London
Brawn

Brawn

49 Columbia Rd., Bethnal Green E2 7RG, E2 7RH, London, United Kingdom

Fish • Pasta • Cheese • Desserts


"Today we payed our first visit to Brawn and what a fabulous lunch we enjoyed to. Set in the heart of Columbia Road , East London is where you’ll find this trendy casual dining restaurant. The menu has a mediterranean theme that is designed for sharing although the sizes of the mains gives you the opportunity to have a starter , main and dessert if you so desire. We entered to receive a nice friendly welcome and as we looked around the restaurant was full with a good buzzy atmosphere. We were then escorted to our table which was in fact through the other side where you would also find the open kitchen. Once seated we were greeted by Victoria our waitress for the afternoon and who did a fabulous job in looking after us. We started with a cocktail while taking a look at the menu. After chatting to Victoria about the menu and her recommendations we placed our order. We started with a selection of snacks including Bread Butter , Salame Campagnolo , Parmesan Fritters and Rabbit Rillete Toast. They were absolutely delicious and we couldn’t wait to see what would be coming next. It was now onto our starters where we would share an amazing Cuttlefish , nduja , chickpea , aioli along with a Cornish Crab , violet artichoke , celery , red chilli before finishing with Grilled Lamb Heart , friggitelli pepper , yoghurt , pistachio , mint. The flavours in each dish were perfectly balanced and a delight to eat. We then moved on to the main course where we were in for a real treat with two stunning dishes. My wife chose the Duck Leg with sprout tops , celeriac and pear. For myself I chose the Pork Loin with hispi cabbage , agen prune and mustard that was simply divine. We really were enjoying some amazing food all washed down with a fabulous Momento Mori 2020 Fistful of Flowers natural wine with flavours of pink grapefruit , peach and apricot. It was now time for a little break before moving on to Cheese and Dessert. This started with a selection of two cheeses with jelly and crackers. We followed this with the Quince Posset , biscotti and grappa as well as the heavenly Chocolate Tart with creme fraiche. We finished with a coffee to bring to an end a fantastic first visit to Brawn and one that I would love to repeat soon. The food and wine was amazing and our waitress Victoria was excellent so yes I would highly recommend a visit."

Blue Door Bistro

Blue Door Bistro

Montague Hotel15 Montague Street, London, United Kingdom

Soup • British • European • Bar-lounge


"I must say that my experience at lunch today was incredibly disappointing. I had been looking for a suitable place to enjoy a quiet lunch with my Grandmother before visiting an exhibition at the British Museum. Starting on a positive note, the staff were excellent at providing a pre-lunch Gin Tonic in the hotel before we moved into the dinning room. Unfortunately after that things started to go down hill. The dinning room was deserted for lunch on a Saturday. As it later became apparent, this was intentional. Two groups of walk-ins were turned away and told that the restaurant was “fully booked” despite it only having only two people in it. This is a restaurant that clearly doesn’t want your business. On the food quality, I had ordered the fishcake starter which was to be served with a poached egg. The poached egg had been boiled to an inch of its life. The yolk was rock hard and going grey. I am not certain how such an error could occur in a restaurant that only had two diners. Further my Tuna from the Grill menu was barely cooked at all. Despite these issue the bill also proved challenging. Firstly, I had to remind them that our drinks had not been added to the bill. Secondly, despite the issues they had still had the nerve to add a 12.5% gratuity to the bill. At no point when we were leaving did they attempt to apologise. For those reading to the end of this review, do not visit this “non-restaurant”, they clearly do not value their customers."

Sakagura

Sakagura

8 Heddon Street London, W1B 4BS, United Kingdom

Fish • Sushi • Noodles • Japanese


"First of all, as a regular customer I always choose to sit in the booth. Our booking specified that we had a complimentary Prosecco and booth seat upon reservation. We did not get the booth seats however it did not bother us and we just sat were the hostess accommodated us. After ordering our food, I also asked if they had a portion of fries. The waitress had told me they do sweet potatoes fries and hakasara fries , I ordered the hakasara fries after she told me they were regular french fries with mayo sauce, which I assumed to he sirachi mayo sauce. I also made it clear that I’m vegetarian after she asked if we had an allergy concerns. After eating all our food and the fries, I ordered another portion of the same fries and more sushi. I then proceeded to ask a man who looked like the manager , what was in the sauce as I had never tasted something like that. He then told me it’s fish mayo sauce. I was absolutely furious, as somebody who has not eaten meat and fish for years, it had made me sick to my guy and I had then lost my appetite and mood. Although they apologised, and I appreciate it I believe what the waitress did was careless and not excusable in certain circumstances , considering somebody may have a very severe allergy to fish , unlike in my situation , and would have ended up in hospital. More precautions should be taken to ensure customers know what they are eating, considering the menu is very vague and does not specify. Very disappointed."