THEGAYUK

Tag: Five Star Restaurant Review

The latest Five Star Restaurant Review from THEGAYUK.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | 155 Bar & Kitchen at Clerkenwell London

    Absolutely apt in eagerness for the release of Absolutely Fabulous The Movie 1st July, The Gay UK were PR-ed an equally fabulous brunch invite. We, emanating fabulousness were only too joyed to Lacroix-up, sweety, and head to Clerkenwell London’s (CL), 155 Bar & Kitchen in – you guessed it – scenester-site and trendy-wendy haunt Clerkenwell.

    Moi’s dining chum was running a smidge late – he said: “fell back to sleep”, we say: “Bolli Stolli” – which gave ample opportunity to saunter round the labyrinth that is CL’s 13,000 square metre concept store. The tour started in the nordic-loft-apartment-esque CL’s 155 Bar & Kitchen, a long rectangular room with taupe painted brick walls, dark wood floors and newfangled saloon bar with rich-teak tables methodically spaced. Chairs accessorised with sheepskin throws, Finnish wooden funnel-shaped birch-slat lighting shades and hints of a botanical garden. Clean lines, simplistic – cool and laid-back. Edina and Patsy wouldn’t grumble.

    From the restaurant you walk into the first section of the store which feels like a Mike Leigh filmset, only missing Alison Steadman, a 1970s Vinyl Lounge with custom-built decks facing a round Starship-Enterprise/Emirates-first-class style martini bar. The next room is a boutique selling hand-picked objets d’art and “gorgeous, tasteful, little stylish little gorgeous things – sweety darlings” as well as housing a glass and iron cube art gallery displaying works from local artisans. Each corner of the boutique leads to either a men’s or ladies’ tailors.

    You walk downstairs and you arrive at the Dior of furniture showrooms exhibiting the handcrafted haute couture works of Tree Couture – the Henry Moore of furniture. On with the exploration: behind a mahogany-coloured leather-tiled partition hides a men’s casual department offering On Tour t-shirts, Bethnals jeans and Stutterheim raincoats – we likie.

    Turn left and you’ll arrive at what looks like Nigella Lawson’s post-modernistic kitchen with a huge oak work-island for spreading avocados and racking up lines of coconut-chicken skewers. In fact it’s the mother of all wine-tasting rooms, walls lined with jewels such as Sophia Loren’s favourite fizz: Tendil & Lombardi Cuvée Rosé Champagne NV, and organic plonks from Chateau La Coste by one of the most gifted winemakers of his generation, Matthieu Cosse.

    CL hosts educational wine-tasting events – with Master of Wines Sarah Abbott and, wine brand developer and founder of Above Sea Level wine and culture magazine, Aimee Hartley – for £15 per head. We at The Gay UK are always keen to improve our already well-trained palettes – we’ll be booking in.

    And finally the piano room: another sizeable space that has a touch of the King’s-Road-avant-garde-lounge-bars, complete with private dining room and baby grand. Contempo ostentatiousness simplified.

    Appetite primed, back to the bar and kitchen.

    On recommendation I ordered savoury waffles: house-made waffles, maple-glazed streaky bacon and scrambled eggs at £11. Creamy waffles with a vanilla undertone worked swimmingly with the fluffy eggs and strong woody flavours from the crispy bacon – all elevated by mapley sweetness. My comrade went for avocado and eggs: smashed avocado with créme fraîche on toasted sourdough and two poached eggs at £9. The eggs were runny, and the créme fraîche gave our green calorific friend a lighter texture, colour and taste without the sensual gestures and voluptuous curves.

    The staff are slick and standoffish. Brunch is from 10am to 4pm – you can pay £15 per person for bottomless fizz, available for two hours from your booking time – we were game. They’ll serve you an award-winning Paladin Prosecco DOC Tappo Spago NV, flowery, light and aromatic with citrus notes. Not too dry or acidic – a bloomin decent prosecco. Dangerous with so much tempting merchandise on display.

    The Gay UK are looking at relocating to 156 Farringdon Road; failing that, we’ll just set up camp in the piano room.

    Reviewed by: Thabian Sutherland

    Address: 155 Bar & Kitchen
    155 Farringdon Road
    EC1R 3AD
    London, UK
    Telephone +44 (0)20 3675 8847
    Star Rating: ★★★★★ (explained)
    Price Rating: ££££ (explained)
    Tipping Policy: An optional service charge of 12.5% will be added to your bill

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | K Bar At The Kensington Hotel

    ★★★★★ K Bar At The Kensington Hotel

    (more…)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | 100 Wardour Street

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | 100 Wardour Street

    I’ve got a bit of a thing for decadent design, and even before we had looked over the menu, the lounge at 100 Wardour St had me drooling over their 1930s style chairs nestled amongst a cocktail-parlour-deco ambience.

