Currently Smiths of Wapping. The service is absolutely outstanding along with the food and the views. Wish i could eat there weekly. A very nice treat.
Was also at Blacklock recent;y in the city and going again Friday. What a chop feast!! Lovely.
Sportsman is massively over-rated Chunes. Good grub but don't think they have changed the menu in a decade but the prices have trebled since the DFLs started frequenting it. Have you tried Wheelers in Whitstable High Street ?
In Hong Kong it has to be So Bor Kee in Cheung Chau. Scallops with shredded garlic, spicy fried chicken Szechuan style and stir fried beans in garlic and chilli. Washed down with a cold bottle of Tsing Tao. Nice view of the sunset over the harbour and change out of 20 quid.
Whitstable but in China as my eldest son calls it.
Opinions, isn't it?
I don't get down to that area very much but from the Whitstable thread it sounds like there's a lot of great stuff down there. Maybe when we move back to the UK.
Haven't tried your Cheung Chau place. Will put it on the list. Usually head to Lei Yue Mun for local seafood .
Absolutely and mine is the minority one as The Sportsman still gets great reviews and awards. Just wish they would change the menu occasionally but haven't been for years now. Where is this Punjab Club ? I have a wedding anniversary coming up.
Mumu Maidstone - quirky and tasty. Licorice smoked chicken wings and a Sunday Roast Peter Luger's restaurant in New York did amazing steaks. Unbelievably good. Trader Vic's in Hollywood as it was the first night of my honeymoon and I got absolutely wankered on a fish bowl of cocktail and then a fillet steak.
Notable mention for Blue Nile in Woolwich. Went there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sketch in Conduit Street is also exceptional and so are the prices (in the evening). Lunch time tasting menu is 'reasonable' - good for a special occasion. The decor (and the toilets!) are amazing...
For the 'theatre'... nothing touches the Fat Duck. Heston B's restaurant in Bray. I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail but given we spent nearly £400 a head with the wine pairing, you would have expected nothing else than exceptional. But I only gave it 4*s out of 5.
Tiny place has about 5/6 tables. Sat right next to an open kitchen. Incredible atmosphere with a mix of different customers. Can tell it's family run. Had Wild Boar Spare ribs
Currently my favourite is the Blue Nile in Woolwich. A brilliant Eritrean restaurant. We have the vegetarian option which is several stews with injera bread.
For the 'theatre'... nothing touches the Fat Duck. Heston B's restaurant in Bray. I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail but given we spent nearly £400 a head with the wine pairing, you would have expected nothing else than exceptional. But I only gave it 4*s out of 5.
It's worth 5*s for the hot & cold tea alone!
It was just the bill that made me wince and knock it down by a mark, thats all
For the 'theatre'... nothing touches the Fat Duck. Heston B's restaurant in Bray. I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail but given we spent nearly £400 a head with the wine pairing, you would have expected nothing else than exceptional. But I only gave it 4*s out of 5.
It's worth 5*s for the hot & cold tea alone!
It was just the bill that made me wince and knock it down by a mark, thats all
Fair, done the wine pairing the first time we went. Never again.I was absolutely ring pieced by the end of it as the missus isn’t a fan of red so I ended up drinking any of those she had. I also asked our wine waiter for the name of a bottle of white so I could get some myself some when back home, it was from Italy as was he so it made him very excited which resulted in extra free glasses of that particular one every time I was dry.
Sportsman is massively over-rated Chunes. Good grub but don't think they have changed the menu in a decade but the prices have trebled since the DFLs started frequenting it. Have you tried Wheelers in Whitstable High Street ?
In Hong Kong it has to be So Bor Kee in Cheung Chau. Scallops with shredded garlic, spicy fried chicken Szechuan style and stir fried beans in garlic and chilli. Washed down with a cold bottle of Tsing Tao. Nice view of the sunset over the harbour and change out of 20 quid.
Whitstable but in China as my eldest son calls it.
Opinions, isn't it?
I don't get down to that area very much but from the Whitstable thread it sounds like there's a lot of great stuff down there. Maybe when we move back to the UK.
Haven't tried your Cheung Chau place. Will put it on the list. Usually head to Lei Yue Mun for local seafood .
