This Is London reviews

Thursday, January 26, 2012 - Over two visits, we worked our way through the Iberico (8.50), which with its morcilla blood sausage topping, Iberica pancetta and oven-dried tomatoes is juicy and rich; the Chicano Pulled Pork (6.50, sweet and only a little dry); the Hanger Steak & Chipotle Sauce Sandwich (7.50, perfectly tender); the Purist (5.50) - a classic burger that we adulterated with some Stilton and red onion chutney (add 1.50) to give it a great kick of extra flavour and two large plates (2.50 each) of the hand-cut chips, triple-fried in beef dripping. The chips are testament to the fact that this is really a place for meat eaters and the one vegetarian option (with black beans, lentils and butternut squash) comes with a presumably deliberate grammatically incorrect apology on the menu.

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - On the raw side we tried the Thai Tiger veggie noodle soup, which of course contained no actual noodles but had a tasty combination of super-fine strips of cucumber, peppers, spring onion and avocado in a coconut broth and arrived at a baby-bear, ready-to-eat temperature; a 'Squash-a-potamus' sandwich, for which the two sunfood slices did little to hold in its squash and hemp raw houmus, which insisted on slopping onto the plate with each mouthful; and a sadly over-salted and bitterly dressed Crispy Seasonal Salad of foraged greens.

Thursday, December 08, 2011 - While dumplings are the main event, other choices intrigue. Chilli oil chicken was a generous plate of shredded chicken slathered with smoky chilli. Slow-cooked beef with Chinese herbs and spices was delicately spiced yet very meaty. In fact the two salads offered are more like street food too: seaweed salad with toasted sesame, and five-spice boiled peanuts, wood ear mushroom and celery - both unusual combinations of textures. To a Western palate more accustomed to Cantonese or Szechuan food, this is a different, heartier set of flavours. Designed to ward off the long, cold Beijing winter, it felt right for a late autumn day.

Thursday, December 01, 2011 - Murmurings of 'Okay, but bland' came from my neighbour as she tucked into her salmon teriyaki rice, while the beef teriyaki option, which was served in a neat pile in an earthenware bowl and made with sirloin steak, was described as 'tender and good' by her boyfriend. After this, things got worse. An assorted katsu platter turned out to be a 'build your own katsu curry', a selection of meat and vegetables covered in breadcrumbs, deep-fried and served with a choice of three sauces. It might have been fun save for the fact that the waitress brought us the wrong order three times and it was served lukewarm.

Thursday, November 10, 2011 - A long table runs through the centre of the shop, aiming to bring like-minded people together over tea, coffee and an eclectic menu of pastries and cakes. Admittedly catering is quite modest. It depends on how they're feeling. The head waitress wears a modish feather skirt; the tea boy a hat and cravat. But they'll cheerfully make you toast with Marmite or you can order in soup, salads and sandwiches from Cafe Soho next door...Not everyone will love The Society Club (it's just this side of pretentious; the boys are vainer than the girls; you leave spaced-out on a sugar rush), but personally I can't think of a better place for a first date.

Thursday, November 03, 2011 - Honest Burgers focuses laser-like on the quality of its headline product. They are made from 35-day dry-aged, British rare-breed chuck steak, sourced from the Ginger Pig, and it shows: these are slabs of seriously good meat, served in a glazed bun (gluten-free also available). You can have them topped with cheddar, or stilton or - the most expensive, at 8 pounds - the 'Honest', topped with smoked bacon, cheddar and red onion relish. For my money the stilton was especially luscious, although at least two people around our table declared other variants the best burgers they'd ever had.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - I have the 'one-pot wonder' - a vegetable tagine on brown rice - and although it falls into the vegetarian food trap of having a few too many carrots and a little too much curry powder in an effort to add excitement, it does come in a satisfyingly huge portion. Home-made lemonade hits the right note too - not too sweet, just enough bite. Looking at the board, I wish I had come for breakfast, when buckwheat pancakes with spinach, avocado, sundried tomatoes and paprika yoghurt are on offer at weekends and 'posh porridge' with Medjool dates, almonds and pure cacao is available every day.

