Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, Knightsbridge

The meat fruit with toasted sourdough

There's quite the black market in trade for reservations at Dinner, Heston Blumenthal's latest restaurant in London. Diners have to book in advance 2 months to the day before their reservation (it was formerly 3) and seats are, to put it mildly, like hen's teeth. I had a reservation when the restaurant first opened, then had to give it away due to some travel plans so BIG thanks to my friend Sarah who passed on a reservation to me when her friend Mark couldn't make it.  Yes, I will happily play Mr Hummington for the night if it gets me a slice of meat fruit.

Meat fruit? Yes, meat fruit. A fantabulous, creative ball of lusciously creamy chicken liver parfait, wrapped in a mildly citrussy mandarin jelly which looks just like a mandarin.

Pigeon, artichokes & ale

The menu is not your everyday experience, although it's not as out there as Heston's The Fat Duck so might also appeal to those like to keep their forks planted more firmly in the steak and veg camp. Each dish is sourced from historical books and recipes, and is listed on the menu with the date indicating the period from which the recipe originated (so, say "Salamugundy (c.1720)"). To the old, Heston adds the new - his own creative twist and, in some cases, a small pinch of genius.

But even before we get to the food, we love it. Service is so friendly, genuine and helpful - no uppity stuffiness, despite the well heeled clientele and glitzy location. The room is gorgeous, from the soaring ceilings, huge windows overlooking Hyde Park, glass fronted kitchen with pineapples roasting on a spit to the jelly mould light bulbs.

Rice & flesh

Among the 8 starters which include roast scallops with cucumber ketchup and borage, or savoury porridge with cod cheeks, pickled beetroot, garlic and parsley, my meat fruit (£13.50) is matched in loveliness by TPG's "Rice and Flesh (c 1390)" (£16) - buttery rich saffron risotto, with meaty chunks of calf tail and red wine.

Black foot pork chop

Mains include the Iberican Black Foot Pork Chop (c. 1860) (£28), served with pointy cabbage and juicy Robert sauce, cooked sous vide to perfect tenderness. Plump, rich morsels of velvety "spiced pigeon (c. 1780)" (£33) cooked in ale with artichokes is another winner.

Tipsy cake

Things continue on a high with desserts which earn the highest praise in TPG's repertoire - [eyebrows raised, mouth full] "these are as good as New York desserts" [further scoffing]. The tipsy cake (c. 1810) (£10) is a billowing brioche bun soaking in oozy, sticky juices from the spit roasted golden pineapple which is served sectioned and glistening on the side.

Chocolate bar

The chocolate bar (c.1730) is a dark gooey chocolate film covering passion fruit jam and chocolate with ginger ice cream. Gorgeous!

Our sommelier choses matching wines by the glass which range from "good" to "get me another one of those" and at prices from £7-£13 per glass.

It's pricey - around £100 per head if you don't hold back on the drinks. But it's fabulous and fun. Just go.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge,  SW 1X 7LA (Tel: 020 7201 3833)

Racine, Knightsbridge

Onglet a l'echallot

Not only is Racine terrific, but its set price lunch and dinner menu is a bargain at £15 for 2 courses or £17.50 for 3 courses. And, it feels exactly like being in Paris. What more do you need to hear?

In a lovely, busy little room with brown leather banquettes, mirrored walls and wooden floors, we eat classic Bourgeois French cooking as we watch the street crowds pass in droves on their way to Harrods. I know where I'd rather be.

Chef Henry Harris trained with Simon Hopkinson before setting up his "neighbourhood restaurant", Racine, where he has developed his traditional and robust style, with top quality cooking and ingredients at affordable prices. It's taken me too long to make it to Racine, but it may swiftly become a new favourite.

From the set price menu we enjoy a silky salad of duck confit in a mountainous, peppery jumble of mixed salad leaves, as well as a simple, salty creamed smoked cod's roe on toast with soft boiled egg and pickled cucumber.