Absolutely and mine is the minority one as The Sportsman still gets great reviews and awards. Just wish they would change the menu occasionally but haven't been for years now. Where is this Punjab Club ? I have a wedding anniversary coming up.
Wyndham Street. Just next to the Fringe club. Service is amazing, too. Very small place.
Roast at borough market isn’t the most comfortable restaurant. However, one of the best Sunday lunches anywhere.
Nobu is too expensive, but the black cod is superb. I now order it online from The Fish Society. Very easy to cook.
Best of all, by a million miles, Stone Bass at Gigis in Quinta do Lago. Again, very expensive, but the best fish you will ever eat. Nowhere comes close.
Chilli crab with man tao (little steamed buns) in Jumbo Seafood in Singapore. A basic canteen style restaurant, but that food was divine. 30C outside and in, but I didn't even touch my beer until I was halfway through.
At home, hard to choose. Sometimes a really good steak in a country pub absolutely hits the spot.
Favourite bit - "Other things are the stuff of therapy. The canapé we are instructed to eat first is a transparent ball on a spoon. It looks like a Barbie-sized silicone breast implant, and is a “spherification”, a gel globe using a technique perfected by Ferran Adrià at El Bulli about 20 years ago. This one pops in our mouth to release stale air with a tinge of ginger. My companion winces. “It’s like eating a condom that’s been left lying about in a dusty greengrocer’s,” she says."
- The Hong Kong Jockey Club's clubhouse in Beijing served some of the best duck I have ever had, as one would expect from somewhere like that. The entire experience was a bit otherworldly for me though as I'm not the type to do fine dining regularly. Also exquisite was the rice(!!!), while the soup and dumplings were gorgeous too.
- Closer to home, you have Dumpling's Legend in Chinatown. It's very, very busy and you can see why - the xiaolongbao are absolutely immense. These are soup-filled small dumplings, and incredibly hard to cook correctly. Their general cuisine is very decent, too.
- Caso do Frango (London Bridge) isn't the most original place ever, but it's like if Nando's was actually done properly with attention to detail. African rice was spectacular, and my brother and I invariably order the feijoada when there.
- Plaquemine Lock, in Islington, is perhaps a bit pricey given the cuisine is based on that of New Orleans/Louisiana, but it's absolutely delicious. The gumbo is class, while the po'boys are (maybe) slightly sanitised for the English palate, but flavoursome nonetheless.
- El Pastor (Borough Market) is about as good as you will get for tacos and salsa authenticity in London. About a year and a half ago, my brother and I ran up a bill to an almost embarrassing extent, with our waitress mock-horrified as to how much we'd consumed. But it was worth every penny and every button popped open on our shirts. Carnitas went down an absolute treat.
- Padella (London Bridge: bit of a theme to pick places near where I work!) is probably known to most of us here. Cheap, bold pasta dishes. A small menu but that doesn't matter one jot when the food is as good as it is. My favourite pasta in the country.
- La Pappardella (Earls Court) is a close second to Padella in pasta quality. Feels like home as far as restaurants go, and the plates are a good size and very delicious.
- Anarkali in Swansea does a blinding curry. I've had the kaju chicken and it's excellent, as are the side dishes. Does an immense lime pickle as well as this fantastic coconut powder thing.
A. Wong (Pimlico) - best Chinese I've had and very much deserving of its Michelin star. Its sister restaurant Kyms in the Bloomberg development isn't quite as good but is a loverly venue.
Brigadiers (Cannon Street) - Also in the Bloomberg development. Brilliant Indian food in opulent surroundings by the Sethi siblings who always seem to get it right.
Peckham Bazaar (err. Peckham) bit off the beaten track but wonderful eastern mediteranean dishes cooked on open fire.
Naughty Piglets (Brixton) - inventive small plates
Boomba (Oval) - excellent mid price Indian with good beer choices. Dahl Makhani as good as Dishooms.
Apollo Bananaleaf (Tooting) - cheap BYOB Sri Lankan, big flavours, big portions. Have yet to try Paradise or Hppoers to compare a more upmarket Sri Lankan.
My favourite restaurant for the overall experience was La Colombe which was in Costantia, just outside Cape Town. The setting, service and food were all brilliant. Thinks moved to different location now but still gets very good reviews.
Been to quite a few poncey restaurants over the years and food in most of them has been amazing but some of them are so OTT in terms of service you cant really feel that relaxed.
