REVIEW: Garnier, Earls Court Road, Earl's Court

I think it was the praising reviews I read from AA Gil and Grace Dents 'Grace and Flavour' column which really got me thinking about food in Earls Court, or the lack of it. It's full of dodgy pizza takeaways and kebab shops, I'd almost forgotten that the idea of being able to visit The Ideal Home Show (sad I know) and sitting down for a meal which transported me back to a Parisian café I once visited (in my dreams). Getting that same feeling in London is not as easy as you may think.

Garnier restaurant is run by Didier and Eric Garner. Didier is still the proud owner of Le Colombier in Chelsea Square and Eric owned Racine in Knightsbridge. The food has a touch of classic bistro style but with more of a modern approach. The décor inside exudes class and sophistication - it's all very grown up.

After our less than exciting trip to the Ideal Home Exhibition we made a last minute reservation at Garnier. It was quiet when we arrived but service started to pick up just as we were finishing up and the Dom Perignon started flowing at our neighbouring table. Of course, I wasn't bitter. Some bread arrived at the table and included one of my favourite raw butters I had when last in the Netherlands, for the life of me I’ve forgotten the name.

Grilled sardines, courgettes and garlic mayonnaise sounded relatively simple. And it was, but executed flawlessly! The grilled sardines were juicy, surprisingly light in flavour and not overpowering. The smokiness from the grilled sardines cut right through the garlic in the mayonnaise and the grilled courgettes still retained a nice bite. Every mouth full reminded me of summer.

The pork liver pate with baby glazed onions and a side of toasted bread was actually more of a terrine then a pate. It was dense, meaty and marbled with pistachios. The baby onions were delicious and the sweet juice oozed out all over the plate when my fork got anywhere near them. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish as a 'terrine', but not as a pate.

Roast leg of pork with greens and roast potatoes, was a glorified Parisian inspired roast dinner. The pork was soft and tender with a crisp fatty outside, shiny glaze and extremely crispy potatoes. The greens which were spinach, why they didn't just state that on the menu I'm not sure. The gravy was excellent. It was rich and buttery with a lovely shiny glaze. Another sauce was on the plate, pinkish in colour and quite acidic, I've completely forgotten what it was, but none the less, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The fish main of hake with crushed potatoes and dill sauce was again, excellent. It's been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a fish dish as much as this. The perfectly cooked fish had a beautifully crisp crust and the crushed potatoes were full of flavour. I can't wait to attempt to replicate this dish at home, especially the sauce. Rich and creamy with a silky texture and fresh potent dill. What more could you ask for?

For good French fare in London Garnier will definitely be a choice for me while living in south/west London. It has excellent service, a competitively priced set-menu and above all, delicious food. We never got round to desserts as we didn’t quite have the time but I have no doubt they were just as good.

7/10

REVIEW: Red Pocket Restaurant, Bridges Wharf, Battersea

Red Pocket Restaurant in Battersea is the new venture that’s just opened up in the Hotel Verta. Sitting right next to the London Helipad, with great views over the Thames, and outside seating, it’s a unique feature to rival other restaurants along the river. Sitting down for a meal and a helicopter landing right next to you, that’s pretty impressive, no? The restaurant itself has been completely revamped, now with a calm, warming atmosphere decorated with modern Chinese paintings and relics. It’s the sort of place that no matter how empty it is, it doesn’t have that cold, sparse feeling.

Head chef, Weng Kong Wong who runs kitchen has an impressive background. He’s been cooking Chinese food for the last twenty years and working for restaurants such as New Fook Lam Moon in Chinatown and the famous Hakkasan. The kitchen area has been well designed, with an army of chefs, each working at their separate stations. From dim sum making, to barbecue, everyone has their own role in ensuring the perfection of the dishes that arrive on the table.