Duck confit salad

Smoked cod's roe on toast

While the fillet of mullet, flageolete and fennel salad sounds appetising, we've heard good things about the steak at Racine (its famed Cote de Boeuf for 2 is sourced from O'Sheas) so we can't go past the onglet a l'echallot which is succulent and pungent with caramelised onions, creamy mash and a rich, beefy jus.

The creme caramel ice-cream is ok, but I still can't believe I didn't take up the option for the Pouligny Fermier (a firm, crumbly goat's cheese, carrying no supplement on the prix fixe menu).

Service is excellent, and the wine list extensive. There's really nothing else to say. If it's a short rendez-vous with good French cooking you're after, Racine is the ticket.

Racine, 239 Brompton Road, South Kensington, SW3 (Tel: 020 7584 4477)

Satori Robata, Knightsbridge

Chirashi sushi box

For overpriced, bland sushi, look no further than Satori Robata in Knightsbridge.

I paid £16 for a Groupon voucher entitling 2 people to eat £40 worth of food and drink £5 worth of green tea or soft drinks. Groupon vouchers are great for facials and massages, where I have a theory that even a bad one is a good one. The risks are greater when it comes to haircuts and restaurants.

It's a small thing, but the stools are so clunky and heavy that I struggle to manouvre into position to get me within comfortable striking range of my food. Diners face the open kitchen, while peering over a depressing conveyer belt as tired looking sushi rolls and limp morsels of prawn do the rounds on repeat. Fairly rank green tea comes in the form of a mug with a tea bag draped in it.



Miso cod


The miso cod isn't bad although it's puny and there are some serious bones lurking in there. It comes with a side salad of lettuce and cherry tomato with a nice sesame dressing, as well as some pickled ginger and a tiny but tasty enough splodge of fairly standard potato salad.  However, at over £19 the quality and quantity are not there.

The chirashi sushi box (£16.95) is a haphazard scattering of sliced salmon, tuna, sea bass and fish roe atop a plentiful serving of rice. While it should have a firm texture, the seabass is largely chewy sinew, and all 3 types of fish lack any memorable flavour. There are no melt in the mouth moments here.

It's all fairly charmless and there's a complete lack of atmosphere. Before I sit down, I am politely requested (as are all customers) to vacate my seat after 1 hour during the busy voucher period. I happily oblige.

For great sushi and sashimi, try Kikuchi in Fitzrovia, or have a good quality bargainous meal at Yoshino off Piccadilly.

Satori Robata, 28-30 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7JN (Tel: 020 7235 1943)

Bar Boulud, London - French food, New York style in Knightsbridge

Daniel Boulud is pretty much a superstar of the USA dining scene. He can lay claim to being the chef patron of many an acclaimed restaurant and his 3 Michelin starred Daniel in New York (a darling of The New York Times - it has received 4 stars from 3 successive critics no less than 5 times since 1986) was recently ranked 8th in San Pelligrino's World's 50th best restaurants. (The Greedy Diva had a solid but slightly less dazzling experience there in 2008 - which I'm sure has The New York Times thinking twice.) And now Monsieur Boulud has pitched his flag in the heart of London. I had my table booked before you could say "steak fri...".

While M. Boulud was born in Lyon, which plays a heavy influence on the food at hand, Bar Boulud has a swanky, New York feel (the music on it's website says it all).

Sister to New York's Bar Boulud, the London bistro decor is intended to be a modern interpretation of a wine bar. Elegant, sleek and sexy, there's a zinc bar, oak panelling and wooden floors (intended to be reminiscent of wine barrels), chandeliers, and swathes of red leather (intended to "conjure the warm depths of a delicious Burgundy" - the hint was lost on me at the time, but I suppose I get it in hindsight).  Overall, the decor is fairly understated - it's not going to bowl you over before you taste anything.

The classic French bistro menu holds much to allure. We took longer than usual deliberating over so many appealing options - the Boudin Blanc truffled white sausage with mashed potato is calling me, but so is the beetroot with horseradish and hazelnut, the fish soup and the coq au vin. But then what about the signature charcuterie plates from renowned charcutier, Gilles Verot - such as the Lapin de Garrigue - Provencal pulled rabbit, carrot, courgette and herbs terrine? Tempting.

