Searcys One New Change

What a fantastic way to celebrate 13 years of friendship with my bestie, champagne tasting at one of my favourite champagne bars in London, "Searcys One new change ". 

This place has always held a special place in my heart due to the exceptional service from a former employee Michaela and today it reminded me just why it has me coming back time and again. 

Having bought a Groupon voucher, I was expecting to be sat at a table and presented with 3 taster glasses and some nibbles. 

However I was pleasantly surprised, as this turned out to be one of the best tasting experiences I have had. 

Conducted by the extremely knowledgable Rolph. I sat back and played ignorant, allowing him not to talk us through each of the champagnes, the production processes, and grape varietals used. 

This man knew his craft, from the blanc de blancs, blanc de Noir to the varying Cuvées, appellation and the build characteristics of each of the champagnes we tasted.

His vast knowledge, pairing recommendations, professionalism and impeccable customer service made this day even more special. 

I was pleased to see that they now do a great champagne afternoon tea alongside their vast champagne menu, amazing cocktails and fantastic nibbles. 

This place gets a well deserved 5 stars from me.

If you fancy spoiling someone special or just celebrating life pop by Searcy for a memorable experience of fine champagne, delectable oysters and customer service that's second to none.

I would recommend booking to guarantee a great seat. I prefer to perch  at the bar and watch the world go bar. 

Searcys champagne bar

1 new change 

Closest station St. Pauls 

020 7871 1213

OXBO Bankside take 2

OXBO Bankside provides a unique mix of contemporary design and the warmth and comfort of honest, flavoursome food.

This hotel restaurant could easily be a stand alone, Headed up by executive chef Paul Bates who utilises the freshest seasonal produce from both specialist suppliers and the local traders at the neighbouring Borough Market. 

Being my second visit and having had a great experience, I decided to recommend this little gem for my friends 40th. 

The 3 course set menu which included a glass of Fizz for £21 went down a treat.

 The chefs delivered course after course of amazing food from starters of Grimbsy cod cakes, pancetta, rabbit and snails on fried bread and a veloute of aromatic lentils. "Clean plates all round washed down with a glass of fizz"

'Mains'

Mouth watering Blade of beef marinated in 5 spice, accompanied by mash, violet potatoes and coriander shoots washed down with a Spanish Tempranillo. 

I opted to have the delicately poached sea bass salmon and crab "my palette had gone to heaven" this dish was light, refreshing and packed with flavour.

'Dessert'

A fantastic selection of desserts tonight from an AGEN Armagnac infused prune creme brûlée to a a decadent black forest trifle and a fairly generous portion of  Oxford white cheese with charcoal biscuits.

Tonight the chefs were the stars sending out top notch well seasoned   food that was beautiful presented. As always we had friendly attentive service. 

The little happy birthday cheese cake and limoncello shots were a great ending to a fantastic evening.

Total spend for the evening was £226,69 for the 8 set menus, 4 cokes and the bottle of wine plus service. 

Following my last review this place gets upgraded to 5 stars. 

Already looking forward to next months menu.

3 South Place

Set on the ground floor of the South place hotel, No 3 south place is a charming and welcoming venue. 

Being a sucker for a great deal, I decide to try out the evening standard menu. 3 courses and a glass of house wine for £25.

Great ambience and customer service from every member of the front of house and waiting staff. Sadly that's where it ends.

The starter of wood pigeon & beetroot terrine, green beans salad and horseradish cream left me feeling underwhelmed . Best described as a flavourless jelly overpowered by intense flavour of horseradish. We paired this with the glass of the Barbera.

My colleagues Cornish crab Raviolo, courgette chutney, basil and citrus fruit dressing was slightly better but the experienced ruined by a bit of shell in the dish.

 Having survived the starter we await our mains which look amazing . 

I opt for the rump of beef, oxtail hash poached hens egg and a béarnaise sauce.

The oxtail hash was the star of the dish, my rump was more medium than medium rare it was dry and tasteless. The smoother glass of Tempranillo went down a treat. 

Jacqui's slow cooked lamb, winter veg , pearly barley broth looked great. The perfect winter warmer. Sadly whilst very tender the lamb was a tad to dry. 

Dessert was an easy choice, I opted for sticky toffee pudding. 

The pudding was ok, the caramel was granular and felt sickly sweet .

The vanilla ice cream tasted strange but helped balance the sweetness. 

