Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte

As I write this our Notting Hill flat is the cleanest it has ever been following the descent by a team of Polish cleaners to get things ready for handing over the keys to the landlord.  This is the last day for MTV boyfriend and me as residents of London before we set off for three months of traveling through France, Greece, Nepal, India and Hong Kong.  Travel tips welcome.

Crème Brûlée by Le Relais hand modeling by Amy

The last few weeks have been pretty manic packing up everything to relocate continents but I have also managed to visit some new London restaurants along with old favourites so there are a few more London posts still to come.  One of the old favourites I could not resist visiting with my lovely girlfriends Anna, Amy, Alex, Adina, Alina and Chantal (we call them "The A's" for obvious reasons) was Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte in Marylebone.  I was excited when the famous Parisian chain first opened its doors in London and have gone back regularly since to get my taste of steak frites.

The token salad

Le Relais looks exactly like its Parisian brethren with a classic French bistro fit out right down to the wooden panelling, brass railings, mirrors and waitresses in French maid style outfits.  There are no bookings so there is inevitably a queue but once you are seated things move pretty fast with the only choice being how you want your steak cooked (and even then I am not sure they would tolerate someone asking for well done) and whether you want wine.

The main deal - steak, frites and red wine

A token green salad with lashings of  mustard vinaigrette and walnuts is served first then comes the steak and frites.  The steak is served slice and slathered in Le Relais secret sauce which is a slight twist on a Hollondaise.  It's not Hawksmoor or Goodman quality steak but it is pretty good particularly for the price of £21 for the two courses.  There are two servings of the steak per person ensuring that everyone gets their protein hit for the day.

The amazing Vacherin

If you have room, and lets face it, most people won't, the desserts trolley is excellent at Le Relais and worth investing in.  Particularly Le Vacherin (£4.95) an amazing confection of chocolate, meringue and cream or of course the classic crème brûlée (£4.55).

Le Relais has mastered the fast food approach to fine dining and while  I am generally not a fan of fast food or chain restaurants, but I have to admit I am prepared to make an exception for Le Relais steak frites.  I look forward to indulging more in France.

Essentials
Details: Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte, 120 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2QG (+44 (0)20 7486 0878) Tube: Baker Street
Damage: Reasonable
7/10

Bistro Du Vin Soho

Forget the cheese plate, the cheese board and the cheese trolley, the new restaurant accessory is a cheese room.  The newly opened Bistro du Vin in Soho has upped the ante with an entire room devoted to the stinky stuff.  I was in instant heaven as soon as I spied the glassed in room at the far corner of the restaurant.

Steak with frites from the Josper grill

 Like its sister restaurant in Clerkenwell the feel of Bistro du Vin is rather French so the cheese room fits in nicely.  A long bar runs along one wall with lots of seating and room to eat then there is a lounge area lined with rows of rainbow coloured books which seems to be a nod to the restaurant's Soho location.  I was invited to try out Bistro du Vin with fellow bloggers Kavey Eats, Bistro Becs, Food for Think and Bitten and Written so we gathered in the lounge for an excellent summer fruit punch which is the signature drink of the restaurant.  It tasted a little like a Pimm's but more alcoholic (always welcome in a cocktail).

We left Bitten Written and our helpful sommelier in charge of the wine for the evening and discovered an excellent bottle of light, grassy sauvignon blanc from Menetou-Salon in the Loire Valley.  There was also a machine which dispenses wine by the glass for indecisive types or those who like to mix and match their wines.

Table settings at Bisto du Vin

The menu is not adventurous and sticks firmly to French classics including a range of steaks to take advantage of Bistro du Vin's famed Josper grill.   To start, the delicious Paysanne salad (£6.75) was one of those salads which could double as a meal thanks to the shards of crispy bacon, potato, tiny quails eggs, shredded duck confit and beans nestled away amongst the salad leaves.  Lamb sweet breads (£7.95) were also a highlight as they were crumbed and deep fried to resemble a grown up version of chicken nuggets.

