Category Archives: Restaurant & Hotel Reviews

360 RESTAURANT: TAKING TAPAS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

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When you think about tasting the most wonderful tapas, your mind won’t immediately spring to Surbiton. But after one mouthful of its olivo ascolane, you’ll shun central London and be waiting at Waterloo with your return ticket to Surbiton ticket in hand..

The food

Using only the freshest ingredients, Chef Akshay Sabharwal has brought a modern, flavoursome flair to the Kingston area. Having worked for the likes of Emirates and F1-Silvererstone, Sabharwal has thrown everything into 360 and his vision comes through in his dishes. Aside from the tapas, our personal favourite dishes of the day included Crisp Fried Crab with black risotto rice and a passionfruit and chilli sorbet or a Crispy Talo Corn Tortilla with burrata, heritage tomatoes, micro basil, chlorophyll infused olive oil. Still not convinced? Two words for you… truffle arranchini with Parmesan cream. OK that’s five, but we had you at ‘truffle arranchini’.

Every ingredient at the restaurant is paired in a way that’s the most sophisticated form of matchmaking we’ve seen. Not ordinarily searching for the sweets, we almost went to heaven when we saw the dessert menu and the tastes far outweighed the expectations set by the words on pages of the printed menu. The Pecan and Whiskey pie packs an almighty punch combo – sweet and seriously boozy. If chocolate dessert is your vibe, the Chocolate 360 Orbit with dark chocolate mousse, hazelnut praline ice cream, milk foam, honeycomb and popping candy will blow you away. Rich, sophisticated and deliciously decadent, we’d seriously suggest saving some room for this one, if you can contain yourself.

The drink

One of the things that surprised us the most about 360 was the affordable and classic cocktail lists.  From the whiskey sour, through to the coveted cosmo and margarita, you’d be hard pressed not to find your favourite. We opted for the gin fizz and spiced mojito – a culmination of fresh and festive in one serving! If you prefer a crisp and cold glass of wine to accompany your taste buds’ trip around the world, the wine selection is impressively varied, a true reflection of the restaurant itself. Choose your tipple from south Africa, Chile, Spain, New Zealand, Italy, the USA or of course, the Queen’s country itself.

The prices

Tapas start at £4.50 for Galician padron peppers and go up to £9.95 for smoked Scottish scallops. Dessert starts at £7.50 for a vanilla panacotta or a warm chocolate brownie and at the higher end is £8.95 for a cheeseboard. A glass of white wine starts at £5.50 for a crisp, dry Spanish and if you’re feeling like splashing out you can buy a Tattinger Brut Reserve for £45

The atmosphere

Set directly to overlook the Thames, 360 has a chic and modern look and feel. Plush seating, burnt orange and teal accents throughout the space and a venue is flooded with natural light, it’s a formula for a London local’s oasis. Soft and subtle music often plays the air warves and the team are more than happy to help, whatever your needs. For us, the beauty of 360 was that the London bubble felt like a distant memory. We were able to relax and immerse ourselves in whatever part of the world our palette was experiencing.

The important bit…

To book a table at 360, visit https://www.hikingston.co.uk/restaurant-and-bar/ or call
020 8786 6520

Dancing the day away: The Piano Works bottomless brunch

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As you might’ve noticed, here at Frost we have a penchant for prosecco filled bottomless brunches. What could beat it? A bottomless brunch with live music, of course. We headed to Farringdon to give The Piano Works ‘Brunch to the Beat’ a try and, whilst initially nervous as we first entered the lair, we quickly embraced the atmosphere and partied the day away.

At £50 per person, the bottomless brunch includes a two-course meal and two hours (none of that 90 minute malarkey) of unlimited drinks. Choose to wet the whistle with either prosecco, pink Italian sparkling wine, Aperol Spritz, Bloody Mary or mocktails.

You’d be hard pressed to find staff who support your quest for completely embracing the ‘unlimited’ part of the Brunch to the Beat experience too. Each time your glass is edging towards the dangerous ‘half full’ territory (yep, we’re eternal optimists), the suited and booted waiters are at your side, ready to serve and encouraging the party.

