Gordon Ramsay's York and Albany

I conveniently live a 10 minute walk away from the York & Albany,  one of Gordon Ramsay's portfolio of restaurants.  This place is quite unique in that it exists as a small boutique hotel as well as restaurant. It is situated neatly opposite the north east corner of Regent's Park and more or less at the end of Camden's Parkway, which itself is full of interesting eateries. I had not eaten here for 2 years and since some of Gordon Ramsay's shows have cemented themselves on Italian television, I thought it would be interesting to take  my in laws from Italy, who were over in London for few days, and check out some of Gordon's food. 


 The interior's decor and feel certainly matches its classic Georgian exterior. Stylishly decorated, I really like the open feel. Airy in summer, cosy in winter type of place. You have, depending on how busy they are, a choice of three different areas to sit and enjoy your food: a very comfortable front bar area, or the spacious conservatory or the atmospherically low lit downstairs seating area which has an added interest in that  you can see the open kitchen in action. Each offers a different feel, all equally pleasant.

Service was as expected good. Friendly and welcoming, we were soon seated and the pleasant waiter did a good job throughout the meal bar not explaining particularly well what Spatzle were (a type German pasta we later found out). 

The menu was varied though for vegetarians definitely a bit limited. To get things rolling, I very much recommend any of the 2 starter plates of either nuts/olives + Manchego cheese or Hummus/Aubergine dips. The bread too was delicious. However, when it came to the main courses the only options on offer were the ubiquitous pasta or pizza, the latter supposedly cooked in a wood fire oven. Shame really since the other main meat/fish courses looked a little more sophisticated. Still maybe the pasta would over deliver. 

We were in four and our unofficial judging panel consisted of an Italian-American (who went for the burger and fries), a  Italian die hard pizza lover (who went for the Margherita pizza), a second more adventurous Italian (who opted for the salmon) and my good self (Orechiette pasta with broad beans, mint and Spanish artisan cheese). The choices were varied to say the least and it would be interesting  to see how well the Y&A delivered.

Verdicts: 2 thumbs up and 2 thumbs down.

The burger though visually impressive with its generously sized burger meat was under seasoned. I tried one of chunky French fries. Its consistency was unlike anything I had before. Not in a bad way just very different.The pizza was supposedly cooked in a wood fired oven but when leaving we had a peep at the room next door where the pizza is prepared and the oven looked nothing like the classical Italian wood fire oven you find in pizzarias all over Italy. The slice of pizza kindly offered to me to sample was unfortunately distinctly average.I have definitely had much better.

The salmon was by all accounts very good. The celeriac and samphire complemented nicely, though again I thought the portions were on the small side. The pasta of Orrechiette with Spanish artisan cheese was very good. It left me wanting more…much more. I wished I’d ordered the larger option instead of smaller and side salad which was disappointingly meagre and badly dressed. I wish restaurants would offer salads that actually fill a decent sized salad bowl.

                                                      

The dessert options were really tempting. So to sample, a dish of poached peaches, blueberry financier and almond ice cream made its way to our table, and unsurprisingly, was soon polished off.

And so to wrap up the meal, a god coffee and the bill sat side by side on the table. The coffe was good but the bill felt as pleasant as a kick in the nuts. Pricing is where York and Albany felt short. If they are looking for repeat custom then surely customers have to be delighted with the food and the experience. We are after all buying into Gordon's reputation. For me the York and Albany delivered but did not delight enough to justify their prices.If they are looking to fill the place then they need to increase their portion sizes or reduce their prices. Granted it was Tuesday lunchtime but we were the only ones in there bar a couple of tables in the front bar. I bet any of the other Parkway restaurants down the road were much busier. A bit more generosity with the pasta, a bigger salad and an extra scoop of ice cream would have wooed me. This is after all  probably the type of place where you might come for a treat. So upon reflection, York and Albany is a place where you definitely need to to opt for 3 courses or you will leave hungry or pissed with the bill...maybe both.


As someone stated, there are better ways of spending £100 for burger/fries, pizza, bowl of pasta and a small piece of grilled salmon especially bearing in mind that no wine was ordered and only one dessert taken . All of which makes me think that you'd eat just as well for half the price  a few yards down Parkway at any one of the other busy eateries.