    (more…)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW: Las Iguanas in Resorts World Birmingham

    Last night, I travelled to the exotic and vibrant Las Iguanas with high expectations, for I had already been before, and had always had a good time.

    This visit, however, exceeded every expectation I had. It was my friend’s first time, so was great to relive the Las Iguanas experience once more.

    A fiery start was had when we arrived at the bar to understand it was happy hour, slogan of which read: “Create Your Happy Hour”, with a choice of 25 cocktails to mark 25 years of Las Iguanas. With mixologist Kevin’s help, the first hour was a truly happy one, imbibing rum and ginger based cocktails that had some heat kick.
    The happiness ensued as we finished our cocktails (Dark’n’Stormy x2, and a Ginger and Orange Caipirinha) to be escorted by a very friendly front of house member of the team who took us to our table, enthusiastically explaining everything on the menu ensuring we knew what to do.

    The mixture of Latin music and the effervescent energy of the staff contributed to an atmosphere worthy of the tropics. The mood was certainly heightened once Josh, our waiter, had introduced himself and by offering to help us choose some Tapas to try for starters. We took Josh’s recommendations and ordered Gambas (king prawns in garlic, lemon and chillie sauce); Nachos; and Pato Taquito (roasted duck with caramelised onion rolled in a flour tortilla, with a spicy cranberry salsa), all of which only cost £15. The prawns were a sensation with an incendiary edge that lingered warmly on the palate, with a zest that equalled the fire of the chillie. This was my plus-1’s favourite dish of the night, having spooned the remains of the sauce and come close to asking the waiter to doggy-bag the rest. For me, the duck was the winner with tender and meaty chunks, dipped in a cranberry salsa ingeniously corrupted by chillie. After many a dip, I don’t think cranberry and chillie should ever be divorced from each other again!

    Being a returnee, I went for my favourite dish at Las Iguanas which was Marinated strip-steak Fajitas (£15.95), while my guest had the Sea Bass (£13.50). The sound of the steak sizzling was part of the Fajita experience at Las Iguanas, where you can hear it come before you see it. It was accompanied by generous sides (guacamole, soured cream, jalapeños, tomato salsa, cheese) all to go on my warm and soft wheat tortillas. The Sea Bass, according to my friend, was of a rustic nature, appeared and tasted fresh and was as comforting as a stew on a cold winter’ day (appropriate of course!)
    After finishing all our food, I was teased by the dessert menu, but had no room for more; a shame as I would have loved to have tried either the Dulce de Leche Macadamia Cheesecake, or the Aztec Chocolate Fudge Cake, which appeared particularly special with it being made with spiced orange sponge.
    Las Iguanas did itself proud again, with an excellent atmosphere, to-die-for food, and second-to-none service, especially from Kevin and Josh who both went out of their way to satisfy our queries and make us feel at home. We are already talking about the next trip. If you want a hot experience in a wintery season, go to Las Iguanas!

    Reviewed by: Alex Da Silva | @AlexMDaSilva

    Address: Las Iguanas – Ground Floor, Resorts World Birmingham, Pendigo Way, Birmingham, B40 1PU

    Website: http://www.iguanas.co.uk/

    Star Rating: *****

    Cost Rating: £££

    Tipping Policy: An optional 12.5% service charge will be added to your bill.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, at The Halkin Hotel.

