The Exhibit, Balham Restaurant Review

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

– Location: check

– Atmosphere: check

– Great food: check.

As a born and bred Londoner, I’m embarrassed to write that I’ve never ventured to the restaurants or bars of Balham.

But yesterday evening, we stepped inside The Exhibit, a pretty venue just round the corner from the station.

On the ground floor we were impressed by the well-stocked bar and an array of colourful cocktails clasped in the hands of the trendy post-work crowd.

We headed one floor up to the dining area and were warmly welcomed by the waiting staff.

I loved the décor; white washed brickwork, glass blocks separating the two distinct dining areas and the open kitchen where you can see the chefs literally cooking up a storm.

My fiancé Marcin ordered the salmon tartare with guacamole, sesame seeds and soy dressing. The salmon, more red than pink, was smokey while the tang of the soy dressing and delicate taste of the guacamole all fused together beautifully.

I opted for the pulled pork terrine with chef’s piccalilli and the stringy pork had a char flavour which together with the spice of the piccalilli, was a pleasant starter.

For my main, I fancied trying the 24-hour honey and rosemary marinated lamb neck, with tomato bulgar wheat and aubergine croqueta. Having never tried this cut of the meat (it’s much cheaper than say a shoulder of lamb), I found it to be tender, fairly lean and with a more distinct lamb taste. The aubergine croqueta was crispy and the bulgar wheat was similar to a Mediterranean couscous.

For his main, Marcin chose from the special board – Galloway 32-day aged 8oz ribeye, café de Paris butter and chips. He said cutting into the steak was a real pleasure as the knife seamlessly sliced into the tender, juicy meat which was seared well on the outside while the inside was deliciously pink.

With a naturally sweet tooth, I plumped for the sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice-cream. The sponge was moist, the butterscotch sauce sugary and the vanilla ice-cream provided a refreshing coolness to the palette.

We did swap puddings half way though and I devoured the remains of Marcin’s chocolate and amaretti cake with crème fraiche. It was made of dark chocolate and was intensely rich while the little crispy puffs layered on top added a nice crunch to the bite.

The atmosphere was really chilled, the diners all had a fun vibe and our date night was accompanied by Torrontes white wine – a delicate, crisp and fruity wine which seemed to compliment each of our dishes.

We took a wander around The Exhibit – in one room speed-dating was taking place, while upstairs, it boasts an additional bar and best of all, an intimate plush cinema-come-karaoke room. On its website, The Exhibit prides itself on being “your go-to neighbourhood eating, drinking and entertainment choice for the people of Balham.” I only wish I’d left Clapham, Shoreditch and Camden behind and headed to Balham sooner – whether for post-work drinks, date night or even a sing-along, The Exhibit is a fabulously versatile venue for any event, large or small. No doubt we’ll be returning there soon.

Parts & Labour Whitechapel Restaurant Review

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Parts and Labour is the new restaurant that has just opened in Whitechapel within the Qbic London City Hotel. Parts & Labour serves modern British food and offers all day dining within a cool and vibrant space. The decor is fresh and funky, featuring Scandinavian design influences. Channelling the Jewish heritage of the Whitechapel area, Parts & Labour also serves an array of traditional Jewish dishes such as Toasted Rueben (a hot salt beef sandwich, with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese), Chicken soup with dumplings and Sabich (flat bread topped with egg, aubergine and salad).

My colleague, Paloma, and I take our seats and I order a coke. Paloma goes for a Spanish Rioja which smells amazing. She likes it. The menu looks great and it takes us a while to decide. In the end I go for something traditional: Ham & Cheddar Croquettes with Herb Mayonnaise and Paloma has the Chicken Liver Pate, Apple Chutney and Brioche. The chicken liver is creamy and soft with a delicate hint of metallic flavours. It has little chunks of onion and spread over the sweet, sticky and toasted brioche, with a lick of chutney combined gives all the right textures and tastes. My croquettes are delicious, the filling is perfect and they are just the right size. The herb mayonnaise is gorgeous and goes perfectly with the croquettes.

