Inamo: Hi-Tech Eatery of the Future.

www.inamo-stjames.com

How badgerifical is this? A restaurant where your table is an interactive space (projected from above) where you can browse the menu, place your order... use the "chef cam" to view inside the kitchen, keep track of group and individual totals and even choose your "tablecloth" design and play games either on your own or with the other diners.

I would be lying to you if I said we came here because the food sounded great. I had read an article about this "dining experience of the future" and could not wait to have a go. I do have a reputation for being a bit of a technophobe, but the appeal of ordering your food directly off the table top, without interaction from "a humble human" was too much to resist. At first I still found myself waiting or at least expecting service, but there is the beauty of it... they cannot rush you... because you decide when to place the order!  As soon as you embrace the power of ordering the chef around without interference from the usual mediator, a whole world of opportunity opens up before you. 

I found myself ordering more than I usually would and not keeping to the conventional pace of the meal. I could order mine without waiting for the other diners, and if I wanted another drink, I did not need to raise it as an item for discussion by the whole table, I had the power to simply do it! 

The table of the future.

Cherry tomatoes with ginger, chili and avocado. This was a delightful eastern twist on an Italian classic!

One of the biggest surprises for me was when the food arrived. It was beautiful! All of it! Modern and elegant and really quite delicious! The cocktails were also a great find, and I could easily see how on a Friday night you might be in serious danger of getting quite drunk drinking cocktail after cocktail without trying to hail down a waiter (which on a weekend evening in a bar is like trying to get a taxi in the rain) and lose valuable time waiting between drinks. No maths at the end of the night either, regardless of you group size, sobriety or moral preference as the table "knows" what you ordered and your total bill.

Truffled marbled beef fillet. Another beautiful twist on a carpaccio this time.

Duck with pancakes and hoisin sauce... no cucumber and spring onion though... instead a box of fragrant herb salad.

"Vegetarian Lunch Box" Consisting of miso soup, pickles, edamame beans, rice and a vegetable curry for £14!!!

Pandan macaroon, white chocolate and Yuzu mouse with candied Yuzu and homemade coconut and lemongrass ice cream. This was exquisite and I WILL have this again. What a badger! p.s those dots are the chocolate sauce, lol.

The beautiful stone bar.

The other wonderful thing was how beautiful and serene the restaurant was. The quality of everything was superb, from the onyx panels in the walls to the bamboos sprouting out of the ground. There is no missing the Japanese influence here. The clever use of sliding panels, and the sharp modern simplicity of the lines. Even the projectors were in funky hexagonal ceiling pods that added to the futuristic appeal of the place.

My trip towards the restrooms (which were also lovely).

The sake cabinet.

The most interesting thing that you realize about this new techy restaurant experience is how much of restaurant dining culture is tied to service. The pace of your meal, the ordering in rounds, and even the discussions around who will have what. Plates were arriving at the table and I did not even know they had been ordered! This style of dining (and the games!) definitely draws out an introverted sense of self and pushes you back into a personal space where your dining choices are not democratic and the idea of waiting on someone else to get your order in is driven out by the emergence of one's own internal voice saying "order it, order it now...".

Singapore Garden: An Asian Eden

www.singaporegarden.co.uk

One of my favorite haunts in London, despite being some distance from where I stay in London. I am drawn back by the wonderfully friendly staff, my favorite dishes and the stylish yet warm and comfortable decor.

Outside Singapore Garden

I was introduced to this restaurant by a good friend, and it quickly became a regular outing. The right attention to detail is given to everything, from the fragrant, balanced cocktails to the freshly made, wonderfully cooked food.

One highlight are the cocktails. My favorite is Lychee Suzy Wong.

Chicken Satay. The best in London.

The pork dumplings have a wonderful flavour and texture.

One of the many kinds of crab on the menu.

Smoked Chicken, again, the best in London.

Crispy Beef: So fine and so crispy.

Greens stir fried in garlic. Simple but effective.

Pineapple fritters with wonderful vanilla ice-cream and Golden Syrup

I truly recommend this place. The food is always perfectly executed. Granted they are not inventing anything new, but if you love Chinese / Singaporean / Malaysian or Thai food then there will be a dish here for you. This is definitely my home from home regular (if I am in London).

