Lunch at Zuma

FINALLY! I made it to Zuma. I love Japanese food and I have been itching to get my bushy little tail into Zuma for a long time now. Did it prove to be as good as I expected? Yes yes yes. If only this place could be my local.

Where: 5 Raphael St, Knightsbridge, SW7 1DL
When: Lunch on a Monday
What: Japanese izakaya style dining
Who: Myself and another friendly fox
Food:  Westernised Japanese cuisine with authentic flavours from its eastern origins
We chose a variety of dishes. - Zuma kapi maki, steamed edamame, vegetable tempura, courgette skewers, yakitori, and a sobacha brulee for dessert. Delicious!

Drinks: We tried the Zumanuka cocktail…A Zuma’s creation made from 42 Below honey vodka originating from New Zealand. After a few of these I was not really caring about the food- wow!

Price:  £100 + for 2 people including drinks, but we weren’t on a budget last Monday
Service: The service is what defines this restaurant from its counterparts. I like it how the girl at the front of house commented on my coat and asked me where I got it. I also liked it that the waiter commented on how I had made a good choice when I chose the Zumanuka cocktail. They obviously have good taste too…ha ha
Clientele: It is always interesting to be out lunching in a mainly residential area. I always question what other people are doing there…why aren’t they working? Who knows. ..but it was a nice Monday to be lunching at Zuma
Ambiance: Lively but intimate at the same time. Much less chaotic than the real izakaya dining experience in Japan. Either way it was enjoyable
Saw: I love it how in every Japanese restaurant they line up sake bottles like they are a piece of decorative art, and usually they are backlit. Zuma didn’t fail to deliver on this unique offering

Bathrooms: Really lovely and clean bathrooms. The hand soap was Molton Brown, which is a personal favourite. My hands love Molton Brown
Would I go again? Yes! Japanese cuisine is a favourite of mine
Also of note: There are private kotatsu rooms that you can hire if you go in a group. They look really fantastic. Next time I will try and take 10 other foxes with me and we can sip on sake all night long in the authentic sunken dining rooms

Coburg Bar at The Connaught - Mayfair

I was told on very good authority (by Jason Bailey...boyfriend of amazing mixologist and Grey Goose Ambassador Joe Mccanta) that the Coburg Bar is one of the best places in London to get cocktails. I must say, I haven't yet tried better so I might have to agree!

Where: The Coburg Bar at the Connaught, Carlos Place
When: Sunday evening 5-7
What: Cocktail Bar
Who: Myself and an old friend
Food: Hand cut crisps and fresh olives to accompany our drinks...delicious
Drinks: Mojitos, Cosmopolitans and Appletinis 

Price: A little pricey...but worth it
Service: Impeccable. The gorgeous waitress recommended the Appletini to me and it was devine
Clientele: Refined and sophisticated
Ambiance: Very intimate, warm and relaxed. This is the type of place where you can have a proper conversation 
Bathrooms: These bathrooms are in a league of their own. A maid opens the toilet door for you, and she also turns the tap on for you as you approach the wash basins. The bathrooms are very clean and there are great full length mirrors. To top it off, the products are all Molton Brown
Would I go again? I would love love love to go again
Also of note: Along with the yummy cocktails, the velvet wingback chairs make you want to stay all night

Sketch~

My foodie pal Lady Blonde recommended I try Sketch for my birthday last week... and so I did.

Sketch offers some really lovely drinking and dining spaces and it has a great ambiance. I can definitely see it as a great place to retreat on a cold winter's night. The front of house people whisk away your coats and make you feel very welcome. I had a really nice time whilst there, but came away thinking the food could have been better. Of note were the cocktails we had on arrival in The Parlour...and I loved the maitre d' who looked after us all night. His personality was a juxtaposition to that of the French waitress we had in The Parlour.

Where: Sketch - 9 Conduit St, London

When: 7-10:30

What: The Parlour: A high-tea room by day and a cocktail bar by night. The Gallery: In The Gallery you feel like you are part of an art installation, it is the more formal dinner dining area.

Who: Loads of French accents...and us.

Food: Modern French cuisine

Drinks: The cocktails in The Parlour were gorgeous. A pity about the sour waitress.  

Price: 50 pounds for mains and dessert

Service: Impeccable service from the main entrance through to The Gallery restaurant. The maitre de in The Parlour treated us very badly. I arrived with one other friend, and although there were five of us booked, instead of seating us at a table for five, she insisted on moving us around the room to different tables until all five of us were there.
Ambiance: Perfectly dimmed lighting. Very exotic

Saw: Every room had an interesting point of difference. At Sketch you can have many different experiences in one place

Bathrooms: The toilets were like space saving pods...very interesting. We liked the cleaner dressed as a cute maid and that upon closing the toilet door a speaker plays the commentary of an airport. Kind of odd, but fun
Would I go again? Tough one. It was nice, and it was quirky which made it fun, but personally I thought it may have been slightly overpriced for the quality of the food.

Also of note: Book in advance to get a table

Bocca Di Lupo

I can't recommend this restaurant enough! My body is still revelling from the taste sensations that it experienced here. Bocca di Lupo claims that each dish takes the notes of each region in Italy that it derives from - dining here is basically like taking a gastronomic tour of Italy! All the dishes come in small or large sizes, a nice point of difference.  Based on non-descript Archer St, you will feel like you have found a gem in the rough on arrival.