After a warm welcome and an aperitif I sat down and was given a full run down of what this restaurant wants to be and where it wants to be in the future. There not planning to be the next big restaurant in Battersea with a no queues policy or the next flash photography centre for bloggers. But a fine dining institution, with a smart yet casual approach to formal eating, and it worked, I felt very relaxed. The food has that same feeling too. An air of glamour and precision, but it’s still all about the food, nothing pretentious.

Dining from the set menu we started with a very large helping of dim sum (which is the same dish they serve with a high tea). Now I find it hard to describe what I felt about this dish, but pure indulgence would definitely come high up in the sentence. It was some of the finest examples of dim sum I have had. What I did notice, about all the food, is its slight western tendencies and it’s something which really works for all of the dishes here. So much thought has gone into each item. Included in the dim sum platter was har gau, filled with meaty pieces of shrimps and packed lots of flavour. A slight take on shu mai, but here topped with a melt-in-your-mouth sliver of scallop. The well-known chive dumplings were fragrant and juicy, while the shimeji dumpling (shimeji being a type of mushroom) was new to me it was probably my favourite. I had no idea how much food was arriving at my table, so I held back and left two dim sum pieces, something which I now regret. All natural colours have been used in making these which gave them such vibrancy on the plate. The two crispy spring roll sticks were a lovely addition to this dish. I should also note that all the sauces they serve are made from scratch on site and the chilli sauce, I only wish came in bottle form.

I’ve never really taken to Chinese soups. Normally they are thin, bland and constitute of either chicken or sweet corn. I must admit, I have always been curious to the taste of shark fin soup, just to know what all the fuss is about. I was informed that the soup I was about to eat, is the closest I would get to it. Supreme dried seafood soup. Yes I know, it doesn’t sound too appealing, but it was delicious. There was so much flavour and I’m not surprised considering it takes days to prepare. Using the dried seafood instead of fresh in something like this is what gives it the flavour. That and the morel mushroom, scallops and fish maw (I won’t explain, just in case you’re eating).

Wok fried beef fillet in a red wine and onion sauce, pouring out of the plate from a sort of crispy noodle basket was presented beautifully. It tastes surprisingly more Chinese then it sounds, all of the dishes do. The beef was very tender - full of flavour, while the sauce was rich and intense. The pepper wasn’t hot, but it was the main focus of the dish, the slightly sweet red wine sauce worked in perfect harmony with it all. If I had been alone at my table eating this I would have been a bit of an animal and devoured it all.

The accompanying side of Singapore noodles, which are normally extremely yellow form curry powder and full of taste, instead they still had a little translucency and subtle flavour. It was refreshing to have them this way, as instead of being the focus of a meal, they were to only compliment the rest of our meal and I think were my favourite example I’ve had. 

The rice was another great item. Not only was it perfectly cooked (friend rice is the best) but it was also filled with soft pieces of scallops, spring onion, egg and caviar, now that’s not your everyday rice! My only comment negative on the rice would be that they arrived a little cold to the table. Other than that, it was very good.

Hopefully I’ll be able to pull this review out in fewer than two A4 pages, but it’s hard, I have so much to say. Now this dish was special. Grilled Chilean sea bass in a honey sauce. I have never had Chilean sea bass, and I can’t quite remember how they told me it was cooked, but it was incredible. Never have I eaten a fish which quite literally melts in your mouth like a perfectly cooked scallop. Even the skin was as soft. It was sweet, juicy, and fragrant with a light crispness to the edges. The deep fried goodness on top, which although went well, didn’t have too much going for it flavour wise. It was more about the textures that worked between the two. If you make it here, please order this dish, you will not be disappointed.

Yet again, another good dish, and I’m getting extremely hungry while writing this and looking at the photos at the same time. Next we had PI PA duck. The name is taken from the Chinese pear shaped pipa lute instrument, which is kind of what the duck looks like once spread out over the Chef’s kitchen table. It’s then dry seasoned and roasted. Something Hakkasan do very well I have heard. Unfortunately I can’t compare it to that but it was fantastic. I preferred it to peeking style, the roasting process just give it that extra dimension. Juicy and soft with a sweet flavoursome skin. The chef has definitely taken a lot of his inspiration from Hakkasan.

