Hibiscus, Mayfair: A tale of two halves

Whenever I spend any of my holiday time in London and not abroad, I invariably end up hunting for some good places to eat. The capital is awash with great lunch deals and these “holidays” are one the only times that I get to indulge. Hibiscus is a great example. A popular two Michelin starred restaurant where the three course a la carte will set you back a royal sum of £75. Not necessarily nosebleed territory compared to some of its neighbours, but still steep compared to a very affordable £29.50 for their lunch menu.

As sister number 2 was also off work, and she enjoys food almost as much as I do, she decided to join me on various jaunts during a week of eating (which would include a trip north to Birmingham and one east to Seasalter). The dining room was much smaller than I expected, with about 15 tables spread out over the compact dining room. I found the island in the middle of the room (where much of the food went when it came out of the kitchen) a little odd, but I guess it was fairly practical for distribution purposes in a small dining room. Between the two of us, we managed to cover off most of the lunch menu options.

We were first brought out what we were told was a Hibiscus fizz with a pineapple foam, which was ideally to be consumed in two mouthfuls. Innocuous enough and the first mouthful brought a pleasant taste of hibiscus with a slight hint of pineapple. The second was far more interesting and a lot more unexpected, as we encountered some spherified (sp?) pineapple juice, which burst in the mouth and flooded your mouth with pockets of tangy pineapple juice. In the words of Rob Brydon, “my bouche was amused”.

The starters arrived and my royale of parmesan was crowned with some candied walnuts and doused with a warm salsify veloute. The strong flavour from the parmesan slowly melded together with the veloute, and with the walnuts adding a different texture and pockets of slight sweetness, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. A good balance of flavours and textures. My sister’s crab and lobster salad (£5 supplement) was pronounced as highly enjoyable, although she was slightly put off by the intensity of the little dabs of liquorice on the leeks.

With my sister “calling dibs” on the blanquette of pork, I opted for the equally appealing 48 hour cooked Ayrshire rib of beef (£10 supplement). Served with an intense but absolutely delicious white beetroot and horseradish purée, the beef was as tender as you would expect a piece of meat which had been cooked for two days to be. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, but with a hefty £10 supplement, I would have expected a little more from this. More puree than just a little dab would be a good start. Sister’s dish was excellent as I expected and I was filled with a little bit of jealousy, although I did manage to sample a good few mouthfuls. The smoked mash was plentiful and a little out of place, with the strong flavours detracting from the real star, which was the perfectly cooked pork.

So far so good, but unfortunately it all went downhill for me at this stage. My dessert of iced chestnut parfait with a Sharon fruit sorbet was just plain weird. The flavours were all rather muted but incredibly one dimensional and lacked any real penetration of flavour. I can’t criticise the execution, just the flavours which didn’t agree with me at all. My sister’s fig dish wasn’t really to her taste either, but I thought it was pretty decent, with well cooked figs and a punchy raspberry sauce/gel.

I was disappointed with a sad ending to what was otherwise a pretty decent meal, and opted for a cappuccino to drown my sorrows. What arrived was such milky drivel with no discernible coffee flavour that Starbucks down the road would have been embarrassed to serve it. The petit fours that accompanied it included an over salty salted caramel, a smoked fudge which tasted of smoked haddock and a weird herbal white chocolate truffle.

As I have got older, sweets have swiftly become my favourite part of the meal and such a damp squib of an ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth, regardless of how much I may have enjoyed the first two courses. And what started out at £29.50 set lunch soon adds up with all the additional supplements. Don’t get me wrong, you can eat well without all the supplemental dishes, I just don’t see the point of having a lunch menu when a third of the menu contains a significant additional cost. All being said, the quality of the cooking cannot be disputed and I enjoyed much of the meal I was presented with. Just sort out the desserts and the coffee.

Hibiscus - 29 Maddox St, London W1S 2PA

Cafe Luc: Overpriced "blah" in Marylebone

The hardest thing I find about writing blog posts are those first few paragraphs. You know the ones, setting the scene, adding a bit of back-story of they whys and why nots and a maybe a throw a little snippet about me into the mix. Sitting here trying to come up with those few paragraphs about Cafe Luc has been hard. I simply heard about a new place opening up in Marylebone on the grapevine and then my good friend Charmaine asked me if I wanted to go with her for work. Underwhelming stuff, and unfortunately, this is probably the most exciting thing you will read from this point in.