Where: Bocca di Lupo

When: 1-4pm

What: A bustling and modern Italian restaurant. The food has a rustic look and feel

Who: A bunch of foodies, enjoying a very long lunch with some really great Italian wine

Food: Start: Shaved radish,celeriac & pecorino salad with pomegranates and truffle oil. This salad blew my mind! I don't think I have ever tasted such a variety of flavours that go better together. Main: Pumpkin & Amaretti tortelli with sage butter- another favourite. I then didn't have enough room to taste the cheese boards and the dessert

Drinks: Aperitif: 2005 Franciacorta Brut  - Fratelli Berlucchi. With starter: 2005 Sierra Fiorese (Verdicchio Classico Riserva) - Garofoli. With main course: 2007 Tocco – L’Acino

2007 Capitel San Rocco Valpolicella Ripasso - Tedeschi

 

Price: 20 pounds for the two courses excluding wine

Service: Perfect Italian friendly service and a very qualified sommelier
Clientele: A mixture of corporate people for lunch and foodies
Ambiance: Clean, sharp and warm

Saw: At ground level there is a great bar area if you are dining alone or with one other and a spacious dining area exists at the back of the restaurant. Downstairs is a private dining room (the Remus room).

Bathrooms: Big, bright, loads of mirrors and very clean

Would I go again? Yes, this was my best food experience in London this year, and it's been a long year. Value for money +

Also of note: They also own the gelato store opposite called Gelupo. Probably equally as good!

Virgin visit to Polpo

Having heard so much Venetian bacaro- Polpo, you can imagine how excited I was to get a last minute lunch booking there with one of my besties on my birthday. This place takes lunchtime reservations, but after dark expect to join the queue. Tutti bene.

Where: Polpo, 41 Beak St, Soho W1F 9SB

When: 2-3pm

What: A bustling Venetian tapas joint with a menu that you won't be able to decide from

Who: Miss Emma and I

Food:  We had a variety of amazing vegetarian dishes- Arancini, Crochetta, Grilled Foccaccia, Beetroot , Zucchini, and Mozzarella

Drinks: Merlot served from an authentic carafe and sipped from tumblers

Price: 30 pounds including the wine!

Service: Perfect
Clientele: A mixture of corporate people for lunch and out-of-towners. We sat between a sophisticated French duo and a table of American blokes
Ambiance: Bustling and jovial

Saw: There is a great bar area if you are dining alone. Probably quite a good place to meet lone lunchtime diners from the same hood

Bathrooms: I didn't have time to check them out

Would I go again? Yes, this was my best food experience in London to date. Value for money +

Also of note: Around the corner is sister restaurant Polpetto, which I am also eager to try

Tiny Robot for a late lunch

My friend and I decided to try Tiny Robot as it is a new place in one of our favourite neighbourhoods. Tiny Robot's rough brick walls and formica tables give it the New York diner feel. It is the little sister to Clerkenwell's Giant Robot. There is a small bar downstairs with a rare late license. Unfortunately it is for members only.

Where: Tiny Robot

When: 3:30-5pm

What: New York style diner with an Italian influence. Great for lunch and dinner and it has an all day weekend brunch menu

Who: Miss C and I

Food:  I had a rocket, beetroot and goat's cheese salad and Miss C had seared Tuna. We shared a simple chocolate torte for dessert

Drinks: Cocktails (delicious) and prosecco

Price: 25 pounds for 2 people excluding drinks

Service: Waiters were attentive and friendly but the service was a bit disjointed. Because the restaurant is new, I won't hold it against them
Clientele: The usual cool, eclectic crowd that most Notting Hill eateries pull
Ambiance: It is a diner style restaurant, so it is not exactly a place to go on a romantic date. It was the perfect place to go with a friend

Bathrooms: Down a set of precarious stairs. Very tiny

Would I go again? Yes, the menu was really good, and I'd like to try some other dishes. Apparently the meat balls are amazing.

The Bleeding Heart Bistro

How did I stumble upon this bleeding heart? 


Well...I was due to meet up with a few old friends for dinner. After many emails back and forward trying to decide on a restaurant...we all settled for The Bleeding Heart bistro.  A lovely evening was had by all in this gorgeous restaurant set in a courtyard surrounded by only two other establishments- a fine dining restaurant, and a pub both of the same name.  The courtyard was quite enchanting and added to the appeal of this place.


Where: Bleeding Heart Yard, off Greville Street, EC1N 8SJ
When: 7:30-11pm
What: A gorgeous intimate French restaurant owned by a New Zealand couple
Who: Two couples and I
Food: A mix of traditional and modern French cuisine
Drinks: Red wine and riesling
Service: Waiters were attentive and friendly and spoke French to us. Tres bien!
Clientele: Predominantly refined middle class looking people, with a discerning look about them
Ambiance: Yes... the light is suitably dimmed and there was a bustling vibe like that of a true French bistro
Saw: People arriving into the courtyard and being surprised like us, to find this gorgeous restaurant, packed with people in the know. I also saw an interesting mix of 19th century French wine posters on the walls. 
Bathrooms: Lovely and quaint
Would I go again? Yes, this was some of the best service I have experienced in the UK.