Thursday, September 29, 2011 - The food - served in generous portions - is first-rate. The cold 'Mini Pies' starter (of chicken and pork) arrived with a well-seasoned salad and was a suitable warm-up act. The grilled Portobello mushroom was complemented by a flavoursome oat and Stilton crust. Steak and kidney pie - the important test of any pie vendor - came in a light and airy pastry with pleasantly tender meat. The bubble and squeak side dish is a nice touch which doesn't turn up on too many menus.

Thursday, September 29, 2011 - Rain-scented ceps were intertwined with lardo di colonata and Berkswell (a hard, nutty English ewe's cheese), and a fat slice of sourdough soaked up the bosky juices. In another dish, a pert little quail sat on a white plate, with a dollop of saffron mayonnaise and a caramelised half-lemon for company. The flesh was bracingly vermillion and oozingly succulent - even the discreet accompaniments were not needed when the bird packed this much flavour...Ducksoup was mood-alteringly good. If only it offered a modest selection of sides - there is an irritating lack of carbohydrate and greens on offer - I would say perfect.

Thursday, September 15, 2011 - The pork balls were firm on the outside giving way to yielding meat flavoured with a touch of rosemary, rounded off with a Parmesan sauce. The earthy risotto was too filling for an accompaniment. The courgette balls - really just scrunched-up, fried courgettes - were excellent and a nice match for the pasta which was slightly al dente and coated with a smooth Parmesan cream sauce. We were less confident about the sliders: three lone balls overwhelmed by bouncy brioche buns and perched forlornly on plain china...Come for the pork balls and the excellent coffee and you won't be wasting your time.

Thursday, September 01, 2011 - A carnal plate of antipasti (prosciutto, salami Milano, mortadella and divine cotto) arrived with a bag of toothsome bread from the E5 bakery, to which we did ample justice. Bruschetta was tomatoes on toast, but transcendentally so. Spaghetti pomodoro was impressively redolent of Italy in its buttery richness, but here the minimalism began to underwhelm...I suspect the frustrations will be rectified in time and, hopefully, a passing rioter will loot those chairs. Until then, what Ombra gets right - hospitality, in a word - it gets so right, you would rather be here than any of the modish, management-consulted places out west. There's a lack of cynicism that is rare in London. It's even rarer in Venice, come to that.

Thursday, August 25, 2011 - It was a spud with smoked Boston bean filling for my friend and a Moroccan lamb tagine for me. The first was excellent. Plump chickpeas, kidney and butterbeans bursting with a full, smoky flavour rested alongside a feisty cheddar in a thick, bubbling smoky sauce. These sat atop a fluffy jacket potato, smothered in deliciously peppery butter with a nice if slightly limp outer skin. However, the lamb option was almost as good. I delved into a two-inch high mound of plump couscous crumbled over succulent strips of lamb which were well-seasoned and with a hint of chilli, scattered with faintly crunchy pumpkin seeds and roasted red peppers. Fresh tzatziki gave a refreshing lift to the wintriness of the tagine.

Thursday, July 14, 2011 - The menu is succinct: samosas, pakoras and chaat to start, half a dozen thalis and curries as mains. We began with a robustly spiced, crunchy vegetable pakora and a rich, satisfying lamb keema samosa, the latter one of the largest plates of food for 3.25 that I've seen in some time...Next, a lamb curry with peas and potato was aromatic and moist, its heat dry but fragrant. Better yet was the chicken curry, the spices richer and bolder than the average Bangla curry, the meat cooked in its sauce from the start rather than added to a curry gravy at the end. There's good vegetable curry too.

Thursday, July 07, 2011 - We took three flatbreads between two: ample. Lamb Aegean was a posh take on the Turkish lahmacun, which you can have in Dalston for a couple of quid. Minced lamb was smoothed out with tahini and spiked with raw onion that remained on the breath all afternoon. The not-quite-topical-any more Wikileeks proved fresher: caramelised leeks bedded on little flourishes of melted goat's cheese and smoked chilli jam. Extra napkins were also a necessity. Flatbreads may be a 'totally affordable, global, healthy snack' but they're kind of messy to eat...It made for a fun pitstop.

