Bite Me!

You've probably heard it said that with food, presentation is everything.  Now, while this is manifestly untrue (taste has to count for something, right?) I definitely enjoy having something pretty on my plate.  And if you're making a beautiful meal, why stop at the table?  Why not go the whole hog and make your surroundings spectacular too? Recently, I've been lucky enough to eat in some of the capital's most beautiful dining rooms; perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems that if you're after a feast for the eyes as well as the palate, London's art galleries could be the way to go...

First stop was the restaurant at the Royal Academy of Arts, which was recently relaunched by Peyton and Byrne.  I must confess that I didn't actually try the food here, but it's a lovely grand, elegant place to pop into for a glass of wine, with a suitably ambitious-looking menu.  I've no doubt this will be the scene for many a corporate event this summer.

 Next on the list is the V&A's well-known cafe (pictures top and below).  The Morris, Gamble and Poynter rooms form what was apparently the world's first museum restaurant and are just as much worth looking at as any of the objects d'art exhibited elsewhere in the museum, with their beautifully tiled walls and exquisite decor.  The food is cheap, and good quality - I had a goats cheese baguette with proper, chewy french bread for somewhere around the £5 mark.  Definitely worth a visit even if only for a cup of tea.

And last, but not least, was a dinner somewhere quite special - in amongst the paintings of the National Portrait Gallery.  This was a corporate event that I was helping out with, so we were privileged enough to get our own private room, in amongst the Stuarts.  And let's face it - who, among their dinner guests, wouldn't like to count King Charles II, Nell Gwynne, and the Earl of Rochester?  Although next time, maybe the Earl can leave his monkey at home...

After Les Bouquinistes, we went for something quite different for supper. 

Restaurant Shunda came recommended by a friend, and turned out to be a cheap and not particularly cheerful little Vietnamese place.  Apparently there are huge queues outside at lunchtimes, but since we turned up at 10 o'clock on a rainy Monday night it was pretty much empty.  I imagine the ambience is better during the day.

The food, on the other hand, was nice, although the portions were MAHOOSIVE.  I could have fitted my entire head into my bowl of soup.  This seems to be a peculiarity of Vietnamese restaurants and I should expect it by now, but it always takes me by surprise. 

My pho (soup) was, as I said before, nice; there was nothing wrong with it, but again, I always expect something a bit more exciting-tasting.  This came with the usual array of bits to dunk - beansprouts etc - and I got stuck into the chilli sauce to pep it up a bit.  The real treat was the prawn dumplings (or "ravioli", as the menu described them) that came with it - they were large and meaty and there were at least ten of them, which seemed like good value for €8. I failed to finish them, which was a bit sad but not surprising when you consider that we had the same dumplings, fried, as a starter.  Prawn overkill.  (They were actually slightly nicer fried, in case you're wondering).

Foodrambler had beef noodles, which were apparently very good and were the reason that Shunda was recommended to us in the first place.  To be honest, I probably wouldn't rush to come back here - there wasn't anything wrong with it, but I'm sure Paris has more exciting places to offer.

Having said that, I didn't have the noodles, so what do I know?

Restaurant Shunda, 12 Rue Volta, 75003 Paris

Wanting to start my Paris trip off with a bang, we decided to start off our culinary adventures with a lunch at Les Bouquinistes, a lovely restaurant on the banks of the Seine.  It is run by celebrity chef Guy Savoy (think a French Gordon Ramsey), who holds three Michelin stars for his main restaurant, also situated in Paris. 

Les Bouquinistes is a more modest establishment, with equally modest prices - the set lunch menu was a mere €29 for three courses, plus a glass of wine and coffee.  The restaurant itself is contemporary yet comfortable, with artfully exposed brickwork and modern artwork on the walls.  The ground floor, where we ate, was filled with light from windows on two sides of the room, making it an excellent choice for a lunch venue (there's nothing more depressing than being shown into a basement for lunch on a lovely sunny afternoon).

On to the food. For the starter I chose a tartine of tomatoes and green beans with goat's cheese, served beautifully in a Martini glass.

