david goodfellow

No, the original in Maddox St, Mayfair. I may try the new one sometime soon. Btw, if you go for lunch and fancy a bit of shopping afterwards to walk it off, Regent Street is only minutes away.

John, the Alderley Restaurant at the Alderley Edge Hotel in Alderley Edge (where else )is very, very good. It won three AA rosettes this year putting it on par with a number of Michelin starred places. We had an excellent meal there earlier this year and am a bit annoyed with myself for not doing a review. Its only a dozen miles from Manchester in a southerly direction so it qualifies. Chris Holland is a very good chef. I may try to dig out my notes and do a review http://www.eatoutmagazine.co.uk/online_article/AA-announces-new-restaurants-achieving-three-and-four-rosettes/9921

Most certainly. Ask for a booth when you book the table, explain you have a kiddy in tow and any preferences that you may have, such as by a window, a quiet corner etc. Manager Giovanni Lombardi looked after us,mention this thread and I'm sure he will look after you.

Been meaning to try this place for ages but whenever we are in London I like to add to my Michelin list so places like this get missed. That said however, we are returning to basics a bit of late, as we are looking at more "honest" food, and this just fits the bill. I did not preplan our visit I had an open mind on the day as to where we would eat assuming we would get a table at the handfull of places that I had in reserve. Although this place had been brought back into focus because of their new opening in The City. For some strange reason I did not have my greedy head on and decided that a steak would be wasted on me but this was of no consequence as the famous Goodman burger was to be put to the test in a comparison to the one we ate recently at Bar Boulud. Quite dark and moody with an inviting bar, we were seated in a booth which was comfy and cosy. The wine list is not that user friendly, but no matter we fancied beer with our beef. We craved a good old English brown ale but this was not to be so we sampled some pilsner which was not too bad. I must mention the bread, which is bought in, it surprised me a bit as it is very good indeed. Mrs G started with (for me)a bit too al dente risotto, but she disagreed and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was creamy and full of seafood flavour, juicy tiger prawns, salmon, lobster butter, and a sprinkling of chives.Quite a decent portion too. I, at this point changed my mind on the burger as on the set menu I noticed a caesar salad followed by a New York strip loin so as they both appealled, on balance, this was the direction to take. We make this at home quite a bit, as a Chicken caesar, however its not easy to find the white anchovies where we live, although having said that our local fish wholesaler had a box of spanish ones a few weeks back which were devoured with great pleasure. The Cos ( Romaine ) lettuce was perfectly dressed, each and every leaf was covered, rich flavoured parmesan, fruity olive oil, very fine crispy croutons and of course the tasty anchovies. Ok so nothing really out of the ordinary just a classic dish very well done and really surprisingly quite filling. Next up the burger which is very good value (£12) considering that there is no extra charge levied for sauteeded mushrooms, bacon, cheddar cheese, fried onions, or even a fried egg. We opted for all of the extras except the fried egg, but guess what, the burger that turned up had a fried egg but none of the other stuff so it went back. Ok, so no big deal not many minutes passed before the correct order appeared. Now this is one big hunk of meat, I guess a third to a half bigger than the Bar Boulud one, and not one to be man handled by my lady wife, or even by myself come to think of it. The cheese and especially the bacon were welcome additions. I thought at first a hint of smokiness to the bacon but on reflection am perhaps wrong. The beef was well tasty, juicy, moreish and very filling. As this was not my dish I could not linger too long on it as I had my own dish to confront. Not much to choose between the one here and the Bar Boulud one, but I think the latter just edges it a bit though. Just a tad more accessable too as you can pick it up to scoff it down. Having said all that, this place is high up there for one of the best burgers in town. My 8oz USDA New York strip loin on the set menu is fantastic value, the caesar and steak are only £18 and given the quality of the steak alone is a steal. It was served with a potent black peppercorn sauce which for me was great but I suspect some may find it a tad overpowering. The steak itself fulfilled all of the promise and had very little waste which added to the high value of the dish. When it arrived table side my nostrils sucked in all of the wonderful aroma. The chips were terrific, top notch and whenever I eat chips now, I compare them to Hestons triple cooked ones we ate at the Hinds Head, and also Domonic Chapmans at The Royal Oak. These were as good, if not better and that is saying something. For once after two courses we were stuffed, my wife even leaving most of her chips which saddened me because they were so good. Were not "coffee people" but the manager "insisted" we take one on the house because of the mix up in the burger order. With a promise of a view of the kitchen with its famed Josper (Hosper) grills, who was I to argue. Down to the basement kitchen next, to look at the walk in "cold room" with its two fans drying out the premium meat. I was told up to 20% in weight is lost over twenty days or so plus the crust is trimmed making this some pricey beef indeed. The beef can be aged for more than double this amount of time and a lot longer in some cases. Some prime USDA hunks of beef to the right (don,t get excited girls) and some Irish at the rear. Two grills in operation throughout the day and night. IronChef in action, and I'll tell you what, if you think your jobs tough, spare a thought for this guy, the blast of heat from those ovens sears eyebrows believe me. Imagine doing a shift in that sort of heat, it sorts the men from the boys I assure you. Talk about working at the coalface, and he has a beaming smile on his face, good man, Or should that be GOODMAN? Well as you can probably gather we really enjoyed our visit to Goodman and at just over £50 for two, this is the cheapest London meal we have ever eaten, and can think of a number of meals costing double and more that we derived no more pleasure from. I'm glad we finally made it.

