Mayochup

The first course was described as 'Vichyssoise', truffle cream & gougiere. No idea what this was but no matter, we eat anything anyway. When it came, it was a cold soup which was creamy but lacked seasoning. Adding dill would have enhanced the dish and added an extra flavour but as it is, it was a little dull.

Roasted pollock, brandade croquette & watercress veloute

Up next was 'Cornish pie "feather blade", mustard emulsion & pickles. This was the least favourite dish of them all. We couldn't understand why the pickles were there in the fist place, the flavour combination did not work at all. The pie was a bit dry and the pastry was too thick and on the dry side. The mustard emulsion was nice though.

The last savoury course was Baron Bigod, chutney & raisin bread. This was disappointing as it involves no cooking whatsoever and a lazy addition to the menu. A bit of cheese, chutney and bread in a top class restaurant tasting menu?

Baron Bigod, chutney & raisin bread

Dessert was 'Chocolate fondant, caramelised bananas & banana ice cream'. The chocolate fondant was very chocolatey and had the gooey centre however, it completely overpowered the banana ice cream.

If you plan to drive in and park under the Hilton car park, be prepared for the astronomical car park prices. For our 2.5 hour stay we were charged £30 so it may be wise to park elsewhere and walk in.

Tucked away in a side street in Marble Arch, if that's such a thing, is the welcoming exterior of La Porte des Indes which is best described as an Indian restaurant with French influence. The interior is decorated with Indian art, artifacts and huge plants spanning from the lower ground to the ceiling. Reminded us of the greenhouses in Kew Gardens.

La Porte des Indes exterior

We booked the Jazz Sunday Brunch which is £35 per person and is a buffet spread out on two floors. Which is great as you can go up as many times as you like. You can find the starters and desserts on the lower ground floor and the mains (vegetarian and non) on the ground floor. Price also includes 1/2 pint of beer, glass of red or white or a soft drink.

Now, due to it being a buffet, we went a bit wild on the starters. We tried everything they had to offer and did not leave enough room for the main course buffet. Still, can't complain as each of the starters was amazing apart from the Watermelon and Pepper soup. You would think there's a twist on it but no, it's simply cold Watermelon juice with pepper granules floating on the top. Err right... but we'll let that one slide.

Different types of starters available

The Watermelon and pepper soup

We went for the meat mains and there are four choices, or all four, and on offering was Lamb Bhuna, Murgh Tikka Makhni and white fish curry I can't remember the name of.

The main course buffet

Selection of main courses with rice

Unlimited naan bread brought to your table

Whilst we were enjoying our meal, we were showered in light entertainment in the form of a jazz band and the fire alarm a few times. To mix things up, the jazz band played a few well known TV theme tunes.

Light entertainment

After a well earned break, we eventually waddled to the desserts and what an offering there was! Fresh fruits, belgian chocolate mousse, Panna Cotta and those really really really sicky sweet Indian sweets plus more I can't remember off hand.

Selection of desserts

What did puzzle me was the lack of French influence. We thought we would find it in the food, and especially the desserts as the French are masters of that, however there wasn't any. Belgian mousse is err Belgian and Panna Cotta is Italian. Thinking back to the mains and starters, there's none there either. Still, that's a small gripe considering the wonderful food we were treated to.

If you love Indian food, and lots of it, then this is the place to come. Make sure you're really hungry to get your moneys worth!

Date night this month was a trip to Ormer in Mayfair found via bookatable.co.uk which is a wonderful site where you can find posh eateries without the posh prices. There are minor drawbacks as you don't get the full a-la-carte menu to choose from but the choices available to you sound amazing and there's something for everyone.

Shortly after we were shown to our table, we were offered champagne (complementary as part of the package) or a soft drink for those who do not like it.

What was not on the menu is a little aperitif which consisted of pickled cockles with lemongrass emulsion and lobster powder. Reminds you a bit of Vietnam with the British twist of the cockles. Please excuse the photo's as the restaurant area is quite dark therefore the camera struggled a bit.

Pickled cockles with lemongrass emulsion and lobster powder

Oh and the unlimited crusty bread with stylish butter.

Crusty bread with butter

For starters, we went for the Cured Mackerel, which consisted of tartare, avocado, elderflower and dill sour cream, and the Homemade Linguini that contained crab, courgette tomato, parmesan foam and basil. When they came, the food was dressed up in such a way that a Masterchef finalist would be proud of. Food art at its best. The Cured Mackerel was served inside a glass chamber and smoke was poured into it at which gave it a peculiar cool smoky taste that, truth be told, I didn't really like. The Linguini, however, was amazing. Light and full of flavour.

