Posh Food

Cost us £300 for two people:
2 cocktails each from the bar beforehand (~£50)
3 starters (mine was so good I had to have another - the porridge)
2 mains
2 desserts
a glass of sommelier recommended wine with each course.

Worth every penny.

We had a long lunch (3hrs), then were asleep by 6pm!

Ours was £520 for 4 people. Glass of champagne each, 2 bottles of wine and a 1/2 bottle of sweet wine. It's not cheap but it is very good

Bocca di Lupo surpassed my expectations.
great atmosphere and not at all stuffy, service was excellent and our waiter was helpful with suggestions/recommendations, because of the small/large nature of the dishes it's good to share/mix with others.
various dishes were tried for starters and mains, suckling pig, truffle sausage, broad beans with mint, radish salad, prawn/calamari/prawn/soft shell crab, radish and celeriac salad with pomegranate and truffle oil. all were packed full of flavor and despite their simple ingredients were truly exceptional. the desserts were sublime too.
for a better written review check out giles coren
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/giles_coren/article5452562.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

the 8 of us shared a jeroboam of nice red (3liters) a few coffees and grappas. we were all stuffed. £400 including service. worth every penny.

Ok so where to start with Noma? it was bloody amazing, really friendly staff who were funny and just had a great attitude all round. Service was impeccable.

So to the food I guess. We sit down and have already decided on the full menu and wine flight to match but before we get to that a glass of champagne is in order.
They don't have a wine list as such, one of our party didn't really want to drink a great deal so just asked for a glass and they brought out a glass of reisling which the rest of us were to have later on, the waiter thought that it would suit enough of the early dishes perfectly well.

They explain before we start the dinner proper they'll bring us out little bits that the chef's want to share with us and place some creme fresh on the table and explain that there's flat breads in the table decoration for us to eat, they had been covered in a powered seaweed so you really couldn't tell they were there without really looking; what a delightful way to start.
Out comes some freshly baked bread served with pork fat(think bacon butter) and a goat butter, both were great and combining them really worked too..
Moss and Cep - some deepfried moss with a mushroom powder sprinkled on it
Seabuckthorn leather and pickled rosehips - an orange rectangle with really tasty rose petals on
Leek and Garlic - a whole leek is presented and the roots are still attached and they've been deep fried and you eat the bottom 1-2 inches of it.
Cookie with lardo and currant - little biscuits served with a very rich topping
Rye Bread, chickenskin, lumpfish roe and smoked cheese - nice little crispbread style sandwich with the waferthin chicken skin on top
Fjorth Shrimps - they brought out a little caramelised butter and a pot full of ice. open up the pot and they're alive and they don't want to be eaten, que a few excited squeals the shrimps are picked up dipped in the lovely butter and eaten.
Pickled and smoked quails egg - served in what looked like an ostritch egg on a bed of hay, with smoke still coming out.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/quaileggs.jpg
Radish, soil and herbs - a plant pot with radishes planted in but you get to eat the soil and green under the 'soil' inventive and delicious
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/radish.jpg
Toast, herbs, smoked cod roe and vinegar - duck boulion on top like a mini sandiwch of yum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/codroetoast.jpg

On to the menu itself
Cucumber and Dill - really fresh palate clenser, they had blackened cucumber that coated cucumber balls amongst the dill and more traditional cucumber..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/cucumberanddill.jpg
Scallops and beech nut watercress and grains - wafer thin scallops slices what were wind dried placed on collections of grains held together with a watercress emulsion
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/scallops.jpg
Tartare and sorrel juniper and tarragon - one of their signiture dishes you eat it with your hands...delicious
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/tartarandsorrel.jpg
Langoustine and sol parsley and rye - all presented on a large hot rock
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/langoustine.jpg
Oyster and the ocean - a specific type of oyster that's more meaty than usual and big served
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/oysterandsea.jpg
Onions and chickweed Onion Bullion and thyme oil - delicious take on onion soup
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/onions.jpg
Celeriac and truffle - sorrel and watercress stems. best truffle sauce I've ever tasted
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/celeriacandtruffle.jpg
Pickled vegetables and bone marrow - another signature dish, a bone marrow based sauce really brought out loads of flavours of the assembled pickled goodness.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/pickleandbonemarrow.jpg
Reindeer tongue and apple - apple seeds, and wafer thin slices accompany the tongue that's been poached for 7 hours and then caramelised at the end of the process.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/reindeerandapple.jpg
Gammel dansk - almost like a cheesecake but with a woodsorrel sauce, very different and very pleasing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/gammeldansk.jpg
Carrots and Sea buckthorn - was placed in a vaccum to expand it into a sponge looking orange circle topped with raw and caramelised carrots all on top of a creme fresh style creme/ice cream giving it all a wobble
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/carrotsseabuckthorn.jpg
caramelised milk and beetroot - deep fried liquorish balls were great, not a fan of beetroot but when tasting the dish with all the component parts it was great
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/clever_pun/browncheeseandbeetroot.jpg

