Chick 'n' Sours

Posh FC

Fried chicken, seaweed crack & pickled watermelon

Back in May 2015, I tried the original Chick 'n' Sours at Dalston for the first time and I was very impressive with its sour cocktails, and especially the fried chicken which was something pretty special. The only real issue for me was the location, so as soon as I have discovered that it has opened a second joint in Soho, it was the perfect excuse for me to make a visit. The new site is a lot bigger, and the menu also got bigger with some very exciting new offering, such as the Szechuan aubergine and the "Seven Seal", a pineapple based sour cocktail.

Yuu Kitchen

Asian tapas, fusion style

Wok fried eggplant with miso glaze

Japanese sake cocktails, manga murals collaborated with Hong Kong artists, baos, and chicken wings…Asian fusion food is so hot on the plate in London’s food scene right now. Here’s another one for you, only this Asian tapas restaurant comes with a powerful background. The head chef, a born and bred Australian who have thrived the “London Dream”. He worked in the Nobu for a good 8 years before joining the Bone Daddies empire. Are there any influence from these two gourmet giants? Yes, but only the good ones.

Wild Rabbit

Best of Cotswold

roasted cod, shrimp, cauliflower

Wild Rabbit, the newly Michelin awarded gastropub in Cotswold is a sure favorite of mine. It is led up by Tim Allen, who used to be the head chef at D&D's Launceston Place last year. The style of his cooking is exactly the kind I just absolutely adore, it is a blend of creative flair with fine attention to detail. Tim is also a very progressive and forward thinking chef. So since my first visit in the summer, I expect something quite different, plus more novel elements. From my long autumn weekend break, below are some of the highlights over my two visits :

London Cocktail Week 2016

Recap of the biggest cocktail festival in the UK

Another year of London Cocktail Week (LCW), under new management for the first time, it was a week of pure joy with plenty of fun and eyeopening experiences. The LCW village Spitalfields Market featured many interesting and engaging pop up bars, such as the Caorunn's 'flavour wheel'. The major change for me this year was the high number of "big brands" that took part. I would have preferred a higher ratio of craft and independent brands, as I think LCW is an ideal place to explore new things you wouldn't usually have the chance to.


Key highlights:

Ford Gin at City Social

oysters and martinis matching

Cod, spicy ponzu, squid and miso

Hazelnut plaisir sucre with gin &milk

This has to one of the very best LCW event of all time, a 3 course dinner at the Michelin starred City Social by Jason Atherton, it was a dinner full of joy and excitement. Bar Manager Jamie explained how martinis and oysters worked with some of the most unique drink pairing I have encountered, from Asian-inspired to stout-infused martini. All the dishes by Executive Chef Paul Walsh was top notch and I especially enjoyed the dessert which worked wonders with a gin and ice cream cocktail.


For more information, please visit: http://www.fordsgin.com/


Buffalo Bourbon Empire

Eagle Rare 10

Cocktail masterclass

Antique Collection tasting

The lads from Buffalo Trace always came up with some really fun and engaging concept, this time was no difference. New to this year was the bartender stalls, where an informal cocktail class took place to learn everything about American Whiskey cocktails, from the history to how to make it with ease. To finish off the night, we tasted some of the latest antique collection which just landed in the UK. The Sazerac was the most enjoyable in the collection, rich and complex without being challenging on the palate. The antique collection was truly exquisite, it was easy to understand why it had won so many major whiskey awards.


For more information, please visit: http://www.buffalotrace.co.uk/


The World Class House

Love Scotch cocktail class

Bullet Barista Booth

Tanqueray 10's Future Forest

The World Class House once again delivered a glamour and spectacular pop up in 2016. The "Love Scotch" experience offered a sensory journey and education about the diversity of Scotch Whisky. "Future Forest" offered a DIY cocktail session with a twist, where guests could hand pick fruits and herbs to create their very own Tanqueray cocktail. My last stop of my LCW experience was the "Bullet Barista Booth" where the brand ambassador educated us about Bullet Whiskey, and how the brand worked with a coffee barista company to come up with a truly special coffee based cocktail. 