Although you can choose to purchase just the drinks at £35 a head, the quality of the food is not to be ignored. The chicken and waffles were the perfect mix of sweet and savoury and the crunchy, smokey batter that encased the chicken was packed with flavour. For dessert, it’s a modest list of options but they’re certainly fan favourites – sorbet, waffles, fruit salad or the pancake stack.

Above all else, it’s imperative we talk atmosphere. This bar is often packed with large groups of hens, stags and party people (which usually guarantees a good time) but the sheer brilliance of the on-stage professionals is something else. Music starts at midday with two piano vocalists, followed by a full band at 1.30pm. Once the band has bowled in, the party intensifies.

Playing only the audience requests with a fantastic jazzy twist to just about everything, the artists become the pied pipers, drawing crowds to the dancefloor with tantalising ease. To top this experience with the metaphorical cherry, it’s a no holds barred kind of affair, with all types of requests welcome. During our experience, we heard Ben E King, Jackson 5, Ellie Goulding and Lewis Capaldi – what more could you want!?

By the end of the session, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll be dancing like you’re 18 again on the dancefloor at 4am. Although, the reality is that it’s 4pm, the harsh light of day awaits outside and the hangover is starting to prepare for its inescapable appearance… we wish you luck.

To make a booking for The Piano Works’ Brunch To The Beat, visit the website.

 

 

ROYAL CHINA – RESTAURANT REVIEW

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Who wants some world famous Chinese food? Us, obviously. We took a trip to Baker Street’s Royal China restaurant and experienced huge flavours from its Cantonese menu with some superb service to boot.

Renowned for its Dim Sum and Hong Kong style dishes, alongside seasonal menus, the restaurant has something for any Chinese food lover.

The Baker Street branch is considered to be the Group’s flagship (of its six restaurants in London from Queensway to Harrow on The Hill) and when you walk into the atmospheric dining hall which can hold 250 people, you immediately see why!

Head chef Pak Kuen Ng is somewhat of a celebrity in the biz. Growing up in Hong Kong, his own experiences influencer the flavours. Our favourite dishes on the day included the Honey Roast Pork Puffs, deep fried stuffed crab claw, roast duck Cantonese style and ‘Royal China’ Lotus Leaf Rice. OK, we know that’s a lot on the favourites list but trust us on this one, the flavours are on point!

If you are drawn towards the Dim Sum, you’re in luck – there’s a new menu launching this month which will be served daily from noon through to 5.30pm. A huge mix of Cheung Fung, dumplings, buns and meat pots, all ranging from £3.90 to £6.60 a dish, it’s a budget friendly way to trial the lot however the Black Gold Yolk Lava Buns are eying us up…

You won’t be going thirsty here either, with over 40 different teas to choose from and over 100 wine bins, there’s a tipple to compliment each dish.

Visit https://www.royalchinagroup.co.uk/ to book and see what’s on

 

STOP EVERYTHING: A cheese wheel extravaganza is coming to London

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That’s right, London locals can reap the benefits of their postcodes to indulge in a pasta, cheese wheeling night of Italian luxury.

Pasta Remoli, a firm favourite of Frost mag, recently opened its Ealing Broadway spot and is celebrating by hosting three, yes three, exclusive evenings for locals.

It’s no ordinary evening though, each night, chef and founder Simone Remoli will present guests with deliciously moreish Maccheroncini Carbonara served hot straight out of a, wait for it, GIANT PARMESAN WHEEL. Just give us a moment to compose ourselves.

For £25, guests will enjoy a welcome drink, Italian starters including Italian salumi and cheese, crispy and velvety arancini, creamy burrata cheese, mixed bruschetta, bread and focaccia before the main event… the giant Parmesan wheel packed with Maccheroncini Carbonara.

 

If that’s not enough for your Italian food – appreciating selves, dessert is also included in the price. Swoon.

 

To make a booking, email ealingbroadway@pastaremoli.co.uk

GAUCHO TOWER BRIDGE – STEAKS, SOPHISTICATION AND SUBLIME SCENERY

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Carnivores, raise your hand if you want to learn more about the best Argentinian steaks in the Capital… Good, let’s get to it.

