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NY Times Covers London Tapas

I love when The New York Times covers London restaurants. New article talks about tapas-style eating in London and they check out Gordon Ramsey's Maze, as well as a few others. I haven't been to any of these, but good to file away for future reference!

London Restaurants Where Good Things Come on Small Plates

BBQ: Bodean's

4 Broadway Chambers
SW6 1EP
Tel: 020 7610 0440

Date of Last Visit: Friday, March 17th

The Victims: Feathers, Feathers' Boy

The Damage: 20 quid each

We were trying really hard to celebrate St. Pat's. We started off in Marylebone in a bar packed to the rafters with young and old men. Only a handful of women in attendance. And Feathers and I were probably half of the handful.

Feathers' Boy arrived and we called for a change of venue. Boy suggested Brogan's in Fulham, so we headed west. The bar was lightly packed upon arrival, but two Guinness (or was it three?) later, it was HEAVING. And we were hungry. And well, our feet hurt from standing for so long. Also at this point, we had lost track of the number of beverages consumed, which suggested that food was not really an option anymore--it was a necessity.

We figured our chances of a good meal were slim on a night like this, but we wandered right into Bodeans and were seated immediately with no probs whatsover. They had just opened two weeks earlier. Love the booths at Bodeans...big leather six-seaters. (I wonder if they make people double-up and introduce strangers in order to make the most of their capacity?)

Service was quick and friendly. Very cute, tool. We quickly placed three orders for baby backed ribs. I got the fries and the beans, Feathers went with the corn muffins, and Feathers' Boy also opted for fries. Also a side of nachos.

My beans were FANTASTIC. Really, really good. Fries were fine. Corn bread muffins were delicious. They were suspiciously perfectly formed, which does make me wonder a bit about their origin. But who cares when they taste so delicious.

Loved the assortment of BBQ sauces. Loved the Sam Adams. NASN was on while we were there, so we caught some Final 4 action.

Now--the ribs. See, the only place I really eat ribs are at Flanagan's in Fort Lauderdale. These ribs are so lucious. They fall off the bone. And they just the right amount of sauce on them--you're not swimming in it.

Not so at Bodean's. They ribs were smokey and firm. Nothing falling off the bone. It's not that they weren't meaty...they were quite meaty. But they were just not super-tender. We later spoke to the catering manager, and he explained that most places in the US steam their ribs first and then grill them. That wasn't his preferred way of enjoying ribs, so Bodean's doesn't do it that way. I'm not saying the ribs were bad--they were quite tasty--but I think I like my ribs steamed. And with a bit more sauce to them. (The Bodean's preparation meant that you had to put the sauce on the ribs yourself. I like my ribs cooked in the sauce.)

I've skipped the nachos though--oh boy, they were good. Great chips. The right amount of cheese and sour cream. I think I could have used some refried beans in the pile--or maybe some ground meat. But these puppies were sufficiently delicious without either.

The Verdict: Worth it for the beans and the nachos. Verdict out on the ribs--just not my style. Oh yes, I also found Bodean's to be a really good value. I was surprised by the prices--our 1/2 racks were 8.95, and came with 2 sides. In the US, this would easily be more like 12.95+.

Garlic and Butter: Cafe Entrecote de Paris

3a Baker Street
W1U 8EE
Tel: 020 7935 3030

Date of Last Visit: Thursday, March 9, 2006

The Victims: Richard, Dev, Yusef, Joel (special guest), Matt, Jose, Al, Rutton, Haithem. Yes, I was the only female in attendance.

Joel was in town from NY so Richard and Rutton arranged dinner. Rutton had been raving about Entrecote forever, so that was our chosen location.

Now, walking there from Oxford Street was a bit confusing, so let me tell you. The restaurant is on Baker Street, which you should be able to get to from Oxford Street by Selfridge's, but the only street there is Orchard Street. That's correct. Don't let the map fool you.

I arrived. The boys were in place. Mostly. They had already drank one bottle of burgundy. Richard wasn't pleased with it. I thought it was just okay. So we later moved to Pinot.

The crowd arrived. There were many of us. And boys being boys, they told many scandalous stories. I could not believe some of them. I will not repeat them here. But they were quite amusing and equally unbelievable.

So the whole concept of Entrecote is quite brilliant from a cost perspective. Serve one dish and serve it well and make a special cult following out of it. This dish is steak. And the cult aspect is the special sauce they marinate the steak in. All for 16.95 with a green salad and some frites. Not bad.

But well, the green salad was just okay. Nothing special. I think they should throw in a few little special touches and make it even more special. Perhaps some hearts of palm? I love HoP!

The steak was perfectly cooked and served sliced over a hot flame. Note, however, that if you order medium rare, after about 5 minutes on the flame, you're at medium. So Dev and I blew our flame out real quick.

