Earlier this year, in January, to be precise, Ms B & I had been invited to check out the then still relatively new Beso in Covent Garden (review here) and we rated it 5 out of 5. The food back then had been labelled Moorish, basically a mix of Moroccan, Spanish, and other Mediterranean cuisines. There were distinctly Moorish design elements including an ornamental nine-seater table with traditional tiles. Recently I was on the way to a meeting in Covent Garden and passed by the restaurant. To my great surprise they had re-invented themselves as Italian Mediterranean restaurant and changed their interior decoration accordingly. When checking their menu I could see that these were not the only changes: the prices had gone up significantly too (their pre-theatre three-course ‘deal’ sets you back £24.95 and included no combination of even only vague interest to me). After some deliberation I decided […]
This Mix of Mediterranean & Moorish is so Moreish: Beso, Covent Garden
Recently Ms B & I were invited to check out restaurant Beso (Spanish for ‘kiss’) in Covent Garden, a fairly new (July 2018) opening which has already made it to roughly #200 out of 20,000 London restaurants on Tripadvisor. This casual neighbourhood diner serves modern, Moorish inspired, Mediterranean cuisine. We were immediately taken in by the good vibes when we entered. Warm, friendly colours and lighting, plenty of space, and comparatively modern design and art such as an imitation of Peter Behrens’ famous “Kiss” mixed with rustic elements slightly reminiscent of the colours and materials found in a Moroccan medina. The large and very decorative 9-seater table next to the window front is ideal if you’re enjoying a meal on your own. Like everyone else we’re also great fans of open kitchens, where you can watch the fine-tuned crew go about their business. The Beatles used to compose songs in […]
The Ivy – our Restaurant Review
We’ve just returned from our visit to The Ivy. After years of hearing about this centre stone of culinary life in London we finally managed to make it. The story goes that The Ivy’s past its prime, and it is true that after an era when every A-lister in town and from around the world wanted to make sure that they were seen at this place, the times have become a bit quieter around here. However there is still some sexy light-hearted grandeur and elegance about this place. Service was very friendly, helpful, and quick. There is a set menu that comes at a very reasonable price. However, we weren’t that hungry, so decided to go for two mains and a dessert to share. Ms B opted for duck confit, pressed potato, green kale & orange sauce (£23), I chose Belted Galloway sirloin steak (260g for a very reasonable […]