The mixed vegetable in Szechuan sauce would normally be a side dish in any other Chinese restaurant - here it comes into its own dish, oozing flavour. The Szechuan pepper is the key to this dish, giving it a strong hit of flavour and a touch of spice. All the vegetables were cooked well, and the strips of slightly crispy, moist tofu were a nice, unexpected addition.

With desserts, Red Pocket has decided to go down the safer route, then down the traditional Chinese one. Instead a large portion (and I had the tasting size) of chocolate mousse. It was perhaps the best chocolate mousse I have ever experienced. Light and airy with a soft, velvety chocolate flavour and a sweet buttery taste. It was lovely, especially paired with a sweet sauternes we drunk.

My overall experience at Red Pocket was definitely an unexpected one. It’s slightly out of the way location and based in a hotel, I wasn’t expecting a lot, but I was blown away. Although the food is very similar to Hakkasan, the chef must be extremely talented to cook food that rivals it. The watching wines throughout the meal were good, and well chosen. But maybe given the clientele, they may want to drop a few more prestigious names in to the wine list. Food this good deserves something special.

9/10

REVIEW: Frantoio Ristorante, King's Road, Chelsea

Frantoio on the King’s Road has been providing the Worlds End locals with Italian fare for years now. But mainly to its devout Chelsea senior citizens.  This is your typical Italian trattoria, from the décor, to the staff it all reminds me of being back in Italy, dated and a bit 1980’s. We had a table booked for half eight. When we arrived our table was still occupied, but we were not told this. Instead the three of us precariously stood in the middle of the restaurant. I asked if there was a problem, the receptionist simply replied ‘no’.

We wondered to the bar area, trying to shake some of the stares from the confused diners. The owner (I think), approached us at the bar and handed us some food menus. Ten minutes later we got our table and took a seat. The owner came over and said ‘you ready?’ Would I like some water, or wine for that matter would have been the appropriate start to the conversation. I prompted him for a wine list and made my choice, asking for a little more time than sixty seconds to choose my food. Some tasty bread and excellent olives arrived at tour table.

Once we had decided on our food choices another waiter approached us, he was much more accommodating. First to come out was the grilled jumbo prawns with a garlic sauce on a bed of rocket. The prawns were cooked excellently, though a tad messy to eat. The shell had been half removed, so instead of picking it up by the head and simply eating it, I had to peel of the remnants. They were busy so maybe this was a little rushed, still it’s no excuse. The garlic sauce was strong but very nice. It’s a simple dish, but cooking those prawns to perfection is what makes all the difference.

The classic melon with Parma ham, a staple for any Italian trattoria is again a dish more popular in the 80/90s, but I still love it. In order to making something like this stand out it needs the best quality and freshest ingredient. Unfortunately the Parma ham was very young and bland, while the melon lacked in flavour. The portion size was huge and despite the quality it was good value for the price.

The best of our starters was the grilled baby quid. A large plate of soft, well-cooked squid, which had been grilled and carried a lovely smoky flavour with it. The squid sat on a bed of salad leaves and was drizzled in a balsamic and olive oil dressing. It was a real summertime dish, which only made me think about our long winter that seems like it’s not going anywhere soon.

The main of seafood linguine, which contains grilled jumbo prawns, mussels and clams, was light and comforting. The linguine pasta was cooked al dente and seasoned very nicely. There was too much on the plate to get through on your own.  Anywhere I order this dish in an Italian restaurant it’s always served as a huge portion, while my dining companions would have likely finished ten minutes ago, half an hour later I’m still normally chomping my way through it.

Home-made spinach and ricotta ravioli is one of my favourite dishes, provided it’s executed well. Frantoio do make some nice pasta. It has a good texture, not too thick and cooked the right side of al dente. The filling, as I was expecting, was nothing out of the ordinary, but pleasant enough. The ravioli was drowned in a tomato base sauce which had little flavour to it. Thank god for the lashings of parmesan.

