MiMi Mei Fair: Fabulous Chinese-Singaporean Food, Cocktails & Possibly the Plushest London Restaurant Right Now!

Name: MiMi Mei Fair

Address: 55 Curzon St, London W1J 8PG, https://mimimeifair.com/

Cost: £50 plus per person for a 3-course meal on the a la carte menu, check the menu - https://mimimeifair.com/files/MIMI-MEI-FAIR-A-LA-CARTE.pdf

About: Few new London restaurants have caused such a buzz since their recent opening than MiMi Mei Far – and of course we had to check it out.

Photo by @stevenjoycephoto

Glad to report we had an EPIC meal at MiMi Mei Fair - we loved the strong & well-made cocktails, the impeccable service and the plush and sexy décor (possibly one of the most beautiful restaurants in London right now), but it was Chinese-Singaporean Chef Peter Ho's food (of HKK and Hakkasan fame) that really stole the show for us.

Photo by @stevenjoycephoto

Inspired by Empress MiMi’s travels across Hong Kong, Singapore and the provinces of mainland China in particular Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian and Hunan, Chef Peter Ho's menu brings to life dishes like roasted Cantonese char siu pork, Hunanese crispy fish, and Hokkien seafood noodles to name just a few, all under one gorgeous roof.

Photo by @stevenjoycephoto

What We Ate: There were many highlights - Chong Ching chilli chicken with Sichuan peppercorn and dried chilli (£14) was wonderfully crispy and aromatic with the mouth-numbing spice. 

Roasted Cantonese char siu Ibérico black pork with wildflower honey (£15) was beautifully marbled, tender and sweet, and what a treat to have Iberico pork in London.

Better still was a platter of simple steamed okra topped with their homemade XO, shallot and mushroom crumble (£11.50), this was my favourite starter.

Crispy golden langoustine with Perigord Truffle (£22) were deliciously crispy yet soft and creamy inside.

We also enjoyed MiMi’s Xiao long jewels – a selection of XLB (Shanghainese soup dumplings) filled with chicken, chilli crab, king prawn, purple yam and pork (£20). They were very flavoursome though we felt they could have been a tad more soupy and the skin more delicately thinner.

For mains, the star dishes were Hunanese crispy Atlantic seabass with a heady sauce of red chilli, coriander and lotus root £47 – this was a whole deep-fried seabass served on a Chinese platter and finished off at the table, a stunning dish.

Hokkien seafood noodles with scallop, prawn and sambal paste £17 was again delectable and a surprisingly generous portion bursting with umami flavours from the sambal.

Claypot slow-cooked leg of Welsh lamb was meltingly tender with hints of star anise and cinnamon (£32). We enjoyed this gentle yet flavoursome dish though we felt this was not the best main option to follow the full-on spicy Hunanese fried fish.

Side of Claypot black bean aubergine, chilli, garlic and spring onion (£13) much akin to a Sichuanese fish fragrant aubergine, the lusciously velvety vegetable was both tangy, savoury and spicy.

Brazed truffled trio of 3 mushrooms (shimeji, shiitake, eryngi - £17) was delicately flavoured with a strong scent of truffles, this was light yet full of flavour.

For dessert, Baiju Baba with green cardamom, and kumquat (£10) was beautifully made and soaked in the Chinese liqueur, it was an excellent ending to a fabulous meal.

What We Drank: Mimi of Mei Fair has a selection of well-made and strong cocktails, we loved ‘Chestnut Sour’ (£14) their version of an Amaretto sour flavoured with China’s symbolic Chrysanthemum flowers and chestnuts, it was nutty and bittersweet.

Also excellent was the Qi Pao (£13), named after the traditional Chinese long-necked fitted dress, this hard shaken, yuzu-infused Daiginjo sake based cocktail is made of a combination of bitters, blue tea and purple shiso leaf, it was lovely bitter and floral.

Likes: we loved the food (that Hunanese fish is the thing of dreams!), the gorgeous décor and the impeccable service.

Dislikes: the low lighting was great for the sexy ambience but it really didn’t help my images, so apologies for the grainy pics!

Verdict: MiMi Mei Fair is the perfect place to take someone you really want to impress; it is also where you go when you want to treat yourself, because we all need it sometimes. We loved the food, the service and the gorgeous location and décor. Highly recommended.

