Eating Out

TAKA 18 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QH Telephone: 020 3637 7677

Shepherd Market is a small square, akin to Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books, and just oozes quaintness and an oldy worldy charm, and is teeming with boutique shops and quality restaurants, including the wonderful TAKA restaurant. TAKA, like its surroundings, is cosy and high end, and when full, would only be able to serve 28 customers. This enables them to treat their customers like royalty and make them feel so very special.

Japanese food has grown on me over the years, so I now have extremely high expectations when visiting a restaurant serving Japanese food as the emphasis has to be on the freshness and quality of the food. On both counts TAKA excels. What is also clear is that, because there are only a few patrons, TAKA’s attention to detail is second to none, and on a Wednesday night just after lockdown was relaxed my wife and I were treated like royalty for the night.

TAKA is cosy, but the tables are separated enough to enable you and your partner privacy, and the service is spot on.

Visiting a restaurant is like going to the theatre, it is a combination of experiences, and your evening is not just based on the quality of the food, it is also the service, the ambiance, and the presentation, and at TAKA every aspect is focused on and nailed.

The decor is an eclectic mix of contemporary sharp décor with wooden floors and tables, and 1970’s style chairs (which, I am reliably informed, are very much in fashion again), and the wooden ceiling panels extenuate the cosy vibe. The music is also there to enhance the experience rather than to drown out conversations.

For a small restaurant the menu is actually quite large, and after wrestling with a number of almost impossible choices, including a Lochard Salmon (£14), which is actually smoked at your table (wonderful theatre!), we chose the Tasting Menu (£85) as it gave us a great selection chosen by the experts.

The first course was Snow Crab, Seared Wagyu Tartar, Truffle and Crispy Seaweed, where we had to roll our own crab cone, and despite mine not looking as good as it would have been if it had been made by, frankly anyone else!, it tasted wonderful. Crab is a delicate taste and can so easily be swamped, but here the flavour bursts through triumphantly. Next was Yellow Tailed Tuna, Smokey Aubergine and Edible Flowers. Fresh tuna is just a delight, and this was complemented perfectly by the sharpness of the pickle. Our third selection, Wild Sea Bass Broth, or ‘Soil Soup’, is not necessarily something you would choose when reading a menu, but you really should! It is so called as it is made from all of the peelings from the vegetables boiled down with miso paste, sake and salt, and some of the soil the vegetables are grown in, and is served with a side of black olive “soil” producing a rich and slightly salty broth.

The fourth offering was the Summer Garden Salad which has crunchy vegetables, pickled Myoga and crispy shallots on a light creamy edamame paste topped with a miso foam, and you can see why it takes 3 days to make it, as it is a work of art. Although this salad takes 3 days to make, the diner is advised to take 3 seconds to break it up, as you need to mix it up so you get all the flavours in each mouthful.

After this course we were treated to a main of Monkfish wrapped in Roasted Seaweed.

TAKA

Monkfish is a really meaty fish, and if overcooked can become tough, but here they are parcels of delight and the monkfish’s sweet and mild flavour has been enhanced by the Den Miso marinade. People can also modify the sweetness or tartness using the accompanying grilled lime or sauce.

Our sixth course (yes sixth, and we weren’t flagging at all) was Tuna 4 Ways, with a chef’s selection of Nigri and homemade ginger. My love of tuna I have already mentioned, but you should also be aware that TAKA’s attention to detail is so acute that they bind their rice with 3-year-old rice vinegar which adds a unique taste and texture and is only allowed to be used by four restaurants in the UK.

It was with heavy heart that we had to leave the mains to move to the desserts as we had loved everything we had been served, but our first dessert quickly raised our spirits again. The wonderfully named Duck Egg arrived in a bowl nestling in straw and contained gooey Meringue Ice Cream with Japanese Salt, Yuzu Fog and Charcoal. The ice cream was rich and creamy and tasted almost as good as the dish looked. We finally

reached our last course, and despite every previous course being incredible, this was the “piece de resistance” and finished the meal off triumphantly. This final course was probably the best dessert I have tasted ever and, as those who regularly read my reviews, was obviously based on chocolate. The Chocolate Nemesis Monakal is made with 70% Amazon Cacao and something this good needs a health warning! The chocolate mousse/cake is succulent and indulgent and is just so good it is frankly beyond words, and is served with a light crème frêche and a sweet compote. Personally, I would not dilute the chocolate explosion with either, but it is subject to taste!

