uggboy

We've been to Benares for lunch and recently Tamarind for dinner, all two are memorable in setting, quality and hospitality.

Benares offers pan-Indian cooking, while Tamarind offers northern Indian cuisine, the setting and service is slightly more formal at Benares, while at Tamarind we found the setting and service more warmer. Overall, we enjoyed both and would recommend both to Indian food lovers. In regards of value, both pretty good, but Benares tends to be slightly more expensive in terms of overall cost, but "true value" can be had from both restaurants, they're memorable IMHO and we should hopefully try both again in our future.

For now, we haven't been to the others, but they are on our radar.

Quilon...https://www.viamichelin.ie/web/Resta...on-69650-41102

Recently at check-in at the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch we saw a menu for Gymkhana, I guess they looked it up for a guest or future reference.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

uggboy

It's of note that Tamarind was the first Indian restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin star, they hold the star ever since first winning.

You might give Tamarind a try, it's a beautiful restaurant, superb service standards and memorable northern Indian frontier cuisine.

BTW incl. we noticed a good/broad selection of vegetarian/pescetarian choices.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

VivoPerLei

Are you still in Shoreditch? Here's an absolutely can't miss recommendation for you - Lahpet, a Burmese restaurant in Hackney. Was there recently and it completely blew me away

uggboy

We're at home in Ireland, but we had been to London incl. Shoreditch ca. 3 weeks ago.

We stayed at the newly opened Nobu Hotel Shoreditch: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28722292-post20.html [our review on FT].

During our 3 nights/4 days in London recently we enjoyed breakfast at Nobu Shoreditch [3x], dinner at Tamarind, Galvin at Windows for Sunday lunch, lunch at Portland and dinner at The Ninth, plus Como Shambhala cuisine at the Como Metropolitan Hotel/Lobby [2nd visit].

Thanks for your recommendation, Lahpet looks/sounds fascinating, they're website feels already inviting.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

Bohemian1

I too, would give a thumbs up to Tamarind.

Interesting food and a fairly relaxed atmosphere for starred restaurant. The bonus for us was being to able get a two top on relatively short notice, albeit through the concierge at our hotel. We will definitely be back.

PsiFighter37

Hit up a number of spots on my 2-week jaunt in Europe!

-Restaurant St. Hubertus (2 stars, San Cassiano, Italy): I really enjoyed this dinner. Although I was stuffed at the end (in large part due to eating way too much of their delicious sourdough), everything here was excellent, and the staff had a great sense of humor - rare to find, IME, at a Michelin-starred restaurant hosting English-speaking foreigners.

-La Sireola (1 star, San Cassiano, Italy): more modern in their presentation of food but also very good, if not quite on the same level as St. Hubertus. I will say my favorite part of this dinner was heading to their dedicated chocolate room, being handed a delicious mint popsicle drenched in chocolate (from a fountain), and being able to select any number of pralines at will.

-La Dame de Pic (1 star, Paris): delicious food, excellent service. A modern take on French cuisine and very well-prepared. The risotto served with lightly seared mackerel - almost like sashimi - was so, so good. My wife's tomatoes with ricotta were divine. Absolutely a gem.

-L'Arpege (3 stars, Paris): the big Kahuna of the trip...went here for lunch and went with the 'omakase' (the other 2 options were >300 euros per person...what?). The execution was great, although the one meat dish (roasted chicken) was pretty bland flavor-wise, aside from clearly being cooked exquisitely (probably sous vide). We were stuffed, though, and 3 hours for lunch is a long time. Worth a trip? Sure, if you love vegetarian food. I'm glad I did it. But would I come back? Probably not. The dish I liked best was the tomato 'carpaccio' served with strawberries. Tomatoes, as a general theme at virtually every place we ate, were substantially better quality than what the U.S. has.

-Restaurant du Palais Royal (1 star, Paris): last dinner on the trip did not disappoint. We were stuffed from eating earlier, so we went a la carte here. The shrimp ravioli, doused liberally with caviar, was amazing...the best ravioli of the trip, even though we spent a week in Italy and ate some amazing Ladin-style ravioli. My pork was perfectly cooked and so tender. Lots of amuse bouche and dessert bites on the house.

uggboy

Our Sunday lunch experiences, July 2017

Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton on Park Lane was longer on my fiancé’s and my radar. Since we had four days in London end of July/beginning of August 2017 and one of those was a Sunday, we decided to try the famous and only Michelin stared Sunday Lunch at Galvin at Windows.