For more information, please visit: http://www.alexanderandjames.com/

Veneta

Salt Yard does Italian

Pork Rib-eye, Occhiato Bean Puree, Grilled Courgettes

Veneta is a brand new restaurant by the team behind the Spanish restaurant group Salt Yard. Headed up by Ben Tish, Salt Yard as group has produced some very successful restaurants, such as Ember Yard and Opera Tavern, taking modern Spanish cuisine to a high level and gain a solid reputation. This time around, the group is trying their hands on Italian cuisine with the launch of Veneta at St James' Market, covering two floors, the restaurant features a raw bar as well as an open kitchen, with mostly sharing dishes on offer.

Lobos Meat and Tapas Soho

Meaty Spanish feast

Sirloin on the bone

Lobos came from ex members of the ever popular Brindisa tapas chain. I dined at the the first Lobos in Brough Market back in 2015 and I really enjoyed it. Lobos focus on Spanish wine, sherry, meaty tapas and pork especially, and well known Iberico pork is perhaps the very best pork you get in the world. The new Lobos at Soho located on Frith street, similar to the first site, the space is fairly limited with not much room. As I have been to the original Lobos a number of times, I ordered a few dishes that is excursive to the new Soho site. 

Temper

Beyond Temping 

Temper

For regular readers of my blog, you all know how much of a fan I am of Smokehouse. Smokehouse has changed the way how I feel about BBQ, instead of just cheap cut of meat with a bit of ketchup and salad, Neil Rankin (Ex executive chef of Smokehouse) has taken it to the next level. He has turned BBQ into refined and well constructed restaurant dishes, that can easily sit in a high end restaurant without losing the essence of BBQ. He had just recently launched his very first restaurant: Temper at Soho, a basement restaurant that focused on BBQ with a light touch of Mexican influence.

Anzu

Missing the premium edge

Salmon Cured in saka and seabass

From the same people behind the Japanese ramen joint Tonkotsu, Anzu is a brand new Japaneses restaurant in the newly developed St James Market. Unlike the casual Tonkotsu, Anzu is a lot more premium in the decor, as is the cost of the dishes. The menu is mainly focusing on Teishoku, a main course portion that serves with rice and miso soup, it also has a small selection of small plates which are ideal for sharing.

Kingham Plough

Mediocre

Slow Braised Oxtail Ox Tongue, Fried Bread & Horseradish

When a chef gain success on TV, it is only normal that you would want to pay a visit to their restaurant for a taste of what the chef is capable of. Kingham Plough, is a gastro pub in the village of Kingham in Cotswolds, it's owner, Emily Watkins won The Great British Menu on BBC back in 2014 and that alone was enough to warrant a visit for me. From the restaurant's website, the menu is very short and seem fairly basic. But that was no issue for me, I was hoping for some classic British flavours done in an elegant and skillful way that would take my taste buds away. By judging from all the awards it has landed in recent years, surely the Kingham Plough can deliver something rather special. 

Le Champignon Sauvage

The best of Cheltenham?

Roasted wood pigeon, butternut squash, black pudding, chocolate

For any serious UK foodies, Le Champignon Sauvage shouldn't be a strange name in the world of fine dining. Located in Cheltenham, this fine dining French restaurant has 2 Michelin stars for almost 10 years. Ran by the husband and wife team, David and Helen Everitt-Matthias, the restaurant is rated highly by the both consumer and trade media, offering modern French cuisine at a rather affordable price if you benchmarked it against other Michelin restaurants elsewhere in the UK. Unlike many other fine dining restaurants, Le Champignon Sauvage didn't do tasting menu, with only a choice of two 3 course menu for both lunch and dinner.

The Sir Charles Napier

A secret gem

Caramelized chocolate and peanut terrine with  lime ice cream

To round off my Cotswolds trip, the Sir Charles Napier was my final stop before on my way back to London. It is just 10 mins drive from the main motorway in the countryside of Chinnor. This gastro pub has a Michelin star to its name as well as a beautiful garden, filled up with sculptors and flowers as well as a helicopter pad, talk about arriving in style. The cooking is British with some innovative touch, diners can choose between a la carte and a tasting menu, which now seems like the standard formula of any current Michelin starred places, no matter if it is a pub or a restaurant. 

