10 Greek Street

Both I and my lunch companion walked straight past the less than obvious entrance to this tablecloth free and very simply decorated restaurant whose doorway sports the number 10 and little else in a fit of suitably soho-esque minimalism.

There are some witty touches; water is served in milk bottles, the menu is presented on small scrolls in addition to the gastropub style blackboards and a handwritten fine wine list begs to be explored if you have the time to enjoy it.  The wine list is thoughtful with nary a sauvignon blanc in sight and markups are modest for the area.  The lack of sparkle and pretension means that a lot of effort goes into the food however. Starters of fish soup and Duck hearts on toast disappeared in the blink of an eye whilst the knuckle of gammon was a masterpiece of homely, simple cooking that left you very well fed and very satisfied.  The depth of savoury flavour in all the dishes tells us that there are no shortcuts in the kitchen.

The style brings to mind the Gastroeconomia restaurants (Apat and the like) that target simplicity and excellent cooking at relatively reasonable prices, an approach that in the current climate means, no doubt, that opening a restaurant is a much more saleable proposition.

The menu usually has a change or two every few days and whilst bookings can be taken for lunch, dinner is walk in only which means a guaranteed wait from 6-8pm, though they are happy to take your number and call when a seat becomes available.

An excellent spot for a satisfying meal in an area packed with well priced competition.

Tamarind

High end curry houses always present a problem. The shadow of brick lane and every modestly priced indian takeaway lurks over a cuisine that has much to offer but doesn't scream premium. It also has economically priced competition in the capital such as Lahore and Tayyabs so to impress, the food has to go to a higher level.

Alfred Prassad has been at the helm of this, now long established traditional Indian restaurant in the heart of Mayfair which has retained its Michelin star for 11 years and is one of a quartet of starred Indian venues which include Amaya, Benares and Rasoi.
The cuisine is focused on traditional Moghul cuisine incorporating North West Indian Tandoori favourites and is served in a pleasantly lit basement room which includes some of the most subtle kitchen views I can remember as the pass can be glimpsed through semi disguised one way mirrors hung on the wall.

Tobias Gorn takes care of sommelier duties and must have one of the hardest tasks in the capital. I can only assume that every diner diverted from beer to wine must represent a victory.

The kicker here, as with a select number of restaurants in the area is the set lunch which we tucked into with relish (figuratively speaking that is). Skewered ground chicken kebabs were tender and flavoured with delicate warming spices, chicken tikka (I know, I know, but if you are really going to compare the high street to Berkeley square the dishes must be matched) was a gentle, creamy and simple sauce that accompanied the meat rather than overwhelming it whilst the side orders of baby potatoes in cumin and Turmeric, yellow lentils, braised basmati and Nan rounded off the meal and provided an assortment of starches, each perfectly prepared to round out the meal.

In conclusion then, a fine Indian meal in which the care in the kitchen shone through. To be repeated.

Bedford and Strand

At some point, either before, during or after middle age a proportion of us are invaded by the wine bug. This affliction requires us to spend large amounts of time and money pursuing vinous nirvana and it is at this point in life that the horror of pub wine lists becomes an issue and a mental map of decent wine bars becomes secondary in importance only to a good sense of which way to walk to get to the nearest tube station afterwards.
So, what does my London wine map consist of? Well, Terroirs, Gordons, Vinoteque, Shampers, Selfridges Wonder Bar, any Davy’s wine bar, Vagabonds, Nicolas Canary Wharf, and Waitrose Canary Wharf all make an apperance, and now, for its wine list far more than its food, Bedford and Strand off the strand.

A basement tiled room, a short list comfortingly grouped by price but more importantly for wine drinkers, all wines served by the glass, carafe or bottle and some interesting choices instead of the more typical variations. Light on French offerings, plenty of New World (Malbec Rose anyone?), a single, and perfectly decent Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, a solid and fairly priced claret for the traditionalists and even a British still wine.

Cheers! (and no, that one isn’t on my list)

Lobster and Burger

Here is a foodie quiz for you.  Name a restaurant that has no reservations, queues to sit down and a limited menu.  Tapas bars in Bilbao?  Seafood shacks on in West Mersea?

No, the ultimate in table turning tricks has now been applied to Mayfair in the form of Burger and Lobster, a (barely) converted pub, nos reservations, simple tables and chairs and an austerity aesthetic that no doubt sits well with local punters in these hardened times.  A barren single screen website with only address and a caricature, three mains courses, Lobster, Burger or Lobster Roll, each with Chips and all for the sum of £20 each.