TAKA is a restaurant which understands the premise that they need to provide an offering which combines fresh produce, a contemporary décor and exceptional service, along with a little bit of theatre with the presentation of the food. Great food deserves to be served well, and TAKA does this in a loving and sympathetic way and, watch this space, will, we hope, be Michelin starred soon, as something this good cannot be kept under wraps for too long!

Sam’s Riverside 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith W6 9BN Telephone: 020 8237 1020

As I write this, we are still in certainly the strangest and most frightening period of most peoples lives, and it is in times of such turmoil that it is critical for people to stay in their comfort zones. My comfort zone is maybe a strange one, but it is to enjoy wonderful food in the most vibrant city in the world, London. In such a small space it never fails to amaze me how diverse places can be with small restaurants in narrow back streets, to light and airy ones with wonderful views, and in the current times I believe that it is critical that we support these places or we will lose them forever. Sam’s Riverside is firmly in the latter airy camp, with a chic modern vibe with lots of glass, wood and large windows that allow the diner wonderful views over the Thames. Nestled in the shadow of Hammersmith Bridge, Sam’s Riverside has maximised its location (in the wonderfully named Crisp Street), with its large windows affording the diners a perfect view of the Thames, and when we visited we were fortunate with the weather and were able to sit outside and watch the sun twinkling and dancing on the Thames surface giving a lovely calm in such troubled times. The other joy is that you can watch the world go by whilst enjoying the wonderful food and drink, as the Thames Path passes right in front, so all those people watchers (of which I am one) will have a field day.

We were greeted on arrival by a friendly member of staff who explained all the new measures and rules expertly, took our temperature, and then asked us whether we wanted to sit inside or out, and as the day was bright and sunny we opted for the latter and settled down to our first restaurant visit for many months. Just sitting there looking at a menu (albeit on my phone via an app!), made me realise how much I had missed eating out, and what a joyous thing it is. There is truly nothing better than having a few hours of being spoilt and pampered and Sam’s Riverside does just that. What is also lovely is Sam is actually there and speaks to everyone, making everyone feeling special.

My first port of call is usually a glass of bubbles, and it was great to see the Kent Vineyard Gusbourne on the menu as British sparkling wines are exceptional and underrated. To accompany this we also selected the Parmesan Churros (£5) and the Devon Crab toasts (£9). The toasts were crisp and fresh and it was lovely to have the dressing complementing the delicate crab flavour rather than overpowering it, but my favourite was the Churros which I always thought of as a dessert. These are just the best canapé I have had, as they just burst with a rich cheesy flavour covered in flakes of parmesan, and are absolutely a must, and we could have continued to order another and another and another!

Having been brought back to earth by my wife, we then focused our attention on the starters, and the choice again was difficult. Fresh fish dominates with platters of Oysters, Lobster and Crevettes which were tempting, but my wife selected the Isle of Wight Tomatoes, Graceburn Soft Cow’s Cheese, Lovage (£9) and I chose the Hereford Aged Ribeye Beef Tartare, Dripping

Sam’s Riverside

Toast (£12). Simple dishes both, but they do need care and attention, and both were perfectly executed. The cheese was light and creamy and the tomatoes crunchy and vibrant, whilst the beef in the tartare just melted in the mouth and was well-seasoned.

The mains are a lovely mix of Anglo British fare with Lobster, Steak, Chicken and fresh Fish all available, and I selected Sam’s Cheeseburger and Chips (£17.50), and my wife the Shrimp Cocktail Salad (£18.50). The burger was succulent and juicy (as served medium pink) served with a generous portion of chips, and my wife’s crispy salad surrounded the large juicy shrimps which were generously smothered in a slightly piquant cocktail sauce. After such a feast we paused for a while, sipping our crisp Sauvignon Blanc, and just sat back enjoying the buzz of people starting to enjoy eating again in restaurants, which was music to my ears.

Having rested, we turned our attention back to the desserts and I selected the Chocolate Mousse, Cocoa Tuile (£7) and my wife the Lemon Posset, Raspberries, Meringue, Lemon Balm (£7). Both were rich and indulgent and both hit the right spot, and were a perfect end to our first meal out for months.

Independent restaurants this good need to be supported so they thrive, and I for one will be returning soon, and if you don’t believe me, why not watch Celebrity MasterChef, as Sam’s Riverside featured in the latest series showcasing the skill and care each dish is prepared with.