Located just round the corner from Harley Street, Cafe Luc (an offshoot from the Le Pain Quotidien) is a brasserie charging Harley street prices. With the interior as sterile as the medical facilities the next road along, we perused the menu and chose our starters. Averaging around a tenner each, I ordered a simple goat’s cheese starter on croutons, a snip for a mere £8.90. Pleasant, but not £8.90 pleasant. Charz's crab tian was alright, and for someone who dislikes the crustacean as much as I was palatable. The centimetre thick layer of crème fraiche, however, was an unnecessary and cloying addition.

My main course of chicken supreme was tender and combined with the sweet champagne sauce made for a very average main. The mushrooms were advertised as black trompettes but look suspiciously like chestnut mushrooms. We perused them quizzically and If I had known what they were meant to look like, I would have kicked up a fuss for sure. Oh and a mysterious looking hair was dismissed by the maitre'd as a hair from the mushroom. Do mushrooms even have hair? The addition of a lemony pappardelle on the side was the highlight of an otherwise droll main, freshly made and with good bite, this was excellent pasta.

Desserts were another disappointment. Crème Caramel was sloppy with air bubbles throughout, watery caramel and probably the most alcoholic grapes I have ever had the misfortune in trying. It should have come with a warning to keep away from open flames. "Pineapple" was just that, a hunk of pineapple with a pineapple mohican and some coconut sorbet. The advertised pistachio was absent, but by this time, I don't think either of us could give a monkeys.

So there it is, a boring if expensive meal. I'm not sure as to the final bill as C paid, but I anticipate it was about £40 a head without alcohol. Over priced, underwhelming and unsatisfying. Dull.

Cafe Luc - 50 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5HN

A new burger enters the ring at Bar Boulud, Knightsbridge

Another day in London, and another new opening. It's been open a mere 4 days and already quite a buzz lingers around Bar Boulud in Knightsbridge. Located in the Mandarin Oriental, it is the latest restaurant from none other than Daniel Boulud. Fear not if you haven't heard about him yet, but you most certainly will in the near future. Bar Boulud is his first foray into the British market, but he is one of the most established chefs across the Atlantic in the US. This year, Daniel NYC, the flagship of the Boulud empire and owner of 3 Michelin stars, was named as the 8th best restaurant in the world at the San Pellegrino 50 Best restaurants awards, a rising star, having jumped a massive 33 places. Basically, it's a bit good.

So what’s this place all about then? Well, I was meeting the delightful @gourmetraveller and she had kindly sent me the menu in advance. This was a bad move, well, for my laptop anyway. French food with American influences, I was drooling quite heavily at his charcuterie, sausages and burgers, all things that the Boulud empire was famous for. Unfortunately in my unemployed state, I couldn't go crazy and give the menu the workout I desperately wanted, but the £20 prix fixe is pretty astounding value.

I started with a "Salade glace de petit pois" or a chilled pea soup. I was looking for something light to prep my stomach for the impending burger feast, and this certainly fulfilled that criteria. The first few mouthfuls were flooded with fresh flavours of pea and mint, with hints of rosemary from the dots of cream. As I delved deeper, I chewed on a crisp and delicious croutons and started to scoop the billed "spring fricasse" from the bottom. I'm not sure if my brain was playing tricks on me but the soup garnered a deeper, meatier flavour as I neared the bottom of the bowl, although I sense the "fricasse" had something to do with it.

So, the burger. The chosen burger was the "Frenchie", a burger comprising of a brioche bun, topped with confit pork belly, Morbier cheese and rocket, all sat atop a tomato and onion confit. I say chosen, the choice was thrust upon me. I did ask whether we could swap the "Frenchie" for another burger on their menu but I was shot down after a rather prolonged visit to the kitchen. Pretty disappointing seeing as the Frenchie is actually the most expensive burger on the menu. The poor waiter mumbled something along the lines that the kitchen was unable to accommodate me, a blip on an otherwise excellent service. The burger itself vexed me. I poked around and the advertised "confit pork belly" appeared to be two small bits of what looked suspiciously like bacon. I took a bite and the juices of the beautiful beef patty, perfectly cooked medium pink, flooded my mouth, only to be barged out of the way and invaded by the rather strong tomato and onion confit. As I continued eating, pockets of mustard were so strong that they started to burn the sides of my mouth. The beef is excellent but all the other flavours were so strong that they struggled to represent themselves, ending up in a bit of a mess. A little bit like the current election.

