#Foodie Review: Vivat Bacchus (London)

by Adam L Stanley | Mar 18, 2012 | Food

Vivat Bacchus

47 Farringdon Street
Holborn
London
EC4A 4LL

Overall Verdict: Highly Recommended

YOU: Have enough money to eat pretty much anywhere in London or other major cities. You love great food, fine wines, and great service and want to know the place in which you dine is attractive and cozy enough for both business dinners or romantic nights out.

YOU: Money is not running over but you want to have a great night out from time to time. You love good food and wine and are proud to say you know some of the best values in town. You want a nice spot without attitude.

YOU: Can only afford to go to one or two “really nice” restaurants a year and have a special someone you wish to take on a romantic date. You want it to be special, memorable, have amazing food, and not completely break the bank.

Message to ALL OF THE ABOVE:

Go. To. Vivat Bacchus. Now. Really.

Long Version:

I actually dined here on Valentine’s Day so am way overdue writing this review.

FOOD: 5

Before starting our meal, we were given a bottle of sparkling wine to excite the palate. Good stuff but the smells in the place were already stirring up my taste buds so the champagne just went straight to my head.

Pan fried scallops paired with Quinta de la Rosa Branco 2010 from Portugal came next, with the first and only hiccup of the night. The wine did not show up at our table until the scallops were almost done. This was the only major show of amateur service though I will get to service later. That said, the scallops were great and we forgave her for getting out of sync with the wine as the next course came.

The main course consisted of Grilled venison cutlets with squash and beetroot gratin. The venison was bone in and this was the first time I ever had it like that. JUICY. FLAVOURFUL. PERFECTION. The sauce complimented the meat splendidly and the venison was prepared to just the right temperature. At this point in the meal, I started checking out the chef and making eye contact. Really, can we be friends? You cook for me, and I will …. Buy the ingredients? Wine? Serenade you and run a bath with rose petals?

For dessert, I had the MOST amazing chocolate trio with a decadently rich torte and a gluttonous stem ginger mousse. It was paired with a Banyuls from Roussilon. This French version of port is absolutely perfect with chocolate and the choice of this bottle was inspired. …. Banyuls Rimage ‘Les Clos de Paulilles’ 2008. … I seriously considered asking the chef to marry me at this point but thought I was way unworthy so decided instead I would just have to become a regular!

SERVICE: 4

The team here seemed happy to welcome us and the other guests. They were friendly and prompt. While there were a few signs of amateur servers, the manager continued to oversee the meal and typically was able to keep things on track and flowing smoothly. The courses were well timed and our glasses were always filled. Even when she screwed up the wine match with the first course, we actually still had water and champagne so were ok.

DECOR/AMBIANCE: 4

This restaurant is apparently one of a few owned by the same team. I am very interested in seeing the others. The layout of this place was quite odd, with a long and narrow column of tables somewhat crammed in like a bowling lane. (yes, I go bowling sometimes). It was a bit loud yet still allowed us to have a decent conversation, get a decent amount of people watching in, and enjoy watching the chef work kitchen magic. It was a unique restaurant that did not follow the format of other restaurants. Rather, it seemed content to be unique, a bit quirky, a bit disorganised, and full of good wines. As is my preference, the open view of the kitchen less the flames and smoke was a nice addition.

VALUE: 5

Having recently dined at La Chappelle in London and Graham Elliott in Chicago, and especially after my Michelin Quest of 2011, I have been excited to spend this year finding contrasting restaurants that offer similar quality food and much better prices. I found one such restaurant n Vivat Bacchus. The meal was approximately Â£140 for two, compared to about 3 to 4 times that much at La Chapelle.

Would I go to a Michelin starred Ã¼ber expensive fine dining establishment again? Of course! Those places do tend to offer a level of service unparalleled by most places, interesting and innovative cuisine, and enough posterior region kissing to impress your guests without turning them off. But, and I find myself somewhere between person 1 and person 2 above, this is where I would go for a guaranteed good meal at a good price. I have enough money to dine at the finest places but why do that when I can dine at great value spots and donate more to worthy causes? Happy stomach. Happy heart. Happy Adam.

