Too Good...
...for More Reviews!

At this point of my reviewing career, I have seen some awesome places and some scary places, some tasty places and some disgusting places. The New York culinary scene is just fantastic, and there are some places I cannot review anymore for various reasons -- such as it has become a "regular" it would be improper for me to keep reviewing. And here I will list restaurants I 101% recommend, ones I will quit reviewing (unless something truly extraordinary or horrible happens). And they are in alphabetical order...

Benjamin Steakhouse: My long quest to find a good steakhouse in Manhattan ended here. This place has the best cuts of meat, and its lamb chop is just heavenly. Solid environment and location, by far the best steakhouse in the city! (previous review 1) (previous review 2)

Esca: This Mario Batali wonder of Italian seafood is the best seafood place in New York. The freshness of the crudo is just wonderful, and it whips most sushi places. The spaghetti with urchin and crab is one of the best dishes, and the wine selection is just fantastic. Best fish, ever! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

Insieme: This amazing wonder of master chef Marco Canora is just perfect. Best wines and drinks in town, excellent staff, most attentive chef. Just the safest Italian place in town, never a bad meal or experience. Marco is the chef of the year 2007 in my book! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

Villa Berulia: This awesome place is close to where I live and is my "hiding place" really. Always assured of a fantastic Italian/Croatian meal and wines, the best veal chop in town. The menu is fantastically long and the specials even longer. Engaging and friendly staff. It's like a home away from home! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

Irving Mill
116 East 16th Street (between Irving & Union Square East)

We have been trying to get a booking at Irving Mill for weeks, as this new restaurant has been receiving good press. As the chef/owner is an alum of the Gramercy/Collicchio empire, I had high hopes for the place.

The space is larger than one may think, but the layout of tables is not very smart. This place seem to be designed for corporate events instead of being a true restaurant, with bad use of space for middle tables. And they squeezed us into a very small middle table next to 2 other parties in a rather empty dining room...a practice I despise. Not a good start.

The service was utterly confused. I counted about 7 major mistakes the service staff made, from wrong utensils to taking away things prematurely, from forgetting orders to suggesting items not on the day's menu (which they have no power to create). Very bad sign. After the poor service in London, I didn't need this for the new year...

The starters were quite good, and me and my friend shared two. The scallops were very tasty, while the baby octopus (nearly in whole) was a pleasant surprise. The portions were a little unbalanced, as the scallops had a small set while there were 5 baby octopi.

The main course I enjoyed the braised lamb shoulder. This was a small piece, but very tender and flavourful. The mushroom and cabbage base was also very good. Excellent, though the piece of meat was too heavily sculpted (they told me the pork chop was like a medallion...so there's too much trimming and extracurriculars done to the food for my taste). But it was excellent.

I passed on the dessert and had a pretty lame grappa and espresso. It was hard to talk as the adjacent tables were so close and the acoustics were dreadful. So we left. I left with a mixed feeling...good food, but mediocre restaurant. I wish this excellent chef and his team would find a more appropriate space...and front room team...

Food: B++
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: C (*)

Theo Randall
1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane (at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel)

I treated myself a stay at the InterContinental Park Lane in London for 2 nights around Christmas. I figured a big place would be better than a small place for the holidays to get food and drink. I managed a booking at the hotel's top restaurant for the evening of Christmas Eve. Theo Randall is a rather celebrated chef in the UK, and his namesake restaurant has a good reputation, so I was more than eager to see what they can do -- even during this holiday period.

The restaurant is like a hotel restaurant with a big space, but it has a feel of a very modern and trendy location. I wasn't too impressed, but you have to do with what you have in a hotel. My corner table was fine and I had to cope with a dodgy-tasting bottle of lagrein...my usual favourite red, but perhaps too much scotch during the afternoon!

The service was excellent, which is rather rare in London -- even in posh places. That's the shocking thing about London these days, the poor service -- whether it is just indifference or lack of training/knowledge, this city is just poor on service all around.

The starter I chose the squid, which was not bad. Nothing exciting. The main was a rather indifferent lamb chop. I'm giving little description because there's little to add. Very bland, something that I could have received from any hotel's room service it seems, cooking school stuff.

I was very disappointed. The food had little real Italian vigour to it, despite Mr Randall's pronouncements. Perhaps it was the holiday season, but I left this place rather disappointed... I honestly think a lot of London's top chefs are overrated. Despite having such a wonderful selection of fresh ingredients (it's easier to get stuff from Italy to London than to New York), chefs like Theo Randall chose not to use the best of Italy -- instead, they use what they think is best for Italian food. And that is a huge mistake.

Food: B--
Atmosphere: B--
For Lone Diners: C+

Royal China
13 Queensway (W2; between Queensway and Bayswater Tube)

As many of my readers know, I am not a great fan of Chinese food -- and when I eat Chinese food, I am horribly critical and always seek out the very best or unique. And there is only one Chinese restaurant I seek whenever I can, and that's Royal China at its busy Queensway location. It is by far the best Chinese restaurant in the Western world.

I wandered in on a very long evening, not feeling too well due to excessive lager intake... And this meal was supposed to ready me for more? Nope...I quit after the meal, but the food was fantastic!

The huge place with millions of diners is always an adventure...but it is a terrible reminder of how tourist-invaded Bayswater is. The amount of stupidity uttered from adjacent tables is just dreadful sometimes. But the one change is the clean air...thank goodness for the smoking ban, as that was one of the worst aspects of this restaurant in the past.

I chose the preserved egg as the starter. Most people find the taste of this funny, but it's something I've not had for over a decade so it was rather enjoyable. I wish there was more, but it's not healthy to eat more of this...and it's best not to think how it is preserved traditionally (I'm sure these weren't, or else Health & Safety would interfere!). Finishing a glass of red wine, I was ready for the main.