There were other good things about the burger than just the quality of the beef. The peppered brioche bun was just about as perfect a vehicle for a burger as you will find. It was light and slightly sweet, with a substantial amount of give, although keeping its shape and not falling apart. And I even liked the Morbier cheese used, which I really thought may overpower the burger, but in relation to the other battling flavours, was subdued and complemented the beef. Chips were ok, and had transformed from chunky chips earlier in the week, to thin and crispy (if slightly over salted) ones.

Unfortunately, things didn't get a whole lot better with my choice of the Gateau Basque. Advertised as a custard cake with cherries, the flavours from the cake again had my brow furrowed. The pastry was immense, as it was light and tasty, breaking away with a swift crack of the spoon, but the custard had a very odd flavour. Predominantly orange with a background metallic twang, I really wasn't sure if it was meant to taste like this but I wasn't particularly enjoying it. A tiny puddle of vanilla custard (no flavour) and a pile of cherries (redundant and probably an afterthought) sat alongside, looking at each other, outcasts wondering if they had been invited to the wrong party.

The Gateau Chocolat-Framboise was much more highly accomplished, a classic combination of flavours well executed in an extremely rich dark chocolate cake. Extra flairs of raspberries filled with raspberry coulis, an excellent sorbet and even a decorative raspberry chocolate stick were all touches so drastically missing from my dessert.

I know that I may have been quite critical but there were glaring faults in my dishes that left me rather disappointed. Daniel Boulud has a fearsome reputation and those burgers should be the burgers of my dreams. Instead, it felt like a burger that was just trying too hard to impress. And frankly, on reflection, I thought the dessert was a bit of a car crash. I still can't get that metallic flavour out of my mouth and that's even after a few mini martinis straight after. I really do like the room, a fairly open clean space, and the service was for the most part excellent, if a little too over attentive at times.

I realise that I only ate off the lunch menu, and I really do want to give it another go once I get on the payroll again, but it was a disappointing meal. However, it is still early days, and I spotted Daniel Boulud himself walking the room and chatting to none other than Lloyd Grossman who was dining behind me. I overheard that he is here for 2 weeks to ensure that the ship is sailing at an even keel and I do realise that we are only 4 days in. I am sure things will only get better.

Bar Boulud - Mandarin Oriental, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

p.s. You should definitely check out his website. It has the funkiest music of any website I have ever heard.

Galvin La Chapelle, no ordinary school dinner

My old school was like no ordinary school. I mean, lessons were alright, but when it comes to what I remember most, it would have to be lunchtimes. Every day we would queue patiently outside the canteen, waiting to be fed, until we were ushered one by one to go and receive our daily sustenance. Most kids may have dreaded this part of the day, but Adrian, the "head chef", led a brigade of dedicated dinner ladies who served up some of the most delightful food to found in a Surrey prep school. In fact, he even won an award for it. Hard to believe, but he put every bit as much effort into his food as I would imagine a chef in a Michelin starred restaurant and churned out top notch traditional British favourites, in school dinner format.

Which brings me onto La Chapelle. My little meander may have seemed a little off topic, but the airy setting for the Galvin brothers latest venture just so happens to be based within an old school assembly hall. The hall has been sensibly transformed into a stunning and sophisticated space (although I am still slightly put off by the toilets being located above the kitchens!) and is patrolled by a legion of bow tied waiters. A great first impression.

On my first visit, all was going well until we began to wield our cameras (so before we had eaten anything). We were promptly informed that the restaurant operated a no camera policy, leaving me totally deflated. As a blogger, I just don't get why some establishments don't let you take pictures. After all, when you see the effort the kitchen has made into the presentation of each dish, surely they would want their hard work to be remembered? What galled me more was not the no photo policy, but the seeming arrogance of the staff. Wearing a fake cringing grin, we were regaled tales of how many critics had come to the restaurant and were able to enjoy the "exquisite food" without the need to take pictures and had given them glowing reviews. I found the fact that they were telling us how great they were before we were given a morsel to eat slightly hard to swallow, along with the attitude of the sneering waiter.

Although it took me a while to recover from such perceived arrogance, I am happy to say that the food was good. Very good actually. A starter of smoked duck & chestnut velouté was meagre but highly flavoured and led nicely onto the star of the show, a roast saddle of venison. I'm not one for conformity and stealth picced my main with my iPhone. Beautifully constructed, it had to be shared with the world. I soon tucked into the most succulent and tender pink venison which was sat on tart blueberries and sour red cabbage. Sweet chestnut puree helped balance the dish and for one split second, under the influence of such tasty meat, all was forgotten.

