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| Harrods
Rotisserie Harrods  Knightsbridge  |
Dinner £15 ($25) |
It's hard to resist the lure of the several eateries scattered around
Harrods' food halls so, rather than buy things to bring home and eat
after some shopping for goddaughter's and niece's birthdays, we gave
in to temptation and decided to eat dinner there. The Rotisserie is
in one corner of the meat and fish hall and as we climbed onto high
stools on white marble columns ranged round the red marble counter we
surveyed the menu, which offers selections from the spit and the grill.
I ordered barbecue pork ribs with oriental rice (£12.95), while
my companion chose the special of the day - lamb shank with mash and
mixed beans (£15.75). My four large ribs, smothered in a dark,
sweet barbecue sauce, came with half a grilled tomato and sauteed wild
mushrooms, and the rice was dotted with pine nuts and sultanas. The
lamb, benefiting from long slow cooking, was beautifully tender and
strongly flavoured with rosemary. A basket of white and wholemeal bread
came with pats of french unsalted Lescure butter and to drink we had
a large bottle of Harrods' own sparkling mineral water (£3.75).
Entertainment was provided when a customer's credit card was deemed
suspect as he was paying for his meal and security staff summoned. The
Rotisserie is a little expensive, but the meat and poultry are all free
range, cooked to perfection and nicely presented, and it's Harrods. |
| Mill
Street Café 8 Mill Street Bermondsey |
Dinner £20 ($30) |
Lively and often raucous
venue with live music most nights, Mill Street Café is owned by the
people who run La Lanterna next door. The crowd includes the locals from
their converted warehouses, as well as the nouveau arrivé
from their riverside nests. Seafood platters among the favourites from
the generally Mediterranean menu. |
| Café
de la Place Battersea Square  Clapham Common
|
Lunch £10 ($15) |
We chose this on the spur
of the moment on a sunny Saturday mid-afternoon as it has outside tables,
although they can be difficult to prise away from the well-off locals.
Starting off on a bad note, we had to have our dirty cutlery exchanged.
My minestrone soup was an inoffensive but bland mix of tomato base thick
with diced vegetables and what could only have been tinned spaghetti.
My companions fared slightly better with cod and red mullet pate. For
main course I had shell pasta with a mushroom and pesto sauce, which was
filling but not the tastiest meal I've had. The accompanying salad bowl
- several types of lettuce with more diced vegetables - looked attractive
but went largely untouched mainly for the lack of a decent dressing. One
companion enjoyed ciabatta with grilled mozarella, olive tapenade and
tomatoes, something I prepare quite often at home with additional pepperoni,
anchovy-stuffed olives and parmesan. The other left behind most of a toasted
club sandwich of wafer thin chicken and ham topped with melted cheese,
which had congealed by the time it reached the table. A disappointment,
and the service was patchy although there were lots of staff. They seemed
to work tables ad hoc, but with the result that they couldn't tell what
stage of their meal diners had reached. We waited for almost half an hour
between courses, but couldn't find anyone to remind that we hadn't finished,
yet after we asked for the bill, several came to enquire how things were
and if we wanted anything else. |
| Randall
& Aubin Brewer Street 020 7287 4447 Piccadilly Circus
|
Dinner £16 ($24) |
Small, lively bistro in
the heart of Soho, which used to be a French grocer, now offering a menu
strong in seafood on display inside the window. Tall stools to sit on
and music quite loud, food generally delicious, for instance the lamb.
On my last visit we tried the selected crostini (£7.95), a generous portion
of fine calamari (£7.55), tuna nicoise (£8.50) and cumberland sausage
(£6.50). Take-away available. |
| Bluebird Kings Road 020 7559 1000 South Kensington
|
Lunch £16 ($24) |
Another Conran extravaganza
in trendy Chelsea, opened 1997. Includes posh supermarket, kitchen shop,
swanky restaurant and cafe with additional seating out front in the forecourt.
In former lives it was the old Bluebird garage and petrol station and
then a street fashion market. The forecourt started out with a fresh fruit
and veg market, which has been dropped in favour of more outside seating
and flowers. In the cafe, Italian traditional sausages and spicy beans
were delicious, unlike the tasteless crab salad, but expensive. Worst
value were frozen margaritas - which were meagre and poorly made, and
a rip off at £5.30/$8.00 each. The barman obviously hadn't a clue even
after asking colleagues. The well-heeled clientele doesn't seem to mind
and queues ages for the experience. A mini scandal erupted when the press
reported that McCains, who also supply a certain large burger chain, was
seen delivering frozen fries. |
| The
Meeting Place Blackstock Road Finsbury Park 020 7354 1411 Finsbury Park
|
Dinner £15 ($25) |
Boisterous, economic and
cheerful, with laid back service. Choose from the daily specials on the
blackboard. Inside feels a little cramped but on warm summer evenings
you can exit to the small back patio to the shade of the overhanging greenery. |
| The
Lantern Malvern Road West Kilburn 020 7624 1796 Queens Park
|
Dinner £15 ($25) |
Part of the chain of cheap
and cheerful London eateries launched by Peter Ilic, and near where I
used to live in Maida Vale. Star spot - on one visit only a single other
table was occupied, by the singer Sinead O'Connor and a couple of her
friends. |
| 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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