Richard Bagnold

Not much has changed in my opinions of previous visits to City Social, with the only exception being I think I might like this place even more. It is seriously seductive and pleasant for drinks at the bar or a lovely meal overlooking London with very caring service and actually a fun thing to do / environment to experience for most occasions I would say. After a brief security check on the ground floor (I’m actually a fan of this to increase safety), a full compliment of staff was ready to greet us at the reception at the end of the very quick elevator climb to the 24th floor. Pleasant drinks at the bar were seemlessly transposed on to the table bill and the headline is that the meal had on this occasion was as slick in design as the whole restaurant area.

The starters I tried were the Brixham crab and fruits of the sea linguini, which were both fresh and excellent and all other dishes were presented in a way worthy of the venue’s shiny Michelin star. I have had the fillet steak here before (see below) but not the côte de boeuf (shared between two) which was more steep in price, but with the lovely bone marrow and quantity of the beef given, you can see more clearly why this is priced as it is. I thought this shared meat was absolutley wonderful but found I didn’t need as much of the fat that was given on the côte de boeuf. The Irish beef and lamb dishes were certainly pretty and the lamb I tried was deep in flavour and deliciously tender with well judged jus to accompany.

The starters I tried were the Brixham crab and fruits of the sea linguini, which were both fresh and excellent and all other dishes were presented in a way worthy of the venue’s shiny Michelin star. I have had the fillet steak here before (see below) but not the côte de boeuf (shared between two) which was more steep in price, but with the lovely bone marrow and quantity of the beef given, you can see more clearly why this is priced as it is. I thought this shared meat was absolutley wonderful but found I didn’t need as much of the fat that was given on the côte de boeuf. The Irish beef and lamb dishes were certainly pretty and the lamb I tried was deep in flavour and deliciously tender with well judged jus to accompany.

The peppercorn and bearnnaise sauces were done well naturally, although I found the peppercorn sauce a tad too fiery and the bearnnaise a little more dense compared with my last visit, but both still good. The simple side of salad was actually worthy of note in itself as beautifully coated with a light vinegarette and the duck fat chips were never in danger of being a bad addition as were lovely, although in truth, I actually prefer when they are not so thick if the crust is quite thin as it means more crunch for your bite(!). The rasberry soufflé on the other hand I thought was stupendous in flavour. Normally soufflés can be too sickly sweet but this was toned down beautifully with equally well supporting rasberry ice cream.

One minor error from the night, which was a basic one, was that the 20 minute wait for the soufflés was not mentioned as a heads up at the beginning or during the meal (it is on the menu but I would argue many diners don’t always look at desserts at the beginning of the meal as they wish to see how they feel at the end and then forget). The staff were customarily good about it when this was pointed out at selection time but perhaps the pressure to get the souffle out as quickly as possible caused it to being ever so slightly liquidy in the middle and undercooked – it didn’t change the fact however, that it was the nicest tasting souffle I have had to date. The white, red and dessert wines on this occasion were all agreeable to the food but seemed perhaps a little steep in price for the yield in the mouth when I compare the quality of the Californian red had at Smith and Wollesky with their steak for example.

Nip-picking and observations aside, this was a wonderful meal without a shadow of doubt, with stylish food matching an equally gorgeous venue; it was in fact a total pleasure to experience properly and share with the whole company present.

Obviously, we needed to do this as well, so the fillet beef with three different sauces was obviously needed. I thought the beef fillet done here with its sweetened and delicate tenderness was utterly beautiful and I would put this way above those at Goodman based on the fact they had clearly been rested and beautifully presented on a mini-wooden slab as well. The béarnaise was completely lovely although I could have done with a tiny bit more tarragon for my palate and it was lovely to try their sauce choron (supposed to be served with the lobster but I could not resist asking and they were very generous to oblige my ludicous sauce fetish).

There are simply not very many reasons not to enjoy this place and it remains a fantastic venue in its stylish and yet unpretentious delivery. One is looked after well here, in a tastfully designed venue that also happens to serve tasty, Michelin starred nibbles and dishes that have simply gorgeous flavours.

