Confessions; where did you last eat?

[Airwaves]

Just had trip away, and wife's birthday last week. So

1) On Sunday - Muro's in Venice (see review in Venice pinned thred)

2) Last Thursday - 22 Mill Street, Chagford - has over the last 18 months become one of our favourite places. Alway impecable food and service

3) Less recently - The New Angel, Datmouth - Totally different style from 22 Mill Street. Torn between the 2

Airwaves

[sandra]

Chinese Experience - Shaftesbury Avenue (new Yau)

Tas - The Cut

Sakura - Hanover Street

[Suzi Edwards]

I didn't realise China Experience was the new Yau place. Don't think that has been mentioned in any of the reviews of it. How strange.

Did you enjoy it? I've been meaning to go for a couple of weeks now.

[YKL]

think it was reviewed in the Independent (on a Sat) a few weeks back .... think this is the link here

cheers

Yin

[Jamsie]

Sheekeys

Thai Pin - St Margarets

Ma Cuisine - Twickenham

All good food & company

[Suzi Edwards]

think it was reviewed in the Independent (on a Sat) a few weeks back .... think this is the link here

cheers

Yin

←

Thanks for that YKL, I recall that review from the Weekly Roundup. That review mentions Yau, but doesn't say he was involved at all.

[sandra]

Yep, I did not realise it the first time I went either, but that is what they told me there, what I found is this Time Out article, and that is not very clear, is it?

Time Out

Whatever it is, it was quite good, especially the soupy buns...

[Suzi Edwards]

What a great idea for a thread.  Thank you California.

I take it this is any eating out apart from take-away.  Mine are (most recent first):

1.  The Good Companions pub, Warlingham, Surrey.  Traditional christmas dinner "with all the trimmings" three courses £8.95.  Grim.

2.  Song Que, Kingsland Rd, London.  Vietnamese.  Good starters poor mains.

3.  Festival Square - Digby Trouts new cafe behind the Royal Festival Hall.  Not bad at all.  Good pre-concert choice.

W.

←

Yep, this is just about eating in! Have you tried Viet Garden on Liverpool Road? I rate it much more highly than Song Que (I've banged on about this before) Also, can you tell us a bit more about Digby Trouts? I think the RFH is a real dead spot for food.

My latest three:

1. Viet Garden 207 Liverpool Road. Good as always, best pho in London but the summer rolls let them down this time. The prawns had been breaded. Nice spicy salted tofu dish made up.

2. Chowki 2-3 Denman Street, report to follow

3. L'Enclume, report to follow

I also grabbed take out from Paul at 29 Bedford Street in Soho. The rhubarb tart was one of the most delicious things I ate all December. Highly, highly recommended.

[Gary Marshall]

it's all been a bit of a blur but i can remember...

christmas eve: the star at harome. Fab meal as always will write it up. Eventually.

wednesday lunch: pizza express, beverley. 2pm gone and it was packed. think kids were on the menu as place was stuffed with them. Amercian hot as per usual. Good service though spoiled it by me having to ask 4 times for another peroni, then made up for it by comping it when they finally delivered it.

thursday lunch: st vincent arms , i fancied a burger. rang pub (with 20 mins of lunch service left) no problem, chef made 2 burgers had time for a pint of fosters too then a nice bottle of bests cabernet sauvignon and home for sofa and films, been a bit of a theme this week!

tomorrow pizza express lunch then beers in york with friends, better late than never for that 'christmas drink'

cheers

gary

edit: just remembered a curry too one night, aagrah tadcaster and a shockingly poor ham and eggs at the crown and cushion near castle howard.

Edited January 1, 2005 by Gary Marshall (log)

[Scott]

last week:

numero uno - fab trad italian clapham junction

Churchill arms - great gastro pub in paxford

jim thompsons - god take me now; we had booked Mim's on the kings road, but found out on the cold street, that they have moved to Kingston. One of our group commented that it was customary for a restaurant to mention that at time of booking. so we ended up in jim thompson's, first and last time.

[Winot]

What a great idea for a thread.  Thank you California.

I take it this is any eating out apart from take-away.  Mine are (most recent first):

1.  The Good Companions pub, Warlingham, Surrey.  Traditional christmas dinner "with all the trimmings" three courses £8.95.  Grim.