This was absolutely sublime.  The tartine itself was a subtle compound of the finely chopped tomatoes, tiny new green beans, chives and olive oil, topped with croutons for a bit of bite and surrounded by the fresh goat's cheese, which had the texture of yoghurt and a fabulous tangy taste.

 For the next course, I had to order off-menu, as none of the options were vegetarian.  I was a little nervous about this, given that vegetarianism is still uncommon in France, but I needn't have worried.  They said that they would put something together, and this is what I got:

A plate of young broad beans, carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, preserved lemons and grilled aubergines, simply but perfectly cooked.  The sauce was a lemon froth, which was buttery and rich yet light, so as not to overpower the delicate flavour of the spring vegetables.  I was very impressed.

I'm not sure why, but I went for an English classic for pudding - apple crumble. The apple, as I was coming to expect, was perfectly cooked, tender but still retaining its shape. The crumble itself was a little too hard for my taste, but the custard couldn't be faulted, and the coconut ice-cream on the top added an interesting twist to an old favourite.

As you may have gathered by now, I loved this restaurant.  The service was swift and friendly: the staff tolerated my halting French and we tolerated the fact that they kept trying to give us each others' meals.  And the location is perfect - after lunch we strolled down to the Seine and lazed in the sun for a while, feeling very contented. 

I will definitely be going back.

Les Bouquinistes, 53 Quai des grands Augustins, 75006 Paris.  For reservations call 0033 143 254 594 or book online here

With all the snow we had a few weeks ago, what could be more appropriate than a nice fondue? I’d been eyeing up St Moritz for some time, intrigued by its retro chalet-style appearance and cheese-heavy menu, and it proved to be just my sort of place. The décor is fabulously kitsch, with alphorns and cowbells aplenty, and the food was just as pleasing – we went for a fondue with white wine and tomato, served with bread and new potatoes. It was perfect, and there was enough of it to satisfy even my enormous appetite. With the snow falling outside, and a stomach full of solidifying gruyere, it’s the closest I’m likely to come to a skiing holiday this year, and I enjoyed it very much.

St Moritz, 161 Wardour Street W1V 3TA. Reservations: 020 7734 3324

There are surprisingly few places near Green Park station where one can find a reasonably priced lunch, which is why I ended up at Henry’s the other week. The food is nice, if unexciting, and my greek salad and chips (très sophisticated, dontcha know) came to a reasonable £8 or so. The décor isn’t bad either – a little bit brasserie, a little bit gentleman’s club, and very cosy. If you’re having a lazy day and Shepherd’s Market feels just too far to walk, this is worth keeping in mind.

Henry's, 80 Piccadilly, London W1J 8HX. Reservations: 020 7491 2544

If you're trying to cut back due to the credit crunch, but can't quite bear to stop eating out, the Taste London card might be just what you're after.  It offers 2 for 1 meals or 50% off at over 500 restaurants in London, and only costs £69.95 (or less, if you happen to be one of the lucky people being offered it as a scheme through work).  With such a range of restaurants, it's easy to find one (or several) close to you, and includes such well-known restaurants as The Real Greek and the Gay Hussar.  For more information, check out http://www.tastelondon.co.uk.

I stumbled across Imli entirely by accident a couple of weeks ago, and was really impressed.  Their USP is Indian tapas which sounds a bit odd - what it actually turns out to be is just normal Indian dishes served in very small bowls, like getting a normal curry with all the trimmings but in minature.  I went for the lunch platter, a bargain at £7.50, which included a fresh gingery salad, daal, aubergine curry, sag aloo, and papdi chat (a gorgeous crispy yoghurty dish) along with rice and chutney.  All of it was superb - some of the best Indian food I've eaten, washed down with an amazing fresh lime drink that tasted like holidays.  I'll definitely be going back.

Imli, 67-169 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8WR.  Reservations 020 7287 4243.  www.imli.co.uk

Despite the proliferation of cheap eats around Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, it can be surprisingly difficult to find somewhere you would actually like to eat lunch. But never fear – once you elbow your way past the pizza slice vendors and dodgy-looking oriental cafés, there are one or two miracles of cheapness which are worth seeking out. One of these is Pierre Victoire, an old favourite of mine, which despite the collapse of the chain is still hanging on, and making rather a good job of it...

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