I can quite understand the appeal of Primrose Hill. From its lofty perch with super views over London, to the quite wonderful village feel, little wonder the rich and famous have flocked here in their droves. Past and present residents include, David Milliband, Jamie, Jools, & Kids Oliver, Geri Halliwell, Tim Burton, Gwen Stefani, Chris Moyles, etc, etc, etc,. This place fairly reaks of old and new money so needless to say you need a shilling or two to live here. We were lucky to not incurr a kings ransom on our recent sunny Saturday lunch visit. You may not have seen much of Bryn Williams on TV recently except perhaps a Saturday Kitchen appearance or two, but trust me he is still doing the business in Primrose Hill. Famous of course for his winning dish on Great British Menu, which he served to the Queen Mum about four or five years ago now. I was eager to see what the Welsh Wizard could conjour up for eighteen quid, the precise cost of a three course lunch at this establishment. The menu in fairness does not support prime ingredients, however that said, to have a star chef cook for you at this level this really is a steal. Also available between 6 and 7 and with a choice of three dishes at each course you could quite easily eat your way through it lunch and dinner. "A" started with Marinated Quail, Quail toasty, blue cheese and broccoli which was presented with some quite wonderful bread. The soda bread was quite outstanding and I may try to make this myself adding some chopped walnuts. The other was rolled with a grain mustard filling and jolly nice it was too. I really like Quail and eat it whenever it is on a menu however we dont tend to go for the same dish as its nice to try a taste of as much as possible when dining out. We both thought this to be "very tasty" I was interested to see how the " Baby Squid Salad" would be presented, and was not disappointed. I thought it looked pretty as a picture, and it ate very well too. The featherly light crunchy batter added a texture dimension which was most welcome, lots of moist, sweet bite from the accompanying watermelon, and again some crunch and another flavour from the pistachio crumbs, good dish overall. I noticed the winning GBM dish was on the carte menu, and in truth I don't suppose it has ever been off it. Good thing too as it gives people a chance to taste what three respected critics chose for the Queen Mums birthday meal. Of course we had to try it, Pan Fried Turbot, Braised Oxtail, Cockles, Samphire, was split between us, and plated thoughtfully so as we did not have to fight for the last little bit. The Turbot, cockles and samphire screamed of the sea. The Oxtail had four feet firmly on the land, but what a marriage, one of the few that seems to work these days. A great bit of cooking Next up was Confit Haddock, with Fish Cake, pak choi, and a wonderful shellfish bisque. Again the crunch from the fish cake added good texture next to the flaky Haddock, pak choi also did its bit, not at all bad this dish. My wife was not on the fish fest that I was so I let her choose the dish that I desired the most which was Braised Pork cheek, Polenta, Courgette and Tomato. I suppose I could have gone into caveman mode and clubbed her into submission but strange as it may be if I win an argument these days, my food tastes like Whiskas for the following few days, I wonder why? I did manage about half of one of the three cheeks, my wife scoffed the rest immersed in her own little world. The little battered battons are actually lamb belly and clearly two type of courgette, I remember a tomato and red onion sauce. A real moreish dish this I am eating it now just looking at the photo. We skipped desserts as we thought the cheese was more appealing, all the way from West Wales was Perl wen cheese an organic Cows milk with a brie type appearance this was served with some fig marmalade, which I suspect was home made. I nearly forgot the exquisite crispbreads coated in poppy seeds. A very good end to a very good meal. Bryn was in the kitchen on the day and after service ensconsed himself in his office to do some work on his new book which will be out early next year. He popped up to say hello, which was very nice of him and posed for this photo. Another very pleasant lunch at a jaw dropping price, do pop along for some cracking cooking from a top chef. Our bill actually came out at £81 which included the extra course @ £21 and a bottle of wine for £19 plus of course the dreaded 12.5% service. Still pretty reasonable for a posh nosh for two from a top chef. If you fancy a job in Bryn's kitchen (according to his twitter account) he is recruiting chefs, but you have to be pretty damb good though