A few days before our lunch we received a call from Galvin at Windows to confirm we were joining them as planned.

Arriving at the London Hilton on Park Lane we asked the concierge how to get to the restaurant. We were directed to the elevator bank, where we had to type in the floor we wanted to go to. In our case the 28th. The display showed us which elevator we had to take. Security is good, because no one else can join you and you can only go to the designated floor. A key card is needed, when going to a guest floor.

The elevator was fast and within a minute or so we were at our destination.

The hostess greeted us warmly and took our jackets. She offered us to have drinks at the bar first or go immediately to our table. We decided to head straight for lunch.

The dining room was classic and beautiful with cloud inspired artwork.

At first the restaurant wasn’t very busy. The longer the afternoon progressed the more diners arrived. The clientele was international with most of them being couples. There was also a family with two small children. The kids were overall well behaved and had fun with the sommelier.

The chef patron is Chris Galvin with head chef Joo Won in the kitchen from South Korea, so the classic French dishes had some Korean influence too.

Our table at the double height floor to ceiling windows had views over the Intercontinental Park Lane, Piccadilly and other London landmarks towards Victoria and Battersea Power Station.

We were given the wine list and menu. When asking for the cocktail menu this wasn’t a problem either, it was promptly presented to us.

We were asked if we might be interested in olives.

We agreed and didn’t regret it. The Spanish green Gordal olives were delicious and addictive.

Our bottle of still Acqua Panna water and a bread basket with butter arrived soon afterwards.

We had one alcoholic cocktail called The Foreigner made with Nomad Whisky, Pedro Ximenez sweet Sherry, Palo Cortado dry Sherry and orange and one non-alcoholic, Betty’s Garden, made with raspberries, strawberries, lemon juice, Vanilla syrup and cranberry juice. The sommelier said Betty’s Garden was a good choice and it definitely was my kind of cocktail. It was sweet and fruity, while The Foreigner was definitely a manly drink. He liked it very much. It was slightly too bitter for myself.

There were about 20 cocktails created by the bar manager Tiago. The inspiration was travel.

Our waitress said that the chefs could work around our dietary requirements.

Our appetizers were Galvin smoked salmon, beetroot, horseradish and dill and seared foie gras, Iberico pork, brioche and tomato chutney.

The first one is a “signature” classic. Both were delicious and moreish.

The size of the dishes was generous, so I thought in order to have a three course I should choose something smaller or lighter. I tried the tart tartin with zucchini, aubergine, onion and tomato. My fiancé had the roasted breast of Cotswold Chicken, chilli barbeque glaze and vegetables.

The savory tart tartin reminded me of holiday in the Mediterranean, while his chicken was finger licking good and the glaze was the highlight. The meat itself was tender and virtually fat free.

As desserts we chose a lime and strawberry mousse cake and a hazelnut and almond Paris Brest with praline cream and chocolate ice cream.

There was a show element included. The desserts were brought to the table on a trolley and the cake was cut in front of us. The size of each dish again was fairly large.

The Paris Brest was covered in chocolate sauce by the waitress at the table.

Wonder what a Paris Brest is? The choux pastry was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, a famous French patissier, at the request of Pierre Giffard. It was named after a bicycle race from Paris to Brest and back. The pastry is circular shaped to remind of a bicycle wheel.

The mousse cake was light and summery. The Paris Brest was heavier, but the size was right and the flavors worked well together.
To round up the meal we ordered two cappuccinos.

As surprise we received dark chocolate and chocolate orange pralines.

The pralines have been memorable and the sommelier must have overheard us discussing that it would be nice to have more of them, if we weren’t so full, because of this he came with another set.

Of course we couldn’t refuse the gift, so we ate further….

The staff was attentive and genuinely interested in us, for example we chatted about golf with the sommelier, inspired by the polo shirt my fiancé was wearing. We had bought it at the Elba Palace in Fuerteventura.

After our beautiful Sunday lunch it was time to settle the bill, which came with a large glass jar of marshmallows (mint and strawberry). Both tasted moreish and are fluffy and refreshing.

There was a slight mistake with the bill. We were charged for the 3 course dinner, not the Sunday lunch. It was fast corrected and the member of staff was very sorry about the mistake.

The bill was 179.61 GBP (ca. 202.80 Euro / ca. 231.45 USD) including service charge.