Tamarind Restaurant - Gorgeous Revamp and Michelin-Starred Indian Tasting Menu

Name: Tamarind Restaurant (Former Tamarind of Mayfair)

Where: 20 Queen Street, London W1J 5PR, https://www.tamarindrestaurant.com/.

Cost: The tasting menu is priced at £69 with an optional wine pairing of £45. The restaurant also offers great value 2 and 3-course lunch and pre-theatre set menus at £25 and £30 respectively  from 12pm to 14:30 and from 17:30 to 18:30 everyday of the week (Monday to Sunday).

About: Tamarind (formerly Tamarind of Mayfair), the first Indian restaurant in the UK to be awarded a Michelin Star, re-opened in December 2018 after an eight-month long re-build.

Designed by David D’ Almada, Tamarind is set over two floors. The lower ground floor restaurant revolves around a striking open-plan kitchen and tandoor ovens, while the first floor dining room has doubled the restaurant’s capacity to a total of 152 covers. 

Following this multi-million pound refit, the interior is stunning, with a subtle colour scheme of distressed gold, pale grey, pink and cream. The soft off-white leather seating, and marble and wood flooring all make for a very elegant setting.

Executive Group Head Chef, Karunesh Khanna and Tamarind Mayfair Head Chef, Manav Tuli lead the kitchen, and their menu is a contemporary take on authentic Indian cooking with dishes, many of which are prepared on a charcoal grill or in the tandoor. 

With its sister restaurants Tamarind Kitchen in Soho’s Wardour Street, and Zaika in High Street Kensington, Tamarind Mayfair is the flagship of the Tamarind Group. 

What We Ate: There is a well thought-out à la carte menu, and two tasting menus. We opted for the signature tasting menu (£69 per person), although there is also a vegetarian tasting menu (£59 per person). 

The curly kale salad was as delicious as it looked, combining a number of ingredients including kale, mangetout, yellow cherry tomatoes, dates, almonds, cabbage and broad beans, the whole tasting far greater than the sum of its parts thanks to the delectable dressing made with kokum - a southern Indian sour fruit.

Equally good were the griddled Scottish scallops, served with a delicately spiced red lentil, coconut, curry leaf and fennel sauce, topped with a refreshing green apple salsa.

The yoghurt and corn kebab, encrusted in panko and almond, had a deliciously creamy mouth-feel and nutty flavour.

The Konkan prawns were wonderful – huge, succulent wild prawns, tender, deftly spiced and aromatic from the tandoor.

Chicken Tikka Hasnu came perfectly grilled and flavoured with complex spice mix including a whack of cardamom.

The char-grilled lamb chops were outstanding, served French-trimmed, pink and tender, with a pistachio crust and spicy marinade, accompanied by baby peppers with lentil and herb cheese stuffing.

Chettinad chicken biryani came flavoured with curry leaf, and a refreshing beetroot raita.

Marwari bhindi (okra) was served with onion and tomato, topped with black and white sesame. 

The Hyderabad goat chop curry (£24) was not on the tasting menu, but it sounded so good I had to give it a try.  Slow-cooked goat chops with whole garam masala and coconut were beautifully presented in a tin-lined copper pan. Naturally more intense and fibrous than the lamb, this really packed a flavour punch, served with a steaming naan, freshly baked in the tandoor oven.

Again venturing off the tasting menu, for dessert we were tempted by the coconut rice (£10), baked with cinnamon and lime, black rice, candy cashew, roast coconut, coconut rolls and guava sorbet.  The combination of creamy cardamom rice pudding with fresh coconut rolls was irresistible, and the guava sorbet was silky smooth.

The Gajar Halwa  (carrot and cardamom) soufflé (£12) was served with a fresh carrot jam centre, with bayleaf ice cream.  This was absurdly good, with a marmalade quality to the carrot jam, and the soufflé had an unexpected lightness of texture and finesse.

What We Drank: We kicked off with a couple of cocktails. The Zaffran Gin Fizz (£15) combined saffron, pistachio orgeat syrup, cardamom, orange flower, lassi and lemon soda.

The Himalayan Sour (£15) had a base of Amrut Indian peated whisky blended with Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, coriander seed, vetiver (an Indian fragrant grass), lemon, egg white and Ayurveda bitters.
  

These were truly well-made, original and interesting cocktails.  Carole Brown, previously Bar Manager for eight years at Hakkasan and four at Park Chinois, is responsible for the extensive list of innovative cocktails, many featuring Indian ingredients and flavours to complement the cooking, garnished with petals, blossoms and bursts of coloured powders. 

