Restaurant Reviews – Dine Online

The Henry Root
9 Park Walk
London SW10
Tel: 020 7352 3336

Henry Root, (who this restaurant cum wine bar is named after), seems something of an odd ball. For a start his real name was William Donaldson. A well-known local hell raiser and raconteur, he devoted much of his spare time writing letters to public figures with unusual questions or requests. Appropriately there a selection of memorabilia dedicated to his eccentricities including the front of a traditional post box hanging on the wall.

The interior is designed to have an inviting and cosy feel, with wood being used both as panelling and flooring; I’d go as far to say it has a homely atmosphere which is quite rare to find in a London dining room. On a freezing Tuesday evening in March the room was abuzz with atmosphere, the overall impression being one of mostly well-heeled locals dining out with friends. There is a mixture of seating, some banquette, some round tables and some square, well-spaced with comfortable armchair seating. At the rear part of the kitchen is on full-display which integrates the diner fully in the culinary experience and another bonus was that for once the background music did not interfere with our conversation at all. The menu is designed in a grazing style, so it is possible to go in and have a small snack or a full blown meal. The Head Chef, Sang Nguyen has honed his craft over many years, notably cooking at the Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat Saison, and more recently at Le Gavroche and Maze. There is also a large and reasonably priced wine list, sold by the glass, bottle and carafe. Here the focus is on using small producers and growers, featuring organic, biodynamic and natural wines.

To begin, there is a wonderful selection of charcuterie and other such delicacies to whet the appetite. We tried an array of delicately smoked flavoured meats with a glass of 2009 Verdigo Martin Sancho Spanish white which, with its flinty and crisp overtones complimented beautifully the delicate flavours on the palate.

Alongside the menu there is a ‘The Daily Paper’ – a billboard style list of changing specials which comprised of five starters, two main courses and three puddings. These included a parsley soup and a roasted bream with baby gem lettuce and salsa verde dressing. The menu is separated into sections, including small cold dishes and small hot dishes. I began with an inviting plate of butternut squash with girdle and pecorino salad. It was beautifully presented with a tasty dressing, and succulent cubes of squash; a healthy and inventive starter. My guest began with the garlic butter escargot on toast from the daily specials menu. He is something of an escargot enthusiast and he remarked they were tender and deliciously flavoured. With this he had an accompanying glass of Beaujolais Chateau Cambon, pronouncing it a good medium wine in weight and colour and highly drinkable.

To follow, he chose a hanger steak, with accompanying béarnaise sauce. This is unusual in shape and size – long, and shaped rather like a boomerang! He commented it was well flavoured and cooked medium rare as he had requested but could have been a little hotter; this was accompanied by proper chips and lovely buttery spinach. My plate of pork with carrot and endive salad came with plenty of crispy crackling and tender meat and it was accompanied by a gorgeous glass of full bodied and fruity Cahors Maurin, Domaine de la Berangeraie 2005.
For pudding my guest was in raptures over his sherry trifle, commenting it was the best ever, not too sweet and not too thick. A ‘piece de resistance’ – he remarked looking extremely impressed. My slice of pecan and raisin cake was feather-light and well-flavoured – all it lacked was a good dollop of crème fraiche and it would have been faultless!

The Henry Root is somewhere very enjoyable to visit with its relaxed atmosphere and welcoming staff. We concluded with the firm verdict that we had a very enjoyable evening and would certainly be back in the near future.

Reviewed by Louise Elgin – March 2011

Wines from £15.50 a bottle. £5.10 a glass.
A three course meal with wine and water is around £40.00 per head.

Oliver Amis Reviews….

LA LUNA RESTAURANT
10 – 14 Wharf Street
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 1NN
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1483 414155

http://www.lalunarestaurant.co.uk

Visit Date : 16th March 2011

Wow, what incredibly delicious food, this is not your stereo-typical Italian Restaurant, This fine-dining experience was exactly that, the
portions are perfect in size and the flavours exquisite, Head Chef Valentino and his team are doing it all right. Although not usually a vegetarian pick person, I opted for the arancini (risotto balls), panelle (chick pea pancakes) & marinated olives to start
which was beautifully presented and mouth-wateringly good, although left me wanting more!

