Cookbook Cafe at the Intercontinental Park Lane

Brunch was a new addition to our dining adventures, and we certainly enjoyed our first experience at the Cookbook Café.

 

We were greeted by nice waiting staff who offered us a choice of bellinis to have with our brunch: peach, strawberry and raspberry. I opted for strawberry, and they were topped up regularly for the whole time we were there (about 3 hours.)

 

 

For our first course we had freshly made pancakes, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, and of course a side order of a twisted pain au chocolat. The pancakes were delicious, not too thick or thin, lovely and warm and the chocolate sauce and whipped cream of course were perfect accompaniments. My friends had eggs benedict and they said they were lovely.

 

 

After this we spent some time grazing from the cold food section. They had many wonderful dishes.

 

Scottish Smoked Salmon with dill mayonnaise
Honey roasted ham with piccalilli and grain mustard
Marinated tiger prawns with garlic mayonnaise
Sashimi of tuna and salmon with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger
Caesar salad with parmesan and crunchy croutons
Mozzarella with oregano, olives and artichoke
Celery and cucumber with dill oil
Couscous capsicum and aubergine salad

 

On my plate below I had some lovely cooked meats, smoked salmon, tuna sashimi, a Mediterranean chick pea salad & couscous salad, and lovely warm olive ciabatta.

 

 

After this we had a roast dinner. There were lots of mains to choose from:

 

Fore rib of Casterbridge beef with Yorkshire puddings and roast gravy
Thyme and garlic studded Shoulder of lamb with rosemary jus
Casserole of Salmon, sea bass, tiger prawns and razor clams
Lightly spiced aubergine and cauliflower with butternut sauce
Slow roasted duck with preserved cherry sauce
Autumn vegetables with roast potato and steamed new potatoes

 

I went for the beef, which was lovely and tender. It was accompanied by a nice crispy Yorkshire pudding, and wonderfully roasted potatoes.

 

 

There was a wide selection of desserts to choose from, for example:

Raspberry crème brulée
Chocolate torte
Coffee ”Profiteroles”, mocha cream
Lemon tart, orange curd
Tropical fruit salad

 

As you can see I sampled a few and they were all delicious. Sometimes, I am wary of buffet desserts, as they can lack flavour, but it was not the case for the selection at the Cookbook Café.

 



 

 

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is very good, considering it was a buffet brunch. We grazed for about 3 hours and were completed stuffed by the end of it. It seemed like we had had all three meals of the day in one.


Service & Ambience

The service was good; we were asked if we were okay a couple times, but then left to enjoy our brunch which was nice. Despite saying that there was a two hour turnaround on the table we were there for over three hours and we did not feel rushed.  Drinks were topped up regularly.

The ambience of the restaurant was okay, it is in a hotel, so had a hotel feel to it. There were lots of people having brunch but it did not feel busy.


Value for Money

For the brunch, unlimited prosecco, tea and coffee the bill came to £59.  In my opinion fantastic value for money. I really recommend the Cookbook Café as a brunch venue. Lovely food and a great place to catch up with friends. My advice would be to book a room at the Intercontinental so you can have a lie-down after brunch!  

Cookbook Cafe

Kong (Paris)



 

 

We went on a culinary trip to Paris, where the aim was to learn more about French cuisine through cookery classes and sampling lots of lovely restaurants and patisseries. For a fine dining treat we had hoped to go to Le Jules Verne, however the restaurant was closed for refurbishment. Therefore, we decided to dine at Kong; it was a departure for our dining club, as it was certainly more 'trendy & hip' than restaurants we normally dine at. The restaurant was apparently made famous as it featured in a Sex and the City episode. Upon entering the restaurant I certainly released why as it was modern, chic, with kooky décor and ultra cool people. I was glad to be whisked upstairs to the wonderful dining area rather than mingling at the bar.

 

The wonderful ceiling of the restaurant. The glass surrounding ensured that we had wonderful views of the city.

 

Starter:

(Tempura de soft shell crab, salade de papaya et concombre- Soft shell tempura crab with pickled vegetables)

I have always been intrigued by what a soft shell crab would taste like, and I was uncertain about whether I would also like the consistency. I decided to try the dish at Kong, and I was happy I did as it was very tasty. The crab had a lovely, well seasoned crunchy batter, and a soft middle. It was accompanied by a sharp sauce and pickled vegetables which were perfect accompaniments.

Main:

(Cotes d'agneau premiere, sauce au curry jaune, legumes santes- lamb with a green curry sauce and sautéed vegetables.)