All the dishes were served with amazing detail about where they come from and bio-dynamic this to organic that (the same with the wines) some of the details are now a little fuzzy due to the wine etc.

if you get the opportunity to go...go, if not make the opportunity, it's worth it, really really worth it.

Bocca di Lupo is amazing, and as you've demonstrated Mr Smyth, decent value... anyone been to Trullo, good / bad? Gonna try and go there next week on my week off and surprise the missus...

That sounds amazing...

+1

I simply can't do it justice, best food experience of my life

booking opens at the start of a month and that opens up a whole month availability for the 2 months in advance.

^ Ta for the advice, might have a crack :)

Went to Dinner by Heston yesterday

Lovely setting in a rather nice hotel, the windows look out over hyde park or you can look into the kitchen and the oversized mech turning the pineapples being flamegrilled on a spit............

............This will get Michelin stars soon and deservedly so.. a great place for a meal, go if you can

Must go soon.. Hmm.. Mrs Brave had big number birthday in September..

Any excuse will do ... I'm trying to think a new excuse for a second trip!

got a reminder in the diary to book for September. Can only book 3 months in advance.

My folks are in town this weekend and I wanted to take them somewhere nice. Had really fancied the idea of Roux at the Landau which was doing 3 courses, 2 glasses of wine, half a bottle of water, coffee and petite fours for about £50. Problem is its taste of London so they only have a tasting menu for £75. My folks are Australian through and through, and £50 pp for a meal with some wine = good value. £75 not so much.
Any recommendations for somewhere that does a set menu for about £50 a head?
I was thinking somewhere very london, like a rather posh hotel, the oxo tower, skylon.....

Has anyone been to 1 Lombard Street?

Suggestions please.

Although I've never been, I've heard and read plenty about The Oxo Tower being very London, ie average and overpriced.

I like Wild Honey http://www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk/ in Mayfair, run by the same team behind Arbutus in Soho. Nice room and good food, got a star, not astronomically expensive.

+1 for wild honey.

shit name, great food. and as with all demetre gaffs you can order pretty much all the wine on the list by the caraffe which is winrar!

off to les trois garcons for friday lunch - got a two for one voucher so why the hell not. and people sniff at you when you use vouchers at the angus steak house. hah!

Or here for some knock-out fish http://www.bentleys.org/home/, book the table with a +1 for me please.

Don't do Oxo.

How about J Sheekey in theatreland - that is if they like fish - I think they have a set weekend menu thats fairly bargainous as well.

Its their shout. I paid for Saltoun supper club when they were here last.
I'd prefer it not to be fish..... I like, but there is always something else I'd choose first.

hawksmoor then.

or go to cafe lisboa/o cantinho in stockies and order everything on the menu. twice. wiv chips.

Opinions on Bibendum?

Has anyone been to 1 Lombard Street?

Yes. It's good but unspectacular for the price. Also has odd opening hours due to being in the City. For the same money, you can go to the Savoy and enjoy similar. (Although I've not been since the re-opening.)

Opinions on Bibendum?

Nice - in a grey slacks and pringle cardigan way.

The sort of place the captain of the golf club would go to for a 'treat'. The oldies may love it but you'd get more bang for your buck elsewhere [TBH the seafood bar downstairs is better]

I've booked to go here on Sunday
http://www.lautrepied.co.uk/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=267
Looks nice and pretty!

Worth a read: http://foodsnobblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/faviken-magasinet-jarpen/

Pollen St Social - avoid. Only OK food, drastically overpriced.

Its my birthday on the 30th June so we have decided to go all out on birthday meals and have a day of excess.

Breakfast will be at Nopi, a light lunch will be at Morito, afternoon tea will be at Cocomaya and then finished off with dinner at The St John Hotel

Come at me food!