Unfortunately, the food alone cannot paper over the cracks. There were multiple inconsistencies with service, food being slow, clearing plates whilst other people were still eating, leaving us waiting when all we wanted to do was order. The list goes on and the management seemed a little shocked when we asked to removed the service charge (which they duly did with a little fuss, but were quite apologetic after).

They must have done something right, as I proceeded to return the week after, with my mother in tow for mothers day. Thankfully, the meal went a lot smoother, albeit with the obligatory long gaps waiting to be served. I'm not sure if they had changed their approach to cameras in the last 7 days, but I happily snapped my meal with no interruptions. We all ordered off the prix fixe (£25 for three courses) and although the food was less intricate, it was no less enjoyable. A mushroom veloute was deep and earthy whilst lifted by a spoonful of creme fraiche. My main of lamb shoulder was unbelievably tender and had a small portion of rich mash. I sense butter had a major part to play. A dessert of rhubarb crumble was satisfying although a tiny bit more sugar wouldn't have hurt.

I think it's safe to say that I really enjoy La Chapelle. The service may not deliver on all levels, but the waiters are on the whole friendly and mostly accommodating. As for the food, well, I love it here. Twice in a week says it all really and I actually look forward to my next visit. Sorry Adrian, but I think this place just pips you.

Galvin La Chapelle - 35 Spital Square, London, E1 6DY

Visiting the Burbs, Sunday Lunch at Le Cassoulet, Croydon

I have a tonne of posts that I have been meaning to write up. You know how it goes, good intentions, but then something gets in the way (in my case, probably something food related). Some of these I can let go. They probably weren't that interesting and would probably have consisted of me going "Well, it tasted OK. It looked alright, service was fair to middling, ambiance was mediocre etcetera...." Rinse and repeat.

Well some places definitely do deserve a write up and I am going to do my damnedest to get through some of my backlog. Le Cassoulet is a perfect example of my laziness. All the way back in September (yep, that's right, September), I escaped the confines of central London and boarded a train bound for South Croydon.



Part of the Malcolm John chain of restaurants, I have already written up a very disappointing meal at nearby Fish and Grill here, but thankfully Le Cassoulet was infinitely better. Serving very traditional French cuisine, I was stunned by the sheer amount of choice on the set menu. Seven different starters, no less than eight mains and a respectable six choices for dessert, three courses for a very affordable £19.50.




Most dishes went down very well. I remember my extremely decadent main of rabbit pie fondly, with an even more luxurious mash accompanying it. I swear it was 50% potato and the rest was made up of cream and butter. James Martin would have been proud. However, the highlight had to be the Chateaubriand. Shared between two with a £6 a head additional supplement, my dining companions were presented with a platter of tender pink meat, bone marrow and Bearnaise. Offered a taste, I couldn't resist and the moment I started chewing on that perfectly prepared meat, I knew I would be enduring food envy throughout the rest of my meal. My rabbit and mushroom pie may have been good, but this was amazing, and I don't say that lightly. No pics from me, but please check out Kang from Londoneater's post here, says it all really.

I don't take to travelling outside Zone 2 too happily, after all I'm just a city boy, but I would gladly do it again to go to Le Cassoulet. Outstanding value, I wouldn't go as far as calling it a "destination" restaurant, but the residents of South Croydon are very lucky.

Le Cassoulet (website) - 18 Selsdon Road, South Croydon CR2 6PA

Its a family affair at Cafe Anglais - Bayswater

Birthday's in my family are often tricky occasions. I have 6 in my family so we celebrate one every other month or so. It's tricky to decide what to buy, demanding on the wallet but mainly, it's the frustration on where we are going to go for the birthday dinner that causes the most issues.

It's my dads turn and he is your standard chinaman. He wants no fuss and doesn't really care for presents. In fact, he has a special cupboard where we know most of our presents go, often totally unused. He does, however, like to eat. After perusing the menu at Cafe Anglais, I decided the vast food options had enough to cater for everyone tastes.



Located inside the Whiteley's shopping centre, the dining room is simple but elegant and a lot larger than I expected after entering through the rather unassuming shopping center entrance. Owing to roadworks, everyone else had trouble getting to the car park, so I munched on bread and radishes until everybody eventually arrived. Over 30 minutes later, everyone had arrived and we were finally ready to order.