For main course I opted for roast rump of Scottish lamb, served with fried polenta, something I havent had for a while but reminded
me how delicately delicious it is, and the lamb was cooked exactly as it said it would be, pink, not red, pink!

I veered toward a more English dessert, Chocolate, fudge & pecan pie with espresso ice cream, although I was tempted by the Panna Cotta! Truly delicious, the coffee complimented the pie to perfection. I am not a wine drinker however my partner was suitably impressed with the suggested choices from the attentive waiter.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to La Luna and the interesting and inspiring menu leaves me hankering to go back!

10 out of 10 from me! YUM!

The Hayward Restaurant, The Lion Hotel

Sally Matthes Reviews

It was three years ago that we last dined at The Sam Hayward Room Restaurant, and the meal we ate then was adequate but not an experience we that longed to repeat, so when we learnt that the restaurant had been refurbished and a new chef with an impressive CV had been engaged we booked.

Claire Bosi of Hibiscus Mayfair has been brought in to advise on re-launching & designing the restaurant and the decor once quite dark has been lightened making the room more spacious & airy. She contacted Aiden Byrne, who received his first Michelin Star while working at The Dorchester, London, and he has been brought in as consultant chef.

Ian Matfin who has worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Aubergine restaurant, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quats Saisons and spent the last 11years with Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park has taken over as Head Chef at The Hayward. He has appeared On The Great British Menu programme and has received many awards for his food.

The menu is simply set out and offers five choices of each course, however if a vegetarian or other dietary meal is required then please inform when booking and you will be catered for by the chef.

We were seated by Jeremy the French restaurant manager, supplied drinks then perused the menu. We chose our starters and main courses.
Amuse bouches arrived mine scallops and my husbands carpaccio of beef. These are small appetisers to stimulate your taste buds which they did. A selection of warm freshly made bread was the next delight to arrive on our table.

I had chosen veloute of white haricots, chanterelles & winter truffle, this was a thin soup wonderfully flavoured and with the different textures of the ingredients it was an excellent starter. Paul opted for hand dived Scottish scallops, parsnip & vanilla puree, ginger jus. I had already tasted this dish as the amuse bouche so I know how succulently the scallops had been cooked and how the delicious puree & jus complimented them.

The starters were excellent and we eagerly awaited the rest of our meal.

I had chosen fillet of wild sea bass, fennel puree, fennel cream And red wine and fish reduction. The skin of the bass was crispy but the fish was soft and perfectly cooked. The fennel puree and cream complimented the fish to make a delicious main course. Paul had roast sirloin of Oswestry beef, potato & smoked bacon rosti, mushroom puree and Madeira sauce and from the appreciative sounds that emanated from his side of the table I realised how much he was enjoying his meal. He said that the beef was tender and juicy and the accompaniments added wonderful flavours and textures.

The service was just right and our attentive Romanian waiter cleared & swept our crumbs away, then brought the dessert menu.

Desserts are favourite part of a meal so I studied the five choices and after some deliberation chose warm rhubarb soufflé with fromage frais & black pepper sorbet, while Paul being a bit of a chocoholic had hot chocolate fondant with pistachio nut parfait. The soufflé was exquisite and came with a small jug of rhubarb sauce as well as the sorbet which provided me with possibly the best dessert that I have ever eaten. Paul’s chocolate fondant and parfait were perfect and delicious.

To end this superb meal with had strong black espressos and truffles.