For our mains I have the 6oz Cheeseburger, Onion Marmalade and Chips and Paloma has the Salmon Fishcake, Buttered Spinach and Brown Shrimp Butter Sauce. My burger is AMAZING. Really good. The onion marmalade goes perfectly and you can’t go wrong with chips. The tomato ketchup comes in a cool, retro tomato. The salmon fishcake was beautifully browned and fluffy inside. The sauce was delicious, salty butter fused with spinach.

For dessert we have the Apple & Rhubarb Crumble with Custard and Chocolate Marquise with Prunes, Pistachio and Meringue. The crumble is crispy and sweet which complimented the sour taste of the rhubarb. It is tasty indeed. The Chocolate Marquise is something to behold: I don’t normally order anything with prunes or pistachio but this dish is amazing. The Chocolate Marquise is divine, the pistachio mousse is mouth-watering, the meringue is perfect and the prune sauce is good. It works well together and is a really wonderful desert. I want to eat it again.

The food is great, the hotel is quirky and cool, and the service is excellent. We loved Parts & Labour. I might even go again despite living on the opposite side of London.

https://london.qbichotels.com/en/enjoy-our-bar-and-restaurant.html

For reservations 0203 021 3300 or email: reservations@partsandlabour.london

Qbic London City Hotel
42 Adler Street,
London,
E1 1EE

The Drift Restaurant Review

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

The Drift is located in the rather trendy Heron Tower. The place is bustling with city workers and has a great vibe about it. The decor is great and has a cool, quirky and up-market feel.

Heron Tower on Bishopsgate is a rather beautiful building in the heart of the city. The Drift is brimming with quirky collectibles, hidden alcoves, a mixology table and fine dining nooks. Add in Drake & Morgan’s renowned creative cocktails and seasonal food to the mix and this is a great place to have brunch or let your hair down after a long day and enjoy some food and drinks.

We start off with some mocktails, the Zero- Raspberry and Mango Fizz. My colleague has the Juiceology- fresh orange and cranberry. Both the mocktail and juice are delicious, fresh and different.

I have the Chicken Satay with peanut sauce and prawn crackers and my colleague has the Peking Duck Flatbread with hoisin sauce and cucumber ribbons. The chicken is well cooked and succulent, the sauce is good and I like the brown prawn crackers. They add to the dish rather than feeling like a filler. The duck is an amazing, unique dish. All of the ingredients really work together and the sauce is great too.

For our mains I have the Wagyu Beef Burger. It comes with blue cheese, tomato chutney and chipped potatoes. I change the blue cheese for cheddar which the restaurant are nice about. My colleague has the Suffolk Farm Lamb Shank with Sweet Potatoe mash, rosemary jus and harissa. My burger is great and cooked well. They ask you how you like it done, this isn’t McDonalds. The tomato chutney is fresh and tastes homemade, yum. The chips are perfect and the tomato sauce and mayonnaise that comes with also tastes fresh and homemade. This is a running theme of The Drift. Things taste homemade and like they have just been cooked. My colleagues lamb is well cooked. The portion is good and the sauce is a great mix that really works.

For dessert I have the Chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and my colleague has the Wagon Wheel: toasted meringue, raspberry sorbet and shortbread. My brownie is delicious and warm. Just yummy and the ice cream goes perfectly with it. My colleagues dessert is sublime and original. So much so that I end up eating half of it. Don’t judge, I share my brownie in return.

We liked the food at The Drift. The service is excellent, the food is fresh and tasty and there is a great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

http://www.thedriftbar.co.uk/
10 Bishopsgate
EC2N 4AY
0845 468 0103
info@thedriftbar.co.uk

Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Review | The Best of London

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

We have reviewed Hakkasan before and are never disappointed. This michelin-starred restaurant feels like the centre of everything. People talk about Hakkasan in hushed tones in office, they pull happy faces when you say you have been, talking about how delicious the food is. Hakkasan on Hanway Place, the original Hakkasan, is the place to see and be seen. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to relax however. There is no pretension for all its class and the staff are very friendly and know their stuff. Hakkasan is, without doubt, the best of London. Hakkasan is where to go for traditional Cantonese cuisine.