We were looked after superbly from the beginning from the restaurant reception, cloak area, bar staff, waiting staff, head staff and kitchen staff all operating under the experienced eye of the floor manager, Rob Kihlstrom. I was immensly impressed with the degree of hospitaility all round, which frankly rivalled that of Le Gavroche – a significant standard to reach. This was then followed by some wonderful dishes including pig’s trotter, sweetbread risotto with madeira glaze, Pork loin with superb accompanying black pudding and rabbit that was entirely succulant. I idiotically did not take any photos of the mains and can only put that down to being so keen to dig in to them that this was not done. Desserts were equally strong, in fact, there wasn’t a single element of all food brought to the table that I didn’t enjoy as the three of us tried everything.

A long chat with my co-diners was had over how any improvements could be made if any and the telling thing was that it was genuinely hard to answer that question. We agreed that if one was ultra picky, there were a couple of language barrier issues with the waiting staff that caused two near misses, but to their credit their extremely polite approach and initiative transcended these. The only other observation was that a fraction longer in between courses would stray in to feeling the wait was longer than necessary – although close, thankfully, this barrier was not breached.

All in all, this was a suarve and comfortable environment to visit where I was frankly delighted with the service and the pleasingly sexy and simple flavours of the food which, together produced a great experience. A newly owned establishement has had the Atherton formula thrown at it with flavour combination favourites and gaining their first Michelin star straight away and a no holds-bar approach to the expense needed to fully transform a venue to a very good result.

On some revisits to restaurants where I have had to go back to gain more photos I have felt it a minor chore to varying degrees depending on the place, but in this case I can happily say that I am actually excited about the need to go back. As a fillet steak and sauce béarnaise obsessive, I cannot wait to go back and see how this or the lobster is with the sauce choron. A very good show here indeed and although the phrase is often over used, it genuinely exceeded all my expectations. Bravo.

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My first time to Benihana and I didn’t actually know of it until recently. There are three branches, one in King’s Road, one by St Paul’s and one just off Piccadilly where I went. It is in fact, the first place I have been to in my life where you are sat around a teppan and where the chef will clang his knives and finely dice and chop all the ingredients in front of you and I have actually always wanted to do this having seen on numerous films but never seen in the flesh.

My immediate impression was how well this formula worked with the families and children present and would suit teenage celebrations like a glove. Although the food in the main, in my view, cannot be classed as fine dining (and indeed I doubt this is the aspiration of the restaurant), the real forte is the sense of fun of being entertained by your chef whilst sat around your teppan – I actually do not know or any other establishments in London that have this.

What mainly interested me however, was Benihana’s lunchtime set menu of wagyu beef or lobster to accompany 6 other parts to the meal for £17.90. Readers of my site will have picked up the gem of gaining decent products for reasonable prices at lunch and there were definitely some things to be enjoyed on this set menu. You can choose either the lobster or wagyu as your main, but just as I did with Burger and Lobster, I on the other hand, am a glutton and needed to try both in the name of exposing and reviewing as much as I can.

The result was some very clean onion soup to begin, plain salad with home made ginger dressing and some separate salmon and mushroom sushi (a mixture of mushroom and chopped & seasoned Wagyu beef ends). The battered white had Japanese tartare sauce that was much runnier and creamier than traditional mayonnaise based tartare sauces and was a lovely change from the norm. The potato croquette filled with minced wagyu gristle was actually perfectly agreeable – sounds strange to be incorporating gristle but when it is from wagyu, it is simply that rich in fat content that it is quite doable in this form and gave an earthiness to the croquettes almost as truffle would.

The main events however, were the lobster and the wagyu mains – the lobster was placed in front of us in natural colour, revealed minutes later utterly pink and ready to be cooked and then placed back in the shell, served with ginger sauce made from 8-hour prepared stock. The sauce was fine, not too hot but mildly curried and always a pleasure to have lobster. However, I thought the star of the show was the wagyu main, not just because of its luxurious fat content but the accompanying ginger and mustard sauces that were available (unnecessary, but then again I am a sauce freak) were gorgeous and a lovely replacement to my normal love of béarnaise.