Launceston Place: Quick, somebody call the Michelin man!

www.launcestonplace-restaurant.co.uk

I remember eating at this place many many years ago when it was a tired traditional English restaurant. The kind of place you could take your grandparents and not overwhelm them with the advances made in gastronomy over the last two decades. Well I have eaten there a few times since the transformation and quite frankly the only thing I can say is that it has metamorphosed into a very special place indeed. The decor alone was transformed to be elegant and modern with a cosy feel and beautiful details and furniture.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of eating a truffle risotto at Launceston Place which was beyond compare. In fact, loving truffle the way I do, I have had many a truffle promising dish in many a one/two Michelin starred restaurant that paled in comparison. There was one thing letting this place down however, and that was inflexibility of the staff and the narrowness and seldom changing nature of the menu. Upon revisiting their site recently I happened upon a wider selection and the addition of a vegetarian tasting menu! Although I am not a vegetarian myself, I often have a mix of the vegetarian and regular tasting menu as there is usually something I dislike. This was the sign I was looking for to inspire me to book this place for the visit of my fiancé's parents.

The outside of Launceston Place

The in-laws to be. Both turning 60 AND celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary!

The Amuse Bouche: Celeriac Foam with Truffle Oil. Perfectly executed and delicious to eat. The foam was not like spit, it was a light and consistently airy concoction that was a delight to eat.

Asparagus & Duck Egg: The Asparagus Veloute that these perfectly cooked elements bathed in was so smooth and delicious you simply did not know how they did it and retained the intensity of flavour.

Roasted Scallop, Glazed Belly Pork, and Textures of Apple and Celeriac. The belly pork was the star here, succulent and moist. The apple and celeriac really brought the surf-and-turf together.

Herb Gnocchi, Broccoli Puree, roasted Shallots & Truffle Emulsion: Another spectacularly perfect dish.

Cornish lemon sole, prawns, shrimps, samphire and potatoes. Elegant and refined, the sauce really let the fish shine through.

Beetroot, White Balsamic, Dandelions & Hazelnuts: A beautiful plate of food with a rich earthy depth and a spectrum of texture.

Ravioli of Goats Cheese, Olives, Piquillo peppers, Artichokes & Spinach: A little too much going on, but all the flavours fit well and each element was executed perfectly. This was my least favorite dish (there has to be one!) as it lacked the clarity and focus of my other dishes. Please note, this was a vegetarian option.

Pork loin fillet, cumin cabbage, pumpkin puree and pork popcorn. My fiancé thought the cumin was a little overpowering, but what does he know?? It was inspired as was the popcorn that gave the texture of crackling to the dish.

The wonderful and stylish cheese trolley.

The selection we made for our table with the highlight being a Calvados steeped Camembert.

There was also a wonderful Lemon Posset pre-dessert with Rosemary Granita. An inspired little creation.

The Dessert: Chocolate Souffle with Praline Ganache and Dark Chocolate Sorbet. again, perfect execution and an Easter treat for chocolate lovers.

Although not photographed, I also had the flight of wines and they were superb. I knew they would be as soon as the sommelier presented himself. I found the fact that he was Spanish (as usually they cannot help but be French) quite refreshing and it did mean that we got some interesting Spanish wine. He was really very pleasant and thoughtful and I did not feel for one second that he was reeling off a prepared script. He very much took the time to engage with us and discuss the wine.

In fact, he was not the only one who impressed me. The service was really quite fantastic (unlike previous visits) and the desire to accomodate you did not go unnoticed. I cannot for the life of me work out why this restaurant does not have at least one Michelin Star? I can only imagine that the inspector is still on his way here...

Terravina: Californian style informality in the New Forest

www.hotelterravina.co.uk

Terravina. The name itself was appealing to me as a lover of wine. "Terra" meaning land, earth or soil, depending on translation, and I am guessing we all know what "vina" is a reference to?!

It was a friend of mine that first brought this place to my attention, and it was with this same friend that we planned to visit to celebrate the start of our easter holiday and the one year pre-versary of my wedding. Before I launch into the experience we had at Terravina, I feel duty bound to mention the personal tailoring they offered on the menus. I had called to ask about the availability of a vegetarian tasting menu and was basically offered a menu designed around my palette. NEVER before in my history of dining has any place been this obliging. Thank you and I do not know how you do it!

The outside of Terravina Hotel and Restaurant.

The room where we had our predinner drinks. The room felt very cosy and pleasant, but I found the decor underwhelming for this calibre of place.

Printed menus (even my bespoke menu!!).

The WINE

The view of the restaurant from our table. Again, understated.

Tomato and cucumber tian. Very simple, very refreshing.

Crab, Mackerel, Tomato and Ginger Tian with red pepper gazpacho.

Beetroot salad with goats cheese and walnuts. This dish shone for me.

Lamb and black pudding with braised bok choi and minted mushy peas.

Pickled vegetables with pine nuts, chick pea
mousse and deep fried Boursin balls. Some lovely textures and flavours.

Chicken with tarragon gnocchi, olives, dried tomatoes and a lemon butter sauce. very nice. The chicken was perfect.