Nut Tree Inn

Top notch pub food

Roasted venison, smoked potato puree, chard, port

As part of my Cotswolds trip, the Nut Tree Inn near Oxford was high on my hit list. Great pub food is hard to come by in London so I always try to find a quality local pub whenever I have the chance and it seems Nut Tree Inn ticks all the boxes. The menu looks interesting with some creative flair while still maintaining the principles of traditional British cuisine. Nut Tree Inn also has a Michelin star to its name for 9 years now, a remarkable achievement, especially for a pub. As well as the standard 3 course a la carte, it also has a tasting menu which is a 8 course marathon, ideal for people like me who usually go for tasting menu whenever I visit a Michelin restaurant.

Clipstone

Modern European twist

Grilled ox tongue, heritage radishes

From the same people behind the Michelin starred Portland, Clipstone is a modern European restaurant in Fitzrovia. I had a fantastic meal at Portland before it landed itself a Michelin star in the 2016 guide. Clipstone is supposed to be the younger sister restaurant at a more affordable price. The menu is short but is loaded with plenty of interesting dishes that made it uneasy for me to pick, such as ox heart and partridge.

Helene Darroze at The Connaught

Roasted chicken, gourmet style

 Le Poulet du Dimanche

I am a massive fan of Helen Darroze's weekend brunch, so when it was replaced with a chicken tasting menu: Le Poulet du Dimanche, I was rather sad but excited at the same time. Judging from the sample menu, it has a mixture of dishes in the manner of classic fine dining style as well as some global influence, such as the tortilla stuffed with chicken confit leg. The meal started off with some very impressive canapes, the canape that stood out was the oyster with a grapefruit dressing, very refreshing with a hint of sweetness. 

Elystan Street

Brand new chapter

Loin of lamb with pesto roasted aubergine, garlic purée,
green olives and balsamic vinegar

When Philip Howard decided to step down from double Michelin starred, The Square, and sold the restaurant with joint owner, Nigel Platts Martin, to the MARC corporation. He wasted no time to open another restaurant called Elystan Street in Chelsea, on the former site of Tom Aikens. After 25 years at The Square, I think Philip had indeed made a right decision to have a fresh start to focus on something else. I felt that even though the cooking and the hospitality at The Square was outstanding, it had become slightly dated and missing a spark. Philip described the cooking at Elystan Street as modern British in essence and ingredients lead, the menu is the usual a la carte format with mains costing around the £35 mark.

Yosma

All about the lamb dishes

lamb chops, lemon, mint

Yosma is a brand new Turkish restaurant that has just recently launched on Baker Street. While it plays central stage to the classic Turkish grill dishes, it is far from your standard Turkish restaurant. It has a rather big menu containing both hot and cold meze, as well as dishes from using a clay oven. The restaurant itself is fairly big with a dark, modern feel to it. The space is spit into two part, with a main dining room on one side and a full cocktail bar on another. Guests are welcome to dine at the bar and the drink menu contain plenty of raki and raki based cocktail, Turkish's national spirit.

Monmouth Kitchen

Italian Peruvian combo

Lobster ceviche

Located on Seven Dial, Monmouth Kitchen is a newly opened restaurant inside the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel. It has somewhat an unusual theme, it is a tapas sharing concept restaurant which contain both Italian or Peruvian cuisine. Judging from the menu, the Italian side is fairly standard, with dishes such as pizza and pasta. The Peruvian is far more interesting, including plenty of ceviche dishes and skewers. For me it is a rather odd concept of serving two very difference style of cuisine in the same dining room, especially the Italian side of things are all about classic dishes while the Peruvian side focus on modern dishes.

Azurmendi

State of the art 

Azurmendi's greenhouse

A trip to Bilbao can not be complete without visiting the highly praised restaurant: Azurmendi. A fine dining restaurant with 3 Michelin Stars and awarded place no.16 from the World's 50 Best restaurant in the 2016 edition. The cooking is modern Basque in essence, with a touch of creativity and flair. The restaurant also has multiple gardens to grow its own produces as well as a vineyard. What is fun about Azurmendi is that guest won't be taken to the dining from the start, instead, they will be taken to the kitchen with canapes and welcome drink followed by a visit to its greenhouse to sample more snacks first.

Etxanobe

Luxury fine dining, Basque style 

Etxanobe

When I was doing my research on where to dine in Bilbao, Etxanobe really stood out for me, the 1 Michelin starred restaurant has a really impressive dining room, with a strong modern art influence as well as a lovely outdoor terrace which oversee the city. Located inside the Euskalduna Conference Centre, the cooking is a blend of traditional Basque cuisine with a creative and playful twist. Diners can choose between a la carte or the chef's tasting menu. The first thing I have noticed is the heat warming welcoming from the waiters on our arrival, from leading us to the table on the terrace followed by a greeting from chef- owner Fernando Canales, it all made us feel really special.