Ordering a mix from the set menu and off the main menu, I will run through what I had a taste of, but if you want to check out the rest of the pictures, please have a look at them here.



Parmesan custard and anchovy toast - One of Cafe Anglais signature dishes. Anchovies and me do not agree but I gave it a go. They still don't agree but dad and erste schwester (who adore strong flavours) wolfed it down. Gone in about 3 minutes flat. Highly recommended, but not by me.



Cold roast venison, celeriac remoulade and pickled damsons - My single favourite dish of the evening, and probably in my top 5 of the year. The cold roast venison was absolutely packed with flavour, slightly gamey in taste but beefy in texture. The damsons added quite a strong sweet and sour dimension and the crunchy celeriac remoulade acted as a binding agent, mellowing out all the contrasting flavours. Even the watercress wasn't an unnecessary addition, adding a peppery layer to the end dish.



Rabbit terrine - Zweite Schwester's starter deserves a special mention. Smooth rabbit terrine served with thin, crisp toast and additional roast fennel. The slight gamey flavour of the rabbit was highly evident, with subtle undertones of star anise. Light and very very moreish.



Breast of veal, spinach and garlic stuffing - My main and *oof* it was a beast. A rolled breast of veal which was stuffed with a spinach and garlic stuffing. A fairly average dish which felt more like a chore eating it. The first mouthful was pleasurable but it was so heavy that after half had been consumed, I just had to stop and would definitely benefited from being smaller, and containing less stuffing. Close, but no cigar.



Chocolate and banana bread pudding - Banana cake, one of mankind's finest inventions. Made right, it is light, sweet and you just never want it to end. This version was heavy and the addition of the chocolate didn't really add too much to the flavours of the banana. It also felt quite dry and dousing it in the cream added a much needed moistness to the dish. Again, this was average and simply wasn't banana cake.

A meal of highs and lows. Most dishes were well executed but in parts slightly ill conceived. The starters (on the whole) hit the spot and got the meal off to a great start but the mains and desserts just didn't maintain the high standard.

I did feel the service was overbearing at times. We were enjoying our meal and taking our time, after all, my family doesn't get that many chances to get together. However, I felt the staff kept hovering around us, removing plates as quickly as possible as if to hurry us on without coming out and actually saying it. I may be being paranoid but I certainly didn't feel comfortable.

On the whole, everyone had a great time. All my dishes may not have hit the spot, but my family were very happy and everyone had a good time. My dad is a hard man to please, but for once, he really had no complaints. I now have another reason to visit Bayswater other than Chinese food and lobster noodles.

Le Cafe Anglais (website) - 8 Porchester Gardens, W2 4DB

Trekking over to La Trompette, Chiswick

West London is very much alien territory to me. I have nothing against it, per se, it's just wholly inconvenient for a South Londoner such as myself. London transport is designed to go up and down and left and right, try going from south to west and you might as well give up now. In fact, the furthest I am normally willing to go is as far as Queensway and that's only because roast duck, char kway teow and lobster noodles beckon.

So when Londoneater suggested a trip down to Chiswick, I was somewhat reluctant. Then my ethos of "try new things" kicked in. Something else I can tick off my list. "Brave West London" - Tick!

So that's how I found myself at La Trompette, a charming neighbourhood restaurant which just so happened to have earned itself a coveted Michelin star. We are here for lunch and at face value, their lunch menu is outstanding value. A mere £23.50 for three courses of Michelin starred cooking. I realise that the lunch menus aren't necessarily the best quality the kitchen can offer, often using the more affordable cuts of meat and simpler preparation methods. However, in my eyes, they are a more affordable window into the competency of the kitchen, a window into the restaurants soul, if you like.

So, what did this window look like, and more importantly, taste like? Considering it's a set menu, the options are plentiful. With 6 options under every course, it caters for all tastes. Here's how it went for me:

Salad of Endive, Roquefort and Poached Pear - The old me wouldn't have touched this with a barge pole, but this is the new me, willing to try anything including blue cheese. I must admit, the roquefort was a little hard to get used to, but once I did, I fully appreciated its strong but smooth flavour. The pears were poached to perfection, just enough that it retained its bite whilst taking on the flavours of the poaching liquor. Endive added that extra bit of crunch. A simple dish comprising of good ingredients.

