La Petite Maison - Round 2

Valentine's Day brings out the kind of irritation in me that I normally reserve for special occasions, like Holborn Station in rush hour, or Easy Jet flights. Why Valentine's Day seems to bring out hysteria superseding that seen at Christmas time, I do not know, but The Boyfriend and I are doing our bit to fight the stupidity and the system. We, therefore rebel when it comes to Valentine's Day. No flowers, no cards and certainly no overpriced "special set menu, with pink and heart shape themes, and matching rose wines". Instead we do nothing, except thank Anna Howard Shaw for her contribution to the suffragete movement from the comfort of either one of our homes.

Top 5... London Fashion Week Eats - Somerset House

In preparation for perhaps the funnest part of the year - London Fashion Week - and the only thing that makes February bearable, here are the best places to eat, watch the beautiful people and admire some very brave outfit choices..

Somerset House...

El Pirata Del Tapas -

I've always considered Notting Hill to be a bit of a wasteland, in terms of restaurants. Ledbury aside, I've never really thought of heading there for dinner, just like I've never thought of going shopping in the City, or going to Hull for anything. It is a bit of a trek from Covent Garden once you factor in the distance of most restaurants from the tube station, which puts heels out of the question which in turn puts visits Friday or Saturday nights out of the question. Lonsdale aside, theres almost no quality bars or clubs in the area, which is good I guess as I'm wearing flats at this point anyway, so it's a trek solely for the food. It had to take a lot, two Michelin stars or at least glowing review to get me there flat-less on a Saturday night, and the latter is just what happened and why The Sibling, The Parent 1 and I all ended up at El Pirata de Tapas.

Top 10... First Date Restaurants

First dates are usually stressful enough without having to factor in where to go for dinner. So here goes, Top 10 best first date restaurants in London.

1) La Petite Maison/Aurelia: Food to suit everyone, lighting that makes everyone good, with a hint of glamour, the right amount of background noise. Enough but not over the top. Downside? the cost, sharing is encouraged and not everyone loves that concept. 

Babbo - London, definitely not New York

How the people behind Babbo got away with taking the name of one of the most famous Italian restaurants in NYC's name, I don't know. All I know is that ever since it opened, its been on my list, just like the one in NYC. Deep in the heart of Mayfair, the crowd is surprisingly un-scene - a mix of business people, and older couples - not a flash of a red sole in sight. As per usual, I was optimistic about Babbo, mainly because of a) the name b) this interview here, in which the chef states his favourite restaurant is La Petite Maison. As we already agree on what a good dining experience is - this was clearly going to be the place for me. Sadly, fate just didn't want me and Babbo to have that special connection. Our experience was one of the most disappointing I've had in a while.

Two great websites...

There are two websites, along with Urbanspoon of course, that have really changed the way I eat out in London, especially in recession hit times where I really want to bang for my buck. These two site ensure the best overall value every time I dine out...


Table Guru: Where you sit in a restaurant has a fairly large effect on your overall dining experience. In fact there's nothing more depressing than being led past the main restaurant to that table opposite the toilet. Of course this normally happens in restaurants you don't frequent often, or have never been before and don't know better about where to request a table. Table Guru eliminates this issue by making sure you know the "hot seats" before you go to the restaurant and can request said table when making a reservation. Genius right? 


Table 7: For a £7 fee, book a table at any of the restaurants listed on table7 and enjoy anywhere between 20- 30% off the bill at a whole number of restaurants. It's not even like the restaurants are bad, at the moment they have a whole host of places I want to eat - Hix, Cigalon, Maze, Club Gascon etc. And the best part? No one ever mentions the fact you are getting a discount. 

Dinings

When people ask me what my favourite Japanese restaurant is - my reaction is always Dinings. This answer is always met with the same response - "Where? What about Zuma? Or Nobu? Or Umu?" Nope, as much as I love all three, there is something nice about the utilitarian approach of Dinings, where one gets the impression, that this place is serious about their food. There is little in the way of atmosphere, and the decor is bland, although service is perfectly acceptable. 

Hand and Flowers - Worth a detour

"Excellent cuisine, worth a detour"- that's what two of those red stars in the Michelin guide actually mean. And yet I would imagine most people, headed to the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, were actually going under the three star guise of "deserves a special journey". I certainly was when I visited last Saturday. My reluctance to travel for food was over thrown by the undisputed appeal of the infamous eatery - the first pub to receive the two star accolade and a lunch menu that's as competitive as the average pub down the street.The set lunch menu,  is a bargain at £15 for two courses but involves no choices, so a fussy eater would be thrown on to the a la carte - not such bad thing, as its also incredibly reasonably priced. Its nice to see that the doubling of stars, hasn't meant similar price increases.

The 10 Cases -

Wine bar. Constantly changing wines and seasonal food. Reasonable prices. Interesting menu. Two minute walk from The Boyfriend's apartment. Why it took me at least four months to walk those two minutes, and take a seat at on of The 10 cases six or so stools I don't know. Maybe because despite the interesting concept,  they never buy more than 10 cases to ensure a consist turnover of offerings, 10 cases just didn't seem that interesting. 

Winter Wonderland at the Berkeley

1)  How much would you have to be paid to sit outside in the middle of winter to watch a film?
2) Or would you actually pay for the privilege? 
3) If so, how much would you pay to watch a movie outside in the middle of winter that you've already seen before?
4) How much would you pay if it is Bridget Jones' Diary Two? 
5)  Are we back to question 1?
Well, the good people of The Berkeley Hotel are banking on the fact that you will answer yes to questions 2, 3, 4 and that your price will be £55 a head. Last Sunday The Boyfriend and I said yes, and visited their "Winter Wonderland".