London Appetizer

Chakalaka Restaurant celebrates Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday

The South African East Putney Restaurant offers a 3 course special menu and
helps the NICRO UK Trust with its admirable projects in South Africa.

www.chakalakarestaurant.com

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on the 18th July 1918 in the small village
of Qunu, in the Transkei. There have been few throughout history who have left
so indelible an imprint on the world stage as this great statesman. His
courage, compassion and humanity are among the qualities than have led to this
Nobel laureate to be recognised and cherished as a powerful symbol of hope and
reconciliation.

It is therefore with great joy that the world will celebrate Madiba’s 90th
birthday throughout the month of July. In London, home to thousands of South
Africans, Chakalaka, www.chakalakarestaurant.com, a South African Restaurant
in London, will celebrate this great occasion by dedicating a special
traditional menu to the Birthday celebrations, in collaboration with the NICRO
UK TRUST, www.nicro.org.za . The NICRO UK Trust is a charity created to help
turn around the lives of high risk youth in South Africa. The NICRO UK Trust
supports the Diversion Youth Development Programme which focuses on providing
alternative sentencing as a means to stop young offenders from reoffending.
The NICRO UK Trust is dedicated to creating a safer South Africa by providing
constructive solutions to breaking the cycle of crime and violence in South
Africa.

From the 4th to 18th July 2008, Chakalaka Restaurant is delighted to offer a 3
course special menu, “The Nelson Mandela’s Birthday menu”, for the price of
£25, reserving 10% of the total bill for NICRO’s life changing projects in
South Africa.

Chakalaka Restaurant is able to offer all its customers authentic recipes and
a real taste of the Rainbow Nation’s traditional cuisine. Enjoy your meal in a
vibrant atmosphere, with great South African wines.
To sum up, Chakalaka Restaurant and the NICRO UK Trust  invite you to
experience the spirit of South Africa, enjoy delicious traditional recipes and
help to build a safer South Africa.

Example mains:

LAMB BOBOTIE
A traditional South African dish of lightly curried minced lamb and almonds, served with yellow rice, Mrs Ball’s chutney, coconut and sliced banana
STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST
Stuffed with avo and feta and wrapped in bacon, served on risotto with a mustard cream sauce on roasted
vegetables
CHARGRILLED OSTRICH
Served with a mushroom and cheese mielie pap rissotto, with chakalaka sauce and green veg. Vegetarians can swap the Ostrich meat for roasted veg
HALF STUFFED BUTTERNUT (v)
Oven baked with feta cheese and spinach
GRILLED TIGER PRAWN SALAD
With spring onion, cucumber, and mango with lemon dressing

Stanza restaurant appoints new head chef

Stanza, a contemporary British restaurant and lounge bar situated in the heart of Soho, London, has appointed Gavin Houghton as its new Head Chef.
 
Houghton, who joins the venue from Glorious Group, will start in the kitchen on May 6th and will be introducing an entirely new menu to Stanza, using his extensive knowledge of British comfort food and applying modern interpretations on classic dishes.
 
Houghton replaces Stuart Tatersall, who launched the venue in June 2007.
 
Gavin has worked across London in some of the capitals most revered restaurants. He began his training nearly 20 years ago and has harnessed a traditional and seasonal approach to British cooking.  A culinary background embedded with modern European influences, he brings to Stanza a focus on locally sourced produce and a desire to avoid the go-betweens of the central London markets and heads straights to the farms themselves.
 
STANZA – DESIGN
 
Interior designer Gillian Rogerson, whose previous work has included the Daniel Katz gallery, has created a timeless and elegant space with warm modern tones, using ostrich leather, fine wood and Venetian glass. A striking wirework centrepiece, created by young Italian artist Max Viccardi, who regularly exhibits in leading contemporary galleries in London, is also prominently featured.
 
STANZA – OWNERS
 
Stanza has been opened by partners Suzanne Eske, formerly Financial Director for Oliver Peyton’s Gruppo, and Toby Gawin, a successful new media professional. Keen to maintain the theatrical & literary links held by previous incarnations of the venue they named it Stanza.

