Busaba Eathai: Bicester Village, Bicester

Busaba Eathai

Date of Visit: 26^th May 2013

Ambience

The interior of the restaurant was dimly lit but since the sun was out, we opted to sit in the terrace part which was enclosed on the sides but the roof was open.  I thought it was a clever design since the roof could be closed when necessary and there were heaters fitted all around which could be turned on if guests felt the breeze.

The wooden table and bench like seats were surrounded by yellow lamps which hung from the ceiling.  Overall, the décor was modern, yet simple but this suited the image of the restaurant chain.

Food

We opted for the Roti to start which we asked to be served with a Green Curry dip and for mains we had a Sen Chan Pad Thai and a Pad Kwetio. 

The roti was quite different to the Malaysian and Indian Rotis that I am used to – they are more crispy and oily but it certainly needed a dip, else it would be pretty tasteless.  The Pad Thai was very spicy, more so than an average pad thai but I found it to be full of flavour and quite tasty.  It didn’t help the fact that I had a ginger & honey tea which was also spicy but it was definitely easier to eat when I asked for a glass of water.  The Pad Kwetio was essentially ho fun noodles stir fried with prawns and veg in a sweet sauce which had a bit of a spicy kick. 

Service

The service was prompt and whilst the waiter didn’t seem overly pleased he had to be working on a nice sunny day, he was efficient and thumbs up for laughing at our joke of not ordering what we couldn’t pronounce.    We couldn’t fault the speed of the service throughout the meal, from being seated to ordering, to the food arriving on the table - it all went like clockwork.

Summary

Overall, the food was decent and the experience of dining al fresco without eating dust was great.  At around £30 for two people, it wasn’t bad value and I think the owners were smart to open up a Busaba Eathai in Bicester Village as they could make a killing with the limited choice around the shopping area.

Tonkotsu: Soho, London

Tonkotsu:

Date of Visit: 25^th May 2013

Ambience

This is a very small and cramped restaurant which somewhat resembles a typical ramen place in Japan.  With wooden bench like table and seats, you could find yourself rubbing shoulders with strangers.  We arrived for lunch when the restaurant was open at 12pm so it wasn’t busy to start with but as we left, it was heaving with diners.  The décor is very simple with the story of how Tonkotsu began and images of how the ramen is freshly made, framed up on the wall.

Food

The menu is limited but it shows that the restaurant specialises in what they are good at, namely ramen in soup.  I had the original tonkotsu ramen with pork belly, which was full of flavour and the ramen was perfect – the noodle was a springy texture which was not soggy at all.  I was glad to see a proper ramen egg within the bowl too – one which had been marinated for some time.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ramen but unfortunately there was one small incident which let the place down.  My companion bit into a couple of bits of rope which she found in her bowl of noodles – we confronted the waitress who apologised and offered to replace the bowl with a new one.  This offer was not taken up since the contents of the bowl was almost empty and we wouldn’t have been able to stomach another.

Instead, we opted to try the Ice Cream Mochis – the three flavours that we chose were Salted Caramel, Hazelnut and Mango.  All three were yummy :)

Service

The service was quick and the servers were responsive.  Due to the little incident with the rope, the waitress offered to take the dessert off the bill for us as compensation which we gladly accepted.

Summary

I enjoyed every aspect of the food and I think the place is great for a quick no-fuss meal which is satisfying as well as filling. I would have no qualms about visiting this place again but before I do so, I would like to try Shoryu which is also known to be famous for their ramen.

Prezzo: Victoria Place, London

Prezzo

Date of Visit: 22nd May 2013

Ambience

The tables are packed in and very close to each other but I cannot blame them since the space is small, given that it is located within a train station.  The décor is minimal and it was bustling with people (to the point where there was a long queue outside the door).  Luckily we had booked a table so we were quickly shown to our table.

Food

We were limited on time as it was a pre-theatre dinner so we only managed to fit in mains.  The Chicken and Asparagus Risotto was rich and creamy whilst the Lobster and Crab Tortelli was lovely with a decent amount of filling.  Due to the richness of each dish, it would have been hard to finish the whole plate by oneself but lucky we were canny enough to split the dishes between two.

I had a cranberry juice which smelt funny – I couldn’t work out whether it was the drink itself or the glass it was in but every mouthful, I could smell something which resembled a damp cloth.

Service

The service was pretty good until we asked for the bill which took 10 minutes and considering we were in a rush, it was noticeably long.

Summary

This restaurant is ok for a quick dinner in a convenient location but definitely not for a special occasion.

Browns Restaurant: Butler’s wharf, London

Browns Restaurant

Date of Visit: 17^th May 2013

Ambience

We were seated in a half booth rounded table which was adequate for a party of 5.  The décor was minimal and some improvement is needed, such as addressing wobbly tables.  It wasn’t too busy on a Friday night which may be the reason why the piano in the middle of the restaurant was untouched during the whole evening. Half-way through the meal, the lights dimmed drastically (our guess was that they wanted to create a more romantic feed).

Food

The Salmon starter lacked flavour as it was on the bland side but the pomegranate added texture and some taste.  The Corn Fed Chicken as a main was nicely cooked and surprisingly not too dry.  However, the potato rosti that was served with it tasted odd and somewhat like it had been in a freezer for some time.  The Steak as a main was not great as the meat was chewy and as we all know, a good steak should be effortless to eat.

There was a wide range of desserts available and they were the better part of the meal.  The sticky toffee pudding was the largest portion I have seen but it would have been better served with ice cream instead of cream. The dark chocolate brownie was rich and gooey whilst the pistachio ice cream it came with was pleasant.  The salted caramel cheesecake was unusual; quite nice but a bit on the sweet side.

The desserts went nicely with a proper pot of English Breakfast Tea (served with tea strainers).  The red wine we had was decent and the apple & lychee juice was lovely.

Service

The service was fairly good as we did not have to wait long to order food or drinks but the main course took noticeably longer to arrive compared to the starters.

Summary

In my opinion, the food was mediocre and considering I have visited two different branches of Browns, I have not been overly impressed with the food (or service in my first experience of the branch in Birmingham).  As such, it’s not great value for money and it wouldn’t be my choice to return again.

Mae Ping: Wimbledon, London

Mae Ping

Date of Visit: 8^th May 2013

Ambience

This is a smaller venue compared to the one in Croydon but the décor is very similar.  You will find typical Thai decorative pieces dotted around the restaurant and authentic Thai staff.  The whole feeling is quite cosy and warm.

Food

We had some Thai Prawn Crackers to start which were nice and for mains we shared a Pad Ta Krai which was beef with lemongrass, garlic and chilli on a sizzler, Chang Mai Chicken Red Curry, Pad Thai Jay and a Coconut Rice.

The beef was very tender but the sauce was more salty than spicy and the chicken in the curry was too dry – it didn’t help that the pieces were fairly big too.  The Pad Thai was surprisingly better than expected.  The flat noodles had a chewy texture which was good.

We were pleasantly surprised with the size of the portions.  From past experience, portions of food in Thai restaurants tend to be small but we struggled to finish all the food between two of us.  The food was served over hot plates to keep warm during our meal which I thought was a nice touch.

Service

When we arrived, we were the only customers so the service was attentive and prompt.  There was a large group that entered during the course of our meal but this did not affect the great service level.

Summary

Overall the food was mediocre but given the good service and ambience, I wouldn’t mind returning to try different dishes.