Poulet Noir, chorizo risotto, lemon, garlic, parsley and courgette fritters - Chicken, not exactly the most exciting meat in the world, is it? But there must be a reason why we eat so much of it, and this dish really helped to fight for the chickens cause. The poulet noir, the Rolls Royce of the chicken world, was simply prepared. Beautifully moist with a crisp skin, it was dusted with a finely chopped gremolata. Seasoning was at an absolute minimum but the chicken was given a bit more punch by the saffron laced chorizo risotto it was perched upon. Courgette fritters added a bit of crunch. Not bad at all, but nothing to set my tastebuds alight. It was enjoyable, nothing more, nothing less.

Creme Brulee, Apple Compote, Granny Smith Sorbet - Underwhelming. I'm a great fan of creme brulee but combining it with an apple compote just didn't go. The granny smith sorbet was tart and very refreshing. More successful was Kang's Rum baba with glazed strawberries. A delicate rum soaked sponge packed with creme chantilly sitting on a bed of strawberries. Delicious simplicity.

La Trompette is a perfect example of what can be achieved by the simple preparation of good ingredients. You cannot fault the cooking but I was slightly underwhelmed with the actual food. I think this was probably more to do with my choices than the food itself. I know Kang was very happy with his food and all the bits I snaffled off his plate were certainly very good (read his review here). Good enough to make me brave West London again, but not enough to rave about it.

La Trompette (website) - 5-7 Devonshire Road, W4 2EU

Seeing the sights at Skylon

In 1951, London welcomed the Festival of Britain, and much of the Southbank was developed as the principal exhibition site for this momentous event. Where once were warehouses, sprang buildings designed by the leading British architects of that day. Amongst others, this included the Royal Festival Hall (the only remaining building from that exhibition) and the Skylon, a steel and aluminium shaped cigar suspended by wires. What better a way to celebrate Britishness than by erecting a giant pointless metal structure which was dismantled just a year later.

Where am I going with this? Well, its all about Skylon, innit! Located on the 3rd floor of the Royal Festival Hall, it has both a main restaurant, serving “haute” cuisine, and a grill serving lighter more regular fare, a popular trend amongst upper end restaurants these days. In addition, it contains a pretty spectacular view. Although the blinds were quite low as the sun was out, the view from Skylon spans much of the Thames and its highlights. You know what they say, if you eat with your eyes, I had already eaten the equivalent of a starter before even sitting down.



The night contained the many wonders that is Beardyman, so a quick and filling meal was the order of the day. The main restaurants going to have to wait, Grill it was. Bread down (which incidentally was chewy, but worth every ounce of effort), we perused the menu and ordered.

So, to start a Chicken and Ham Hock salad:



This was the business, where do I start? Shreds of chicken that actually taste of chicken, none of that battery farmed, pumped full of water chicken here. The ham hock was reassuringly salty and tender. The sugar snap peas were crisp and so fresh that it lit up my palate. To bulk it up, alfalfa and baby spinach, accompanied by a grain of sorts (quinoa?). All smothered in a velvety mustard dressing, this really was the highlight of the meal and probably one of the more enjoyable dishes I have had this year.

FP went for Confit Duck and Puy Lentils



I snaffled some. I would say that the duck was above average but nothing outstanding. Crispy little nuggets of skin are always the highlight for me, and this had a few. Puy lentils had lots of flavour, presumably cooked in stock. Bit hard though, could have done with a few more minutes.

My main, Slow roast middle white pork, spring greens, pommes Alsace



It's not the prettiest thing to look at, is it? But it was oh so good. The meat just fell apart and was lubricated by a delicate gravy with serious apple undertones, a nice alternative to lumping a load of apple sauce all over the meat (which I invariably do if apple sauce is to hand). The requisite crackling passed the test. Firm without breaking the old gnashers. The greens were ok but the potatoes were a bit rubbish. I mean, what is pommes Alsace anyway? If this is how they do potatoes in Alsace, I don't really want to eat there. The pommes frites we ordered on the side were much better. Probably not of the triple cooked variety, but crisp and seriously moreish.

On the whole, thumbs up. Each main cost just over a tenner so it's really not going to break the bank. The food here is clearly cooked by an accomplished kitchen and I would love to return to try out what's on offer in the main kitchen. As I left, it seemed strange to me that a restaurant run by a Finn cooking predominantly French food is located in the remnants of what represented Britain in the 50's. There is talk of another Skylon being erected on the Southbank. For the time being, I'm quite satisfied with this one.

Skylon Grill (Website), Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX