Richard Vines

I had a very good lunch yesterday @thecoachmarlow, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It's the first time that I have eaten there since @sarahhayward91 took over, and I am happy to say that the dishes are as good as ever. It was a pleasure to sit at the counter with @markhastings75 and watch the team at work. (As Marlow is a little out of the way for me, I haven't been back since a couple of visits almost a decade ago.) Among the dishes we tried were Mushroom “Risotto” Claude Bosi £14.50; Mussels Mariniere with Warm Stout and Brown Bread £16.50; Loin of Blythburgh Pork With Piccolo Parsnips, Black Pudding and Whisky Sauce £32; Salt Cod Scotch Egg with Red Pepper Purée and Chorizo £16.50; Braised Cornish Turbot “Chasseur” with Tarragon Gnocchi £33.00; The Coach Chicken Kyiv With Cauliflower Cheese £28.50; The Coach Baked Potato “Raclette” with Sauce Reform £22.00; The Coach Chips With Bearnaise Sauce £8.00; and Rhubarb & Custard Choux Bun with White Chocolate Cremeux £14.50. If you're on a budget, there's a weekday set lunch at £15 for two dishes and £7.50 for a third. Thank you to @cheftomkerridge for the invitation and to chef, @mattroa and the team. #rvinesdines Less

I finally made it to @secretsandwichshop in Notting Hill on Sunday as the place has been garnering quite a lot of attention. It's round the corner from the Ledbury and close to Dorian, but it helps to know the full address as the place is so secret, the sign over the shop front says GLOBE in capital letters. Inside, it's pretty compact and cosy, with just a few tables and a small kitchen/counter at the end of the room. The menu is short, with prices ranging from £10 to £12, which seems reasonable when sandwiches are this good. I went for the Ham, Cheese & Egg (£10.50), featuring a Fried Burford Brown, lettuce, tomato and kewpie mayo. It was well made and generous -- without being of the silly, stacked types made for Instagram rather than eating -- and filled with quality ingredients. Without being a Kemi Badenoch fan, I'll say that I am a little surprised that sandwiches are having their moment. My ideal bread-based repast is probably a freshly baked baguette, eaten in France and filled with ripe Camembert. But Secret Sandwich is good, and I am more likely to return there than to go for the bargain £200 lunch at the Ledbury, much as I admire Brett Graham. #rvinesdines #sandwich Less

I had a very enjoyable lunch with @martinwilliams32 yesterday @ecorestaurants, which has just moved into a new home in Clapham after 31 years on Clapham High Street. Even the new gaff feels like it has been there for years. It was filled with happy diners who looked like regulars, and the service was both professional and warm. Owner Sami Wasif was among the first to bring authentic sourdough pizzas to the UK, and still uses the recipe he first witnessed over half a century ago in his native Egypt. His first business -- Pizzeria Franco -- inspired Franco Manca, which he bought from Franco in the 1980s. Under Sami and his wife Laura, it was so successful that he decided to build a larger restaurant in Clapham Common. The food is family-style home cooking, though better than anything I could ever do at home. We went down a very traditional route, with bruschetta; fritto misto (£10.95); spaghetti Bolognese (£12.95); Margherita pizza (£9.95); and tiramisu (£7.95). (I do realize that spag bol isn't a tradition in Italy!) Wines are in the £27 to £39 range, which would be great if I weren't on Dry January. I enjoyed it a lot. I wore a bright pink jacket that only fits me now I am at my lightest in 30 years. Thank you to Eco for inviting me. #italianfood #rvinesdines Less

I really enjoyed lunch at @clarolondon, where the dishes are colourful and inventive. To be honest, I didn't quite know what to expect, as the website just describes the cuisine as "Mediterranean" and the menu doesn't fully prepare you for the creativity of the cooking. Look elsewhere, and you can find the description of the cuisine as "Eastern Mediterranean," that the chef and owner @ranshmueli_chef is from Tel Aviv and that the mothership restaurant is in Tel Aviv. Claro is a quietly exciting restaurant on the old Villandry site on Waterloo Place. The menu features a lot of fish and vegetables, with very good ingredients and Middle Eastern spicing. The lunch menu offers a starter and a main for the price of the main alone (albeit with supplements). Among the dishes we tried were starters of venison tartare, pickled apples, caesar sauce, fried pita bread (+ £6 with set lunch); and yellowtail sashimi, freekeh tabbouleh, yogurt, pomegranate, pistachios, tomato salsa (+ £8 with set lunch). and a main of Poussin from the rotisserie, roasted vegetables, purple tahini, salsa verde (£32). It was all very good, but the most surprising dish was probably a pre-dessert of Tomato & Cheese: Tomato sorbet, goat's cheese, black pepper, cherry tomato marmalade, crispy cantuccini with raisins (£12). I was invited by my PR friend @jobarnessauce, and Ran wes there to greet us, so I certainly can't claim that I lunched as a regular punter. I just hope that everyone gets similar standards of food and service. (And @ronbronfman is a very engaging sommelier, too.) #rvinesdines Less

I had what will probably be my big Christmas celebration last night, visiting supporters of @streetsmartuk. First, it was drinks at the excellent @mrfoggsgb. The cocktail bar and the rest of @inception_group are working with the charity. Then on to @parkchinois for dinner, and a chance to show off my new shoes. Park Chinois and other Mayfair restaurants, including @amazonicolondon @gattopardorestaurant @langansbrasserie @bardespreslondon and @isabelmayfair are all on board with helping the homeless. Dinner was a joy, with good food and excellent live music in one of London's most glamorous restaurants. Thank you to @kimmyeatslondon and everyone else! #rvinesdines @girotti.official Less

Giulia is a small neighborhood Italian restaurant in Shepherds Bush, with friendly service from Giulia Quaglia herself and dishes from her partner Endris Kerbizi in the kitchen. Everything on the small menu is home made: Focaccia, pasta, sauces and desserts. (Endris's CV includes Bulgari, the Corinthia and Galvin restaurants.) @giulia.restaurant comes recommended by (among others) Michelin and The Good Food Guide. The food and wine prices are reasonable, Dishes to try on the current menu include Beef Fillet Carpaccio Fried Capers, Pickled Mushrooms, Toasted Almond (£16.50); Seared Octopus Cauliflowers, Creamy potato and Nduja sauce (£15.50); Lamb Rack Black Cabbage, Roasted Polenta, Carrot puree (£30); Chocolate Fondant, Zabaione and Pistachio Gelato (£9); and an off-menu black-truffle fettuccine. The quality of the ingredients and the authenticity of the dishes is notable. Thank you for inviting me. #rvinesdines #italianfood Less

There are so many good restaurants in London these days, it's rare to be surprised. But @londonshellco Swain's Lane fishmonger and seafood bar did that for me, with beautiful fish simply and skillfully prepared. Front and back of house are on point and I now have a new favourite fish restaurant. (Lucky for me that there is a bus direct from the Barbican to Highgate.) The menu is on a blackboard and changes depending on the catch. Today's included small plates of dressed Cooley oyster (£4.50); Sichuan squid (£12); oeuf en gelée (£14); red mullet, burrata (£11); and fish soup (£12), We didn't try monkfish Wellington to share (£85). Another time. Thank you to everyone at London Shell Co. and to the best of lunch pals @xantheclay. Oh, and the hospitality extends to canines: Rarely can dogs have felt so welcome in a restaurant. #rvinesdines #fishrestaurant #dogfriendly Less

I hadn't intended posting about Indian food again so quickly, but I enjoyed lunch with @harneetbaweja this week @gunpowder_london Tower Bridge, so what can I do? I've been a regular at Gunpowder since it first opened in Spitalfields more than eight years ago. My favourite dishes include Rasam ke Bomb; Egg Curry Masala; Goan Style Grilled Prawns; Kerala Beef Pepper Fry; and especially Chettinad Pulled Duck with Homemade Oothappam. I would tell you the prices but they are not on the online menu, and it seemed rude to ask. But I remember them as reasonable. #rvinesdines #indian food Less

I had a very enjoyable lunch on Saturday with my friend @brianclivaz at the new Gallery restaurant @thesavoylondon. It's a beautiful room, particularly known for its afternoon teas. Three of the hotel's restaurants are operated by @gordonramsayrestaurants, and the Savoy is going it alone with this all-day dining space, serving "a variety of grazing and substantial sharing plates showcasing traditional recipes with a modern twist". Something might have been a little lost in translation in the Savoy's citation of Auguste Escoffier as the inspiration for dishes such as Auguste's Sole Tacos, Bacchus grape, hispi cabbage (£23): goujons in tortillas. And I'm not convinced that the culinary traditions of hamburgers or pizzas come to us in a straight line from Escoffier. But the dishes are well executed by Executive Chef Gerald Quadros, the portions are large, the room is gorgeous, and we enjoyed a bottle of Domaine Bruno Sorg pinot noir for £65. Among the dishes we tried were classic Caesar salad (£23); Savoy Club Sandwich, Rhug Estate chicken, Clarence Court egg (£34); and (my favourite) Creedy Carver duck en croûte, Noble Grape jelly, fig relish (£26). We shared a Classic Margarita pizza, Isle of Wight tomato, burrata (£25). We skipped dessert in favour of a gin martini (£17) to start, but The Savoy Sundae (£14) looked tempting. #rvinesdines #savoyhotel. Thank you to the hotel for the invitation. Less

A series of chef residencies @thedonovanbar has kicked off with @awongsw1 serving innovative Chinese snacks. When I visited yesterday, the menu was: Scalded oysters with "fish-fragrant" aubergine sauce; crispy wonton prawn cocktail; wagyu beef with beef XO sauce; and chicken croustade with liquorice and dehydrated raspberry. Dishes are priced individually, or the menu is £54 for one person, £68 for two, so ordering for two makes sense even if you are alone. I have to say the snacks were very good. There's a paired list of equally innovative cocktails, but -- being a bit old-fashioned -- I went for a large glass (150ml) of Ruinart Brut. That's £23. Still to come: @tom_kitchin (Feb 24-May 25); and @mitchseafood (June 16-Sept 14). You can catch the Andrew Wong menu until Jan 26. Thank you to Andrew for the invitation. @browns_hotel #rvinesdines #chinesefood.

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