THEGAYUK

Tag: £££

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Pennethorne’s – At Somerset House

    There is something rather enchanting about Somerset House, and what a lovely setting it makes for Pennethorne’s Café Bar. Just standing in their courtyard you feel removed from the chaos of the city. Situated in the New Wing, Pennethorne’s is adorned in dramatic décor that seems to be ever so in right now. Black walls, brassy tables and dim pendant lights lined in rows. Unsurprisingly the majority of the crowd appear a little bit swanky-socialite.

    The staff are a bubbly bunch (shout out to Phoenix & Paulo for looking after us so well). Speaking of bubbles, their champagne menu is small but comprises of three carefully selected essentials; Brut (£33), Prosecco (£27), and a Cuvee (£66) made in Sussex.

    Seven PM and we appear to be the only guests eating, our waiter confirms most dining trade is over lunch period. Good to know if you prefer a quiet eat in the evenings.

    The menu consists of breads, tinned and potted dishes, salads, meat and cheese selections and items served on toast. Probably why this attracts a lunch-time crowd- but the dishes are sophisticated enough to translate into dinner. As some of the dishes are on the small side it makes good for sharing- just be aware of what and how many of your dishes come with bread as we found ourselves looking like a bakery at full swing.

    The bread was really well made (freshly baked by their in-house baker) and the menu boasts some lovely combos such as; Fig & Apricot, Bacon Brioche, and Walnut & Raisin.

    Kale was on the menu in the form of Crispy Curly Kale & Ham Hock Salad (£6). Of course we felt the need to order the kale, as much as most restaurants feel the fear that their menu without kale on it will deem them as non-foodie-friendly. Although that looks set to change with cauliflower soon to be the new kale, as said by someone as insignificant as this very sentence. A pleasant dish of warm kale, salty ham with small jewels of onion run through it. Bringing a much welcomed lightness amongst the richness of the other dishes.

    Potted Beef (£8). The meat appearing as pulled pork would, but in a cute little pot. Like the best bit of an amazing pie, tender flesh nestled amongst it’s own garlic, black pepper and red wine gravy. Sod the pot, bring me a trough. This was gorgeous.

    Another favourite of mine was from the Mortadella as part of the Selection of Meats (£16). Rosette, Mortadello and Iberico Ham all being of fantastic quality- no yucky plastic textures that a lot of restaurants tend to fob you off with. Both Mortadella and Rosette cuts had great marbling. The Iberico was smooth and melt in the mouth, but my least favourite out of all three.

    The favourite dish of our servers, and apparently a popular choice from diners, was the wild Mushrooms (£5) atop softly toasted bread. A good handful of wild mushrooms that still retained their lovely earthiness but amongst garlic and wine, and with a hint of something almost balsamic. I can see why this is popular as it all works very well together and is served in a perfectly sized portion.

    For those unfamiliar with Nduja – traditionally, is an Italian spicy pork pate and is also set to be one of our food trends for 2015. No doubt it will be popping up on menus everywhere shortly! Pennethorne’s Nduja (£4.75) smells like it will blow your mind, and it will. Expect hot lips. If you like a chilli hit, then this is your dish. We found ourselves going back for more and more of this one- addictive.

    Pennethorne’s have some real gems on their menu, and I really love the fusion of simple British traditions “…On Toast” and the tinned/potted dishes mixed with Italian influences. A bonus for garlic lovers, as Pennethorne’s love it too. The quality of ingredients you receive is great value for money.

    Sad to see no desserts on the evening menu, their breakfast menu does list pastries/muffins/doughnuts/sticky buns/bakes etc; sounds delicious! It could be well received for them to also have these appearing on the evening menu.

    Any fashion freaks visiting Somerset House for London Fashion Week this year, be sure to say hello to Pennethorne’s and go for the Mushrooms on toast, or Potted Beef.

    REVIEWED BY: Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: Pennethorne Cafe, New Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
    VENUE PHONE: 020 3751 0570
    PRICE: £££ (explained)
    STAR RATING: ★★★ (explained)
    TIPPING POLICY:

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | The Meat Co.

    Getting to The Meat Co. is super easy. Tube to Shepherd’s Bush turn left out the station and 3 minutes away is The Meat Co. a huge dining vicinity, perhaps a spacial reflection of their slabs of meat. With a fantastic menu, high ceilings and cool décor, with tables next to a large glassed front, perfect for people watching. With my arrival being fed over an intercom and an option to have a lift take me up to the restaurant I had high hopes for their service.

    Unfortunately, I was left with my menu for quite some time and with a pretty much empty restaurant floor over an early lunch, this was pretty disappointing. At first I thought this may be due to them thinking I was waiting for another diner to join me but the table behind me had to shout to get the waiter’s attention so I was not the only diner being neglected.

    There were about 5 members of staff in the area, all appeared to be busy preparing for the evening shift, but this did give me an opportunity to observe that they all seemed to get along extremely well and clearly enjoyed working with one another. When I did have interaction with them they were all really friendly and smiley.

    I decided to start lunch with an Apple Crumble vodka cocktail- it was Thursday so it counts as the weekend! It was strong and made well so I later in the meal decided to try another being the Strawberry Basil Martini, which was even better. A perfect balance of flavours, it beckoned me to take the afternoon off and have another, but I reluctantly resisted.

    With The Meat Co’s menu boasting interesting international dishes like Braised Rib Meat Cigars & Balsamic Mayo, Eggplant & Mascarpone Tart, and South African Sausage Boerewors, I asked to try the Chef’s Soup of the Day. The soup was some version of leek & potato which was okay, but I was really hoping for something a little more exotic and in tune with the rest of the menu.