If you are ever in the camden area again - its worth checking out the restaurant Market. Their slow cooked pork cheeks and morcilla is an absolute beaut. Thanks for the recommend, I,m always on the look out for my next good meal

Thanks for that John, best get myself up there soon. Strange that I should miss this, although saying that Man Con bombards me with unwanted junk on a daily basis and if I don,t see anything of immediate interest on the lead page it gets deleted.

Thanks for that insight Pam, a very good explanation as to why they are not available more readily. As an aside we had Pork cheeks a la Bryn Williams at his restaurant Odettes at the weekend. You may remember Bryn won a Great British Menu with one of his dishes, which we also tried, will write it up soon hopefully.

Thanks folks, should make a visit again soon, however the lure of the big city is consuming all of my spare time at present.

I'm looking forward to cooking this dish again, the honey or sweetness from, propels the taste upwards. Interesting you should mention your butcher being unable to supply you with cheeks, mine is the same and also my local abbatior. It seems only some butchers (Morrisons inc) can sell the head meat. Never thought to ask why, Do they have to have a special licence?

That recipe reads very well, a common theme seems to be the honey, and of course the classic apple addition. The only risk in this sort of publicity is as time goes by, Morrisons et al will be short of the beloved cheeks, sadly.

Well all of the Lobsters went from Lidl, helped by the ones that we bought. We are down now to two in the freezer as we had three today between us. Simply served with an ocean of garlic butter, baby new potatoes, mixed leaf salad including lambs lettuce and some crunchy fennel and fennel tops. Jolly nice it was too.

There are no Waitrose branches where I live which is a bit of a shame, as I am a fan. As their core business is London and environs, its understandable I suppose. I tried their store checker and there is a small store about twenty five miles away, but thats too many food miles for me, for a small quantity of food. So, back to Morrisons, where the young butcher is filling the shelves and directs me to the pork cheeks. Interestingly enough they now have trotters by the score in my store also, but I will wait a bit before I try the Pierre Koffmann recipe. I just know mine is going to be rubbish in comparison. We strike up a conversation about cheeks, trotters, et al and he shares his recipe with me, which is simple but effective. Trim cheeks to remove any fat or membrane, cut in half lengthwise, dip in beaten egg, coat with parmesan cheese, season with salt and black pepper and gently fry until crisp and golden. (season first really). I just tried the one out of interest and it was surpringly tender but still a bit chewy in places. I will most certainly try this again as it is so quick. On reflection I should have flattened them with my hammer and this would tenderise them and even out the meat a bit more. A pack of four was £1-10, and a pack of six £1-80 and not a lot of waste on them either. I can understand why chefs use them so much, all that flavour in such a cheap cut of meat.

I love this site , I love the banter and bonhomie, its like a drug, I keep returning for more, And so to your post Pam. . I like your "pickees" and love the fact you have driven so far to share your experience with us, however forgive me for pulling rank. My round trip for lunch to The Sportsman was 436 miles. Perhaps we should start another thread on photography and distance travelled. I love the term "Jalopy" Nickloman, it brings a smile to my face, surely your too young to use that description Can't help but think you would be seriously impressed if you saw my main motor, but its too precious to put mileage on so it will never see the likes of The Sportsman. Would be great if we could organise (through egullet of course) a meal at some time to put a face and a name to the nom de plumes. Ideas?

Just had an e-mail from Opentable of an offer on the six course menu which is now £45 at lunchtimes Sunday to Friday seems a pretty good deal to me.

Good report John, thanks for the reminder of how good it was. That tray baked focaccia is to die for. Stephen Harris gave me the recipe orally but my sieve like brain lost it like it does a lot things these days. I may just e-mail him for the recipe it really is superb.

