you do indeed live there, you must pay a visit to Sparrow. It delivers delicious food at the right price.

    http://sparrowlondon.co.uk

    2 Rennell Street, Lewisham, SE13 7HD

    0208 318 6941

    Enquiries@SparrowLondon.co.uk

    Hours:

    Dinner: Tue – Sat: 6-10pm

    Brunch: Sat – Sun: 10-5pm

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Volkswagen Golf R (2017)

    VW Golf R | ★★★★

    It might not be the best GTi out there but the Golf GTi does all things to all men and it is where manufacturers set the benchmark. So when you make the most emulated GTi out there, what do you do?

    What you do is not redeveloped your current GTi and make it the best, instead you make another GTi and call it the R. For £32,110 as tested, you also make it compellingly cheap compared to the current GTi at just £4000 more.

    Golf R review

    Let’s get the basic stuff out of the way first. Inside the Golf R it is all very much as the rest of the Golf range. It’s an ergonomic delight and everything feels built to last. Now though in the relaunched Mk7 we have new larger infotainment screen and adaptive dials too. The quality of fittings, while not all improved have had some VW engineering work carried out on them. It has moved Golf up higher in quality feel over its rivals.

    Everything is to hand. The dials are easy to read and with the new active info display graphics, it’s still as easy to read but this time you are given extras. The ability to allow the sat nav display within the fascia is a keen selling point for me. It allows split second glances and all the information you require is there. This is also true for the speed you are travelling at. In the Golf R it is something you need to keep a keen eye on. The display itself has 4 user settings. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing with a shared car. Sometimes you want to keep your driving styles when alone a secret.

    Golf R Review

    In the R model, we are treated to supportive seats with cloth inserts. I find cloth a much better option to have in view of leather being a bit slippery on hard cornering. In the Golf R you don’t want a loss of traction between your bottom and the seat when the cornering G’s are rising fast!

    There are little touches around the cabin to remind you that you are in the R model. Little touches that make it very distinctive. These also stretch outside too with blue being the colour choice instead of the GTi’s red that blends into the headlights.

    Back to the nitty gritty and £4000 of anyone’s money sounds a lot and if truth be told, the Golf range with any street cred isn’t cheap these days. You can get all the fun of having a Golf GTi with the £10,000 cheaper GT. What you don’t get though is a Golf R.

    The Golf R is a serious road warrior. I opted for the longer test route VW had set out during the relaunch of Golf 7. There were a few moments where l had to slow up the fun for the head rush was something else. The magic of the Golf R is that it does all this while also retaining a sense of normality. I’m not sure how Volkswagen has managed this but it is deep within the DNA of Golf.

    The GTi we tested had this ability to be humble to its basic principle and then a savage monster. It’s just that in the Golf R it is, even more savage when you want it to and it sounds it too.

    Now don’t think that being 4 wheel drive makes this an agricultural tractor. Remember the VW group have an enviable developments history with all-wheel drive systems. The 4 motion 4 wheel drive system adds about 119kg in weight and it doesn’t hinder its go fast forward motion. I’d go as far to say that the extra weight in the rear from the differential makes it a far more balanced chassis.

    With this in mind, the Gold R really can handle the power And that power is increased from the GTi’s 230 PS to 310 PS. That’s not just a bit more power but a bloody bucket full of moist making power.

    There is also no penalty either. While all this fun comes in at higher up the rev range, the pulling power of torque comes in much lower and lasts for what feels like it will never end starting from a lowly 2000 to 5400 rpm. It does it quickly but it has almost 1000 rpm more of a power band over the GTi to make it so worth while. 0-60 time is also smashed to just over 5 seconds. Remember then that this is all in a 5 door family hatchback! Or a 3 door hatchback and now in a very practical load-lugging estate!

    So as you can see then I am taken by the Golf R and that extra £4k is making sense. And it does. It’s blisteringly quick. Will put a MASSIVE smile on your face and then it will settle back to do the daily commute and sit in traffic like butter wouldn’t melt in its mouth.

    Would I have one? It’s a difficult six million dollar question but the answer is no. I’ll keep my £4k and go with the GTi. It’s less frenetic when it needs to be but also feels more in keeping with being a hot hatch. Somehow the Golf R with its 4 wheel drive and beautiful weight distribution just feels like I am cheating a bit.

    Likes

    Ability to drive like a bat out of hell or a commuter car
    Practical hatchback or estate
    Ride quality

    Dislikes

    Not enough exterior differences to make it look different to the GTi
    Comes in estate form too. Absurd. (I’m clutching at straws to make a list of 3 here)
    Too many choices of body (That’s actually a good thing too)

    The Lowdown
    Car – VW Golf
    Price – £ 32,110 (as tested)
    MPG – 37.7 mpg (combined)
    Power – 310 bhp
    0-62mph – 5.1 seconds
    Top Speed – 155 mph
    Co2 – 180 (g/km)

  • 10 of the best gay wedding cards

    Another gay wedding, another Mr&Mr card.