2.  Song Que, Kingsland Rd, London.  Vietnamese.  Good starters poor mains.

3.  Festival Square - Digby Trouts new cafe behind the Royal Festival Hall.  Not bad at all.  Good pre-concert choice.

W.

←

Yep, this is just about eating in! Have you tried Viet Garden on Liverpool Road? I rate it much more highly than Song Que (I've banged on about this before) Also, can you tell us a bit more about Digby Trouts? I think the RFH is a real dead spot for food.

←

Haven't tried Viet Garden, only Viet Hao. I'll give it a go if I find myself in deepest darkest Islington (unlikely). FWIW, the best Vietnamese I've had in London is at West Lake in Deptford.

Re. Digby Trout -- they are a catering company that specialise in doing food at galleries/venues/shops eg Heals/British Museum as you can see. Results are mixed (I think the Court Restaurant at the BM is pretty diappointing despite the great location) but I've got a soft spot for them as they pulled off a pretty decent buffet for 135 at our wedding party in Dulwich Picture Gallery in Septemeber 2003. I'm afraid I can't for the life of me remember what I ate at Festival Square, but it was reasonably good and reasonable value bistro food in an area which as you say is a bit of a food wasteland.

Anyway, back on topic, my latest three:

1. The Wolseley (report posted).

2. Hakkasan (report posted).

3. Fujiyama, Brixton (not up to their usual standard but it was 28 December and they were closing).

W.

[offcentre]

I only wish I ate half as well as some of you bloody lot!

1. Jolly Sportsman - about the best gastropub in the area. Had braised ox cheek w/ parsley, pheasant w/ chestnuts and apple crumble. Not as good as it has been. Discovered that Head and Pastry chef had moved on since I was last there.

2. Piccollo - very cheap Brighton Italian. Not great food but always a good atmosphere and prob my favourite place for cheap grub in Brighton (though I am obviously now going to have to try Nando's!).

3. Due South on Brighton seafront for partners bday on xmas eve. Had oysters for the first time - nice taste but still don't know what all the fuss is about. 4 month old baby was hampering enjoyment of all courses, but waitress looked after her whilst we were eating, which was very much appreciated.

[howardlong]

Here's my last six week's or so:

1. Aubergine

2. Hole in the Wall, Chiswick

3. Aubergine

4. Hole in the Wall, Chiswick

5. Ubon, Canary Wharf

6. Babylon Roof Gardens

7. Hole in the Wall, Chiswick

8. Racine

9. Aubergine

10. Hole in the Wall, Chiswick

11. Le Gavroche

12. Aubergine

13. Hole in the Wall, Chiswick

14. Racine

15. Aubergine

16. Swag and Tails, Knightsbridge

17. The Devonshire, Chiswick

Babylon Roof Gardens was the most disappointing. OK, but reminded me of going to somewhere like Conran's Bluebird. A benefit is that you get to hit the dance floor afterwards if you're into that sort of thing.

Ubon's good every once in a while, I always go for the surprise menu if the other diners are up for it.

Racine generally very good, their grouse was massive this year. The GF who usually likes it had an awful shrimp starter there last time - tiny shrimps and someone in the kitchen dumped a ton of salt on it.

Hole in the Wall still my favourite gastropub. Wine selection a little limited. Food is always well prepared and tasty.

Swag and Tails a bit more upmarket, has exceptional pan fried foie gras for a gastropub although it's a small portion. Wine good value.

The Devonshire has a very good wine list for a gastropub.

Aubergine, well, you all know what I think of Aubergine.

Le Gavroche - can't get enough of it.

Actually, in between 2 & 3 I was in Cape Town, and between 10 & 11 New York where I fitted in a dozen or so different places, but this is a UK forum ;-)

Cheers, Howard

[Gary Marshall]

i managed 4 restaurant free days at the begining of the year, i have not been as successful since

friday 6th st vincents arms

saturday 7th (no restaurant but dinner at friends)

sunday 8th star at harome

monday 9th maxis chinese

tuesday 10th el gaucho- new argentinian steak joint in york

wednesay 11th tootsies

thursday 12th at home!

friday 13th lunch anthony's, tonight pub for dinner

saturday 14th dinner at el gaucho!

diet starts....

there's a song in my head 'i'm on a ride and i want to get off but they won't slow down the roundabout'!!

bonus points for artist and name. Clue big in the 80's and beyond.

cheers

gary

[magnolia]

there's a song in my head 'i'm on a ride and i want to get off but they won't slow down the roundabout'!!

bonus points for artist and name. Clue big in the 80's and beyond.

cheers

gary

←

Duran Duran, The Reflex. What do I win? Dinner at one of the places at which you ate during your four free days!?