In the end, we opt for the £20 menu prix fixe (we'll come back again if we like it), before my deliciously oaky Marsanne steals the last shred of my decision making ability (Andre Perret, Marsanne, Vin De Pays Des Collines Rhodaniennes 2007 - £6.50 - absolutely lovely).

I start with the luxurious rabbit terrine with cornichons and cocktail onions, toasted bread and a hearty mustard. Elegant and wantonly good, the 2 Frenchmen on the table next door have a serve each, then order another to share. Oui.

The Peanut Gallery starts light, with the Salade de Roquette - rocket salad, garlic confit toast, stewed tomato, tapenade and buffalo mozzarella. Each element is nice enough, although, not surprisingly, there's nothing here to showcase the kitchen's real strengths. TPG is pacing himself. I'm still in some shock over his choice here, but if we're looking for that silver lining, it certainly gives us just one extra excuse to come back for a face to face with the Boudin Blanc. (Can you tell that it's still playing on my mind?).

It's hard to go past the chance to devour a New York style burger - it's been a while. We both order the DBGB Yankee Burger - a grilled beef patty, iceberg lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, sesame brioche bun, cheese pickle and fries (£13 with cheese on the a la carte menu). In this price bracket, it's got to compete with my beloved burgers at Hawksmoor and Goodman. It does.

It might be the messiest thing I've eaten for some time (think shredded lettuce in a train wreck), but this baby is the closest thing I've had to that much sought after, but highly elusive, US style burger in London. It's reminiscent of Shake Shake (and this, for me, is a mighty accomplishment). But it's loftier, even if there's a little too much foliage. The meat is loosely packed, moist and sumptuously flavourful and mine at least was perfectly cooked to the recommended medium. Surprisingly, TPG's patty was a little more well done than mine. (But I still didn't share). The accompanying thin cut fries were are good as they looked.

On the a la carte menu, the Frenchie Burger comes with confit pork belly as well as the beef patty and there's a Piggy Burger with a beef patty and BBQ pulled pork. While these other combos sound tempting, the flavour of the beef can really sing in the classic DBGB Yankee burger.

Quite satisfied, I could eat no more than 2 scoops of refreshing mint ice-cream and a decadent chocolate sorbet. More could be made of the sugary biscuit in between if they're going to bother at all.

TPG finished with the Gateau Basque - custard cake with brandied cherries (£6). The cherries packed a strong punch, but the custard cake itself was boring and dry with a hint of orange that didn't succeed in lifting it out of the doldrums. Disappointing.

Next time, I'll be trying the freshly baked madeleines (£4 - if they're the same ones we had at Daniel, they're divine) or the macaroons (£5) - among other things.

We finish with a sweet Domain De Trapadis, Rasteau 2007 (£9) (rich, grape juice flavours, although nothing earth shattering here).

Although there's a wine list fit for the snobbiest of vinophiles, with a particular focus on Rhones and Burgundies, there's also plenty to keep the rest of us happy at a reasonable price range.

Prices generally are reasonable, and surprisingly so given BB's location in the heart of Knightsbridge. Service was friendly, helpful and generally faultless. It will be interesting to see if the standards keep up once some of the staff return to M Boulud's New York ventures in the coming weeks. I'll be going back to just to make sure.

Bar Boulud, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA.
Tel: 020 7201 3899

The Lanesborough: A posh afternoon tea in London

Now and then, I'm quite partial to a nice scone with lashings of jam and cream. As a child, my parents would bribe my sister and I to partake in long drives up to the Dandenongs in Australia to look at ceramics and seemingly endless paintings of bush scenes, with promises of a big Devonshire tea along the way. It always did the trick. The scones were the size of a Gregg Wallace’s head, and never came with the dreaded sultanas (not that I'm suggesting GW's head does). I still measure up all scones since to the high standards they have imprinted on my memory.

