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Deep |
Dinner £50 ($90) |
Note - as of March
20, 2006, Deep is closed to diners as it will be playing host to the
second series of Gordon Ramsay's 'The F Word',
a food programme which will be shot at the restaurant and broadcast
on Channel 4. Located in a large new luxury dwelling development, Deep is one of several new restaurants, some yet to open, enticing diners to this previously industrial stretch of Thames riverbank. A sleek reception features a large desk bearing an extravagant floral display and is illuminated by a huge backlit wall panel. On our visit, a midweek evening, there were few other diners, so we chose one of the four large horseshoe-shaped corner banquettes. Decor in the long bright dining room is clean and modern, with cream chamois covered wheeled dining chairs on casters and crisp linen covered tables ranged along the polished wooden floor. The menu is strongly biased towards Swedish and Scandinavian cuisine and features many seafood and fish starter dishes. It's also quite short, with only six main courses available. The Scandinavian theme is carried through to the bread selection - delicious crisp bread, dark, rich Guinness and fruit bread and plain white rolls. An amuse bouche of pea soup with prawns, served cold, was full of flavour and set the tastebuds tingling. My starter of wild swedish mussels steamed in wine and shallots (£4.50) should have arrived with bread but didn't. The mussels were small and strongly flavoured and more pungent than I've had before. Our other starters included terrine of foie gras with pear chutney and pain epice (£12.50), with a bottle of Bourgone Aligote (£20). My main course of sirloin steak came with ragout of oxtail and chorizo stew and a serving of boot lace fried potatoes. It was delicious with a glass of Muga reserva Rioja, 2000 (£6.50). The cooking and presentation are spot on and my friends were very pleased with their grilled dover sole served with vin blanc, sautéed spinach and pommes du jour (£21), sauteed perch with onion gnocchi, morels and vanilla bisque (£16) and roast fillet of zander with seared brisket, sauce aigre-doux and fennel puree (£15). Everything was of the highest quality and the fish was cooked to perfection. For dessert I had white peach consommé with cardamom sorbet and lemon sponge (£7), while the others had cheese from Neal's Yard with chutney and celery (£9), sorbets and ice creams (£6) and vanilla panacotta with lingon berry jelly and lingon berry sorbet (£8). Again, nothing disappointed. We also had three bottles of still and sparkling water, and the final bill included a levy of £1 each to go to the World Wildlife Fund. Afterward we were shown the rest of the establishment. Past the gleaming hi-tech kitchen is a highly trendy but deserted bar area with spacious outdoor decked patio overlooking gardens, and there is also some outdoor seating at the front entrance. Overall we were impressed with the quality of cuisine and service. However, virtually next door is the graveyard of Chelsea Harbour, where several highly rated restaurants initially flourished only later to wither and die. I hope it thrives in spite of this. Website  |
| Garbo's Crawford Street Marylebone 020 7262 6582  Edgware Road 
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Lunch £30 ($45) |
Authentic Swedish cuisine,
with gravad lax, meatballs and other Scandinavian delights on offer.
Relaxed atmosphere in wood panelled surroundings. |
| IKEA
North Circular Road Wembley 020 7262 6582 Neasden |
Lunch £8 ($12) |
OK - it's really a furniture
and home store, but since there's nowhere else around for miles and
the crowds have thickened considerably over time making the quick dash
in and out a thing of the past, you'll probably end up at either the
restaurant or the exit snack bar in need of a sit down after slogging
your way through the furniture showrooms. And the kids are hungry and
thirsty and need to pee. Big, crowded, chaotic canteen, with huge queues
for the single line to collect hot and cold snacks. Hot usually includes
anaemic meatballs with lingonberry sauce and fast food type fries, with
alternatives of the reliable catering standby of macaroni and cheese
and perhaps some fresh fish or roast pork. In the chill cabinets are
not bad gravad lax and a selection of aging open sandwiches and pastries.
Rather a captive audience given the lack of other venues in the area.
Cheap, cheerful and hectic. |
| 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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