Jacqui seemed pleased with her cheese and crisp bread. 'Thankfully it's Difficult to get this wrong'

With its-great location and 5 star customer service this place has bags of potential, sadly the food let it down on this occasion. 

Word of caution steer clear of the house wine, spend a few pounds more and get something nicer. 

Service 5 stars 

Ambience 5 stars

Food 2 stars 

Overall 3

3 South Place, London, EC2M 2AF

Tel: 0203 503 0000

Email : e.hello@southplacehotel.com

OXBO Bankside

Sitting within Londons' most exciting new cultural district, OXBO Bankside provides a unique mix of contemporary design and the warmth and comfort of honest, flavoursome food.

This hotel restaurant is a welcoming surprise with traditional British dishes taken to a new level. 

Headed up by executive chef Paul Bates who creates unique cuisine utilising spices, herbs, garnishes and exotic flavours, using supplies from specialist producers and local traders at neighbouring Borough Market. 

Showcasing the area’s historic influences with urban design features, OXBO’s metal and timber surfaces are softened by William Morris-inspired fabrics. Quirky art pieces and Animal heads 

Having pre booked the 3 course set Menu which included glass of Fizz for £21 via open table, I wasn't expecting much from this hotel restaurant..But boy was I surprised!

From the friendly welcome, informative staff to the excellent unobtrusive service this placed surpassed my expectations.

The starters

I opted for the duck, chicory and orange salad. This dish was packed with complimentary flavours of citrus balanced by the sweetness of the dates and crispness of the chicory perfectly complimented by the glass of Champagne.

Toms Fennel marinated salmon, with mussels and crisp bread look like a work of art and I am reliably informed that it tasted just as amazing.

The main course

We both opted for the Rump of Gloucestershire lamb, onion soubise, Cretan potato, marjoram jus washed down with a Spanish Tempranillo.

Art on the plate perfectly cooked lamb, nice and pink on the inside and melt in the mouth morsels of meat. 

"however I found the dish slightly salty for my palette and sadly mine was slight charred on the outside, which meant that every second bite ended with acrid taste of carbon"

Dessert 

We opted for the Caerphilly cheese with quince chutney and wheat wafers.

This simple pairing of cheese and wafers went down a treat. 

Great ambience and faultless service the only negative of the evening was the charred side of my lamb  'greater quality assurance needed on dishes leaving the pass will ensure that every meal is consistent and take it up a notch'

Considering we booked a set menu our total spend for the evening was £82,33 for the 2 set menus, 2 sides, and the bottle of wine plus service. 

Will I go back, absolutely .This place gets 4 stars and has already been recommended to my fellow foodie friends. 

Word of warning read the wine list carefully as the prices quoted at the front are for 500ml and not the bottle 

Balducci CapeTown South Africa V&A waterfront

Last nights  I had the pleasure of dining at Balducci, this little gem is tucked away in the heart of the Cafetown V&A waterfront. 

It boast a large menu covering everything from  succulent steaks, tantalizing curries, seafood and Sushi.   The wine selection was top notch and at R450 plus for some of the bottles, I knew I was in for a treat .

Our waitress was an absolute Gem who was extremely knowledgable and professional. I was advised that if I opted for oysters they would be milky as its spawning season so we opted to share a pear, avocado,rocket, baby spinach,Gorgonzola and walnut salad gently drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and a light dusting of pepper  complimented by a glass of  steenberg Sauvignon blanc- this wine just oozed freshness - exotic fruits and green pepper on the nose opening up to an asparagus  flavor . This is one salad you don't want to miss.

Mains were something else pepper crusted fillet steak that melts in your mouth. Cooked and seasoned to perfection. Complimented by roasted pumpkin and a side of spinach.   We decided to push the boat out and sample a R450 2011 bottle of Kevin Arnold Shiraz - this single label from the Waterford estate - think liquid velvet in a glass with its heady mixture of spice, mocha and slight pluminess. The pairing was a match made in heaven. 

Sadly I had no space for dessert although the had a great selection including the South African favorite Malva pudding . 


Total spend for 2- including a shared starter, 2 mains, water, 2 glasses of wine and the bottle of Shiraz plus service approx £59 (R1241, 73) and worth every penny.

willoughby & co CapeTown V&A

Today we review the willoughby & co purveyors of fine seafoods and Sushi a recommendation by my local guide. This place is lively yet chilled. I am reliably informed that after 7 people will happily queue to get a table here and often a free glass of wine is chucked in to those  queuing" we are liking the management already"

I opt to sit in the cool terrace within the main shopping center watching the world go by.  If you prefer not to have the shoppers watch you eat opt for an inside table if available.