    The restaurant is situated in Belgravia’s Halkin hotel. The Halkin is one of the hotels belonging to the prestigious COMO group (boasting utter gorgeousness globally).
    The “Arzak Instruction” was established by a team of five from Arzak restaurant (who hold three Michelin stars) to deliver the philosophies of a unique and unforgettable cooking style to the Ametsa (currently holding one Michelin star).Rooted in the traditions of ‘New Basque Cuisine’, pairing earthy flavours and techniques of Spain’s Basque region with modern, surprising twists. Fresh, locally-sourced and organic produce from land and sea are Ametsa’s building blocks.
    I really recommend you opt for the tasting menu to sample a little of everything that the creative and flavour geniuses have to offer. The tasting menu (£105 pp / £154pp with wine pairing) will have you and your table ooh-ing, ahh-ing with at every dish and with every mouthful inducing your eyes to roll in the back of your head. This is beyond food porn- harnessing invention, elements of nostalgia, exploration and of course, a bit of drama.
    To start, a little amuse bouche in the form of a tomato and strawberry chilled soup, served in a shot glass- as tempting as it is to down in one from something in a shot glass, please don’t, far too pretty and tasty to be over so quickly.
    The Onion Rock with Marinated Anchovie for me was one of the most visually enchanting dishes, and as an appetizer really does set the tone for the continuing flawless presentation and intricate skill applied to each dish. The “rock” element appearing bizarre in black and tasting like mellow yellow onions, with a coiled anchovie atop soft, silky- exquisite textures against one another.
    The Sunflower Seed Cracker with Duck was something like the finest version of a pate on toast, even the crackers appeared to have some form of architecture to them.
    A little fruity “pasta” parcel containing the Chistorra – a sweet chorizo-type sausage meat was light and mousse-like leaving you with a tangy tongue.
    Scallops at Home- for me this was one of the highlights of the highlights. Served with a seaweed cracker with tiny edible flowers filling its crevices, again the attention to detail is transcendent, and the dish also flashed a nod to the realm of “superfoods” coming with a sweet creamy goji berry sauce. I don’t think a dish has ever made me smile the way that this one did.
    The Langoustine on a Bed of Lichens- for me on paper does not conjour any feelings of excitement, especially as a lichen can also mean a skin ailment. However upon delivery of the dish, the langoustine with only its fleshiest of fleshy part (no ugly whole headed aliens on the plate), served with a perched cracker made with crab looking something like a Philip Treacy hat- sweet & stunning.
    When you book for the tasting menu, your table is likely to receive different plates / menus from one another when you get the fish and meat section. This was great as we really did get to try a bit of everything, and sharing is definitely caring here.

    A little minx of a dish, the seductive and smoky Tuna with Cinnamon arrives in all its pinky handsomeness with a glass dome atop the plate encompassing a cinnamon myst. The dome is lifted and savoury woody aromas surround you. The table is also presented with a smoking cinnamon stick- sensory explosion.

    For my friend dining, her highlight was the Red Emperor with Beans, with the fish (snapper) cooked ridiculously well and an earthy well seasoned white bean sauce. The plate was decorated with more edible flowers, this really was a regal winner.
    The Suckling Pig on Carob Crumbs was a hunky platform of pork with some cracking crackling. An amazing bit of meat, but I did find the dish as a whole far too rich for my palette at this point of the meal. Also I have always had an aversion to anything carob. But as we had been served different meat dishes, it gave us the opportunity to share.
    The Beef Fillet with Green Tomato, was another outstanding dish, the meat served as it should be medium-rare, with a light green tomato mousse encompassing the essence of everything fresh. Its flavour can only be described as clean and green. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it and would have quite happily been served the mousse on it’s own.
    Before we were served dessert, a little delight came along in the form of a shot glass containing flavour elements of sangria (peel, berry etc), with popping candy. Topped up at the table with Sangria you then delve in with a spoon. I really liked this idea, it brought another fun element and also a little nod to childhood via popping candy. My friend didn’t get on with the Sangria shot and within minutes an alternative had been sent out in the form of homemade gelato which was very well received. All your needs are catered for here.
    Clove Custard, Toasted Milk and Pineapple Ice Cream – utterly aromatic and warming flavours making the cooling, light ice cream an intriguing, clever, and undeniably moreish dish. The toasted milk shards (much like a thin wafer) were crisp and reminded me of the chocolate Caramac’s flavour, delicious against the piquant pineapple ice cream.
    The service, much like its food is absolute. A flawless stream of perfectly timed new dishes to the table and topping up / changing of the wines to pair each plate. The service does feel orchestrated, and I have seen others refer to it as robotic. However, the tasting menu is a show and I can only applaud these masters of precision and perfection.
    It’s worth mentioning Ametsa with Arzak Instruction also offer a set lunchtime menu for £27.50.
    Reviewed by @LohanJordanADDRESS: 5-6 Halkin St, London SW1X 7DJPHONE: 020 7333 1234

    PRICE: £££££ (explained)

    STAR RATING: ***** (explained)

    TIPPING POLICY: http://www.comohotels.com/thehalkin/dining/ametsa-arzak-instruction/reservations

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham

    Last night, I went on a palatable trip to Spain with Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham, restaurant of which was started by the passionate and Spanish food enthusiast Omar Allibhoy.

    Tapas Revolution has been around since 2010, with three existing restaurants in London, and now Tapas Revolution Birmingham has made a grand opening in the second city, and boy – what a gem it is!

    Specialising in Spanish food, in particular Tapas – food that is prevalent in most regions of Spain where various dishes are displayed to share and sample at leisure, this restaurant combines tradition and modernity within a contemporary setting, with an oval-shaped bar where you can grab a sneaky dish, to a spacious dining area with view to the whole of Grand Central, adorned with quirky wooden features, that made you feel at Spanish home. In this space, we had a table to fit all of our Tapas choices.