For Chinese New Year, the year of the sheep, Hakkasan will be honouring the Chinese “Wishing Tree” tradition by collecting wishes from around the world as well as offering a nine dish festive feast perfect for family and friends. The wish collection and signature menu will be available to guests from Sunday 8th February to Sunday 1st March.

This nine dish menu starts with small eats to start.

Dim Sum, Spicy lamb lupin wrap and Golden fried soft shell crab with red chili and curry leaf.

The starters are stunning. The Dim Sum is always brilliant. Scallops, crab meat, prawn: they are just heavenly. The spicy lamb lupin wrap is perfect, there is a good heat from the sauce and the lamb is expertly cooked. It has a delicious soft texture. The fried soft crab with red chilli and curry leaf is superb. The crab is amazing and the curry leaf goes well, a wonderful and original dish.

To go with our food we have a Kumquatcha, a specialty cocktail representing good fortune, prosperity and happiness, I have a virgin one and my colleague has the real deal. Both taste amazing. A brilliant combination of Germana cachaça, Campari, Kumquat and lime.

The mains include a number of signature Hakkasan items like their Spicy prawn, Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey, We also have Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot and Abalone and dry scallop fried rice,

The spicy prawn has generous and delicious prawns in a yummy sauce, the Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot is just perfect and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey is definitely one of the best sea bass dishes I have ever had. The Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot is as tasty as it is original and the Abalone and dry scallop fried rice is the best rice ever. I still have dreams about it. There is no bum note in this menu: all of this food is just one mouth-watering dish after another.

The desserts are as amazing as the other dishes. Stunning in their originality, a Kumquat Wishing Tree: chocolate, caramelised macadamia and cocoa rocks, and delicious chocolate treats hanging off a Kumquat tree end the meal. The dishes are out of this world. Not all Asian restaurants do dessert well. I am glad to say that Hakkasan is definitely an exception.

I also have another mocktail. Hakkasan do mocktails very well. Perfect if you don’t want to drink. If you eat from the Chinese New Year signature menu you will receive a red envelope with special gift of a complimentary cocktail or mocktail. More reason to indulge.

Hakkasan’s limited edition menu created by Michelin-starred Executive Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee includes a selection of its acclaimed signature dishes as well as a contemporary interpretation on authentic Chinese New Year fare.The Chinese New Year menu is available for £88.88 per person. A la carte items will be individually priced, starting at £12.88.

For more information on Chinese New Year at Hakkasan, please visit hakkasan.com.

The Queensbury Pub and Dining, Willesden Green

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

In the cold air as we walked up to The Queensbury, the decorative lights and laughs from within welcomed and warmed us inside where we were led to the back of the pub to the separate and more formal dining area.

As we were seated, in my head, I kept saying ‘mirror, mirror on the wall’ as one side was wholly decorated with retro mirrors while the back of the room featured wallpaper with rows upon rows of faces. The interior was homely and relaxing and the guests kept coming in throughout the evening to be wined and dined.

I started off with the crispy butternut squash and ricotta risotto balls with pine nuts and sage butter (£6.50). They were beautifully presented as a trio on the plate, and the individual bundles were surrounded by the sage butter and the flecks of pine nuts.

Perfectly brown and crispy on the outside, inside the risotto rice was sticky and was speckled with a whisper of butternut squash that added a hint of fleshy sweetness.

My fiancé went for the gin cured salmon with cucumber relish, caper berries and lemon dressing (£7.45). The dish was beautifully smoked and the deep-orange slithers had a tangy, moist texture which complemented well against the bitter taste of the capers.

He then plumped for the slow cooked lamb and vegetable stew with colcannon mash (£12.95) from the specials menu. It was a hearty meal delicately spiced and the lamb was very tender. The distinctive smell of the meat was masked by the herbs and spices and the colcannon mash, an old Irish recipe, was sweet, smooth and sour all at the same time.

