A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be treated to a date night with Jack to Berners Tavern. We had meant to go a few months ago, but when our reservation came round I'd had an allergic reaction and was feeling very sorry for myself and was struggling to eat. So we re-booked and went on a Saturday night.
For those who have not heard of Berners Tavern it is a stunning restaurant attached to the London Edition Hotel in Soho and is Led by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton. It has become one of London’s most sought-after restaurant reservations, famous for a space that marries historical charm with modern sophistication, it offers all-day dining with a menu of seasonal, contemporary British cuisine - also known as a bloody nice place.
We had a 5pm reservation (as we are really oldies at heart and don’t like being out too late) and had booked through Opentable we had a confirmation call a few days before our booking which made a nice touch. When we arrived I was blown away by the impressiveness of the restaurant, there were these incredibly detailed and intricate high ceilings, with the walls covered in paintings and art work it was really a sight to behold and so much to look at.
We were taken to our seats, our coats were taken and menus brought over. We were then brought the Champaign trolley (I need one of these in every restaurant I go to!) and were offered a ranges of glasses of bubbly. We had a glass each of a very delicious Brut while we perused the menu. We both ordered some cocktails, I had the Rum crumble which comprised of rum, apple sherbet, biscuit foam, gingerbread bitter, rum and apple sherbet mixed with spiced biscuit foam. This has got to have been the best tasting cocktail I have ever had it also looked impressive. Jack went for the loggers camp, which comprised of whiskey, blueberry shrub, grape must verjuice, cranberry, bacon flavours and berries, and again this was so delicious.
Onto our meals, for starters I had the Pork Pie, which came out as a whole log where the waiter cut off a slice and then dressed it with an assortment of pickles and condiments to make it possibly the best dressed pork pie I have ever seen. Jack chose the beef tartar and they were both delicious, and came out in a good amount of time. The pork pie was so tasty with such a good quality pork used and a lovely pasty (there was not a soggy bottom in sight). Jacks Beef Tartar was a lovely rich, rare beef complemented by hazelnuts and horseradish. Once we had finished the table was cleared promptly.
For mains Jack chose the Mac and Cheese with the Beef Blade. This came out looking huge, there was so much tender beef and the mac and cheese used big pasta with such a creamy cheese sauce! It was comfort food heaven! I went for the Highland Partridge which was so beautifully presented. The meat was so flavourful and the bacon ragout made such a difference to the meal. It was super tasty and we cleared our plates in no time. I always think the mains is a good place to discuss the service. The service we received was top notch every waiter was so nice, polite and attentive, all smart and uniformed, but also not rushing us or being too present it was the perfect balance.
Finally onto desert we decided to share and have the chocolate and hazelnut flaming Alaska which was more than just a desert. This was a show in itself. The waiter came out with all the ingredients, Poured the flaming alcohol onto the Alaska before pouring on the crumble and custard. Now this was incredible. I have always been a dessert person, but this was another level. It was like every little aspect added to the overall experience with the crumble being a particular favourite of mine. We managed to polish the dessert off pretty quickly. With dessert we ordered the recommended desert wine each and these were very nice, not too sweet and perfectly complimented the desert a great recommendation.
Now onto the final aspect of our experience, the bill. This is an expensive place to eat and we were aware of this before booking so it wasn’t a shock when the bill came. of course a few pounds cheaper and it would have been a whole lot more enjoyable, but this is the kind of restaurant that unless you are some kind of millionaire a visit is likely to be a planned occasion so you will be aware of the price range. You are also paying for so much more than just the food and for the whole experience the price was worth it. Despite that though the whole evening was very delightful and I would highly recommend a visit to Berners tavern to anyone and we would love another visit sometime in the future.
Have you ever been to Berners Tavern? Let me know your favourite London restaurants as we are always looking for new places to try. And would love to hear some of your recommendations.
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Until next time
Emma Jayne
xxx
1 comment
So this review is one that I have been meaning to do for ages and it's actually from my favourite restaurant - Sticks 'n' Sushi. I have now been to the Covent Garden site, Canary Wharf, and most recently, and the time this review is based on, in Wimbledon. Jack and I went to celebrate my new job starting and we had a lovely evening out. We booked a fairly early dinner at 5.30 and after having a few drinks elsewhere in Wimbledon we headed in and were greeted and lead to our table by the lovely man on the host desk.
As the sun finally starts coming out and we
start seeing warmer days (this week its been hitting 29 degrees!) it’s time to
get yourselves to the pub or out in the garden with a drink in hand enjoying
those rays of vitamin D. If you know me you know that I’m not a particularly
big drinker as in I don’t enjoy going out and getting smashed every weekend and
I certainly don’t enjoy the hangover that come with that. So you could say I’m much
more of a light casual drinker having a drink every now and then, and with that I
therefore like to enjoy my drink a lot more.
Usually in the summer my go to alcoholic
drinks are either Malibu or Cider as they have a very distinct taste that I
love. This year however I had tasted a sample of a different brand rhubarb gin
and couldn't get the delicious taste of it out of my head. As I couldn’t remember
the name of that brand I scoured the internet and started to sew photos of the
Warner Edwards Rhubarb Gin online. This then led me to ask for it at every
occasion in bars (not very many stock it), then realising I love the the taste,
and that it's not stocked in many supermarkets. I however planned to buy it online
until I saw it in Waitrose this week and stocked up immediately.
My boyfriend and I were in Malmo last weekend as a
little city get away. It was a lovely little break in such a beautiful city
(Check out my Instagram photos and see for yourself).
 |
| Malmo Park |
On our final night we
decided to head out to a nice restaurant in the town. The lonely planet guide that
we had, suggested Arstiderna i Kockska Huset. In the guide the restaurant is
described as a €€€ Swedish restaurant that serves meals in the vaults beneath Kockska
Huset, food is upscale Swedish and the atmosphere is classic with crisp white
tablecloths and quietly professional service. So out we went.
We wanted an early dinner (so we could watch the
football YAY!! *not*) and decided to attempt to get a table without booking. When
walking up to the restaurant it is not obvious at first that it is an eatery, but once you venture down the stairs it opens up into the vaults, it looks like
an old wine cellar with curved ceiling and arches. A very friendly man helped
us and took us to our table with was nice, not too close to any others and
beautifully laid. We were given menus and left to make a decision. After ordering
drinks we were ready to order mains. There was a nice choice on the menu, not
too much but a nice selection with Swedish specialties as well as more standard
meals. Jack went for the veal and I decided to try the reindeer. While waiting
for the meals we were given some warm bread and then a nice little appetizers, which was a nice little touch.
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| The delicious appitizers |
The mains did not take long to
come, there were not many others in the restaurant though. The food was
presented beautifully and the waitress took the time to tell us about the food
that we had. Both meals were delicious and we would both recommend what we had.
 |
| The Reindeer Meal |
Once mains were cleared we decided to have some
puddings, as I have a super big sweet tooth. Again the selection was great and
I was torn between the crème brule and the soufflé. I ended up going for the
Strawberry soufflé, while jack had some truffles. Again both were delicious and
bursting with flavours.
 |
| The Strawberry Souffle |
The staff were very friendly, they did speak to us in
Swedish to start (perhaps we looked like locals), however when we apologised and
said we didn’t understand they all were very happy to speak English which they
were all great at (and we appreciated immensely!). In terms of costs this was
not a cheap place to eat, but we knew that before going, with the price of the
meal rounding to about 1000 SKR (£85).
Overall this was a lovely evening out with delicious
food in a great establishment. I would highly recommend to go to Arstiderna i Kockska Huset if you are in Malmo and are looking for a nice place to eat. Here are a couple of photos from the evening:
Let me know if you have ever been to Arstiderna i Kockska Huset or Malmo in general and also let me know your favourite restaurants?
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Lots of love
Emma Jayne
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