    I went along with my Spanish friend, who was slightly dubious about authentic Spanish food situated in Birmingham, but with a warm welcome from the service team, and a later introduction from Omar himself, we succumbed to the pleasant atmosphere. My partner’s face lit up as soon as he saw La Socarrada on the menu which is a beer renowned for its rosemary and honey tones, but it was a close match between that beer or the ‘er Boquerón’ famous for using sea water during the brewing process, so after all this, I knew he had been won over.

    We ordered few Tapas, all of which were priced below the £6.00 mark, and in fact all Tapas come under this price, which makes it flexible to have fun and be unashamedly creative when choosing different combinations. We went for: Torreznos con mojo dulce (crispy belly pork, with spicy sauce), Croquetas de Bacalao (béchamel croquettes with deep-fried cod), Pulpo a la Gallega (steamed octopus with paprika potatoes) and Patatas Bravas (deep-fried potatoes with spicy tomato and alioli). All dishes were sublime and tickled the taste buds: the winner for me was the crispy belly pork in spicy sauce which was perfectly cooked and seasoned to the point of being able to order five dishes of Torreznos.

    When our Tapas arrived, we were greeted by the friendly and bubbly Omar who took pride in asking us about our thoughts and took time to share his story of how Tapas Revolution came about. The most surprising fact learned was that Tapas Revolution is the only restaurant in Grand Central to have cooks start at 6am to have the finest food prepared and made for the opening time.

    I was so impressed with the whole experience, from the atmosphere, the service, and was extremely inspired by the Omar’s hard-work and dedication to his restaurant, as he told me that he comes up and down on a weekly basis to cook, manage and serve Tapas to the highest standard and at a very modest price.

    I am already forcing my colleagues to go and visit, and picking dates on my diary to go back!

     

    Reviewed by: Alex Da Silva | @AlexMDaSilva

    Address: Tapas Revolution –Grand Central, 68A East Mews, Birmingham, B2 4XJ

    Website: http://www.tapasrevolution.com

    Star Rating: *****

    Cost Rating: ££

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Rugby Burgers @ West 12 Bar & Grill

    Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at West 12 Bar & Grill, at Birmingham Marriott Hotel, just in time for the opening of the Rugby World Cup. For the duration of the Rugby season, the Marriott Hotels are hosting #BurgersandBubbles, motto of which is: ‘designed by champions, served with champers.’ Celebrating Rugby events in style, Marriott and International Rugby Players have collaborated into creating the bravest, beefiest and bulgiest burgers I have ever held in my two hands.

    My dinner partner and I decided to go head-to-head with the two available Rugby Burger options. So, representing Australia, my guest went for The Burke burger, designed by the Australian fullback Matt Burke himself, who must have been a huge fan of sweet and sour, for the concoction of beef burger, grilled red onion, beetroot and pineapple behaved rather saucily in my partner’s mouth. At home, I represented New Zealand with the Hardman burger, created by Brad Thorn, the lock of the team, and I have to say, if I had even attempted man-handling the burger, it would have given me a locked jaw. Thankfully, we were both given steak knives to tackle the scrummy masterpieces. The Hardman was smoky and earthy with the venison, crispy streaky bacon, fried egg and tomato chutney combination. It was a draw, for both burgers equally delighted the taste buds of the burger captains.
    Our evening was made extra special by the restaurant team, who did nothing more but care for us. It was very kind of the Hotel General Manager, Gordon Tyler, to personally welcome us, joke about the world cup and assuring us that we were very welcome at West 12 Bar & Grill. He told us, ‘it is a very exciting time of year for rugby fans,’ and though we are not dedicated Rugby fans, we were soon in the mood for celebrating. Our waiter Sam led the team with care, dedication and a pleasant smile that went with every course. He was very passionate about the wines that he let us sample, and was very good listener while we shared our views about each one. It was not quite around the world in eighty glasses, but as we gargled the tasters, it felt we were being transported to the climates of the hot countries of Chile, Italy, Spain, France, where the wines were made. Our favourite was a red wine which accompanied the red meats deliciously, and though the name has escaped my mind, it was a combination of a Shiraz and Cabernet, and boy did it dance around our heads.

    I take my hat off to the chefs, who talentedly infused the finest ingredients by presenting both the starter and the main with formidable style and elegance, and the meaty burgers that made us fall-back and made us feel slightly self-conscious that our hands were not qualified to master the handling of the meat in between the two gigantic sesame-seeded buns.

