 | London Restaurants | Tips 61 - 70 of 2699 |  |
 | |  |  | Wild Honey: Wild Honey - in Mayfair | Tip Rating:  Satisfaction:   |  |  | |  |
One of my favourite restaurants in 2006 was Arbutus, in Soho. When I heard that the owners were opening a new restaurant in Mayfair I was very keen to try it out. The new venture is Wild Honey, and décor wise, it is very different to Arbutus. The wood-panelled room is small-ish yet grand, and beautifully renovated, though I thought some of the modern art looked a bit out of place. The menu at Wild Honey is very similar to Arbutus - with some dishes closely replicated. We dined on the 3rd night they were open (taking advantage of the soft-opening 50% off the food price), and the service wasn't quite there yet - plenty of staff walking about, seemingly without purpose, and we had to ask to order drinks, instead of being asked. There seemed to be confusion over who our waiter was, and I just felt a little ignored. But it was only very early days, so I am sure they will smooth out the creases very soon. We were happy to see that they had continued the Arbutus method of making all the wines available in a 250ml carafe - genius.
To start we tried the Fresh goats curd with watermelon, peas and pancetta, the Wild rabbit and foie gras boudin blanc with broad beans, peas and summer savory, and the Soupe au pistou with Baux de provence olive oil. The dishes were well presented and enjoyable. Main courses were the Blade of beef with roast bone marrow, crushed Lyonnaise potatoes , and the Elwy valley lamb with stuffed courgette Greek style. While the food was good quality, we weren't blown away by it. I found one part of the lamb dish way too garlicky, and the rest a bit bland. We had to try some desserts - choosing the Wild honey ice cream with crushed honeycomb, and the Fresh vanilla waffles with crushed warm strawberries. Both desserts were fine, but nothing to rave about. Wild Honey is a great looking place, with a very reasonable priced menu for Mayfair. The food looks good and tastes fine, though we did walk away feeling a little disappointed. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$31-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 12 St George Street, London W1S 2FBPhone: 020 7758 9160Directions: Nearest Tube: Bond Street is about a 5 minute walkWebsite: http://www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk/
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| | | | Windmill Cafe & Tea Room: Windmill Cafe & Tea Room - Wimbledon | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
Located on the edge of Wimbledon Common, next to the Windmill Museum, is the Windmill Café & Tea Room. I visited the tea room for lunch one day with VT'er Jenniflower. She had pre-warned me that she hadn't had very good experiences there in the past, so I wasn't expecting much. It isn't the nicest looking place - it is in need of a freshen up I think. The staff were not particularly friendly or helpful, though they were quite busy. You have to place your order at the counter and you will be given a number, which will be yelled out once your meal is ready. Take your pick of a table inside or out.
Food wise, you can order one of the big breakfasts, sandwiches, toasties, baguettes, other hot meals and there is also a selection of cakes and pastries. I had a Ham & Cheese toasted sandwich and Jen had a Bacon & Avocado baguette. The food was ok, but nothing special. Oh well, I had been warned! Leave a Comment Theme: CoffeehousePrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common, London SW19 5NRPhone: 020 8788 2910Directions: Nearest Tube: Wimbledon or East PutneyWebsite: http://www.wimbledonwindmillmuseum.org.uk/cafe.htm
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| | | | Anglesea Arms: Anglesea Arms - West London Gastro Pub | Tip Rating:  Satisfaction: | | | | |
I do love a good Gastro Pub - a pub that serves really good food and wine - and I had read that the Anglesea Arms was one of the best in West London. So when we needed somewhere to go for lunch on Good Friday, as we were in the area, I decided that it was time to try it out for myself. The pub is located in a beautiful street, with renovated coloured terraces and beautiful blossom trees. It is just the type of local you would want. Friendly and cosy, huge comfy sofa by the fire place and a small dining area dishing up fabulous food. No reservations are taken, so get there early. We arrived around 12.30pm and were in luck - a nice little table was available for us. We took a seat and checked out the blackboard menu while munching on the complimentary fresh-baked bread.
I decided on the Fish & Chips, with Mushy peas. It was tasty and perfect for lunch. Alex, as usual, ordered the most delicious thing on the menu - the Roast Gloucester Old Spot Pork Belly, with mustard mash, savoy cabbage and apple sauce. The pork just melted in your mouth. We shared a dessert - the Sticky Date Pudding, with Butterscotch sauce and Vanilla ice-cream. MMmmmm...it was one of the best I have had, the sauce being particularly good. Service was friendly and relaxed and the atmosphere was great. I would highly recommend the Anglesea arms and am already looking forward to a return visit. Leave a Comment Theme: Pub/BreweryPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 35 Wingate Road, London, W6 0URPhone: 020 8749 1291Directions: Nearest tube: Ravenscourt Park or Goldhawk RoadWebsite: http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/23/2379/Anglesea_Arms/Hammersmith
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| | | | Annie's: Candle lit local - Annie's in Chiswick West London | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
Annie's is a small two story restaurant/cafe located close to the Thames in Chiswick, West London. We arrived with friends for a late dinner to find that our booking was not there......by co-incidence there was another table with the same name booked for a little earlier than us, and this had lead to some confusion..... Anyway, they sorted it out quickly and professionally and we were soon seated up stairs in a candle lit room. Annie's is a great place for a romantic meal or dinner with friends. A little classy, but still relaxed, with professional service.