Penne al ragu, which as you probably know, is penne pasta with a meaty sauce, generally using minced meat of either beef or pork. The pasta was again cooked very well. The mince was soft and juicy, no lumps of fat or grist. The sauce had a nice depth to it with good seasoning and lots of meaty flavours. It was a good hearty dish and something to be enjoyed in the winter months with a glass of young Chianti.

Unfortunately, with the late seating and abrupt service we thought it would be best not to hang around for dessert. I’d had enough of the judging eyes from Chelsea’s own Cruella Deville on reception. Lighting was also poor so apologies for the photos.

Frantois on The King’s road is part of the furniture in Chelsea. It’s built up a rapport of customers who come back week after week. It has no website and it’s not on Twitter. The food is honest and simple but with Londoners completely spoilt for taste, Michelin star competition on the other side of the road and a fantastic Italian Abruzzo restaurant adjacent, the question is, will it be here for another 20 years? Only time will tell.

6/10

REVIEW: Outlaw's at the Capital, Basil Street, Knightsbridge

If you’re into your food then you have probably already heard of Nathan Outlaw. He's appeared on Saturday Kitchen, Great British Menu and worked alongside chef, Rick Stein. Nathan has cooking beside numerous chefs in his early career but he is now most famous for his own restaurant, known simply as 'Restaurant Nathan Outlaw', located in Cornwall.

Nathan is known for having some of the best and freshest seafood in Cornwall. With him being such a huge success it was only time till he came to London, along with everyone else. He’s now taken over the restaurant at the Capital Hotel in prestigious Knightsbridge. I've been meaning to try it since it opened but only got round to it now. It has a very attractive selling point too, its set-menu. Very competitive, at only £25 for three courses Monday-Saturday lunch. We toiled over the menu in the bar prior. I had a whisky sour, which was lacking in, whisky.

The decor is OK, already a bit dated. I’m guessing it still retains a lot of the previous restaurants fixtures and never went through a full revamp for Nathans arrival. We were the second table when we arrived and the room felt a bit desolate and cold. Halfway through it filled up nicely and managed to claw back some of its atmosphere. It seems to attract the local Knightsbridge crowd well and by the time we left the room was completely full. The usual bread offering arrived at our table. It was very well made, i wish i could make bread at home taste this good. The cornish butter was also exellent.

While we continued to decide on what we would eat some delicate crunchy fish balls arrived. Coated in a golden crumb, with not a trace of oil and the fish was seasoned to perfection. I could have happily eaten with some vegetable and had it for my main course. I only wish I remember what the green mayonnaise was flavored with, it was equally as heavenly.

Crispy egg, young leeks, blue cheese and watercress was covered in the same golden crispy crumb as before. The egg was cooked almost perfectly, and the grilled leeks were soft and smoky. I loved the blue cheese which was not to overpowering and also went beautifully with the house wine. I'm told the wine is made by the owner of the Capital Hotel from their vineyards in the Loire. For a house wine it was excellent and prompted a bottle to arrive.

The ham hock with an apple and celeriac dressing was beautifully marbled and packed in lots of flavour. For a dense terrine like dish it was surprisingly light. The apple and celeriac sauce had a nice bite and mouthwatering acidity. A terrine is normally a good way to fill out a set-menu, at least here it has been given some love, and effort.

For mains I had the ling, which I must say I have not eaten before. Accompanying the fish was some Cornish salami, cabbage and salsify. I found the ling to be much similar to cod, but with a meatier texture and a little more flavour.  It was buttery and seasoned very well, with a nice crust that had formed on the top giving it a lovely crunch. The unexpected goujons were something I couldn’t quite warm too, very dense. Cornish salami, cabbage and salsify in a salsa style were lovely, and went incredibly well with the fish. I really enjoyed this dish and it was recommended to me by the waitress.

