Features

London: Restaurant guide

30 Apr 2014 by Clement Huang
CAFE MURANO November saw the launch of English chef Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano, “little sister” to her Michelin-starred eatery Murano up the road on Mayfair’s Queen Street. This new establishment of hers is proving a hit among local professionals who rush straight from the office for cicheti (Italian tapas – try the truffle arancini, £3/US$5) at the long marble-topped bar, and Aperol spritzs with a splash of Cocchi Americano Rosa and Maraschino cherry (£8.50/US$14). The menu is written up daily, so dishes vary, but the antipasti of warm octopus in a rich tomato chickpea ragu, drizzled with pesto (£9.50/US$16), seems to be standing the test of time. There to help guide you through the primi and secondi piatti are amiable, attentive staff. Pasta, risotto and gnocchi are available as small and large portions, depending on whether or not you are moving on to the rib-eye steak salad with red onions and walnuts (£22/US$37) or the lemon sole with wild garlic (£18/US$30). The white broccoli, broad bean and mint fettuccine (£10/15 or US$17/25) is not to be missed. Finish with a creamy fruit sorbet and a potent (50 per cent) measure of Nardini Mandorla grappa infused with bitter almond. Two-course set lunch/dinner menu (pre- and post-theatre) is £18 (US$30); three courses £22 (US$37). Jenny Southan Open Mon-Sat 12pm-2.30pm and 5.30pm-11pm, Sun 11.30am-4.30pm. 33 St James’s Street, Mayfair; tel +44 20 3371 5559; www.cafemurano.co.uk  HiIXTER
A two-minute stroll from Liverpool Street station, Mark Hix’s latest venture opened in December. A second Hixter is set to open near London’s Tate Modern in July. As with Hix’s Tramshed restaurant in Shoreditch, Hixter is a celebration of carnivourism – from the crispy flakes of poultry skin garnishing the griddled chicken salad, to the chips sizzled in a rosemary gravy. The candlelit dining area, neon-red window frames and colourful James Joyce artwork contribute to the young, urban yet refined feel. A circular Peter Newman photograph on the ceiling depicts the Gherkin and nearby skyscrapers, making you feel as if you are looking up through a manhole at the City from a hidden, underground vantage point. Start with the oversized Yorkshire pudding served with mousse-like whipped chicken livers (£3.95/US$7). My 250g medium-rare sirloin steak (£22.50/US$38) was so tender that my steak knife sliced through it like butter, and was deliciously peppery. The side of icy lettuce heart salad with Cashel Blue cheese and hazelnuts (£5.45/US$9) accompanied it well. Finish with the Credit Crunch ice cream – chock-full of honeycomb pieces paired with dark hot chocolate sauce. Rose Dykins Open daily 11.30am-12am; 9a Devonshire Square; tel +44 20 7220 9498; www.hixter.co.uk
FOXLOW From Will Beckett and Huw Gott, the duo behind the Hawksmoor steak chain, comes this new “neighbourhood restaurant” in Clerkenwell. Open since November, Foxlow has a similarly laid-back vibe and focus on prime produce. It’s housed in a Grade II Listed former cork warehouse, and much of the materials used to create the comfortable, canteen-like interior are reclaimed. The buzzy teal-and-cream ground floor has two dining areas, an open kitchen and a cocktail bar, while there are booths upstairs on the mezzanine level. The menu is more keenly priced than that at Hawksmoor, with slow-smoked and charcoal-grilled dishes the main focus. Try the fresh Brixham crab with Sriracha mayonnaise (£9/US$15), or the moreish butternut squash and ricotta on toast (£6/US$10) to start. The Iberico pork “pluma” (£16/US$27) is tender and flavoursome – augment with the delicious baked beetroots, hazelnuts and horseradish, and earthy three potato salad and black radish (both £4/US$7 as a side). Portions are plentiful, staff are welcoming and knowledgeable, and wine is reasonably priced. Highly recommended. Michelle Harbi
Open Mon-Sat 12pm-12am (lunch 12pm-3pm, dinner 5.30pm-10.30pm), Sun 12pm-6.30pm (lunch until 5.30pm). 69-73 St John Street; tel +44 20 7014 8070; www.foxlow.co.uk
ONE KENSINGTON