Paysanne salad

From the Josper grill an onglet had a great smoky char to it which contrasted with the firm and flavoursome meat (£13.50).  It was served with crunchy golden yellow steak frites and a tiny copper saucepan of smooth Hollondaise sauce.   I find it almost impossible to go past steak cooked in a Josper grill when it is on offer but if I had managed some self control my next choice would have been the hot shells (£35) which was a veritable feast of lobster, crayfish and razor clams all dripping in a rich buttery sauce.

Strawberry vacherin sundae

A strawberry vacherin sundae (£6.50) towered over me in a tall, thin sundae glass packed with meringues, ice-cream and strawberries.  I fear I did not do it justice as I was too focused on what was behind the door in the cheese room.  You see Bistro du Vin offers unlimited cheese for £12.50.  Yes, you heard right, UNLIMITED cheese.

I spent a blissful half an hour sniffing and inspecting in the cheese room to select my perfect cheese plate.   There was a huge variety of well kept cheeses all selected by La Cave a Fromage but special mention should be made of Bistro du Vin's signature cheese which is brushed two weeks with red wine giving it a lovely yeasty tang.  Cheese and red wine combined?  They had me at hello.

  

All you can eat cheese!

Bistro du Vin is a great offering in Soho and more than holds its head up amongst the stiff restaurant competition on Dean street.  It is worth a visit for the cheese room alone which I now think of as my happy place.    

Essentials
Details: Bistro du Vin, 36 Dean Street, Soho W1D 4PS (Ph 020 7432 4800) Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Damage: Pricey, but I did not pay on this occasion.
8/10

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Bistro du Vin.  

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of Bistro du Vin Clerkenwell or just down the road in Dean Street, try Quo Vadis.  

Bistro du Vin

It would be easy to turn your nose up at the brand new Bistro du Vin which opened last week in Clerkenwell. After all, it is the latest offering from the wildly successful Hotel du Vin group and before the doors were even opened at the Clerkenwell site, a dozen Bistro du Vin's were already being planned. (The next one will be in Soho, opposite Dean Street Townhouse). Perhaps this could be seen as over confidence on the part of the owners, if it was not already apparent that they have a great concept which people love.

Goats cheese soufflé

I am generally not a fan of chains and so was a little ambivalent about being invited along with Food for Think and Rocket and Squash to try out Bistro du Vin. I was also a little sad that the restaurant was one the site of the now defunct but excellent Eastside Inn. However, after my meal there I was won over. Just like the hotels, the philosophy behind Bistro du Vin is one of accessible luxury. Bistro du Vin has some of the features you expect to find in a Michelin star restaurant like a special meat aging room, a famed Josper Grill burning away in the kitchen and a cheese trolley to rival that of Chez Bruce. However all of this is delivered in a cosy French bistro setting. The walls are a burnished yellow colour which is supposed to mimic nicotine stains without the accompanying smell and wine memorabilia hangs everywhere while an open kitchen in the centre adds the food porn element.

The huge sirloin steak

The menu reflects Bistro du Vin's down to earth approach, featuring mainly simple, crowd pleasing food drawn from British and seasonal produce where ever possible. Chef Keith Shearer described his approach to me as "Creating bistro classics as simply as possible." Prices are non-gasping and there is even a very French "Plat du Jour" option which is priced around £12.50 and features roast lamb on a Sunday or a Boullibaise on Tuesdays. Details of all the producers are listed on the back of the menu making it much easier reading.

Rice pudding

To start, Bistro du Vin's signature cocktail, a sweet marmalade vodka martini (£10) and a fluffy, rich goat's cheese soufflé (£6.75). English asparagus with a sauce ravigote (£7.95) were tender yet crisp thanks to being perfectly in season and impeccably sourced.

I couldn't resist trying out the Josper grill so ordered the bone in sirloin (£30). Only a handful of restaurants in the UK have a Josper grill, the Spanish charcoal oven which gets incredibly hot (up to 900 degrees) and gives a rich, smoky char to any meat cooked in it. The Belton Galloway sirloin arrived looking a little like a Tyrannosaurus Rex steak, it was so huge along with a gleaming copper saucepan of Béarnaise sauce. I loved the flavour of the smoky meat but unfortunately my steak was more medium than the medium-rare requested. Not the end of the world and this could easily have been just a bit of a teething problem in the opening week.