The glamour and relatively low cost of a lobster and fries for two crisp tenners (I hesitate to use the word value in the context of crustaceans) is rather better value than the burger whose price outpaces that at  Hawksmoor, Automat, Goodmans (it is run by the owners of the last of these) and pretty much every other grand burger grillhouse.  The service is pleasant, whilst the lobster and burger are both generous and appropriately cooked.

This is not necessarily a cheap meal however once you bear in mind the amount of time you are likely to stay and the cost of drinks and extras. A pint of beer was a much more west end like £5.50  All that said, everyone loves a bargain, or at least the possibility of one.

As to advice, well arrive early or late, don't expect to linger too long as the atmosphere is a little frenetic, be aware the place will be full of large numbers of men, sat school dinner like with bibs round their necks and remember this is, at heart a diner, not a venue for dinner.

Goodmans

Goodmans is one of the newer wave of steak restaurants replete with the ever present Josper Grill which, paired with Hawksmoor and the daddy of them all, Gauchos, leads the charge for well grilled cow in London and forms part of a regularly visited trio on my part.

The urge for me is not strong however to sample every steak restaurant in town. It is, in my mind at least, a simple meal, dominated by the quality of ingredients and a careful hand at the grill that should remain straightfoward. Despite waiterly attempts to add "sides" at every opportunity I wave it all away and limit the choice to cut, size and then order it medium rare with chips and a bottle of wine.

I see that I nearly scrawled a post last April on this venue, but failed as there is little to say other than;

Good steak - check
Good chips (not fries!) - check
Reasonable wine list - check
A modicum of mustard - check

This is all that matters so and all of the above meet these requirements with ease but beware Broadgate Gauchos which differs a little on the atmosphere which is a little lively, aimed as it is no doubt at the younger city gent with its glass bar, Bond villianesque lift and background music so if this will may interfere with your your ability to concentrate on the matter at hand, choose the Picadilly branch and be prepared for one of the great gustatory pleasures.

Hix Oyster and Chop House

We visited Hix's sister restaurant, the Oyster and Fish House in the summer and so finally got around to visiting Mark Hix's original restaurant launched in 2008 after his departure from the Caprice Holdings group. This venue, a more meaty sibling is tucked away behind Farringdon station by Smithfields Meat Market which rather dictates the likely contents of the menu. On our visit, no Beef and Oyster pie was listed and no-one would join me in the chicken for two so signature dishes were not an option. Instead we plumped for Hix's home cured salmon (which is cured in his own garden smokery apparently), and battered Dublin Bay Oyster prawns both of which went down a treat, the former benfitting from a gentle smoking that was not too sweet and the latter, a crisp grease free batter and tongue tingling caper mayo.

Mains included a pork chop which fell into the "nicest I've ever eaten" category, whole John Dory and for full sustainability points, a fillet of Gurnard. We rounded off with Treacle tart (sublime and again light on the sugar), a Rich Chocolate Mousse and a Clafouti-esque version of Bakewell Pudding that will no doubt have me online buying a Hix cookbook within the week laden as it was with puff pastry, jam, whole almonds, an almond filling and almond ice cream so all the tastes of Bakewell allied with the guilt of puff pastry - superb. Extra marks for a full vegetarian menu as well.

All in all, a menu replete with Hix quirks (Credit Crunch Ice Cream, Hix Fix) and the trademark attention to ingredients backed by rock solid kitchen skills that bring out buckets of flavour without a hint of faff.

Casillero del Diablo Winemaker Dinner

Casillero del Diablo have been flexing their mass market muscles for some time, sponsoring a premier league football club, putting both Wayne Rooney and the general public through one of the cheesiest adverts since that "Ambassador spoiled us" and rolling out a marketing package the like of which few wine brands can match of which this dinner was the London based event in 2011.

The evening included commentary by Marcelo Papa, the dapper Chilean winemaker and Peter Richards, both a Master of Wine (for which read wine trade Jedi) and genuine authority on all things vineous and Chilean. The wine flowed generously all evening and the five course meal was well prepared and of good quality, though with no highlights to comment on for my part.

Casillero y Diablo is Concha y Toro's mid market brand subject to regular and aggressive discounting at all supermarkets and bearing this in mind, it is well made and an excellent example of the benefits that the much derided industrialisation of wine production has bought us.

