Review of the reviews
How much per square me- tre does it cost to clad a room in tarnished brass? Nail that figure and you could put a hard numerical value on what’s wrong with Le Chabanais. Because something has gone very wrong. Not with the food, which is interesting. But in the very notion of this restaurant. Le Chabanais is the London sibling of much-feted Franco- Basque chef Inaki Aizpitarte’s Paris bistro Le Chateaubriand. The latter is located in an un- fashionable part of town. There’s a zinc bar, unadorned magnolia walls, and bare wood tables. So what, then, have we got in London? You get a London post- code which couldn’t be more central. There’s a reservation system, an à la carte rather than a set menu, and a room clad in so much brass you can’t help but feel you are locked inside some weird physics experiment
involving voltage
Jay Rayner visits Le Chabanais – named after an old Parisian brothel – but struggles to get any satisfaction
and resistance. And then there are the prices. Le Chabanais is named after a famous Belle Époque Parisian brothel, which is an irresistible gift from the god of restaurant critics because, believe me, this does feel like a place where the customers come to get screwed. In Paris the set five-course
Nick Lander visited Wormwood and was impressed with the restaurant and its colourful dishes Thick lobster bisque poured over a mound of sweet seffa couscous, surrounded by four large pieces of lobster tail – this was a combination I had never enjoyed before. During our evening at Wormwood in Not- ting Hill Gate, west London, the dexterity of this dish, and others, was as noticeable as the appeal of the restaurant itself, which takes most of its culinary inspiration from north Africa. A first course, entitled Dr
Gherkin and Mr Cucumber, showed the chef was equally skilled with inexpensive in- gredients. Half a gherkin had been charred as though it were
16 | The Caterer | 31 July 2015
a piece of meat and then served alongside tzatziki, enlivened by spicy Espelette pepper. Dark corn tacos with pulled pork, guacamole and a tamarind sauce showed a Mexican bias, while ras el hanout with slow- cooked pork belly took the focus back to Morocco.
The man responsible for the
menu’s successful execution is chef-owner Rabah Ourrad, whose CV is as colourful as his cooking.
The menu is intentionally not quite what it seems. Ourrad’s ambition is to offer 18 differ- ent savoury dishes, six vegetar- ian, six meat and six fish that rotate quite regularly, but with only 17 appearing in print on the menu. The missing dish is the special of the day, which our waitress explained to us once we had sat down.
Price: £197 for a meal for four including drinks
“The pleasures here are fleeting and can leave you full of
doubt and self- loathing” Jay Rayner
menu is €70 including service, or £50. Here, three courses in- cluding service hits an easy £60. Mains all hide under some drape of foliage. My shoulder of pork is hidden under purple sprouting broccoli.
The pleasures here are fleet-
ing and can leave you full of doubt and self-loathing. Well, at least they named it after the right sort of place.
Price: £175 for a meal for two, including drinks and service
Bert’s Barges is a boat hotel in Hackney, east London. Sophie Campbell checks in
A little piece of charm floating on Regent’s Canal, styled with retro panache by Bert & May, the designers and hoteliers based in the warehouse next door. There will be five barges on this permanent mooring eventually, plus a two-room version on the move. Being the
first reviewer
in is a double-edged sword: the bathroom plumbing wasn’t working
properly, though
they swear this will be sorted for the first guests. Otherwise, it’s a gem. The barge sits on the quiet side of the canal. It’s very styl- ish – pared-down Scandi in
feel,
with rubbed grey
clap-
board walls; great textile and ceramic statement pieces; and Bert & May encaustic tiles in the bathroom. The living area is really roomy and light, with a skylight, and the bedroom is cosy. Best of all, there’s a roof terrace with two deckchairs and a parasol, and a wood-burning stove and underfloor heating for the winter. Complimentary tea, coffee (good), organic wine, Bethnal Green Ale and bottle water are supplied. A healthy breakfast arrives with coffee to order, fresh juice and croissants or pain au chocolat.
Rating: 8/10. Price: rooms from £300
www.thecaterer.com
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