Plates of the freshest sashimi salads, tempura and Sushi dancing on trays as the waiters seamless deliver these parcels of moorishness - (think I just made up a word )

I start my evening with a Villiera  traditional brut  at R 40 with its Zesty lemon aroma and biscuity notes whilst not a Veuve Clicquout this brut holds its own.

Starters some Cajun spiced calamari @ R63 which i opt to have served together with my 8 queen prawns on a bed of yellow and red pepper spiked rice  and a garlic butter sauce R179 . So far it all looks smells and sounds very promising.

I chose to pair tonight's seafood with yet another Sauvignon Blanc this time a R68 glass of Ataraxia with its zesty citrus and goose berry aroma on the nose, it has good mineral structure with a slight acidic texture on the palate. It certainly offset the Cajun spices and garlic butter.

Service was unobtrusive and you were allowed to enjoy your meal in tranquility. If I was being really picky then additional  serviettes or a finger bowl should be made available.

Verdict

As expected fresh seafood cooked to perfection although slightly lacking in seasoning. I am not one to normally add salt when dining out opting to rather enjoy the skill of the chefs who prepared my meal  but having done so today we were back on track to an enjoyable meal further enhanced by today's wine choice.

A well deserved 3.5 stars which could easily be upped to a 4 by providing wet towels or x finger bowl especially to those eating grilled prawns or shell fish ..

The prawns did tend to become slightly tough once they cooled so eat them whilst hot

The Damage

2 courses with a glass of fizz, a large wine, water and service R420 (£20)

M Restaurant Victoria

Housed on the ground and basement floors of the the Patrick Lynch designed Zig Zag building, this new kid on the block by Martin Williams is his second venture since leaving Gaucho. 

The venue

Having been to its sister restaurant M Threadneedle, I arrived with high expectations and this place did not dissapoint. One enters this multifaceted venue via its M wine store boasting a large selection of champagnes, wines and a tasting table.

Walk along its extensive wine rack stair case and enter the world of Martin, his M Raw, M Bar, private dining spaces or the M Grill with its spacious dining space,understated opulence and copper leaf ceiling will leave you spoilt for choice. 

We booked the 4 course set menu with unlimited  prosecco for an hour and a half @ £35pp excluding service.

Our tasting journey starts with a snack from the menu designed by renowned Australian Chef Michael Reid.

Divine bread with a chicken skin butter which led us straight onto:

Course 1 - The Snack 

The Puffed beef

Creative use of  intestines , think beef flavoured prawn cracker

Course 2 - The Starter

kangaroo Tartare with Mushroom and Nasturtium 

This popular dish of kangaroo tartare had my taste buds singing, it was well seasoned and served with a toasted bread crisp.

" I preferred to eat the tartare on its own as I found the oiliness of the bread crisp overpowered it. "

Course 3 - The Main

Argentine Black Angus Rump, with M Chips and Baby Gem Salad

These guys sure know how to cook a steak, Melt in the mouth morsels of meat, flavoured to the point that no extra sauce is offered or needed.  The best I have eaten in my 12 years of reviewing food . "Best enjoyed rare to medium rare"  

Course 4 - The Dessert 

Dulche Mousse

A buckwheat crumble, sweet corn ice cream and bacon bits 

Sadly my palette was not ready for this innovative dish, I found the sweet corn ice cream grainy, the bacon bits a tad too salty and chunky for the delicate mousse which was the highlight of the dish

The Team 

Refreshing to see a manager who is developing his team and taking it to the next level .  Having the head chef come up to your table and engage with diners is a great way of showcasing the commitment by this great team. The personal touches and seamless service are a credit to the Restaurant Director Andre Manning and his team.

Impeccable, attentive and seamless service from every member of the team.  Ale Febles gets a special mention for going above and beyond.

James a passionate Head chef freshly imported from Australia who is clearly passionate about food, I look forward to him delivering new flavours/ concepts as he takes the reigns. 

Overall what a fantastic dining experience, I am heading back soon to experience the full menu and look forward to that blue cheese Ice cream.

Rating 

Service *****

Food      ****

Ambiance *****

Overall ****

What  are you waiting for, get booking!

M, Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria St, London, SW1E 6SQ

 Tel : 020 3327 7776  

http://www.mrestaurants.co.uk/

mailto:victoriastenquiries@mrestaurants.co.uk