All reader reviews by chribson

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

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