Gaucho ***

Meat is the watchword at any Gaucho across London, to be specific Beef. This Argentinian steak house chain restaurant has taken London by storm recently and it now has over a dozen restaurants across London.

When we entered the City branch we knew it was going to be a place oozing quality and decadence as we were whisked in our lift down to basement level to a den of sheer outrageous extravagance. From the outside it looked like a standard City bar with a glass facade and leather dominating proceedings. Housed in the middle of two of the world's largest investment banks in the heart of the City the restaurant was dominated by suited gentlemen discussing business however the decor was immaculate and epitomised class. However there was no charm to the surroundings and it was clear that everything was there to epitomise decadence and futuristic grandeur. It steadily dawned on me that it was going to be a very expensive meal.

In spite of this the food was excellent and whilst the restaurant specialises in beef it also other meat dishes. The spatchcocked chicken was immaculately prepared and the cheese board with malbec chutney was incredibly morish. The desserts were similarly stunning, the cheesecake was in many ways for want of a better phrase the 'icing on the cake'. Each dish was prepared with consideration and oozed quality.

It was however as expected quite an expensive meal with the end total coming to approximately £70 per head including drinks and service. Overall however the food was excellent and the service surprisingly informative and helpful. I would rate this particular branch 3 out of 5.

http://www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant.php?id=city

Mandalay, Edgware Road ****

The first time I went to Mandalay was about 15 years ago and was given a warm wlecome I shall never forget. I was welcomed into the restaurant like a long lost relative and doted on throughout the meal. Suffice to say the owners made a fantastic impression and really made us feel at home and took time to explain the dishes and provide a truly memorable experience.

With this in mind I recently returned to the restaurant a few months ago having been told about it by a friend as being the best 'cheap eat' in London as rated by Timeout. I also browsed the outside window of the restaurant to see that it had since my last visit Mandalay had picked up a few more awards and had received even more favourable reviews from critics. However inspite of its reputation and the accolades it has received the restaurant owners were still incredibly helpful, dilligent, insightful and the service was very pleasing. Go to any other Asian restaurant and you should expect to have dishes slapped on your table, incorrect orders and a hard time explaining or understanding much.

I also very recently returned and found that nothing has changed and the restaurant is still unremarkable from the outside, humble and homely inside with excellent service.

However service aside the food was still impeccable and each dish was a genuine delight. I particularly liked the Balachaung - a Burmese fried shrimp dish served to accompany rice dishes as well as the deep fried bean sprout fritters. The tamarind chicken was also impeccable with no one flavour dominating the taste. In fact every dish was balanced and not at all garish - high street Indian restaurants should take note of this.

Given the quality of food and pleasant dining experience as well as the accolades and favourable reviews Mandalay has received over the past decade, you might expect the price to be bumped up slightly however even the price of the meals is down to earth. It is not unusual to pay £10-15 per head for a meal excluding service.

Overall Mandalay is truly excellent and I am certain I will go back as I have over the years. I would rate it 4 out of 5.

http://www.mandalayway.com/restaurant/index.html

Chennai Dosa, Wembley **

Every time I go to Chennai Dosa Wembley I feel really guilty about the waiting staff. I was once told by a friend of a friend that the staff there get paid £20 for a 13 hour day, with unlimited dosa however and accommodation provided. With this is mind I never expect the service to be dilligent, accurate and of an above average standard and always feel very guilty when I see scrawny looking waiting staff carrying huge hot dishes of channa bhattura and dosa whilst I sit back and relax. However the age old adage of 'if you pay peanuts you get monkeys' applies and the service has always been terrible at Chennai Dosa and I have frequently been brought the wrong order, been made to wait a long time for simple dishes and been provided the least helpful explanations about dishes ever - 'It's a vada init'.

However I do not continue to visit Chennai Dosa for the service but the food which is wholesome, tasty, cheap and quick, in theory, to prepare and serve. A meal for two can cost as little as £10 including drinks and service and the portions are very filling. As the name suggests this is a place that specialises in dosas and there are all manner of dosas on the menu ranging from paper dosas, masala dosas to even mutton curry dosas. For those with an unusually large appetite there is also a 5 foot long dosa, enough to feed a family or an incredibly hungry person - one of these days I will try it, although I may not live to write about it on this blog.

The restaurant is divided into two, the non-vegetarian side and the vegetarian side both of which have separate menus and are in theory separate restaurants. I prefer the vegetarian restaurant as the non-veg dishes are frequently over-cooked, too spicy and scrimp on meat by adding more sauce.

This restaurant however has good dosas, on the whole, and is ideal for a quick meal with minimum fuss. On weekends and evenings it can get very busy however the turnover is very high so waiting times are never longer than 10 minutes.

