10 Dec, 2024.

 Cork and Bottle

44-46 Cranbourn St, London WC2H 7AN

This place is a favoured watering hole of my wife, and she said that it would be a good place to go to meet with friends before a theatre outing, as you could have just a drink, a snack or bigger meal. I was there at 5.30 pm on Tuesday before Xmas, and it was quiet. We were in an alcove, so it made it pleasant for a chat. I found that the hard surfaces and walls favoured by so many restaurants give me a bad hearing experience, and so it was good to be in a more peaceful surrounding. I cannot say how busy it might get later, but my wife reported that it had been quiet when she had had lunch there a few weeks before.

I was pretty hungry, having been for a swim and a walk earlier in the day, so I ordered the somewhat unfashionable dish of ox cheek and mashed potato with gravy.

 

Apart from the meat being a little too salty for my taste, and having made the mistake of using salt before tasting, this was an excellent choice. The meat was tender and 'all meat', and the accompanying mash and green beans were well prepared. All was hot, scoring about 8.2 on the CHOF scale. Cannot complain about the food. I did not have alcohol to drink, and as it is a wine bar, it has a biggish selection of wines, but they are a little above average in price for central London, and you could expect to pay at least £10 for a modest brew. The dish cost just under £27, which, again, is pretty much the par for central London eating.  This was a good venue for a pre-theatre meal a la carte, and the staff understand that. I would go there again.

Bianca, Independent Italian Pizzeria at bottom of Haringey Ladder.

 It's been a while since I contributed anything to this blog, and it has been inertia and apathy on my part, and too much use of Safari browser, where it was not a bookmark. 

We ended up here at the suggestion of my daughter, as somewhere to take two subteenage children for an early supper that was not MacDonalds. The restaurant is an unpre-possessing site at the end of the run of Turkish restaurants along the Ladder, and could be easily missed. I knew it was there, but my wife had never noticed it. It is very near traffic lights, so easy to get to from the other side of the street. It is basic inside, with a few bright geographic based cliche decorations, but no television blaring in the background, and I cannot remember if there was background music, so if there was, it was not a problem. The menu is short, covering pizza, pasta, some starters, and basic Italian secundi. Prices are the lower end of usual for suburban London. There are apparently only two staff, as far as I could see: the chef and the waitress, and pizzas are cooked in an electric pizza oven rather than wood fired.

We had one starter of garlic bread, two pizzas and one pasta between the four of us - the children are not adult eaters, and there was no children's menu apart from chips.

I ordered the Quattro Stagnioni pizza as the one most likely to have quantities of meat on it. I could have added extra meat for a couple of quid if so desired.

I think my picture is a fair representation of what arrived. Clearly not a corporate pizza, and enough topping, but not overloaded. There were bottles of chilli oil on the tables. Crusts were crispy but edible. Probably about 30cms. It was hot enough scoring 9 on the CHOF scale. The lasagne served to one of the children was 10+ on the CHOF scale, and needed time to settle to eating temperature. I was very happy with my pizza, and there was enough, with other leavings to make a box to take out, which was instantly provided and made a good lunch for two the next day (but you have to like microwaved pizza).

My companions were all happy with their food and service was friendly. At about 6pm when we went on a Saturday night, it was quiet, and I cannot tell how busy it gets, or how much of its trade is takeaway. There are some other chain pizza shops nearby, but this seems more authentic. The meal for us, as above, with a one glass of red wine, but no desert, and the shared starter came to about £50 including service.

We don't often eat in, in Green Lanes, except Turkish, and this was a highly acceptable place to go, avoiding the braying crowds of Saturday night (but it was early). You probably do not need to book. I will be happy to go there again, and will probably try one of the pasta dishes next time. Some people seemed have ordered Calzone, which can some times be a struggle to finish.