All reader reviews by Kate
Patterson's Restaurant
We ate here as a party of five on Saturday night for a landmark birthday, taking advantage of the excellent 50% off food offer for an online booking, which made the meal sensational value, as well as what turned out to be a truly lovely experience.
The menu was creative and varied, with the descriptions of dishes being detailed enough to make the mouth water while avoiding the pretentious over-elaboration of ingredients and techniques that has become ubiquitous in many London restaurants. While waiting, we were presented with an amuse of a slightly too salty , though tasty artichoke and celery soup, followed by a range of excellent bread clearly made on site.
A starter of crab tortellini was of surprisingly generous proportions, with near perfect pasta surrounding a succulent, delicate crab filling, whose flavour was brought out by the shallot confit, though the crab foam (as is often the case) was probably unnecessary. I was reliably informed that the poached turbot, mussel and razor clam provencale, ratte potato and bouillabaisse was absolutely superb, and it was certainly beautifully presented, as were all the dishes throughout the meal. A third starter of partridge gribiche came with a moist breast wrapped in streaky bacon, and served with a clever tartare type sauce, and a leg en croute. While it looked fabulous, and the breast was stunning, the pastry encased leg was tricky to eat, and slightly unsatisfying. All up though, it was an extremely tasty dish.
The mains were also good all round. The Scottish beef three ways was almost flawless, and consisted of a substantial piece of beautfully tender, though also tasty meat, served with an oxtail canneloni and smoked and caramelised foie gras. This dish showed a chef with an excellent palate, and each part complimented the other two. Just brilliant, and I was told the lamb was also up to par. My fish of the day was a halibut fillet served with a selection of vegetables and asparagus, and was pleasant but fairly unchallenging. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't have the flair of the other dishes, and tended toward the bland.
Desserts also went down well, with a melt in the mouth pear tarte fine with espresso icecream and creme brulee both being hits, though the chestnut bavarois with biscotti icecream sounded better than it tasted. Again, there was nothing wrong with it, but it needed something extra to give it a bit of a lift.
The wine list is a decent size, well though out and not over priced. We chose a Vasse Felix Semillon Sauvignon and a 2004 Red burgundy from Givry, both in the mid £30 range, which were a good match with the range of food we ordered. The sommelier was helpful and unpretentious when asked for advice. The restaurant is a pleasant space, though if I have a criticism it is that it is lit such that it is almost too dark to see the beautifully presented food (or to read the menus). The service was possibly on the overly attentive side, although not intrusive, though this level of attention is sort of to be expected when you are eating pre-theatre and are among a small handful of customers. By the time we left the restaurant was full, and the staff appeared to be coping admirably. With the discount the meal was sensational value, but would have been well worthwhile even without. We will definitely be back again.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Bacchus
The Bacchus experience started well, with a slick online booking system on the restarant's (very chic) website which confirmed a reservation immediately. Despite the fact that we had to delay the booking at short notice, the staff were unfazed, and, as they appeared to do throughout the night, took it in their stride, with the service all round being some of the best I have experienced anywhere recently.
Somewhat surprisingly on a Friday night, the restaurant was not full, but there were enough people in the dining space to create a nice buzz, and the semi open kitchen and the elements of the decor reminiscent of the pub it once was lend a cozy feel which contrasts cleverly with the cutting edge of the dining experience.
From the time we arrived, the meal was an absolute pleasure. Orders for drinks were taken promptly as we perused the menu, and we enjoyed an amuse bouche of a beetroot canneloni with mustard cress, olive and balsamic vinegar, and some tiny cheese and thyme breads. Both were an exciting teaser of what was to follow. We opted for the six course tasting menu with matching wines, absurdly good value at £40 for food, and £30 for the wine. We felt the full nine courses would be stretching our appetites a little too far, though this too is exceptional value at £60. As it turned out, the waiter, overhearing that it was one of the party's birthday, and her disappointment at one of the courses not being included in the six selection, brought out the extra course as a surprise. This generosity and willingness to go the extra mile on service was evident throughout.
