All reader reviews by chribson

Pied a Terre

Quality, Service, Excellence...This is a fantastic place to dine..clearly if you can afford it...

This two Michelin-starred restaurant deserves the acclaim it receives...as there are many other that get stars and don't deserve them (in my opinion).

We were very well received at the entrance and were pleasantly sat down. When it came to showing the menu the service was excellent not too intrusive but enough information so that you don't feel lost. We were asked if we had any allergies or if there was any taste that we didn't particularly like.

As it was a special occasion we opted for the 10 course tasting menu. The food was exquisite, the flavours were flowing and the sometimes odd combinations fusioned beautifully. Not to mention, the presentation was aethetically pleasing. Whilst the dishes were small (to be expected of a tasting menu, especially 10 courses) they were very filling even if some were lighter and others heavier.

The only thing that one can critiize is perhaps the lack of ambience, or shall I mention animation. The chilled out atmosphere, was almost too plain and chilled out, perhaps a little dark (dark because we were at the back of the restaurant but with fantastic seating.

Highly recommended for an upscale special chilled-out occasion. If you want lively look elsewhere. Considering the quality of the food (superb) and the price of the food (expensive), I think it represent a good value.

Monday, January 19, 2009
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9

The Pantechnicon Public House & Dining Room

This place is always a delight to come to as it is located in the heart of Belgravia on the beautiful Motcomb Street.

The Pantechnicon Rooms has transformed this pub (previously 'The Nag's Head') into what I would describe as both a smart-casual British styled brasserie on the ground floor with a more formal dining room upstairs. A historic site has been resored to a nice upscale eatery by the successful owners of the Thomas Cubbit gastro pub (perhaps the most expensive gastro-pub in London).

The reason I enjoy this place so much is that if you are in the mood for an easy going diner or a more formal experience you can have a nice drink by the bar.

The ground-floor dining is reservation-free, which could lead to a hefty wait on the weekend, tables on the first floor dining room may be reserved.

The food is good modern british brasserie type food, of course the fois gras may not be so british...yet prices are reasonable, not cheap for a full-on three courses but don't feel obliged to take on the full menu everytime, but there is plenty to discover. The moment you step upstairs the cuisine steps up a notch, but only slightly, yet the prices start to make one hesitant. The ground floor is definitely value for money but I'm less confident in saying the same for the first floor dining room.

Defenitley worth it if you are interested in a nice bite of history.

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8

Lucio

Lucio is a great Italian restaurant in the South Kensington/Chelsea area.

For me Lucio is a high-end trattoria where good traditional Italian dishes with a twist are served. The cuisine is more oriented towards northern Italian which means no pizza, which one should be aware of. The owner is ex-San Lorenzo for many years and left to set this lovely place.

The plates are a bit pricey in the evenings, which is to be expected given its location. At lunch this is completeley different matter, the meals become an absolute steal (for the price/quality that is).

I hope that enough people attend it so that the cash flow during this crisis keeps it alive but not so many that the lunch deals and seating availability dissapear...

Great Chelsea eatery...

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8

Zuma

Zuma! Excellent!

In my opinion this place is one of the best places in London for an all round innovative Japanese feast!!! The thing with this place is that after several years the atmosphere still buzzes...the beautifully plated dishes of fresh top quality ingredients combine perfectly to explode greatness in the palate...

Zuma is an inventive Japanese restaurant, whose dishes may begin get old but one never tires of eating... a trendy bar at the entrance superb service. The grill offers an alternative for those of you that prefer their food cooked.

A place worth visiting if your budget allows it!

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7

Sumosan

Simple and sleek... this is a very nice restaurant and the food is certainly up there in quality. The service is enjoyable and the food is a delight, once again mostly simple food and straight forward. The atmosphere is quiet and discreet, with a dark minimalist modern decor if you like that sort of place, which for me is fine but nothing amazing... there is a nice bar as well. The service is fine but nothing to write home about. All in all a good sushi no surprises type place. If one could criticize it, the only things would be the simplisctic sort of cuisine and priciness, but then again in my experience good sushi, sashimi, etc.. is never cheap (though Tsunami certainly offers an excellent alternative at a slightly more reasonable price) and that is bit more of a cool business meal type place.