Mina

Prime ingredients tasting

Spider crab in corn stew

Mina is a Michelin starred restaurant located in the Old Town area of Bilbao, overlooking the river and the famous Ribera market. The restaurant has a rather modern charm with funky stairs leading to the main dining space. It has 8 counter seating facing the kitchen which is great if you want to engage with the chefs and wanting to find out more about their creation. The cooking is very modern and use very high quality ingredients from local regions. The restaurant only offers tasting menu so unless you are open to try new and experimental things, Mina might not be ideal for you.

La Viña del Ensanche

Top notch Basque cuisine 

Joselito Iberian Cured Ham with tomato,
virgin olive oil and oven baked ciabatta

La Viña del Ensanche, a traditional Spanish restaurant in the heart of Bilbao downtown. It was highly recommended by a close friend who had just recently came back from Bilbao and judging from all the positive online reviews, it does seem like a place that was well worth a visit. The restaurant had two dining space, a casual pintxos bar with tavern seating in one end and a much more formal and classy dinning room on the other end. The menu was large, with traditional pintxos, tapas, tasting menu, as well as a a gastronomic menu.  

El Globo

Bilbao's classic

Grilled prawns

If your research online where is the best place to eat at an affordable price in Bilbao, you will most likely to see El Globo high on the list. With countless awards, El Globo is considered one of the finest pintxos bars in Bilbao. Located in the city centre, the bar has a small dining room as well as an outside space with a full table service. The menu contain a selection of pintxos as well as larger dishes which are ideal for sharing. This is also ideal for a quick lunch with a strong list of sandwiches and salads. 

Gure Toki

Modern basque cuisine

Gure Toki

Gure Toki is located right in the heart of the Plaza Nueva in the Old Town area of Bilbao. This modern pintxos bar has been given a high level of recommendation and praises since it was relaunched in 2015. The best thing about this pintxo bar was that the dishes on the menu were cooked to order (you could still order pre-made pintxo by the bar), also the cooking definitely had a modern factor, with things such as tempura and curry being used in its dishes. 

El Huevo Frito

High standard pintxos

El Huevo Frito

While on my trip to Bilbao, on my must do list, of course, was to try out some of the hottest pintxos bars. You can hardly find any pintxos bars in London and usually they lack quality, so I was really excited to finally to get a chance to try the real deal. El Huevo Frito was right in the heart of the city centre, a tiny bar specialising in egg based pintxos. Even during midday early hours, it was filled with locals, surrounded buzzing atmosphere whilst many other places nearby were half empty, which indicated it was a quality place.

Anglo

Great British tasting

Isle of Wight tomatoes

I always keep an close eye with new launches from chefs that have had an extensive experience from top restaurants. Anglo is a modern British restaurant by Mark Jarvis, who has an impressive CV working across at places such as Texture and Zuma. So I was really eager to try his cooking at this restaurant in Farringdon. Anglo so far has been a success, scoring some very positive reviews from the media which gave me extra motivation to visit. Anglo only offer a price fixed tasting menu in the evening, so if tasting menu isn't your cup of tea, go for lunch when you can pick from a normal a la carte menu.

Eneko at One Aldwych

Basque cooking in London

 

Iberico ham, suckling pig, crispy pork jowl

When I heard Eneko was launching in London, I was really excited. No less because it is from the same team behind the much celebrated 3 Michelin starred restaurant in Spain: Azurmendi. I have just returned from a very special meal at Azurmendi, it was truly incredible but Eneko was a completely difference beast, from the concept, style of cooking to the decor. It was just not comparable. The menu was a la carte format with a far more traditional approach. The style of cooking was Basque in principal, with a twist of modern element in the mix. The restaurant itself was located inside the 5 star hotel, One Aldwych. the funky decor actually reminded me of the famous art museum Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Samarkand

Modern Uzbeki cuisine 

Hand-made puff pastry parcels filled with beef & lamb
and beef & lamb manti

Smarkand is a brand new restaurant just opened in Fitzrovia, located on the former site of the Spanish restaurant Fino. Smarkand is all about cuisine from the nation of Uzbekistan. While I have no knowledge of Uzbeki food, I am pretty sure the cooking has been given a western refinement to make it more palatable for the locals. The menu is fairly long with a large choice of starter dishes. Smarkand has an impressive vodka list with some rare brands, which you normally could only find in special retails. I am an admirer of the decor, it is dark and exotic with a touch a modern edge.