We popped into Tower Bridge’s Gaucho restaurant to experience its new look and Latin American style theme and learn what this much-loved chain would bring to our meat loving selves. Little did we know, the grub, the great deals that run through the week and the ambience were absolute game changers.

If you’ve not had chance to frequent a Gaucho restaurant yet, (we promise we’re not judging…much), then you might not be completely au fait with its set up. Gaucho has more respect for its meat than we probably have for our loved ones and upon arrival, a chopping block of lovely, red, cuts will be presented to you in the fashion of a specials board. The team will talk you through each of its main cuts. Butterfly (a signature piece brushed with garlic and herb), sirloin, rump, rib eye and fillet. Don’t feel overwhelmed though – you won’t leave that place until you’ve dissected which cut is best suited to you forever more.

Once you’ve established if you’re mad for marbling or bonkers for blue meat, you can choose the weight of the cut that will land on your table. 250g, 300g or for the gluttonous amongst us (don’t lie, we’re all guilty of it), 400g. To embody Goldilocks, the 300g was ‘just right’ for us.

The wine, sides and starters that will pepper the table throughout your experience are all equally well seasoned, well cooked and well-presented but the two things that stood out to us most? The succulent steaks (obvs) and the location. Sit yourself at the right table on either of its floors and you will spend your sessions staring at London landmarks and people watching. You’ll take in the tourists testing millions of snaps for the perfect Instagram picture, be impressed (and sickened in equal measure) by the sporting groups dancing across Potters Field lawns and peek through the windows of City Hall, because this location is a Monopoly style Mayfair in our opinion.

Some of the diary dates at Gaucho you won’t want to miss?

Mondays BYOB – no catch, no corkage, no size limit!

Saturday Electro Brunch – Two hours of brilliant beats and bottomless bevvies to accompany dishes from this master menu, all for £49.95pp

Visit the Gaucho site for more information.

*We were guests of Gaucho Tower Bridge

Josē Pizarro Showcases Olives from Spain

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Last week we were invited to a Spanish lunch dreams are made of; made with love by Josē Pizarro himself, the chef behind introducing tapas to the UK.

The occasion? the launch of Olives from Spain UK Partnership with Josē Pizarro with an exclusive taster of some of the newly developed dishes highlighting the delicious Olives. 

So who are Olives from Spain? A professional organisation created to promote Spanish Olives and celebrate them Worldwide. The collaboration between Olives from Spain and Josē began about three years ago as who would be a better advocate for taking one of Spain’s top exports and promoting them, than Josē. With a string of successful restaurants behind him and an ethos to create simple, top quality dishes, the olives are excellently showcased with recipes you can recreate at home. 

Why the Olive? As well as being one of Spain’s top exports, Olives have been at the heart of the culture and cuisine in Spain for more than 2000 years. Olives are a versatile ingredient and are one of the few foods in the world that naturally contain four basic flavours; bite, sweet, salty and acidic. They are easy to digest and lets not forget their amazing anti-oxidant properties. The mediterranean diet is proven to help you live longer! 

So we wanted to share one of our favourite recipes Josē created using Olives from Spain;

Hake with Tomato and Olive Salad;

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

200g mixed Manzanilla and black Hojiblanca olives

500g ripe mixed colour vine tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Handful oregano, leaves picked

Handful flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp white wine

1tsp sherry vinegar

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

4 x 200g hake fillets

Method:

The Salad;

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a platter with the olives.

Scatter with garlic, herbs and lots of sea salt and black pepper, 

Whisk the white wine and vinegar with a little seasoning then whisk in olive oil and pour over tomatoes.

Leave to stand 

The Fish:

Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan, season the hake and fry skin side down, for 3-4 minutes until skin is crisp. 

Flip over and cook for a minute on the other side 

Serve with the tomato and olive salad. 

Olives from Spain will be showcasing their products at The Spanish Olive Festival at the Foodies Festival in London from 25-27th May 2019 and Brighton 4th-6th May 2019 where Josē will also be making an appearance. 

For more info on Pizarro and for reservations, visit here;

https://josepizarro.com/pizarro-restaurant/

FROST’S FOODIE FAVOURITE – BIG EASY

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A taste of the Deep South and a damn good night!