The wine list has some great wines from France, Italy and Spain, as well as the best regions of the USA, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. There are relatively few options below £50 per bottle. 

We moved on from cocktails to the wine pairing option of the tasting menu, priced at £45 per person, starting with a glass of Northern Rhone Saint Joseph, from Domaine Culleron Les Pieres Seches (£16 per glass, £89 per bottle).  This had soft red berry fruit, gentle tannins, and was surprisingly long on the finish.

Next up was the Pago de los Capellanes Crianza 2016 (£14 per glass, £80 per bottle), from Ribeiro del Duero, Spain, made from 100% Tempranillo grapes, matured for one year in oak.  Well structured, with black berry fruit, leather and tannin, this was more than a match for the spicy food. A glass of Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva 2012 (£72  per bottle) was softer, with luscious cherry and damson fruit , mint and eucalyptus, with gentle tannins reflecting its long oak ageing.   

Likes: There wasn’t a bad dish on the menu, but the prawns and lamb chops were outstanding.  The desserts were truly exceptional, and if you don’t leave room for them, you will be missing out. The wine pairing option at £45pp was excellent value for money.

Dislikes: None

Verdict: We loved the revamped Tamarind Restaurant for its exquisite Indian cooking, the gorgeous new décor and great service. The tasting menu and wine pairing are also excellent value for money. Highly recommended.

The Colony Grill - Art Deco Glam, Champagne Cocktails and Tomahawk Steak (Plus the Best Mac n' Cheese This Side of the Pond!)

Name: The Colony Grill

Where: The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Brown Hart Gardens, London, W1K 6TF
http://www.colonygrillroom.com

Cost: The all day menu is served from 7am until 11pm. Starters cost from £8.95 to £25, main courses from £12 to £49 (for a 14 oz rib-eye steak). Sides are £4.50 to £6.25, with desserts from £6.75 to £9.50.  

About: Opened in 2014, The Colony Grill at The Beaumont Hotel is a haven of tranquility and Art Deco glam, and surprisingly, just a stone's throw south from manic Oxford Street and west of Bond Street.

Owned by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King (who also brought to London the restaurants Le Caprice, The Ivy, The Wolseley and The Delaunay), the American Bar and Grill Room is an elegant spot, and its hard to believe that its Art Deco murals and red leather banquets and linen-clad tables have only existed for 4 years.

On the mid-week evening we were there, the restaurant was packed with a well-healed crowd.

This is my second visit to The Colony Grill, my first time there was only a few months ago during the kitchen takeover by the New Orleans restaurant Galatoire’s, this was a superb meal which you can read more about here - http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk/2017/10/do-you-know-your-cajun-from-your-creole.html.

What We Ate: We started with the dressed Weymouth crab (£18.75). This was fresh and fragrant, with roughly chopped chives and a half lemon in a muslin sleeve daintily designed to keep lemon pips out of the food.

The steak tartare with toast and salad (£12.25) was assembled at the table (I loved watching the waiter doing this) with a mixture of hand-chopped fillet of beef, ketchup, mustard, shallots, capers, cornichons, anchovy, parsley, Worcester sauce, Tabasco and a raw quail egg yolk.

This was excellent - a bracing combination of chilli and spice, with succulent raw beef still retaining great texture.

For main course, we shared a Tomahawk steak (£35 per person). An Ayrshire 30-day dry-aged Aberdeen Angus, this was served with French fries and a choice of beurre maitre d'hotel, pepper or Béarnaise sauce.

The steak was brought with a section of rib to the table, and carved with some theatricality. It was then transferred to a tin-lined copper pan, and served with tomatoes roasted on the vine.

The aroma of roasted bone marrow was sensational, and with a combination of Béarnaise sauce, pepper sauce and fries, this was absolutely stunning.

As accompaniment, we had a small macaroni cheese (£8). The signature dish of the restaurant, this was rich, creamy and beautifully seasoned with nutmeg and pepper, enriched by double cream and Gruyere cheese.

For dessert, we chose the Knickerbocker Glory (£9.25). This was an authentic version of an all-American classic, a very sweet but refreshing dessert. The small ruby plum and sherry trifle (£5.50) had sponge cake and a splash of sherry, but lacked the unctuous custard I was hoping for. The raspberry jelly used was too sweet for my palate, it tasted a tad naïve.