Halibut with oyster, samphire, rocket and shellfish sauce.

Squab pigeon, celeriac, onion and garlic. A delicious plate of food.

Poached pear with white chocolate mousse, raisin puree and almonds. I particularly enjoyed the white chocolate mousse.

The food was very good, the flight of wines very nice. The service was good and the company was good. All in all we had a wonderful evening here and would highly recommend it. The one thing I would say though, is if you are looking for an extremely chic and stylish experience, this is not exactly that. The place is very nice, but it is informal. Quite loud and no tablecloths... The kind of place you can pop inand have a bite in jeans and a tshirt or have a tasting menu with friends (this is also true of Hotel du Vin). Fair dues to the owners who had this vision of relaxed informality with great food and wine, because they have achieved that. I would be comfortable coming in here anytime. I like the accessibility and lack of pretentiousness. As a younger fine diner I also enjoyed not feeling patronized by snobby staff and sometimes even other diners!

If you are looking for sparkling glamour or want to "show off" your wealth then you are in the wrong place. This place is quite unique in being the ideal prowling ground for evolved wealth. Those who value comfort and personal care over bling and pzaaz. The kind of people who are comfortable in their standing and are accustomed to the finer things. I personally prefer a little more flashiness and song & dance, but I am young and still getting comfortable!

L'Etranger: Style meets food

www.etranger.co.uk

We had eaten at l'etranger only once before, but decided to take our friends there for dinner. We thought it would be a great place to get a taste of London, as we all live out of town. Outside of London you can find wonderful 'country park' and 'boutique' hotel restaurants. If you are looking for something that is edgy and cool, with oodles of sophistication, but without the starch collared structure of a fine dining establishment, then London is the place you need to go.

I suppose it must be the wealth in the city that allows this kind of place to exist. The kind of place where you can have an informal semi-reasonable meal or spend over a grand on tasting menus and wine, a truly flexible dining experience. To give you an idea of the coolness factor, we are all in our twenties, and although we didn't see anyone in there younger than us, I felt a tinge of 'out of towner'. All diners were dressed well, 'rich/pseudo-intellectual sports casual' if that means anything to you.

L'etranger describes itself as a fusion restaurant - Japanese meets French, which personally, is not something I look for in a meal. If it doesn't sound like your bag either, do not let it put you off. The most Japanese element of my steak with truffled polenta chips and peppercorn sauce was the Japanese plate it was served on. If however, nipponch cuisine is exactly what you have been missing in your life, then there were curiosities (like Tuna Tataki with Foie Gras Shavings & Truffle Ponzu Jelly) on the menu to appease you.

The thing that impresses you the most are the quirky theatricals you witness, from the elegance of the olive bread sticks to the presentation of the courses. The attention to detail really served to prove that money had been spent on the right things and that you were somewhere a little special. The cutlery and glassware were über-sleek, the menu (sadly I did not photograph this) was printed on pearlized paper held in a handsome wallet.

Black and green olive pastry sticks.

Every time a course arrived there would be something at the table you had not seen before to capture the imagination, like the deconstruction of foie gras with foie gras lolly pops, foie gras creme brulée, and a test tube of plum wine!

Scallops with Parmesan purée in a shaved wood strip.

Foie gras three ways, with mushroom brioche and plum wine.

Calamari with lime and chilli sauce.

Five tomato salad with burrata, basil sorbet, and truffled balsamic pearls.

So we went to town, we started with cocktails, then we had starters, then we had mains with wine (from an extensive list) made more alluring by the fact that we could espy the glass walled wine room from our table.

All four of us chose the fillet for the main course.

We then shared a dessert 4 ways, which may seem impossible to you, but it was a platter of chocolate in 7 different incarnations including a mousse with orange, a bitter chocolate sorbet, chocolate fondant, an opera cake, and even a dark chocolate and truffle ganache.

Death by chocolate - seven ways.

To top off our night we had a flight of 6 dessert wines (which we also shared among us).  They had carefully selected 6 wines of increasing intensity. Starting with a light semi-sweet apple nosed wine to an aged pedro ximénez that clung heavily to the sides of the glass, a tar like nectar with the deep sweetness of liquorice, treacle and raisins.

They brought all the bottles to the table for us to see... and check out the cool table lights!

The holders for our flight of dessert wines were very fun and futuristic.

We were there for hours and we had truly taken advantage of the spectrum of delights they had to offer. The service was what you might expect at the finest establishments, the food was rich, delicious and comforting yet sharp and thought provoking. If you are looking to have a unique 'London' night or just want to be fed well and in comfort, then this place is for you. An intimate and classy joint that tickles with its play on food yet does not compromise your stomach's enjoyment in the process!