Profiteroles

Dessert of rice pudding was a little on the dull side despite the disc of caramel that topped it and the accompanying rhubarb purée. A better option was the profiteroles which came filled with ice-cream rather than cream and drizzled in hot chocolate sauce. Spectacularly good! However it would be crazy to go past the cheese trolley which is sourced from La Cave Fromagerie and is truly incredible. I had cheese dreams for the whole next night.

Like Hotel du Vin, there is a big focus on wine at Bistro du Vin. A "By-the-Glass" dispensing system allows wines to be sampled by the glass from what is almost a giant wine vending machine. If this sounds all too new age there is also a traditional wine list that draws from France as well as more unusual locations such as Lebanon and different varieties such as Godello. I particularly enjoyed the Hochar from Chateau Musar in Lebanon which featured a heady mix of red and black fruits creating a light, sprightly wine.

This was the cheese "table" on the opening night of Bistro du Vin, which has now been condensed into a just as impressive cheese trolley

Bistro du Vin is going to be rolled out in London and will inevitably lose some of its individual character in the process, but for now the Clerkenwell restaurant is lively and welcoming. It is the sort of place you would love to have as your neighbourhood restaurant, and thanks to the expansion plans, that wish may just come true.

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Bistro du Vin

Essentials

Details: Bistro du Vin, 38-42 St John Street, Clerkenwell EC1M 4DL (Ph 020 7490 9230) Tube: Farringdon

Damage: Pricey but I did not pay on this occasion.

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you can read about other Clerkenwell options, nearby St John's or Bistro Bruno Loubet.

Pied à Terre

As a complete and hopeless Francophile Pied à Terre had been on my wish list of restaurants for a while. I was delighted to find it was the chosen venue for a dinner with MTV boyfriend’s work colleagues and their partners. The two Michelin star restaurant is oh-so-French from its name to its foie gras fetish but the chef behind it is actually an Australian, Shane Osborn, just another reason to love the place.

Osborn is known for being consistently behind the stoves at Pied à Terre rather than frittering away time on TV shows and cook books. However the hard yards he has put in have lead him to develop allergies to many of the foods he cooks including fish, red wine and aubergine. These allergies are so severe that a adrenaline needle is kept on hand in the kitchen and Osborne’s sous chef has to taste all the food in place of the man himself. Immediately it is clear that this is one chef truly committed to his craft.

The private dining room

The first thing you notice about Osborn's menu is that from top to bottom it is very appetising. However, as we were a large group we ate in the private upstairs room (which comfortably fits 12) and from a more limited menu of a choice of three starters, mains and desserts. As a Michelin star standard meal there were lots of freebies besides the standard three courses from the decadent amusé bouche of discs of foie gras teamed with tiny puffs of pastry topped with slices of truffle to the pre dessert of a creamy apple concoction served in tiny beakers.

Osborn’s plates were so pretty that you wanted to take photographs of them and prop them next to your bedside table. My starter of salt brined scallops was dressed with delicate strands of celeraic and the crunch of almonds. The scallops were faultless in their tender state but a better choice was the roasted quail breast which was even prettier and was a bit more gutsy in its flavours.

Salt brined scallops

However at times the idea outshone the execution. My main course of turbot was pan-fried and served with some wilted bok choi and a creamy purée of Savoy cabbage. However the fish was over seasoned so the result was disonnance rather than harmony.

I was also a little disappointed in the cheese plate which was simply a selection of three (admittedly excellent cheeses) rather than the whole cheese trolley I had been expecting to choose from. I am not sure whether I just missed out on the cheese trolley because we were eating in the private room or whether it does not exist.

The wine list is extensive and we drank a fresh and crisp 2009 Reuilly les Sables from Domaine Cordaillat in the Loire Valley which was delicious. Pied à Terre also has to be commended for offering a bring your own wine option with a corkage fee of £25 a bottle.