The braised ox cheek with shallots, carrots and roasted garlic mash was a solid, well-cooked dish. The cheek was soft and tender, but lacked in a little flavour. It’s normally quite a strong flavored piece of meat. The mash was smooth but the garlic was overpowering and the sauce was rather light – I normally prefer something thicker and heavier with ox cheek. Saying that, every dish was incredibly fresh and light, so although it wasn’t completely to my taste, it was fitting with the light menu.

Desserts were good but probably the lowest points of our meal. The chocolate sponge with lime curd and pistachio ice cream was a short wait of 10-15 minutes; this was because it is cooked fresh to order. The sponge was light, but a little dry overall. Lime curd was good and the pistachio ice cream needed more flavour running through it.

Saffron bun pudding was perhaps one of the strangest desserts I’ve had for some time. Did I like it? I’m not sure. The bun pudding was light and spongy, but oily with a strong flavour of saffron. It was quite overpowering. The pieces of rhubarb were wonderful, crunchy and sweet, slightly candied. The vanilla ice cream was nice, but I wasn’t mesmerized by it. I have yet to find amazing ice cream in London.

If you were looking for a taster of what Nathan Outlaws Cornish restaurant was like, I don’t think this would be it.  The restaurant at the Capital Hotel has received some bad critic from well know reviewers, but I don’t think it deserves it. It may not be a true reflection of his restaurant in Cornwall, but I think of it as a separate venture. I look forward to returning. Especially for some more of that Loire Sauvignon!

7/10

REVIEW: Cotidie, Marylebone High Street, Marylebone

Cotidie, which translates as ‘everyday’ in Latin is one of Marylebone’s new arrivals from 2012, which should be named 'the year of the restaurant' because every single person who had a little money and some cooking skills seemed to open a restaurant, apart from me. Sadly my cooking skills are not good enough and neither is my bank balance.

This new Italian restaurant In Marylebone has seen Chef Bruno Barbieri migrate to the UK, leaving his Michelin starred Italian restaurants back home. He’s a very accomplished Chef and has gained at least seven Michelin stars in his career to date. Cotidie had much hype prior to his arrival, could this be his eighth Michelin star? Sadly, I don’t think it will be. I haven’t eaten at any of his restaurants in Italy but judging by the food here it's not a true reflection of Bruno’s ability. The presentation and styling is but there is no real substance.

Some complimentary bread was bought for the table, all of which were very good and a fantastic selection. I started with the Sicilian style baby octopus stew with fried polenta. The dish was presented very well but my squid was overcooked and chewy. The polenta was bland and added nothing to the dish other then another texture. Stew was watered down and lacked in flavour, especially seasoning; reminiscent of a plain passata sauce, disappointing.

Spinach flan, Taleggio cheese sauce and pomegranate were again presented with thought and precision but to me it was like eating under seasoned watery spinach and nothing else. The pomegranate was much welcomed adding a bit of tart sweetness. I would have liked to see more of the Taleggio cheese on my plate, it has a strong smell but its flavour is rather delicate on comparison. Maybe a more complex and stronger cheese would have best suited this dish.

The main of large penne with seafood and cime di rapa, tomato confit and herbed breadcrumbs was a little too al dente to say the least, it needed another minute in water as it was just a bit too chewy. Seafood was few to none, a couple of clams and some squid, cooked well. The tomatoes were heavenly! They were very sweet and juicy. It was an OK dish but rather on the simple side. Why penne is always subjected to rather simple dressings I do not know.

The Seared duck breast with mini vegetable lasagne and Caprino cheese sauce was a varied dish. The duck was cooked to my medium specification but it was still on the tough side. The mini vegetable lasagne, which was layers of vegetable instead of pasta, looked great on the plate, my photos do not do it any justice, but it was lovely. The vegetables were soft and tender, but with a little bite and the light caprino cheese sauce was heavenly. If they can get the duck right and this could be an excellent dish.

The best course we had was the seared tuna wrapped in Parma ham, yogurt and chive quenelle and tropical fruit chutney, but it was by no means outstanding. The perfectly cooked tuna, complimented by the salty Parma ham was wonderful. Chutney and yoghurt quenelle was forgotten, I’m even struggling to recall about it. The tropical fruit chutney was well made, but it did not go with the pieces of tuna in any way. This dish was rather confused.