Thursday, June 30, 2011 - I'd heard there were pies, tarts and quiches galore, though not during the midweek lunchtime I visited. Saturdays and Sundays are allegedly busier, with fresh pasta, including a delicious sounding stuffed tortellini, made every weekend. The pies - steak and onion, ham and mushroom, leek and cheddar - were small but they made up for it in flavour and texture. Too often gluten-free creations crumble at the first touch but here the pastry (again made of tapioca and rice flour) stood firm, the gravy thickened with potato starch. On to the sweet stuff, and the real pick was a delicious tart with strawberries and a redcurrant glaze (a huge Bakewell tart looked inviting too).

Thursday, June 16, 2011 - The chips were crisp and served generously but not in the soggy abundance of a normal chippy - in my experience, 70 per cent tends to remain in paper on the kitchen table until morning. The fish fingers in the butty had a crunchy coating and were delicious in the soft farmhouse bread with a generous glug of ketchup. The only disappointing order was the calamari - it lacked flavour and felt a little limp. But this was made up for by the house-battered cod - soft, melting fish encased in a crisp, golden batter. It's not surprising that this has become a firm favourite for regulars.

Thursday, June 09, 2011 - It's a modest but inspired menu: four starters, four mains. Ordering leek, mint and yoghurt soup, I was expecting a bland broth. But it was a fabulously chunky thick soup, piquant with herbs, drizzled with oil. My friend, a lecturer at nearby Goldsmiths, prounced her asparagus and black butter to be deliciously fresh. For mains we had fillet of hake, wonderfully meaty, with white beans, cherry tomatoes and dill and free-range pork belly with fennel, pear and gooseberries. The berries were declared an intelligent touch but the slab of meat was too hefty.

Thursday, May 19, 2011 - We had fusilli carbonara and penne with slow-cooked bolognese, with all the extras, plus Portobello mushroom penne without. The carbonara was the standout, its salty hamminess augmented by the bold use of blue cheese, but the fungitarian option had a pleasingly subtle creaminess. The beef in the bolognese wasn't overwhelmed by tomato and had a deep flavour: I'd have liked it spicier...The 20-seat room itself is horrible, a glaring wipe-clean environment redolent of an airport concession. Best to take away a tub and find a City park or Wren churchyard to perch in.

Thursday, May 05, 2011 - The Hemingway is itself a strange hybrid. The macho American author is evoked in the colonial decor (maps, posters), though the effect is undercut by a school-dinnerish smell of chip fat...An oozy scotch egg came with a ramekin of sharp piccalilli. Buffalo mozzarella was skewered with tomato, aubergine and courgette into a cute little tower. From the specials, pink Welsh lamb arrived nestling in curly kale, scattered with little cubes of chorizo and tomato, juxtaposed with a smear of aubergine; flavoursome olive gnocchi were teamed with shiitake and oyster mushrooms in a white wine sauce.

Thursday, April 28, 2011 - We had beetroot carpaccio, sheep's ricotta and merlot vinaigrette, and goat's curd, figs and honey, from the list of 3 pound dishes. Both were ineffably fresh and subtly sharp-sweet, if a bit samey (my fault). From the 4 pound column, cured sea trout with creme fraiche and jalapeno was so-so, but nuggets of veal and pork sausage on a bed of mustardy lentils were flavoursome and unctuous. For 5 pounds, sea bass ceviche with lime and chilli was delicately textured and zingy, studded with taste surprises of mango. A kebab of delicately chermoula-spiced poussin was beautifully tender.

Thursday, April 21, 2011 - We started with a fabulously nutty mushroom tart with salad, and mackerel pate with toast, served like potted shrimps with a good slick of jelly. For mains I opted for a slightly worthy Lebanese chick pea and aubergine moussaka (4.50 with green salad and bread), and my companion had roast chicken with suma, za'tar and lemon, with Moroccan spiced potato salad and green leaves. 'Great value but lacks a really good dressing,' she pronounced. But we fell upon the Dorstone goat's cheese with apricot, pistachio and sunflower toasts, and the courgette cake with creme fraiche and lemon curd is out of this world.

