Two new restaurants: Deca and Bonds

[Gavin Convery]

A perusal of this weeks Time Out brought two new restaurants to my attention.

Deca is a new restaurant from Nico Ladenis - Chez Nico has finally closed and this is supposedly a substitute being French, upmarket and expensive.

Bonds is a restaurant down Threadneedle Street - Timeout indicated that the Chef would be a star to watch, although I hadn't heard of him. As this one is round the corner from work I'd be very interested in any experiences.

[magnolia]

The chef at Bonds used to be at New End in Hampstead, which was great while it lasted. I don't think Hampstead has anything to match at this moment. I couldn't resist ordering the braised oxtail raviolo both times I ate there - not sure if this is on his menu but I look forward to going to Bonds.

[Gavin Convery]

I checked out both Deca and Bonds on the This is London website. Deca gets two stars and favourable write-ups - they have a £12.50 lunch and early evening menu and the chef is Paul Rhodes who was chef at Chez Nico. Looks like it would definitely be worth a punt.

Bonds got no stars and a write-up indicating that if the teething troubles were sorted out then things could be good. The chef is Tom Ilic who worked with Richard Corrigan while at Searcy's, hence lots of offal on the menu...

[Andy Lynes]

I had a wonderful meal at The New End, including a dish of rabbit and turbot, and was looking forward to Ilac resurfacing at Bonds for quite some time (the opening has been delayed for just under a year). The ES review has put be off, has have the prices which are typically greedy for the area.

Lunch was around £30.00 if I remember correctly, and main courses in the evening at about the £24.00 mark. Too steep for me I'm afraid.

[circeplum]

i liked deca very much, and didn't find it as astronomical as jay rayner did in his observer review. sure, it was nippy, but where else with this quality of food comes cheap? (the chef whose name i forget was the man responsible for for chez nico's michelin stars and his langoustine ravioli were beyond gorgeous. cushiony, plump, pink, in a sinfully rich lobster bisqu-ey sauce - i dream of them still.)

make sure you go upstairs, it's a much nicer room.

[Andy Lynes]

As Gavin said in his post, chef at Deca is Paul Rhodes.

I wonder what Rhodes' thought's were when Ladenis, having already pretty much retired from active duties, decided to "hand back" his 3 Michelin stars awarded to a restaurant that Rhodes had been running the kitchen of for a number of years. Hardly a vote of confidence is it? Still, he continues to work for him so there can't be hard feelings.

[Paul Bell]

Had lunch at Deca a few weeks ago (my wife and I had the restaurant to ourselves, albeit it was a Saturday). On the whole we were impressed, the style is broadly similar to Incognico (chips not as good), with the cooking being more polished and the menu slightly 'grander'. We didn't find it expensive but we did have the set lunch. It certainly has the potential to be expensive £40-50 for three courses, which would not be much for The Square, Capital etc, but might be for what they are delivering.

On the whole we enjoyed it and would go back, although I think there are likely to be a number of places where you can get better food or better value, depending upon your choice.

[Tyke]

Lunch was around £30.00 if I remember correctly, and main courses in the evening at about the £24.00 mark.

and at that nothing better than guts, personally although a lover of calves liver I would be inclined to ask him to rephrase these well known words .... piss, the, taking.

Suppose we can all see where the bank charges end up can't we?

[sarah w]

hiya, we went to deca last week having enjoyed eating at chez nico and incognico, we booked for a saturday at 8:30 and were dissapointed when we walked past the restaurant at 8 on our way for pre dinner drink and saw no one in

there..Knowing there was an upstairs we hoped we were being seated up there...We arrived and were fortunately led to our lovely table for 4 upstairs in the window.Natasha, Nicos daughter who we have met b4 came over and said hi and said so far the restaurant was doing ok but the

summer season can be quiet, there were 2 other tables when we were there. I do think that the location is odd, it is not busy like cambridge circu-Incognico or as prestgious as park lane-chez nico..The restaurant is attractive though.

Now the food, the "canape" was quiche which was ok but not amazing

The bread was excellent as was my always fav, echire butter

We choose

Langoustine ravioli-as mentioned previously this was excellent, a dish you salivate over, good portion

Foie gras,brioche,orange-HUGE, tasty,

dressed crab-small in comparison but very nice

Salad of parma ham,artichoke,cherry toms-again a huge portions but very tasty, great toms

for mains:

duck with pink peppercorns and honey- excellent pink and tasty

monkfish "roger verge"-quite bland and over heavy on the cherry toms and oilves, needed some seasoning and maybe a light sauce

skate wing and capers- tasty but loads of olive oil drowned the flavour of the fish

veggies:

peas a la francaise- very good

brocolli hollandiase- naughty but nice

chips-good but we didnt need them

we had a bottle of rose and a sancerre

and aperitifs, no desserts as we were full but nice options..

£50 a head

after the meal paul rhodes came and chatted with us and had a beer, we did this with his previously at incognico..He is a very nice chap and we all had a nice chat..He is confident about Deca and also his solo extreme catering project..

I think for ambience i enjoyed incognico more but only because deca needs to be busier which i am sure it will be..Food still very enjoyable and as with all 'nico's' menus i could eat virtually anything on there...

I would definately say go there and would also say it would be a very good choice for shoppers around bond street...after spending all that money a £12:50 lunch would be a blessing to anyone !

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