Selection of homemade sorbets and ice-creams was pleasant enough. Pistachio, vanilla and chocolate. All were smooth and silky with soft flavours funning through them. I would have preferred them to be a bit punchier, just because its ice-cream does not mean it needs to be boring. When I was in Bologna I had some outstanding ice-creams and these were from the street food vendors who make it all themselves at home with little apparatus. A must try if you get to go.

Marinated pineapple with chocolate crème, yogurt and mascarpone cream and a honey jelly looked picture perfect. The pineapple was juicy and fresh, yogurt and mascarpone was as you’d expect and I couldn’t really taste any honey in the jelly. The chocolate crème was on the bitter side and none of the components worked in harmony together. I didn’t enjoy it.

Caramel bavarese with raspberry coulis and dark chocolate crumble was probably the best of the desserts. The bavarese was light and delicate; flavour was still a little weak. The coulis and crumble added some nice textures but I was still struggling to get excited. It was all style over substance. Is this what the locals of Marylebone want?

The food is very confused here; it’s more modern European then Italian. What it lacks is authenticity and Italian roots. The restaurant seems more bothered about charging extortionate prices for OK food which really doesn’t work together on the same plate. What it has going for it is lush décor, excellent and well-priced wines, great service and its location. I would recommend this place for a glass of wine and a platter. Try it for a meal if you’re intrigued; otherwise spend your money elsewhere.

5/10

REVIEW: Clockjack Oven, Denman Street, Soho

Chicken, chicken, chicken, it’s the staple for most meals, too often than not cooked until it’s as dry as a bone. Wine, being the only way to wash it down. Clockjack Oven in Soho is hoping to change all that, it wants to bring us free range chickens, sourced from small co-operatives in Brittany. Apart from the chickens being delicious it’s mainly all down to Clockjack Ovens secret marinade recipe.

We arrived at the restaurant on a freezing cold evening, some artic winds coming over from Russia apparently. Stepping into Clockjack with its lively atmosphere and roaring fire rotisserie oven was much welcomed. This place has an excellent atmosphere and I felt very at home, the staff only added to my comfort with their warm welcomes and attentive service. This place is definitely  for people in the know, it’s not necessarily somewhere you would stumble upon, or notice if walking past. Nestled behind the back streets off Piccadilly Circus it’s also not full of noisy tourist groups as you may be expecting. A great place for taking your friends or perhaps even a date, I’m not sure how attractive gnawing on chicken legs would look though.

The star here is of course, the chicken, and for good reasons. After a slow cooking in the fiery rotisserie oven it’s then transferred to a warm section to rest, then chopped up, ready to be served. It’s juicy, succulent, the skin is crispy and it has a lovely buttery flavour. Served alongside is a small salad coated in a light, fresh citrus dressing. We ordered four legs which is the recommend if you’re incredibly hungry, which I always am and was a steal for £8.95.

A choice of sauces are on hand to compliment. My favourite was the ranch, creamy, herby and garlicky all at the same time. The homemade BBQ was equally as good, smokey but sweet. I can't remember the last time i had sauces this good, maybe they should start bottling them to take home.

Other things we ordered were crispy chicken bites marinated in buttermilk with a light but crunchy crumb £4.95, rather average house coleslaw £2.95, and double cooked chips £2.95. Everything is very well priced, even the French house wine is a mere £3.95 a glass and delivers lots of flavour for your money, very moorish and probably worth ordering a bottle if you’re planning on hibernating here for the evening.

Overall Clockjack Oven is a much welcomed restaurant to the Soho area and good places like this are finally taking over the tourist traps, it’s all about quality ingredients, terrific atmosphere and great value. This place has it all. So don’t dismay, grab your friends, or your date and try it out for yourself. They don’t take booking so you may want to arrive early at the weekends.

7/10