It is also a fabulous advertisement for the value that Chile can extract from the viticultural process with it's benign climate, low cost labour that makes hand harvesting an option at lower price points, absence of vintage variation and a scale of production that allows well made drinkable everyday wine to be sold at a price that everyone can afford.

So neither a gourmet feast nor a highbrow tasting evening but I don't doubt that a majority of diners staggered off into the night better disposed towards the brand and more likely to buy it in the future.

Sienna

Sienna is not a name I have come across, restricted as my gluttony is to London and anywhere an hours drive from it. I was therefore relying entirely on the trusty Michelin guide to help me choose a final meal whilst in Devon and there is plenty of competition. It sits amidst Mark Hix's Oysterhouse' Matt Follas' wild Garlic' the Crab House in Wyke Regis and the occasional evening meal at River Cottage which form a gastronomic trail from Weymouth to Bridport like so many edible pearls on the Jurassic coastline. The first had been dispatched earlier in the week, the last was sold out so the fat mans star helped finalise the choice.

The exterior is unremarkable and the interior a pleasant and straightforward small Mediterranean themed dining room. Front of house is pleasantly and professionally dealt with by the chef's partner Elaine Brown, the wine list is limited but offers a worthy variety of choices from both the old and new world.

Bread is home made and excellent, an the quality of ingredients is high but the technical quality of cooking is exceptionally so.

An amuse bouche of courgette tartlets showed a delicacy of touch on the pastry front and was paired with a savoury earthy "goats cheese truffle". Both bought the taste buds enthusiastically to life.

A Panzanella tomato salad with creamy buffalo mozzarella and a rich balsamic vinegar was a deliciously simple dish that relies on sympathetic treatment of high quality ingredients. A main course of loin of lamb and shepherds pie offered lamb two ways with 'peas and carrots' in the form of pea shoots and a silky carrot puree raising a smile both for the touch of humour and the primal satisfaction of a perfectly executed British dish.

Lastly, mascarpone mousse with poached peach on a shortbread biscuit, offered a light and delicate finale of cream and acidity. The cheesecake was rich (perhaps a little too much so?) and creamy whilst Petit fours showcased the chef's broad technical skill and penchant for chocolaterie.

Russell Brown has spent the last eight years nurturing this 15 cover dining room on Dorchester High street so his ability to maintain it must be something of a labour of love. Perhaps the decor and choice of music is a little dated and the noise of buses stopping outside the front window but these gripes become petty once you begin to enjoy the classically prepared french cuisine

It is a pleasure to find that Dorchester can support cuisine of this quality and that the restaurant has deservedly kept the star awarded in 2010.

Hix Oyster and Fish House

On a recent trip on the Dorset Coast we visited the Hix Oyster and Fish House.

This one of Mark Hix's five venues, a brand that is rapidly turning into an watchword for quality British dining. An unusual cross between a chalet and wood fronted conservatory on stilts, it overlooks the Cobb in Lyme Regis from a small deck and through ceiling to floor windows offers a beautiful view of the bay. On our visit, unusually warm British weather tested the ventilation of the restaurant as it does not have air conditioning. This is rarely likely to be an issue in the UK however, global warming notwithstanding.

The menu is straightforward and offers spanking fresh fish cooked simply and served by polite young and slightly nervous staff, perhaps beginning their summer holiday front of house stint in the venue.


The wine list is short and limited, heavy on the new world selections with nary a Sancerre Pouilly Fume or Albarino in sight. The cooking, however simple, is consistent. Chips are good, soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside. Crab salad and crab on toast were both well seasoned and presented. Local Bream and Bass were excellent and served with a good green and hollandaise sauce. Authentically creamy ice cream and refreshing sorbet finished the meal though we had time for a quirky little alcojelly under the name of the "Shot of Hix Fix". Wine mark ups are closer to London levels at 300% at the budget end of the list. This venue has been in place since 2008 and turned tables twice on a summer lunch service so I am sure is proving very successful.

The view through the left of the restaurant jars slightly with that through the front as the former neatly frames the crazy golf course but this is the English seaside and if the view were of the med and the locals were playing boules instead it would seem authentic rather than twee.

It would be easy to attempt a comparison to Rick Steins fish restaurant. The formula is too straightforward to be put in the same category however, aimed as it is at well heeled casual holiday visitors who will not venture far enough down the coast to try the local competition which offers a similar approach for a few pounds less.