Homemade Linguini

Cured Mackerel

For the mains, we both went for the Braised Pig Cheeks which was served with sweet potatoes, grilled pineapple, aubergine and gem lettuce. This was absolutely delicious and there were two very clean plates afterwards. As you can see below, this is another work of art and although it doesn't look a lot, it was just enough.

Braised Pig Cheeks

Souffle has always eluded me, until now and we were delighted to see that on the menu so it was a no-brainer decision to go for it. The Apricot Souffle was served with jasmine and almond ice cream.

Apricot Souffle

The staff were very friendly and all too willing to chat to the guests. There were a few birthdays and some showed off their singing skills whilst others were offering their advice for those who find it difficult to make decisions on the menu. Our waiter was the more intellectual type however, he did mumble quite a lot and we found it very difficult to decipher what he was saying.

Our leaving gift

For lunch, we were invited to Sen Nim, a Japanese restaurant in Islington, and we couldn't wait as it is another chance to try our favourite cuisine.

We arrived at 12:30 to an empty restaurant but as we were part of a group, that did not matter. In fact, it enabled us to get the best seats right in front of the chef demonstration area.

As we were looking through the menu, we were informed of a few items that weren't available and crucially it was marinated beef therefore they couldn't cook it on the hot plate. I can only assume they had a busy service the day before. The replacement was chicken or beef udon noodles instead.

Beef udon noodles

Most of the group ordered the set menu which consisted of soup and a main and I was the only one that went for the sushi. Luckily enough, and I was not aware of this at the time, the sushi was two for one on Sundays.

California Maki and Volcano Maki

A special mention has to go to the waitress. She was the most forgetful scatty brained individual I have ever come across. She managed to deliver the mains without giving us the starter, forgot about drinks for a few people and I'm pretty sure that all two braincells were being used. Still, on a positive note, she can't get much worse.

Now on to the main event. Our demonstration chef, I forget his name, we here to show off his skills and prepare prawns, scallops and make egg fried rice in front of our eyes. Not before a dramatic cleaning process involving oil and a lot of heat! There was even time for a trick or two to entertain us.

A fire show

Chicken gyozas

Our chef cooking prawns

Raspberry and Passion Fruit tart

Overall, the restaurant serves up great food. A little improvement on the waitress (or a different one) would have made the experience better but we would definitely return.

Evening Standard Night Market

Perks Field

Kensington

W8 4QP

We decided to return to Matsuba for our wedding anniversary dinner and as it is a very small restaurant holding no more than approx 30 covers, we were wise to book. Several people did turn up expecting to get a table and were turned away disappointed however, they know what to do the next time.


We arrived on time and although we had a reservation, Matsuba did not have our table prepared so there was a little wait before we sat down and this waiting theme continued for the rest of our visit. We were left to wait with the menu's for quite some time before we placed our order and there was enough time for a mini power nap before our starters and sushi arrived. We also noticed that tables who arrived after us were served before us and had a lot more attention from the waiting staff. Could this be that they favoured bigger parties than the 'table for two'? The first time we got any check back on our meal was when we almost finished our mains. Far far too late. But enough of the negatives for now, let's focus on what Matsuba excels and the reason why we returned and that is the sushi and appetisers.

The first to arrive was the Meat Gyoza and as we were so hungry, the plate did not last long. The flavours were well balanced and every mouthful was a joy to eat.

Meat Gyoza

Following in quick succession was the most favourite item of the evening and that was the Tempura Prawn. I could have eaten them all night long but that would have been quite an expensive evening!

Tempura prawn sushi

Just as we finished the Tempura Prawn, the Gyu Tataki arrived. This is quickly seared on a high heat leaving the centre very rare. It gets its flavour from the ginger and the vinegar soy sauce.

Gyu Tataki

Thankfully, due to the slow service, we were left again to digest the food before we ordered our mains. We actually had to call someone over to take the order otherwise we will still be sitting there.

We ordered the Gyu Teriyaki and Stonepot Bibimap. The Gyu Teriyaki was cooked wonderfully with just the right amount of Teriyaki sauce. Not too overpowering. The Stonepot Bibimap was plentiful in vegetables however, the meat aspect was lacking a bit.

Gyu Teriyaki

Stonepot Bibimap

It's not often we go for dessert but we decided to finish off with a raspberry and mango frission. Again, this took a long time to arrive which is strange as they are all pre-set and in moulds. How hard is it to put it on a plate and serve?

Raspberry and mango frission

After a little over two hours in Matsuba, we paid and left. Although we love the food and the sushi is to die for, the service is a massive let down unless you are a table of more than two people. For that reason, a straight 10 turns into a 7.