The Hayward unlike its predecessor is definitely a restaurant that I will visit again because this was not merely cooked food eaten out but a sensual experience & probably the best meal that I have ever eaten in very pleasant surroundings. The restaurant was not full but as Ian has only been cooking for a week this not surprising but if you too want to partake in an epicurean delight then book now because soon you will have to wait weeks if not months for a table as The Hayward becomes The place to eat in Shrewsbury.

http://www.thelionhotelshrewsbury.com/the-hayward

The Lion Hotel
Wyle Cop
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY1 1UY

Tel: 01743 353107
Fax: 01743 352744

For one day only, master patissier, Eric Lanlard, also known as Cake Boy, will be bringing his delicious and exquisite pastries, cakes and miniature puddings to the deli and flower shop at The Folly. From 1pm on Wednesday 16 March, you can drop into the City’s secret garden to indulge in a decadent afternoon of tarte au citrons, millefuille, cupcakes and éclairs.

Filming his Channel 4 programme, ‘Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard’, who has created his works of art to the likes of Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Fortnum and Mason, will be on hand to reveal his top tips and answer any baking questions. There will also be the chance to purchase his book, ‘Home Bake’ and have it signed by Eric.

The Folly is an all-day drinking and dining destination, open for coffee and breakfast from early morning, with its signature sharing boards for lunch and dinner based on artisanal products from nearby Borough market, and innovative cocktails and an accessible wine list to take you through the evening.

The Folly
41 Gracechurch Street
London EC3V 0BT
T: 0845 468 0102
www.thefollybar.co.uk

ORA RESTAURANT CELEBRATE JOINING LINE UP FOR TASTE OF LONDON 2011 WITH CREATION OF THAI CHICKEN PANCAKE DAY RECIPE

ORA RESTAURANT, LONDON
6 Little Portland St
London W1W 7JE, United Kingdom
020 7637 0125

New authentic Thai restaurant ORA joins the line-up of eateries at this year’s Taste of London restaurant festival in Regent’s Park from 16th-19th June 2011. To celebrate, the restaurant has created a Chicken Pancake Day recipe for foodies to try and recreate at home in anticipation of the events official ticket launch to the public next week.

Taste of London, in partnership with British Airways, is the world’s greatest restaurant festival. With world class restaurants, chefs and produce, Taste of London is a sumptuous, indulgent day out for foodies in the heart of the capital and the 2011 event promises to be the best yet with 50,000 people expected to visit.

ORA Thai Chicken Pancake recipe

Pancake Ingredients (12 portion)

Rice Flour – 150g
Potato Starch – ½ table spoon
Coconut milk – 200ml
Salt – 1 tea spoon
Vegetable oil – 2 table spoon
Egg – 1pcs
Water – 150 ml

Stuffing Ingredient (1 portion)

Smoked chicken – 30g
Bean sprout – 10g
Coriander – 1 stem
Kaffir lime leaf – 1pcs
Coriander roots – 4 stems
Ground white pepper – 4pcs
Shallot – ½ pcs
Desiccated coconut – 1 table spoon
Palm sugar – ½ table spoon

Dipping Ingredients

Water – 1 table spoon
Vinegar – 1 table spoon
Sugar – 1 tea spoon
Salt – ¼ tea spoon

How to dip:

- mix all dipping ingredients in a small bowl and leave it on the side

How to make stuffing:

- Add 2 table spoon of water in to desiccated coconut
- Blend kiffir lime leaves, coriander roots, ground white pepper,shallot altogether
- Put blended ingredients on a heated pan then add palm sugar and soaked desiccated coconut. Keep stirring for 5-10 minutes then put in a bowl.

How to make pancake:

- Mix all ingredients and stir well
- Pour mixed pancake sauce in to a heated pan until it is crispy on the outside and well-cooked on the other side
- Put pancake on a plate then spread a ready-made stuffing all over
- Add shredded smoked chicken, coriander and bean sprout as you like
- Wrap it and dip with a pre-prepared dip

Log on to www.tastefestivals.com/london for more information about chefs, events and tickets. Tickets start from £22 per adult and £12 per child.

150 speciality food and drink producers are expected to delight and inspire 50,000 visitors across the four days alongside live cooking demonstrations and interactive features sponsored by Waitrose, AEG and Peugeot.

