London Restaurants | London Guide

Valentine's Day at Boyd's Restaurant

Boyd’s Restaurant and Bar, located within a magnificent marble setting off Trafalgar Square, will be serving a special Valentine’s Menu on Saturday 12 and Monday 14 February 2011, priced at £34.95 per person.  

Built in 1887 as part of a 500-room ‘grand hotel’, the elegant and classical dining space is the perfect place to treat your loved one to a delicious Valentine’s dinner served with His ‘n’ Hers sorbets and a glass of Prosecco.

The four-course menu offers a choice of starters including Leek and potato soup with truffle cappuccino and cheese straws; London cure smoked salmon, blinis and sour cream; and Seared foie gras served with caramelised orange, toasted brioche and a hazelnut dressing.  His ‘n’ Hers sorbets are served between courses, with Strawberry and Champagne on offer for the ladies, and Apple and vanilla vodka for the gents.

For the main course, diners can sample dishes such as Artichoke, lemon and mascarpone risotto topped with arugula and parmesan salad; Pan-fried sea bass with watercress veloute, red onion confit and herb gnocchi; and a Duo of Scotch beef with a grilled fillet mignon, served with spinach, fondant potato, braised ox cheek and home-made horseradish mash.  

Dessert is equally delicious with a choice of three tempting treats.  Dark chocolate tart complemented by raspberry jelly and crystallised rose petals is the perfect Valentine’s sweet with other options including a Pineapple and mango brochette topped with sweet chilli lime syrup and coconut foam; and Brie de meux truffle honey with walnut biscuits. 

Boyd’s Restaurant & Bar, 8 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BY
T: 020 7808 3344 or www.boydsbrasserie.co.uk

Valentine's Day at Clos Maggiore

Calling love-sick fools and hopeless romantics everywhere: Covent Garden French restaurant Clos Maggiore is capturing the spirit of Valentine’s Day 2011 like never before. The restaurant, already rated one of London’s most romantic (Harden’s London Restaurants 2011, 2010 and 2009), has introduced a Maitre d’Amour to help create the perfect Valentine’s Day occasion.

Whether to celebrate impending nuptials, declare undying love or give a helping hand to unrequited loves, the Maitre d’Amour, Daniel Kapp, will tailor the restaurant, its food, atmosphere and interior to your exact specifications to truly show The One that you care.

He can help ensure their favourite meal is on the menu, work with head chef Marcellin Marc to create innovative and beautifully presented gourmet French dishes that remind you of that special moment, or even help create a menu that’s packed full of aphrodisiacs.

Whether you want your favourite champagne on ice, to fill the restaurant with your favourite flowers or balloons, or to listen to your personal choice of love songs, poetry readings or a live string quartet, the Maitre d’Amour will oblige. If you so desire, hire the whole restaurant!

For the ultimate romantic package, Clos Maggiore can also arrange tickets to the nearby Royal Opera House, or a suite at an exclusive boutique hotel, with chauffeur-driven transport to and from the restaurant.

And if you actually want to pop the question – a common occurrence at Clos Maggiore, which sees at least one pair of diners a week propose in its blossom-filled dining room, where the stars are always shining through the glass roof – we’ll hide your ring in a bespoke chocolate box to surprise and delight your loved one.

Clos Maggiore

36 King Street

Covent Garden

WC2E 8JD

Tel. 020 7379 9696

www.closmaggiore.com

Christmas Party Idea - Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden

Celebrate the festive season at Clos Maggiore. Head upstairs to the secluded private dining room at this hidden gem in Covent Garden.

Capable of seating groups of up to 23, we offer three gourmet Christmas adventures, each compiled by head chef Marcellin Marc, starting at just £45 per person. For larger groups, we can accommodate an extra 50 guests in our beautiful main restaurant.

For lunch, choose from starters including Devon crab and marjoram, chicken liver and foie gras parfait and celeriac and truffle soup; main courses such as oven-roasted sea bass, slow-cooked charolais of beef cheek and honey-glazed Gressingham duck breast; and desserts that include caramelised Braeburn apple gratin and Valrhona chocolate and griottine fondant.

Our dinner menu, at £55 per head, includes additional choices such as chargrilled wild scallops to start, fillet of Cornish cod to follow and black figs in mulled wine to finish.

We also offer a five-course tasting menu, plus coffee and petit fours, priced at £65 (or £100 with wine), allowing you to sample a wider variety of Clos Maggiore’s signature dishes, perfectly matched by Clos Maggiore’s expert sommelier.

www.closmaggiore.com
33 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JD
Tel : +44 (0)20 7379 9696

New Christmas Menus at Dishoom

Dishoom, London’s first Bombay café, is delighted to announce it has opened its lower ground floor, introducing a dedicated bar and lounge area and effectively doubling the venue’s size, making it perfect for group bookings over the festive period.

The lower ground floor has large booths that seat between 8 and 12 people, and free-standing seating that can accommodate groups of up to 30. All areas downstairs can be reserved, and the whole space is also available to hire, with a total seated capacity of 70 making it perfect for larger Christmas get-togethers.

And just in time for the season, Dishoom has launched a collection of four sharing set menus for groups, offering varying cross-sections of its award-winning Bombay food, at £20 per person, £25, £30 and a veritable banquet available at £35 per head. Each set menu offer diners a choice of Dishoom’s signature dishes, including small plates, roti, grills, House Daal, Biryanis and Ruby Murrays – all perfect for sharing – accompaniments and pudding.