We would return for the Sunday Lunch again. It reflects good value, the cuisine is excellent, the portions generous and the staff efficient and warm, plus the location on the 28th floor added a magical setting and wonderful views too.

Here's a selection of our images we took while enjoying Sunday lunch at this memorable restaurant on the 28th floor:





























Would we recommend this restaurant to a friend? YES! ^
Would we want in our future again enjoy lunch/dinner at this restaurant? YES! ^

Thank you and safe travels.

VivoPerLei

That's quite an impressive lineup over a two week period.

I'm trying to sort out my September schedule and had my eye on a couple of three stars in Spain (DiverXO in Madrid and Lasarte in Barcelona) but reservations look impossible. And Tickets is completely out of the question as it is every time I check.

offerendum

That´s a big advantage of Indian cuisine. There are 30 to 40 % of the Population vegetarian.

offerendum

In 2016 in Düsseldorf opened a new Gastro-Bar which was called Bread & Roses. Because of copyright-problems the bar is now called Dr. Kosch. Chef is Volger Drkosch who was chef in different starred restaurants, last at Victorian Düsseldorf.

After the work at "classic" gourmetrestaurants he now tried a new concept with top-cuisine but relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant got immediately a Michelin star.

I wanted to visit the restaurant since I "saw" the star and now it was time. We called and were told only a place at the bar was free. We agreed. Before we arrived at the restaurant I had to get funds as they only take cash.

When we reached at the reataurant we saw that it is indeed not the usual Michelin star restaurant.


From inside it´s indeed more a bar than a restaurant. It has around 25 seats if I counted correctly. We sat at the bar which meant we were directly inside the action. Drkosch cooked directly in front of us, so from this Point it was a great place. You also could ask questions about the cooking.




While this was pretty cool the place had also disadvantages. First it was incedible warm at our place, we had really red faces. Also it was not really comfortable as you can see on this picture.


The menu offers a 4 course menu at 59,00 € and a 5 course at 59,00 €. You can also choose a la carte, also with reasonable prices. I took the 5 course as pescetarian menu, my company took 3 courses (same as I had) a la carte.

Book and mobile are not mine by the way. Food stared with bread.


First course was Fennel with Passion frui, Tagiasca olives, oliveoil and greek yoghurt.


A good and fresh dish which I liked. A la carte it was 14 €. Second was red mullet with pulpo and Bouilliabaisse-stock.


Very good! Next cane Argentinian red prawn with Avocado, char-caviar and coriander.


Fine dish and as a la carte with 3 prawn priced with 19,00 €. My main course was sea bass with chanterelles and dried eggplant.


Also very good! For dessert we got White peach with white nougatine, condensated-milk-ice, lavenderjuice and rasperies. As Addition I took a cam of ice-cream.


Both again really good, the peach wath 11,00 € a la carte, the ice was each 3,50 €.

In General I was satisfied with our meal, but I wouldn´t take a place at the bar next time. While it is in General nice to wath the cooking it was too uncomfortable and much too warm. Also I don´t know if I really wonna see everything in the kitchen. For excample I don´t like and think it´s not state of the art if the chef tastes something with the spoon and use it again to stir in the food.

If you look for good food in Düsseldorf at very reasonable prices definitivly consider Dr. Kosch. If you look for a romatic dinner it´s not the right place

GadgetFreak

We had a spectacular lunch there. The poached peach (possibly pear) with like 150 year old balsamic vinegar on it was wonderful. In general the vegetables were sublime.

As reliable as Jean Georges is I suggest LeBernadin, especially if you like fish.

My wife and I had a wonderful experience for dinner at Assiette Champenoise in Rheims a few years ago. It was quite excellent.

Yahillwe

L'Arpege is one of my fav places. Love what he does with the veggies and most if not all come from his farm outside of Paris.

Went a couple of times to the Rest Palais Royal, when they opened, and wasn't impressed. I should give it another try.

And am eating a big tomato salad, just bought from the farmer, as I type this. This IS tomato season here and they should be celebrated.


Not a fan of JG's places. But love Le Bernardin, it only gets better.

Today's tomato cache, it won't last until Saturday.

uggboy

Our lunch experiences, July 2017

Having a Michelin Guide of major European cities at home we had studied it and found Portland, which we thought would be a perfect and modern fit during our recent visit to London in July/August 2017. My fiancé and I reserved a table for Monday lunch in July 2017.

