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Mayochup

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We were given a Groupon voucher for a 5 course tasting menu at Galvin at Windows located in the Hilton at Park Lane, London. Based on our experiences at Ormer, we were very excited and looking forward to tucking in on some amazing food.

Galvin at Windows lies on the 28th floor which offers great views of London at night. Upon entering we were shown to our table but as it has been a very hot day, it seems the air conditioning was struggling a bit and the restaurant felt very hot and stuffy.

We were offered a Bellini and some bread whilst we were waiting which was a mix of brown and onion bread. The onion bread was really nice but the brown bread was tough and a little dry.

Onion and brown bread
Onion and brown bread
An aperitif soon followed which was soft cheese and tomato on crusty bread. The cheese overpowered pretty much everything but it was quite nice anyway.

Galvin at Windows
The aperitif
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.

'Vichyssoise', truffle cream & gougiere at Galvin at Windows
'Vichyssoise', truffle cream & gougiere
Still, on to the next course which was 'Roasted pollock, brandade croquette & watercress veloute'. The fish was very delicate and very subtle in flavour. If mixed with the croquette and the veloute, you couldn't taste the fish at all so best to eat that separately. The croquette was nice but seemed an easy option for the chefs to compile the dish.

Roasted pollock, brandade croquette & watercress veloute at Galvin at Windows
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.

Cornish pie "feather blade", mustard emulsion & pickles at Galvin at Windows
Cornish pie "feather blade", mustard emulsion & pickles
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 at Galvin at Windows
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.

Chocolate fondant, caramelised bananas & banana ice cream at Galvin at Windows
Chocolate fondant, caramelised bananas & banana ice cream
The food served here would be befitting of a gastro pub and not what you would expect of a top class restaurant. When comparing the food to Ormer who offer a similar tasting menu at a similar price, this falls way below their standards. Even the presentation of the dishes could have been better.

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.


Galvin at Windows
22 Park Lane
London
W1K 1BE
http://www.galvinatwindows.com/

Galvin at Windows - London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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Out of the blue, my brother-in-law proposed to his long term girlfriend and to celebrate, we were invited to a pub outing and dinner at The White Horse in Harpenden.

The pub is situated on the edge of Harpenden next to idyllic houses and greens and fits in nicely in the area. The garden area is extensive and well looked after. The inside blends modern with rustic giving it a homely feel so it suits all seasons. As it was a warm evening with a bright blue sky, we opted to eat outside.

So after the chinking of the champagne glasses filled with prosecco, it was time to order dinner. The weather put paid to the availability of the menu, not because it was spoiled, but due to the pub being extremely busy over that weekend.

We both opted for the pork roast with crackling and all the trimmings. As you can see, the portion size is good and you definitely get your moneys worth.

Pork Roast with all the trimmings
My mother-in-law is a little fussy when it comes to ordering restaurant food and not all that keen on English/European food so she had Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables which isn't on the menu but the The White Horse was more than willing and capable to tailor a dish to her needs. 

Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables
Even though we managed to polish off our mains and feeling quite full, there is always room for pudding and we were enticed by the Rhubarb and Almond Pie which was amazing. The almond pie was warm and soft which complemented well with the strips of rhubarb and the dollop of clotted cream.

Almond and Rhubarb pie with clotted cream
This pub is recommended if you're in the area and is a nice place for large groups to come together. 

The White Horse
Redbourn Lane
Hatching Green
Harpenden
Hertfordshire
AL5 2JP
https://www.thewhitehorseharpenden.co.uk/



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We have had some bar snacks from the Coach & Horses before and they were superb even though they were a little pricey for what we got however we vowed to visit there again and have something a bit more.

We had to wait a few weeks as the gastro pub was undergoing a refurbishment however, one Saturday evening we wandered in and our expectations were high as we were comparing it to The Three Horseshoes in Laleham.

It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night so we had little trouble in finding a table and looked at the menu. There were quite a few different options and I always aim to order something that you would not get at home. So with that being said, I opted for;

Oven roast pheasant, buttered kale, blackberry sauce & game chips

and Mrs Mayochup went for;

Slow roasted lamb shoulder, Cornish new potatoes, black cabbage, red wine gravy

I was advised that the pheasant will take up to 45 minutes which was fine as we had starters which took up some of the cooking time.
So, after some time, the mains arrived and I could clearly see instantly why the pheasant took 45 minutes. It was huge!


However, on reflection, 45 minutes cooking time was far too long. Either that or the oven was on too high. It was bone dry and not a joy to eat. The flavour was sucked out of it and I had to resort to ordering some gravy to try and bring the moisture back. Alas, it didn't work but then again, a glass of water is not going to re-hydrate The Sahara desert. Needless to say that I didn't finish it and voiced my dissatisfaction to the waiting staff who offered free desserts as compensation. The game chips were nice though.

Mrs Mayochup's lamb arrived and it was OK but had better. There wasn't any real fault with it but there was no wow factor.


Desserts came and we ended up sharing one however, what we got was not what we ordered. One of the waiting staff tried to argue against that but upon reading of the menu (as I advised to him) it was quite clear we got something different. Another member of the waiting staff (the manager, I'm not sure) then told us that each chef likes to make his own interpretations of the menu. That would explain the dried pheasant then!

Finally, a point about the waiting staff. They were non attentive (Mrs Mayochup had to get up several times) and more interested in having conversations amongst themselves.

All in all not a great experience and we won't be back which is a shame as it is technically our local pub.

Rating: 2/10



Coach & Horses Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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In an effort to get to know our new area, we took a walk to Laleham and upon Mrs Mayochup’s recommendation, found the Three Horseshoes pub. I say pub but it’s firmly in the gastropub bracket.

Upon reading fantastic reviews found on Tripadvisor, we knew we stumbled upon the right place and although not cheap, nor expensive either, we were looking forward to some great food. Of course, there are a couple of dud ones but they are from a few years ago and one is from a vegetarian so that doesn’t count. I honestly think vegetarians cannot really critique or rate any form of restaurant/pub as they limit themselves to 20% of the menu at best and then there are vegetarians who don’t even like vegetarian food. Go figure.

Whilst we were looking at the not so expansive menu, we ordered some drinks. I chose a lager I have never heard of called Veltins and Mrs Mayochup went for a Rioja rose. In order to compensate for the limited menu, the specials change on a daily basis so there is variety and there’s no chance that you would exhaust what they have to offer should you become a regular.

Speaking of the special menu, today’s looked very enticing and went for the salmon and duck respectively. The salmon came with french beans, a sunblush tomatoes with black olives, potatoes, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

The duck came with broccoli, mashed potatoes with spring onion, slow roasted tomatoes in a bean jus.

The food tasted just as good as the pictures look, this was special. The duck was tender and cooked to perfection and the salmon just crumbled at any sort of pressure applied on it. This was food at it’s finest.

We just about had enough room for desert and the two chosen were the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Raspberry Creme Brulé.

Of course, I suffered the ‘eyes to big for my belly’ syndrome and couldn’t finish the Sticky Toffee Pudding but it was everything you would expect. The Creme Brulé however, was lovely and I’m not even a fan of it. Creme Brulé can easily go wrong so hats off to the chef on that one.

Just one last word on the service, it was OK. The chap didn’t really engage with us much but he did his job nonetheless and I can’t really comment much more on that.

I would definitely go back and planning to bring others. This is definitely a venue for sharing.


Rating 8/10


Three Horseshoes Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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