Big Easy is a favourite across the London foodie scene. Good, honest grub and a relaxed atmosphere to match, these Bar B.Q houses and Crabshacks don’t disappoint and with three spots throughout London, you’re never too far away from a Big Easy style, belly busting feast.

Last month, we were invited to try out the renovated Kings Road hut – the home of the original Big Easy restaurant – and it didn’t disappoint.

Authentic, southern décor and melt in the mouth meats, there’s nothing not to love. We opted for the Bar B.Q Blowout for Two which basically means we got to try a bit of everything! All of the meats are cooked the traditional way – low and slow –  over wood. Included on this plate of perfection was Baby Back Ribs, Bar.B.Q Chicken, Chips, Pulled Pork, Cornbread Muffin, Coleslaw & Bar.B.Q Beans and Texas Hot Links Sausage. All for just £22.50 per person!

If you fancy having a food focus as opposed to a little bit of everything, ribs are an absolute highlight at Big Easy and the team take their rib rubs and sauces seriously. “Wet“ ribs are dry rubbed and sauced throughout their entire cook and the “dry ribs” are rubbed and cooked and are just sans sauce. On these, the rub and smoke work their magic to create a “bark” ensuring a crispy exterior with a succulent interior.

Happy hours and live bands make an appearance on the daily, as do fantastic foodie specials from bottomless fajitas (£20pp every Wednesday) to the Monday classic of the ‘Big Pig Gig’, offering diners unlimited Bar B.Q and a 2 pint stein of Big Easy Brew (£20pp).

To book a table at Big Easy Kings Road, visit the Big Easy website.

THE HUMBLE GRAPE – RESTAURANT REVIEW

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London wine bars are two a penny but when you find one you like, just like a lucky penny, you’ll never let it go.

We were invited to try the Humble Grape’s latest opening at the lively Devonshire Square, pretty much opposite Liverpool Street station. Tucked away on Devonshire Row, The Humble Grape is extremely humble in size (see what we did there?) so we’d recommend booking your table in advance but this hideaway is certainly every wine lover’s dream.

Each wall is decorated with some of the finest bottles of wine you could imagine and, what’s more, they’re doing Retail Monday every (you guessed it) Monday. All the bottles can be purchased at their cheaper retail prices. All day long. The team advised us that it’s a hugely popular event and we’re not ashamed to say a Monday visit is already in the diary.

One of the things that surprised us most about this place was its incredible quality of food. Like the venue size, the menu is ‘humble’ but offers a fantastic selection of meats and side dishes, as well as a few mains to line your stomach if needed. The kitchen is tiny and fully visible from the seating area so at first, we were a little apprehensive about how the food would compare with the fantastic wine but we’re delighted to say that we were pleasantly surprised on a ridiculous scale.

The quality of the meats is second to none and the Iberica pork dish was mouth-wateringly tender and packed with flavour. It was topped with the most delicious slice of chorizo we might have even eaten and was accompanied by what we consider to be, quite possibly, the most deliciously crispy garlic potatoes.

Essentially, what we’re trying to say here is that we completely taken aback and fell in love with the food straight away. As a foodie, it was an incredible bonus and while the wine was extra tasty, it would be the food that pulls us back. Quality not quantity is clearly their motto.

We definitely do need to give a nod to the wine though but also the service. The waiting staff clearly knew their stuff and could of course partner every wine with every dish on the menu.

For us, the standout tipple was the Weingut Von Winning Sauvignon Blanc I, 2015, Pfalz, Germany and whilst the wine isn’t especially cheap per glass (roughly averaging at around £10) you definitely won’t be looking back towards your Blossom Hill after you’ve sipped this Sauvignon!

Finally, we’d be doing a disservice if we wrapped up this review without touching on the atmosphere. This bar is cosy, yet sophisticated but unlike some wine bars, doesn’t even have a whiff of pretentiousness. It’s clearly a place you can go to sit back, relax and enjoy some good food, good wine and the good company you’ll be taking along with you.

So, next time you fancy a genuinely great glass of wine or an incredibly tasty and reasonably priced dinner at a place that has a feel like your splashing out but no price tag to match, give The Humble Grape a try.

We were guests at The Humble Grape.

Book here: https://www.humblegrape.co.uk/wine-bar/liverpool-street/