The hotpot came out with spectacular display...oh, before I forget, the starter came out in an elaborate dish display as well. This restaurant always makes a good job in dish presentation, showing it as a top-class location rather than your local ch***ie (I'm not allowed to use that word in publication, it seems...). This hotpot was a combination of minced pork and dried abalone with tofu. Absolutely rich and excellent, and I polished it off very quickly with zeal. Fantastic, from the base to the mushrooms. They know how to make these hotpots.

As I finished, I knew I would be hungry, so I took the roasted pork and roasted duck with jellyfish away with me. And hours later, after a scotch-drinking session, I finished the night with the roasted meats and jellyfish. Excellent...still enjoying the food from Royal China hours after... This place is always a must.

Food: A
Atmosphere: B--
For Lone Diners: B

Matsuri -- St James's
15 Bury Street (SW1Y; off Jermyn Streen between Green Park and Pic Circus Tube)

It was Christmas Eve and everything was shut. I tried several places around Green Park but had little luck...why am I here during the holidays? Anyway, I lucked out to find that one of my favourites, Matsuri, was open. I quickly wandered into this excellent Japanese eatery.

As I wrote in my previous review of Matsuri, it is a good place to eat for lunch or dinner -- and the teppanyaki is exceptional. This time it was quite empty, with the holiday and the late hour. I nevertheless enjoyed a very nice meal.

The downstairs area is a large, teppanyaki room -- itself bigger than most restaurants. This place can be manic when it's full, with all the grills on and active... Today was a great way to relax. I chose the winter lunch special, and it was an inspired choice.

The starter was a tempura soft-shell crab. Excellent flavour...I almost wished for more! I love this dish, the delicate flavours needing no dipping sauce. The main course came as the chef prepared the teppanyaki grill -- the steak. I opted for the garlic fried rice, and that was aromatic and tasty. The chef did a quick but excellent job with the meat, serving it at correct temperature (medium rare).

The food was tasty and the vegetables done well. I was very impressed -- and I wasn't hit by any flying food! And it being Christmas Eve, I left more than happy...this was more I could have expected on this day!

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B+

Myung Ga
1 Kingly Street (in SoHo; near Piccadilly Circus Tube)

On Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas to many of you), me and the friend from the previous review wandered around looking for places to eat and drink. Despite the amount of shoppers devastating the area (it was a zoo!), many pubs shut by 6pm. We were disturbed until we found a safe place for a few. Then it was food...everything was shut!

We had a good meal at a Korean BBQ in the area, and we found it again -- Myung Ga. A very inspired choice, a place good even if everything else was open. With a bottle of red plonk, we embarked on our very wonderful and meaty journey...

We split two starters -- the mandoo (beef-filled dumplings) and the fried oysters. Excellent both of them, and that got us excited for the main BBQ session. We also had a side of kimchee to savour. My friend ordered the peppered sliced tenderloin while I got my usual kalbi (beef ribs) for the BBQ session. Smelled great, and it was very tasty.

With a second bottle of wine moving and the night still young-ish, we added a pork BBQ to it and enjoyed more. That was a good choice, and both of us were stuffed as we finished the second bottle of wine.

Myung Ga is an unpretentious place in the middle of SoHo, very popular with Koreans and non-Koreans alike. You will smell like BBQ as you find your way home by Tube (and hungry drunks may sniff at you with a smile!), but it is good fun and solid food. Not bad for Boxing Day!

Food: A--
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B (*)

Le Café Anglais
8 Porchester Gardens (W2; near Bayswater Tube; at Whiteley's)

I headed back to my old stomping grounds of London between Christmas and the new year, but was aghast that most of my favourite restaurants were closed for the holidays. So me and a good friend had to do some advanced planning, and the one we booked was for Café Anglais. I was shocked to find that they created this much-hyped place in Whiteley's -- an awful shopping centre around the corner from where I used to live...

However, going there it reminded me of New York's Time-Warner Center -- and when I stepped into the restaurant the familiarity continued. This place has so many similar touches to the aforementioned centre's Cafe Gray it was uncanny...or deliberate. So how did it compare to the similar-named, similar-themed, similar-looking place across the pond?

Well, the food was certainly better, though that is little praise (read my review of Cafe Gray if you are wondering). The service was borderline shambolic with the staff confused and falling over each other, obviously untrained on items on the food or the drinks menus. We were squeezed into a small table next to various bits of pompous and self-important people that have made Café Anglais one of the most popular places in town in a short time...does it live up to the hype?

This place is pretty big (having been a fast-food joint before its transformation) and the space is rather nice for a restaurant; the old decor of Whiteley's from a bygone age adds a nice touch. The semi-open prep area (like Cafe Gray) and the visible roasting area is the trend these days, but it looks way, way too much like Cafe Gray.

After being completely confused by questions of gin and vermouth, the waiter finally brought us our drinks. After awhile the food came. We split several hors d'oeuvres from across the spectrum. They were pretty good, and I like the variety and ability to share many items. But to be honest, it wasn't good enough for me to remember the specifics so long after dining there...so it wasn't particularly memorable...

The main course I opted for the roast veal. It was done well, but rather bland -- something I can find in better quality at a good pub on Sunday. The chicken legs that my friend enjoyed was a bit better, but I suddenly miss Bavaria...

As the service was shambolic and the crowds thinning out, we decided to pass on the dessert and headed on out. Overall it is a good place -- but perhaps overrated and overhyped. But for that part of town, it is certainly about time a place like this appeared. With the Notting Hill set so close, this place can only get better -- if they train the staff better!!!

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: C (*)