In short, this place is a great value.

OVERALL: 4

I love great food and great service. Vivat Bacchus had great food and good service. I want to know the place in which I dine is attractive and cozy enough for both business dinners or romantic nights out. I would take a date or colleague to Vivat Bacchus. I am proud to say I know some of the best values in Chicago and am excited to build my list for London, my new home. Vivat Bacchus has made that list early in my transition. There is no attitude, they have amazing food and one meal here will not break the bank for most people.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Vivat Bacchus and would be more than happy to go there regularly, with friends or colleagues. And I look forward to getting to know the chef. If you are reading this, Chef, you are welcome to come over to my flat anytime. I will provide the wine if you cook! But, no bath. That might be awkward. Smile.

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog

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L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews

#Foodie Review: Galvin La Chapelle (London)

by Adam L Stanley | Feb 17, 2012 | Food

galvin-entry

La Chapelle

35 Spital Square,
London, E1 6DY
United Kingdom

Reviewing: La Chapelle Menu Gourmand (Â£110 per person for tasting menu with seven courses, paired with wine)

Overall Verdict:

RECOMMENDED WITH MINOR RESERVATIONS

So for those of you who were following, I must confess I abandoned somewhat my 2011 quest to dine at all 23 of the Chicago restaurants awarded at least one Michelin star. See all reviews of the list hereÂ http://bit.ly/nGR9VcÂ ….. I was able to review over a dozen of these top spots from Michelin’s guide.

Frankly, I think the Michelin rating system is flawed at best and a fraud if you’re really a cynic. And I know I will get in trouble for that, but I will save that for another post on another day. That said, I was quite bemused when I selected La Chapelle for dinner on the last night of my last stay in London as a “visitor”(1) and found it too was part of a family of restaurants that included Michelin stars. Despite my lack of faith in Michelin’s ability to fairly pick quality restaurants without bias of marketing and fad, I stayed!

As is often our preference, my partner and I decided on the tasting menu, in this case the Menu Gourmand. There is simply no better way to get a sense of a restaurant, sampling what the chef feels are his or her finest delicacies (or what was on sale at the butcher?’ said the cynic). This tasting menu had seven courses ranging from a light lasagna to a meaty pigeon I’m afraid made me think of Trafalgar Square. Including cocktails, deserts and wine pairings, the bill for two of us came to around Â£350. And overall it was a fine meal.

Long Version:

FOOD – 4/5

Flavourful and well presented, the menu was creative yet filling. Beginning with a lasagne of Dorset crab and cauliflower veloutÃ©, we were treated to a gastronomical journey through fish and foul as well as a FANTASTIC but salty risotto of Perigord truffle and Jerusalem artichokes. While a bit salty for my taste, and therefore also bad for my blood pressure, the food wowed me from start to finish. Temperatures were on point, the flow was spectacular (getting heavier each course without extreme jumps), and the wine was perfectly paired. Drawbacks: In addition to slightly salty courses, dessert was awful, like a store bought sponge cake with sour cream on the side and apple compote slathered on top. BONUS – Milan born bartender makes a mean Vodka Martini that allowed me to formally end my day before starting the meal and my evening. I watched and learned from a master.

SERVICE – 4/5

You go to this place for the service and you pay for the service with the fairly exorbitant pricing. But if you don’t want to take a chance with that key client, special date, or the boss, you choose a place like this. The host was pleasant, the managers present but not overbearing and our table constantly attended to. The all-male waitstaff (sadly all too common at these high-end restaurants that seem to feel gender diversity only matters at the host stand) were friendly and prompt. They were not personal at all, though perhaps one or two slipped up and let loose for 10 seconds or so. But they were good. And our food was always hot, glasses full, table clean, etc.
Drawbacks: The explanation of each course got progressively lazier as the night wore on. By the end of the menu, the wine was simply being placed on the table and the courses explained as if we were suddenly at Pizza Express. The place was emptying out and perhaps the team members were tired, but unless you’re going to reduce the cost of a tasting menu for your late night patrons, you must keep it up until you close the doors!