Pan-fried Turbot

Service was seamless and unobtrusive and the setting of the restaurant was undeniably glamorous with shiny black surfaces and low slung chandeliers. While the food was exquisite, I felt Pied à Terre lacked some of the wow factor of other two Michelin star restaurants such as The Ledbury and The Square.

Essentials

Details: Pied à Terre, 34 Charlotte Street, Soho W1T 2NH (Ph 020 7636 1178)

Damage: Budget breaking. The private dining menu is £80 per person. Thanks to MTV boyfriend’s work colleague who picked up what I am sure was a hefty tab.

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in another options for Francophiles in London, Gauthier or in Paris try La Fontaine de Mars near the Eiffel Tower.

Gauthier

If you are a loud person Gauthier is not the restaurant for you. Everyone whispers their conversations as the atmosphere at this swanky Soho restaurant is so hushed and reverent. I had dinner there with my friend Lucy and we spent the whole evening carefully lowering our voices because that seemed to be what all our fellow diners and even the waiters were also doing. The solemnity of the dining experience at Gauthier is only accentuated by the setting of the restaurant which is a converted Georgian town house. The town house still feels very much like a house with a door bell that you have to ring to get in and diners eating in a variety of tiny and blandly decorated rooms. The setting is more reminiscent of a library than a lively Soho restaurant.

The dull downstairs dining room at Gauthier

Despite the dull setting and atmosphere, the food at Gauthier is excellent. It's easy to see how it won a Michelin star in its first year of opening. There is a degustation menu (£68) if you want to push the boat out but choosing the three courses for £35, four courses for £45 or five courses for £55 still ensures a surfeit of food thanks to the various freebies that are offered at each stage of the meal.

Jerusalem artichoke veloute

The sheer quantity of theses added extras almost overshadow the meal itself. To start there is a complimentary amuse bouche of dainty devilled quails egg and a tiny tart of incredibly rich foie gras. There is also an overflowing bread basket with a whole variety of choices from chorizo to olive bread. Then there is an added extra course of a single ravioli served in a frothy bright green foam, not to mention the pre dessert of finely diced, slow roasted pineapple and of course the petit fours to finish off the meal which include a tiny lemon tart and rich chocolate and tea scented truffle. In my book though the best freebie of all is the fact that still or sparkling water is is also complimentary. When you are paying for an expensive restaurant it is nice for it not to try and gouge you for your water drinking at the same time as well.

Monkfish

Perhaps because there are so many extra dishes, the serving sizes at Gauthier are fairly small. Alexis Gauthier favours a classical French style of cooking which features complex techniques and flavours. Veloute of jerusalem artichoke was smooth and creamy while scallops with cauliflower and broccoli were clean tasting and refreshing. A pearly piece of monkfish loin was described as being "cooked in a pot", and so was served at the table from the pot and drizzled with wild mushrooms, crispy pancetta and a light broth made from chicken stock. The monkfish offered satisfying meaty mouthfuls despite the serving size being small.

Millfeiulle

The desserts on offer were truly exquisite with a delicate millfeiulle featuring layers of crispy pastry and golden caramel sauce. The signature dish of the restaurant is the Golden Louis XV, named after the hotel Alexis Gauthier worked at in Paris and a tribute to the chef there, Alain Ducasse. The dessert is an impossibly shiny and smooth chocolate tart filled with chocolate mousse and meringue and adorned with gold leaf. The varied textures and rich flavour makes it an instant classic.

Service was oh so very French and then waiting staff came complete with French accents and gallic good looks. It almost bordered on being over attentive at times but I would rather that than be ignored. The predominantly French wine list is a treatise in itself including poetry (an "Ode to wine") and musings on the sommelier's childhood and even the topic of mildew. That said, the sommelier was excellent and picked a perfect crisp white wine to accompany our meal, the 2009 Roussette de Savoie Frangy, Domaine Bruno Lupin (£35) which is from the region of Savoie in the French Alps.