EXAMPLE DISHES

rump of herdwick new season lamb £14.50
wilted wild garlic, bunch carrots, lamb juices

crackled organic white pork belly £15.50
horseradish, duck fat roasties

chicken & mushroom pie £10.50
free range chicken, cep mushroom, leek

aged aberdeen angus rib of beef (for two) £39.50
35 day aged, triple cooked chips, grill garnish, béarnaise sauce

scottish salmon & spiced cromer crab cake £10.00
wilted spinach, chive butter sauce

smoked haddock & welsh rarebit fish pie £15.50
potato crust, tomato & chive salad

grilled fillet of atlantic pollock £14.50
cep & pearl spelt risotto

caramelised tart of Innes goats cheese £9.00
roast plum vine tomato, onion marmalade

organic pearl spelt & wild mushroom risotto £9.50
reggiano parmigiano, truffle oil

Stanza
93 - 107 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 5DY
T : 020 7494 3020/ E : reception@stanzalondon.com
www.stanzalondon.com
 

RS Lounge - restaurant fact sheet

I received this fact sheet from RS Lounge Bar & Restaurant PR team:

Location: RS Lounge
Woodford New Road
London E17 3PR

Nearest tube: Snaresbrook (Central Line)

Tel: 020 85096450

www.rslounge.co.uk

The RS Lounge: Integrating the posh elegance of East London and the charming Epping Forest, the RS Lounge emerges as one London’s premium luxury venues. No stone has been left unturned with the new, spacious and highly versatile RS Lounge. Spread out over two luxurious floors of white leather interior, The RS Lounge welcomes guests to enjoy the Al Fresco Terrace for a delicious snack, the lounge for a chilled glass of white wine or the ultra-chic nightclub, which features one of the UK’s leading integrated sound & lighting systems.

Opening Hours:
Sunday –Thursday from 10 am until 12:30 pm
Friday  & Saturday 10 am until 2 am.

Food service Hours:

Monday- Wednesday: 12 Noon to 11 pm
Thursday: 12 Noon to 12 Midnight
Friday: 12 Noon to 2 am
Saturday: 10 am to 2am
Sunday: 10 am to 11 pm

The Bar:

The award winning design team has delivered three eclectic, quality lounge spaces for RS Lounge guests to enjoy. Featuring a curved, white, Pilipino marble bar and a complete LED lit ceiling, the Main Bar flawlessly combines indulgent wizardry and old style classics. Only accessible from the Al Fresco Terrace or via the 6.3 tone solid glass staircase, the Lounge Bar presents a place for guests looking for a more modest, relaxed experience.

The Restaurant:

Hand picked by an award winning house chef, The RS Lounge prides itself on having a delightful menu of international cuisine. All produce is naturally and ethically sourced, in order to create an array of succulent tastes to impress even the most dedicated palette. With an extensive breakfast menu, fine vegetarian dishes and innovative entrees the RS Lounge offers choices to satisfy any mood, craving or culinary desire. Some house favourites are:

-Scottish salmon with scrambled eggs and chives on brioche
-Jalapeno and cheese poppers
-Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad
-White grilled mushrooms marinated with Dijon mustard, olive oil and herbs the –-The House platter which provides guests with nibbles of grilled salmon, dual skewered minced chicken and lamb, smoked lamb, supreme grilled chicken and golden fried squid.

Prices: 

A typical dinner for two in the restaurant will cost between £35-50 including wine. Cocktails at the bar cost £6.95 up to £7.95.

Dans le noir video restaurant review

The guys at Current pointed me in the direction of this video restaurant review of Dans le Noir in EC1.

For those of you that don't know about it, Dans le Noir is a gimmick restaurant that serves your food completely in the dark.  If the food was any good, this truly would be an interesting dining experience, but by all accounts the food sucks and it is a complete rip off.

I should probably get along there myself to review it first hand at some point but I have been put off to date since I haven't heard or read one good review of it.

Anyway, here's the video:

New express lunch menu at Awana

When the morning has dragged and dinner seems like a million years away, the thought of a soggy sandwich or luke warm soup hardly satisfies a grumbling appetite. So leave the lank lettuce, banish the browning banana and head to awana, Chelsea’s fine-dining Malaysian restaurant, for a deliciously different express lunch - a fast and cheeky indulgence that won’t break the bank.

£12.50 for two courses or £15 for three including a complimentary glass of wine

Irresistibly excellent value, awana’s new lunch menu offers a choice of five starters, five main courses and five desserts. Showcasing signature dishes by acclaimed executive chef Mark Read and Malaysian born head chef Lee Chin Soon, awana’s exotic creations are a world away from the humdrum of pedestrian midday meals, served in the stylish surrounding of this Sloane Anvenue eatery. Understanding the need for speed, busy workers can also be rest assured that their lunch can be enjoyed within the hour.

Served alongside the à la carte menu,
awana’s express lunch is available Monday – Friday, 12 noon – 3pm
www.awana.co.uk