What We Drank: We kicked off with a couple of pre-dinner cocktails in the American Bar.  The Classic Champagne Cocktail (£15.75) with Cognac, Angostura bitters, sugar and Champagne, was a fine example of the genre. The Boulevardier (£14.50) blended Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey, sweet vermouth and Campari, and was strong and invigorating.

In the main restaurant, the wine list is well thought out, and has a good range of European and New World wines. The entry level wines, both red and white, are from Chapoutier priced at £27.50. They are a Luberon Blanc and a Marius Rouge from the Languedoc. 

We chose a bottle of Montes Alpha Carmenere 2015 from Colchagua Valley, Chile (£43.50). A fruit-driven wine, this had plenty of blackberry fruit, and was more than a match for the rich steak in our dinner.

Likes: The steak tartare and tomahawk steak were excellent, as were the cocktails. The Mac n’ Cheese is probably one of the best I have had this side of the pond.

Dislikes: The desserts were the weakest link, a tad naïve, overly sweet and lacking in sophistication.

Verdict: The Colony Grill is home to one of the most elegant American Bars and Grill Rooms in London. With well-made cocktails, fantastic food and Art Décor glamour plus very friendly service, it is one of the few restaurants in London that I cannot wait to return to. Very highly recommended.

Do You Know Your Cajun From Your Creole? - Discovering the Cooking of Louisiana at Galatoire's

Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: Galatoire’s Residency at The Colony Grill, Beaumont Hotel

Where: The original Galatoire’s is at 209 Bourbon St, New Orleans, USA, LA 70130 - http://www.galatoires.com/

The Galatoire’s residency took place at The Colony Grill, The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton St, London W1K 6TF - https://www.colonygrillroom.com/

Cost: A three course meal from the Galatoire’s menu at The Colony Grill cost on average £50-60 per person, not including drinks or service. Starters were an average of £15, main courses ranged from £20 to £40. New Orleanian cocktails, given new flair by The Beaumont’s American Bar, were priced at £15 each.

About: Galatoire’s is probably the most famous restaurant in New Orleans. Founded by Frenchman Jean Galatoire in 1905 the restaurant still serves the classic dishes that it used to make for regulars such as Tennessee Williams.

Like Jean Galatoire, current Executive Chef, Michael Sichel, spent more than a decade learning the culinary techniques of France. He honed his skills in Provence, before returning to America and moving to New Orleans because, as he boldly stated to us when we interviewed him - “Lousiana has the greatest cuisine in North America”. We were very intrigued to learn more.

Galatoire’s specialises in the cuisines of New Orleans and Louisiana. Both are heavily influenced by Cajun influences, which came with the French-speaking Acadian people when they were forced from Canada by the British, and Creole cooking, which combines French and African influences. These cuisines gave us classic dishes as different as Oysters Rockefeller and Jambalaya - that can be incredibly difficult outside of the US.

The beautiful rooms at The Colony Grill, host of Galartoire's Residency in London

Sichel also told us that he fell in love with London when he was here to cook for the US Olympic team in 2012, and so couldn’t resist when he was invited back to take up a residency at The Beaumont to celebrate the NFL Series games taking place in London. These games mark the start of the NFL season, and draw Americans, and fans of Americana alike, to the city. 

What We Ate: We started by sharing two of Galatoire’s most iconic dishes. Oyster’s Rockefeller is near enough impossible to find in the UK, so they just had to be ordered.

We had six large oysters from Carlingford on Ireland’s East coast, grilled and decked with the emerald-green Rockefeller topping - made with creamed spinach and herbsaint, an aniseed liqueur famous in New Orleans. The topping was rich and buttery and flooded the palate, so to best savour the salty mollusc underneath. 

Our second starter was no less iconic. Sticks of fried aubergine, coated in breadcrumbs, were soft on the inside, but firm enough to withstand double-dipping: first into a perfectly tart Bearnaise sauce, and second into a pot of icing sugar. This unconventional but addictive dish is a Galatoire’s classic, and it looked perfect when served in The Colony Grill’s dainty porcelain.

We shared one more starter of Seafood Okra Gumbo, made with jumbo lump crabmeat, prawns and oysters. Gumbo is a Louisiana stew - the Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a dark roux or both. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. In the Galatoire’s version, the dark stock was thickened with okra making it more refined, light and glossy. Soft flakes of white crabmeat and large, fresh prawns were folded into the silky white rice. This was a great introduction to Creole Gumbo!

Our first main course was crabmeat sardou. In appearance, it resembles the classic brunch dish of eggs royale, poached egg on an English muffin served with smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce. In this classic Galatoire’s brunch dish, however, crabmeat and creamed spinach are served on a base of artichoke heart, and blanketed in Hollandaise. The classic New Orleanian combination of rich butter and sharp flavours, present in the Oysters Rockefeller, worked well again here in the main course.

Our second main was Dover Sole Yvonne, Chef Sichel’s Cajun take on The Colony Grill's Grilled Dover Sole. The Colony Grill serves their Dover Sole with a rich Bearnaise sauce, but Sichel used a much simpler Meunière, made with brown butter, parsley and lemon.  The depth of flavour came from a finely balanced Cajun rub that coated the Sole.

Cajun cuisine came from the French-speaking Acadian people, who were forced by the British to move from Canada to Louisiana, and the Cajun rub balanced the heat of bell pepper with softer flavours like onion and parsley, bringing warmth and a light heat to the Dover Sole and the savoury mix of crab meat, artichoke hearts and mushroom.

For dessert, we shared a bread pudding. Made from rich brioche bread, this classic New Orleans dish resembles a traditional British bread and butter pudding. The major difference, however, came with the Banana Foster sauce that accompanied it, a dark caramel made with cinnamon, rum, and soft slices of banana. The sauce is a fantastic New Orleanian invention, its richness softened by the fresh banana, but for us the pudding was too soft, compared with its British cousin.

What We Drank: The Beaumont’s American Bar served a number of Southern American cocktails to accompany the residency.

Image courtesy of The Beaumont Hotel

We started with The Sporting Life, a Beaumont invention combining Old Forrester Statesman bourbon, Chambord and Amontillado sherry, in a light and sweet cocktail, perfect as a pre-dinner tipple. The competing bourbon and fruit flavours were as strong as each other, making this an excellent choice.

We followed this with a Sazerac, a New Orleans classic that combines whisky, cognac and absinthe in a punchy but sophisticated drink, best served as a digestif at the end of a meal. It looked like a darker Negroni, and tasted even punchier.

Likes: The Colony Grill is a brilliantly designed dining room, with spacious semi-circular red leather booths along one wall, beautiful lighting and iconic American murals on the walls. Galatoire’s is one of the most prestigious addresses in New Orleans, and The Colony Grill was the perfect place to enjoy this great North American cuisine.

Michael Sichel’s okra seafood gumbo was a revelation. The addition of the okra gave the whole thing a silky gloss, and the decadent combination of prawns, oyster and thick lumps of white crabmeat worked perfectly.

Dislikes: We’d have loved to see more desserts from Galatoire’s make it over the Atlantic, such as their Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Black Bottom Pecan Pie or the Key Lime Tart.

Verdict: The Galatoire's residency was the perfect introduction to New Orleanian cuisine, and classic dishes such as Oysters Rockefeller and Crab Sardou that are hard to find in the UK. I highly recommend Galatoire’s for your next trip to New Orleans, I can’t wait to try it for myself!

Discovering Galatoire's and The Colony Grill via @TheLondonFoodie Instagram Page:

Fantastic lunch today at the @thecolonygrillroom to learn all about the cooking of New Orleans - in celebration of the NFL Season in London, the restaurant is collaborating with @galatoiresnola, the Grand Dame of New Orleans cuisine on Bourbon St, The Galatoire Restaurant was founded in 1905! . It was great chatting with @galatoiresnola Executive Chef Michael Sichel @topsich who prepared this beautiful platter of Oysters Rockefeller. . The oysters were delicious, lightly grilled and covered in creamed spinach scented with Herbsaint (a Louisiana style Pernod liqueur). . #neworleans #louisiana #oystersrockefeller #colonygrill #nflgame #cajuncooking

A post shared by Luiz Hara (@thelondonfoodie) on Sep 27, 2017 at 8:54am PDT

My first taste of Louisiana Gumbo stew prepared by Exec Chef Michael Sichel @topsich for @galatoiresnola residency at @thecolonygrillroom in London - a week long celebration of the cooking of New Orleans. . This creamy seafood gumbo had Louisiana jumbo crabmeat, plump shrimps and oysters in an intensely flavoured seafood stock thickened with okra and light brown roux. It was outstandingly good. . #gumbo #lousiana #neworleans #galatoires #americanfood #americancooking #americancuisine

A post shared by Luiz Hara (@thelondonfoodie) on Sep 27, 2017 at 10:24am PDT