The wagyu itself, imported from Japan comes from tajimi cows (raised in Hyogo Prefecture) which, although not wagyu themselves, are Japanese black cows bred with 100% genuine Wagyu input from the bull, therefore making it able to priced as reasonably as it is (this wagyu beef is the same bloodline as kobe beef, the highest form, but with a beef marbelling standard of 3-5 as opposed to 6 onwards where it becomes kobe). Even though it fell just shy of kobe beef, it was genuinely pleasant and was also nice to see a bit more on my plate than I received at Sosharu. The dessert of green tea ice cream is an acquired taste in being sour so this was not my favourite, but that is my palate and it was extremely creamy as a bonus (if this wasn’t your thing either I would be very surprised if the restaruant did not change to another flavour of ice cream that they had on request).

Overall this was a pleasing menu with an equally pleasing price tag for what you are getting on this set menu, which certainly qualifies as a good value package. Although the appearance of the restaurant may not sit in the image of fine dining, the package I had was worthy of note and there is a very good formula here – teppan cooking and entertainment for the kids and a hit of bespoke wagyu for the grown ups and at a price that minimises the ‘ouch’ factor.

Press Review.

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As mentioned below I have been here many times as my local brasserie and have had mostly pleasant but also some mixed experiences in between 2010 – 2012. However, brunch last Sunday has frankly given rocket fuel to their stakes as I had one of the best brunches on record as the eggs benedict with truffle was a total triumph! This was beautifully done with perfectly deep and rich eggs and although I thought the ham on top was a little too stretchy and dry to enjoy, this was a wonderful version. I appreciated the intent to contrast the soft ham underneath with the dried on top, but if there is one improvement for this, I would say the top bacon pieces to be more brittle and easier / more enjoyable to cut and chew. Still, it was utterly wonderful and I have not come across this anywhere before.

The pan au chocolate was freshly made as usual and that’s the other reassuring thing coming here, to have quality and freshly baked pastries and know that this has happened. The french toast was also knock out and the best one I have tried here – the caramelised apple on top with a smidgen of cream obviously did not make this a calorie free visit, but then again, what else are Sundays for(?!). This brunch has trascended my local Tom’s Kitchen to new heights and for brunch, made it join the patheon of brunch experiences with Al Qasr – Dubai, Chiltern Firehouse and The Connaught among others.

The pan au chocolate was freshly made as usual and that’s the other reassuring thing coming here, to have quality and freshly baked pastries and know that this has happened. The french toast was also knock out and the best one I have tried here – the caramelised apple on top with a smidgen of cream obviously did not make this a calorie free visit, but then again, what else are Sundays for(?!). This brunch has trascended my local Tom’s Kitchen to new heights and for brunch, made it join the patheon of brunch experiences with Al Qasr – Dubai, Chiltern Firehouse and The Connaught among others.

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Another visit, another triumph. There were some minor changes on the menu from previous tasting menus and I get the feeling from needing to make this booking 4 months in advance for a weekend lunch that the secret of this pub is definitely over. No matter, as I knew it would be wise to book for the summer in plenty of time, especially for the occasion it was which was my milestone Birthday. I did a count recently – of the 18 three Michelin starred, 30 two Michelin starred and 81 one Michelin starred venues I have been to thus far (+ 110 non-starred great eateries), I am probably the happiest here at The Sportsman, for the sheer power of the ingredients and simple care of the dishes in the unassuming and comfortable environment it is. This, combined with how reasonable the price tag is for its quality and the even more reasonable wine list makes me me say this with no qualms at all: in my view it was one of the gems of the planet.

Again, on this vist, no dish was in anyway a dissapointment and I loved the mushroom mousse on delectably thin, cripsy tart as well as the turbot with upgraded tomato cream sauce – I didn’t think it would actually be possible to overtake the vin juane sauce but I think this actually did and I loved every second of every course. This was another wonderful meal and a double-absolute pleasure to share it with those closest to me on the quality occasion it was.

Again, on this vist, no dish was in anyway a dissapointment and I loved the mushroom mousse on delectably thin, cripsy tart as well as the turbot with upgraded tomato cream sauce – I didn’t think it would actually be possible to overtake the vin juane sauce but I think this actually did and I loved every second of every course. This was another wonderful meal and a double-absolute pleasure to share it with those closest to me on the quality occasion it was.