Aside from the overall dining experience the food is excellent and the range of south Indian dishes is even better. The lassis are also fresh and well prepared. Given this fact I would give Chennai Dosa 2 out of 5.

www.chennai-dosa.co.uk

Dishoom ***

Dishoom is a tribute to the once popular Bombay cafes which were popular in the 1960s. These were places that welcomed all under the same roof - rich businessmen, taxi wallahs, couples, families, lawyers preparing their cases. They were informal, charming cafes that served unpretentious food at low prices.

The restaurant recreates the feel of a Bombay cafe very well from the fans on the ceiling, to the floor tiles as well as the round marble decked tables. The walls are also adorned with photos of famous Bollywood actors and the open plan kitchen adds to the informal and familiar feel of the restaurant.

The menu is also similarly unpretentions with old street snack favourites pau bhaji, kathi rolls as well as chilli cheese toast. However it also caters for larger appetites with curries, biriyanis and a selection of mixed grill dishes. When I went there I had the pau bhaji, biriyani, kathi rolls and mixed vegetables. Two of the dishes were prepared to near perfection - the biryani and the right balance of spices with no overpowering flavour of saffron or peppercorn, a common error in many biryani dishes. The pau bhaji was also fresh, balanced and very tasty. The mixed vegetable dish was exactly as described and prepared to a reasonable standard and the kathi rolls were tough and try and desperately crying out for a sauce of some kind.

In addition to this, as I sipped on my thums up cola, ate my gola and contemplated a chai I could have been in a suburb of Mumbai whiling away the evening hours rather than in London. The atmosphere was informal and the crowd inside the restaurant was diverse - Dishoom had succeeded in transporting me back to Mumbai and the overall dining experience was very pleasant.

The price was also very reasonable coming to approximately £15 per head including service and drinks. Overall I would recommend Dishoom to anyone looking for a quick bite or to those who want to try Indian food in a different atmosphere to most Indian restaurants. I would give Dishoom 3 out of 5.

http://www.dishoom.com

6 Ballygunge Place - Kolkata, India **

Whilst the focus of this blog is London and its variety of restaurants and bars it must also be noted that the rise of the middle classes in India is giving birth to a new range of diverse and interesting restaurants in India to meet the ever changing tastes of the Indian public. As I am currently on holiday in India it is apt that I should include some of these on this blog, especially 6 Ballygunge Place.

This restaurant, in a suburb of South Kolkata, is a well-known establishment specializing in traditionally Bengali food. The setting is quaint and cosy and the restaurant is set in a converted house, hence the name.

The quality of the food however was impeccable, the aloo dum was immaculately prepared and the balance of spices was perfect. The meat dishes were also incredibly impressive with tender meat and excellent curry. In addition to this the various vegetarian dishes were well prepared as was the fish curry - a Bengali specialty.

There were however some downsides to the dining experience at this restaurant. The service whilst efficient was less than informative and not once were we presented with the menu which meant that deciding what to order was tricky to say the very least. In addition to this the decor and ambiance was faded and tired and it appeared that the restaurant could do with a much needed facelift - for inspiration the owner need not look further than another specialist Bengali restaurant in the city, Oh Calcutta.

The quality of the food however made up for this and the meal was very reasonably priced, in contrast to some of Kolkata's other restaurants. It appeared however that 6 Ballygunge Place is too reliant on its reputation and the overall dining experience was reasonable. I was rate this restaurant 2 out of 5.

http://www.6bp.in

Busaba Eathai ****

If you're a fan of informal restaurant settingd and excellent food at reasonable prices and or have been to restaurants like Koya and Wagamama then you'll absolutely love Busaba Eathai and may in fact be converted.

The Thai food on offer is excellent ranging from the standard red and green curries to the less conventional such as the monkfish curry and the jungle curry. Each dish is immaculately prepared and to a very high standard. Do not expect high quality presentation or a beautiful creation to appear before your eyes as the key to the dish is its taste. My particular favourites include the calamari and the monkfish curry.

The shared dining experience also adds to the informal atmosphere and it's not uncommon to share dining tips and recommendations with your neighbours. This perhaps does not lend itself to couples on a date or for those looking for a quieter meal however is ideal if you're in a group.

This was clearly a very popular restaurant and the queue simply confirmed this - you should expect to wait for approximately 10-15 minutes for a table however once you're seated you'll know why you waited. The overall dining experience was very pleasant and the waitress was very friendly demonstrating good knowledge of the dishes. The only downside has perhaps been that the prawns were slightly bland and watery however I would still recommend this place very highly and give it 4 out of 5.

http://www.busaba.com

The Anthologist ***

Nestled in the midst of London's financial district a stone's throw away from Lloyds Banking Group and the Bank of England is a bar cum restaurant that is hip, sassy and reminiscent of a bar that epitomises coolness. This is the kind of place one could picture the Sex in City ladies drinking at and is definitely well worth a visit - this is The Anthologist.