One place I always enjoying going to is Shampan. Either the one in Welling or Bromley.
Chapter One in Locksbottom. No particular dish. Never had a bad meal - the Saturday/Sunday lunch options generally offer the best variety and value.
I've been there a few times as the Mrs loves it. A bit to poncy for my liking if I'm honest.
I went there once and it was far too poncy for my liking. All plate, with whirls of jus and tiny food portions for double the normal price. If you think you're important and like to be fawned over it's the place for you.
For me it's more about the friends and the chat than the food, wherever I go... I've been fortunate enough to eat in restuarants all over the world, you know, the one's that you 'have' to go to when you're in NYC, LA, Barbados etc etc where I've had some delicious meals but the place I've been to the most over the years is Zaibatsu, near the bottom of Maze Hill and the dishes I always love are the starters of salt and pepper squid and the chicken satay...simply served, always great and brilliant value (and always with friends, who really make the meal...)
Chapter One in Locksbottom. No particular dish. Never had a bad meal - the Saturday/Sunday lunch options generally offer the best variety and value.
I've been there a few times as the Mrs loves it. A bit to poncy for my liking if I'm honest.
I went there once and it was far too poncy for my liking. All plate, with whirls of jus and tiny food portions for double the normal price. If you think you're important and like to be fawned over it's the place for you.
Don't forget they also put a leaf or something on the side of the plate as well. Very filling.
Blimey, tough question, given how much we eat out and how many Trip Advisor restaurant reviews I've written in the last 6 years.
For the 'theatre'... nothing touches the Fat Duck. Heston B's restaurant in Bray. I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail but given we spent nearly £400 a head with the wine pairing, you would have expected nothing else than exceptional. But I only gave it 4*s out of 5.
Best restaurant in Kent. Have got 2 for you. The West House at Biddenden, owned by former drummer Graham Garrett. The tasting menu is fantastic. Then more recently, we tried a great restaurant in Canterbury, The Corner House. Doesn't look anything special from the outside but bloody hell the food. Yum. The Romney Marsh Lamb to share was one of the best meal's I've had anywhere. Absolute food filth. Its worth taking a drive down that way to try it and we'll be going back again. Notable mention for the Kentish Hare at Tunbridge Wells but I understand the head chef, Bobby Brown has left to open the Bank House at Chislehurst.
Europe. Le Cinq in Paris at the 4 seasons hotel. Unbelievable Food and unbelievable price tag. Il Chianti Vineria in Rome, stunning food and great value for money.
Further afield, Tempo in Cancun by Martin Berasategui. Best value for money tasting menu you'll eat anywhere. Celery ice cream. Sounds mental but bloody hell, so nice. Maude by Australian Masterchef Chef Curtis Stone in LA. Il Tramonto, an italian restaurant we found by chance in Temecula, California. The tomato sauce must have been cooked down for hours and hours but the desert, best desert I've had anywhere. Think bread and butter pudding but made out of cinnamon rolls. Juniper & Ivy in San Diego was nice and very good value for money considering the standard. Was a bit shocked when we ordered the 'whole duck' they actually mean a whole duck. Thats the first time I've ever seen a duck head on the plate in front of me!
Not a massive fan of Chapter One tbh. Have been four times now and not exactly been blown away each time. Eating locally in Petts Wood, Uskudar do a great mixed grill, Cipriani's do a fabulous Skate Wing, the Sushi place in Fairway near the Daylight does exceptional Sushi. The Bull's Head in Chislehurst does decent food too.
I wouldn't mind, before I met my wife, I used to like eating in the local Beefeater or Harvester! My list of 'avoids' is quite lengthy.
Another vote here for the West House at Biddenden; excellent food. You should also try the Fordwich Arms, just outside Canterbury. They recently won their first Michelin star & it is a brilliant experience.
Comments
Was also at Blacklock recent;y in the city and going again Friday. What a chop feast!! Lovely.
Many an enjoyable evening there.
Peter Luger's restaurant in New York did amazing steaks. Unbelievably good.
Trader Vic's in Hollywood as it was the first night of my honeymoon and I got absolutely wankered on a fish bowl of cocktail and then a fillet steak.
Notable mention for Blue Nile in Woolwich. Went there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Saka No Hana - 3 Courses (including a great selection of sushi and sashimi) plus half a bottle of wine for £35.