In conclusion then, the cost of the meal is perhaps a little high given the simplicity of the food but the quality is there and the location stands out.

York and Albany

From time to time I fail to record restaurant visits here and this is usually for four reasons. Perhaps I have already written about them and am visiting again, they are bland, bad or I had such a wonderful time, I made no notes, took no photos and can type up nothing of note other than "ooohhh lovely". From time to time though, a meal can fall into one of these categories but provoke a comment for another reason.

Launched by Angela Hartnett in '08 with a predominantly Italian menu (hence the adjoining deli Nonna's) whilst she was also creating Murano to the west in Mayfair, Colin Buchan has taken on the role and all trace of his predecessor are now removed from the website.

The menu is described as Mediterranean which in this case seems to touch broadly on Italy, Spain and France, though not specifically the mediterranean parts of any of them, so no bouillabaisse, no Greek or Turkish touches. Main course prices with the exception of the pizza excepted can equal those in the Savoy Grill or Claridges so expectations are high.

The bread was good, service very competent and the dining room at the back of the venue pleasant and well lit. Confit of lamb with carrots and puree was well presented and cooked though a little richer than expected whilst the Ice cream elicited no complaints.

There is an issue however. The layout of a bar at the front with a dining room at the rear means this feels like a very well decorated gastropub but doesn't focus on the typicity of it's food enough to merit the title. Nor can it be thought of as a Ramsey twist on a traditional English pub. For this, visit the The Narrow. The cuisine is perfectly competent however the menu seems confused as does the identity of the venue.

Perhaps the fault lies with reviewer here. Possibly a walk north from Regents Park tube rather than west from Camden Town may have encouraged the elegant townhouse restaurant ambience the website advertises but I suspect the departure of Angela Hartnett has robbed it of the culinary element of this approach. And here is my point. To impress a restaurant requires a focused identity. This can exist whether the food is simple and straightforward such as Maze Grill, a tribute to it's history such as the Savoy Grill or a destination restaurant. In this case it seems absent.

So a lukewarm review here because Gordon Ramsey, for all the criticism he has received, runs some great restaurants. One can't help but feel that the inspiration for the venue has moved on and given the Mayfair prices three miles east of where they belong, there is little to prompt a return.

My First First

This is one of the great pleasures of blogging. You can write whatever you want and no-one can do more than post a snotty reply on your blog, which you can then, of course delete. With that in mind I shall record my first taste of a first growth claret. As a wine bore in the making, this is both a event of geekery, luxury and frankly enormous generosity on the part of a friend who presented this bottle at a recent meal along with a sterling steak and chips (is there a better accompaniement to claret?).

I would love to wax lyrical and roll out a Jilly Goolden like rollcall of tasting notes but rather than fill the screen with the predictable (blackcurrant, cassis, pencil box, lead, spice etc) what actually struck me most was the endless length of this wine, the freshness of the fruit that suggests a good couple of decades of life ahead of it, even at 28 years of age, and a concentration the like of which few now have the budget to enjoy and which I will remember for some time to come.

For anyone who doubts the sheer grandeur of Bordeaux's greatest, if you ever have the chance, indulge.

Cinnamon Kitchen

Spending money in an upmarket Indian restaurant is always a tough sell. Close to the forefront of your mind is the likely proximity of a budget substitute which, if the food quality is poor, acts as your benchmark. This is a reasonable test, as the quality of London restaurants such as Lahore and Tayyabs set a high bar for quality, even if they offer plenty of scope for an improvement in service and location.

Off to Cinnamon Kitchen then, the pret a porter offering from the Cinnamon Club. First impressions were a little mixed. The reception area offered the opportunity to leave your coat on an unattended rack by the front door whilst being assaulted by decade old house music from the club, the entrance to which sits opposite that of the restaurant. The wine list with it's Ramseyesque markups drove us to beer and cider and the waiting staff were a little vague, though undoubtedly friendly.

The food however was good. Welsh lamb kebabs were a good proxy for Tayyabs' Seekh Kebabs, a venison patty was well spiced, the ox cheek was pronounced excellent, the Paneer stuffed chillis turned out to be peppers but proved an interesting side dish whilst the sea bass was served with a plain cup of rice and a fruity curry sauce that was entirely inauthentic but perfectly well cooked.