Ormer Mayfair

Modern British fine dining

Jersey lobster ravioli, crab and tomato bisque, shallot

London just can't get enough of new restaurant openings, but that usually fall into the casual  or concept dining restaurants. Ormer Mayfair is riding against the trend, a fine dining restaurant inside the Flemings hotel. Headed up by Shaun Rankin, a talented chef which has a Michelin star at his Jersey restaurant, offering modern British cuisine. Like most fine dining restaurant, the menu offers the usual a la carte choices as well as a tasting menu at £75 per person. This kind of pricing would fall into a 1 Michelin Star territory so my expectation was high. But given the chef's background and merit, I was fairly confident the kitchen could deliver the goods, instead of turning Ormer into just another over priced restaurant inside a posh hotel. 

Greenhouse

Work of art

Front of Greenhouse

Greenhouse is a two Michelin starred Michelin restaurant in Mayfair, the cooking is modern French while maintain a touch of classic glamour and sophistication. It has been over two years since I last eaten there, with a half day off from work, I figured it would be a good idea to try out its set lunch menu as the restaurant does not offer the good value £40 menu at weekends. I was also interested to see how the restaurant has progressed as I am a big fan of chef Amraud Bignon's presentation with his dishes, for me, I think Greenhouse has, by far the best food plating in London, every single dish are presented like artwork.

Sagardi London

Basque BBQ

Grill kitchen

Located in Shoreditch, Sagardi is a Spanish restaurant specialising in Basque cuisine. It is already a successful business back in Spain and now it aims to expand in the UK market. Basque cooking is one of the finest cuisines in the world so I was very excited to dine at Sagardi after seeing the restaurant claim that they import their ingredients from the Basque region daily. On arrival, I was already impressed with the open grilling kitchen and butcher session, this shows the restaurant takes their Basque style grill meat seriously.

Gauthier Soho

Taking to the next level

Barbary Duck Classic “Canard aux Cerises”
Dried & Fresh Cherries, Rainbow Chard Confit Duck Leg & Duck Jus

This is my 5th visit to the much celebrated Gauthier restaurant in Soho. This popular restaurant is one of my personal favourite when I want to seek a high end French restaurant without needing to sell my house. It has a really good value lunch menu at £25 as well as a long tasting menu which is perfect for any serious fine dining lovers, a long menu containing up to 8 courses, based on in season prime ingredients. One really cool thing about this restaurant is its decor, it is spread across 3 floors inside an attached building, inside it has a really cosy feeling and it is almost like dining at someone else's home.

Old Pulteney Whisky

Whisky and food matching

These days, consumer's knowledge in whisky is not what it is used to be, people generally have a much greater understanding and seek finer quality whiskies, comparing to 10-15 years ago. But if you are new to whisky, you might find it challenging due to the taste and the "Granddad" images that whisky has. Old Pulteney Whisky however has came up with a great idea that was both fun and engaging, which I am sure would get people excited even if they are not whisky drinkers. They have teamed up with chef Aiden Byrne at his restaurant, Manchester House, and created a special whisky and food pairing event. Aiden had created a selection of bespoke canapes to match 3 of Old Pulteney's offering. Aiden is well renowned for his creative modern fine dining and I was really interested to see what he had in store for the event.

Craft London

Duck sensation

clay baked duck

This is my second time visiting Craft London in North Greenwich, a modern fine dining restaurant located between the tube station and the O2. I had a great dinner a while back from it's good value testing kitchen menu, which costed only £28 for 6 course. I could taste enough quality from it, therefore it warranted me to head back to Craft London to try its dishes from the normal menu. Not to mention to try the restaurant's signature dish, the clay baked duck, this dish became the talk of the town since it launched. We opted for the tasting menu for a special birthday occasion, for an additional £20, we also got the clay baked duck as part of the long tasting menu.

