The London Restaurant Review

Cheapside Tiffinbites now open

There is a new TiffinBites now open on Cheapside.

Tiffinbites believe the only true way to eat Indian cuisine is to eat it the correct way – the way it has been prepared and served for centuries. All their dishes are made using traditional and authentic cooking methods and recipes, hence the use of Tandoor ovens in all their kitchens, just so that you can enjoy freshly baked naan bread daily. With this emphasis on traditional methods comes a healthier option. Tiffinbites use less fat and oil than your average Indian restaurant so the generous portions can be wolfed down guilt free. Excellent throughout the day, Tiffinbites is proving a popular central eatery.

Website: www.tiffinbites.com

Locations:

RUSSIA ROW: Now Open!

23 Russia Row
Off Gresham Street, Cheapside
London
EC2V 7PG

020 7600 4899
russiarow@tiffinbites.com

Stanza in London

This is a press release

Stanza with Liaison
Saturdays 10pm -3am
93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 5DY

Brand new venue ‘Stanza’ has linked up with Liaison creating a relaxed and glamorous atmosphere at this long awaited late night bar.

Welcoming and elegant, Stanza will attract an eclectic, lively ‘Sohoite’ integrating with a mixture of buzzing media, fashion, music and art.

A contemporary feel delicately mixed with chic Art Deco influences create a timeless environment for visitors to the late night venue.

The discerning drinker can choose to enjoy a quality drink, expertly made in the stylish surrounds or enjoy the comfort of a stress free environment. An underlying hedonistic vibe murmurs loudly enough to satisfy anyone’s party thirst.

Jason Gale and hosts from Liaison bring the option to party on into the night if you should so wish to. Feel free to tap toes or get up to dance to an intelligent mix of music provided by celebrated DJ’s and percussionists. Watch the night unfold looking over Shaftesbury Avenue with sophisticated ladies and true gents in complete comfort of this exciting new venue.

For all you 'foodies' the menu (served till 11pm) at Stanza has been created by Head Chef Stuart Tattersall who previously worked at Brasserie 44, a successful venue incorporated within the Michelin star restaurant Pool Court in Leeds.

At Stanza, Tattersall has created an enticing menu created from predominantly British classic favourites, with a modern interpretation. He has painstakingly sourced all the ingredients from the very best suppliers in the land.

Night’s name – Stanza with Liaison

Day of the week - Saturdays

Hours - 10pm -3am

Entrance price £10

Tel number 020 79935361
Look – Very cool

Website www.liaisonlondon.com

Address  Stanza 93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue

London

Nearest Tube Station - Leicester Square

Capacity - 250

New London Restaurant Reviews

I've reviewed a couple more London restaurants in the last few days.

First one up is Boisdale Restaurant, in Victoria. One of my favourite restaurants, this time round was still good although the chef is a bit quick off the mark with the arrival of dishes.  Nevertheless, a great opportunity to suck on a fat cigar before the smoking ban comes into effect in two weeks time.

Read the Boisdale review here.

Second review is the restaurant and bar at Malmaison Hotel on Charterhouse Square near Barbican.  It's a tiny bar downstairs that is very cosy and very dimly lit.  You can imagine dangerous liaisons going on here in secret. The cocktails would certainly help fuel the naughtiness too.

The restaurant itself looks good and service is slick.  There is a lot of meat on the menu due to the proximity to Smithfield market.

Read the Malmaison Hotel review here.

Amici Restaurant Half Price Offer

Amici Restaurant in Wandsworth is offering 50% off your food bill on any day of the week, including weekends, so long as you turn up between 6pm and 7pm.

This is one of my favourite restaurants and you can read a load of reviews here.

Lobster Mania at Belgo Restaurants

Belgo's is once again offering their Lobster mania deal this June.

Only £15.95 buys you a 1lb lobster, served grilled or chilled - delicious!

You could also go for the surf and turf option for the same price and get a steak plus a half pound lobster.

Check out their website for more details.

Champagne Bar at The Savoy

I finally made it to the champagne bar at The Savoy, London.

It is a popular place, so don't expect to waltz in and get a table straightaway, although if you get there early enough (before 6pm) then you could be in luck.

It is very upmarket (as you would expect) and the service is top notch, to match the drink prices.  Photos of celebs adorn the walls and the tink of the piano in the background takes you back a few decades to the decadance of fine London hotels.

After 10pm (I think) there is a cover charge which I would not recommend paying (it's not that good).

And the really irking thing is that even if you have dined in the restaurant earlier and fancy a nightcap in the bar, they will still charge you, which is outragious.

You can read my review of The Savoy Grill on The London Restaurant Review.

Summer Dining in London

I'm always on the lookout for good places to eat out in London during the summer.  Yes there are the usual 'hotspots' - Oxo Tower Brasserie and plenty of other expensive outside viewing galleries, but I was taken with a much more down to earth restaurant recently - EV Restaurant in Waterloo, which is part of the Tas Restaurant group.

Just off The Cut in Waterloo you will find this large restaurant, which in the summer months opens its doors to the world.  But because of carefully placed foliage, you could be dining in the Med when the sun is out.  The food tastes very authentic and the prices are more like what you are used to on holiday.

