Its Easter Sunday and I have just about recovered from the excesses of the previous week. Birthdays, work and lots of food had taken their toll but a few quiet days have meant the batteries are almost full and to me, that means only one thing, time to run them down again!
The whirring of Project Easter Monday were afoot. Firstly, lunch. As you all know, I like to eat. So the hunt for a restaurant began. Amongst the various food blogs and reviews I read, I remembered that Wild Honey, off shoot of Arbutus, had been building a decent reputation and remembering that my friend Ed had also recommended it (he proposed to his fiancée there); I rang up and made a booking for lunch.
I thought as it was indirectly Ed's idea, I should invite him and my lunch date was arranged. I just prayed the location wouldn't instigate him to get down on one knee. Located just off Regent Street, it was just a short hop on the 12 for me and I was early. I perched at the bar and ordered a glass of wine.
One thing you should know is I am a wine cretin. I know nothing about wine so I asked the front of house (they don't have a sommelier) for a recommendation. She brought me a very nice light white which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Once my mate had arrived, we proceeded to make our choices. I opted for the 3 course Prix Fixe. At £16.95, this is a steal. I mean, where can you sample Michelin starred cooking for under £20? I started with the thinly sliced pork with a rather intriguing poached egg vinaigrette. I wasn't really sure what I was going to get but what tuned up were a few pieces of warm delicious thinly sliced pork covered with a light tangy vinaigrette with a hint of richness coming from the egg. It was a really nice light starter and sets you up nicely for what was to follow.
My main of veal ravioli was simple but well executed. The pasta was firm and the filling of veal was smooth and flavoursome. The chard was a bit of a revelation for me as I had never had it before but was a more delicious version of spinach. My only criticism was that at just 2 ravioli, the portion may have been erring on the small side and the onion compote that it sat on may have been overly sweet.
Finally, I finished off my meal with Rhubarb Jelly and Ice cream. The jelly was tart and complemented the sweetness of the ice cream perfectly (let's face it, you can't really go wrong with jelly and ice cream). One highlight was the small nuggets of candied rhubarb at the bottom which released small bursts of rhubarb goodness.
The service throughout was attentive without coming across as over bearing. Although initially neglecting us with the offer of bread, once this oversight had been pointed out, we couldn't stop them offering us bread!
After lunch, I wanted to buy trainers but I was made to go and drink cocktails in the Fumoir at Claridges. I won't say too much about this other than it's an amazing setting; the cocktails are expensive but very strong. Half the fun of going to places like this is the people watching. One of these people was the eavesdropping middle aged woman sitting next us sipping her multitude of cocktails alone. This was topped off by her asking for more rum in her daiquiri! Bloody hell, if I had asked for more alcohol in my drinks, I would have keeled over.
I completed my Easter Monday with the first BBQ of the year round my friends house, where I managed to add to my alcoholic smorgasbord of red wine, white wine and cocktails with some Guinness. What started out as a potentially very dull day turned into something completely mental!
The whirring of Project Easter Monday were afoot. Firstly, lunch. As you all know, I like to eat. So the hunt for a restaurant began. Amongst the various food blogs and reviews I read, I remembered that Wild Honey, off shoot of Arbutus, had been building a decent reputation and remembering that my friend Ed had also recommended it (he proposed to his fiancée there); I rang up and made a booking for lunch.
I thought as it was indirectly Ed's idea, I should invite him and my lunch date was arranged. I just prayed the location wouldn't instigate him to get down on one knee. Located just off Regent Street, it was just a short hop on the 12 for me and I was early. I perched at the bar and ordered a glass of wine.
One thing you should know is I am a wine cretin. I know nothing about wine so I asked the front of house (they don't have a sommelier) for a recommendation. She brought me a very nice light white which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Once my mate had arrived, we proceeded to make our choices. I opted for the 3 course Prix Fixe. At £16.95, this is a steal. I mean, where can you sample Michelin starred cooking for under £20? I started with the thinly sliced pork with a rather intriguing poached egg vinaigrette. I wasn't really sure what I was going to get but what tuned up were a few pieces of warm delicious thinly sliced pork covered with a light tangy vinaigrette with a hint of richness coming from the egg. It was a really nice light starter and sets you up nicely for what was to follow.
My main of veal ravioli was simple but well executed. The pasta was firm and the filling of veal was smooth and flavoursome. The chard was a bit of a revelation for me as I had never had it before but was a more delicious version of spinach. My only criticism was that at just 2 ravioli, the portion may have been erring on the small side and the onion compote that it sat on may have been overly sweet.
Finally, I finished off my meal with Rhubarb Jelly and Ice cream. The jelly was tart and complemented the sweetness of the ice cream perfectly (let's face it, you can't really go wrong with jelly and ice cream). One highlight was the small nuggets of candied rhubarb at the bottom which released small bursts of rhubarb goodness.
The service throughout was attentive without coming across as over bearing. Although initially neglecting us with the offer of bread, once this oversight had been pointed out, we couldn't stop them offering us bread!
After lunch, I wanted to buy trainers but I was made to go and drink cocktails in the Fumoir at Claridges. I won't say too much about this other than it's an amazing setting; the cocktails are expensive but very strong. Half the fun of going to places like this is the people watching. One of these people was the eavesdropping middle aged woman sitting next us sipping her multitude of cocktails alone. This was topped off by her asking for more rum in her daiquiri! Bloody hell, if I had asked for more alcohol in my drinks, I would have keeled over.
I completed my Easter Monday with the first BBQ of the year round my friends house, where I managed to add to my alcoholic smorgasbord of red wine, white wine and cocktails with some Guinness. What started out as a potentially very dull day turned into something completely mental!
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