    The best gay wedding cards

    It does seem that there’s a complete lack of wedding cards aimed at the LGBT community, other than the obligatory Mr & Mr or  Mrs and Mrs – so we went looking for some new designs, so you don’t just blend in with the rest of the same same cards on your GBF’s wedding day.

    The Gays Got Married

    The Gays Got Married Card

    OMG You Girls Are So Cute Together

    OMG Girls So Cute Card

    Congrats You Two!

    So cute from HueTribe huetribe.com

    Interracial Brides To Be

    So HueTribe.com have really thought about ensuring that all types of couples are represented in their cards – this one is perfect if you know interracial brides to be! huetribe.com

    Rainbow fabulousness

    We just love this rainbow felt card – which is blank inside so you can add your own message! HoneyPotGifts.com

    I Do…g

    For the dog loving gay boys in your life… Amazon.co.uk

    The classic

    Mr & Mr Card

    Well, if you are going to do Mr & Mr… go bold…

    Two Halves. One Heart.

    Brings a little tear… huetribe.com

    Congrats You Did It.

    Sometimes you want a simple card with a simple message. Amazon.co.uk

    YMCA

    You blately know you’ll be dancing to this song later in the evening… Amazon.co.uk

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Dirty Bones, London

    ★★★★ | Dirty Bones, London

    Dirty Bones the restaurant categorises itself as New York comfort food and cocktails, well it’s that and more.

    With four locations in London, including Kensington, Carnaby Street, Shoreditch, we popped into the new West End location (on Denman Street right next to the Piccadilly Theatre – home of ‘Annie’) to find comfort, and we did find it, in the food, drinks, service, and the atmosphere.

    Looking a bit like a 1960’s den with old world chic decor, the restaurant is one big room with a beautifully designed industrial bar in a space that used to be Clockjack Chicken.

    Well, the smell of chicken is gone, so what you will find now is a menu with a great selection of food choices (including, yes, chicken) and strong drinks that will make you forget your troubles.

    As a starter, we went for the Cheeseburger Dumplings. Hamburgers and cheese in a dumpling (and not bun) with spring onions, sesame seeds, and pepper, with a clever mustard/ketchup combination sauce – and at £8.50 for a handful, not a bad value.

    We really didn’t know what to expect our main meals would look like. I went for the Short Ribs on the Taco menu. It was one very large slab of beef short rib with excellent BBQ sauce that comes with gluten-free corn tortillas to build your own taco. You can also stuff the taco with the salad that’s served with it – it’s white cabbage slaw, tomato, coriander, chilli and jalapeños – very delicious and unique, and a great deal at £16 considering how much beef is served. We also shared 200 grams (£8 per 100g) of the Rib-Eye Steak, and the meat was perfectly cooked medium well, and served with a delicious butter and mint sauce. As sides, we could not resist the Grilled Hispi Cabbage dish – it was superb! Two large portions of Charcoaled cabbage with herb and garlic butter with crispy shallots made for an unusual yet awesome dish. I’ve never eaten cabbage this way and it was superb (only £5). We also ordered the Crispy Lamb Fries (only £6.50). It was a huge dish of fries (chips) smothered in red chilli sauce and jalapeños – it was an extremely spicy dish but what made it amazing was the well-cooked, crunchy and plentiful lamb – I could almost taste it again in my mouth – and is one of the best deals on the menu (it could be considered as a main course perhaps).

    By this time we had eaten so much food but our lovely waitress Andrea twisted our arm to order dessert, so we shared the Caramelised Banana Waffles, and we were glad we did. A freshly backed waffled topped with chocolate sauce, blueberry jam, salted peanut butter gelato and crushed nuts – it was out of this world, and a very nice ending to an excellent meal (£7).

    Comforting as well are the drinks. If you’re in the mood for strong cocktails, Dirty Bones is the place for you. Their six-page drinks menu won’t leave you feeling thirsty at all. I had the Dirty Bones Negroni – it came with a twisted orange slice, was rainbow colour, with a hint of rum and was nice and flavorful (£9);. I also had a taste of my dining companions’ Littlest Hobo drink – Tanqueray gin, lemon, passionfruit and vintage cider made for a refreshing drink (£9). And to finish off the evening we tried the Mutt’s Nuts drink – a very strong Woodford Reserve bourbon, with cinnamon and vanilla-infused maple syrup, it may knock your socks off. Good to drink on a full stomach.

    A visit to Dirty Bones will leave your tummy feeling happy but it may also leave you feeling a bit light headed and dizzy after choosing one of their lethal drinks. But as it says on the tin, the food is indeed comforting, the prices are comforting, and do not hold back on what your stomach and mouth want – it’s all good!

    To book a table, please go to their website:

    http://dirty-bones.com/book-a-table

    Automatic online booking below for 1-6 guests. Space always kept for walk-ins

    Soho branch:
    14 Denman Street, London, W1D 7HJ
    Tube: Piccadilly Theatre

    Email: soho@dirty-bones.com

    Other branches in Carnaby Street, Shoreditch and Kensington
    Phone: 020 7920 6434

    Price Rating: £££ (explained)

    Star Rating: ★★★★