the UK based Restaurant and Hotel Review

Readers' Writes, July- Sept 2005

Recommendations and raves, doom and gloom - it's all here!

(Click here for current readers' blogs)

Hi, I thoroughly recommend the following restaurant -

Enoteca Turi
28, Putney High Street, London SW15 1QS tel 020 8785 4449
w www.enotecaturi.com

This is just down the road from me and won the ITV Wine restaurant of the year award for 2005.

Regards, Richard Joyce

maze - Gordon Ramsey's new restaurant
Deconstructing Dinner: The Tapas style of eating can be found in this new Gordon Ramsey GR protégé.

Take 5 diners, 1 strict vegetarian, 8 superb courses and a room full of wait staff; a recipe for a successful evening of celebration, style and the Culinary arts.

We went to celebrate a graduation after 6 years of hard work and an even harder social life of a London medical student.

We are big fans of the eponymous restaurant in Hospital Road and were anticipating a GR experience, but not quite sure what the evening had in store and not at all sure of the menu, style of cooking or meal structure.

The meal was not a meal in the strictest sense and the structure was more a flow of courses, a parade of dishes each more flavourful than the last, it's culmination being a forceful combination of Pheasant, Fois Grai and Sweetbreads in a gravy packed with taste and wow.

GR is noted for his views on Vegetarians but our daughter has had her finest meals in his establishments and Maze was no exception, in fact we were all tempted by her dishes and at times wished we had said we were veggies.

The layout of the restaurant is informal and friendly as was the staff, especially Randa from Melbourne, who sold each dish with an easy skill and panache.

As a dining experience, it was just that, an experience. A deconstructed flow of dishes that pleased us all, not so much a Maze or labyrinth but a trail of culinary crumbs leading from the kitchen.

maze is at 10 - 13 Duke Street London, W1K 6JP United Kingdom 
Phone:  44 20 74931232 Fax:  44 20 74913201

Submitted by John B. 

La Pont de la Tour 36 Shad Thames SE1 Tel: 7403 8403 - Whoops! London Bridge is falling down?

 I have had some enjoyable meals in Pont de La Tour over the years, but either our group of 5 were extremely unlucky last Tuesday evening, or the wheels are coming off in a big way. We were there for a celebration but spent most of the evening in conflict with a team of bar staff and waiters who had absolutely no clue how to give a professional service. Slow, arrogant, ill-mannered, and the food was not a lot better, especially the appalling puddings.
It was just about the worst service I have ever experienced - worse than greasy spoons, local pubs, or cheap curry houses, and all at a multiple of the price. Somebody needs to tell Sir Terence that their recruitment policy has gone badly wrong - there are several staff there whose attitude should bar them from employment anywhere in the catering industry - lazy, rude and disorganised.
He should take a look at One Lombard Street - a similar exercise in large scale relatively upmarket City eating - where the service is impeccable.

The Vietnamese Kitchen 301 Old Street London EC1V 9LA

Dear Mrs Beeton, 

Last week, a friend of mine invited me to this amazing restaurant Cay Tre -  This is the best Vietnamese Restaurant in London I've ever been. After reading so much publicity and seeing it nominated in the ITV - the Tito Pepe London Restaurant Award, I have decided to go there myself. It was so excited at first when I saw Mark Hix, chef of the Ivy was dining there, just next to my table. I copied his order. The taste of the food was so exotic, so oriental and so, of course, so Vietnamese. I was actually just back from Vietnam after 1 year volunteeringly working for a charity, and the taste of the Vietnamese food, which I hardly find in London, was still on my tongue. This restaurant brought it back. I could feel the "pho" fragrance pervading the whole dining room, the flavour of shrimp sauce and fennel thickening in the air. Really love to go there. Top Vietnamese Restaurant in London. Best Vietnamese Cuisine and more importantly, best Pho in London. A excellent sample of Hanoi and Saigon food In London.

LQ Truong

The Old Bakery, Lincoln

Dining at this relatively new restaurant was an absolutely splendid experience from the table linen, cutlery and crockery to the presentation of the food, quality and service.

The menu covers were inventive - being constructed of wood  and highlighted with a brass plaque containing the restaurant name and the whole ambience of this converted early 19th century bakery was peaceful, relaxing and exquisite.

The head chef took the time and trouble to explain the daily specials at the beginning of the evening and the dessert menu towards the end of the evening.

All in all, this family run restaurant is an oasis in the otherwise gastronomic desert of Lincoln and I would unreservedly recommend it to anyone.

Kind regards,  Emma

Would you trust Stuart on the basis of his literary abilities? Perhaps not, but maybe his palate is highly discriminating...
Graze 215, Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale, W9 1RU TEL 020 72663131 FAX 020 72663155 http://www.graze.co.uk
i live in maida vale and i yous't to enjoy a great place called ottos dinning lounge, a shirt time ago it changed to graze and it was quite disapointing, i have just recently been back and all i can say is wow, i had such a fantastic meal there i was very surprised, they have really turned the restaurant around, they have a new chef now the second one since oppening,offering a better menu, i had the specials which were offerd that night and they were simply delicous, it looks like they know what there doing(at last) the bar is great too, i had some lovely cocktails, i would defently recomend this place to anyone in the area.
stuart.  (anyone who can spell cocktails has my vote - Ed)

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