So for simple good typically priced sushi this is somewhere you can certainly not go wrong.

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6

La Rueda (Kings Road)

Let me begin...SHOCKING!

This restaurant was a complete catastrophe, the service was slow when we got there the table wasn't even ready, despite a booking...

Once we were sat down it took the waiter 15 mins to even get us a menu...In the mean time there was a bread basket filled with nice warm bread. A couple of minutes later the waiter came to our table to hand us the menus and started nagging how the bread was not for us...had the waiter been more attentive this mistake which was clearly his, would not have happened.

Finally we ordered and then there seeemed to be a glimmer of hope as the food came out fairly quickly, of course the food was abysmal... meat overcooked... the jamon iberico (like a serrano ham) looked like it was sliced fork...the pulpo a la gallega was incredibly salty ... and you could certainly feel that the seafood was not fresh (or disastriously low quality) ... and I never got the drink I ordered!

Well, we thought let us end this nightmare and ordered the bill...as we were splitting the bill evenly we calculated the amount to charge each of us (all the same), we told the waiter, who didn't even check and started charging each of us random amounts!??? AND DOUBLED IT!!! Clearly the lack of basic arithmetic was too much as by the time he would get to the second person the entire bill would have already been aready be paid for ....

I worked in a Spanish bank, surrounded by Spanish people, have travelled many times to Spain, and eaten in many Spanish restaurant s of all walks of life high-end to the simpler restaurants... but it has been a long time since I've made a mistake of this magnitude...

To sum it u...RUDE...DISGUSTING...AND A COMPLETE RIP-OFF...The people that rate this restaurant above 1 star are clearly clueless...Who plays salsa music in a Spanish restaurant...

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0

Eight Over Eight

Usually I'm not a big fan of Pan-Asian restaurants, as I prefer not to mix sushi with a green curry, but I do think that this place has managed to pull it off. I think that EoE's menu is skewed towards a menu which does complement the sushi/sashimi. I really enjoyed everything from the 'chili salt squid' to the 'beef yuzu koshu'. This place can be a little on the pricey side but probabaly has the best value for this selection of cuisine. If you would like to have a drink before or after there is a bar available at the front, which great for early arrivals. Definiteley a place to try.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7

Le Cercle

Fantastic underground James Bond-like layer...this is truly fantastic fine french cuisine served as tapas dishes! There is nothing like this place, as you walk down a small side street just off Sloane Street with nothing but a row of houses, suddenly as you enter the almost hidden door you are taken to an underground layer which is set over two floors. The first floor a casually small space for cocktails and snacks and a balcony to overllok the room. As you walk further down the stairs to the bottom floor a room filled with tables and beyond that, at the end of ther room there are booths with a glass wall housing a slightly raised wine cellar, impressive! Then comes the food, an absolute pleasure! Because everything is served in a tapas style the dishes are quite small (which some may view as a negative) but allows you to try many different dishes, however you are wanred the prices are not cheap and as you seek to fill yourself up the bill could be lethal.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6

Busaba Eathai (Bird St)

This is always a pleasant dining experience, though quick service so thet they can prepare for the next customer, it remains a bargain in London. For less than £12 one can easily have enough to eat (this of course excludes drinks). If you're a fan of Wagamama's and you enjoy Thai food, you'll love this place. The decor is much better everything from wood floors and tables to the lighting is great for such a place. The only qualm I have is the fact that all tables are for ten people and is very tight, so you are sharing with up to nine other people. But hey for a fast treat I have yet to find anywhere comparable...enjoy.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10

Galvin at Windows

This place is cool. The fantastic views are something not to be missed, certainly a better way to enjoy the views of London than in a rotating pod; in this scenario you are comfortably seated with a nice snack and a well mixed drink all for the same price. The food is very good, nothing out of this world but I do think that if you go for one of the deals then you’ll certainly get great value otherwise it may be edging on the slightly too expensive. The service is good, but the highlight still remains the view, for this reason alone give it a visit and if you prefer not to eat there is a fantastic bar next to the restaurant offering the views as well. The cocktails are mixed very well. Certainly great place to go with for a romantic evening, or just chill with friends. Beware the cocktails are really expensive you’re looking at paying upward of £12 per cocktail.