This is a restaurant which tries too hard to soften the description and impact of its cuisine and seems to assume that an increase in price requires that the dishes be described and presented in a way that is unchallenging to diners or in some way international in outlook. Londoners do not need to be protected from a menu, the origin of which the country has adopted as it's national cuisine and the cost is entirely in keeping with the location in the heart of the city. Cinnamon club changes nothing about its food, but adds layers of service, it;'s sibling should try an informal version of the same approach.

Vinoteca

Vinoteca is amongst the plethora of faithful copies of modern French Wine Bars that serve an eclectic range by the glass and a thoughtful one by the bottle along with well cooked bistro food. Amongst them you'll find 28-50 (an offshoot of Texture) and Terroirs (which has since spawned Brawn). This establishment though was the first of it kind, opening in 2005 and offering a selection that veers closer to the new World than either of it's competitors. Terroirs specialises in "natural" wines supplied by Cave du Preneees and so their best selections are francophile whilst the attraction of 28-50 is the list of more than fairly priced mature wines by the bottle. All offer similarly excellent simple food. Vinoteca also boasts two establishments, one in Farringdon and a second in Marble Arch.

Add to this both the Nicolas Canary Wharf Shop and the wine departments of Fortnum and Masons, Selfridges and Waitrose Canary Wharf who have all installed a wine bar in which to crack open a bottle of recently purchased wine and we have on our hands, a veritable wine bar scene.

Trebles all round I say!

Michelin Meandering

January is that time of the year when Chefs across the finer restaurants in the country hold their collective breaths in the hope that their hard work and wallet is rewarded by the gift of a Michelin Star. Yes, the stars were announced today and whilst they maintained some level of tension by managing not to accidentally leak the details as happened last year, the result was ultimately lacking any heavyweight changes. Whilst pundits had highlighted Marcus Wareing and Le Gavroche for a possible third and both Anima and Koffman for a single star, there were no new three star establishments. New one star additions included Kitchen W8, Petersham Nurseries Café, Viajante, Galvin La Chapelle, Petrus, Seven Park Place and Gauthier in London. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw both received a second star.

So perhaps we will have more to look forward in 2012 which, who knows, may include Heston Blumenthal’s new Bistro (Now only days away from opening) and Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social amongst them.

And if you are in search of a silver lining for this culinary deflated souffle of an award event, with so few changes, you won’t need to replace your 2010 editions.

A full List of starred establishments is below.

ENGLAND

The Samling
Michael Wignall at The Latymer (at Pennyhill Park Hotel)
Fischer’s at Baslow Hall
The Park (at Lucknam Park Hotel)
The Terrace (at Montagu Arms Hotel)
The Pipe and Glass Inn
West House
Fraiche
Purnell’s
Simpsons
Turners
Northcote
Morston Hall
Curlew
Burlington (at Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel)
Lords of the Manor
Royal Oak
Casamia
Manor House H. and Golf Club
Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor
Pony & Trap
Apicius
Ockenden Manor
Sienna
36 on the Quay
Read’s
L’Enclume
The Neptune
Box Tree
Atlantic
Bohemia (at The Club Hotel and Spa)
The Stagg Inn
La Bécasse
Mr Underhill’s at Dinham Weir
Harrow at Little Bedwyn
Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House
The Hand and Flowers
The Nut Tree
Restaurant Sat Bains
Hambleton Hall
Yorke Arms
JSW
L’Ortolan
Drakes
Mallory Court
Old Vicarage
The Masons Arms
The Olive Branch and Beech House
Room in the Elephant
Sharrow Bay Country House
Auberge du Lac
The Sportsman
Hambrough
5 North St
The Black Rat
Holbeck Ghyll
Paris House

SCOTLAND

Braidwoods
Number One (at Balmoral Hotel)
21212
Kitchin
Martin Wishart
Plumed Horse
Sangster’s
Inverlochy Castle
Champany Inn
Albannach
Boath House
Peat Inn
Knockinaam Lodge
Kinloch Lodge
The Walnut Tree
Tyddyn Llan
Ynyshir Hall
Crown at Whitebrook
House (at Cliff House Hotel)
Chapter One
L’Ecrivain
Thornton’s (at The Fitzwilliam Hotel)
Bon Appétit