DECOR/AMBIANCE 5

The place is beautifully appointed without being gaudy or austentatious. It is vibrant yet quiet enough for a conversation. It is classy but not pretentious. But it is a bit boring and, despite the romantic sound of the name and the very romantic menu, the place is above all a business restaurant. Bankers and bankers, basically. No evident diversity in either gender, age, ethnicity, or professions. And, I will admit here that I am assuming. You’re right, I did not conduct a survey. The entire restaurant might have been full of bohemian artists wearing bespoke suits for the very first time while discussing Occupy Wall Street.

VALUE 3

I love food and I love trying new restaurants, and I am blessed to be able to afford a variety of spots from inexpensive value restaurants to some of the world’s most exclusive and expensive. My value ratings are based on the relevant class of restaurants; a relative rating versus a pure value rating lest all exclusive restaurants would get a 1. Let’s face it, all other things being equal, I would always recommend someone eat a great meal for Â£50 per person and donate the difference to a local charity. HOWEVER, for a restaurant of this caliber, La Chapelle is appropriately priced on the “border” of too expensive. The tasting menu with wine includes more wine with every course where some have begun pairing one wine with two courses or serving half pours. And you leave feeling well fed. Believe me, I don’t plan to go here again anytime soon, but if looking for a place to splurge for a special occasion, you will likely enjoy this place.

OVERALL 4

With consistant service, great food, a charming decor that allows for conversation and interaction whether with two or twelve, I rate La Chapelle a 4 out of 5 and RECOMMEND WITH MINOR RESERVATIONS. If dining with business colleagues, I highly recommend it. If dining out with good friends, going on a date or looking for romance, I would likely suggest somewhere else. The place is somewhat too business oriented due to location. Despite officially being in Spitalfields, you might feel more as if you are on Bishopsgate, the closest main street. So that’s my reservation. I like food and I hate attitude. There are awesome restaurants like RIA in Chicago that are fantastic AND relaxed. I would recommend those types of places first.

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

Adam L. Stanley | ALSWhartonÂ Connections Food Review

For more reviews, go to my yelp profileÂ hereÂ or find me on TripAdvisor with username ALSWharton.

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1) This is my first UK restaurant review here and will hopefully be first of many. I am relocating to London and excited about experiencing more great food, especially Indian, French, and “eclectic European” cuisines.

#Foodie Review: Everest restaurant (Chicago)

by Adam L Stanley | Oct 6, 2011 | Food

Everest

440 S. LaSalle | Chicago, IL

SHORT VERSION:

Everest, while an absolutely fantastic experience I would recommend to friends, colleagues, and anyone who asks, was not good enough to win me over either Avenues at the Peninsula or Les Nomades. I do, however, think it had better food than Alinea, better service than L2O, and a better overall experience than Ria. If you love French food, and can only try one uber expensive fine dining experience this year, go to Les Nomades. If you want to get a distinctly Chicago experience that is almost as good but has a better view of our city in a historic building, go to Everest. If you can afford to do both, by all means, HAVE AT IT and invite me to come along if you like! Avenues is still #1 on my list of the restaurants given Michelin stars, but I STRONGLY RECOMMEND Everest and would go back again (especially if someone reading this review invites me to be their guest. Smile.)

LONG VERSION:

Continuing on my Michelin star restaurant quest and admitting up front that this review is biased based on comparison to the other Michelin star restaurants at which I have dined. See all reviews of the list here http://bit.ly/nGR9Vc

Most relevant comparisons: L2O (quality of food, value relative to others); Sixteen (decor highlighted by beautiful views); Avenues (Service and staff) but unlike Avenues, Everest is not CLOSED now.