Edited January 14, 2005 by magnolia (log)

[magnolia]

1. Ransome's Dock (fab as usual and Petrolo Galatrone 1998 was the highlight)

2. Taro (Japanese on Finchley Road, decent food, very good value)

3. Wolseley (first time there for a "real" meal - I had the choucroute and it was fab - huge plate of lots of different meats, tangy warm sauerkraut - advertised as a meal for one but could (and did) comfortably feed two

Edited January 14, 2005 by magnolia (log)

[Suzi Edwards]

I've been detoxing so I haven't been eating out. But I've now managed:

1. Viet Garden on Liverpool Road. Delicious as always apart the fact they hadn't cooked my pork dish for long enough so I had the tofu with chilli and lemongrass instead.

2. Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Whoever works out how to serve elible food to a 1000 people at once deserves some sort of Nobel prize. THe food was completely and utterly vile.

3. Nandos

[Suzi Edwards]

1. Ransome's Dock (fab as usual and Petrolo Galatrone 1998 was the highlight)

←

I haven't been here for ages, bit of a schlep from N1 but I used to go lots when I was in Clapham. Last time I went the lovely lady there and the Chef were moving to California. Do you knpw where they are now?

[magnolia]

Dee and the Chef (I never did know his name) went to San Diego and helped set up a restaurant there, but the owners have decided to move to Seattle so they all moved to Seattle. We await details...

1. Ransome's Dock (fab as usual and Petrolo Galatrone 1998 was the highlight)

←

I haven't been here for ages, bit of a schlep from N1 but I used to go lots when I was in Clapham. Last time I went the lovely lady there and the Chef were moving to California. Do you knpw where they are now?

←

[Gary Marshall]

there's a song in my head 'i'm on a ride and i want to get off but they won't slow down the roundabout'!!

bonus points for artist and name. Clue big in the 80's and beyond.

cheers

gary

←

Duran Duran, The Reflex. What do I win? Dinner at one of the places at which you ate during your four free days!?

←

correct! glad to see another 80's kid out there, just watching simple minds from live aid at the minute, they ROCK!

and yes!

cheers

gary

[SamanthaF]

there's a song in my head 'i'm on a ride and i want to get off but they won't slow down the roundabout'!!

bonus points for artist and name. Clue big in the 80's and beyond.

cheers

gary

←

Duran Duran, The Reflex. What do I win? Dinner at one of the places at which you ate during your four free days!?

←

correct! glad to see another 80's kid out there, just watching simple minds from live aid at the minute, they ROCK!

and yes!

cheers

gary

←

Duran Duran - Best group bar none. Scott F got me 2 concert tickets for Christmas.

(Where I will eat a Birmingham City FC Pie - to keep it on topic.)

Edited January 14, 2005 by SamanthaF (log)

[magnolia]

←

[magnolia]

there's a song in my head 'i'm on a ride and i want to get off but they won't slow down the roundabout'!!

bonus points for artist and name. Clue big in the 80's and beyond.

cheers

gary

←

Duran Duran, The Reflex. What do I win? Dinner at one of the places at which you ate during your four free days!?

←

correct! glad to see another 80's kid out there, just watching simple minds from live aid at the minute, they ROCK!

and yes!

cheers

gary

←

Great !! I pick Antony's as my prize. When do we eat?

[Gary Marshall]

having had the pleasure of sitting next to me at dinner recently i'm suprised you want to repeat the experience!

cheers

gary

[Gary Marshall]

Out of interest, and because at the end of the year i can't remember where i've eaten, i thought i'd note in my diary every meal i ate out this year.

it's quite an interesting /scary thing to do, i think this was an unusual month but time will tell!

in order

pizza express

st vincent arms

star at harome

maxis chinese

el gaucho

tootsies

anthonys

st vincent arms

el gaucho

box tree

no 3 york place

st vincent arms

pizza express

st vincent arms

siam house

February looks quieter

can't believe i've not had an indian either!

cheers

gary