There are special seasonal additions to the regular menu too. Turkey Raan heads the Christmas menu – a whole turkey leg cooked in the traditional Raan style over the course of a whole day but with the fresh flavours of ginger, lime and chilli, served with roast Bombay potatoes, masala winter greens and spiced cranberry chutney. For dessert, chilli mince pies or Christmas pud parcels – accompanied by a warming jaggery and garam masala-spiced custard.

The bar area allows drinkers to watch Dishoom’s bartenders at work and to have a Christmas aperitif before they sit down for dinner, or simply to get a taste for Dishoom by sampling some of its small plates alongside a cocktail.

Dishoom’s drinks menu has been compiled by Gorgeous Group, the high profile hospitality consultancy known for its work with international hotel groups (Gorgeous is also a partner in Dishoom). Three seasonal tipples are on offer: Spiced Cranberry Sour, made from bourbon, muddled cranberries and ground spices; Winter Chai, with Hennessey cognac complementing Dishoom’s homemade chai; and Hill-Station Wine, a Bombay take on traditional mulled wine.

Already popular for the colder weather is Dishoom’s hot toddy – Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky with warm Darjeeling tea and fresh citrus.

The lower ground floor is decorated in the same style as the ground floor, with a collection of eclectic Bombay artwork and classic Bombay café references, as part of a contemporary interior designed by Afroditi Krassa.

Dishoom
12 Upper St. Martin's Lane
London WC2H 9FB
Tel: 020 7420 9320
www.dishoom.com

Family feast out at newly launched Sitaaray Sundays

Sitaaray, one of the capital’s most unique Indian dining concepts, featuring delectable dishes against the colourful backdrop of Bollywood, has launched Sitaaray Sundays.

Providing an irresistible day out for families or groups of friends, Sitaaray Sundays presents a special Sunday Brunch unlimited menu for just £22.95 per adult, with children under 12 eating for free! And if that wasn’t value enough, families can enjoy free parking at the neighbouring NCP Car Park. 

Choose from a selection of meat, fish and vegetarian kababs before exploring a variety of well-known and authentic curries. At Sitaaray, every dish on the menu is marinated or infused with fresh herbs and spices, grilled and then brought fresh to the table by the experienced chefs. The mouth-watering dishes featured on the menu include Malai Chicken Tikka (Creamy cheesy cardamom flavored chicken morsels); Adraki Paneer Tikka (Grilled Indian cottage cheese spiced with ginger and green chillies); and Dal Makhni (Buttery black lentils simmered overnight, finished with tomatoes, ginger & cream). These will be served at diners’ tables along with a selection of popaddams, chutneys, salads and accompaniments including fresh Naan, Parantha and Peshawari Naan. 

Enjoy a lazy brunch with family or friends from 1.00pm all the way till 8.00pm at Sitaaray and don’t miss taking the kids to see the wonderful performers and bustling street markets that Covent Garden has to offer. To add an extra special touch to the Sitaaray experience of Indian culture, families will be entertained by the restaurant’s very own talented magician! Diners can also benefit from free car parking as Sitaaray is offering guests up to four hours complimentary parking at NCP Drury Lane (entrance from Parker Street) when dining on Sundays, allowing for plenty of time to enjoy lunch then experience all the wonders of Covent Garden. 

Located in the heart of London’s Theatreland on Drury Lane, Sitaaray (Hindi for ‘stars’), combines the very best of authentic Indian cuisine while celebrating India’s other great export – its cinema. The restaurant is set against a stunning cinematic background, celebrating 75 years of Indian cinema. Sitaaray’s colourful décor is dominated by posters and photographs of film legends from Indian movies. Diners can enjoy iconic Bollywood song and dance sequences during dinner as they are played on screens all around the split level restaurant. 

Website: www.sitaaray.com
Address: 167 Drury Lane Covent Garden, London WC2B 5PG
Tel: 020 7269 6422

Dishoom Offers Cheap Breakfast in Covent Garden

Get a bargain Bombay breakfast at Dishoom during the London Restaurant Festival! 

Dishoom, London’s first Bombay café which recently opened in Covent Garden, is a late entrant to the London Restaurant Festival, offering a host of special offers including breakfast for just £5 and a veritable Bombay banquet for only £22.50 a head.

Between 4th and 18th October, start the day at the bustling, light and airy café with a delicious Bacon Naan Roll, made with smoked back bacon, homemade chilli jam in freshly baked naan bread, or a Bombay Omelette, spiced and served with grilled vine tomatoes on toast.

With freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of homemade house chai, and all for just £5, it’s a great start to the day that won’t hurt your wallet.

The café, on Upper St Martin’s Lane, is also serving up two set delicious menus, designed for sharing, especially created for the festival – and more importantly, with double dip-proof price tags.
Lunch comes in barely more expensive at £7. Start with a cooling lassi – choose from salted rose and cardamom, mango and fennel or the spice of a Bhang lassi; fill up with a Roomali Roll filled with chicken, lamb tikka or paneer and mushroom; and wash it down with house-infused chai.
A £22.50 per head menu is a more fully fledged immersion in Dishoom, with four starters to share including zesty calamari and spiced minced lamb, main dishes including grilled lobster tail cooked with ginger, chilli, lime and coriander and a choice of freshly shaved gola ice flavoured with fresh fruits and authentic kulfi to finish. Start your meal with a rose, lychee and raspberry Bellini and finish it with chai.

Dishoom
12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane
London, WC2H 9FB
020 7420 9320
www.dishoom.com