Thursday, April 07, 2011 - The mackerel is the best - the crisp crust giving way to a juicy, aromatic, pungent filling. But the shredded lardo (bacon) in the Banh Mi Bi is overwhelmed by smoked ground rice and daikon pickle, while the combination of spiced pork, ham terrine and chicken liver pate in the Keu Classic gives that unmistakable 'bit sicky' feeling...This place has novelty and style and sells exotic condiments, all qualities prized in ECI. But Keu! apparently means 'that's fantastic' in Vietnamese. Which is overstating the case a bit.

Thursday, November 18, 2010 - We tried two delicious dips: smoked aubergine and walnut had an unusual depth of flavour, mellowed by the nuts and cut with a sweet/sour hint of pomegranate juice; while an unctuous yoghurt, cucumber and fresh mint was a superior tzatziki, perfect to scoop up using the paper-light yard of flatbread that came lightly charred straight from the oven. Main courses range from long, flattened Persian lamb mince kebabs - meltingly soft, slightly sweet and served with good bread and fresh herbs - to a flavourful deep green lima bean stew, with pungent garnishes of pickled garlic, smoked fish and marinated olives.

Thursday, November 04, 2010 - This tiny restaurant lures in the locals with attractive duck egg blue walls hung with kooky retro art by London-based artist Soozey Lipsey and Thomas Edison-esque naked lightbulbs...On the three occasions I've eaten there, the Cornish salmon fillet with puy lentil broth and wilted baby spinach made perfect companions, the rump of Berkshire lamb with roast butternut squash puree and caramelised pearl onions in a red wine jus (was polished off with relish and the spicy Moroccan chicken swathed in a sauce the colour of red earth, produced flavours that lingered long after the last mouthful.

Thursday, October 28, 2010 - The lunchtime cafe is immediately nicer than the Whole Foods canteen but the regular tables were full and it was at the charcuterie bar we sat. Here we took a pair of 'chilled' fino sherries (iced, actually) and a generous Monmouthshire charcuterie board, a bargain at 6 quid...We reflected that Union Market Kitchen's strength may lie in its less formal offerings. But value and generous portions are not usually associated with organic emporia - and, as a place to shop, it's almost worth going to Fulham for.

Thursday, September 23, 2010 - It's homely kitchen table decor with interesting paintings, and novels and poetry scattered across the tables. But it's the good honest food that attracts. We hoovered up the crab fritters (crispy golden morsels of crabmeat, corriander and carrot served with an egg cup of sweet chilli sauce). And they do the best battered calamari and chips I've eaten (al dente rather than rubbery). There's an emphasis on nose-to-tail eating. If you're a bit of a prissy pescetarian, you might find the mixed seafood linguine with chunks of crab shell a bit raw. But the sauce was wonderfully spicy without taking your head off.

Thursday, September 23, 2010 - Wonderfully fresh sea bass came with shavings of English truffle - who knew? - and a black truffle puree enriched with squid ink, and cauliflower, and parmesan gnocchi, and sea vegetables. It really was very good. More straightforward was a square of suckling pig, still a striking combination of textures, served as it was with crunchy chestnuts and toasted grains. Finally, via a complicated amuse-bouche involving olive oil panna cotta, a brown sugar tart with stem-ginger ice cream and muscat grapes offered a richly satisfying end to the meal.

Thursday, September 16, 2010 - Both English lamb and rib-eye steak bore the scars of the chargrill. In the former, the carbon was off-set by the zing of caponata and mint oil; my friend seemed to weary of his steak, though, which sat atop trevisano and mattressed three pieces of gorgonzola. Otherwise, cod was substituted for plaice in a pliant assembly involving potato puree, samphire and brown shrimp; linguini with mussels was judged 'yummy'...Homa proves a little ambition needn't come at the expense of local charm.