The steak was also served in their special mystery sauce, to which they won't divulge the recipe. Well, I can tell you what it is. Butter. Garlic. And parsley. Mystery solved. Maybe they throw in a little bit of white wine for fun.

The frites were what everyone raves about, and personally, I thought they were below average. They make this huge deal about them being hand cut, but honey, they are so not hand cut. They be coming out of a machine.

We ordered espresso and it took forever. That sucked. Oh yes, and then there was that moment when Richard dumped the water all over me. That was fun. But the eight bottles of wine served among 10 people meant that none of this really mattered.

Afterwards, I was taken to this place called Kaberet Prophesy, where my posse picked up three 22 year olds who used us for our liquor and then left the boys high and dry for the (admittedly very attractive) table next door. 

The Verdict: I like the concept. The execution was good. Not great, but good. But that's only because I am such a food snob.

 

Vietnamese: Pho

86 St John Street
EC1M 4EH
020 7253 7624

Date of Last Visit: Thursday, March 9, 2006

The Victim: Me, myself, and I

The Damage: 6 quid

See, I'm so prolific all of a sudden because a chapter in my life is finally drawing to a close so now I have my time back to myself. Well, the chapter isn't officially over until 11 p.m. on Monday night, but that's okay. I feel good about things.

So I had to take couple of days off of work to get everything wrapped up. That means that I've been sitting in front of Excel for the last 72 hours, staring at Danish equity funds. And heck, who knew the Dutch equity market was that small? Or that German investors were so risk-intolerant?

So to give myself a break, I took myself to Pho for lunch. I got there at 12, as any good American would, and I was the only person there. This country is weird.

I ordered the sliced chicken soup, which had a very fancy name which escapes me right now. It arrived almost instantaneously, and a very nice guy brought me a special plate of "HHHHerbs." (I just imagine a bunch of guys named HHHHerb sitting on plate. As opposed to the errrbs that I know.) He explained that I was free to add whatever I wanted to my soup. There were chilis, and sprouts and lime and all types of exotic things. Chicory, I believe. And more. I added a little of this and a little of that and felt very much the mix-master.

And I ate my soup. It was very nice. Perfect for the terribly drizzly day it was. Very warming. And despite the staff's warning, the little amount of chili gave everything just the right kick and cleared my sinuses all up.

The Verdict: Cheap and delicious. Will be back.

Oh I Miss Bagels: Brick Lane Beigal Bake

159 Brick Lane
E1 6SB 
Tel: 020 7729 0616

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, March 5, 2006

The Victims: Kristi and Adrien

After finishing up brunch at the Giraffe (see previous post), K&A and I wandered around Spitalfields and then eastward to Brick Lane. They'd never been so we did the touristy thing and wandered aimlessly. I had one destination in mind potentially...

The Brick Lange Beigal Bake

Now, let me just take a short walk down memory lane. I am from Long Island, New York. It's a nice place. Don't believe what you hear. I grew up 1.5 miles from the ocean. Did you? (I also had never swam in fresh water until I was 22 years old. That was weird.)

Anyhow, we always got our bagels and bialeys from Cherrywood Bagel on Jerusalem Road, next door to Kwong Ming. It was fantastic. Gotta love a salt bagel and some veggie cream cheese. Or an Everything bagel. Or an Egg bagel. Or a Super Egg bagel. Delicious. Looking back, what I find so interesting about growing up on Long Island is that when the bars closed, we went for a late night bagel. Yes, it's 2 a.m. and you need a snack. You get an Everything bagel with Veggie Lite.

So for the last two years, I've thought about the Brick Lane Beigal Bake and what it would be like. Finally, I had my time.

It was very Long Island-esque in the attitdues of the workers. No nonsense. Place your order and move on. Very good. It was also super-crowded, which was very fun. And it was also super cheap, which was a joy to behold. 81p, I believe, for a plain bagel. 1.50 for one with cream cheese.

However, there were no salt bagels. This made me sad.

So--we got our bagels, but given that I had just eaten my fab tostada, I wasn't particularly hungry. So I tried a bite or two, but knowing that bagels get better with age, I was content to eat the rest later.

Which I did. On the Eurostar to Paris. And it was perfect. Dense and chewy. Not as good as Cherrywood Bagel, but delightful and filling and delicious nonetheless.

The Verdict: One of these days, I'll get 'em for the whole office.

Perfect Brunch: The Giraffe

Crispin Place
E1 6DW
Tel: 020 3116 2000

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, March 5

The Victims: Kristi, Adrien

The Damage: 22 quid each. (Two cocktails each.)

Oh I do miss Sunday brunch. Real proper brunch. Not just beans and toast and weird bacon. But lovely fun brunch with interesting breakfast-y options that aren't quite breakfast but aren't quite lunch either.