The interior has lovely wooden tables complete with log fire at the bar end to keep the feeling comfortably causal and all those that serve dinner clearly share the passion of the food served and enjoy describing all that has been prepared. Another word on that is needed: the lamb fillets in breadcrumbs with a mint and syrup dip was phenomenal, the turbot with dessert wine cream sauce (vin jaun) and slice of pork rind on the top was uttterly magnificent, the mushroom ravioli with droplets of truffle made the mushroom simply sensational and even the herb bread with salt crust with locally made butter was worthy of a mention in itself.

I cannot emphasise enough how enjoyable and memorable the food and full tasting menu was at this establishment (the tasting menu which is only available on various parts of the week). There are only two places in the world whereby I feel worthy of giving 100% based on the food and this is one of them. I would recommend this eatery for virtually any occasion, no matter how informal or special and it would most likely cater for any group or situation. My only regret is that reviews like this might increase the likelihood of finding it tricky to get a table(!) and I will look forward to going back at anytime.

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SPOILER ALERT – PLEASE DO NOT READ OR EXAMINE PHOTOGRAPHS IF YOU INTEND TO VISIT AND WANT SURPRISES

After its 6 month absence from Bray to refurbish itself, The Fat Duck has returned from Australia to unleash its new menu maintaining some of its old favourites. The kept favourites of The Fat Duck (nitro poached mousse, sounds of the sea, hot and cold tea and whiskey wine gums) have been tweaked and to my great surprise and delight were actually upgrades to the originals I thought and was pleased to see that the snail porridge was not kept for the new menu as I found that just ok. The nail porridge was nothing offensive but shockingly on par with a 4 year old’s merry go round ride at the theme park in comparison to Nemisis and Oblivion and the other food rides that were available in comparison.

I will say right up front that this was an unbelievably clever and gorgeous meal, there is no question. Many that do not like Heston Bluemthal’s unorthodox ways are adament on this but I stand by what I have always thought on this issue and it is still quite simple: if you have not tasted the food I’m afraid I simply can’t listen to those verdicts. Yes it is fantastical but the flavours of the dishes were simply out of this world at the same time, right down to the petits fours which would rival the finest lindor chocoloate with a cape on(!). My food grade (percentage) verdict is, as always based on the food alone and that’s what the 100% score is based on and not due to the ocassion it was (I actually had a terrible experience with their customer service on my first visit but was irrlevelent to the food score given for that first visit as well).

I could write a dissertation on this meal but that’s the danger. I will actually let the photos do most of the talking on this occasion, save to say that the absolute food highlights for this round I thought were the tiny beetroot macaroon with perfectly hinted horseradish sauce in the centre; the incredible sandwiches (layer of toast in the middle of normal soft, white bread on the extremities) that were simply the tastiest sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life; the ingenious and delightful full English breakfast bowl and the greatest salmon I have ever had in the form of a lollypop which was actually cured Salmon with rings of avocado and horseradish on the outside.

In order to summarise the food here I will describe one of the dishes to set the tone of how The Fat Duck is different to most other restaurants (and most 3 stars for that matter). The full English breakfast was actually a bowl with 3 layers of different components of breakfast: one resembling egg (truffled egg mousse), one for tomato (jellied tomato consommé) and one for bacon (bacon and toasted bread cream). Each layer was uncannily the absolute essence of that flavour but in the form of a soft gel or sauce and lovely to combine in the mouth. Meanwhile a pack of 6 mini-cereals were placed on the table and we were invited to choose any to sprinkle the ‘cereal’ (which turned out to be crispy and dried mushroom and bacon crackling) on the bowl. Not only was this delicious but the game inside the packs was a jigsaw for each person to make the quickest as the winner was given a special coin which was to be used later to activate the electronic petit fours trolley which was impressive in its own right. The Fat Duck had done its research on us via a form to be filled out by the organiser and a follow up phone call and used this information to laser in to the wooden jigsaw pieces, things that were among the most meaningful to each person at the table. THAT is how The Fat Duck is in a league of its own.