We had a range of meals including Thai Mussels, Fish & Chips, Peppered Tuna Steak, Prawn Salad. All washed down with a delightful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Fabulous! ***Just back from Sunday brunch at Annies - absolutely delicious!!! We will be back*** Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 162 Thames Rd, Chiswick London W4 3QSPhone: 020 8994 9080Directions: Nearest Tube: Gunnersbury - about 15 minutes walk Nearest Train: Kew Bridge - about 15 minutes walk Just back from the Thames in Chiswick, West London.Website: http://www.anniesrestaurant.co.uk/
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| | | | Arbutus: Arbutus - modern cuisine, Soho | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
On a culinary website that I frequent, I read with great interest about a new restaurant called Arbutus opening up in Soho. The owners were well renowned restaurateurs in London, and I had the feeling that their new venture was going to be worth checking out. Then when I heard that they were offering 50% off food for the first 4 days of trading, I was even keener! So, I booked a table for 4 for opening night - and hoped that they would hit the ground running….and they did. Located close to Soho Square, Arbutus is a classy looking restaurant, offering international cuisine with a bit of a French slant. The design is fresh and airy, service was impressive for opening night, and the food was very good, and excellent value, even without the discount. One of the best things about Arbutus is that all of the wines on the well selected list are available in a 250ml carafe, giving you a great opportunity to try a few different wines with your meal. Only complaints would be that it was quite noisy once the place filled up, and the lack of side plates for bread.
So, to the food. For entrée, Anita had the Warm cod brandade, young squid, sea purslane, parsley cromesqui, Kelly had the Smoked eel, pressed beetroot, horseradish cream, young leaves, and Alex had the Chicken sot-l'y-laisse (oysters), macaroni, broad beans, lemon thyme and hazelnuts. I tried them all and enjoyed the Chicken Oysters the best, but all were yum and well presented. Main courses - Kelly and I both had the Elwy valley rump of lamb, tortellini of goats cheese, artichokes, tomato, Taggiascha olives, which was absolutely delicious!! The lamb was perfectly cooked and the goats cheese tortellini the perfect accompaniment. Alex had the Breast of veal lacquered with spices, butternut squash, cavolo nero and Anita had the Roast rabbit, shoulder cottage pie, Hispi cabbage, mustard sauce, which was also pretty special. Well, we just had to sample some desserts. Kelly decided to keep it savoury and had a couple of cheeses which she deemed most tasty. Anita and Alex both ordered the Warm chocolate soup, caramelized brioche, pecan nuts and I had the Floating island with pink praline, custard, mainly because I was intrigued by the name! All desserts were really tasty. We tried a few different wines throughout the meal and enjoyed them all. All the meals were above average in flavour and presentation. Basically it was a fabulous night, and we will return one day soon. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$31-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 63-64 Frith Street, London W1D 3JWPhone: 020 7734 4545Directions: Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road is about a 5 minute walk. Leicester Square is around a 10 minute walk.Website: http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/ Other Contact: info@arbutusrestaurant.co.uk
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| | | | Astor Bar & Grill: Astor Bar & Grill - West End Art Deco Grandeur | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
Feeling like we needed a mid-week treat I hunted for an interesting new restaurant to try, and came across the Astor Bar & Grill. I was initially attracted by a 50% off food offer that they had, but the food sounded good too, so off we went. The Astor is located in a beautiful Art Deco Grade II listed building, just off Piccadilly. You enter and go down a grand staircase into a large lobby area. Walk across the lobby and you will find the entrance to the restaurant. It is quite spectacular. There is a bar area when you enter, and then on the other side of the bar is the restaurant. This is a spacious place, with high vaulted ceilings adding to the grandeur, and the deco style coloured fluro lights set off the romantic atmosphere perfectly. Service was friendly and efficient for the most part, but fell apart a little at the end of our meal, when 2 different staff almost took our dessert order, but then walked away, and then we were ignored.
So, the food. It was pretty tasty actually. We didn't have a starter, as nothing really piqued our interest. For main course I had the Roast Lancashire Duck, served with Brown Shrimps & Root Vegetables - it wasn't quite as exciting as I was imagining, but it was delicious. Alex had 8oz Sirloin Steak, served with Peppercorn sauce and chips - the menu said 'traditional fat chips' but instead he was given thin 'McDonald's style' chips. The steak was cooked well and good quality. We had a bottle of very drinkable wine - a 2001 Chateau de Malleret Haut Medoc, from Bordeaux, which went perfectly with our meals. We didn't end up having dessert, due to the aforementioned service issue, but there were a couple of tasty options. Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to the Astor. The atmosphere was the best part, not the food, though it was a close second. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$41 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: 20 Glasshouse Street, London W1B 5DJPhone: 020 7734 4888Directions: Nearest Tube: Piccadilly CircusWebsite: http://www.astorbarandgrill.com/
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on July 7, 2007
