City Lemon Featured Food Blogger | July 10th,2011 Category: Brasserie (£££)  After having read No Reservation‘s raving review on Medlar,I hurried straight away to make a booking. And I am glad I did,as I liked almost everything about this new restaurant serving contemporary European food with strong French influence. Medlar is located on the non-posh end of King’s Road,close to World’s End,Vivian Westwood’s first shop opened in 1971. The location is the only communality between these two places:in comparison to Vivian Westwood who has been pushing boundaries for the past 40 years,Medlar feels pleasantly classic and the food as well as the atmosphere is of understated elegance. Medlar which has opened only in April is a joint project of Joe Mercer Nairne,who cooked for gourmet temples such as The Savoy Grill and Chez Bruce and David O’Connor who managed front of the house at Chez Bruce,The Square and The Ledbury. You have to admit,this does sound promising!  Medlar I have to start by mentioning the immaculate and polished service. In fact it was so perfect that it was almost too much and felt a bit awkward at times. I second another review where the author felt that the waiters almost started crying and looked positively depressed when you didn’t finish the food. In the end this speaks for the restaurant,it is a good sign if the waiters believe in the quality of the restaurant they are working for. It wouldn’t hurt though if they relaxed a little bit,I think it would put the diner at easy… For dinner there is only the option of a three course menu compris for very good value 38 pounds. (I kind of like places that force me to eat dessert which I tend to skip far too often…) Read more... (1111 words,11 images,estimated 4:27 mins reading time) June 6th,2011 Category: Brasserie (£££) (I was invited to Magdalen and my visit was therefore not anonymous but hopefully still unbiased!) When I read the email inviting me to sample the food at Magdalen on Tooley Street,SE1,my heart skipped a beat. I used to live just down the road of this restaurant when I was a student and on my way to work I would always read the menu and on my way back in the evening I would glance jealously at the diners. I was desperate to try it,I thought it looked great,but never had enough money at this stage of my life. Then I moved away and didn’t think about it anymore. Now,the invite.’Yes,I want to try it,thank you very much’. I prayed my expectations,which were rather high I have to say,would be met,and in fact they were even exceeded. Magdalen is a rare find in London. If Magdalen(a) was a woman,she would be a classy,sophisticated and modest lady. In restaurant terms this means high quality,extremely civilized and utterly unpretentious. 
I really loved the simple but sophisticated food,the elegant atmosphere,the charming service and last but not least the nice selection of inexpensive wines. The only reason why I think Magdalen is not filled with people (it was half empty on a Saturday evening) is the fact that it is in the no man’s land between the posh Shad Thames,buzzing Bermondsey Street and London Bridge with its Borough Market. If you don’t happen to walk to work along Tooley Street,there is absolutely no reason for you to be there. So I assume,even though it’s only about 7 minutes walk from London Bridge,random customers are rare. But let me assure you,I have lived in this area for almost 5 years and have probably tried most restaurants and next to Zucca in Bermondsey Street,Magdalen is certainly your best choice here. The cooking here has a distinctly British influence. One of the specials was brawn and there were several other offal based dishes on the menu. I am not big on offal apart from everything that has to do with liver pate or terrine. That’s why I had to try one of the pre-starters,Chicken liver toast (1.50). Creamy,smooth and luscious chicken liver came on a crispy ciabatta,very delicious indeed. Read more... (809 words,10 images,estimated 3:14 mins reading time) May 25th,2011 Category: Brasserie (£££)  After having read formidable reviews about Chabrot in the Metro and the blog Cheese &Biscuit this restaurant was top on my list to try,particularly as I am always a bit at loss on where to go in Knightsbridge. I don’t like to be ripped off,you see. In the end,I was not as taken with Chabrot Marina and Chris. The food was good,but it was by no means exceptional and it didn’t leave any lasting impression. The main criticism I have though,is that I found it rather overpriced. Ok,we are talking Knightsbridge here,but the only fish main on the menu £29? To be fair,there were cheaper dishes to choose from,but I really wanted fish. £29 I may pay at a Michelin star place with amazing atmosphere and great reputation,not at something that calls itself bistro…(that’s the cheapskate in me,sorry) The atmosphere was positively remarked on by most reviews I read about this place. I assume most of the reviewers must have sat downstairs which did look nice upon entering. We were however led upstairs to an empty,drafty room and apart from the checked tablecloth,I didn’t feel much of a pleasant French flair I have to say. 