Final thoughts on this, apart from being one of the best meals of my life: I actually thought it was better than the first time round and they had most probably listened to feedback and toned it down to a better result. The meal seemed less dense and more balanced this time and as it was only 16 courses and not 19 as it was, I did not leave feeling like Mr Creosote. The service was also impeccable which was a lovely change and the only thing I didn’t really like was the slightly darkened, no wall-decor feel of the restaurant which did not seem to imbue an atmosphere. The tables are still quite close to each other so it is a little tight which is bad if you have guests on other tables that have nothing better to do that wanting to listen in to and judge others’ conversations. That was the only other negative of this visit which the restaurant cannot be expected to control. Ultimately, you shouldn’t really come to this restaurant if you are wanting an atmosphere or conventional time regardless on the first point – this is supreme invention and flavours probably best enjoyed at a very special occasion.

There was not enough time for the Michelin guide to grade the restaurant suitably before it closed so it is therefore currently not in the guide at all for 2016, but my summary is based on what I had and frankly I will be amazed if it does not regain the three stars for next years’ (2017) Michelin guide release for the UK. I also think it would be ridiculous if it did not.

A superb collection of wonderful dishes, expertly conceived and executed resulting in food moments of pure gold.

So, on to the amuse bouche – the nitro tea and lime mousse was a marvel. After a tub of liquid nitrogen was brought to the table, mousse was squirted in to this pan causing a fizzing and bubbling affair rather like sodium dancing on top of water. The reaction with the liquid nitrogen caused the mousse to form in to a perfect sphere, which when eaten (after being sprinkled with tea essence) dissolved instantaneously in an utterly refreshing manner causing two jets of nitro-vapour to come out of my nose as if a dragon, whilst essence of tea extract was sprayed over us floating on to our heads and faces to finish the refreshment off. Then, we were handed the menu.

This gives an idea as to why this venue is simply off the charts in terms of creativity and all the photos will speak for themselves. The true, powerhouse moments for myself came with the camomile foie gras dish with foie gras toast, whilst ‘smelling’ a forest at the table and the bacon and egg ice-cream which was in fact vanilla cream (that had been injected in to 6 genuine egg shells cracked at the table) poured in to another tub of liquid nitrogen at the table, forming the perfect scrambled egg texture and look, which sat on a fried slice of syrup brioche with a genuine wafer thin slice of crystallised bacon (therefore sweet and genuinely beautiful). That’s not to say that there were a couple of only ‘ok’ dishes such as the snail porridge – clever, yes but if I had my eyes closed it would have literally been a salty, sludgy set of noodles and the parsnip cereal was hugely entertaining but again more unique and fun than wonderful in flavour. That said, when moments such as the foie gras and main bacon and egg combination come along, these moments are special – I was genuinely blown away in happiness and all the other surrounding dishes were simply a treat to behold – this is why on the rating I give it the mark based on the euphoria caused at these dining sensations experienced.

Unfortunately that food happiness was almost shattered with an episode at the table in which the waitress (who has served as the head waitress on numerous episodes of Heston’s TV feasts) utterly ruined the meal at one stage early on in the lunch. As one of the first dishes was laid down I excitedly and politely said that I had forgotten what that dish was and what I received in return was the same waitress saying calmly and without any expression or any eye-contact, “Did I not tell you I would explain the dishes…?” as she placed them down. This basically destroyed the experience and I was close to actually suggesting we leave, but the lengths that had been gone to, to get the table prevented me and I don’t think that would have flown very well with my associate Mr Bainbridge whatsoever, however it was the kind of arrogant rudeness I never expected in a million years to be defending myself from in any restaurant, let alone a 3 Michelin starred global affair such as this.

It confirms other varying reports I have heard ranging from the cleanliness of the ipod headphones in the sounds of the sea dish and another remark I have gleaned on the service experienced. I gather that the whole service has morphed in to a well-oiled conveyer belt which had simply lost its soul in terms of the warmth. Although this is hearsay, I can somehow easily believe this to be the case. Probably apt timing therefore for a complete overhaul which is now happening as the restaurant is relocating for the first half of 2015 to Australia whilst a renovation in Bray occurs – I simply hope this extends to the happiness and character of the waiting staff as well while he is at it and that this is similarly transformed when he reopens in the latter part of 2015.

In terms of food, this meal remains unparalleled in its theatre, unmatched in sensation moments and unforgettable as an experience.