Taste of London visitors can dine from 40 of the capital’s top restaurants, try and buy from 200 food and drink producers, enjoy fine wine tasting and watch some of the world’s greatest chefs demonstrate their skills live on stage.

www.tastefestivals.com/london

ORA RESTAURANT, LONDON

6 Little Portland St
London W1W 7JE, United Kingdom
020 7637 0125

Prashad
86 Horton Grange Road
Bradford
BD7 2DW
Tel: 01274 595893
www.prashad.com

Reviewed by Caroline Walker

Visited for Sunday lunch 12/12/10

Prashad is only small, I think it now has 40 covers. It first took my eye when I saw it on TV in Ramsay’s Best Restaurant.

The Indian vegetarian food is just wonderful. When I told my husband we were going to a veggie restaurant for Sunday lunch he was not best pleased! By the time we had finished eating he was positively drooling with pleasure.

We had a whole mix of starters to taste and the flavours were awesome. Everything also looked as good as it tasted. I had the Special Chaat as well and this was one of the best dishes I have tasted. I’m no expert in Indian food but I know what tastes good.

We each had a Massala Dosa which is a crepe with the most gorgeous spiced potato and onion filling and servied with lentil soup and coconut and yoghurt chutney.

We finished with an Indian ice cream in a lovely ceramic pot (which we were given to take home). My husband still craves some more of that ice cream!

The restaurant is not licensed but we enjoyed a glass of Mango Lassi.

The bill came to around £50 for two of us but we had a real feast for that. Don’t think service was included in this but the staff are so
lovely we left an extra tip anyway.

Can’t recommend Prashad highly enough.

Grand Imperial London

101 Buckingham Palace Road
London
SW1W 0SJ

T: 020 7821 8898
E: reservations@grandimperiallondon.com

The Grand Imperial located within The Grosvenor Hotel near London’s bustling Victoria station is the newest addition to Chef and Restaurateur Rand Cheung’s empire.

The restaurant has been designed by a Feng-Shui master and is luxurious and comfortable with a private dining room separated by gold oriental screen doors.

The menu features a lot of seafood dishes such as Sautéed Crab Meat with Scallops, Egg White and Plum Sauce and Baked Lobster with Superior Stock. The set menus, which range from £20 to £40 per person are good value and you can expect familiar dishes (spare ribs, crispy noodles) alongside more interesting and unique offerings (Spicy, Sour Soup with Mock Shark’s Fin, Steamed Cod “Country” Style with Mushroom and Dried Lily). The Imperial is also offering a Valentine’s Day menu for a reasonable £59 which includes Grand Imperial Special Stewed Beef Short Ribs and Deep-Fried Mayo Prawn and Roast Duck.

It is not a place to take a vegetarian, traditionally well catered for in Chinese cuisine, but for the meat and fish eater it is a delight.

For those who require timely business lunches, they also provide dim sum menus (steamed or fried), which will surely be a hit with local companies looking for a lighter options.

I spoke to Chef Cheung at the launch off this his first restaurant in Europe, celebrated with traditional Chinese New Year entertainment.

How are you finding restaurant culture in London after working in Singapore and Malaysia?

“Culture for dining out here in London is not just much more Westernized – it’s Global and there is a wider variety of cuisine available. London is one of my favourite cities and I am convinced there is a niche for fine dining, authentic Cantonese food

What is your favourite new year dish?

“There are so many wonderful dishes served up throughout the Chinese New Year celebrations. I’d say my favourites are the ones which have symbolic meaning like fish which is served whole and brings wealth or the traditional hot pot – steamboat which offers many of the best meats, fish and vegetables.

Apart from your restaurant, where do you go to eat out in London?

“I like to try new restaurants out all the time especially when I am in London. I normally go out and find the newest place to dine as it is exciting to try new foods from around the world.

How much of an influence does Thai and Indian food have on your cuisine?

“None at all. I serve Hong Kong Cantonese food as it should be, using the freshest ingredients to give my guests the full flavour of our traditional cuisine.

What are the most important ingredients in Cantonese food in your opinion?