Hoping to be a bit more adventurous, I ordered the seared pheasant breast and confit leg with spiced cabbage sweet potato rosti and a juniper jus (£13.95). The pheasant, a slightly darker, gamier meat to its competitor, the chicken, was again presented perfectly. The deep red of the tangy, soft cabbage against the deep green crispy kale was both pleasant on the eye and on the palette.

For dessert, we ordered the pear bakewell cheesecake with a mulled berry compote (£6.50) and a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream (£6.50). Every mouthful of the sticky toffee pudding was deliciously wicked and sweet and the blueberries added little bursts of sharpness cutting the sugary rush. The cheesecake was a refreshing twist to the cold American classic and you could really taste the grainy flavour of the pears.

Throughout our three courses, Saul, the assistant manager and our waiter for the evening, was polite, friendly and knowledgeable.

We don’t venture out much to north London as we live in the south east, but we had a lovely evening at The Queensbury. The voices and laugher remained as we made our way back to the station heading for home.

Hakkasan Hanway Place Restaurant Review

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Jay Ottley

Among the side streets of the bustling streets of Central London on a typical rainy Sunday in London lies a hidden gem with a glittering red sign emblazing the word ‘Hakkasan.’ A michelin star restaurant created by Syra Khan and Alan Yau, founder of Wagamama and Yauatcha. As you enter the door and you’re greeted with the sweet scent of incense, which is a warm welcome as you enter down the stairs of Hakkasan which feels like you just abandoned London and entered a vintage but modern Chinese restaurant on it’s home continent… or the set of a John Woo film.

The first thing you notice is the elegance of Hakkasan, which is unexpected for a restaurant on Hanway Place just off Tottenham Court Road, which I’ve always had admiration and been intrigued by anything from the continents of East Asia. After you’ve admired the beauty of Christian Liagre’s design of Hakkasan, what smacks you next in the face is the diversity of the staff members and how you are treated as if you’re a celebrity. This to me was an unforgettable experience especially for my first food review, which I hadn’t even sat down or even looked at the menu yet.

I was escorted to my seat, which was cosy and perfect to me, because it gave me a view of the kitchen. Don’t ask me why but if I can’t see the kitchen I find it unnerving, it’s a pet peeve for me not being able to see the kitchen in an environment serving you food. I embraced the moment as I took in the beauty of the place and for a rainy Sunday the floor was vibrantly brimming with life. Broken out of my trance with water on ice being brought to me, without even asking. Only to notice that I had one of the highest paid actors sitting behind me before the smooth red menu was brought before me and the concept of Dim Sum Sunday explained to me by the lovely gentleman serving me called Pratesh.

Dim Sum Signature Sunday’s is a warming special 6 course meal for 2 people including dessert and two of Hakkasan’s classy cocktails as well three glasses of Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV Champagne. Which for £58 quid a pop is literally a steal and one of the best I’ve seen especially for such a fine dining experience, or to impress your other half.

The first dish brought out being the crispy duck salad, when arrived the presentation was immaculate, as if the dish was sacred and not meant to be devoured. But falling to temptation, I managed to tackle the beauty of this dish. This starter was light and refreshing for the course that remained ahead. The flavours were delicate and sweet along with its pine nuts and shallot enhanced the flavours as they tangoed on the tips of the taste buds of your tongue. My only issue was the duck wasn’t crispy but if the duck was too crispy, it would have taken away the moisture, which made the duck succulent with every mouth-watering bite.

The next two courses consist of a variety of eight different beautiful hor d’oeuvres bought out on two different platters. One of them is steam with the other being fried and baked, which can be brought out separately or together. Which is a great option because you can enjoy bother delicious platters while conversing and enjoying your company along with the diverse flavours presented before you.

The platters of these two unique and well-presented platters and come out different for your eyes to gaze upon before you savour them bit by bit, piece by piece. The hor d’oeuvres are brought out accompanied by three sauces being soy sauce, sweet chilli and chilli oil, which each piece complimented each sauce, no matter what way you decided to devour it, except for one, which was the Celery Prawn Dumpling which out of the eight, was the stranger in a strange land. But it was a different flavour from the rest, because it had an after taste.

