Axis, One Aldwych, New Years Eve 2013

Axis, the flagship restaurant at One Aldwych in London, is run by Executive Chef Dominic Teague (previously of l'Escargot and Sandy Lane Hotel Barbados) so I was quite excited at the prospect of experiencing his special NYE menu. 

NYE 2013 menu at Axis, London

Lobster Bisque

Canapés of crispy cod fritters, hand made cheese straws and mini-quiches were presented on arrival at our table. A glass of fizz would have been a nice touch but all drinks were excluded for the £85 per head price. We opted for a nice bottle of Sancerre at £48 which carried us through the meal.

First course for me was the Crab Bisque which was beautifully crafted to combine the delicate flavour of fresh crab with Montgomery Cheddar, crunchy croutons and Saffron Aioli. 

Lobster Cocktail

Next choice was Scottish Lobster Cocktail - claw meat with finely shredded leaves in a light citrus dressing and a touch of coriander. Very fresh lobster from the cool waters of Scotland,  perfectly cooked as this was, is moist and flavoursome and makes for a perfect intermediate dish. 


The main course of Pan Fried Wild Turbot Fillet was a change from the original menu of Halibut and a positive one in my book. Don't get me wrong, I like Halibut and I am sure that a chef like Dominic would have done it proud, but Turbot is 'the king of fish' and my particular favourite. Apparently the change was made due to our extreme weather conditions over the festive period which decimated the Halibut catch.  What a substitute ! (This must be how Man City boss, Manuel Pellegrini feels when he has to take Dzecko off and replace him with Aguero).  Presented on a bed of spinach with salsify, onions and a red wine jus ( Turbot is meaty enough to take this ) it was superb. 

Rounded off with a selection of 8 small desserts this was a delightful experience. 

Service and food quality were all top-notch thank you, One Aldwych and Axis.

The Caxton Grill - London SW1

Hotel 41 is No1 on TripAdvisor for London and its easy to see why.  From the moment you arrive nothing is too much trouble and if you do have a problem you are compensated. It is a 5 star hotel which is situated on the top (5th) floor of the Rubens Hotel (4*) on Buckingham Palace Road (SW1).  An oasis of calm this small select hotel feels more like a private club with the central library (Executive Lounge) providing the hub.  Great personal service which included complimentary champagne (choice of four leading marques) and comfortable quiet rooms provided a wonderfully calm ambience.  However, they do not have a restaurant so after reading the reviews on Square Meal we headed to the Caxton Grill at the St. Ermin's Hotel which is about 10 minutes walk away. 

Squid Ink Raviola with Crab

 The hotel lobby at St Ermin's has an impressive array of grand terraces and chandeliers but initial impressions of the restaurant were that it is a bit 'ordinary' by comparison.  That was soon forgotten however as we were directed to our table and our Portuguese waiter, Ivo explained the menu choices.  He was fully informed about all of the dishes which we had questions about and was most helpful throughout the meal.  For starters I had the Squid Ink Raviolo which was stuffed with fresh Devon crabmeat and Sea Fennel, topped with Coriander Gremolata in Crab Bisque. Ivo told me it was his favourite and I think it will be mine too (once I have been back to try all the others !). 

Dover Sole

For main course we ordered the 'Catch of the Day' which was whole Dover Sole grilled in the Josper Grill. Of Spanish origin, the Josper is a charcoal based 'closed draught barbeque' that cooks super fast at incredibly hot temperatures and (as the argument goes) more thoroughly than any other option as the heat is distributed evenly from above, below, left and right of whatever’s been placed on the grill. In my opinion overcooking fish is the worst thing you can do so I was interested to see the results by this method.  I needn't have worried, Executive Chef, Hus Vedat, is a very talented.  The Dover Sole was skinned topside only then cooked upside down which allowed the fish to cook beneath the skin to the perfect result.  Dressed with burnt butter and lemon soaked almonds it was simply delicious.  

Seafood at the Leconfield, Petworth

I have eaten dinner several times at the Leconfield, literally since the day it opened, and noticed a transition with time.  The service and general ambience has improved, as it needed to, but one aspect has remained constant throughout ....... the high quality of the food.  In my opinion the head chef, Stuart Dove, is a genius and consistently produces food that tastes and looks amazing. Sarah and I went for lunch (a first for us at the Leconfield) and enjoyed a few fish dishes. 


First up was my  applewood smoked mackerel pate with horseradish cream, cucumber and Avruga caviar salsa with cumin crackers.  Sarah had the Cognac flamed seafood bisque with sliced sour dough and Sussex churned butter.  Both were beautifully presented and had great flavour combinations.  The mackerel pate was smooth and well balanced with the salsa.  Bisque was well seasoned to provide flavours of the sea with a peppery finish.  Main course was crispy fried seabass and tiger prawn tagine with roasted red peppers, coriander couscous, butternut squash and almonds.  The seabass fillet was perfect with succulent flesh under crispy skin - not easy to get as good as this.  Again great flavour combinations with the prawns and couscous.

The only negative was the lack of customers.  It is a very pleasant space for lunch and really not that expensive for the quality of the food.  We had starters and mains from the Prixe-fixe menu at £16.50 each.  So ignore Rod Liddle (Times) and early reviews of this restaurant which were more about service than food.  The service has improved no end and the food is stunning.