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This is my second out of (currently at time of writing) four ROKAs in London and seems to have the same formula. I was led to believe the management like to have each of their four ROKAs look quite independent of each other, but to be honest I found the interior of this virtually identical in style to the Canary Wharf branch. The food was fine on this visit although I was slightly gutted that my plan to have the pre-theatre menu (which looked very interesting & good value on the menu) was over-ruled for bespoke dishes. Some pleasant little things here and definitely worth a pop in.

All dishes proved to be perfectly pleasant and the wagyu tartare had to be done the moment I saw it – this proved to be small in size as one can expect for the fact that it is wagyu beef but very nice (although it definitely needed the shallot and caviar on the top to prevent it from being too bland). The sake was good albeit a little on the pricey side however, what I really liked about this visit was the no hassle and freindly service combined with it being fine for us to simply go for a few, small portions of things as we didn’t want too much and were made to feel welcome to do just that. I have to say that the tuna tartare was outstanding with ots zingy dressing as well and if you go, this is an absolute must!

All dishes proved to be perfectly pleasant and the wagyu tartare had to be done the moment I saw it – this proved to be small in size as one can expect for the fact that it is wagyu beef but very nice (although it definitely needed the shallot and caviar on the top to prevent it from being too bland). The sake was good albeit a little on the pricey side however, what I really liked about this visit was the no hassle and freindly service combined with it being fine for us to simply go for a few, small portions of things as we didn’t want too much and were made to feel welcome to do just that. I have to say that the tuna tartare was outstanding with ots zingy dressing as well and if you go, this is an absolute must!

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This visit was a press review. Just a few doors away from London’s oldest standing family restaurant (Il Portico), sits this year-long venture, from the same family and under the passionate steer of James Chiavarini. In amongst the local ‘Kensingtonians’ sat in this neighbourhood restaurant on my visit, over half of the diners present at Pizzicotto seemed to be Italian and this is always a good sign for any venue (attracting the same nationality clientele as the food). A pasta specialist who spends the early hours of every day (less Mondays when closed) making the pasta freshly for the services was also a very nice touch to see – even if your palate can’t tell the difference, the fact that this effort is made is a considerable plus point in my book.

The focaccia bread with drizzle of oil was nicely squidgy and crisp at the same time but with the gorgeous saltiness from the Culatello (ham) meat sourced from Zibello (north of Parma) was frankly gorgeous. Being interested in it as a result, I learned that Culatello is made from the rump of the pig, (from 1 pig comes 1 Culatello) and is incased in its natural skin (bladder), smeared in Cervia sea salt, hand tied and hung for 36 months in stone basements with natural ventilation. The particular taste I had derives from 3 years of alternating conditions, fog which rolls into the basements from the Apennine mountains during the winter (keeping the humidity high) and then the scorching hot and dry summers. Both Culatello and Cervia sea salt turn out to be listed as heritage products in danger of extinction in the slow food ark of taste(!) and can be seen here. The bottom line with this, is that it tasted wonderful on top of the focaccia and I would say this with a glass of red is enough reason to pop in for this alone.

The focaccia bread with drizzle of oil was nicely squidgy and crisp at the same time but with the gorgeous saltiness from the Culatello (ham) meat sourced from Zibello (north of Parma) was frankly gorgeous. Being interested in it as a result, I learned that Culatello is made from the rump of the pig, (from 1 pig comes 1 Culatello) and is incased in its natural skin (bladder), smeared in Cervia sea salt, hand tied and hung for 36 months in stone basements with natural ventilation. The particular taste I had derives from 3 years of alternating conditions, fog which rolls into the basements from the Apennine mountains during the winter (keeping the humidity high) and then the scorching hot and dry summers. Both Culatello and Cervia sea salt turn out to be listed as heritage products in danger of extinction in the slow food ark of taste(!) and can be seen here. The bottom line with this, is that it tasted wonderful on top of the focaccia and I would say this with a glass of red is enough reason to pop in for this alone.

The josper oven and use of charcoal in the pizza dough after 72 hours of proofing was an interesting touch and this was explained as having health benefits (the tiny elements of infused charcoal made the pizza base serve as an antioxidant in a similar way that impurities are soaked up by the charcoal). In a world of gluten mania, it is also designed to be less risky for those with very minor gluten intolerances than regular dough would be.