Plenty has been said about Bacchus's sous vide style of cooking, and the clever use the chef makes of flavours and textures, along the lines of that offered at much greater cost (and less ease of booking) at the Fat Duck. The July menu really demonstrated the chef's creativity and willingness to push the boat out to challenge conventional use of ingredients. As you may expect, in any challenging set of dishes, there were some absolute triumphs, along with some less successful combinations, but even these were enjoyable, and every dish provided plenty of discussion at the table, much of which the waiting staff were pleased to contribute to, all showing a wealth of knowledge about the menu and the reasoning behind the dishes.
The menu started with a skate and avocado roll with caramel, curry crumble and passionfruit. I loved this, but one of my fellow diners felt the sweet flavours were not quite balanced with the savoury elements of the dish. In fact, if there was to be one criticism of the meal, it would be a slight tendency to overemphasise the sweet in the dishes, sometimes at the cost of smothering excellent savoury elements, and that a couple would have benefitted from a judicious balancing of salt and/or sour, there being a noticeable absence of any citrus in the menu.
We followed with our 'bonus' dish, thanks to our delightful Canadian waiter, who is clearly passionate about the food. This was a crab 'mousse' served on Tobiko ravioli, shitake and a green herbal broth. This was one of the triumphs, the crab working beautifully in both taste and texture with the earthy shitake mushrooms. The presentation of this dish, as with every plate, was a work of art, but in a functional way that facilitated, rather than detracted from the eating. The next was Paradise prawns, served with an inspired iced coconut, seared pineapple and a green olive sofrito. Here the balance of salt and sweet was better, though we thought the dish would have been lifted to supreme level by a little more kick. None of the three of us especially enjoyed the Iberico ham gelee that followed, me because I am not a huge fan of ham in any form, but the waiter insisted that the other diners had loved it. A monkfish filet with fennel compote, toasted oats, ajo blanco and piquillo was excellent, and followed by what I thought was one of the standout dishes on the menu, an exquisite veal breast that melted in the mouth with soy milk, crunchy baby carrots, giner ale and Szechuan peppercorns. What can I say....I could have eaten this six times! Finally, the dessert was an absolutely flawless, melt in the mouth chocolate fondant, served with mangosteen (why?) and hazelnut, white chocolate and cocoa powders. I am no normally a dessert person, but this was incredible, and served with an outstanding 2004 sauternes.
The food was matched with a very interesting and varied set of wines, both old world and new, chosen carefully, and all of which worked well with their matched dishes. The waiting staff generously topped up wines (already substantial tasting serves) if they were low when the food was served, which was an unexpected but much appreciated bonus, though I did leave rather more wobbly on my feet than I had anticipated as a result.
Again, I am stunned this restaurant was not full, which is presumably because of its location in Hoxton. I will most certainly be back, when the menu changes to August, and then September, as I cannot think of another place in London where I can experience food this good, from a chef this creative and prepared to challenge himself and his audience, at these sort of prices. Trouble is, I'll then not be able to get a table as easily, which would be a great shame.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Ottolenghi
Almost flawless......actually, it was......
Ottolenghi hasn't had a review for a while, which I suspect is more because it is easier to fire up to write a bad review than a good one. However, when the entire experience is this good on every level, it seems a crime not to endow it with praise well due....
Being a passionate reader of Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes in the Guardian Weekend, we stopped past on a whim on a Wednesday night. I accept this is not a time when the staff or the kichen are under significant pressure; nonetheless, the experience was faultless. Enthusiastic staff seated us immediately, with no sulky penalty wait to punish us for failing to book. The chairs are comfortable, despite the restaurant space's leaning towards minimalist lines in decor. Here, it works, as the space is small, so it makes efficient use of what it has.
Orders were taken promptly for drinks, from a small but varied wine list, which is well priced, and offers both new and old world options. We chose a very pleasant Argentinian Chardonnay...nothing special, but worked with the food we ordered. The waitress, who was otherwise fantastic, had no idea why there was a 4 year old fairly ordinary NZ sauv blanc on the wine list, which made two of us. This was however, an extrenely minor blip in an overall triumph.