Panda's are chubby cheeked, but are they protected? I bet Heston will come up with a Pork Cheeks recipe for Waitrose, no doubt with a cone of thrice cooked chips, followed with bacon and egg ice cream, just to continue the pork theme of course. Delia, the famous casserole queen, may just offer her take on them.

I know there is a thread on here about Cured Pork Chaps but the pork cheeks that I am referring to are the small trimmed version about the size of a three year olds fist. I bought a pack from Morrisons who are selling all manner of offally stuff long forgotten but enjoying a bit of a revival. My wife was a bit tired of my spate of Beef cheeks, Blade of Beef dishes,etc, especially as the last one was not trimmed (of fat) to her satisfaction. So I froze them and forgot about them till yesterday. I remembered that I had a pigs cheek dish at Michelin Galvin at Windows and really enjoyed it so I searched the web for a similar one. The one that caught my eye was a Mark Sargeant recipe. Now considering he recently appeared on Saturday Kitchen and held a Michelin star at Clariges working for Gordon Ramsay I figured it was worth a punt. I followed the recipe for the cheeks but did not put so much honey in. I had no apples or swede to hand so I cooked savoy cabbage with bacon and cream, some carrots (mainly for colour) and some buttery mashed potatoes using my heavy duty ricer. The end result was smashing even though I say it myself. The cheeks were melt in the mouth, the sauce had a great depth of flavour and not too sweet at all (as I had cut down on the honey) the cabbage and mash went well and my wife praised my efforts. What more can you ask for. On reflection next time I may cut down on the cloves a bit. Can't remember how much the cheeks were but seem to think they were about a couple of pounds or even less. Well worth seeking out they tasted great. http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/586366

I love both hotels, wonderful location The Slaughters, (upper and lower) and we used to weekend for years in the Cotswolds, we were smitten. For some reason, (perhaps reaching saturation point)we stopped going. Had some good meals at Lords of Manor but not recently. I tried to book a midweek lazy lunch a short while back, but they don't open except for afternoon tea. Its perhaps a bit too far away for us for dinner as we would have to have an overnight stay and we currently prefer London as we can dine at two restaurants on our list over a weekend. As I am working my way through the Michelin list my first choice would be Lords, and in the very near future I shall post a report up here. Can't comment on Lower Slaughter Manor food wise, although I notice Welsh chef David Kelman used to work at Bodysgallen Hall, which I rate, and have been a number of times over the years so I have perhaps eaten his food in the past. Be good to read your review on either one, but personally that Michelin star would swing it for me.

Sorry ,repeat post

Some good comments there folks, thank you all for contributing, seems like Vietnamese food is indeed popular. Will try to give another place a try out sometime.

Hi Linda, and thank you. You can not go wrong dining here,we loved it. Indeed if you are dining in London this area is the place to be, with incredible choices. Also at The Berkeley is two Michelin star Marcus Waring's restaurant. Across the road is Bar Boulud and Heston Blumenthal is opening there later this year. If you are rich of course you could stay at The Berkeley or The Mandarin Oriental or the fabulous Lanesborough, (which houses Aspleys) etc, etc. perhaps a local egulleter may offer you a bed, you never know your luck The following restaurants are mostly Michelin starred and within easy walking distance, Zafferano,(italian) Amaya,(indian) Nahm,(thai) Aspleys,(italian) Gordon Ramsays new Petrus,(modern french) and Racine (french) I have dined at most of these and can vouch for the quality. This area is currently my favorite. The lunch options are terrific for quality, value, and location, and if I lived here I would become very plump indeed. The scallop dish, Coquilles St Jacques A L'Encre, is one of Pierre Koffmanns famous signiture dishes, its "Scallops with Squid ink" sold as a starter @ £16 or a main @ £28. I have not eaten it yet, but I have time on my side. Happy eating.