Thursday, September 09, 2010 - It may be tiny but the Whitechapel Dining Room is a sophisticated pleasure. The decor - wood panels, vertical mirrors, funky lights - resembles a rather chic school room...Mackerel and lime tartare on prawn and mackerel toast, with avocado and soused beetroot, was a really interesting mix of sweet and sour; crunch and softness. The cuttlefish, which freaked me out slightly because of the chewy texture, resembles ham. Bread is extra but it's proper chalky sourdough. Lauren prounced the pan-fried halibut with Devonshire crab and caviar beurre blanc, subtle in flavour and perfectly cooked.

Thursday, September 02, 2010 - Our waiter handed us plates of fresh roasted peppers, green beans, buffalo mozzarella and roasted golden and red beetroot to start. Each piece was delicately sprinkled in olive oil and tasted juicy and fresh. Main courses include salmon en croute (also a lunchtime special), roast cod and pork loin, all sourced from Smithfield and Billingsgate. Next up was my companion's choice of duck confit with truffle mash, which was rich but tender and flavoursome, and my option of monkfish and scallop skewers on Umbrian lentils. On the menu, mine seemed unimaginative but, in reality, the fish was succulent and the rosemary leaf skewers were beautifully presented.

Thursday, September 02, 2010 - The new venture is unexciting. And it's insultingly overpriced...I found slow-roast belly pork tender, flavourful, served with a mountain of mustard mash: fine, but no better than your average gastropub version. Accompanying carrots and tomato-beetroot salad were unmemorable. Fillet steak was a nice hunk of meat, served with superlative chips, a patch of watercress salad and gloopy Bearnaise. The fact that the steak was served lukewarm might be put down to kitchen teething troubles; its tiresome presentation on a wooden board and its price tag cannot.

Thursday, August 26, 2010 - The schnitzel was succulent and its coating pleasingly crisp, accompanied traditionally by a creamy potato salad. Grilled scallops with confit of pork belly was a nice idea yet somehow a little too soft in its textures. Desserts are very good - sweet knodel (dumpling) with roasted apricots and vanilla ice cream was particularly unctuous - while the cheese selection is as top notch as one would expect from its supplier, Hamish Johnston...I wonder if Bistro Delicat is a little expensive for what it is, essentially well-executed bistro food. But it's a fine addition to this corner of south London.

Thursday, August 19, 2010 - The walnut and blue cheese salad came promptly, mounded high and nicely dressed, if a little tangy. But the pizza was the biggest surprise: each pie-like slice had a springy base and a textured, crunchy crust. Pesto and ricotta was moreish, sausage and fennel was rich but interesting, and olive tapenade was nicely salty, as tapenade always is, but delicious. Aubergine was the only disappointment, being rather bland, but perhaps because we ate it last when the cornmeal had almost defeated us.

Thursday, August 12, 2010 - Every inch of it is encrusted with shells, faux-tribal carving or fetishistically huge statues of African warriors. The lighting is dim, the air-conditioning frigid. Despite the departure-lounge proportions, tables are uncomfortably close together...Shaved biltong was entirely devoid of flavour, until the insipid shards of cured meat were slathered with the accompanying tangy sauce. Springbok, kudu and ostrich terrine was mouth-chillingly cold, the flavours muted compared to the bits of these gamey beasts I've eaten in Cape Town. Bread and fruity Bobotie chutney were good.

Thursday, August 05, 2010 - In this seemingly less fertile location they have created a multi-purpose venue with a big airy bar, smart restaurant area and a decked beer garden. There is also a pleasant deli room, which is sunny and quiet with newspapers and stacked plates of homemade Chelsea buns and muffins wrapped in parchment...Twice I've chosen from the good daily-changing lunch menu, where 7 quid will get you a tangy duck salad, crisp with pickled radish and chicory, or a melting tart of artisan cheese and spinach, fresh from the oven, with a side of well-dressed leaves.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 - The look is blandly cool: black tables, dark green walls, Murano glass baubles above a copper bar. It's an all-day operation and therefore has a menu of safe brasserie favourites such as scallops and onglet, with nothing too scarily Belgian on it...No exciting new flavours, just good ingredients efficiently and unchallengingly prepared. But portions are smallish and prices high for a brasserie, especially after 12.5 per cent has been added to the bill for the frankly amateurish service.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 - On a Wednesday night at 10ish, the place was almost full and nicely bubbling without boiling over. Our waiter brought a dozen Irish Carlingford rock oysters without fussing. The Meantime London Stout sauce seemed an unnecessary novelty but the springy little salty creatures were just right. The whole lemon sole with Cornish cockles, cucumber, caviar and lemon butter sauce came next, one of those tastebud tinglers you start dreaming of as soon as it's done. My dinner date's hake, steamed with vegetable broth, Shetland mussels and samphire, was even better.