    England beat Fiji 35-11, last night. So, it was an all-around successful night.

    Reviewed by: Alex DaSilva

    Address:

    Telephone: +44 121 452 1144

    Website: Click here

    Star rating: ★★★★★ (explained)

    Cost rating: £££ (explained)

    Tipping policy: Discrectionary 12.5% added to you bill
    by Alex Da Silva

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Metropolitan, Moreish Morsels At M Restaurant

    Hanging out with Hugos, Alistairs and Tarquins in the confines of the trader’s square mile doesn’t grab one immediately when choosing a venue for supper.

    (more…)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Bilbao Berria

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Bilbao Berria

    Bilbao Berria from Barcelona opened their latest restaurant a 2 minute walk from Piccadilly Circus tube, landing London with their Basque / Spanish cuisine. The restaurant is bang on trend at every angle. Their menu is essentially designed like Tapas / Pintxo. An entire wall acts as a glorious wine cabinet, and a brief giggle fit as we noticed our table was adjacent to umpteen bottles of a wine named “Pricum”.

    (more…)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Bistrot on the Square @ Eccleston Square Hotel

    Bistrot on the Square @ Eccleston Square Hotel

    Just a brief walk from the chaos of Victoria Station lies the calm, stylish, uber-cool and uber-tech hotel within Eccleston Square. I am not a natural-born Londoner and can sometimes find the “buzz” a bit overwhelming. Eccleston Square manages to create an ambience to instantly chill and transports you to a peaceful place.

    Ambient music played throughout even fed through to their guest toilet decked with L’occitane products (as are there hotel rooms), and fresh hand towels. It’s simple luxuries like this that take the experience to another level.

    From the moment you walk through the door, it’s clear that presentation and design is key and comes easily to the Eccleston Square Hotel. It was lovely to see this being held consistently and conveyed through their food with each course being presented to perfection in the Bistrot.

    To start we had spiced squid & prawn fritters with sweet chilli sauce. Brilliantly bestowed on top of a newspaper cutting of an article about the Eccleston Square Hotel. It felt like we had constant smiles on our faces as the Bistrot laid on a dining experience to remember.

    Also to start, a salad of burrata (made from mozzarella & cream), parma ham, and walnut balsamic dressing. Burrata. Where have you been all my life? I often find mozzarella out of place in salads or anything where it’s not molten and hot essentially. But burrata solves that by giving the creamy-ness of mozzarella but being silky and smooth, and melts in the mouth- a perfect partner for the parma ham.

    Next, the traditional fish (3 different types) and spinach Xacuti Indian curry. Spicy, warming and as vibrant in it’s flavour as it is colour. Served along side steamed cumin rice and fantastic shards of poppadum. A lovely dish.

    Also we had the Moroccan spiced lamb and apricot tagine. The lamb was amazing. Trouble with tagines’ can be that they are overly fruity, or too much spice added- but the chef, clearly is very good with spices as it was a perfect marriage of fruity and spicy along-side luxuriously tender lamb. With the lamb you have a refreshing raw slaw of tomato, cucumber, and pomegranate in a mint dressing, which was so lovely and in-line with the chef’s nutritious, vitamin-rich approach to food, adding some needed crunch against tender lamb and warm fluffy lemon couscous. My only criticism would be that the tomato was slightly watery so took away from the crisp crunch.

    To finish, I had the Madagascan vanilla crème brulee. It was literally the best brulee I have ever had. It was fresh and spiked with vanilla pod throughout it’s set, warm custard. I don’t know how many brulees are spoilt by the custard being cold so that it conjours images of brulee en masse sat in a fridge waiting for a customer to order them and be blow-torched. Not this one. Simple, but beautiful when done right, as they have done here. The Valhrona fondant is one to order too with an intense chocolate hit bound to surpass the requirements of any chocolate lover.

    Post dinner coffees are served with home-made biscuits which was a lovely little touch and executed well. The service throughout was impeccable and friendly with our waiter engaging in polite conversation, asking what we had done in the day etc. he also ensured our courses came within our time-frame due to travel commitments.

    I have given the Bistrot on the Square five stars as they demonstrated being experts in my two favourite loves; design and food. And being able to do so with such grace and good taste is hard to find.

    Reviewed by: Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: 37 Eccleston Square Hotel, London, SW1V 1PB
    VENUE PHONE: 020 3489 1000
    WEBSITE: http://www.ecclestonsquarehotel.com
    PRICE: £££
    RATING: ★★★★★
    TIPPING POLICY: Discretionary service charge of 12.5% added to bill

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tozi

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tozi

    Everything about Tozi oozes something smooth.

    (more…)