The meat was cooked well, and I like the sauce on the side, which was fragrant, slightly sharp and spicy. The meat could certainly take the bold flavours.

Dessert:

Of course the highlight was the dessert, and yes it was as big as it looked. An apple tarte tatin. The apples were soft and caramelised beautifully. I felt there was more apples to pastry, and I would have liked there to be more pastry and for it to be crispier. The cream was slightly sharp, with crème fraiche running through it. Despite the apply-pastry ratio it was still delicious and I finished it all.

 

 Interesting chairs...

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. Really interesting flavours due to the Asian/French influence. The portion sizes are generous.

The presentation is good, clean and modern like the restaurant. 

Service & Ambience

The service was good and the waiting staff were informative.

I liked the fact that the ambience was different to other restaurants we had dined in. However, I prefer a more traditional décor and ambience, but I would not let it's ultra modern feel put you off eating there as the food is certainly worth a visit.

Value for Money

For 3 courses and a glass of wine the bill came to about 80 Euros each.  I feel the meal was worth it. It's not somewhere I would visit again if I went to Paris, not because the experience was bad, but nothing was extraordinary, and there are some other Parisian dining venues that I have on my list.

 

Ritz

 

 

Dining at the Ritz was a special treat from a friend. It was really lovely of her to share this wonderful experience with me and I was very excited when the day finally came.

 

The flowers in the beautiful hallway before we entered the dining room.

 

 

 

The dining room was magnificent, really opulent surroundings. Our table was close to the pianist, and the music she played certainly added to the ambience.

 

Amuse Bouche:

(Amuse bouche of cheese beignets, lobster and seaweed cracker with salmon macaroon.)

The cheese beignets had a wonderful rich filling, but at the same time were wonderfully light. The lobster and seafood cracker had some lovely textures, but needed a further accompaniment to add to the taste sensation. My favourite was the salmon macaroon, it was really light and melted in my mouth. It tasted like a Skip!

 

Normally there is not much to write about the bread you are offered. I have had some nice breads before with unique flavour combinations, however, the bread at the Ritz is the best I have had. It was a bacon and onion bread which had the consistency of a croissant. I probably should not admit this in public but I actually had three, they were that good! Buttery and packed pull of flavour with the caramelised onions and bacon pieces. Delicious!

 

Starter:

 

(Gull's Egg with Spring Vegetable, Serrano Ham and Morels)

 

This starter was wonderful in every way that you would hope: taste, presentation and surprise elements which added to the taste experience. Every single element enhanced the dish further, for example the pea shoots, morels, and the cheese pastry. The gull's egg was runny in the middle, and worked beautifully with the morels which added a rich, deep flavour. The cheese pastry added a salty taste to the dish, which also worked well with the sauce, beans and pea shoots. By far this is the best starter I have had recently.

 

 

Main:

Bresse Duck with Heritage Carrot, Fennel and Duck Liver

Certainly hard to follow the starter as it was truly delicious. The duck was cooked well, as it is very easy to overcook and for it to be rubbery; the liver gave the dish a deeper flavour. Although all the accompaniments were cooked well, the overall taste was too sweet due to the sauce. I was left feeling a little underwhelmed by this dish.

Dessert:

(Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Chantilly and Hazelnut Ice Cream)

I was very excited when I saw this dessert coming towards me. The soufflé had a beautiful texture, and I liked that the dish came both with cream and ice cream, both were very flavoursome. Although the soufflé had a wonderful flavour, I felt it should have had a more prominent chocolate taste. It needed to be richer as it tasted more eggy than chocolaty.

 

Favours:

 

 (Almond cake with raspberry, exotic fruit jelly, vanilla cream macaroon and dark chocolate with salted caramel.)

 

A wonderful array of flavours. The almond cake was moist and had sharp raspberry in the middle which cut through the richness of the cake. The fruit jelly was surprisingly delicious, packed full of flavour and was very refreshing. The macaroon, for me, was too rich, but I loved the dark chocolate salted caramel favour, which was oozing with wonderfully rich caramel. The dark chocolate and salted caramel worked perfectly together. 

 

 

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. Lovely flavours, interesting combinations which are carefully balanced.  The portion sizes are good, and with 3 rolls I was completely stuffed. The glass of wine I had was okay, but it was not as full-bodied as I had hoped for.

The presentation is superb, wonderful attention to detail, which adds to the taste sensations. 