Food: 5

Roasted Maine lobster in butter and ginger sauce almost made me cry it was so good. The terrine of Foie Gras with black mission figs was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The wild halibut with heirloom tomatoes was perfectly prepared and amazingly flavorful. The veal? Not so great and quite the disappointing final course.
Dessert was absolutely fantastic, both the selection of cheeses and the Alsace Style Plum Financier, fromage blanc Tuileries, with cinnamon glace. Yum! Cannot pronounce most of it, but boy was it good! I could have done without the paired Hungarian Riesling poured with it, but that leads me to the wine review….

Wine note (part of Food rating):
I am not going to change my system and rerate all restaurants based on wine but I do find that with these upscale dining experiences the wine can make or break a particular venue. The fact is, Ria is made better by their sommelier and his personal participation in the evening. Likewise, the embarrassingly poor explanation of wine pairings at L2O hurt my experience there. Unfortunately, Everest was more like L2O. Note to restaurants: I can read. If all you are going to do is read the label to me, save it! At Everest, most of our wines were poured by a somewhat grumpy server who did not smile the entire evening. At one point, he poured a French Pinot Gris that was definitely a bit sweeter than my norm. No, I am not a wine expert but I do drink it a lot. I mentioned this to him when he served the next bottle and he just about scolded me saying, “It was NOT sweet, maybe off dry but not sweet.” Whatever grumpy!

Service: 5

Unlike Les Nomades, where I felt the server enjoyed making us happy, this place had servers that seemed to do it because it was how they were trained. Strangely, the net result is the same, but I left with a slightly less satisfied feeling after my meal at Everest. Yes, everything was well timed. Yes, every course was served seamlessly, explained well, and picked up at just the right point after completion. But the team seemed just a TAD sterile. Don’t get me wrong, here. Service was spectacular, but do I remember anyone in particular or have fond thoughts of the team overall? Not really. The kitchen team at Avenues that seemed to be having a ball or the service staff at Ria that worked so hard to please made me WANT to give them a 5.
That said, this team gets it. You are paying a lot for a meal and it needs to be an experience that is both memorable and flawless. I did not have to ask for anything the entire night.

Decor: 4

It took me a while to get over the fact that I felt as if I had walked back into the 80’s but was missing Madonna, bad hair, and rubber bangles on everyone’s wrists. I mean mirrors, white walls, somewhat gaudy lighting, and white art deco furniture was a bit overwhelming. But the view, oh the view, it makes you forget everything else. We initially were seated at a table removed from the windows but when the restaurant cleared, we were asked if we wanted to have our cheese and dessert at a window. Spectacular view of the city. And while the decor is a bit dated, the restaurant was clean, ambiance pretty nice and the noise level minimal. There was also artwork from an Italian sculptor that is a friend of Chef Joho that was pretty cool.

Value: 3

Tasting menu at $125 per person for roughly 8 courses was higher than many and equal to a few of the other high end of the restaurants on the list. The wine pairing was a bit pricey relative to the others at $98 per person. The champagne was ridiculous with a glass of Mumm at $24 (More than a bottle at Binny’s). Our meal for the two of us was $570 so with tip this was a $700 meal. I do not give this restaurant a 3 because that is ridiculous, though most will agree that this cannot be a normal meal. However, relative to some of the other restaurants on the Michelin list which have great food at much better pricing, I would say Everest is a lower value.

Overall: 5

This is getting harder as I reach the final restaurants on my quest. I saved a few of the highest rated for last. Just how do you compare venues like Everest, L2O, Ria, Avenues, and Charlie Trotters when all of them are clearly leaders in fine dining? All of them would arguably be classified as 5 star restaurants in their own right. And, frankly, you are guaranteed to have a good meal at all of them. But alas, I must try hard to differentiate amongst the “dining gods”. Everest, while an absolutely fantastic experience I would recommend to friends, colleagues, and anyone who asks, was not good enough to win me over either Avenues at the Peninsula or Les Nomades. I do, however, think it had much better food than Alinea, better service than L2O, and a better overall experience than Ria.

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

Adam Stanley