OPSO 10 Paddington St, Marylebone, London, W1U 5QL Telephone: 0207 487 5088

It has been a while since I was in Marylebone, a much underrated part of London, whose Southern boundary reaches down as far as Oxford Street. Marylebone, does in fact, have much history and was home to such luminaries as Charles Dickins, JMW Turner, Charles Babbage (inventor of the first computer) as well as John Lennon. Indeed, in the 18th century it was known for the raffish entertainments in Marylebone Gardens, the scene of bear-baiting and prize fights by members of both sexes, and for the duelling grounds in Marylebone Fields where pistols at dawn were common. Considerably less ‘raffish’ and much more normal than these pastimes is dining out, and it was for this reason that I travelled to Marylebone to eat at OPSO, a restaurant which continues to showcase all that is good about Greek food, in the heart of Marylebone.

OPSO has been open for many years now, and with the average restaurant failing within the first year, it is testament to the adage that if you serve quality food in a welcoming environment, people will flock to your restaurant, and even in these difficult times when we visited, on a far from sunny Wednesday night, the restaurant was full with a lovely chatty vibe.

OPSO is the perfect name for this restaurant as it is an ancient Greek word for a delectable morsel of food, and we certainly had a few ‘OPSO’s’ on our visit!

Our journey through the olive groves of Greece started with a fresh and slightly tart Sea Bass Sashimi (£19) with the fresh and delicate flesh offset by a sharpness from the lemon bitters and a crunch from flakes of rock salt. Similar to restaurants in Greece, dishes are designed to be shared here, and the Taramas (£9) which was our next course, sorely tested me, as I really didn’t want to share this at all. Many believe that taramasalata is shocking pink, but the better the quality the more beige it is, and this one was very beige! OPSO’s taramas is indulgently creamy and was covered in olive shavings which provided a slightly bitter contrast to the creamy roe. All of this would have been special enough, but it was served with pitta bread soaked in herbed olive oil and salt which gave it a slightly crisp outer layer and a moist centre - heaven!

Our next choice was the Feta Kataifi (£11), where feta cheese is covered in a sesame seeded crispy outer layer and smothered in sweet honey. This is my wife’s favourite Greek dish, and the last time we tasted this it was pre-lockdown on a balcony overlooking the cliffs in Santorini at sunset, so there was no pressure on how it tasted! Thankfully OPSO’s stood up to the test with the light batter and not overly sweet honey complementing one of my favourite cheeses. Having indulged so far we decided on a healthier option for our next selection, so opted for the Calamari Salad with basil pesto, baby leaf salad and bacon salsa (£21). The calamari was moist and chewy and having been grilled had a slightly singed outer layer, and were generously dotted around crisp baby lettuce all sitting on a base of creamy pesto with small lardons of salty bacon. Not as dietary as I thought, but very tasty.

The two mains we chose came out together and consisted of the Fish and Beets (£29) and the Octopus Giouvetsi (£34). The fish varies as it is whatever is available fresh that day, and we had sea bass lightly grilled, perched on wilted rainbow chard with a beetroot sauce. The combination of the slight sweetness of the beetroot and the hint of bitterness remaining in the chard brought out all the flavour of the fish, and the Octopus Giouvesti I am sure, is the Greeks’ answer to an Italian risotto. The tasty octopus sits in a creamy orzo with tomato jam, and created a lovely warming feeling as we ate it in direct contrast to the inclement weather outside.

As you know, I love desserts, especially chocolate ones, and I was sorely tempted with the Choco & Caramel Fudge Brownie (£12), but I have overdosed on chocolate recently so opted for the Strawberry Profiteroles (£12). When the dish arrived it looked so good it was almost too good to eat. Delightfully light and cream filled Choux Profiteroles formed a ring around the bowl and the cut strawberries were arranged so it appeared that they were exploding out from the middle. Visually stunning, but tasting even better. The profiteroles and strawberries sat on a light and creamy white chocolate & lemon cream (I got my chocolate fix after all), and caramelised almond flakes in a strawberry jam which provided a wonderful contrast of flavours and textures in my mouth that was well worth leaving room for.

Having been to Greece recently, I know that Greece has an abundance of fine wines, and OPSO has many on its wine list from all areas, including rich red’s, delicate whites and even sparkling, and we selected a fruity Thema Pavlidis Macedonia which uses Assyritiko grapes from Santorini, to remind us again of our trip to that idyllic island.

OPSO also has a delivery service for those who live in the Marylebone area, and a take out delicatessen, where you can purchase a number of Greek delicacies, and is a beacon in the area of all that is good with Greek food. At present it is difficult to travel to Greece, but luckily there are places like OPSO which enable you to experience all that is Greek a little closer to home.