Service & Ambience

The service was excellent, and not too intrusive. We certainly did not feel rushed. The waiters were informative and gave us some good recommendations.

Alongside the food, the highlight of the Ritz is the ambience. You are whisked into another world where you forget about any problems or stress you may have; instead you are in the world of sheer opulence where you can fully indulgence and have a really special afternoon.


Value for Money

For 3 courses and a glass of wine the bill came to £70.00 each. I would definitely return for a special occasion.

 

 

Roast

Dining at Roast was a surprise birthday treat from my best friend. She asked me to meet her at London Bridge, with no idea where we were going. As I was led through Borough Market, I was very pleased to hear that we were dining at Roast as I have wanted to eat there for a while.

 

The meal started with a Vanilla Mojito cocktail: Dictador rum 12-years old, fresh mint leaves,  fresh lime juice, brown sugar, vanilla liqueur & soda water. Perfect for a warm summer's day as it was really refreshing.

 

Starter:

 

Fish cakes with a tartar sauce.

 

A creamy filling, with lots of fish, rather than being full of potato. The tartar sauce was delicious, nice and sharp, which worked well with the creamy fishcakes.

 

 

 

 

Main:

 

 Borough burger & chips

 

This photo does not do the burger justice. It was a really delicious burger, packed full of flavour- good quality meat, nice cheese, and an interesting mayo, which had pickles in it. We ordered some bacon too to complete the burger. The chips were crispy and plentiful. The first burger I got was too rare for me- I asked for medium to well done, and I feel it was rare to medium. The waiter took it away at once, apologised about 5 times; the matre d' came over and apologised again. They made me another one, which came out after about 20 minutes. I was happy to wait, although my friend had finished her meal by then. It wasn't a problem though, as it just meant we spent more time at the restaurant catching-up. I think it must be quite difficult cooking a burger exactly how a diner wants it. Second time round the burger was cooked to perfection, and I loved it, savouring every bite.

 

 

 Dessert:

Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Neal's Yard Crème Fraiche

The pudding was really rich and I think more of a winter pudding. However, I really enjoyed it  and that point certainly did not stop me from eating it- the richness of the toffee sauce and pudding worked really well with the crème fraiche, which had lemon zest running through it. Therefore, the marriage of sweet and sharp I felt worked magnificently.

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. Fresh, flavoursome food, with really lovely sauces.  The portion sizes are very generous. My advice is not to eat the bread as you definitely want to leave space for dessert.

The presentation is good, not too fussy as it is not that sort of restaurant. The focus is on clean presentation and good flavours.

Service & Ambience

The service was excellent particularly during the burger issue.

The restaurant is a lot larger than I thought. We had a nice window seat, and could see St Pauls from our table which was lovely. Due to the large windows there is lots of light in the restaurant which added to the ambience of the restaurant.

Value for Money

It was £35 for 3 courses and a cocktail booked via Bookatable. I felt it was excellent value for money and I will definitely be returning. I would like to try a roast there, I'm sure it will be delicious.

Hawksmoor (Air Street)

You cannot beat a good roast dinner, and in my opinion a Hawksmoor roast is the best roast dinner I have had. The meat at Hawksmoor is delicious, and so are the accompaniments.

Main:

Traditionally, large joints of meat were roasted on a spit over an open fire.  To achieve a similar flavour Hawksmoor starts their meat on real charcoal and finishes them in the oven. Served with duck fat roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, greens and lashings of bone marrow & onion gravy.

The beef was cooked well- you can either have it pink or well-done. I have had it both ways and I think I prefer it pink rather than well-done, as the meat was a little dry. The meat(below)  was succulent, and potatoes are crispy on the outside and beautifully soft in the middle. The Yorkshire pudding is huge! All the vegetables were delicious, and I liked the roasted garlic and onion, which brought great flavours to the roast. We ordered a side-order of creamed spinach, which was really yummy.

Dessert:

(Sticky Toffee Sundae and we also ordered some salted caramel rolos)


After the lengthy description of the main, you may think how could we have room for dessert...well there is always room for dessert!

This is the best dessert I have had for quite some time. I would put it on a par with the infamous Theo Randall chocolate cake. It was made up of pieces of sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, clotted cream, vanilla ice-cream, caramelised nuts and dates. Absolutely delicious! The toffee sauce, and sticky toffee pudding was very rich but the ice-cream cut through it well- the proportions were perfect too. The nuts added a good texture.