Essentially divided in two, one side of the Anthologist is the bar where the cocktails are the specialty and the other side is the restaurant area. The cocktails on offer are fresh, fruity and quite breathtaking. The menu also lists their calorie count of each drink suggesting that this is a place which is health conscious and catered towards a certain crowd. This place gets quite busy with office workers from the area from 5pm onwards so expect to see a crowd of suit clad bankers spilling out onto Gresham as you approach the bar. After 7pm or so the crowd is mixed and diverse and the charm of the venue really starts to take effect.

The food is continental and British and each dish is prepared to a very high standard and presented in a similarly excellent manner. Whilst waiting for your food you are encouraged to visit the restaurant's own bar where you can have a cocktail tutorial and find a cocktail tailored to your specific tastes. This was a hugely entertaining part of the evening and was an interesting way of engaging diners in a sociable way and also filling the time before the food arrived. Suffice to say that once our food had arrived we had discovered our 'perfect drink' and went back to our table having learned something - I learned how to make a mojito and also that my favourite drink is the Vesper (James Bond's drink).

The decor was similarly cool and in keeping with the restaurant and bar's sassiness and the huge shelves of wine and spirits added to the idea that the restaurant was a living breathing anthology of alcohol. The meal was priced at approximately £40 per head including service and some of the drinks however the experience and the entertainment made it a hugely enjoyable visit. I would recommend this bar very highly although it lacks the charm factor so I have rated this 3 out of 5.

http://www.theanthologistbar.co.uk/

Pix, Notting Hill ***

Everything about Pix oozes cool. It is situated in the vicinity of Notting Hill and a short walk from Beach Blanket Babylon on Westbourne Grove. The interior boasts large tables fashioned out of old doors and the decor is cool, hip and eye catching. If that wasn't enough each and every member of staff looks as if they've just stepped off the catwalk and into the restaurant and to top it all off the large windows make it an ideal place to have a leisurely weekend brunch. The crowd is highly diverse ranging from middle aged couples to 20-something groups as well as individuals enjoying a leisurely meal.

Pix specialises in tapas and each dish is laid out on the rather large counter towards the kitchen area of the restaurant. Each dish or 'pintxos' is immaculately prepared, fresh and warm - very little is left sitting out on the counter. My favourite was the ham and quails egg pintxos as well as the white chocolate and foie gras. Suffice to say I spent a lot more time on my feet than I did at my table but each dish was a genuine treat and each of the courses was excellent.

This restaurant may not appeal to the dining traditionalists however it is great fun if you have kids or youngsters in your group. Don't get too excited however as you may find you end up having selected quite a few pintxos all of which are measured by the sticks that accompany them - it's not difficult to generate a sizeable bill! I would give this restaurant a respectable 3 out of 5.

http://www.pix-bar.com/

Tayyabs, Whitechapel ****

I have been to Tayyabs on more times than I care to recall at one stage at least a few times a month and I am yet to be disappointed by anything that I have ordered.

When I first entered Tayyabs I was greeted by a cacophony of noise and what can only be described as chaos. The queues outside stretched along the street and into the restaurant, waiters were scurrying around the restaurant carrying searingly hot dishes with great care and conversation was in full flow in the restaurant. Amongst this chaos there was some apparent system and we were greeted and seated soon after arriving. Unless you reserve you should be prepared to wait for anything up to 45 minutes for a table.

The decor of the restaurant is not as 'no-frills' as Tayyabs' cousin in the area Lahore Kebab House but any visitors should be prepared to sacrifice certain luxuries such as comfort and arm space for the food which should make up for all of Tayyabs' other deficiencies. In a recent visit to the restaurant a table clearly designed for four people had been made into two tables for two and the only way to get out was for one table to be slided  forwards for a gap to be created. In addition there is rarely enough space on the tables at Tayyabs dishes are often stacked on top of each other rather than placed side by side however larger tables would mean fewer tables and the turnover of diners at Tayyabs is very high.

Thankfully for drinkers there is no charge for corkage at the restaurant and there is of course a BYOB policy, which is not uncommon among all the restaurants in the area. For those that do not drink the recommendation is the mango lassi which is nothing short of immaculate.

The food is on a par with the very best Asian food in London and is essentially a meat eater's paradise. Particular recommendations include the halim, nihari, the mixed grill (pictured) and the lamb chops which are quite stunning. Every dish is prepared to a high standard and the kitchen is a constant hive of frantic activity so dishes are brought out within 10 minutes.

In all the occassions I have been to Tayyabs I have never eaten just a sensible amount of food and always end up going overboard, so much so that after my last trip I decided to skip breakfast as I was just too full to contemplate food (for those that know me this is very rare).

This restaurant unlike the other Asian restaurants in London Tayyavs carries a big reputation, never fails to disappoint and has high quality authentic food. In addition to all of this the prices are very reasonable and two people can have three courses for approximately £35.

This is definitely not haute cuisine but it trounces most other Asian restaurants in London. So for this reason this restaurant is rated 4 out of 5.

http://www.tayyabs.co.uk