Thursday, July 03, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7

Nobu

I really don’t envisage myself going back to this overpriced, pretentious restaurant chain. Ok so it’s a Michelin starred restaurant, clearly there are some moments of excellence in the cooking, but I think the Michelin guide has seriously underperformed in this case. The atmosphere is tacky, staff are pretentious and rude having waited an hour for a table which was booked weeks in advance. The furniture looks like it came out a reject shop cheaper than Ikea basic. This was my second time there the first wasn’t much better by at least this time the company paid for the meal, otherwise I would have chosen another location. Spending money here is like having your clothes ripped off you, shredded, and then forcefully sold back to you for twice the amount you paid in the first place. It certainly gives a whole new meaning to the word ripped off. Credit where it’s due, there’s no doubt about it the owners certainly know how to make money ripping people off.

Thursday, July 03, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1

Roka

Where to start...? Roka is a fantastically decorated restaurant that has managed to get it spot on, given the success of Zuma (it's sister restaurant) which set the standards it has managed to come into it's own. This funky restaurant provides for an ideal dining experience throughout the summer evenings as pink rays of the sunset shine on to little creations of bliss. But beware for the portions are little and you may miss them if you require reading glasses; what's more is that if you try to reason the prices for these tiny portions you may end up driving yourself mad as logic does not play a part, but hey people are still willing to pay.

I guess they need to make up for the vast expense of the décor, at is it truly remarkable whilst simple. The sushi bar’s long table made out a single slice vertically down a tree is not very practical, but is absolutely beautiful. The service was great always very helpful, but the star of the night remain the food.

There is a fantastic cocktail bar specializing in ‘Shochu’ (a type of sake) downstairs for after the dinner, or when the sun sets. So if you really want to treat yourself and money is not an issue this place is great in the summer, but if you’re expecting value this is not the place you should be going, click next and don’t look back. I think excellent quality and innovative sushi restaurants in London are tough to come by and this is likely why I enjoy this place so much, especially over the high profile yet pretentious and trashy Nobu chain of restaurants.

Thursday, July 03, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5

Taman Gang

Went here last night and I cannot say that I am impressed. I think this place is fantastically decorated, with a great atmosphere and drinks selection, but the food is somewhat of a let down. The place is very expensive, but that's not a surprise considering the location and style of the place, certainly upmarket. The service was very good, nothing negative to say about it.

At Taman Gang they really try to make this place work, but the choice of dishes are simply all over the place and nothing that makes you say wow! This is not to say that the food was bad, I just think that such a place would be more successful if it simply stuck to certain regions of cooking instead of mixing Thai food along with Japanese sushi. To put it bluntly, this place is a cool place catered to 'Asia for beginers' at the higher end of the market.

For Asian food at the high end I would prefer to eat at Hakkasan (Chinese fusion) or Nahm (Thai fusion). An for those of you more interested in a middle of the range Thai themed Asian restaurant I would recommend Busaba Eathai, even though you feel a bit rushed it is certainly worth while for a quick inexpensive bite and certainly value for money.

Thursday, July 03, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 5

Tom Aikens

Having visited a number of top restaurants around the world, I certainly recommend this place; the reason is mainly due to the fantastic food. The food is really fantastic in every way, form the aesthetics of the presentation, like a master piece to the taste and textures. The service is very good and attentive but not overbearing. Perhaps at certain moments the time between courses can be a little on the long side, some may prefer this.

The only thing that would let this place down is the fact that there is somewhat of a lack of ambience. The décor is contemporary yet very subtle, perhaps too subtle. I would definitely recommend this place, but would prefer not to otherwise too many other people may end up booking all the places. For a truly amazing deal I suggest you go at lunch for the set menu; though the choice is very limited (2 offerings per course), at £30 for a Michelin starred restaurant it is a steal. There are many other restaurants which have been handed stars, but in my opinion they don’t all deserve it. This place really deserves its star, and I would be almost inclined to give it two. I have been many times for both lunch and dinner an have yet to experience a disaster, I hope this trend continues; I’ll keep my fingers crossed…

Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9