The restaurant opened in January 2015 and feels beautiful and inviting while offering modern British cuisine. The head chef is Merlin Labron-Johnson, who was only 24 then and had 9 months later earned a Michelin star.

As the name implies the restaurant is located on Great Portland Street with an unassuming shop front. We nearly overlooked it by ourselves. There were no obvious signs this is a Michelin stared restaurant, so by simply walking in front of the restaurant by chance one wouldn’t necessarily know.

The dining room was bright and understated with an open kitchen.

The lunch service wasn’t very busy. Our fellow diners were couples from thirty onwards.

We were warmly welcomed by James, the Maître d’. He was warm and friendly and had a lovely English accent – like Hugh Grant in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”.

Having provided our dietary requirements during the booking process the staff was already aware of them. James told us we could pursue the whole menu, since none of the items we are allergic to had been used.

The lunch menu is a real steal in our opinion. 2 courses are priced at 34 GBP (ca. 38.40 Euro / ca. 43.90 USD) or 3 courses are 39 GBP (ca. 44.05 Euro / ca. 50.30 USD). It includes still or sparkling water, freshly baked sourdough bread, hand churned butter, coffee and petit fours.

We started off with a summer cocktail, the Japanese Garden with Monkey 47 Gin, Midori infused with Shiso, Yuzu and lime, which we loved.

The greeting from the kitchen [Amuse-bouche] – carrot and ricotta - arrived soon afterwards with the bottle of still water, the sourdough bread and the hand churned butter.

The carrot was sweet and crunchy. It went well with the saltiness and softness of the cheese.

The bread and especially combined with the butter were excellent.

Studying the menu we wanted to try the snacks. We were advised they aren’t suitable for sharing, so we had each our own portion.

It was very well worth it to pay 6 GBP (ca. 6.80 Euro / ca. 7.80 USD) per person.

It was a trio of crispy chicken skins, liver parfait, candied walnuts and Muscat grapes, smoked cod’s roe tartlet with young peas and Parmesan biscuit, grilled corn, gooseberries and black garlic jam.
They were delightful.

It was amazing how intense the flavors were.

Our absolute favorite were the chicken skins, but we would love to eat them all again. Superb!

We had decided on a three course meal. As a side dish we ordered the famous husbandry salad.

His starter was the Isle of Wight tomatoes, stracciatella, raspberries and Kombu. Mine was the mackerel, dill, yogurt and cucumber.

My fiancé’s dish followed the newest food trends. Isle of Wight tomatoes are some of the best in the country – they can be bought at a few London Farmer’s Markets - and stracciatella cheese has grown in importance too.

All two dishes were delicious.

His dish was colorful too.

The main courses were smoked Ricotta tortellini, Fava beans and preserved lemon and Cornish cod, Sutton Farm artichokes and Blue Potatoes.

The tortellini were light.

The fish was melt in the mouth and pairing up well with the potatoes and artichokes.

The husbandry salad was fantastic too with mixed leaves, candid walnuts and the citrus dressing.

Our desserts were green gooseberries, elderflower, meringue and puffed barley and strawberries, yogurt cake and cashew nut praline.

The combination was sometimes a bit unusual, but all was of a high standard and very tasty indeed.

The coffee came in individual cafetieres. It was very mild, subtle and smooth, together served with a miniature jug of milk.

The petit fours were sweet-savory muffins with courgette, walnut and rosemary. Again unusual, but seriously enjoyable and memorable at the same time.

The invoice was 120.38 GBP, ca. 136 Euro or ca. 155.20 USD.

We would return again, because the staff is very kind, the food is experimental, fresh and of high quality and the value outstanding in our opinion.

Here's a selection of our images we took during our memorable and modern lunch at Portland including:


























Would we recommend this restaurant to a friend? YES! ^
Would we want to enjoy lunch/dinner at this restaurant again in our future? YES! ^

Thank you and safe travels.

offerendum

Portland has some nice colours in its dishes^

PsiFighter37

Looks delicious. I make a point to buy a box of tomatoes (sometimes cherry, sometimes sungold) at the farmer's market in Union Square. So good.

Surprisingly, I do not have any more Michelin-starred spots on the calendar as of now! My next upscale meal will probably be at Shuko (which really should have a star...mystery to me why it does not yet). I will probably be back for some advice on starred restaurants to eat in London in a couple months, particularly if there are any that do special Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day dinners