Thursday, July 08, 2010 - Merchant's Yard's food is authentic - but better. A cold okroshka soup, chunks of ham and potatoes and large quantities of kefir (fermented milk) was tasty, as was a chicken and vegetable broth. Baklazhani farshirovanije proved the maxim that Georgian food is usually the best in Russia, meltingly soft aubergine with a robust walnut sauce so typical of the Caucasus...There's nothing wrong with any of this if you're a Russian in London with a hankering for food just like your mum makes.

Thursday, July 01, 2010 - My roasted sea bass with spinach and mushroom risotto and roasted vine tomatoes was crispy and delicate; Conor hoovered up the beer-battered pollack with chips and minted pea puree...The clientele is Sloaney, the decor - red-fringed theatre lights and leather banquette seating - incoherent. As for the boutique, some accessories should be thrown in. A lot of women might not want to slip into an unforgiving jersey dress after a meal. Give us bags and baubles.

Thursday, June 03, 2010 - The main courses - a sharing mix, as suggested by the very best waitress in town - were exceptional. Crispy tacos served with fish, chicken or beef filling, and the usual crispy lettuce/sour cream combo. The soft, rolled burritos were really something - beef especially good, I'm told - and memorable for the fantastic couple of dollops of black bean concoction that came with them. The margharitas were individually made before our eyes, and all the better for it. Perfect sweet and sour, lime, salt and tequila mix.

Friday, March 12, 2010 - We arrived on Monday lunchtime and marvelled at the spectacle of its undiscovered dining room. They seemed to have run out of money when it came to fittings - the table was MDF - but would the food fare any better? My roasted parsnip soup proved creamy enough while the foie gras pate with fig chutney was pleasantly buttery. You expect a pink steak to arrive oozing its juices - my husband's did not - while my choice of fish of the day, a misnomer on a Monday, came camouflaged with oily chopped salami. However, the chips were crispy and fine apple tart was faultless.

Friday, March 05, 2010 - As it should be, the crust is thin, stretched by hand and spun in the air by chefs. It is crispy on the edges and at the very bottom, soft in the middle, nuked at 485 degrees in a wood-fired, domed oven especially imported from Naples. Tomato sauce: hard to fault. Toppings: sparse but joyous (ie the inverse of Dominos). We washed it down with some of the short but adventurous organic wine list: a very good prosecco, of which they have precisely three cases in stock, and a fresh and cherry-fruit-laden dolcetto. The grappa di prosecco is brilliant too.

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - Try the tostadas de ceviche (sea bass marinated in lime and herbs). And flautas - tacos with cheese, potato and jalapeno chilli, which are pleasantly fiery. My companion fell upon the carnitas tacos (pork slowly cooked in an aromatic bouquet of spices) and la pollera, chicken paillard marinated with avocado, tomato and lettuce. But the triumph is pan de elote (cornbread with onions and salsa), which has the lovely, gloopy texture of bread and butter pudding. 'I've not tasted cornbread like it, even in Mexico City!' my companion enthused. The wine list is modest so stick to cocktails...

Thursday, February 18, 2010 - We started with a spread of mezze bursting with freshness - admirably smoky mutabbal, tender kibbeh balls, tabbuleh as zingily fresh as it should be, juicy spinach and meat pastries, loubia bi zeit, stuffed vine leaves and fattoush salad. We moved on to a substantial mixed grill: lamb shish, shish tawouk, lamb chop and kafta kebabs. It was all of a similar high quality as elsewhere in London; the extra touches I liked were the roasted tomato and onions with it and the onion, tomato and parsley-filled flatbread served, broken, on top of it, a Beiruti habit rarely seen here.