Many years ago, I had a lovely afternoon tea at The Savoy for my birthday (although I have no idea what it's like now), and 2 years ago I enjoyed the Fashionista afternoon tea at The Berkeley with some girlfriends (with colourful cakes shaped like handbags and shoes, how could it not be superb?). The afternoon tea at Claridges - complete with art deco finery, live tickling of the ivories on the grand piano, a constantly refreshed serve of sandwiches/cakes/scones and at least 1 major celebrity sighting - still remains hard to beat. Refuel at The Soho Hotel also offers a fun, more casual version. Not that I do this all the time...

However, on Sunday, I was off for a very la-di-dah ladies’ afternoon to try out The Lanesborough for tea with some lovely food bloggers, Mathilde's Cuisine, Food for Think and Gourmet Chick. I merely nibbled at breakfast and skipped lunch in preparation. I was eyeing off the furniture by the time of our 4pm sitting.

The Lanesborough won the UK Tea Council's Award of Excellence 2009 and Best Afternoon Tea in London 2008. It also lays claim to England's first tea sommelier, Karl Kessab, to guide you through your tea selection - although I didn't clap eyes on him on Sunday.

The ritzy main dining room is set off by large round chandeliers, high glass ceilings and big spacious tables, for the pleasure of young and old alike in all their Sunday finery. In contrast to my recent visits to some of London's steakhouses, the crowd is largely women. Dressing up is, of course, half the fun. Soft piano tunes tinkle over the speakers, although the music is not live (despite sounding like it – we were upturning the cushions looking for the piano at one stage).

I am not a huge tea connoisseur, and the only teas I like are certain green teas or Earl Grey. I opted for the Earl Grey, while my companions were more exotic in their selections. The teas came served in individual shiny silver pots, although I was a little disappointed in the flavour and aroma of my tea – it tasted more like English Breakfast tea to me, missing those lovely fragrant bergamot flavours which usually hit me immediately with Earl Grey. The other teas were lovely. My only other word of caution with the tea – go easy if you’re not used to drinking copious cupfuls after 4pm. I had quite a few re-fills, and as a result was still wide eyed into the wee hours of Sunday night (#traps for beginners).

An amuse bouche of a light parfait with berries and chocolate kicked off proceedings. A lovely sign of things to come.

Our 3 tiered bounty of sandwiches, cakes, friands, scones and tea cakes then arrived, accompanied by a plate of heavenly Stilton and caramelised red onion tarts. The sandwiches were more hit and miss – the selection included cucumber (of course); chicken and sundried tomato paste; smoked salmon; and egg filled brioche rolls. The flavours were nice enough (no amazing stand outs) but there were some questions over the freshness of the bread, which was quite dry in places.

The scones were gorgeous – quite dense, and served with delicious strawberry jam, clotted cream and lemon curd. With a mere flick of the wrist, we ordered a second round. The fruity tea cakes were also quite nice.

The next tier of happiness contained some lovely friands - chocolate, carrot cake and lemon varieties. The chocolate was particularly good, although it was so decadent and rich that I could only manage a sliver (we had diplomatically sectioned everything up into quarters for sharing).

And then, at the top, the penthouse. Intricate and colourful cakey/moussey creations set off our tiered stand wonderfully, like a lady’s feathery racing day hat. Very Alice in Wonderland. I really liked all of these, and a Mont Blanc style sweet with meringue and chestnut cream (the one that looks like its wearing wholemeal spaghetti) was scrumptious.

Service was formal, but helpful. Sittings can be booked at 4pm, 4.30pm or 5pm, but maximise the luxury with a 4pm sitting since service ends at 6pm regardless. (No-one wants to be booted out mid friand). We had the pleasure of the standard afternoon tea for £35 per person, although there are more expensive options if you wish to add champagne.

Frocking up for The Lanesborough’s afternoon tea, on the fringes of Hyde Park, is a delightful way to spend a leisurely afternoon. I did think I may never eat again, although of course that all changed as the sun set and I found myself gorging again – separate stomachs for sweet 'n savoury and all that....

The Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge SW1X 7TA (Ph: +44 (0)20 7259 5599)