All posts filed under: Restaurants

Fish & Chips by Des McDonald, City

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Where Fish & Chips by Des McDonald, City What Fish & Chips by Des McDonald is a posh, modern-day, neighbourhood fish and chip shop. Besides the perfect cod & chips, you can order oysters, sea bass a la plancha, shrimp burgers and old fashioned fish finger butties. The Experience The new City location is tucked away in St Botolph Churchyard, just minutes from Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Bank stations. The restaurant recently opened for breakfast from 8am daily and, when invited, I couldn’t wait to sample the food. The menu in the bright floor-to-ceiling windowed dining room offers everything from a Full English Fisherman’s Breakfast to Boiled eggs and ancient bread soldiers, Cornish crab and chilli eggs, Manx kippers, and Sausage & egg butties. I was excited to see they had the classic breakfast Manx kippers on the menu – I have no idea why more places don’t offer these. The kippers came de-boned on toast with a poached egg and the perfect amount of horseradish. My breakfast buddie went for the full-blown Fisherman’s Breakfast …

Murakami 

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Where Murakami, St Martin’s Lane What Murakami is a beautifully designed Japanese restaurant and sushi bar situated on St Martin’s Lane. The restaurant serves dishes from the Robata Grill alongside classic cocktails with a Japanese twist and a selection of Japanese whiskies. Experience We were invited to the bloggers dinner at newly opened Murakami in the West End. I love all things Japanese, particularly the food, so I was excited to head down with my friend Tim to enjoy a selection of their best selling dishes. The restaurant is beautiful inside; its contemporary Eastern interior design is subtle and impeccable and despite being rather busy, the atmosphere was befittingly tranquil. Both the sushi and ragata bar were in eye line which made for impressive viewing and they wasted no time in sending over the food. We were paraded with a never ending selection of meats and fresh sushi plates – the shishito pepper and chilli beef kushiyaki off the Robatayaki menu was really really tasty as were the jalepino sushi rolls. Other dishes included: apple …

A Good Feed from Pietro D’Agostino at Evoluzione

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Where Evoluzione, Hotel Xenia What Head Chef at Hotel Xenia’s street fronted restaurant Evoluzione, Angeletti, has organised a series of culinary events to take place every six weeks, each time inviting a different Italian ‘Guest Chef’ who will expertly take all guest diners on a journey through different Italian regions, tastes and traditions. Experience Being a proud East Londoner for many years now I must admit that I rarely venture West for dinner on a school night. I was however invited to the first Guest Chef Event at Hotel Xenia in Kensington with the highly acclaimed Michelin star-awarded chef Pietro D’Agostino feeding us a six-course menu from Sicily. I love Italian food. If there was one thing that could temp me, it was that. Tonight was all about Sicily and Italian-born chef Pietro D’Agostino, owner of the notable Sicilian restaurant La Capinera. The event began with a glass of sparkling wine and delightful canapés next to the virtuoso pianist setting the mood. My guest for the evening was running very late, so it was a …

London Grind, London Bridge

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Where London Grind, London Bridge What London Grind is the latest venue from the team behind the successful Shoreditch, Soho and Holborn Grind. It sits proudly riverside at 2 London Bridge on the doorstep of Borough Market. Inside, the bare bricks provide an understated decor which is effortlessly chic. Experience London Grind of course offers its name sake high-quality coffee but focus turns to their signature cocktail list and locally-sourced dishes to feed hungry brunch seekers and dinner diners alike. I knew my luck was in when my friend and I were seated at a table with a river view. We were instantly recommended the gin cocktail Clover Club and didn’t need our arms twisting. It was sweet and fresh and packed a raspberry punch. For those with a more savoury pallet try a Negroni or locally brewed beer from Fourpure brewery. Laid out on view were a selection of focaccia, cheese and meat sourced from Borough Market every morning. My friend and I opted to share plates and both loved the devine Mushroom and …

Toto’s Restaurant, South Kensington

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Where Toto’s Restaurant, South Kensington What Toto’s is an elegant Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge offering contemporary authentic dishes.   Housed in the beautiful Grade-II listed Walton House, the restaurant reopened recently after an extensive two year refurbishment. A sleek bar serving Italian inspired cocktails, an intimate mezzanine overlooking the dining room which boasts a large fire place and a beautiful hidden courtyard perfect for the summer months makes it well worth the two year wait. Experience Having heard some great things about Toto’s, my sister Hilary and I decided to go for dinner a few weeks ago for a good old catch up and to see what everyone had been talking about. Even with the good reviews, we couldn’t have anticipated how incredible our evening was going to be. Upon arrival we were taken downstairs and seated at our lovely table next to the window which overlooked the courtyard. The ceiling is incredibly high so its no wonder the restaurant has a beautiful mezzanine, perfect for private dining. I also couldn’t help but notice the large …