We moved house a few years ago and I boxed my book collection to relocate them to a prime spot in the refurbished house. Its still unfinished but through one hallway Pierre Koffmanns book Memories of Gascony has peeked through the cardboard box tempting me on a number of occasions to try some more of the recipes.Its now twenty years old and the recipes are timeless. I bought some trotters a while back but never got around to making his famed Pieds De Cochon Aux Morilles, hopeful that one day I would be able to sit in his restaurant and have the man himself cook them for me. That time had arrived. Housed in the part of The Berkeley where Vong once was, I remembered walking down the stairs into the basement room as though it were yesterday. Jean-Georges Vongerichen was the star man when he hit town and we had a fantastic meal there. Smiley, Happy Greeting from a multitude of staff including Mr K's bubbly Partner Claire. Fantastic booth table looking towards the open kitchen with flashing glimpses of the main man. We were offered an amuse of Rabbit Terrine on Baggette which I forgot to snap. The menu reads very well with three dishes "Pour Deux", Cote De Boeuf, Poulet Noir and Saint Pierre (John Dory). Poissons from a choice of six include,Lobster, Skate, Sea Bass, the usual suspects really. Entrees include my choice the famous Pigs Trotter, Lamb, Beef Cheeks, etc, from a choice of eight. I must also mention the extremely good value lunch, two course for £18, or three for £22.50. You lucky, lucky, locals. Bread was an assortment from the hotel as I understand, and it was not as good as I had expected, but rest assured Koffmanns own baker (arriving soon) will correct that. Butter was very good and with the right amount of salt. Potted Foie Gras (£14) was the Lady's choice and it was as smooth as silk, quite a big rich portion with a quite wonderful jelly topping. Imagine sitting in a French field (or a posh restaurant for that matter ) full of fragrant flowers,having a picnic on a sunny day, fresh bagette, great company, get the picture? Eleven in the kitchen including Mr K, but no head chef as yet. Tim Payne was supposed to be in charge,( don't ask I don't know ) but I am reliably informed very good chef ( and fresh from Heston,s, Hinds Head ) Clive Dixon is soon to be installed. Note my Escargots waiting to be served. My Cassolette D Escargots Et Girolles A L'Ail (£12) were served in a Le Crueset Pot with a heavily (nice) garlic laced buttered slice of bagette. I did not ask if said snails were from France, I sort of assumed they were from Hereford as most seem to be from there.Quite punchy flavours and real comfort food, a larger portion would keep most people happy on its own. Next up the Pied De Cochon (£27),and I simply don't know why I have not tried this before. Its been on Marco Pierre Whites menus, Shaun Hills menus etc, but I may have been a bit too wimpy to jump in. Lets face it folks its not going to win any beauty contests. However this ugly bug has a scintilating personality. Not the wordsmith I wish I was its hard to sum up the level of enjoyment this dish offered. I imagined it to be an aquired taste and hard work. It was niether it was a triumph to the tastebuds. Said Porker must have been a baby judging by the size of it on the plate. It is very rich and moreish and certainly a winter dish. Still with five chefs prepping eighty at a time this is never going to disappear from this menu. The other main was Lapin Roti A La Moutarde (£20) A stonking stuffed Rabbit dish of generous proportion. I could have devoured this myself, it was just so "of the moment". Broad beans,baby Girolles, Artichoke and a trio of Cherry vine Tomatoes completed the picture. A most welcome selection of vegetables were presented in the form of buttery Chantenais Carrots, some too al dente Suger Snaps, and some absolutely delish Pomme Frites, easily as good as the excellent ones we ate at Bar Boulud. They were cutely presented in a cone of Le Monde newspaper. We were too full to take a dessert each so we shared some Marinated Cherries with Fromage Fraise, NAGE DE CERISES ET FROMAGE FRAISE (£9) The cherries were from France and marinated in their own juices and flecked with chopped pistachios. I personally think this dish was a bit too simple and needed a bit of alchohol to help it forward. Still pleasant enough though. Petit fours were Orange Chocolate Macaroons, Coffee Profiteroles, and Apricot Jellies, one of which my wife ate before I could take the photo. We did not take cheese, but the board looked very tempting and even though it was quite dark I attempted a photograph, so please be understanding again, as no flash was used. In the next booth to ours egulleter and super informed Bloomberg food critic Richard Vines was dining with Bruno Loubet and their glamorous ladies. I did not trouble them but as they exited the kitchen after offering good wishes to Pierre Koffmann, Richard kindly stopped bye to say hello. It was good to meet up at last. I wanted to get a photograph of Pierre in the kitchen, but I was mindfull he had a busy schedule and did not want to trouble him. He was busy prepping trotters, but Claire came to the rescue and took a couple of snaps on my behalf. Note the massive scallops, to the left of the picture. Currently I can not think of any better way of spending a Saturday afternoon, a long lazy lunch in comfortable surroundings, with like minded people, cosseted by super staff and cooking by a true legend. Meal for two including a good bottle of wine, no coffees, tap water £123, but you can enjoy the place for considerably less, in fact a lot less.

