Visiting London: JP's visit – some suggested restaurants

The Lahore Kebab House in London's East End – 2-10 Umberston St, London E1 1PY 

This is the third and last post in the series on Loire vigneron Jean-Pierre's proposed visit to London.  See posts one here and two here. 

Jean-Pierre stipulated that the restaurants had to be affordable: 'Et peut être un ou deux resto ou l' on mange bien sans se ruiner'. 

I know what he means! For although I do enjoy going to top and expensive restaurants occasionally, I prefer to look for restaurants that offer good food at reasonable value. A few months ago we did have a very fine meal at Murano and would go back there again some time but I look forward just as keenly to my visit to the wonderful Lahore Kebab House in the East End where three can eat brilliantly for half the price of one meal in Murano. Admittedly the Lahore does not have a licence, allows you to bring your own wine, beer etc. and then very generously doesn't charge you corkage. A glimpse of paradise!

Also I don't want to give Jean-Pierre an excuse to raise the price of his reds either to pay for his expenditure in London or because seeing some London restaurants charge upwards of £60 a head conclude that les Rosbifs are fabulously wealthy and won't notice a price increase!

 The Green Man & French Horn

Reminders of home

Green Man and French Horn

RSJ Restaurant

First up a couple of restaurants that will remind JP of the Loire. The Green Man & French Horn opened in September 2012. The wine list is entirely Loire and many of the ingredients in the cooking headed by Chef Ed Wilson are sourced from the Loire Valley. Right in the centre on St Martin's Lane – a short walk from Trafalgar Square. Booking essential. 

The RSJ Restaurant is on the south side of the Thames on Stamford Street close to Waterloo. It opened 33 years ago in 1980 and has become known for its wine list, which concentrates almost entirely on Loire wines, and good value food. (Declaration I have been a consultant here since around 1990.) 

The Quality Chop House 

A new discovery

The Quality Chop House

A very recent discovery the Quality Chop House is at the top end of Farringdon Road about a 10-15 minute walk from Kings Cross. It is run by Will Lander, son of leading wine writer Jancis Robinson MW, and Josie Stead. There is a fixed priced no choice four course dinner menu for £35. The wine list is eclectic and good value.

Go East Jean-Pierre

The Lahore Kebab House 

The Punjab

The Great Nepalese 

Y Ming

A quartet of old favourites – three restaurants from the Indian sub-continent and then my favourite Chinese restaurant.

The Lahore Kebab House
Although it is a bit of a trek from the centre it isn't difficult to get to as it faces onto the Commercial Road and is a short walk from either from Algate East or Whitechapel underground stations. Always very busy it offers great value and as mentioned above lets you bring your own drink and doesn't charge corkage.  There is an off-licence next door which must do an amazing trade in Indian beer as parties arrive carrying multiple six packs. I recommend that you start with the grilled lamb chops. It is easy to order too much as the portions are generous. 2-10 Umberston Street, London, Greater London E1 1PY.

The Punjab
At the top end of Neal Street in Covent Garden, the Punjab is the oldest North Indian restaurant in London. The food is always good and the service friendly and efficient. Best to book. 

The Great Nepalese is surrounded by some rather seedy places – 

DVD porn shops and Secrets table dancing establishment

The Great Nepalese
Another institution, this small restaurant close to Euston Station has long been a favourite. Good Nepalese food and again friendly and efficient service. Worth trying the Nepalese specialities.

      

Y Ming
Long established, friendly, welcoming and comfortable Chinese restaurant in Greek Street in Soho.  This is certainly my favourite Chinese restaurant in London, although to be fair I haven't tried many others recently as I like Y Ming so much. Many interesting choices on the menu – I always start with a plate of the aubergine chips while deciding what to eat. Best to book.

Y Ming sign

A decidedly high Quality Chop House

 Near the entrance to the dining room – glasses, coats and 

a glimpse of the bench seats now with additional padding

Yesterday evening was a series of unexpected meetings. Before Christmas we had arranged with friends to meet up last night to try the recently reopened Quality Chop House at the top end of The Farringdon Road. Our friends knew the previous incarnation of the QCH but we had never eaten there, weren't aware of the restaurant's history and reputation. 

From the Quality Chop House website:  'It has been an eating house since 1869. The designer, Rowland Plumbe, wanted to create utilitarian spaces for the masses that had a touch of glamour. The Chop House was the only restaurant he designed and soon became hugely popular – local residents and London’s literary elite shared its trademark booths and enjoyed "a plate of meat, bread and half a pint of ale for six pence". The previous incarnation closed in July 2010.

The double fronted Quality Chop House consists of a wine bar and a separate small dining room. When we walked into the dining room two tables were occupied – one with our friends and the other with a group of four. To our complete surprise two of these turned out to be our friends Gaeron and Kath – entirely a coincidence that they were there. I've known Gaeron since we were at Manchester University together many years ago. He and Kath are part of the group of us ex-Mancunians, who meet up once a year in a UK seaside resort, which must have a pier. This year it will be Clacton and its pier in May time.           

 Looking through to the kitchen

We started with a glass of the lovely  N.V. ‘I Think’ Manzanilla, Equipo Navajos (£5 for a 125ml glass). Much deeper coloured than most Manzanillas, this has a beautifully austere concentration and length. 

Dinner is a set four courses for £35 with cheese as an addition with a supplement (£3 if I remember correctly). The menu changes every day and if you are well organised you'll find it posted up on the website as well as the dining room wall.

     

 The dinner menu  

We were very happy with our meal. I particularly enjoyed the moist middle white terrine (middle white being a breed of pig native to the UK) and the main course medley of venison from the Denham Estate – cooked in a variety of ways. The style of cooking is reminiscent of the St John restaurants.

Middle white terrine 

Medley of venison  

 

Hot pot including more venison 

After our Manzanilla we had a bottle of Maxime Graillot's deep coloured 2011 equinoxe Crozes Hermitage (£31). Maxime is the son of Alain Graillot. Closed with a screwcap this robust but soft Rhône red has a gamy, smoky character and worked well with the venison. The QCH website lists this as 2010 but they have now moved onto 2011.      

 

Before we started our main course we had our second unexpected meeting of the evening when Jancis Robinson MW appeared at our table. Before Christmas I had read a review mentioning that the QCH venture involved Will Lander, son of Jancis Robinson and restaurant critic Nick Lander, and Josie Stead but this had slipped from my mind during the long Christmas break. So seeing Jancis, who had been eating in the wine bar and also enjoying the Manzanilla, was a surprise. There is a further connection as Josie's partner is Ed Wilson, who is involved in the Green Man and French Horn on St Martin's Lane. See posts here and here. 

The service was friendly, informative and professional. As you would expect the wine list has plenty of interesting bottles from around the world with prices starting at £17 (a Cabernet Sauvignon from Château Thenac in the Périgord. There is plenty of choice of both red and white between £20 and £40.  There are also 13 wines by the glass.

Although it is a bit of a trek from Forest Hill I'm sure we will be back to the Quality Chop House. It deserves to do well.    

 

Towards Farringdon Road

 The floor pattern reflected in an ice bucket