Louis XV dessert

The disparity behind the perfectly executed food and wine and the strange setting at Gauthier was further highlighted by a visit to the toilets which don't look like they have been renovated since some time in the 1970's. They feature bizarre photos of men in sailor outfits on the walls and grubby blue trimmed hand towels. For a restaurant with such fine attention to detail the shabby loo seemed completley incongorous. The restaurant is ripe for a starring role in one of those renovation rescue shows on TV to try to inject a little bit of liveliness and ambience to the Gauthier experience.

Essentials

Details: Gauthier, 21 Romilly Street London W1D 5AF (Ph 020 7494 3111) Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Damage: Budget Breaking but Lucy very kindly treated me as a belated birthday present (Thanks Lucy!).

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interest in my reviews of other classical French restaurants - Koffmann's in London and La Fontaine de Mars in Paris.

Koffmann's

People eat at Koffmann's to pay homage. They pay homage to the man, Pierre Koffmann a previous three star Michelin chef, and they pay homage to the dish, Koffman's stuffed pig's trotter. Famously Koffmann retired but was tempted back to the stoves in a basement restaurant at the Berkley hotel bearing his name. The room feels understated if somewhat unadventurous. Carefully arranged black and white photographs hang on the walls, the tables are linen clad and well spaced and the colour scheme is predominantly beige. The atmosphere is hushed and almost luxurious in its anonymity.

The trotter

Cocktails at the bar seemed a good way to kick things off and the bar tender was knowledgeable recommending a rose martini for me and a gin sling for my friend Tim. Then we headed down to our table nestled in a carmel leather banquette against the wall for an amuse bouche of tartare of veal tongue. I liked the way Koffmann went straight for the offal from the start and was brave enough to eschew a more prosaic but crowd pleasing offering as an amuse.

Tongue

The sense that our meal was going to be like a reunion tour of greatest hits from a once legendary band is heightened when our waiter points out Koffmann's signature dishes on the menu. He said we had to try the scallop starter (£16) so we did, after all I always hope that bands play their old stuff and not their new stuff. Thinly sliced with a faint backpacker tan from the pan the scallops were gussied up with a smear of pureed potatoes and midnight black pools of squid ink. Perhaps it is an old dish but it still felt interesting and contemporary. However, a starter of ham and pears (£10) which does exactly what it says on the tin was a little austere for my tastes.

Ham and pear

There were no such austerity issues with the dish Koffmann is most famous for, the stuffed pigs trotter (£28). It must be once of the most over the top main courses I have ever encountered. The huge gelatinous trotter was stuffed with morels and sweetbreads and teamed with rich, creamy mash. While I appreciated the sheer beauty and the brilliant expertise behind the trotter, for me the texture of each of the elements of the dish was too similar and the whole dish too rich and overpowering. The beef cheeks (£24) also went straight for the jugular with more of the same big flavours. The cheeks were braised to a point of melting, almost sticky tenderness and were paired with smooth pureed mash and a rich sauce. There was room here too for slightly lighter dishes such as the rabbit roulade (£24) which was drizzled with a delicately flavoured sauce and scattered with fresh peas.

Rabbit

Despite the opportunity to try more of Koffmann's classics from the dessert menu we went straight for that all time classic the cheese trolley. The trolley was one of the best I have seen in London with a well kept and interesting array of cheeses (£13 a plate) which were all helpfully labelled, saving the waiter from having to explain each cheese to the whole table. In what seems to be a new and welcome trend in London our post meal coffees wee served with a plate of madelines served piping hot from the oven. Oh so French and oh so good.

The cheese platter

The wine list was also quite interesting and deserves a mention as again, flying the flag for Koffmann's homeland it was an entirely French list. The list itself did not give much guidance but the sommelier pointed us in the direction of the Ventoux Fayard from Domaine de Fondréche 2009 (£32). This medium bodied red with berry notes worked well with the food we ordered but lacked a bit of complexity and depth of flavour.

I'm glad I went to Koffmann's to pay homage to both the man and the dish. The cooking was exquisite and the service friendly and solicitous. The only down side was the lack of atmosphere. It may have been Koffmann's reputation preceding him but I did feel a little like we were eating in a hushed gastro-shrine

Essentials

Details: Koffmann's, The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge SW1X 7RL (Ph 020 7235 1010) Tube: Knightsbridge

Damage: Budget breaking. Our bill for three people came to £203.