Ultimately I felt we were paying for the name as well as the food … which was a shame because I’m not really into labels.

  

Pleasant discovery at the British Museum

The June monsoon of 2012. Never remember seeing so much rain and so it was off to the amazing (un)British Museum (nothing British there at all, it's all been stolen from the rest of the world) to redress the balance. What we in London can't always offer in terms of weather, we can instead boast in terms of museums. And the content there is amazing, the building, especially the grand foyer, is also magnificent. But the only problem with museums, that I have found over the years, is the lack of decent food (you either opt for uninspiring self-service buffet style cafes or get your food elsewhere). So it was an absolute delight to discover on the top floor of the British Museum The Court restaurant.

Word of warning though, you might have to queue or book.  But we turned up at 2ish which was an hour before they close their lunch service and happily waited no more than 5 minutes for a table. The open plan seating area has a mix of benches as well as tables and the kitchen is on the same level so you can see the chefs in action.  All very pleasant and easy on the eye. There is also a second work surface stationed by a lady who prepares the cold meats and other deli style platter offerings.

The menu has interesting choices with a definite Anglo-Spanish overtone. Some classics from both cuisines sit side by side. From a vegetarian perspective I'd stay away from the mains and head right into the 'Small Dishes, Boards and Bites' section of the menu.  

The bread with oil was excellent and served adequately as an hunger stifler until the fantastic Wild Mushroom on toast with manchego cheese and black truffle arrived, which was so good that I had it twice.

The lemon and oregano artichokes was fairly small in size but made up for it in terms of taste and quality. The non veggie amongst us also vouched for the quality of the food and it seemed to me that there's plenty to please everyone.

Dessert had to be sampled as we saw other guests tucking into very desirable Catalan brulee and it did not disappoint. 

They also serve afternoon tea from 3pm - 5pm though I'd say opt for a late lunch instead and enjoy this little gem.
Service was good and pricing ok. If you gave me the choice between  this restaurant or one of the downstairs' cafes, then I'd definitely say treat yourself to a top floor lunch that matches the splendidness of one London's finest museums.

COURT RESTAURANT TOP FLOOR BRITISH MUSEUM
Tel: 020 7323 8990

Breakfast at Lantana

Cult destination some said. So my Father’s Day treat was to choose a nice place to go for breakfast. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and sample my first antipodean brekkie in the foodie Charlotte Street part of town. Tucked away down a side street off of Goodge Street, first impressions of Lantana were disappointing. Space was limited and the place was full and noisy. Normally I point blank refuse to queue for a table, there are too many places in London to justify waiting whilst looking at people enjoying their food, casually chatting as you anxiously stand there silently willing them to move on. But, since the queue was just one guy, I was happy to make an exception. The guy in front was soon gone and there I stood contently waiting to be served. ‘Wait here to be seated’ it said on the sign. More like ‘wait here to be acknowledged’. Minutes annoyingly went by, before finally a laid back dude came over to tell me the obvious…there’d be a wait for table. ‘We’ll sit outside’ I said. ‘I’ll be right over with your drinks while you look over the menu?'. No you weren’t!

We sat on one of only two outside benches, and then laid-back dude brought my espresso minus any sugar and minus the teas. 'Be right back' he said. After a few minutes he was back with a bowl of granulated sugar in a pot that looked like it had been taken from his grandma’s house. Still no tea. By now I was starting to regret coming here. Laid back dude then treated himself to a coffee and a smoke just a few steps away from us. I was starting to wonder if he actually worked there. To make things worse, the waterworks company rocked up armed with a pneumatic drill and proceeded to dig up a nice patch of this quiet street right behind us. Eventually, what must have been a proper waiter finally asked what we wanted to order. Hallelujah.