Thursday, February 18, 2010 - For mains, we bypassed the fish and chose something more filling: Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak, pickled beetroot and fat chips in dripping and Goosnargh duck with caramelised foie gras, creamed sprouts, artichokes and ceps. They were perfect, if unexciting. For that sort of money, you ought to be getting something memorable and flavour-popping...Puddings were good. The chocolate fondant with aroma of orange and salt milk ice cream and the warm prune and apple tart, Amaretto cream and Earl Grey tea jellies displayed real flair. The salt milk contrasted perfectly with the chocolate and the tart was meltingly wholesome.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - Celebrity restaurateur Tony Allan promises freshness, sustainability and good value for money' at Fish! Kitchen. Judging by his Borough Market branch, Allan is a man who keeps his promises. Fish! Kitchen is more than just an upmarket chippy, it serves good quality food so when it comes to the classic fish and chips, expect a cut above the usual take on the favourite. Unique twists are given to other traditional British fish dishes. It is also worth trying the succulent Oysters or the Swordfish Club Sandwich.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - Chicken, aubergine & lychee green curry is delicious. Or the more traditional prawn pad thai vegetable is always a reliable option. Dishes are full of flavour and beautifully presented. Make sure you don't miss out on the Tempura. It makes for a tasty starter or side dish. The contemporary house created cocktails are fittingly fashionable. The Rickshaw is a concoction of stoli razberi, raspberries, cranberry & lemon juices stirred & served long. Very Carrie Bradshaw.

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - The main attraction, though, at one end of a long bar, is the array of different pintxos. Most consist of various morsels on a slice of baguette, held together with a wooden skewer, with a few - such as gazpacho - in shot glasses...Some offerings are OK: morcilla and quail's egg, cheese-stuffed peppers, although I never did identify the starchy chunk of something or other with the seared tuna - undercooked potato? Some, though, are just weird: asparagus, foie gras and white chocolate, for example, or pork belly, apple and potato - not just odd mixes, but without any clear, bold flavours shining through.

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - This place is ace...A Sicilian pork skewer stuffed with Italian cured meats, breadcrumbs and parmesan was like a meaty cheese puff - though surprisingly light. Just as well, as we couldn't resist a 2.95 side of 'posh truffle chips'. Mixed Italian ice cream was okay and if an 'ultimate chocolate, banana and nut brownie' was selling itself slightly too high, it could be forgiven, because this is head and shoulders above the local Canary Wharf competition. Pukka stuff.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 - As the date pointed out there's not much 'Coast' about a wild mushroom risotto or a chicken and duck liver parfait. Maybe they worried about depleting the oceans. They'd scoured them diligently for my standout glass of tiger prawns with aioli, sensational specimens with a fresh, meaty bite. A fish soup was another winner: clearly home-made, it was unusually creamy and delicious mopped up with warm, crusty bread...With no fresh fruit option, we opted for ice cream, and were delighted by a selection of some of the most delicious home-made ice cream we'd recently sampled.

Friday, May 29, 2009 - At Stamford Bridge, MARCO is a collaborative effort between Mr Pierre White and Chelsea Football Club. The stylish edge to the restaurant is reflected in its sleek décor. With a red carpet and glittering entrance this isn’t a subtle attempt at glamour… What is most satisfying about MARCO is that you are in the hands of those that know what they are doing. The staff are passionate about food and will be happy to give you their recommendations. So even the most indecisive of diners will be led in the right direction.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009 - While the upstairs restaurant is cool and calm, it’s slightly odd to hear the buzz of the tapas bar over the balcony. And while it’s noisier — especially at the deli end, where you may find yourself next to the cheese room or the charcuterie counter — I somehow prefer the tapas bar… The ham croquettes, a beloved tapas classic, are some of the most delicious I’ve had; octopus with paprika and potatoes was succulent and cooked to perfect tenderness. Squid, whitebait and prawns were all wonderfully fresh.