LONDON
Chapter One
Hakkasan
Club Gascon
Rhodes Twenty Four
Harwood Arms
River Café
La Trompette
St John
Rasoi
Tom Aikens
Kitchen W8
The Glasshouse
Bingham Restaurant (at Bingham Hotel)
Petersham Nurseries Café
Viajante
Galvin La Chapelle
Chez Bruce
Amaya
Apsleys (at Lanesborough Hotel)
Pétrus
Zafferano
Benares
Galvin at Windows (at London Hilton Hotel)
Greenhouse
Kai
Maze
Murano
Nobu (at The Metropolitan Hotel)
Nobu Berkeley St
Semplice
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library)
Tamarind
Umu
Wild Honey
L’Autre Pied
Locanda Locatelli
Rhodes W1(Restaurant)
Texture
Seven Park Place (at St James's Hotel and Club)
Arbutus
Gauthier-Soho
Yauatcha
Quilon

2 STAR

Midsummer House
Gidleigh Park
Le Champignon Sauvage
Whatley Manor
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw

SCOTLAND
Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Patrick Guilbaud

LONDON
Pied à Terre
The Ledbury
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Le Gavroche
Hibiscus
Square
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

3 STAR

ENGLAND
Fat Duck
Waterside Inn

LONDON
Gordon Ramsay
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

Hugh's Fish Fight

I finally caught up on the weeks viewing and watched Hughs fish fight today. I thought I was up to speed on discard policy, CFP and the tangle of competing interests that result in what feels like an inevitable failure of our global attempts to manage fish stocks. Seeing some of the impact on television troubled me deeply though.

It is clear that the current policy needs to change and that the public is the best tool to do it. Here's my promise. My next three fish meals will not be cod, haddock or plaice and I will use the most effective short term vote I have, my spending power and food choices, to make a contribution. In the meantime I've added a widget for the duration of the campaign. I know not many people read this blog, but for those that do, I urge you to check it out for yourself and decide what you can do to help.

Cornershop Cake

OK. Picture this. The weather is dreadful. There is snow and we are not talking about the sort of downfall that makes you dream of lightly dusted picture perfect mince pies. This is the triple iced grotty stuff, bane of the commuter and the sort of barrier to travel that means that anyone who would even consider going further than the corner shop is clearly deranged.

The day is long, the sky overcast and you need cake to while away the hours before dinner. Cue a recipe for the lazy foodie.



Ingredients
Tin of peaches (or pears, or any tinned fruit knocking around in the cupboard)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
125gr unsalted butter
125gr caster sugar
2 large eggs
125gr sieved self-raising flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease and lightly flour your ovenproof dish.
Dump the fruit into the bowl and space it out evenly.
Beat together the butter, caster sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is a little dry, add some of the fruit juice from the tin and then spread over the fruit. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with any of hot custard, ice-cream or creme fraiche. Whatever you eat it with make sure a large steaming mug of tea is involved.

The above takes all of ten minutes if you have a hand mixer so this leaves you time to flick through your latest copy of Olive, watch Nigel Slater on Iplayer or update your food blog.

With apologies for the poorly lit cake piccies and thanks for the recipe inspiration - adapted from Jamie Olivers "Sheila's Pud".

Murray's

Every so often you watch the Soprano's or the Godfather and you wish you had an authentic Italian restaurant using lemons flown in from Amalfi, vegetables that have been chosen and handled with care and a cracking regional wine list. Well, I have yet to find one, since I live in the fair county of Essex, but if you live near to Weston Super Mare then this restaurant must be visited.

Murray's is principally a delicatessen featuring outstanding Italian produce and the restaurant a few shops down is supplied by them. The Murray family took over this much loved restaurant, then called Olives, seven years ago and renamed it. It is here I was first introduced to wine from Cantine Giacomo Ascheri of Bra, the sort of outstanding local producer whose products they specialise in stocking. The family influence is also about to get interesting as they have recently bought Bordeaux Quay in Bristol so watch out for some interesting changes.

The service is polite in a relaxed local restaurant kind of way, the menu simple, but the output heartwarming and consistent. Canneloni comprised small gently spiced tomato rich mince sausages wrapped in light pasta sheets and a drizzle of melted mozzarella. The pear tart was authentically served with a small glass of Moscato D'Asti, the apple tart pastry was crisp and topped with delightfully crunchy Amaretto biscuits.

The foodies obvious choice for an Italian in the area may be the starred Casamia in Westbury-on-Trym but we were left so satisfied the alternative may have to wait. After all, I haven't made it through to the end of the wine list yet.