The menu was interesting and not overwhelmingly long. Ranging from a basic sourdough with jam/vegemite to more complex sautéed mixed mushrooms on grain toast w poached eggs and lemon herb feta or baked eggs with roast mushrooms, spicy chickpeas and spinach served with whipped feta and toasted turkish bread.
Not fancying anything too OTT we opted for scrambled eggs on sourdough toast and Maple French toast with grilled bananas and pecan nuts. And when it came to the table I was immediately impressed by the size of the portions. So pleasing to find a place where the offerings were more than generous, and, to match, the quality of both dishes was more than excellent. The French toast married so well with the grilled banana and nuts. Everything on that plate worked together sweetly and the scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked and rested on a large chunky slice of the superb Gail’s sourdough with a garnish of rocket that could have easily made it in life as a salad. I like cracked pepper on my eggs and with no pepper on the table, I thought about looking for laid back dude then thought better of it. Also missing was the ‘is everything allright.’, ‘do you need any sauces with that.’ Nor, ‘would you like anything else…’

At £5 for the eggs and £9 for the French toast I thought Lantana gave really great value for money, which made up for the disctinct lack of service. Tea was so so but I did not rate their coffee. Would I go back? Not in a hurry. The brilliant food was let down by the lack of service and comfort. It's a shame that Lantana is not that bit bigger nor more importantly that much better with their so casual service because the food absolutely rocks.

LANTANA
13 Charlotte Place, London W1T 1SN
Tel: 0207 637 3347

Jamie's Italian: Islington

It is not always as straight forward to review a branch of a chain. Jamie Oliver is a chef who has interpreted his version of Italian food to the millions of homes in UK and now globally to become the worlds’ highest earning celebrity chef, yet I had never actually eaten at any of his eateries before and was not sure whether I should be reviewing his food, his brand, his menu or simply the Islington branch of Jamie’s Italian.

In the end, I suppose, all the above.

So what to make of Jamie’s? If looked at from a puritan point of view and compared with the best of Italian eateries, that is, the homes of ordinary Italians, then the dishes fared pretty well but I’m not sure would not have necessarily fared so well with the strictest of judges, the Italians. 'Nothing is ever as good as you have at home' should be an Italian proverb.

A mushroom and smoked mozzarella on crisp bread was well presented and tasty. The vegetarian antipasti plank was fun and copious, more than enough for 2 to share and refreshingly featured less expected portions of grilled vegetables and caponata, a Sicilian aubergine salad. I was less impressed with the Burrata, the Maserati of Mozzarella cheese, which came with sprinklings of chilli and mint flakes.

For mains I could have chosen one of the more complex dishes like the Wild Mushroom Panzerotti (stuffed pasta), which by all accounts from one of my dinner guests was very good, but instead I wanted to sample a basic dish. I hate ordering pasta in the UK as it is often over cooked and never as good as anything I could make at home. Secondly, I find pasta is always ridiculously over priced in restaurants. I love paying for a dish, which I know, takes skill and knowledge to prepare. Present me with something that I cannot prepare myself, then I feel more than happy paying.  A portion of pasta, some sauce, priced at anything over £6 gets me hot under the collar, especially when the outcome is poor. A dish as simple as Penne Arrabbiate then should be priced around £6 mark and it should of course be tasty. Pleasingly on this account, Jamie's had the option of a small portion at just under £6. 'Happy days' as he says. I don't recommend having the bigger portion of pasta as the starter portion is fine. But most importably in terms of the actual dish I was a tad disappointed. Arrabbiata means angry... this dish was furious! I love chilli but this was way over chillied. I believe that the heat from the chilli should be an after flavour that lingers in your mouth while you scoop up the next forkful of food. Instead, the chilli became the first and only think that hit the taste buds.... it pushed out the other flavours of the tomato sauce, which was in itself pretty good. My dinner guest who was having the same dish was unable to complete more than a couple of mouthfuls without the urgent cooling help of a child's salad discarded by my son, speaking of which the kids' menu is actually quite good.

The espresso was fine though I do prefer my coffee hot. Service was very friendly. Our waitress went out of her way to explain portion sizes by even bringing us someone's just prepared food for us to look at. Not sure if all the staff are like that though.

Carluccio and Pizza Express are two of our most established Italian food chains. They nestle in well enough to satisfy our hunger and need for a pleasant enough environment to enjoy a meal without hitting the pocket too hard. You safely know what to expect and this is what I got from visiting Jamie’s Italian. Pricing was reasonable, décor modern and ambiance buzzing. You can comfortably have a three course meal for around £15 per head, so, though I won’t be rushing back, I will consider Jamie’s Italian now part of my chain gang. 