The base of the pizza appeared black as a result however I actually thought it tasted pretty similar to regular dough, with possibly a tiny element of smokiness – I had heard about this prior to coming, but the actual star of that dish was the marriage of the caramelised onion, speck ham and lovely, moist buratta cheese – again, uncomplicated and were toppings I that were highly enjoyable. The squid ink taglioni was just salty enough and had rich and sweet tomatoes to work with that and the king crab as a very pleasant balance. Not much to not like on this one I thought and the gelatos that were all home made were delightful – I think they were actually nicer than the ones I had in Rome as these were even more creamy(!) and beautifully soft. They were all nice I have to say and if I had to nominate, I thought the pistachio gelato was the pick of the bunch – a lovely change from salted caramel but exactly the same winning formula of rich and sweet with a twist. On the wines, some very reasonable offerings of prosecco and nice glass of house red / chiante were had, the Italian red being very smooth for the courses.

I genuinely enjoyed the taste of all of the products here and that is the key thing. The ingredients were clearly sourced with pride and although some might prefer more space, I liked the clean-cut cosiness of the venue. This was also combined with a good measure of passionate hospitality and Italian flare. For the care and detail that goes in to the preparation of the food and the prices they are, I would also argue this is very good value for money.

If you enjoy genuine Italian produce and a venue with soul, this is indeed a very worthy option to try.

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This was a pleasing venue with a pulse situated in the heart of the city and was recommended to us by a 3 Michelin starred restaurant for a quick bite in the evening after our 22 course lunch. It turned out to be a very good recommendation and there were some great options here. We went for the spring rolls with duck and peanut and a spicy dip and foie gras with pork croquettes to nibble on (although beware of how deceptively filling each croquette is here) and shared the lobster hot dog with chicken skin to share. If we hadn’t have gone for a cocktail each then the price would have been approx £15 each for the nibbles and hot dog which is not bad bearing in mind the ingredients of foie gras and lobster hads and the quality of the food was quite pleasing. The service ranged from very good to far too casual / non-caring (and annoying as a result) so was a mixed bag on this count however, overall, a great little option for a fun environment and decent food choices.

Food Grade: 77%

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I’m very happy to be writing this review for two reasons: 1) it is making me relive the glories of this occasion and 2) it was one of the best food and overall experiences I’ve had in my life, therefore writing this will be a pleasure to unleash the dogs of compliments…

It was obvious from the beginning that each dish was immaculately conceived and prepared and I simply can’t state any fault in the design, presentation, execution, and most importantly flavour of ANY of the dishes – and this is very difficult to pull off, believe me. They were all utterly fabulous and the lowest moment of the meal was at the ‘that was quite nice actually’ level. Every single dish was a beautifully done, tasted wonderful and I simply did not want this experience and afternoon to finish. In fact, I actually got a little down half way through the meal as I knew it was not going to go on forever – I could have comfortably stayed in that room being served those sorts of creations in the company shared for another day.

What I have pleasure in describing, is that from the moment we entered, it was obvious we were in the hands of utter experts who simply gave every confidence from the start that this was going to be a great day. From the breeze like ease we were greeted and immediately escorted to the reception area for a lovely glass of English sparkling wine, to being shown the wine collection and then being greeted by the three chefs who had joined forces for this special occasion, it was delightful all the way. The three chefs were: Rasmus Kofoed (head chef Geranium), Esben Holmboe Bang (head chef Maemo, Oslo) and Eneko Atxa (head Chef Azurmendi, Spain). All three chefs hold the holy grail accolade of 3 Michelin stars therefore having 9 Michelin starred food in one sitting was pretty wonderful in itself.

All the wines chosen were absolute jackpots as well and again, there wasn’t a single one I didn’t think was great(!). It is very hard to pick the best bits of this meal in general when they were all so good be it the tender fish in lightly fried batter and sticky, pepper jus; the brilliant mini breads to be dipped in the soured cream with herbs; the fabulous egg yolk with truffle or the sublime artichoke leaf crisps with rye vinegar mayonnaise. All had grace, power moments of flavour and were yet so uncomplicated. I felt like Mozart in Amadeus simply cyring out: “Why can’t I have 3 heads…..?!”.

