London recommendations: Naam?

[sockettrousers]

I know this is probably an overposted question but I think it rates answering on a monthly basis :-) :

After about a year away following 10 years as a london restaraunt narg, I'm returning at the weekend. I have a week in London and about 3 free nights. Where should I eat - I'm already meeting friends at the Cinnamon Club and I'd really like to try Naam but I've heard a lot of bad reports.

Is Naam worth the cost/trip across town and what else is hot at the moment in town?

r

[magnolia]

Socket - or is that Sock et, as in Sock é?

Do a search on "Nahm" and all will be revealed - or at least some arguments for and against. It is indeed very expensive, but you won't dishes of this calibre (ingredients, combinations, technique and presentation). However some people aren't keen on the decor.

I love Rasoi Vineet Bhatia (high end fusion Indian in Chelsea) which is a hot ticket, as are Yauatcha and Hakkasan (Chinese), both great for dim sum especially - but quite pricey as well.

Of course the big fave on this board is St John - but some say St John Food & Wine is even better, though I haven't been to the latter.

Just peruse the posts over the last week or two, you're bound to find enough places to fill your three free days - and don't forget to let us know how you get on.

Edited September 28, 2004 by magnolia (log)

[Matthew Grant]

I'd second Rasoi Vineet Bhatia at the moment and would suggest that you cancel the Cinnamon Club in favour of RVT. It does the high end Indian thing far more successfully and at a comparable price.

I went to Nahm when it first opened and thought it exceptional (and the decor exceptionally bad) but this was obviously some time ago and recent reports made me cancel the last time I had a table booked.

[tony h]

Tom Aikens - unmissable imo

[Andy Lynes]

Hot tickets would have to include Reiner Becker's Roka and the new stupidly expensive Umu. I'm not saying they are any good as I haven't been to either, but they are "hot" for what that is worth.

A further vote for Vineet Bhatia. I think it would be a shame to cancel Cinnimon Club as its such an impressive space, but no question that the food is on a lower level than that of RVB, but then its a much bigger operation. Chalk and cheese actually.

[Matthew Grant]

On the positive side, Cinnamon Club does some great Lassi cocktails. The foods not bad but I did leave with the feeling that I had paid way too much for the meal. As Andy says, two completely different restaurants style wise but they are trying to do similar things with the food. Personally, although the setup is very grand and impressive, I think that the Cinnamon Club space has a very impersonal feel to it. In fact this is the complete opposite of RVT which can seem a little too personal given the table spacing.

Tom Aikens - completely missable IMO

Edited September 29, 2004 by Matthew Grant (log)

[Andy Lynes]

I'm not sure if the Greenhouse qualifies as hot, but they are certainly doing something a bit different from the mainstream there and is worth investigating as long as you are feeling flush.

[Scott]

Is Naam worth the cost/trip across town and what else is hot at the moment in town?

←

Nahm is getting worse, good food, ugly decor, poor service, too expensive and poor value, most of all disregard for the punter in general.

miss it, for the love of god, give it a miss.

[Gary Marshall]

Nahm is getting worse, good food, ugly decor, poor service, too expensive and poor value, most of all disregard for the punter in general.

miss it, for the love of god, give it a miss.

←

it was a while since i went but i would concur with scott's thoughts.

likewise i wasn't blown away by tom aikens, though it was in its first days when i went.

cheers

gary

[prasad2]

I would second Cinnamon highly, it's just not food, it's all about dining, great wines, food presentations and excellent space and service.

Zuma is the other you might want to try at Knights Bridge. I loved it.

Benares is an other great place, a little slow on service but great decor and food.

[rjs1]

Nahm is expensive, but they do sometimes do an offer though Toptable that deadens the pain slightly: if you have the £47 a head "tastimg menu", they include half a bottle of Roederer NV a head.

[sockettrousers]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We didn't go to Nahm in the end althoguh we didn't make it to Tom Aikens either. I suspect I've enjoyed his cooking at Peid a Terre in the past so I'm slightly disappointed. Mayb next time.

Where we did eat and I'd thoroughly reccommend is Osia We ate there on our first night and when I was challenged for a good restaraunt that could take a business dinner 10 at short notice I opted to eat there again.

I might have been away from the capital too long but the food at Osia is certainly different to anything I can get in France - not Heston Blumenthal or Sketch different but just drawn from a different set of tastes. Pretty good value in the wine cellar too.

We also ate at Nara - excellent and very authentic Korean.

Osia has a good bar for a pre dinner cocktail too and on the subject of bars, I'd also recommend the Player Bar - especially the Martini.

Thanks for the help

rog