JAMIE'S ITALIAN, ISLINGTON
North Retail, Angel Building, 403 St John Street, Islington EC1V 4AB
Tel: 02034 359915

Olympic Gold medal: Loon Yee

With the Olympics finally arriving to London in August, I have been wondering whether the predicted economic boost would actually trickle its way down to the surrounding areas around the Olympic site. Hackney, which has seen itself re invented by its new trendy residents of the last 5 years has now got some well-established oriental eateries especially if you fancy authentic Vietnamese. However, what of the other areas due East? Leyton? Walthamstow? Stratford? And Wanstead ? Well, I have for the last 20 years been enjoying some of the best Chinese food on offer, as good as anywhere I’ve eaten  in the world, in Snarebrook, the sleepier end of Wanstead High Street. I have eaten great Chinese food in far flung and obvious places as Singapore, Malaysia and the Loon Yee in Snaresbrook/Wanstead area can easily claim a well earned gold medal.

The place is divided into 2 rooms with a nice fish tank to separate the rooms. The vibe is very much relaxed and the food is the real star. I’ve been to too many restaurants that seem to place more importance on the décor than the food. Not here. The food is the attraction. The Loon Yee is a Chinese restaurant that caters for western palette…. no room on this menu for chicken feet or fish lips nor do they offer dim sum. But what they do, they do very very well.

Service is efficient and the staff are very good though when busy they can be stretched. Constantly regular customers of all ages stream into the Loon Yee on a Saturday night.

The a la carte menu is available at lunch as well as in the evening though most prefer to opt at lunch time for the simple, speedy and price friendly set  menu. Starters for vegetarians are the obvious ; clean, simple vegetable soup, vegetable  spring rolls, (large or mini),  crispy seaweed  though for me the real winner is the hot and sour soup vegetarian style. A thick gluteneous concoction of broth, several types of chinese mushroom, peas and tofu is a joy on a cold winter’s day. An acquired taste which at first seems too hot and strong but persist and after a few spoonfuls you will be hooked. A proper bloke’s soup.

Mains, which comes with rice and veg, come to about £8 pounds. Throw in a soup or starter then you’ll eat well for under £10. There are no vegetarian only options on the set menu but you ask for meat/fish to be omitted. For example the prawn with aubergine without the prawns is excellent. If you don’t find anything to your fancy then just opt to choose from the A la Carte menu.

Barristers and judges can be seen dashing in from the local Crown court at Snaresbrook to grab a rapido tasty lunch. How they are able to go back to work and keep awake let alone keep pace with a tedious court case is beyond me, as after a Loon Yee lunch, I feel ever so sleepy, so full I am.

Dinner is obviously more varied. A wide selection of dishes from your usual favourites to some more fancy chef specials are offered.  Prawn dishes are clear winners among non veggies but for the vegetarian among us, then undoubtedly the bean curd (tofu) wins hands down… beautifully spiced and prepared. There are at least 6 versions to choose from, though I’d stay clear of the tofu with satay sauce as I found it too heavy. Tofu with black bean sauce was more than excellent. Also recommended is the bean curd in cashew nut or Peking sauce. I once asked if I could have bean curd in lemon sauce as a throwback to the days when I use to enjoy this sauce before I became a vegetarian and it was nostalgically good.

Side dishes as spinach in garlic, cabbage with mushroom and chili are fresh and perfect foil for some of the spicier dishes. It is good to see such a wide selection of vegetable side dishes. Rice and noodles are always good; especially good are the Vegetarian Singapore noodles.  The jasmine tea always hits the spot and replenished without asking nor charging I believe.

What the Loon Yee does best is provide superbly consistent Chinese  food at very reasonable prices. It is located about 50 metres from the local tube station (Snaresbrook) and has on street parking. After 6.30pm parking on yellow line makes for ample parking space.

A big thumbs up for this family run restaurant. So if you find yourself in North East London during the Olympics and fancy a really good Chinese meal that won’t break the bank, then head done here. It’s a 10 minute drive. I tend not to go on Saturdays, as it can get very busy but if you do, then go bit earlier. Enjoy.

LOON YEE CHINESE RESTAURANT
6-7 Station Parade, High Street Wanstead, London E11 1GF
Tel: 020 8989 7848