Arriving on the table with due short notice came the starter which was Salt and Pepper Squid, which was pretty much, what it was in the title, out of all the dishes this is the only one that didn’t feel or seem to have anything special about it unlike everything else.

Then came the dish I had been anticipating, Grilled Chilean Sea Bass glazed with honey with egg fried rice and vegetables, which was absolutely divine and beautifully presented for the two of you to help yourself to the large portions of your main courses. Everything tasted fresh the rice was al dente and steaming when it arrived on the table, the vegetables were perfect with the flavours of juices they were cooked in drizzled over the vegetables. While the sea bass shimmered with its sweet aroma as it glistened with it’s honey glaze. It truly felt like a criminal offence to demolish such a beautifully presented dish, but the crime was well worth it at that and mouth-wateringly delicious.

Now unbeknownst to me, came a surprise, dessert is also on the menu in the Dim-Sum Sunday meal deal with the addition of an after-dinner cocktail. While the dessert menu is fairly limited but the offers upon the menu are fantastic and even better it comes with recommendations on which after dinner cocktail would best suit and accompany your dessert. Being a bit adventurous I mixed and matched it up with an Apple Tarte with an apple sauce, blackberries and a dollop of ice cream, which the French originated dessert seemed perfect for the typical British day of rain. Although I wanted to remain in the atmosphere of East Asia, therefore I went with a Fitzrova Plum cocktail, which even though not in Hakkasan’s recommendations, was literally a tantalising duo that was out of this world, this combination went together literally like Laurel & Hardy.

that is literally impeccable, they take pride in what they do and attentive to every detail of their surroundings. Such attention given that your glass is refilled without even requesting. This is a Michelin star restaurant with bargain prices, for their quality of food and a place you go to feel like you’re a celebrity or you’re on top of the world, so to quote James Cagney.

But in closing I don’t think I could have put it in finer words than one of the member of management.

“We don’t need to promote ourself, our greatest promotion is word of mouth and that always has been the best way to promote… All these people are here because of someone telling them

Gaucho Sloane Restaurant Review

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

The Gaucho has a reputation that precedes it. Quite a few people were jealous that I was reviewing it, more so than any other restaurant I have reviewed. It was all apparent why when we arrived. To begin with, the decor is stunning. The chairs are comfortable: high-backed with a black and white animal print. The entire place is just stylish. The atmosphere is not stuffy and there are a few families here with (well-behaved) toddlers.

Our waiter, Ewan, is incredibly knowledgable. He knows everything about the food and the wine. His recommendations are also excellent.

Our meal is started off with some bread and Chimichurri sauce, a staple in Argentina. It is made from parsley, garlic, fresh pepper, olive oil, red pepper and red wine vinegar. The bread comes in a good variety: there is some corn bread and some cheesy bread to go with the ordinary bread. All tastes great and fresh.

For our starter I have the pan-fried scallops with watercress purée, smoked pancetta and confit red peppers and my colleague has the crab caustic with egg, lime and avocado. The scallops are perfectly cooked and the sauce is wonderful, the smoked pancetta on top really works too. The crab is delicious and unique. It is presented on top of mashed potato. The avocado is perfect and the hint of egg is unusual but works well. It is complex and creative. The potato is smooth and well seasoned. It holds everything together.

For my main I have to have a steak, the Gaucho is famous for them after all. I have the churrasco de lomo: spiral cut, marinated for 48 hours in garlic, parsley and olive oil. It is 400g of pure heaven. Even more impressive because I cannot have it medium rare as I am pregnant but the chef manages to make it taste amazing, even though it has to be well done. This is the best steak I have ever had in my life. High praise indeed as I have eaten a lot of steak. It is just perfect and you can tell that a lot of time and effort went into it. Our waiter, Edwan, brought out the steak in advance to show us. The cows are grass fed and roam around an area of Argentina three times the size of the UK. I have a garlic hollandaise sauce on the side which is simply divine. However, the steak is so marinated and delicious it could be eaten on its own.

My colleague has pork belly with pumpkin purée, glazed button onions and buttered cabbage. He says it is a triumph: perfectly cooked pork with sweet caramelised onions and cabbage. It has a fantastic, sweet, sticky sauce that is not heavy and is divine with the pork.

