Restaurants reviewed this month
Sorrell City. Italian with a smooth mediterranean edge.
Lambert's Balham.Gateway to the gourmet
Firehouse Knightsbridge. Dine and then dance
Flaming Nora Wood Green. Now you can sit down to enjoy excellent kebabs
Cardamom Rooms Clerkenwell. Thai meets Indian and lives happily everafter
Elena's L'Etoile Soho. An institution in the area
Benihana Swiss Cottage. Still doing well what they've been doing for so long
Glade Regent Street. Sketch deliriously challenges the taste buds again
Admiralty The Strand. A return visit now finds everything ship shape
The Italian Connection Kensington. A classic Italian with straightforward cooking
Gay Hussar. Soho. He's a Hussar and he's travelling on the other bus
Cigala Bloomsbury. There's a little bit of Spanish in us all
May we as usual take this opportunity to remind you that if a restaurant really gives you a bad time, please talk to them and allow them a chance to explain/make amends before you trash them on the website!
Red with meat and white with fish.
Isn’t that how you match wine with food? Off to 1880 for an evening billed as Turner V Gluck, in the manner of an old-skool, hip-hop throwdown. (is that right? I’m still listening to my Yes albums). The idea was that Andrew Turner, acclaimed Executive Chef of 1880 would provide a tasting menu of seven dishes and Malcolm Gluck, esteemed wine writer, would match dishes to wines. This job is normally the province of 1880’s Head Sommelier Deborah Kemp, but tonight she was happy to help out. Gluck, whose new book, The Simple Art of Marrying Food and Wine was the reason for this shindig, proved a fine host. His wine writing is always clear and free from hyperbole and cliché and in the flesh he’s just the same. It was good to see him genuinely enjoying his wines, at one point drifting off into a little reverie, slumped back in his chair with a beatific smile on his face and his nose in his glass. The food was of course fantastic and the wines, apart from one choice, which Gluck cheerfully apologised for but which seemed fine to me, perfect accompaniments in fact. They were all well-priced, too, but what else would you expect from the author of Superplonk?
Babalou. Down in the crypt
Under St Mathew’s Church in Brixton a new Restaurant Bar and Club is born, Babalou. For quite a few years now the church has managed to live happily with its downstairs tenant, a temple to more secular pleasures called Bug Bar. But that previous club/bar struggled to do well.
The place has now had a major refurbishment and is much, much better, Serious air conditioning accentuates the cool and the North African themed area has been divided by screens into restaurant, club and bar. This opening party was well attended and the last minute hanging of the sound system speakers didn’t take the edge of some excellent signature cocktails and a selection of very promising sample dishes from the kitchen. Chef Stuart Caldwell is going to be offering great value menus on this showing. Luckily I live nearby, so I could tuck into the cocktails and walk home insouciantly.