Gaucho Grill

I confess the steak bug has not so much bitten as tied a big serviette round its neck and sat down at the dinner table. Gaucho is the daddy of all London steak restaurants and is so succesful it is now a chain owned by a private equity company. The look has not changed. Cow hide covers the walls, the Argentine Parillada feel is maintained by its almost exclusive focus on its main dish and the wine list is primarily Argentinian, a little expensive but helpfully colour coded for those who find the task of choosing stressful rather than a pleasure.

Lighting is still an issue bought on by the heavy wood and shuttered windows. On my first visit some years ago I nearly fell down the stairs it was so dark and every visit since has reminded me why every man can find at least one use for the keyring torch he received last christmas.

Steaks are laid out on a board and introduced at the table. Service is good and the atmosphere is almost exclusively male, enthusiastic and focused on the ubiquitous steak though there is a fair selection of menu choice that differs from the star of the show.

The star in question is excellent. Juicy, a little charred, well tenderised and enthusiastically seasoned before hitting the grill. This is not fine dining, it is civilised carniverosity.

Maze Grill

The cold weather has left me with a primal carnivorous streak which just won't go away so steak has featured large in my diet of late. Medium Rare with chips and a glass of wine, it may be one of the best meals of all time. Now despite what you'd imagine, you can go wrong with steak and chips and a little extra money well spent goes a long way. Take Maze Grill for example. Jason Atherton may have gone the way of most Gordon's protege's, sprinting out of the door whilst the Ramsey empire collapses behind them like an ancient temple from an Indiana Jones sequel but I don't think the lack of a name chef will cause too much pain here.

The meat is displayed on a board that is bought to the table and discussed and no-one is upset if you stick to the set, a fine 3 course set lunch for £21 that usually includes onglet and chips with a solid starter (recently a rather luscious cassoulet) and a decent dessert.

If however you go the whole hog (or cow in this case), a rather larger portion can be yours for the going rate you will pay at any of the restaurants contemporaries.

The formula still works well, a simple grill menu in a slightly habitatish beige room in Mayfair. Service is polite, the wine list and markup is everything you would expect and the lack of trendiness makes for an ideal regular haunt rather than a grand event. The cooking is both good and consistent with a buzzy atmosphere. I last visited in July and looking back I see I was just as enthusiastic. Whilst Goodmans and Hawksmoor with their Josper grills may have stealed something of a march on them, this NY steakhouse inspired eaterie keeps me coming back time and time again. To paraphrase 'ol blue eyes, "A restaurant so good I blogged it twice".

Nicolas - Canary Wharf

Well a refurbishment has had little effect on the decor here but something made a difference because this bargain basic bistro wine bar was packed on a recent Wednesday evening. An enterprising staffer, surely on commission, had packed a dozen well dressed city ladies into a space roughly the size of one of their shoe cupboards and was yelling her way through a tutored wine tasting over the din of clattering plates and clinking wine bottles. It is run by Nicolas, the off license chain which stocks it's resolutely Francophile range and insists on displaying its limited global wine offerings, paltry as they are, in amusingly hard to find corners of their stores. This is perhaps no surprise given it is a French company but it must be the only wine retailer in the UK whose Australian wine range consists of a whole three bottles (count 'em!) and they are all Yellow Tail. Still, each to their own and we have to thank them for this outpost which is a combination wine bar and off license which allows you to select a bottle which is then carried into the wine bar and opened for you. This means no markup on whatever you drink. The menu to accompany this is strictly local french bar fare such as Charcuterie, toasted sandwiches and Duck Cassoulet. Not fine dining but solid and a hearty accompaniment to anything you happen to pluck from the shelves which is the real attraction because although the French seem to be intent on committing Claret infanticide, the selection of fine wine covers an area that is not served by high street chains.



Waiters were polite though slightly stunned by the sheer quantity of customers and we plumped for a reliable bottle of Louis Latour Macon to wash down our starters allowing us the budget to indulge a little on a bottle to marry with our Lamb Shanks. Phelan Segur is a well respected St Estephe Chateau famous for its current owners choice to pull all of the 1983 - 1985 vintages from sale when quality did not meet he standards he aspired to. On the nose, smoke blackcurrant, raspberry, mineral and dried herbs, Medium-bodied, with well-integrated tannins but lacking the complexity of a recent half bottle of the 2004. This is serious Cru Borgouis Claret and at £40 a bottle a relative steal in central London.