“Cantonese cooking is based on using fresh ingredients so they are all important. A ‘real’ Cantonese dish should be well balanced, be true to quality by selecting the freshest seafood and meats, and easy on the spices to avoid overriding primary flavours.”

What dishes would you recommend to novice chefs to try cooking at home?

“Steamboat is a traditional New Year dish and can be created effortlessly at home. All you need to do is boil up a vegetable and herbal soup base and then steam fresh raw fish and meats in it. This is also a great dish to prepare at any time of year and brings friends and family together.

http://grandimperiallondon.com

Reviewed by Helen Forrest

A dozen meals in minutes with eggs

Watch our videos for super speedy egg recipes from chef and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine

A new recipe collection by chef and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine will help busy cooks save precious minutes in the kitchen.

Women spend on average nine hours a week cooking*, but Gizzi’s dozen recipes have a cooking time between just 1 and 12 minutes – making most quicker than the average TV ad break.

With one egg containing less than 80 calories, the recipe collection includes a number of healthy options – boiled eggs with asparagus and an Indian scramble being just two examples. Several
recent studies show that eating eggs can help control feelings of hunger, cut calorie intake by 400 calories per day and increase weight loss, showing not all fast food is unhealthy.

So to help you make the most of one of nature’s superfoods, Gizzi has designed a dozen easy egg dishes with a modern twist on some old favourites.

Click below for some great recipes and top tips from faultless poaching to sublime scrambled eggs and remember to look out for the British Lion Quality mark on eggs and their boxes to make sure they have been produced to the highest standards of food safety.

For more information and recipes visit eggrecipes.co.uk/mealsinminutes

Boiled Eggs

Eggs Benedict

Omelette

Scrambled Eggs

Your Last Chance to Register For FREE Tickets to A Once in A Decade Dinner

The Cinnamon Club is delighted to be celebrating its tenth birthday this March with a series of fantastic events and initiatives that includes the chance to be a guest at the restaurant’s special celebratory ‘money can’t buy’ anniversary dinner on 21 March 2011.

All places are allocated by lottery – all you need to do is register at www.cinnamonclub.com by 25th February to be in with a chance of winning one of 50 pairs of tickets. The dinner will feature a stunning 10-course tasting menu featuring signature dishes from the previous decade with each course paired with a specially chosen wine. Dishes will include ravioli of Norwegian king crab, cured salmon with coriander soup; tandoori breast of squab pigeon with cloves, poached egg and spiced beet; spice-crusted halibut, masala Jerusalem artichoke and Keralan lobster bisque and tandoori saddle of Welsh lamb, ‘Keema Saag’, with saffron sauce.

Vivek has also been working with his wine producers to produce two exclusive limited edition blends. From Michel Chapoutier there’s a Rhone 2008 and from Brookfields Estate in Hawkes Bay: a Syrah, called Back Block. Both are highly collectible and presented in beautiful gift boxes. With only 300 bottles of each available at £50, get your name on the waiting list.

For the serious foodie or amateur chef, the restaurant’s seminal cookbook, The Cinnamon Club Cookbook, is getting a birthday makeover. Just 500 limited edition, leather-bound books, signed by Vivek Singh will be available.

At the end of its first decade, the The Cinnamon Club has established itself as one of London’s top modern Indian restaurants, not least among the movers, shakers and power-brokers of nearby Whitehall. Over the ten years, the restaurant has won fans in the shape of some of the most well-known food and drink critics, MPs including Gordon Brown and David Cameron and A-listers such as Hugh Grant and Reese Witherspoon. Mick Jagger was famously once turned away because there was no room!

For more details visit www.cinnamonclub.com

The Cinnamon Club, The Old Westminster Library, 30 Great Smith Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3BU T: 020 7222 2555

Southern Comfort’s latest cocktail created by master mixologist, Giles Looker looks a Winner!

Giles has created the fantastic Lover’s Cup which is the perfect cocktail to share at home this Valentine’s Day, it’s a simple recipe that looks brilliant and tastes even better.

www.southerncomfort.co.uk