The London Restaurant Review

Gaucho Restaurant Piccadilly

I was taken to the Piccadilly Gaucho for lunch and had a great time - for steak lovers, Gaucho really is a cut above the rest.  Fortunately the Gaucho group operates 10 restaurants in London and 1 in Manchester.  I wonder if anyone has ever eaten in all 10 and if so, which one is the best?!  I skipped starters and puddings and could only just finish my 225g filet steak but had I been there for dinner, I would have loosened my belt and tucked in as if it were my last supper.

Gaucho has expanded without losing the touches that make it special - loyalty to its Argentinian roots, which reflect in the uncompromising meat quality, the range of ceviches on offer and the extensive Argentinian wine list.

As much a venue for corporate events (private rooms and tasting cellar) as well as romantic couples, Gaucho has it all.  They even offer a delivery service from some of their restaurants, although the minimum spend is £70.

You can read the full review here on The London Restaurant Review website or check out Gaucho's own website for a full menu and wine list.

Old Vic Theatre - Pit Bar & Restaurant Review

My wife took me to see Gaslight at The Old Vic Theatre, near Waterloo station, last night.

Not being a huge fan of the theatre, I was keen to refresh myself with a couple of glasses of vino in the restaurant before the show, since we had a table booked for 6pm.  I need not have worried.  The show was excellent and Rosamund Pike, the leading lady, was fantastic.  I couldn't resist posting a photo of her:

Courtesy of Old Vic Theatre (!)

Anyway, the restaurant downstairs is basic but good.  Well worth a visit.  Portion sizes are generous, prices are very fair and service is excellent.  Plus it saves the hassle of dashing from one place to another, turning up late for the show etc etc.  Much more civilised this way - have some nice food and then sit back and be entertained.

Of course I still had a couple of glasses of vino -they have a good wine list and the Mouton Cadet rouge was a decent glug for about £4 a large glass, although the 2004 vintage was not great.

You can read the full restaurant review here.

Weekend Break Recommendation for Foodies

The wife and I went to BailiffsCourt Hotel for the weekend and I can highly recommend it as a good escape from London for the weekend.

Situated in Climping, near Arundel and Littlehampton, it is less than 2 hours drive from London and a world away.  The hotel rooms are lovely, although the more modern ones lack character and the spa is faultless - we were lucky enough to get some decent sun on both the Saturday and Sunday and reclined with the papers next to the outside pool - perfect!

The meal in the main restaurant on the Saturday night was also spot on, although the atmosphere was a touch quiet for my liking - you know how it can be in these hotels when all the couples are whispering.  Fortunately, the main room was almost full by 9pm so there was a nice buzz but a bit of background music would not have gone amiss.

There is a set menu - £44.50 for 3 courses, which at first appears steep but the quality of the food more than makes up for it and it includes service - everything is added to your hotel bill and you do not sign for anything (so don't get too tipsy - you need to remember what you had the following morning when you check out!)

Food is typically British and the service typically Polish.  I had to send back the first bottle of wine which was corked but the second bottle, a 1999 Navarra, went very well with my lamb main course.

You can read all about figuring out whether a bottle of wine is corked on the Pocket Vintages website.

Overall, 4.5/5 for the food, 4 out of 5 for the service and 3 out of 5 for the value, but top marks for the location and the wonders it does for the soul, just getting out of London for a night or two.

Bierodrome Lobsterfest

I finally got round to visiting Bierodrome on Kingsway, near Holborn tube station for their Lobster special - £15 for a whole lobster and chips.

It's not bad value for money.  You get what it says you will get, but the lobster is not that large and I came away still feeling hungry.  On the plus side, it was perfectly cooked and very good quality.

You can read the full review here.

The Ivy London - Restaurant Review

I bagged a last minute table at The Ivy, just off Leicester Square in central London and was overall very impressed with the experince.  The service is top drawer and the food is very good quality and reasonably priced.

Of course, it's hilarous when you and everyone else walks into the restaurant - heads look up in unison as everyone looks out for a celeb.  Most people leave The Ivy disappointed with the celeb count but happy that they have eaten in one of the most 'exclusive' restaurants in London and not been ripped off.

You can read the full review here.

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.

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.

Fino Restaurant London

I took some colleagues to Fino Restaurant on Charlotte St last night.  I've been meaning to go there for ages, since it has had very mixed reviews (but mainly good ones) and I wanted to see for myself.

I was not disappointed - the service and food was top notch.  I don't like basement dining, but the ambience was OK and there is a very nice mezzanine bar which we fell into after dinner - we had no choice really since we had booked at 7pm table and they wanted it back at 9pm (we knew so it was ok).

You can read the full review here.

We also had a couple of bottles of very nice wine. You can read the wine review on the Pocket Vintages blog.

The Hospital Private Members Club

I was taken to The Hospital a couple of night ago.  It is a private members club situated on Endell St near Covent Garden.  It is very nice - quite tasteful and low key and probably a great place to meet clients etc and wine and dine them.  There are a couple of bars, a cinema room and goodness knows what else.

The restaurant is very good and has a comprehensive, non fussy menu.

It was a bit on the quiet side when we dined there, although Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols was dining next to us with a load of his mates.  They were surprisingly well behaved.

You can read the full review on The London Restaurant Review.