I am usually churlish with my praise about restaurants, as I generally feel I can do better, and with better ingredients at home. Not so here. The dishes are tapas style, in that they are starter size, and you are encouraged to order three per person for a full meal. This encourages sharing, which is what food is all about, and is a strong selling point for Ottolenghi.
We chose a range of dishes; seared marinated tuna wrapped in nori and served with a wasabi cream sauce was absolutely superb, though the one minor flaw was a Puy lentil salad with roasted tomatoes and cauliflower which was probably great earlier in the day, but tasted slightly wilted. I feel churlish complaining, as this was only noticeable because the rest was almost impossible to criticise.
From the kitchen we chose a lamp rump - marinated, grilled and served with mint, feta and flat parsley salad....mind-blowingly good; a marinated octopus served with a tomato/garlic dip of some sort (I failed to take the menu to refresh my memory), and a heavenly grilled lemon sole with skordalia. Given skordalia (a potato and garlic dip) is usually bland and mealy in this country, this was a real surprise. We were left grinning from ear to ear by the five dishes we chose.
I would be remiss not to mention that the service matched the food. Both waitresses who served us were utterly delightful, knowledgeable about the food, and clearly enthusiastic, which they had both sampled. Both had worked there upwards of a year, which is testimony to a great employer, and explains the success of the restaurant. The business model is brilliant - they manage the most appetising window display of cakes and tea from early morning, run into the best salads in London at lunch, and the above for dinner. This model relies on a great chef, great staff and great produce, which Ottolenghi clearly have in spades. At £60 for two including a bottle of wine, this was also great value for what we got. Get down there as soon (and as often) as you can!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Kensington Place
We ate here recently with frineds on the spur of the moment one Friday evening. It was around half 9 and we did not have a booking, but despite this, the staff were more than happy to seat us at the bar, and offer us the next available table. Given this is the time several tables were finishing their meal, this showed a welcome pragmatism from the staff that is often sadly lacking - waiting staff seemingly wanting to punish potential paying customers for failing to plan ahead.
From the start the experience was delightful. While waiting at the bar, we enjoyed the complimentary excellent olives and smoked almonds, and once shown to our table with our drinks, we were immediately offered several types of bread. Being a bit of a carb fiend, I could have happily sustained myself on this, as it was offered repeatedly during the meal, and its quality was outstanding; however, I decided this would be slightly poor form, and agreed to peruse the menu. I have to note at this point, that, unlike here, too many restaurants try to extract vast amounts of extra cash out of clientele for things like bread and side dishes - I always wish they would incorporate this into the price of their dishes, rather than leaving you with an unpleasant surprise when the bill arrives.
The menu, as has been noted in previous reviews, is quite wide ranging, and the set menu showed a degree of imagination and creativity often missing from these, which forces diners to the more expensive a la carte options. Again, an example of the generosity of spirit evident here. One of the four of us chose from this menu, so we got the chance to sample both.
The food, to be honest, was a bit hit and miss. The hits were absolutely outstanding, most noticeably in two superb fish dishes - a starter of sea bream and a main of salmon. An excellent lamb loin was also beautifully cooked and presented. Less successful, and chosen by three of us, was a spicy squid soup which sounded amazing, but appeared as a small bowl of tomato gloop tasting strongly of seafood, but with its components unidentifiable. It wasn't bad, just disappointing, and did not fit the description that had set our mouths watering. Desserts were similarly mixed, with a rhubarb creme brulee having shades of a school pudding, but tasting pleasant enough, so presentation was partly forgiven.
The wine list is excellent, with a range of new and old world offerings, many from older vintages, in a good spread of price brackets. A true surprise was a superb bottle (their last) of the Mt Horrocks 1998 shiraz, selected with knowledgeable advice from an enthusastic and unpretentious sommelier.
The meal wasn't cheap, at £60/head for two courses each (with shared dessert) and one and a half bottles of wine, but it was, on the whole good value, for a very enjoyable experience, made top notch by excellent service, and the sense of inherent generosity that came from the complimentary bread and nibbles.
We'll definitely be back....though we might even have the good manners to book next time ;)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