My favourite was Picture Restaurant in Fitzrovia had a 5 course tasting menu for £30! Absolutely delicious but sadly closed down now.
Tiny place has about 5/6 tables. Sat right next to an open kitchen. Incredible atmosphere with a mix of different customers. Can tell it's family run. Had Wild Boar Spare ribs
Food is great though, and the family that run it are extremely nice people.
Worth a visit.
Nobu is too expensive, but the black cod is superb. I now order it online from The Fish Society. Very easy to cook.
Best of all, by a million miles, Stone Bass at Gigis in Quinta do Lago. Again, very expensive, but the best fish you will ever eat. Nowhere comes close.
At home, hard to choose. Sometimes a really good steak in a country pub absolutely hits the spot.
Favourite bit - "Other things are the stuff of therapy. The canapé we are instructed to eat first is a transparent ball on a spoon. It looks like a Barbie-sized silicone breast implant, and is a “spherification”, a gel globe using a technique perfected by Ferran Adrià at El Bulli about 20 years ago. This one pops in our mouth to release stale air with a tinge of ginger. My companion winces. “It’s like eating a condom that’s been left lying about in a dusty greengrocer’s,” she says."
- The Hong Kong Jockey Club's clubhouse in Beijing served some of the best duck I have ever had, as one would expect from somewhere like that. The entire experience was a bit otherworldly for me though as I'm not the type to do fine dining regularly. Also exquisite was the rice(!!!), while the soup and dumplings were gorgeous too.
- Closer to home, you have Dumpling's Legend in Chinatown. It's very, very busy and you can see why - the xiaolongbao are absolutely immense. These are soup-filled small dumplings, and incredibly hard to cook correctly. Their general cuisine is very decent, too.
- Caso do Frango (London Bridge) isn't the most original place ever, but it's like if Nando's was actually done properly with attention to detail. African rice was spectacular, and my brother and I invariably order the feijoada when there.
- Plaquemine Lock, in Islington, is perhaps a bit pricey given the cuisine is based on that of New Orleans/Louisiana, but it's absolutely delicious. The gumbo is class, while the po'boys are (maybe) slightly sanitised for the English palate, but flavoursome nonetheless.
- El Pastor (Borough Market) is about as good as you will get for tacos and salsa authenticity in London. About a year and a half ago, my brother and I ran up a bill to an almost embarrassing extent, with our waitress mock-horrified as to how much we'd consumed. But it was worth every penny and every button popped open on our shirts. Carnitas went down an absolute treat.
- Padella (London Bridge: bit of a theme to pick places near where I work!) is probably known to most of us here. Cheap, bold pasta dishes. A small menu but that doesn't matter one jot when the food is as good as it is. My favourite pasta in the country.
- La Pappardella (Earls Court) is a close second to Padella in pasta quality. Feels like home as far as restaurants go, and the plates are a good size and very delicious.
- Anarkali in Swansea does a blinding curry. I've had the kaju chicken and it's excellent, as are the side dishes. Does an immense lime pickle as well as this fantastic coconut powder thing.
A. Wong (Pimlico) - best Chinese I've had and very much deserving of its Michelin star. Its sister restaurant Kyms in the Bloomberg development isn't quite as good but is a loverly venue.
Brigadiers (Cannon Street) - Also in the Bloomberg development. Brilliant Indian food in opulent surroundings by the Sethi siblings who always seem to get it right.
Peckham Bazaar (err. Peckham) bit off the beaten track but wonderful eastern mediteranean dishes cooked on open fire.
Naughty Piglets (Brixton) - inventive small plates
Boomba (Oval) - excellent mid price Indian with good beer choices. Dahl Makhani as good as Dishooms.
Apollo Bananaleaf (Tooting) - cheap BYOB Sri Lankan, big flavours, big portions. Have yet to try Paradise or Hppoers to compare a more upmarket Sri Lankan.
Been to quite a few poncey restaurants over the years and food in most of them has been amazing but some of them are so OTT in terms of service you cant really feel that relaxed.
One place I always enjoying going to is Shampan. Either the one in Welling or Bromley.
All plate, with whirls of jus and tiny food portions for double the normal price.
If you think you're important and like to be fawned over it's the place for you.
Very filling.