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of Bar Boulud just across the road from Koffmann's or Zuma which is around the corner.

Brawn

Brand new Shoreditch restaurant Brawn's reputation precedes it. Brawn is the latest restaurant from the people behind Terroirs in Soho and so my expectations were high for this natural wine bar and bistro. Arriving at night, the restaurant glowed like a beacon on Columbia road. Behind the barred windows (which felt like a little overkill) bright lights blazed against the white tiled walls. It was great light for food bloggers but not if you were seeking a romantic atmosphere. The restaurant has an industrial feel about it which fits in well with the area, there's an electric clock hung low on the wall, abstract black and white prints and a huge wooden pig on a shelf above the bar.

Terrine

Both the name and pig point to Brawn's emphasis on porky products and the menu even has a whole section simply entitled "pig", the other choices were "taste ticklers", "plancha", "slow cook" and "clean" which appeared to refer to the salad selection. Most dishes were priced between £6 to £14 and were really designed for sharing so since I was eating at Brawn with eight friends we were happily able to share our way through most of one page menu.

Mussels

We started with the pig, a board of thin white strips of creamy, melt on the tongue, lardo (£8), strips of spicy salami (£6) and a chunky, meaty terrine (£7) served with toasted bread. There was a big emphasis on provenance and the producers were all name checked on the menu from the Hackney wild sourdough baked in London Fields to the Gloucestershire Middle White which was used in the terrine.

Red mullet

From the plancha section of the menu we ordered big bowls of steaming mussels (£7) and extra bread to mop up the broth of Artisian French cider. Fillets of shimmering crisp skinned red mullet (£13) were firm and fresh and teamed with earthy chanterelle mushrooms. Spatchcock'd quail (£8) was a little fiddly to eat, particularly as a dish to share, although I suppose quail always is and it was our own fault for ordering it. The best dish from this part of the menu though was the Cornish squid (£9) which came with seared hatchings on it from the grill and tender, juicy meat topped judiciously with a drizzle of tangy green gremolata.

Squid

Our choices from the "clean" part of the menu included the beetroot and pickled walnut salad with Ossau Iraty a French cheese made from sheeps milk (£6). The beetroot was a satisfyingly finger staining deep purple colour and its sweetness set off the bitterness of the pickle and the creamy, smooth slithers of cheese.

Beetroot and pickled walnut salad

The buffalo mozzarella (£9) was a little hard to approach as it was served as a huge ball of mozzarella with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkling of anchovies. That said, the mozzarella itself was just as rich and creamy as it should be.

Polenta with chanterelles

Moving on to the "slow cook" food, polenta (£7) so soft it was almost soup like in consistency was scattered with wild mushrooms to add to some depth of flavour. This was real wintery comfort food eating. The zander boudin (£14) came as our waiters recommendation. The huge, incredibly rich boudin sausage was served in a large bowl filled with a zesty red shellfish sauce. It was an unusual pairing but worked well as a dish to share, although if you ordered it by yourself I think the richness of both the sauce and the sausage would have been over the top.

Boudin

Despite having eaten multiple courses we pounced on the dessert menu and ordered everything on it. Lemon tart (£5) had a crisp pastry base and a sharp acidity to the tart itself. The chocolate mousse (£5) was simply divine, creamy and smooth to a fault. Pear compote (£5) was almost like a deconstructed crumble with soft chunks of pear topped with a sprinkle of crumbly topping. However it was the floating island (£5) that drew the most squeals of delight from our table featuring a huge dome of fluffy meringue floating merrily on a sea of creamy custard. In comparison to the puddings the cheese (£3.50 a piece) was a bit of a disappointment. There were only three rather limited and unadventurous choices.

Given Brawn prides itself on being a natural wine bar it would be remiss of me not to mention the extensive wine list which is helpfully arranged by varieties and tastes. Natural wine has reputation of being full of cloudy whites and murky reds but we settled on a great bottle of pinot with a subtle berry flavour for around the £30 mark and happily indulged in several bottles between the table in the hope that the natural label meant we would be hangover free the next day.