Check out the full review here.

Father's Day Menu at Alisan - Press Release

FATHER’S DAY MENU AT ALISAN

Alisan restaurant, adjacent to Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena, is providing a special 4-course set menu for £19.50 for Father’s Day on 17th June.

Seafood Pastry with Salad Cream
Mango & Prawn Spring Roll
Salt & Spicy Lotus Root
Crispy Seaweed
* * * * *
Crispy Aromatic Duck
(served with pancakes, cucumber, spring onion & Hoi Sin sauce)
* * * * * 
Pan-fried Chicken with Almond Flakes in Lemon Sauce
Stir-fried Prawn with Asparagus in Garlic Sauce
Stir-fried Mixed Seasonal Vegetable
Chicken Fried Rice with Fresh Pineapple
* * * * *
Champagne Sorbet or Maple Walnut Ice Cream

Commenting on the menu, Alisan director Colin Wong, said, “Our location makes us an ideal location for combining a meal with a stadium tour of the new Wembley.”

In China, the equivalent of Father’s Day in China falls on the same day every year - the 8th of August (i.e. 08/08). This is because 8th is pronounced "Ba" and the 8th day of the 8th month is "Ba Ba" Day, “Ba Bas” means “Father” in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Father’s Day in China allows children to show their love and affection for their father.  On the weekend before, the shopping centres in China are crowded with sons and daughters trying to buy the usual staples – ties, shirts, socks and after shave - for their fathers to show that they care.

On Father’s Day itself, children in China spend quality time with their fathers and take their fathers out for a meal to let fathers know how much they mean to his children. The traditional role of the Chinese father, like most fathers, is to provide financial support and love for his children.  Chinese fathers have a major financial responsibility in the family.  Not only do they have to raise their own children but they usually also have to support their parents as well.

Contact: George Shaw at Avocado Media on 01892 750851 or geo@avocadomedia.co.uk to arrange a review or competition prizes.

Editors’ Notes:  Photos and copies of the menu available.
The Dim Sum Head Chef, CC Wong, was the Dim Sum Head Chef at Yauatcha Michelin-starred Soho restaurant.

The name Alisan is taken from of a mountain in Taiwan made famous in an old Mandarin folksong.  The song is about the aboriginal women living on Alisan mountain being very beautiful.  The word "san" means mountain or hill in Chinese. The letters "LIS" in the ALISAN logo form the Chinese character for mountain.

Signature dishes are:  Scallop Shumai  a dim sum with scallops and minced prawns wrapped in a thin pastry and steamed, then topped with fish roe. Baked Silver Cod in Rose Wine Sauce a Japanese silver cod fillet steak marinated in champagne and lemon baked in the oven then topped with rose wine sauce. Venison Strips in Black Pepper & Garlic marinated tender strips of venison stir fried with black pepper and garlic giving a very slight spicy flavour. Mango and Grapefruit Tapioca Pearl small cubes of mango and pieces of grapefruit with sago in mango juice served chilled.

The split-level establishment seats up to 200 on the ground floor.  The first floor features a cocktail lounge, with 30’ ceiling, sofa seating, serving drinks and snacks.

A discrete function room is available for private hire, complete with karaoke facilities with over 20,000 stored tunes.

Wembley Retail Park, The Junction, Engineers Way, Wembley,  HA9 0ER
T:  020 8903 3888            F:  020 8903 1188             W: www.alisan.co.uk

Tower Tandoori Restaurant - Press Release

Tower Tandoori in the Twenty-First Century

The legendary Tower Tandoori celebrates 29 years as one of London's premier Indian restaurants. Capturing and sustaining the imagination of its devoted clientele, it is a unique restaurant that has redefined a highly appetizing modern interpretation of authentic Indian cuisine, embellished with, and incorporating a wide range of culinary influences from many parts of the globe-seasonally adjusted and constantly revised using fresh organic foods wherever possible. Not only is the restaurant incredibly chic, showcasing an array of traditional colonial grandeur interiors embracing South Asian textures to create a sympathetic fusion of modern and traditional style, but to compliment the service is second to none.

Signature dishes include Murgh Makhani; a tender chicken dish marinated in garlic, ginger and fresh yoghurt, cooked with eggs, almonds, coconut and cashew nuts, served in a specially prepared butter sauce.

Jhinga Bhajia; A spectacular whole king of prawns marinated using fresh Indian spices, then coated in self raising flour and tossed in a pan of simmering ginger, garlic and spring onions.

One of the hottest dishes is Adrakwala Murgh; consisting of chicken cooked with fresh ginger, lemon juice, fresh spring onions, coriander and a mixture of fresh spices.

With an array of mild yet unusual dishes, including Kashmiri Gosht that consists of an exotic fresh fruit selection Cooked with a dash of cream, powdered almond and coconuts.

Tower Tandoori Restaurant is located at
74 & 76 Tower Bridge Road

London SE1 4TP

T: 020 7237 2247

W: www.towertandoori.co.uk