The salted caramel rolos are out of this world- AMAZING!!! I wish you could pop in and a buy some to take home. They are dark chocolate, filled with a soft caramel filling, not runny or chewy like a normal rolo. You have to order these no matter how full you are- you certainly won't be sharing your last rolo once you have tried these!

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. A succulent joint of beef with wonderful accompaniments. Usually the meat is the highlight in a roast, but with this roast it is hard to say as everything is cooked to perfection. The portion sizes are very generous; you will certainly not leave hungry.

The presentation is good for a roast. You do not want a roast to be presented in a fussy manner- the taste of the food is all that counts.

Service & Ambience

The service was brilliant. Our waiter was really attentive, we certainly felt well-looked after. We asked lots of questions and he was happy to help. We ordered lots of courses and different drinks, and they were all right and given to the right person- this is what you expect from waiting staff, but it's rare that you receive it.

I prefer the ambience of the Air Street restaurant to the one in Covent Garden. There is more space, and of course it is brighter as it is not under ground. We had a really nice booth, tucked away at the back of the restaurant, which we really liked.

Value for Money

For 2 courses and a glass of prosecco the bill came to £45.  I felt that the meal was worth every penny and I will definitely be back there for another Sunday roast. I cannot recommend this restaurant more. I would like to go and try a brunch there too...

Corrigan's Mayfair

 

After trying some dishes from Corrigan's at a Taste of London we were excited to dine there. 

 

 

 

Main:

 

Beef, with mash potato and onion rings.

 

It was a nice steak, with beautiful, creamy mash potato. Not sure the bone at the top added anything to the dish. I feel that you should be able to eat everything on the plate, and if you can't it should be ascetically pleasing-I'm not sure a bone really does that. For over £30 for the steak, I did feel a little underwhelmed by the dish.

 

Dessert:

A chocolate dessert with various elements. It was a tasty dessert, but I was not keen on the presentation- it looked in my opinion a little haphazard, although I know that was probably the idea. The textures were good, but I feel that as well as tasting you eat with your eyes, and therefore I was not overly impressed. The friends I was dining with had rhubarb soufflés, and they were very happy with their choices.

 

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is good to average. There were some nice flavours, like the gravy- great depth of flavour, and a wonderful ganache in the dessert.

I did not like the presentation of the food. For example, I did not like the deconstructed look of the dessert.


Service & Ambience

The service was excellent. The waiters were very informative and not intrusive in their service.  We did not feel rushed and certainly felt well looked-after.

I really liked the ambience of the restaurant, very intimate. The tables were laid out well so did not feel too close to other diners.

Value for Money

For 3 courses and a one glass of wine the bill came to £80. I was glad I tried Corrigan's but I felt underwhelmed by the restaurant.

Roux at the Landau

After a wonderful experience at Le Gavroche I was excited to try another Roux restaurant.

 

Starter:

 

(Merguez sausage)

 

It was tasty but I was not overwhelmed by it.

 

 

 

Main: 

(Supreme of chicken, with orzo pasta, quail egg yolks and crispy bacon.)  

 

The orzo pasta and quails eggs was a wonderful combination. However, although the chicken was cooked well, I did not really enjoy it. The flavours did not excite me. I did not feel that the chicken, pasta and egg worked well together. Moreover, due to the dining room being very cold, the food got cold quickly and that put me off the dish.

 

Dessert:

(Bitter chocolate millefeuille with maple ice cream and salted pecans)

Beautiful presentation; the piping skills and attention to detail is some of the best I have seen, certainly the calibre you expect from the Roux family. The dessert was delicious- the rich chocolate and maple ice-cream was a perfect combination. I loved the different textures, the pastry, chocolate ganache, ice-cream and the salted pecans. This was the best course of the three.

My friends dessert- a crème brulee with summer fruit accompaniments. She said it was very tasty. I loved the vibrant colours.

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food was average to good, depending on the course. By far the best course was the dessert. I did book this as a special offer, so maybe this played a part in the quality of the food. The portion sizes were okay, I neither felt full nor hungry.

The presentation of the dessert was excellent, the other two courses were average.

Service & Ambience

The service was good. The waiting staff were very amenable when we asked to move tables as we were being blasted by the Air Con.

The dining room is beautiful. However, the Air Con needs to be turned down as the food gets cold quickly.

Value for Money

A 3 course set menu with a glass of Albert Roux champagne was £36.50- booked via Opentable. I would like to dine there again, but not on a special menu to see whether there is any difference in the quality of food.