Lemon tart

Both the food and the style of eating at Brawn is very enjoyable. Our waiter was a bit of a space cadet and totally forgot some parts of our order (to the extent that we never got the half dozen Maldon oysters that we ordered) but otherwise the restaurant had a great buzz to it with everyone smugly dining in the knowledge they were some of the first to eat at one of London's hot new openings.

Essentials

Details: Brawn, 49 Columbia road, Shoreditch E2 7RG (Ph 020 7729 5692) Tube: Liverpool street

Damage: Pricey. Our bill came to about £50 a head. But we did drink a lot of wine!

8/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might like my reviews of other wine bars in London - Vinoteca and 28-50.

28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen

When is a bar a workshop? When it is 28-50 one of the new additions to the London eating and drinking scene this year. The reference to workshop in the title seems to refer to the various wine tasting classes that are held here but in reality 28-50 is mainly a place to come for a meal matched with some great wine. Maybe the name was chosen so you can have a long lunch on a weekday and return to the office saying you have been at a workshop.

28-50 is a basement restaurant just off Fleet Street but has been kitted out to such a high standard that it doesn't feel poky or gloomy at all. Soaring ceilings and quality hard timber set the tone while some personality is injected through quirky touches like intricate mirrors and the use of old wine crates in the furniture. I ate at 28-50 with a group of 12 or so friends to farewell Laissez Fare who is sadly heading back to the US and the restaurant coped really well with our large group offering us a set menu at £23.50 for two courses or £29.50 for three.

Onglet

Kang told me 28-50 was run by the same people behind the Icelandic fine dining restaurant Texture and some of the influences are evident in the food menu which includes dishes such as Icelandic salt cod. However the food is more French in style than Icelandic featuring treats such as rillette and Onglet. The duck rillette was pink and meaty and Alice couldn't get enough of it served in the traditional way with cornichons and toast. Cos lettuce and artichoke salad although elegant in its simplicity probably needs another ingredient to add a little wow factor.

I stole a bite of Mathilde's Icelandic salt cod which was actually not salty at all despite the preserving process it has gone through and was served on a ratatouille and cous cous bed laced with chorizo. Onglet was cooked to the perfect state of medium and I really savoured the tender meat which was well seasoned and had a slight char to it. It came with a great accompaniment of choron sauce, which is béarnaise sauce laced with tomato and tarragon, and chunky chips. I skipped dessert and just went for the cheese plate which had a great selection from La Fromagerie and was generously included in the set menu without any additional dreaded "supplement".

The thing that most impressed me though was the wine, after all 28-50's very name is derived from the latitudes in which most wine regions are located. I think at 28-50 the food, although good, is almost secondary to the wine. The list was extensive and could be intimidating but the knowledgeable sommelier had paired some great wines with our meals and I also enjoyed trying out 28-50's wine flight. The wine flight lets you try three different glasses of wine for £14.50 which allows you to compare wines from a certain region or a particular variety. With the help of the sommelier Laissez Fare picked some brilliant wines and if you go to 28-50 you must try the Mullineux Swartland a 2008 Syrah from South Africa. It was really light but with a complex almost smoky flavour to it and had me wondering where I could track down some bottles to buy and have at home. I can see myself holing up at 28-50 quite happily in winter time maybe for a meal but maybe just for a wine flight, or another bottle of that Syrah and a cheese plate.

Icelandic salt cod

Essentials

Details: 140 Fetter Lane, EC4A 1BT (Ph 020 7242 8877) Tube: Chancery Lane

Damage: Pricey

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested my review of the nearby wine bar Vinoteca or Bedales at Borough Market.

40 I 30

Journalists are told not to use terms like "breath taking" as how often does something actually take your breath away? I've found a place where the phrase rings true though. Upon surfacing from the lifts to the restaurant 40/30 and the bar at the top of the Gherkin you really are left momentarily forgetting to breathe in and out. First of all there is the architectural wonder that is the Lord Foster designed Gherkin with its steel sloping supports that curve into a tip that you stand under and sip champagne. Then, there are the sensational panoramic views across London from the O2 stadium, to Tower Bridge to the winding Thames and Houses of Parliament it is all there laid out like a lego land.

