Kyra K.

Review of Dehesa

18 Apr 08, 14:16

Please sir, may I have some more?

Ever since I went to The Salt Yard, I have wanted to try its smaller sister restaurant, Dehesa. At the former, I spent an entire Saturday afternoon gobbling delicious tapas, quaffing glasses of exquisite wines, and rounding off the whole gorgeous experience by stuffing my face with deliciously sinful chocolate cake. I whiled away hours with a friend, eating at the bar, the staff politely leaving us to our gluttony and overindulgence, only stopping by occasionally to make measured suggestions.

Dehesa is a different experience somewhat. I know I should try not to compare the two, but I couldn’t help it, given the similarities of their menus and wine lists. Firstly, Dehesa is small. The whole place seats maybe 60 or 70 people, and everyone is perched on high stools and small tables. The place fills up very quickly, and they don’t take bookings, so there’s a definite feel of rushing you in and out.

We ordered the stellar courgette flowers stuffed with Monte Enebro cheese and drizzled with honey (I’d had these at Salt Yard and they floored me), plus mozzarella wrapped in proscuitto, sumptuous olives and grilled, oil-drizzled bread, chicken saltimbocca and grilled tiger prawns. The food is flawless. But there isn’t enough of it. The prawns were more than £6 a plate, and that included a total of 4 of them. Four measly prawns. The wines are spectacular, and the rosé prosecco seemed popular too. I can’t fault the desserts either. We left satisfied, but not overly full, and our bill with two wines by the glass and tap water was just shy of £50, so not incredible value for money. Had I been given more time to savour the goods, and been left to steep in my own juices in a dark corner for a while, I would have happily ordered more and not balked at the price of the prawns.

Quite simply, this place would benefit from more a roomier, more comfortable locale, and a slightly less efficient kitchen and staff. I can’t believe I’m writing that, but it’s true- they need to relax a little. Just a little.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Bam Bou

30 Jan 08, 12:08

My new favourite place!

Oh. My. God. The food here is to DIE for. We had such a fantastic meal here, I'll definitely be going back. It's one of those places that is great for special occasions- it won't disappoint.

The har gau are highly recommended, as was the vegetarian curry, and the pan fried black sea bass. Everyone around the table was rapturous about the coconut rice. And the desserts? Chocolate spring rolls? I mean come on. They must eat those in heaven.

It really isn't all that expensive, either. And the staff are perfect- composed, polite, efficient, but they make you feel a bit special. I loved it.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Dim T

30 Jan 08, 11:41

You'd be dim not to try it

I love Dim T- to the point where I would actively choose to go to one of these rather than, say, a Wagamama. And that's saying quite a lot.

The Charlotte Street branch is cute, petite and funky, and every time I have been there I've been drawn to the dim sum, which are really good value and delicious! You only get three of each kind, which is annoying when you're sharing, but trust me, it's worth getting two baskets of the prawn and chive dumplings. Yum!

It's a great little date place- mind you, you can't go far wrong on Charlotte Street! Maybe I have such a good impression of Dim T because I went on a very successful date there almost a year ago...anyway, it's very good. Try it!

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Rasa Samudra

11 Dec 07, 16:23

In the Pink!

I hadn't been to Rasa in ages and just went there for a business lunch. I had forgotten just how lovely it is. I was surprised that they had a table for 5 at less than a weeks' notice this close to Christmas, but they did, and this is unusual on Charlotte Street at this time of year. They were supremely pleasant and accomodating when making the booking.

Anyway, to the restaurant itself. It's very pink. I like this. Some have been known to call it 'womb-like'. Don't let that put you off your food. It's very cosy.

The staff are charming and attentive, without being overly so. Service is relaxed, and the food all impeccable. The menu is succinct, with an emphasis on fish and vegetarian dishes. We went here with a non-vegetarian, non-fish eater, and even she was raving about the food. Kingfish, tilapia, prawns and crab all feature heavily on the menu. Most dishes benefit from coconutty, non-greasy, lightly spiced golden sauces, and all of the breads and rice options are to die for. Parathas are home-made, fresh and served warm, and they fall apart pleasingly in your fingers. All of the food tastes home-cooked, and is really satisfying. It doesn't leave you feeling oily and polluted the way some Indian food can. I can't recommend it highly enough.

My one qualm is that I found the restauarant itself a bit cold, but the warmth and spice of the food soon took care of that.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of Ping Pong

10 Oct 07, 18:01

All Ping, No Pong

Now. Let's get a few things straight.

Ping Pong will not appeal to everyone. It's not 'traditional', it's not in Chinatown, it's a chain, it's overly stylish and full of gleaming black laquer and poncey teas. Yes, the staff can sometimes, depending on which branch you visit, and what time you arrive, be brusque and/ or overly efficient, taking away plates that may still have some dipping sauce on them, or over-selling the dumplings and trying to get you to buy more than you need. But let's be fair, this is their job. And if you find a nice branch, and you don't go an hour before they close, then the chances are, you'll have a lovely time.

The simple fact is that it's a pleasure to be poncey sometimes, and this is embraced at Ping Pong. Those little jasmine tea flowers that unfurled lazily in your glass when the hot water was added was enough to keep me entertained for the whole of my first visit. Never mind the super-cool toilets with the automatic sliding doors and sinks shared between men and women with a sleek divider in between!

The food is probably not the best dim sum you'll ever eat, but the choices are wide-ranging, and you'll find yourself being able to eat a surprising amount of those little dumplings.

Enjoy the surroundings, which are stylish and wonderful without any doubt, and sip your stylish tea, and eat your dainty little morsels with your chopsticks. It's really good fun, and I defy anyone who says otherwise!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Two Floors

23 Aug 07, 16:18

Two bad...

Two Floors is the kind of place that makes you look really hip if you take someone there for thee first time. It's tucked away in a cool side road off Regent Street, it's got low lighting and an appealing 50s-style vibe about it, and lots of hip slouchy leather sofas. Downstairs has a kooky little tiki-style bar with lots of coconut wood everywhere. It's definitely got character.

What brings the place down for me is that the drinks are pricey, they didn't know what a White Russian was, and the last time I was in there, I accidentally left a case with some of my favourite DVDs inside. This, of course, was my fault. But when I called to ask if the bar still had them, they said yes. When I went to collect them, they said someone had taken them home. To watch.

Cheeky things. To my mind, that story is kind of indicative of the too-cool-for-school, slighty slouchy, and not very helpful attitude of the staff there. If they remedied that, this could be an amazing little hangout.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.