Table of Tables

I’ve had a busy couple of months moving house, and all the DIY has kept me off the blog! But I did manage to get in a few good meals... Rather than write individual reviews this is a bit of a catch up post. Restaurant Story Stars: 2 Location: BErmondsey Date of visit: September 2021 I had to book ahead by about 6 months or something similarly absurd to get this table on a Saturday night, so expectations were high high high! I'd heard the tales of people finishing dinner well past midnight due to the length of the meal and elaborate presentation so I was expecting a show! Unfortunately I was underwhelmed in pretty much all regards, especially when our meal was finished after just 2 hours. This is quick for any tasting menu let alone one that is famed for its length. The presentation was also generally lacklustre, for example the below presentation of the Story Oreo-style cookie canapé. I think this used to come in a little tin but not for me. Perhaps because it was only one canapé a

Date of visit:   August 2021 My boyfriend and I had been hoping to visit Gymkhana for a while, with various obstacles popping up to prevent this; from the fire that shut the restaurant for a while to the covid lockdowns to the fact that the place is booked up weeks (or longer) in advance! Speaking of lockdown, we did become big fans of the delivery options from Brigadiers - part of the same restaurant group; JKS Restaurants. So we built up an even greater appetite for a fancy meal at Gymkhana. We eventually managed to get a booking at 7.30pm on a Saturday night this summer and decided to go for the a la carte as we didn't think the tasting menu sounded that great, £80 for 5 courses. I wouldn't really consider this a tasting menu to be honest, rather a set menu which doesn't seem to reflect the restaurant's best dishes. But what do I know, I had never been! I had read a few reviews beforehand though to get an idea of the best dishes. The Menu When we arrived we had a coc

Date of visit:   July 2021 One of my favourite things to do for a day out is pair some sort of activity with a good lunch. The Glasshouse is obviously ideal for this as it’s right by Kew Gardens so you can see the gardens, have lunch then hop straight on the train home. This was my second day out with lunch at The Glasshouse with my boyfriend actually - last time we went to the gardens but this time we walked down the Thames Pathway before lunch. The lunchtime menu is £50 for three courses, which doesn’t include any canapés, amuse bouche or other bits and bobs. If you order coffee on the menu this says it comes with petits fours. We didn’t have coffee but did get a truffle each with the cheque.  In terms of wine available they have a few options by the glass - we only looked at the whites; two were around the £6 range then jumping to £12.50 and above. We chose a £17.50 Chardonnay and then the £12.50 Viognier, which was probably a good bet as it was just as nice as the Chardonnay in my

Date of visit:   June 2021 SO|LA is a relatively new restaurant in Soho specialising in Californian food and wines. Given its location on Dean Street it’s an oasis of calm, somehow totally blocking out the sounds of the lively street outside - but you can still see everything going on outside (which is a lot!) and is quite a fun dynamic. SO|LA was awarded its first star during lockdown, which must have been a bit odd as the team couldn’t properly celebrate, but apparently have seen a big upswing in bookings. It is, after all, the reason I booked SO|LA, so I’m not surprised.  The restaurant is by no means cheap, it must be said. In fact this was one of the most expensive meals I have ever had. But look at the menu and you’ll see why - the ingredients are absolutely top notch and the amount of work that goes into each dish is insane. For a small restaurant in Soho especially, the prices make sense. To be clear, the evening tasting menu is £139 and the wines start at around £60. At this p

Date of visit:   June 2021 Trinity is located in the lovely Clapham Old Town and is one of only 4 Michelin starred restaurants south of the river in London. I brought a friend here for a belated birthday meal and we had the 4 course menu for £75. They also do a tasting menu for £95. When the restaurant called to confirm a few days earlier they asked if we wanted to reserve the tarte tatin, which we did and which you should do as well! More on that later. We started with a cocktail each, which was delicious and better than I’ve found in many restaurants. We then had a decent bottle of Sauvignon blanc with the meal. The wine list is quite long and there are plenty of affordable options with a few around the £40 mark. The Bread and Butter We were served individual sourdough buns that might have been fried or at least brushed with oil. They were great and had an amazing thin crispy crust. This did leave my fingers quite oily to then pick up cutlery, however.  The Menu We had a little amus

Date of visit: May 2021 Angler is the restaurant at the top of the South Place Hotel between Moorgate and Liverpool Street Station so a great spot for a work meal - or any other meal as my review will reveal! I actually visited Angler quite recently before this meal and it was sensational so I booked a quick return. This was the first proper date night with my boyfriend once indoor dining reopened. They usually serve an a la carte but I think for now they were keeping it to the tasting menu, priced at £100 for 7 courses plus other bits and bobs. The name Angler is probably a giveaway that the focus here is on seafood but the tasting menu did have one meat course. The wine list is fairly short but they happened to have our favourite champagne by the glass, Arteis, so we started with a glass of that. We then had a bottle of Macon Villages with the meal. I don’t think there is an option for paired wines but that works for us as we prefer ordering individual glasses or a bottle anyway. Th

Date of visit: May 2021 I took my boyfriend to Murano for his birthday a few years ago and ever since it’s been one of my favourite places in London (despite only one visit!). So it was top of my list of places to visit post lockdown with my sister, and I managed to get a Friday night booking in the second week. Murano is Angela Hartnett’s one starred offering in London (in addition to her other Cafe Murano restaurants, not to be confused) and is unique, at least from my experiences, in terms of its menu. Looking online you will see 4 sections of food - broadly similar to a starter course, pasta course, fish course and meat course. But then there are options for 3, 4, 5 or 6 courses (£70, £85, £95 and £105 respectively). Within whichever option you choose you can actually pick any dishes from any parts of the menu and have them in any order - more than one per section if you want. I think this is a great approach as I often find some sections of menus much more appealing than others.