Amuse bouche

Views like these don't come cheaply, the only way to access 40/30 is through a whopping £750 a year membership fee, or by a more circuitous route of knowing someone who works in the building. Workers from the Gherkin are allowed to bring guests and bypass the private membership requirement which is good news for those of us without a spare £750 lying around. Rumour has it you can also blag your way in, just remember to bring photo id for the security guards and be prepared to have your belongings x-rayed by an airport style machine.

The restaurant has a modern, distinctly corporate feel to it with shiny black floors and black leather chairs that could have come straight from an office meeting room a few floors below. You could call it minimalist but I am sure the main incentive is keeping things neutral to focus on the amazing views. This is fine dining and tables are laid with linen while a bowl of tiny radishes, asparagus and cherry tomatoes with olive tapenade is one of several amuse bouches. As soon as we finish nibbling the tender but tiny asparagus spears our second amuse bouche arrives, a tiny blini topped with a quenelle of smoked salmon and surrounded by even tinier cubes of cucumber and artistic splodges of oil which will serve some more than others.

The menu is heavily French influenced with classics like steak tartare and duck and features luxury ingredients such as truffles and champagne. It is divided into a la carte (£39.50 for two courses or £47.50 for three) and a tasting menu for £65. There is currently a reasonably priced special three course menu priced at £35 for three courses so MTV boyfriend and I ended up ordering from a mix of a la carte and the set menu. For lovers of raw meat there is a beef carpaccio and tartare starter on the menu. 40/30 takes great care with plating and most of the dishes are conciously arty. The carpaccio and tartare is emblamatic of this approach, being almost too pretty and perfect to eat. Of course, we do and find the high quality raw meat nicely offset with the tang of balsamic and vinegar and a kick from horseradish.

Beef carpaccio and tartare

The beetroot and goats cheese salad is similarly as pretty as a picture with spheres of goats cheese sandwiched between thin discs of beetroot and topped with pine nuts. This is a little lacking in flavour though and could have doen with a sharper, more acidic dressing. From the mains, the baked fillet of sea trout is also underwhelming. The trout is perfectly cooked and served with a basil crust and salad of rocket, roasted tomato and pepper thats all fine without being transcandental. A better option is the fat baked fillet of sole which is jazzed up with a champagne and truffle veloute and topped with a puffed pastry hat filled with wild mushrooms. I also liked the fact that side dishes were included and each table recieved a bowl of steamed greens and baby new potatoes.

Beetroot and goats cheese salad

The desserts continued on in the French theme with macarons and chocolate fondants on offer. The fruit tart was fresh and summery with its berry topping and soft, crumbly pastry case. It was served with pistachio ice-cream which seemed like a slightly bizarre combination so we asked to change it to plain old vanilla which was no problem. I couldn't go past the amazing cheese trolley though (£6 supplement) which was on a par with the famous Chez Bruce trolley. Unfortunately the waiter serving the cheese displayed a complete lack of knowledge about the cheese which took away from the whole experience. When I asked him where the three different blue cheeses were from he said "I think they are from France". However, this was the only service issue of the night and other than this the service was fairly diligent. After the cheese, a nice end to the meal was the fresh, juicy cherries that arrived in a bowl of ice after our coffees and petit fours.

Baked cod fillet

40/30 is worth eating at for the amazing setting alone. As it is, the food is quite good which is almost a surprise when a restaurant can rest on its laurels thanks to its location. There is nothing here to startle, but importantly, there is nothing really to complain about either. The food looks the part and is almost as impressive in presentation as the building. Still, when you leave it is bound to be the view that you remember, not what you ate.

Essentials
Details: 30 St Mary Axe, Central London EC3A 8EP (Ph 020 7071 5009) Tube - Liverpool Street Damage: Pricey. Our bill came to £160 for the two of us
7/10

Links: If you liked reading this you might be interested in some other rooms with a view in London such as the Tate Modern restaurant and Coq d'Argent.