Overlooking Kensington Palace Gardens, One Kensington is the latest from the Tamarind Collection, better known for the Michelin-starred Tamarind of Mayfair. Opened last month, the restaurant is housed in a smartly renovated Grade II Listed Victorian bank. Its high ceilings, wood panelling and original decorative plasterwork work well with the stylish, Tiffany-blue leather banquettes and eye-catching zinc-topped bar. The short menu keeps things fresh and simple for spring – starters include pea soup with lobster and quinoa (£14/US$23.50) and poached salmon with beetroot and cucumber (£11/US$18.50), as well as more hearty dishes such as loin of venison with salsify and pistachio (£11.50/US$19). My Scottish lamb rump with Taggiasca black olives and caponata (£24/US$40) had been cooked sous-vide and then pan-fried to caramelise the outside, resulting in an exceptionally tender and succulent piece of meat. For dessert, my companion and I shared the assiette dessert sampler (£9.50/US$16), a trio of deconstructed Black Forest gâteau with kirsch, a generous slice of fudgy mocha tart and a smooth vanilla panna cotta with poached rhubarb. Decadent and delectable. One Kensington provides an elegant setting for a leisurely lunch or a sophisticated dinner with the feel and style of a hip members’ club. The food is generous and not overcomplicated, with friendly, efficient service. Annie Harris Open Tue-Sun 12pm-2.30pm, Mon-Sun 6pm-10.30pm. 1 Kensington High Street; tel +44 20 7795 6533; www.one-kensington.com BIG EASY COVENT GARDEN Across the road from London’s oldest restaurant, Rules, is an altogether bigger, louder beast of a venue – and what a fun beast the Big Easy is. A sister to the King’s Road stalwart, the “Bar B Q and Crabshack” opened in March in a former electric power station. The industrial feel has been retained, with steel girders and exposed brickwork, but it’s the “wall of fire” kitchen that’s the star – and the huge mounds of fall-off-your-fork meat that come out of it. Wood burning smokers from Texas, Argentinean-style parrilla charcoal grills and a rotisserie spit are used to cook the likes of dry-rubbed St Louis pork ribs, North Carolina chopped pork, slow-smoked brisket and barbecue chicken – try the lot with the Taste-O-Rama (£17.95/US$30), served with pit-smoked beans, slaw and potato salad for good measure. Lobsters from Nova Scotia are plucked from a tank and ordered by the pound. The Lobster Fest (£20/US$34) comes with fries, salad and a beer or slushie cocktail. An excellent selection of spirits, cocktails and craft beers is served from the lively bar or the cosier Shelter downstairs, and there’s live rock and blues nightly. Come hungry. Michelle Harbi Open Mon-Wed 12pm-12am, Thu-Sat until 1am, Sun until 11pm. 12 Maiden Lane; tel +44 20 3728 4888; www.bigeasy.co.uk  EMBER YARD The fourth restaurant from Salt Yard Group, behind the capital’s Salt Yard, Opera Tavern and Dehesa eateries, Ember Yard opened in Soho in December. Specialising in Spanish and Italian charcuterie, cheeses and small plates, it’s set in an attractive, welcoming two-floor space with an open kitchen you can sit next to on the ground level, and a cocktail bar and more intimate dining downstairs. Almost all of the dishes on chef director Ben Tish’s menu are cooked on a custom-built charcoal-fired grill, with many ingredients smoked on site, and are beautifully presented on wooden boards and slates for sharing. Bite-size treats to start with include smoked chorizo skewer with saffron aioli (£4/US$7) and Gordal olives with goat’s curd, orange and pistachio (£3/US$5). Follow with perfectly pink chargrilled Iberico presa and whipped jamon butter (£9/US$15), juicy oak-smoked Basque beef burger with Idiazabal cheese and chorizo ketchup (£6.50/US$11), and stuffed courgette flower drizzled with honey (£4.50/US$8). There is an impressive wine list of both classic and new-wave choices to accompany it all with. Michelle Harbi Open 12pm-12am, Sun until 10.30pm. 60 Berwick Street; tel +44 20 7439 8057; www.emberyard.co.uk
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