14 Nov 2015

BRASSERIE GUSTAVE

London, UK

Located at the border of Chelsea and South Kensington, Brasserie Gustave serves traditional French cuisine with a seasonal twist. The low-key street presence of the entrance hints to the fact that this is not a show-off place, but somewhere you come for great quality food. After being greeted by Richard Weiss, the friendly sommelier and restaurant manager, we were seated in a red leather booth. Like the exterior, the interior is pretty relaxed, with comfortable furniture and just enough decorative accents to create the French brasserie atmosphere. 

We started off with two refreshing glasses of Kir Royale while scanning the menu. For my starter, I chose the venison carpaccio with black truffle, while my friend opted for the hand-dived scallops, also with a generous helping of truffle. The venison had a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and was lightly dressed and not too oily. I managed to get a taste of the scallops as well, which were served with a delicious and slightly bitter parsnip mash. The scallops themselves were seared to a light brown, crips perfection, while being almost sashimi-like inside. So far we were very pleased with our meal. For the mains, I went for the fillet of sea bass with roast garlic and vegetables. The crisp skin worked wonderfully with the succulent fish. My friend had the entrecote, which he happily devoured and said it was to a very high standard. For my dessert, I had the chocolate fondant, which I believe is a good gauge of the quality of a French restaurant. It was gooey and dark, but it was served with banana ice cream rather than the usual vanilla. This didn't work too well, and a classic combination like that should be left as is. My friend ordered the caramelised apple tart, one of their specials, and it is intended for two people. He did his best to finish it on his own, but after our huge and tasty meal it proved challenging. I helped him out as best I could, but at the end we had to give up and consider ourselves done with a great, classic meal. 

In addition to the honest, high quality food, something that really stood out to me at Brasserie Gustave was the atmosphere. By 8pm the room was buzzing with people, and you almost felt like you knew the strangers sitting on the next table. Everyone was happy and friendly, and the slight bravado of the sommelier helped with this. The couple next to us ordered a bottle of champagne, which was sabered in a performance for all the diners to enjoy. Despite this showiness, I would say there was very little pretence in Brasserie Gustave, and that it seems like a true neighbourhood restaurant where food and good company comes first.









Brasserie Gustave Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

We were invited to review Brasserie Gustave, and the opinions expressed are our own.

1 Nov 2015

SUPERSTAR BBQ

London, UK

SuperStar BBQ is a Korean restaurant off Tottenham Court Road, a newly up and coming culinary destination with a high density of good quality Asian eateries. With so much choice nearby, new restaurants have to ensure they stand out from the crowd, and SuperStar BBQ does just that. As you walk past the huge glass walls, you are drawn in by a myriad of suspended sparkly lights, into a contemporary, yet cosy dining space. My co-blogger and I were seated in a spacious booth with a stove integrated into the table. We were both starving, and more than ready to get on with some cooking. We started off with some Korean beers, and had a quick glance at the menu. I am a sucker for KFC (Korean Fried Chicken, not the other one), so I obviously opted for Set Menu 2 which starts off with some spicy and crispy pieces of chicken. This was followed by a range of cold kimchi plates and an absolutely amazing glass noodle vegetable stir fry. The sesame and soy flavours that this dish brought forward was a great hint at what we could expect in terms of marinades for the meat. With generous helpings of sides and Korean pancakes, our stomachs did not have enough space for what was to come.



With two types of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, there was a lot to go through. The waitress who brought all of these delectable little plates was friendly and not overly attentive, and we were to a certain extent left to our own devices when it came to the barbecuing. As the FoodGrid consists of two individuals who rarely cook, I was worried about how this meal would unfold. I asked the waitress the slightly silly question of 'how do we know when the meat is ready?' and she seemed puzzled as if they do not get that question very often. Fortunately, ever single piece of meat I grilled turned out to be juicy and tender, probably more thanks to the amazing marinade and the fresh quality of the meat, than my own skills. Placing the various meats on the sizzling plate, we wrapped the pieces one by one into crisp lettuce leafs, and selected one of the many sauces to go with it. Because of this, I didn't realise how full I really was until the last dishes of miso soup and bibimbap were brought out. This is a place where you get small portions, but certainly not a small amount of food. The dining experience was social and interactive, not to mention tasty. SuperStar BBQ is a perfect place to bring a first date or even a work contact, as the noise level is good, which makes it an ideal place to have a conversation. The fact that it is also an entertaining way of eating is a savior if the conversation were ever to halt. When visiting this restaurant, come prepared, come hungry and with enough time to really make a night out of this meal. 





SuperStar BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

We were invited to review SuperStar BBQ, and the opinions expressed are our own.