    I chose the South African sausage Boerewors to start. The sausage was laced with interesting spices served curled up with polenta that was cooked very well, which can be a difficult thing to get just right. Alongside was a smoky sweet glossy tomato sauce that brought the dish together – all in all, a good starting point.

    For main I chose the Kangaroo steak which comes with a potato dauphinoise stack, and ordered grilled asparagus on the side. The potato stack was not cooked through and tasted of just raw potato. Luckily, the kangaroo steak which came in a generous portion was cooked perfectly, easy to slice and adorned in a deep red, rich lightly spiced sauce. The asparagus was also cooked well.

    The dessert menu is full of goodies with interesting twists; Passionfruit brulee, Peanut butter cheesecake, Tiramisu with Churros. I went for the Toasted Coconut and Raspberry Vacharin – which was fantastic. It arrived in 3 small tasting experience bowls.

    One a sharp raspberry sorbet, terrine style, with toasted coconut. Lovely textures and flavours. The next a coconut cream with a sharp raspberry jam-syrup, and finally chewy-crispy morsels of meringue (just how I like them) with fresh berries. A very clever, pretty, sweet toothsome dessert from The Meat Co. I would be tempted to revisit The Meat Co and explore the rest of their dessert menu.

    I genuinely believe The Meat Co. serves great food- but on this occasion, it is such a shame that simple points such as; a bland soup, uncooked potato, and pre-occupied staff let them down. Unfortunately, I cannot score based on a belief and have to go by the experience that I had, which is why I have scored two stars. The meal did have some fantastic qualities; the spices in the South African sausage, kicking kangaroo meat and a beautiful dessert so I would still say to check this place out, but perhaps do not go at lunchtime as I did, and head for dinner time where there hopefully will be a little more focus.

    Reviewed by Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: Unit 1026, Westfield London, Ariel Way
    VENUE PHONE: 0207 930 8408
    PRICE: ££££
    WEBSITE: http://themeatco.com/index.php/visit-london
    STAR RATING: ★★
    TIPPING POLICY: Discretionary service charge of 12.5% added to bill

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | The Manhattan Grill

    The Manhattan Grill sits very comfortably on the West India Quay of Canary Wharf. This place is brimming with style, but most importantly a talented team who know exactly what they are doing, and you can tell that they love what they do. With head chef, Damian Trejo having cooked for the likes of Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, the Manhattan Grill provides a star factor at every angle from start to finish.

    Our experience starts in their G&Tea bar where we have a gin tasting session with the lovely Sam. Sam takes us through the tasting and stories of 7 gins where we hear of London’s first distillery, olden porn sellers, and where “Soho” originates from, to name a few.

    Tasting highlights for me were the French Saffron gin, the Monkey47 (a Black Forest German gin sold only in 500ml bottles, giving it the exclusive edge), and the Opihr (a gin where the recipe was based on a spice being taken and infused into the gin from every port on its journey).

    The bar was fairly busy for a Tuesday evening with a mix of cosy couples and booted businessmen. The restaurant was extremely quiet with the majority of tables being taken by solo suited chaps.

    We couldn’t decide what to have for starter so our friendly (and rather good looking, a recurring theme in the staff) offered to have the kitchen do us a tasting platter of the starters. Juicy King prawns in mixed chilli garlic butter, Black pearl scallops with pea puree, Devonshire pork belly, and Baked Blue Swimmer crab cake. So pretty all together on the plate this should feature on their menu as a tasting platter.

    The pork belly was far too salty for me although it was matched with a fruity cabbage- the flesh itself was heaven. The scallop with pea puree was insanely good – if I had to pick just one out of their starters, it would be this. Very closely followed by the crab cake; meaty, light and just the right amount of herbs. I also tried the clam chowder which tasted like a holiday I once had in the U.S – lovely.

    In between courses you are invited to join a sommelier (free of charge), to try some classic wines and some interesting wines from South America, South Africa and Australia. Again, here the Manhattan Grill reinforces that they know their stuff and are going to make you feel special along the way. It also came to light that this company invest in their employees, sending them on courses and trips that are of interest, which clearly adds to the staff’s happy and passionate buzz.

    Following our waiter’s suggestion on his favourite main I went for the Rib-Eye and my friend had the Fillet. The meat was superb and cooked to perfection- I asked for mine to be cooked however the chef wanted me to have the meat and it was a winner. Restaurant’s such as the Manhattan Grill that revolve around one important ingredient, means that it has to be on point. The meat was faultless.

    For sides we had the macaroni cheese (although I wish we had opted for the version they do with lobster), seared mushrooms, and onion rings. I am a sauce monster – gravy, dips, marinades the lot. So I naturally asked to taste a selection of the restaurant’s sauces; Chimichurri, Bearnaise, Bourbon Peppercorn, and red wine. Unfortunately, the sauces were a let down- I found the Chimichurri over oily and the Bearnaise bland. Bourbon Peppercorn saved the day on the sauces and it went particularly well with the Mac N Cheese.

    After both gin and wine tasting, a starter platter and a hunk of meat we decided to share the restaurant’s Key Lime Pie for dessert – light pastry and super citrus filling it was the perfect way to end the meal.

    The experience from start to finish was 5 stars, there is no doubt about that. However I cannot forgive the issue with the sauces and over salted pork I’m afraid, hence a star has been deducted. You will certainly both arrive and leave with a smile on your face, and a slightly bigger belly than when you entered! Both myself and my friend said we would be back to dine and drink again. We had a fantastic time.

    REVIEWED BY: Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: 22 Hertsmere Road, Canary Wharf London, E14 4ED
    VENUE PHONE:
    WEBSITE: http://manhattangrill.co.uk
    PRICE: £££ (explained)
    STAR RATING: ★★★★ (explained)
    TIPPING POLICY: Discretionary service charge of 12.5% added to bill