I picked up K&A outside Liverpool Street station on the most perfect of days. Very blue sky. Very bright sun. A little crispness in the air. We wandered towards Spitalfields and settled on The Giraffe for brunch. It was early (11) so we easily got a table. They ordered Bloody Mary's (yuck) and I ordered a Mimosa (or Buck's Fizz, as they call them here). My Fizz was very orange-y and pulpy. Very nice. This is interesting because I don't really like pulpy orange juice. But throw a little champagne in there and I'm totally fine with it.

Kristi and I went with the Tostada for brunch. It arrived with some of the best scrambled eggs I've ever had. They were so perfectly light and fluffy. Someone really knew what they were doing. Honestly perfect. Then, there were black beans cheese and a little bit of salsa. Perfect. I did not find any Mexican sausage, but I didn't mind. I forget what Adrien ordered, but he really liked it so it was fine.

Service was very friendly and nice. No complaints.

We left around 12 and there were 20-million people waiting to get in. This is something I don't understand. Don't people know that on Sundays, you don't show up at a restaurant you want to have breakfast at at 12? You show up at 11 so you get a seat.

The Verdict: It is a chain, so my guess is that food will be random. But whoever they have in the kitchen today knows what they're doing. So I'll go back.

Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's

Claridge's Hotel, Brook Street
W1S 1EY 
Tel: 020 7499 0099

Date of Last Visit: February 23, 2006

The Victims: Julie, Feathers, Canadia Boy

The Damage: 170 quid pro nase. Yes, you read that correctly. You only live once, right?

One of my New Year's resolutions was to eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Check it off the list! It is done. And it was really, really nice.

Firstly, we arrived at the hotel and were shown to the bar area which was very cute and intimate and the bartender was just the sweetest guy ever. At one point, we think he offered to let us wear his jacket. There was a slight language barrier, so not entirely sure. I enjoyed a Kir Royale and then something peach-y and champagne-y, which was lovely. Julie went for her dry white and Feathers for a mixed drink which escapes me and then a vodka gimlet which she was very pleased with. We were all entirely pleased with the bar snacks. Three different little salty snacky types. Very nice.

We were then shown to our table, and Canadia Boy joined us soon afterwards. We put him in charge of ordering for us, and he chose a balanced Bordeux that was just lovely.

Service was discreet and unobtrusive. You almost forgot they were there. There was one point where they delivered one of our courses without explanation (more about the courses in a sec) and we had to flag them down, but that was one slight mishap in an entire evening of loveliness.

The restaurant was very dark. Very, very dark. However, now that I am so used to spending time in my company's Paris office, I am used to dark French spaces. (For whatever reason, my French colleagues refuse to turn on the lights in our Paris office. I just heard that nPower is raising rates 13% in the UK, so assuming rates move in the same direction in France, this is not a bad thing. I suppose.)

Our courses...first we were brought some crispy flatbreads with some little toppings. I'm going to forget what the toppings were, but one was berry-ish and the other might have been foie-gras-esque.

When at Claridge's, order the chef's menu, so that's what we did. Six courses of Gordon. By the way, we did not see him, but we did see the French guy that's been on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The guy that's in charge of all the waiters.

Oh, I am going to be so terrible and forget what we had, but let me try to remember...
Safron and cauliflower soup: Very nice. Nothing bad about it. Not as good as the lovely little starter soup at The Bowler, but nice nonetheless.
Foie gras: Very tasty. I allowed foie gras in 2006 because it was, after all, Gordon.
Scallops: Personally, I thought the portion was overly small, and it was too salty.
Duck (it was either this or sea bass): DELICIOUS. Super-tender. Lovely. This as my absolute favorite part.
Cheese plate: No, wait, this was my favorite part. The cheese cart at Claridge's is HUGE. And very comprehensive. I asked for Comte and they had it. I love Comte. However, I feel that the Cheese Dude, while very knowledgeable, really needs to sell the cheese a bit more. I felt like I was in one of those restaurants where you say, "What do you recommend?" and they say, "Uh well, everything is good. It depends on what you like." Cheese dude should have announced some of the cheeses, unasked. All in all though, a beautiful experience
Peanut butter parfait: A nice little surprise at the end. We forgot about it. It was almost like it was full of marshmallow fluff. Very tasty. I love peanut butter.

But the absolute best part of the evening was when they asked us if we wanted to retire to the bar area for petit fours. Of course we said yes and relocated. They brought us these beautiful little pistachio ice cream balls and these other little fruity chocolate pearls. Quite lovely. And well, there was a little more Kir Royale.

The weird part: Using the ladies. It's very beautiful, but when you came out of the toilet (I went twice), the lady in there filled the sink up with water with the drain closed and you had to immerse your hands in the water. That was weird. And actually, quite drying to the skin. They should have offered me some hand lotion or something.

The Verdict: A once in a lifetime experience. It was lovely. The food was very, very good. It wasn't excellent (man, my first meal at The Bowler keeps getting better and better), but it was definitely high quality.