This was a truly exeptional meal, brilliantly conceived and also executed to the highest standards that they can be. I was glowing with happiness throughout this entire experience and the more I look back on it, the more I realise just how special this one was. You are probably wondering about the price tag – the £400 per head (all in) for this occasion, will be eye-watering to some, but as a 9 Michelin starred meal and an experience that I will rememember for the rest of my life and for what it was, at this level, it is frankly something I would pay in my sleep.

This was nothing short of perfection – thank you Steve & Noah Plotnicki for constructing, Rasmus, Esben, Eneko, Soren for delivering brilliantly, my senses for exploding as they did and to Mr ‘Bainbridge’ for joining me on this life time memory of an occasion.

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There has been a huge amount written about Noma and finally I was lucky enough to gain a seat within, from my inclusion on the Opinionated About Dining list. It was interesting to speak to others present that had been to Noma once, in some cases twice before to learn of its changes. Overall, the feedback was that the previous years seem to have been when Noma’s genuine blossom period for cooking has been. The one consistency that seems to be apparent is the inherent love that head chef René Redzepi has for Nordic and especially local ingredients which are foraged by the staff at Noma every week. Ultimately this was a significant privilege to have the seat and one that I think the £358 pp with wine, all in was a fair price for the whole package (some dishes using elements taking 6 months to be ready), but equally one that didn’t ring every single bell at the same time.

Noma takes its inspiration from three main seasons with an emphasis of seafood in the winter, foliage in the spring / hotter months and products from the forest floor bed in the Autumnal months. I dined in the cross-over of winter to spring for my meal in May and had a colourful blend of seafood and vegetables and that’s probably the first aspect noticed: that of the menu’s heavy dependence on vegetables. As a carnivore I naturally find vegetables on their own as a little boring and it is equally difficult to make these exciting but there is no denying how truly imaginative these vegetable dishes were at Noma having had months of preparation for many components.

Noma takes its inspiration from three main seasons with an emphasis of seafood in the winter, foliage in the spring / hotter months and products from the forest floor bed in the Autumnal months. I dined in the cross-over of winter to spring for my meal in May and had a colourful blend of seafood and vegetables and that’s probably the first aspect noticed: that of the menu’s heavy dependence on vegetables. As a carnivore I naturally find vegetables on their own as a little boring and it is equally difficult to make these exciting but there is no denying how truly imaginative these vegetable dishes were at Noma having had months of preparation for many components.

There were some absolutely lovely dishes here including the radish tartlets, each tiny radish coil holding droplets of a delightfully subtle radish vinaigrette, all on top of a base made from ground seaweed – absolutely delightful. The fresh garlic shoots with yeast coating was the closest thing to tasting like steak that one can imagine and they were delectably light yet powerful in flavour. I adored the king crab with egg yolk sauce which was perfectly salty and the sterilised, deep fried and spray painted chocolate moss dessert was also truly lovely.

Sadly however, there were courses which I genuinely thought were a bit too much, either being too heavy in floral elements, tasting over perfumed (pancake puffs) or simply not actually pleasant to my great surprise (lobster with rose oil and turbot bones with fat and pickled rose petals). This hasn’t happened in quite a while (to be actually turned off slightly) and was surprising to happen at a Restaurant world champion. Much discussion at our table of 8 ensued over this and all those present, bar one or two little ‘favourite’ differences, were actually in agreement about some of the dishes actively not working for them as well. My take is that if the perfume notes on the dishes mentioned were toned down, it would have been far better. The wines and champagne I had were also all a little too sour for my palate as well which was a surprise.

HOWEVER, the overall effect was very good and this was an immaculate operation: from the way every staff member there greeted all of us on entry, to add to the special occasion it was, the extremely slick service (one of the best I have been privy to) and the wonderful tour afterwards of absolutely everywhere. It was special no doubt with some fanfare moments of food but sadly this was combined with some surprisingly strange / dislike moments at the same time and the latter moments tend to stick in the memory banks.

There was probably a smidgen of over expectation on my part (the ants dish being fine but no fireworks) but the net result was me walking away very pleased to have gained the T-shirt and a reasonable desire to go back at some point in the future to see the difference in its new form when it is unveiled from next year. A lovely tick in the box to complete and without a doubt an experience.

Noma will complete its last service on 31 Dec 16 prior to its site move and re-open in the spring of 2017.

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