Pitt Cue

Gourmet BBQ

Cured and smoked jowl

Any foodies who love eating should be well aware of the name Pitt Cue. The original site at Soho was so popular that you will even need to wait for more than an hour to get a table on a weekday for lunch. It has now moved to The City with a much bigger dining room along with a full bar and outdoor space. Not to mention it now takes in bookings, which is music to my ears. The menu is largely built around all kind of BBQ meats, with some unusual and interesting cut such as the lamb hearts and ox tongue. It also has a daily black board with some larger cuts that are great for sharing.

Rok Islington

Premium smoked meat

Scallop in the shell with ndjua & british seaweed

It hasn't been long since I last at at the original Rök Smokehouse in Shoreditch; that time, the meal was generally solid and surprised with some very interesting flavours. So as soon as I found out that Rök was launching a second site, with a soft launch offer, I put it at the top of my to-do list, as the main reason for not eating there regularly is the premium price. The new site is between Angel and Highbury & Islington station, the décor is fairly simple with an open bar in the middle of the restaurant.

Picture Marylebone

Falling down

Stone bass, courgette, black olive

Picture, the modern British restaurant in Fitzrovia, has just recently launched another restaurant with the same name at Marylebone. I had a fantastic tasting menu at the old site two years ago and it's one of few restaurants I would recommend to friends when they are seeking something special without going above the £50 mark. The new site's format is more or less the same as the original's, diners can chose between from an a la carte or a six-course tasting menu.

St John

British classic

Pig cheek and dandelion

If you were asked to name a high-quality, classic British restaurant in London, St John would be one of the very first places to come to mind for most Londoners. Opened by the legendary chef Fergus Henderson, a British pioneer in championing nose-to-tail cooking,St John's style of cooking takes a no nonsense approach; you wouldn't see any fancy presentation or combinations of creative ingredients on the menu, it's just very British-style cooking that emphasises quality ingredients.Even the restaurant itself is somewhat plain and simple with its decor, which means that unless you've done you're research on its Michelin star you could miss this.

Fischer's Baslow Hall

Sunday lunch delight

Fischer's Baslow Hall

It is not too often I get the chance to escape to the countryside, and when I do, visiting high level local restaurants is always one of my main aim in my city escape plan. Located near in the countryside of Bakewell, Fischer's Baslow Hall is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Peak District. The hotel restaurant has its own garden to grow vegetables and herbs for the kitchen with a beautiful driveway and garden. It is a very charming and elegant site which wouldn't look out of place in a Downtown Abbey scene. The cooking is very British with a modern touch but at a very refine level, using prime local ingredients such as the Derbyshire pork. We booked for a Sunday lunch to finish off our Peak District trip on a high.

Samuel Fox Country Inn

Hidden gem in the Peak District

Soused sardines, pickled fennel, grapefruit and saffron

It is not easy to spot a great restaurant when you are on holiday in the countryside, with no local knowledge and limited information on the internet. On my trip to the Peak District, Sammuel Fox came to my radar with an impressive collective of awards, it had a Michelin Bid Gourmand rating as well as being ranked the number 1 restaurant in Hope Valley. Judging from the pictures and the menu online, it seemed like it is a very solid restaurant with some playful and creative elements in the mix which warranted me a visit. The cooking was very British with some classic dishes, using seasonal and local ingredients.

Blacklock

Meaty affair

Beef short ribs, pork loin and lamb culet

Summer is finally here which only mean one thing... BBQ season! There are many great BBQ places across London to choose from and you would find that Blacklock would feature in many publications when it comes to talking about great meaty places in London. The great value for money chops plus the Soho area proven to be a successful formula for Blacklock. 1 year later, it is now a popular restaurant and if it wasn't for the new bookable pre-theatre timing, I would struggle to get a table.

Lima Floral

Eastern flavours

Salmon tiradito, beetroot, black quinoa

Peruvian cuisine is an interesting one for me, the freshness of Southern American flavours in combination of the cleaniness of Far East flavours are somewhat special and are adored by chefs around the world. Lima Floral is the second Peruvian restaurant in London under the much celebrated chef Virgilio Martinez. His first restaurant with the same name in Fitzrova gained a Michelin star for its unique flavours and colourful presentation. Lima Floral is very similar to its biggest brother, but perhaps a touch more casual judging from the pricing on the menu. We opted for the pre-theatre menu, which cost under £20 for 3 course and came with a glass of house wine.