The Rib Room Knightsbridge

It's my Birthday, hurrah! What better time, then, to treat myself for dinner at somewhere new and interesting. I did a good bit of online research, primarily on Opentable.com, to find the best deal for my swankier-than-usual Tuesday evening meal. After shortlisting a few places close to work, I opted for the £29pp deal for 3 courses and a glass of champagne. After all, it is my Birthday!

I've hopped on the bus from work which drops me a short walk from the restaurant, incorporated within the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel. After a moment's brief confusion looking for an entrance on the terrace, we locate the restaurant's reception tucked at the end of the hotel lobby. Slightly more confusion as the receptionist looks for our reservation  (she was looking at the wrong day) and we're seated in a comfortable booth by the window. 

Presented with menus and a fancy electronic wine list, we are offered water and champagne (Tattinger), which we happily accept. The set menu isn't huge, with 4 options for each course, but as an unfussy eater it still takes me a while to decide which appeal the most. We both opted for the braised pig cheek to start, then I went for the roasted sea trout for main, with my other half choosing the roasted rib of beef, with a portion of minted jersey royals to share. After chuckling at the £7000 wine available, we select a South African Stellenbosch Syrah at £39 - we're both not so keen on white and my usual choice of a Pinot Noir was waaaay over budget!)

We're given bread and butter, which is a little disappointing - the crust is slightly tough rather than crispy. It's only a little thing but I am a huge fan of good bread and butter, and I am trying to write an honest review! Luckily, the starters that follow more than make up for the not-quite-perfect bread offerings, elegantly presented and deliciously aromatic before we've even taken a bite. The pork itself is tender and succulent, with the rich bacon jam and sharp sweetness of the apple working exceptionally well together. Interestingly, the artful combination of flavours on the plate also compliments the taste of the champagne, which was a little sweet on its own.

Our plates are cleared and water refilled as we wait for our mains. The service is relaxed but professional - we're given ample time to digest between courses but the waiters are attentive and polite without being intrusive. I tend to drink a lot of water when I eat out, so I'm particularly thankful for my never ending glass of iced water, topped up regularly and subtly throughout the meal. There's often a worry that restaurants attached to hotels might be lacking in character or identity, but I don't feel that here. The decor is traditional, verging on dated in style and quite dimly lit overall, but the seating, table positioning and general atmosphere are pleasant and enjoyable. 

The mains arrive, cleanly and simply presented, with the gravy for the beef and razor clam broth for the fish being added by the waiters at the last minute, which is a nice touch. I'm not actually sure how much this affects the flavour of the food or whether it's just for show. Food critics of the world - can you enlighten me? The beef was on the medium side of medium rare according to my partner, but the meat was tender and full of flavour nonetheless. The rib was served with a traditional Yorkshire, but it was the minted potatoes that really stood out for him as an accompaniment, with the punchy fresh mint perfectly complementing the rich flavours of the meat and gravy. My trout is tasty, although noticeably overcooked. The crispy skin works very well with the sweetness of the chargilled Grelot onions and spring vegetables but is a touch under-seasoned. Since the broth was very tasty and not too salty, a bit more of a rock salt crust on the trout, and a little less time roasting and my main would have lived up to the high standard set by the starter. As it was, the fish was sadly a little dry, and I also found the Jersey Royals slightly floury, although the powerful mint worked well with the flavours of my dish.

The main course plates are cleared, our table is brushed down and we are presented with the menus for our dessert choice. I'm not a big fan of heavy puddings, but the blueberry & violet souffle with yogurt sorbet sounds too tempting to pass up. My man opts for the traditional custard tart with poached prunes in Armagnac. The menu states that the souffle has a 15 minute wait, which is totally fine as we've still got half a bottle of wine left. The wine is tasty, coincidentally. It took a little while to breathe, but was full of the typical full body and deep fruity, spiciness of a New World Syrah. 

We're still sipping away when the puddings arrive, which look consistently neat and classic, in keeping with the other courses. My souffle is standing proud, risen high above its ramekin and a bright violet colour. I'm so excited to tuck in that I forgot to take a picture, so you'll just have to imagine what our puds looked like. The souffle is wonderfully flavoursome, although I could've sworn it had a sharp raspberry rather than blueberry acidity along with the rich egg, floral violet and sugary sweetness. Either way, the yoghurt sorbet is a welcome counterpart to the warmth of the souffle and I savour every morsel. The custard tart is tasty too, with rich vanilla standing out against the boozy prunes. 

We finish our wine at a leisurely pace and are presented with a selection of truffles - lime, salted caramel and peach. It's a nice gesture - the half empty tray is even replaced as we finish off our wine. the truffles aren't quite to my taste - there's a lot of thick liquid / jelly inside a thin shell and I'm not overkeen on the texture. But as a complimentary treat after the meal I can't complain. Service is added to the bill, so the total including service, wine and the side is almost exactly double the cost of the deal. That's the one thing to watch with any restaurant deals - the moment you add aperitifs, sides, coffees etc can effectively cancel the saving made on the food itself. We've been mindful of this though and I would definitely say that the overall cost is excellent value. 

