Jen's reviews
Review of The Forge restaurant
19 Nov 07, 11:34
Warm and welcoming 
The Forge is part of a little group of restaurants including La Deuxieme in Long Acre; the chef came from the restaurant at Tate Britain (which I remember fondly), so I was expecting the food to be good, and it was. I defy anyone not to find something they like on the extensive brasserie-style menu of comfort food. I had a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth rib-eye steak with "real" chips that lived up to their name, accompanied by fresh and perfectly cooked french beans. My friends raved about their Eggs Benedict and the Dover Sole.
But it was the ambience that made a real impression: it was amazingly busy for a Tuesday - the restaurant was buzzing; the lighting was soft without being too low; the decor and finish (turquoise comfy leather chairs and exposed brickwork) made it feel warm and welcoming without being too stuffy; and the service was professional and attentive. It reminded me of The Ivy, but with fewer pretensions!
There were 6 of us, and we all had two courses and polished off a couple of bottles of wine and a half-bottle of dessert wine during the meal. The bill came to about £50 per head, which I thought was perfectly acceptable given the quality of food and service. My one gripe is that the wine list was on the pricey side, but we all left full and happy. I would definitely go back.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Bumpkin
01 Nov 07, 22:32
What's all the fuss about? 
We went for lunch on a Saturday and were immediately confronted with a 20 minute wait for a table and a brunch menu. Hmmm. Brunch at 2pm didn't really do it for us but fortunately there were a few more lunchy choices too.
Once we had a table, our waitress was very sweet and accomodating... and the cocktails were rather good. I decided that the best way to view Bumpkin was through the filter of a few martinis... suddenly the wallpaper wasn't quite so painful to the eye, and the brunch options seemed like a good idea. My burger was fresh and tasty, the chips were decently chunky and on the whole no complaints.
However, it's not a place I'd rush back to - so many gastro pubs do it so much better, but the cocktails (harking back to this site's previous incarnation as the Liquid Lounge a few years ago) are definitely worth a visit.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Hakkasan
10 Oct 07, 16:58
All the fun of the fair at half the price
The legendary Hakkasan has a well-deserved reputation as a top restaurant - sultry low-lit ambience, great service, jaw-droppingly good cocktails and incredible fusion food. The only problem I have found is the price - it's really rather expensive.
I've been for dinner there twice and both times the bill has elicited a sharp intake of breath and a hastily organised overdraft from yours truly. So, when organising a birthday lunch for my partner I thought Hakkasan would fit the "occasion dining" criteria but wondered how I could keep the cost down. The answer is to eat from the dim sum menu.
We had a cocktail each, a few jugs of sake and positively stuffed ourselves with delicious dim sum - all for around £30/head - that sounds expensive for dim sum but a) it's very, very good dim sum and b) it's very cheap for the Hakkasan experience.
So that's my top tip - do dim sum and swank it up! PS. the zesty martini has to be tasted to be believed...
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.