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| Lola's Upper Street Islington 020 7359 1932 
Angel   |
Dinner £35 ($70) |
After a tiring day exhibiting at the Country LIving Fair in Islington's
Design Centre, friends hurried me across Upper Street to find somewhere
to relax, get a drink, and possibly eat. The first couple of venues
were either closed or didn't appeal, and then we found the entrance
to Lola's at one end of a converted train shed called the Mall, which
now houses an antiques arcade in its lower two floors. Up the stairs
and through a glass door is an expansive room tastefully decorated
in muted colours with rustic touches and pale blinds covering large
conservatory windows. A piano tinkled in a corner in an attempt to
combat a chilly silence. The maitre'd showed us to a table, where
we ordered gins and vodkas with tonic. Lola's offers a choice of menus.
From Monday to Wednesday and from six until seven from Thursday to
Saturday a short prix fixe menu is offered alongside the a la carte.
It's good value with two and three courses £15.75 and £18.75
respectively. Each prix fixe dish is also available with a matching
wine for a total of £28.75 for three courses, which we decided
to have. A basket of caraway seeded bread was brought to the table
with a jug of tap water we'd asked for, and we proceeded to order
almost identical meals, beginning with the leek & gruyere tart,
with Le Lesc vin de pays du Gers Producteurs Plaimont Gascony 2004.
The tart, on a base of crunchy filo pastry and a bed of undressed
but fresh and herby green leaves, was small but loaded with flavour
and provided a good balance for the light, tangy and refreshing wine.
We both had lamb fillet, confit garlic, red peppers and crushed potatoes
for main course. The tiny lamb fillet was perfectly presented pink
on the potatoes in a large deep white dish, while the wine - Cellarhand
Backchat Blend Flagstone W'en Cape 2002 from South Africa- was dark
and fruity and again a very good accompaniment to the food. For dessert
I struck out alone with the lemon polenta cake and lime sorbet with
a glass of cool, sweet Essencia Orange Muscat California 2002. The
cake was finely flavoured but not as moist as I'd hoped. My companions
each had the plum tart with vanilla ice cream, served with another
South African wine, Rudera Chenin Blanc late harvest 2002. Service
was attentive, pleasant and accomplished throughout the meal, though
we had to remind the waiter that all three of us had decided to have
matching wines with our meal. The portions are small, but I enjoyed
it so much I returned a few days later after an aborted decision to
visit a nearby Thai restaurant. This time we went a la carte and again
enjoyed almost everything, from an amuse bouche of cappucino of beetroot
soup, my terrine of foie gras, duck rillettes, two salads and pain
d'epice (£9.75) and main course of pork fillet, black pudding,
glazed apples and boulangere potato (£15), and her Aberdeen
Angus fillet steak, chips and Caesar salad (£22.50). The only
disappointment was her starter of marinated scallop, shrimp and cucumber
salad with mustard dressing (£8.50), which for some reason was
served too finely diced. On that occasion we drank a very fine, dry
white Jurancon. Website
|
| Matchbar Margaret Street 020 7499 3443 Oxford Circus |
Lunch £15 ($30) |
Just a hundred or so yards from Oxford Circus, Matchbar makes for
a welcome relaxed meeting point away from the shopping hordes. A long
narrow space with the bar at the back and small tables ranged on two
levels, Matchbar is deceptive. Trendily decked out with cuboid leather
seats and banquettes, dusty desert trucking murals setting off peach
terracotta and black walls adorned with wide framed mirrors, and lighting
subdued by stripy cylindrical ceiling shades and red wall mounted
boxes, the decor hints at sophisticated laissez faire. But thanks
to an accomplished and imaginative chef, the menu is very inviting
and operates on a simple scheme. You can order most items in three
bowl sizes - £7 for one person, £12 for two or £20
for four, plus a short menu offers a range of salads and other dishes.
The mussels marinière (£7) we shared were large and plump
and delicious in a creamy sauce enlivened with lemon juice and swimming
with finely chopped onions and garlic. Freshly fried lemon squid strips
(£6) came coated in a light spicy batter and was served with
a sweet red chilli jamand leaf garnish, and a large char-grilled chicken
salad came topped with toasted cashews (£8) and was dressed
with creamy balsamic. To drink we had mineral water. Service was friendly
and relaxed, and on a Saturday lunchtime the place wasn't too busy
with several couples dining. I imagine there's a busier atmosphere
during weekday lunches and evenings. Website
|
| Royal
Court Bar & Food revisted Sloane Square SW1 020 7565 5061 Sloan Square
|
Lunch £16.50/$25 |
My second visit to this
underground restaurant was during a Saturday lunchtime. There was plenty
of room even though the Oriel brasserie next door was turning people
away. We ordered from the bar snack menu written over the back of the
bar - steak sandwich (£6.50), caesar salad (£6.75) and sparkling
mineral water. The salad looked good, though my steak sandwich had the
merest hint of dressing inside and was fairly dry in texture while the
meat itself was verging on tough. The evening vibe seems to dissipate
during the day, but at least you can eat in comfort without having to
wait for long and the food is tasty. Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key
of Life over the sound system provided a '70s counterpoint to the ambience. |
| Laughing
Gravy Blackfriars Road SE1 020 7721 7055 Waterloo
|
Dinner £28 ($44) |
Named for reasons unknown
after a dog in an episode of Laurel & Hardy, Laughing Gravy Eating
House and Bar provides a cosy space for the locals along a busy but
otherwise undistinguished stretch of south London road not far from
the Thames. The front door leads directly into the bar, decorated with
moody Latin American posters and art, and beyond that is the surprisingly
large and comparatively grand dining room with velvet drapes and conservatory
roof. I started with the pan fried port marinated chicken livers on
toasted brioche (£5.85), which were good although not as tasty
as I'd expected, while my companion enjoyed her very spicy king prawn
piri piri (£5.95). However we were a bit disappointed with our
main courses. Perhaps I shouldn't have tried more liver, this time rather
unexciting pan fried calves liver with bacon and garlic mash (£12.95).
She had the melange of seafood special (£14.00), which again was
too spicy. Had it been on, both of us would have instead tried the chargrilled
wild boar with purple cauliflower apricot couscous and redcurrant gravy
(£13.50). The service was professional yet friendly and we stayed
for more than a couple of ports at the bar, chatting with the owners,
chef Gareth Hughes and his wife Lesley who oversees the bar and dining
room. Although it was quiet on the Saturday night of my visit, they
seem to fare well enough with the local business crowd during the week. |
| Balans Kensington High Street W8 020 7376 0115 Kensington High Street
|
Lunch £14/$20 |
This Balans, the fourth
or so in a chain of starkly decorated restaurants that now also includes
a Miami branch, doesn't attract half as glamourous or lively a crowd
as the Soho outlet and seems a bit dull by comparison, particularly
when the prices are on the steep side. With my catch of the day from
the daily specials board (salmon steak with asparagus tips and hollandaise
sauce, £9.25) I ordered fries (£2.50) and still water. The food was
well prepared and tasty enough, and service was quick and attentive,
although just before Christmas, it wasn't exactly thronged. |
| Royal
Court Bar & Food Sloane Square SW1 020 7565 5061 Sloan Square
|
Dinner £23/$34 |
Interesting new addition
to the west London arts and food scene, this subterranean space has
an unusual claim to fame, being the only restaurant with a 'dining area
created inside the disused public convenience, as well as a long modern
bar', according to the web site. Located next door to Sloane Square
tube, it also boasts 'high vaulted ceilings with natural light pouring
in through glass pavement blocks', although in the winter evenings the
look is more dark and gloomy. 'Very post modern', my colleague said.
There's a smooth slate bar at one end of the large dining room, which
features lots of concrete. Nice polished wooden floor, and the tables
have white linen. We had very attentive and friendly service from a
waiter who, she said, was also an actor. From the specials list I had
split char-grilled king prawns with ranchero sauce to start while my
colleague chose tongue, ham and puy lentil terrine (£4.25), which proved
'unexciting'. My choice wasn't good value at £4.50. The prawns were
overcooked and had disintegrated. There was little meat on the plate
- I could swear the three heads were complemented by only two tails,
although the tomatoey ranchero sauce was delicious. For our main course
we both opted for the generous portion of slow cooked lamb shank with
toulouse sausage, haricot blanc and a smooth dark savoury sauce (£14.50),
again from the specials list. Our waiter recommended the fruity and
chewy D'Arenberg 'The Footbolt' Old Vine Shiraz 1998 (£19.50), which
proved to be a perfect match for the lamb. However, I thought the meat
was slightly underdone. When I cook 7-hour leg of lamb, the flesh becomes
very tender and virtually falls off the bone, but this meat proved more
tenacious and the last few mouthfuls near the knuckle end couldn't be
budged. Delicious lemon tart with lemon marmalade and crème fraiche
finished off the meal. This is an interesting place to go, with the
option of catching a show, and offering a decent menu. I just think
the quality of cooking could be a little better. We were both impressed
by the venue. During the interval and again after the show the audience
floods into the restaurant area for a quick drink. |
| Townhouse
Brasserie 24 Coptic Street 020 7636 2731 Tottenham Court Road
|
Lunch £20 ($30) |
Smallish venue whose poky
exterior hides a poky interior with '80s decor that looks very jaded.
The food is fussy and ambitious but tasty enough. Has since had a refit
(2001) |
| Balans
Restaurant 60 Old Compton Street 020 7437 5212 Tottenham Court Road
|
Dinner £12 ($18) |
Probably the liveliest
place to eat in Old Compton Street, the heart of gay Soho. Open virtually
all day, this place buzzes non-stop and a wait for a table is usual,
although not overlong. Window seats provide a prime view of the goings
on outside, while good looking and friendly waiters of both sexes swish
between the closely packed tables, so close in fact that it's hard not
to eavesdrop on your neighbours' conversations. On a sunny afternoon
it's one of the best places to watch Soho life waft by while having
good value and usually good quality meal that isn't too heavy. The menu
lives up to the local colour, raiding Greek, Mediterranean, far eastern
and even British cuisines. Little bowls of olives and bread take the
edge off your appetite as you wait for your order. One of my favourites
is the all day breakfast that includes bangers from Simply Sausages,
a specialist shop selling an exotic range of freshly-made produce just
round the corner in Berwick Street. On a recent lunchtime visit, we
shared nibbles of olives and goats cheese in olive oil with little ciabatta
rolls (£1.50) and a large bottle of sparkling water (£2.95). I had a
Budvar beer (£2.50). For mains my companion had Absolute linguini with
Absolute vodka sauce at £7.25, while I had delicious tagliatelle with
wild mushrooms (£5.95). Star spot! - on one visit fashion designer and
media personality Jean Paul Gautier ate at the table next to mine. There
are other branches - Balans West, in Earls Court and another on Brompton
Road near Harrods. |
| Helter
Skelter 50 Atlantic Rd Brixton 020 7274 8600 Brixton
|
Dinner £20 ($30) |
Trendy Brixton spot with
refectory tables and tall seats, catering for a young fashionable clientele
with a range of interesting dishes including squid, swordfish and salads. |
| Prices are per head for two-three courses, sharing a bottle of wine or a beer or two where appropriate | ||
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Tell me what you think. |
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