To sum up - The Rib Room Knightsbridge served well presented, traditional food with great flavours and and impressive wine selection to match. The starters and desserts were the highlight, and it's a shame that a few minor faults with the main courses slightly lowered the high quality of what was, overall, a very tasty, reasonably priced meal. I'd recommend the Opentable deal for anyone looking for a special meal on a limited budget in one of London's most affluent areas. 

Bobo Social - Charlotte Street, London

New blog, new review. Out for dinner and a catch up with a couple of lovely ladies on a pleasant spring evening. After a couple of drinks at a nearby Sam Smith pub, we wander up Charlotte Street to the unassuming Bobo Social. It's one of those charming locations, of which there are many across London, where the shape and structure of what was presumably once a city home is clearly still apparent. The main eating area is effectively a sizeable front room, but manages to nail "cosy" without being cramped. The rather lovely single toilet is fitting for a plush townhouse, complete with individual hand towels and shabby-chic decor. But enough about the interior, we came here to eat and drink, and that we did.

We started off with a cocktail each to help peruse the small but appealing menu. I didn't get off to the best start, opting for the Black Basil Cosmopolitan, which was sadly rather tasteless, lacking the flavours of black cherry and basil as promised on the menu. My companions went for the London Buck (pleasant but a little too subtle - would have been better with ginger beer rather than ginger ale for more of a kick) and a Margarita (very well balanced and enjoyable, by far the best of the bunch).

We decided to share 2 of the small plates between the 3 of us to start, selecting the Salt & Pepper Crispy Squid and Fillet Steak Strips. Although they possibly should have been listed as very small plates, what they lacked in size they certainly made up for in flavour. The morsels of squid were succulent and tasty, with a light breaded coating and a generous amount of lemon aioli. The steak was delicious, just seared to seal in the flavour and served with a subtle avocado salsa.

As this is a burger eatery, literally the only choice for main is a burger. They all sound tasty, but I couldn't resist the lure of the lobster and crab burger with dill caper cream and wasabi fried onions. The others went for a capsicum burger (beef burger with chorizo, manchego, chillies and tomato salsa) and a custom Bobo beef burger with maple cured bacon and Colston Bassett Stilton. We chose the skin-on, beef dripping Bobo chips, sweet potato chips with truffle salt, and apple slaw with toasted pumpkin seeds to accompany our burger selection. The burgers are served on traditional blue and white china plates, with the sides presented in China tea cups. It's just quaint enough to be endearing without trying too hard. The burgers are a very decent size, and the sides are just the right amount to make a good hearty meal. My crustacean burger is soft, well seasoned and incredibly moreish. The dill and wasabi flavours are not overpowering and really complement the favour of the meat. In fact we all enjoyed our burgers so much that there was no sharing of mains to be had! So I think it's safe to say that the beef options were as enjoyable as the seafood. We went for wine by the glass - it pays to look closely at the menu - a bottle of Malbec was actually a few pence more expensive than 3 large glasses. The ladies went for the Malbec Leduc to go with their beef, and shunning convention, I also went for a red - a Biferno Montepulciano Aglianico Camillo de Lellis - with my lobster and crab. Both wines were extremely enjoyable and nicely matched to our dishes. The Malbec was round and spicy, the Montepulciano light and fruity with some lovely topnotes of blackberry.

I'm not much of a pudding person, but I couldn't resist the sound of the Cohiba dessert cocktail. A heady mix of Havana, bourbon, cherry brandy and an unconventional addition of tobacco liqueur. In a pleasing contrast to my first cocktail, this one was packed full of flavour, the sweet woodiness of the tobacco complementing the rich flavours of the spirits. My friend went for the cheesecake, which was very tasty if slightly on the rich side, and there was another Margarita and an espresso martini enjoyed all round.

I've not mentioned the service thus far, but by no means is that a bad thing. Aside from being offered drinks twice on being seated, for me the service was excellent. Attentive without being smothering, polite and friendly but never forced. The staff were rather attractive too, although one isn't supposed to comment on such things in this day and age.

One last thing worth a mention - the special burger each week is created from the Experimental Burger Society held on Monday evenings. For £35 a head, members of the public can create their own burger with exotic meats. The best burger of the evening then gets added to the menu for the week. A meat pairing and wine tasting starter are also included.

So, Bobo Social - slightly pricey but totally worth it burgers, very tasty sides and variable cocktails. Great service, relaxed atmosphere and some lovely wine to boot. I'd be more than happy to go back, and would definitely consider the experimental evening as something a little different. Besides, I forgot to take any pictures of the food so I'll just have to go back for more!