Thanks for the explanation, it makes sense now. I would very happily eat this again. I may even try this at home. Thankfully lots of natural light was available. My little point and shoot is ok up to a point.

I want to go to Vietnam. My long time friend and business mentor has raved on about it since his visit, and I was fascinated reading about the country during the war torn years, devouring any reading matter that I could get my hands on. The closest that I will get this year was down Kingsland Road, in Shoreditch, East London. The most populated area of Vietnamese Restaurants in the country. After our recent visit to Viajante in Bethnal Green, and Bistro Bruno Loubet in Clerkenwell I am beginning to develop a fondness for this side of London. Viet Grill is much loved by bloggers, and it came to my attention initially having read that popular chef Mark Hix rates it very highly. I think the feeling must be mutual because they stock a couple of his own brews,Hix Oyster, and Hix India pale ale. Having read a few reviews I was looking forward to sampling the food, especially as I needed to be convinced that Viet food was for me. The place itself is not too shabby, but I find sticky unclothed tables very offputting, fine dining this is not, let me tell you. The menu itself is very attractive, its in front of me now and there are at least twenty dishes that I would like to try. We,(or should I say I), started with a Pho (soup)as Mrs G took one look at the very fatty chunks of Beef Brisket and decided it was not for her. Described on the menu as "Siagon Beef Stew Noodle" (£4) it was true to its handle. The broth was deep and rich unlike anything I could recreate at home, thats perhaps why we eat out so much. The chunks and I do mean chunks of brisket were tender and had a great flavour,the fat had not been trimmed for the express intention of getting that flavour into the broth. The field of greenery on top was a mixture of enryngo, a type of vietnamese coriander, holy basil and water spinach. A very large bowl indeed,but the one next up at £7 was humongous. " Wok Fried fresh Scallops, King Prawns, Calamari" (£9) was dished up on a sizzling plate. The Scallops were singular, as in one sliced three ways. I will allow them a bit of artistic licence but this really is a bit of a pith take. The dish was decent enough quality so as not to take them to task. Saucing was garlic and gingery. Big hunks of cauliflower added a bit of crunch. Thai celery was of interest also. I'm partial to a bit of Quail and "Viet Quail curry" (£8) was to be put through the paces. Again I could not fault the broth, it had great depth of flavour and good chilli hit. Aubergine, crunchy okra,and coconut were all in there. It was however difficult to eat as it was whole and of course still on the bone. Needs must I was forced to split it by hand. Be warned this is not first date territory, by the time you have slurped through your noodles in the Pho dish your date will look at you in a different light. "Heaven and Earth" (£9) Does'n't Mark Hix do a similar named dish? Pork with Tiger Prawn was a bit similar to one of the other dishes. Similar saucing with again cauliflower and Thai celery. Wood ears (mushrooms) provided a slimy bite between bites of pork and prawn. The most interesting texture on the plate was "pork crackling" as it was described to us. This was like no pork crackling we have tried before. It was most certainly porkie but had the texture of a water sodden sea sponge. Quite a wierd and wonderful experience. Now nearing bursting point, she who must be obeyed chastised me for my cavalier attitude regarding the food order, noting that the Pho was my choice and I had eaten most of it. Its hard being a gentleman all of the time and I do stoop to doing ladish things now and again, so to make amends I ordered "Chilli Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab" (£7)one of her favourites. I did the fair thing and ate far less than half. It was extremely moreish and crunched down to nothing in no time whatsoever. Sorry about the blurry picture it must have been all of that broth sloshing about inside of me I was most impressed with this meal, and even though I'm inexperienced with this type of food I think its the real deal and would be surprised if it could be bettered. Sadly I won't get the chance to eat my way down Kingsland Road its just too far away. A couple of things I did not mention was that Malcolm Gluck, he of Superplonk fame has advised on the wine list and they avoid the hefty mark ups of other places. I will drink to that. The addition of a 12.5% service charge grates on me a bit, not that I am mean, far from it, but to serve warm tap water, with no ice or lemon in it is just not good enough. There is a distinct lack of finesse from wait staff, they just do not work hard enough for 12.5%, although in fairness they perhaps see little of it (and therein perhaps lies the problem) Would I return? Yes indeed, but I would insist on better treatment or the service would be witheld. Very large meal for two including an entry level bottle of wine, and some warm Thames tap water £62.44, I thank you.