Now there is one thing worth mentioning about Chabrot Bistro D’Amis. They do a Plat du Jour,I think from 6-7 pm and also for lunch. We got there at 7:30 and sadly missed it as it is very good value for money. The dish of the day,one glass of wine and a coffee for 17.50,this is such a bargain for Knightsbridge! I do have to come back for this. Back to the A La Carte menu. Read more... (619 words,9 images,estimated 2:29 mins reading time) May 3rd,2011 Category:Le Brasserie (£££+)
Zuma is a restaurant for special occasions. It is part of a small world wide chain with subsidiaries in Hong kong,Istanbul,Miami and Dubai. You might be able to get away with a semi-affordable bill when ordering carefully,but in the end you will want to splash out. Zuma invites to decadence and gluttony,and at this night,for my birthday,I was part of it. In London,Zuma is located in a very ugly building not far from Knightsbridge tube station and doesn’t look like much from the outside. When you enter it however,you feel like you have stepped into a night club or into one of these bars I never go to because I refuse to pay 15 pounds for a cocktail and I usually don’t confirm with the dress code. Surrounded by the young,rich and stylish I was glad I had dressed up for this special occasion feeling like a real Chelsea girl,wearing something rather short together with very high heels in the form of my almost virgin golden Sergio Rossi stilettos. Sipping my Saffron and Poppy Seed Martini (10.50) I was waiting to be spoiled. 
I really liked Zuma,in fact I liked it about 1 million times more than the only other posh Japanese restaurant I have been to in London,Nobu Berkley Square. LIKE - Lovely staff: Even though we didn’t have a reservation the lovely people at the counter found us a place at the sushi bar within 10 minutes. Friendly and forthcoming they had nothing in common with the pretentious waiters at Nobu.
- The menu:I liked the fact that in addition to some astronomically priced dishes they do have a good selection of dishes costing less than 10 pounds.
- The wine:There are also quite some wines for under 20 pounds,which allows you to maybe order a couple of dishes more…
- The food (see below) was sublime. I loved the fresh and exquisite ingredients,the exotic and well-balanced sauces and the inventive take on Japanese food without losing the traditional touch.
DISLIKE - I really wanted some cold sake to go with my Japanese delicacies,but they were out of the two cheapest sakes! (19£ and 29£ respectively for 300 ml). We did not go with the next expensive one (40£) but had wine instead. Wanted sake though!
Read more... (769 words,14 images,estimated 3:05 mins reading time)March 18th,2011  Category: Brasserie (£££)
I have to start by saying that I absolutely love the original Vinoteca in Farringdon (you can read my laudatory review here),so I was more than intrigued when its sister restaurant opened on Seymour Place in Marylebone about 6 months ago. In short –my expectations on my first visit to Vinoteca Seymour Place were high and were not fully met,at least not food-wise. Read more... (554 words,9 images,estimated 2:13 mins reading time) January 29th,2011 Category:Brasserie (£££) Set menu:18 pounds for 2 courses,21 pounds for 3 courses
York &Albany was a very pleasant surprise. You walk up Parkway from Camden Tube Station and it seems endless in wind and cold. You think you must have missed it,when you suddenly there it is:A Gordon Ramsey restaurant in the middle of nowhere (at least it seemed so to me,correct me when it’s a really cool area after all) at the corner of Regent’s Park which is unpretentious and the food is really really good. Read more... (614 words,6 images,estimated 2:27 mins reading time) January 22nd,2011 Category: Brasserie (£££) Gauthier Soho is the restaurant where I went to celebrate in style the happy occasion of me having finally finished my PhD. At the same time,Gauthier Soho probably celebrated that it just got awarded its first Michelin star. Not that it is the owner’s first –Alexis Gauthier has already achieved this award as chef at his former work place Rousillon. But I think,basically,Alexis and me were both happy! Read more... (893 words,11 images,estimated 3:34 mins reading time) November 23rd,2010 Supper Club,35 pounds/head minimum donation,BYO
It is Saturday,it is cold and dark and it is one of those days where I am still wearing my pajamas at 5 pm. I really don’t want to leave the house and venture into the unknown East (of London). But I have already agreed to visit the new supper club of my charming twitter friend Matt,so I finally manage to remove my lazy self from the sofa. Luckily,the warmth and generosity of our hosts quickly lightens up the chilly November night. Also very welcoming is the dog –a beautiful Hungarian Vizla named Cooper,who we immediately make friends with. Read more... (871 words,9 images,estimated 3:29 mins reading time) October 29th,2010 Category: Brasserie (£££) Read more... (550 words,6 images,estimated 2:12 mins reading time) October 28th,2010  Category: Brasserie (£££)
In general,I am not a big fan of afternoon tea. It is kind of fun once a year or so but otherwise I just prefer lunches and dinners and having afternoon tea means you can’t have a proper one of either. And somehow it just never tastes very good. So when I was invited by the lovely Diana@MassayTravel to the ‘Day of the Dead’de-light afternoon tea at the Met Bar adjacent to the Metropolitan Hotel in Mayfair I was skeptical to say the very least. I was expecting soggy sandwiches (I don’t know how you feel about it but I have never quite understood the attraction of cucumber sandwiches),greasy scones and overly sweet and buttery cakes. Read more... (728 words,9 images,estimated 2:55 mins reading time)
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