For our sided we have baked and grilled sweet potato, brushed with butter. It is perfect. We also have some perfectly cooked buttery curly kale.

To drink we have mocktails. I have a virgin mojito that tastes just like the real thing and my colleague has a fruit punch. Both are excellent. I could drink a virgin mojito everyday.

For dessert I have a chocolate and raspberry alfajores: milk chocolate and raspberry parfait cake with italian meringue and crushed raspberries and my colleague has dulce de leche cheesecake, a salted dulce de leche. Both desserts are delicious.

Gaucho also have an extensive and wonderful list of Argentinean wine. Make sure you have some. There is also the Bar Galante next door. It is a beautiful bar, very stylish and perfect for sipping a cocktail or two.

I can highly recommend Gaucho. It is right at the top of my list of the best restaurants in London. Just superb.

Gaucho – Sloane
89 Sloane Avenue
London
SW3 3DX
Phone: 0207.584.9901
Fax: 0207.584.0045

Charlotte’s Bistro Restaurant Review

Posted on November 9, 2014 by James Yardley

Long time Frost readers may remember that we reviewed Charlotte’s Bistro at the beginning of 2013. It was one of our favourite reviews and we were very keen to go back.

Charlotte’s Bistro is just a couple of minutes walk from Turnham Green tube station. It has a vibrant and lively atmosphere. It always seem close to full even in the middle of the week. We started off with some delicious home-made bread which set the tone for the rest of the meal. For drinks we had two mocktails. The Bare Necessity made from fresh orange juice was particularly good.

Our first starter was a pumpkin soup. It was delicious, and the little croquets were a great contrast.

We also had the gin infused salmon which was incredible, it had a wonderful flavour and a beautiful texture which held together. This was a very accomplished dish. I loved the sharpness of the pickled vegetables and the little sweetness of orange on the salmon was divine.

For our main course we had confit of Lamb’s breast, braised lamb shoulder, broad beans and baby gem. This was a truly stunning dish of the very highest quality. The lamb was beautiful, the lamb shoulder had an incredible intense salty earthy flavour. It was the best lamb we’ve had for an extremely long time. The creamy broad beans, braised gem lettuce and delicious sauce were all superb accompaniments. This was a wonderful dish and is a customer favourite for good reason. We would urge everyone to go and try it, you won’t find anything better.

Our other main was a beautiful piece of 28 day aged rib eye steak. We asked for it to be well-done and the chef cooked it extremely well. Despite it being well-done it was juicy, tender and delicious. It was also accompanied by some excellent chips and a tasty Bearnaise sauce.

For dessert we had a raspberrybavoir. Wow, this was another knock out dish. It looked amazing and tasted even better. It had an intense raspberry flavour and a beautiful texture. The soft creamy ice cream and delicious sweet, crunchy biscuit base were a perfect complement to the sharp raspberry.

We also had a brioche doughnut, apple compote, salted caramel and Calvados cream. Doughnut, apple, caramel and cream. What a brilliant combination and it was beautifully executed. The brioche doughnut was light and not too heavy, the apple compote was excellent as was the Calvados cream. A magic combination and everything a dessert should be. Simply superb. Charlotte’s Bistro has taken its puddings to another level.

This is an outstanding restaurant producing some of the best food around. It’s not stuffy and has a fun and lively atmosphere. The service staff are warm and professional. It’s not surprising to see why house prices in the surrounding area are so expensive! We will be back, hopefully not before too long.

Charlotte’s Bistro food changes with the seasons – click here to find out what’s on the menu

Charlotte’s Bistro

6 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London. W4 1QP

020 8742 3590

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Tag Archives: Restaurant review

The Exhibit, Balham Restaurant Review

Parts & Labour Whitechapel Restaurant Review

The Drift Restaurant Review

Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Review | The Best of London

The Queensbury Pub and Dining, Willesden Green

Hakkasan Hanway Place Restaurant Review

Gaucho Sloane Restaurant Review

Charlotte’s Bistro Restaurant Review

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