Down in Londontown for other half’s birthday next month.
Looking for recs for somewhere for drinks and ‘small plates’ after a concert at Royal Albert Hall on the Friday , for Sat and Sun breakfast/brunch and dinner Saturday night.
Place we are staying has recommended a mixed bag including The Ledbury, Beach Blanket babylon, Churchill Arms (Thai ), The Shed ( glamour puss farmer/resto brothers ? ) and Genies ( odd and pricey looking ? ).
Any thoughts on these or other recs ?
Not keen on anywhere super formal, posh or that will leave me thinking I need to take out a second mortgage on my house ( so i expect that counts us out of The Ledbury, at least ). Spanish,. Lebanese, Italian ( pizza for me…but only if its super good ) all favourites. To be avoided - Chinese.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
2
Maybe try Graingers for brunch for a Notting Hill classic. Mohsen for wonderful home style Persian. Pizza East for Pizza. Poggi’s Piacenza for super specific Piacenzan Italian. And take out a second mortgage for the Ledbury…
Avoid BBB (fine for posh drinks) and the Thai food at Churchill Arms is terrible
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
4
If you do reconsider the second mortgage idea, the Ledbury was our best meal of 2012. Faultless.
Clarke’s looking favourite so far. Is it posh ( need to wear a jacket ? ) or casual ( smart jeans will do ) ?
Pizza East - are the appetisers ( squid in particular ) or just stick to pizza ?
Grangers - GF will love it so something tells me it will be super busy on a saturday or Sunday morning …can you book for breakfast or is it a turn up and wait kind of place ?
Ledbury will need to wait til next time, I fear.
Thanks again,
I would have Core on the list - the new Clare Smyth place.
Looks like its a little less expensive than the Ledbury - it has a 3 course menu for £65 - I know that’s not cheap but Andy Hayler thought it good value for the quality etc.
Scandalously late reporting back, for which apologies.
Ended up at Pizza East on the Friday.Decent pizza - following the Neapolitan ‘rule’ that if it is any good pizza should never be anything than margherita with plenty of fresh basil - but disappointing wines by the glass and appetisers (aforementioned squid) clearly where they make their money as portion was miserly. Serves me right for buying squid so far from its home, bn doubt.
Clarke’s on the saturday. Great food but they pissed me off and I haven’t been able to let it go. In fact the more I have thought about it the more annoyed I have become.
When you go in the proper dining room is to the left. We were shown to the right to a table by the bar. Where they, toward the end of the night, started sorting out/ washing glasses etc. Some of which they put on the table next to ours. At one point a coupe came in who were obviously regulars ( seemed to be a lot of such, loevy darling ) and they sat them two tables from us. For 5 minutes while they had a drink, whereupon they were shown through to the other room. Now, the food was lovely and the service very attentive but I was left with the feeling that we had been put in the cheap seats, along with the Japanese tourists and other ‘not quite desirables’. Plus, John I hadn’t worn jeans - had broken the trousers out - very rare for me and clearly unappreciated. Was left feeling like the economy air traveller I am -‘no, sir - you go to the right’. Not the best when you have just spent £200 on yer dinner.
1 Like
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
12
Sorry to hear this, mate - not least as you went on my recc.
I think every restaurant must have its shit table and I hate it when I’m given it. The last significant one was at Galvin La Chappelle where I’d booked well in advance - table next to the waiters’ station so you could hear their gossip and they bumped into my chair every fucking time they passed. The place was rammed otherwise I’d have asked for a move. I buttonholed the manager afterwards and just got meaningless flannel off the smug git. No, I’m not letting that one go either.
This sucks. I wonder if there are tricks to avoid this if you are not regulars…
Saw on TV, a documentary showed that a lux restaurant and hotel group Costes in France always put the young, beautiful and smartly dressed clients in the best seatings to be seen.
Given your wonderful recs and brilliant postings I think we can let this one pass !
We really did enjoy the food too. Would just have been nice to be in the ‘proper’ dining room