My wife says I must also mention the White Sangria Cocktail she started our evening with, as it was one of the best cocktails she has ever had and has now tasked me with trying to recreate it at home!

Hakkasan 8 Hanway Place, London, W1T 1HD Telephone: 020 7927 7000

One of my abiding rules for life is, always be wary of revisiting somewhere you have been a number of years ago and have loved, as it may not live up to your memories. It was therefore, with trepidation, that I revisited Hakkasan in Hanaway Place, but I really shouldn’t have worried. Clearly the location hadn’t changed as the restaurant is still situated where an underground car park once was, in a back street just off Oxford Street. The location really is in contrast to the restaurant itself, as even though I knew the restaurant was there, I still felt I was on the wrong road as it is a quiet, narrow, unassuming backstreet with just offices and no shops.

The contrast between the back street I had just left and the incense infused stairs I was walking down made me feel like I was entering a James Bond villain’s secret lair, and that feeling grew as I entered a subterranean world with dining areas separated by carved wooden screens and a striking bar that spans the whole of the back wall.

Christian Liaigre designed Hakkasan, and followed his brief to a tee – create an authentic interior, and ‘bring back the dragon’. This décor has stood the test of time and hasn’t changed for years, but still remains contemporary, and is a delightful contrast to many restaurants nowadays which have a more stark and modern feel. To me dining out is an experience, and part of that is your surroundings, and from the moment you descend the subtly lit stairs your experience begins.

The last time I visited we were not in pandemic times, so unfortunately this time, we could not visit the dramatic 16 metre oak bar to read the menu and play a game I love to play at restaurants which is ‘find a spirit they don’t have’, as the selection on display here is mind blowing! Due to the pandemic

Hakkasan

the menus have been replaced with an app which you access via your mobile, and after an embarrassingly long time to get this to work (yes, I am a technophobe at heart), I managed to get the menu on my screen to view. The conundrum here is that there are so many dishes you want to try, as they all sound delicious, but be careful, the portions are generous, so it is very easy to order too much food.

A must from the starters is the Dim Sum of which there are four choices, including a vegetarian one, but we chose the Dim Sum Supreme (£42) which consists of eight wonderfully decorated parcels filled with Phoenix Eye Lobster, Abalone and Chicken Shui Mai with Prunier Caviar, Royal King Crab and Dover Sole with Black Truffle. Our first dim sum was superb, and we thought it could not be beaten, but each subsequent one proved that premise wrong. We also chose Salt and Pepper Squid (£19) and Sesame Prawn Toast (£22). Each one was a delight, and again as a devotee of the dining experience, the way the prawn toasts were served up just added to the joy of the evening. The prawn tails reared up over the toast like a scorpion’s tail just waiting to strike.

Hakkasan Hakkasan

Other recommended starters are the Morel Mushroom and Vegetable Spring Roll (£15), and the Golden Fried Soft Crab Shell (£19), but frankly whatever you order will be good.

The main courses probably pose an even greater dilemma as the choices here are extensive, but after considerable debate and a lot of compromising (on my part of course), we chose the Grilled Chilean Sea Bass in Honey (£52), the Crispy Fresh Water Prawn with dried chilli and cashew nut (£31), and Stir Fried Rib Eye Beef with lily bulb in black bean sauce (£39). Clearly in the past my sea bass at restaurants have not been caught on a line, they have been run over by a steam rollers, as I thought sea bass fillets are flat, but this fillet was large and chunky with a vibrant colour from the honey. The honey provided a sweet contrast with the flaky fish, complementing the fish rather than overpowering it. The quality of the beef was clear, and it was cooked to perfection, but beware of the chillis with the prawns! The large chillis are fine, but there are small chillies hidden which are lethal!! I always find that Chinese food caters well for vegetarians, and at Hakkasan that is no different, except they do them with that Hakkasan twist which adds that something extra.

To finish off our meal we selected a Livara Bomb (£10) which consisted of a rich and creamy hazelnut praline bomb surrounded by rice krispies coated in white chocolate. That is lovely in its own right, but the addition of a hot milk chocolate sauce takes the dessert to another level. Well worth leaving room for!

Hakkasan has consistently served quality food in an opulent and distinctive environment, and makes diners feel special. The quality of their service is second to none, and the waiting staff are always on hand to answer any questions you may have about the menu. This combination will keep people coming back again and again, and from the moment you descend the incense bathed steps you are transported into a concept which fuses great food with a very special atmosphere.