Enfes Ocakbasi, 485 Green Lanes, London N4 1AJ : an excellent reincarnation of a previous pleasing Turkish Restaurant

 14th October 2025

I have walked past this reincarnation of a previously visited Turkish Restaurant, in an area which I visit very regularly, and which is near to the legendary Diyabakir. The Turkish food on Green Lanes is better than that you get in Turkey, and I have found most restaurants in the area to be of a decent standard, probably because the competition is so hot.  The prices in all these establishments has regrettably moved with the times, and whilst they are not expensive, they are no longer the bargain they used to be, but nowhere is. That said, what is remarkable to me is that even in the face of food price inflation, and the general increased cost of employing staff, the portion sizes are extremely generous, and I quite often see plates left with enormous leavings, something that I would try never to do.

If you have a favourite dish, then it is a reasonable thing to order that at a new establishment to see how it compares with your standard of expectation. If I were to eat Turkish that frequently it could be a little boring, but I am promiscuous in terms of nationality of food I eat, so it does not become a burden. Among my favourites are the yoghourt lamb sarma beyti style dishes which are typically minced spiced lamb, wrapped in flatbread, and covered with a sauce and yoghourt. Because this blog is all about the hotness of  food, I have figured out that it is best to ask for the yoghourt on the side so that it does not get cold before you have stuck a fork into it. A measure of how good the service is, is whether they will acceed to this request. Another part of the thinking is that the main dishes are big enough to create a take home portion, and this works best if there is no yoghourt on top before you stick it in the microwave.

 The very best news is that even without asking you are served with a 'complimentary' servings of dips and thin flatbreads. This is great, meaning that if you are not in dire need, there is no reason to ask for a starter course as well.  There was humous, tzatsiki, roast onions(?), spicy tomato dip and bread. Excellent.

 

 

For main, as said before, I had the yoghourt lamb sarma beyti with the yoghourt on the side. This was as good as I could have hoped for, and an enormous portion which took home part of. It was well cooked, well presented, hot enough scoring an 8 on the CHOF scale and I was right to ask for the yoghourt on the 

 

Sorry about the orientation, but I am sure you get the message. You can see that the dish comes served with rice and bulgar. I did not ask, but I am sure you could have had salad or chips instead. I am not drinking much alcohol at the moment, but I could have had beer or wine. A bottle of Bud cost about £5.

The bill was very reasonable, being £47 for two of us (almost unheard of these days), and they did not charge for my Turkish coffee. They did not offer desert, and there was no Turkish Delight, which used to be one of the gifts to customers in this kind of restaurant. A take-away box and bag was delivered with very good grace. 

We did not need to book on a Tuesday night in October.

This was a really great experience, and I am going to add this place to the list of establishments where I can take other people with no worries about the food and service. 

 

Red Thai, North Finchley. Previously Awesome Thai. A good experience with a robot server

 We had previously been customers of the Awesome Thai in North Finchley which was a reliable venue with pretty good food and service. My memory is not perfect, but the food was good without being outstanding. The premises were taken over and revamped in recent times, and it is now called Red Thai. It is immediately different, because there is now outside seating on a wooden patio for those who like that sort of thing, and the decor and seating is different. It is so long since I have been there, that I cannot tell if the staff have all changed.

We went there on a July Friday night, expecting it to be busy, but there was plenty of space if you had not booked. Friday night has become my preference compared to Saturday, as they are usually less busy, but depending on the venue, that is not always the case. Saturday nights in the previous incarnation were busy.

We were allowed to choose a quieter enclosed four seater booth table with a view of the restaurant but not dominated by it. The menu has shrunk compared to before, and seems a bit more expensive, but that is universal wherever you go at the moment. The objective, apart from having an enjoyable meal was to check out whether it is good enough to take other people to, and in a word, the answer is yes. 

What immediately caught my attention was a dumb waiter robot that seemed to come from the kitchen with trays of peoples' meals, and it was a bit reminiscent of the things that they promote in Tokyo. It still needed staff to lift the dishes from the robots trays to the tables, but at least it could all come at one go, and there was an element of reassurance. I do not know how to tip a robot, but there was 10% on the bill.

We chose a simpler meal, selecting salt and  pepper fried squid, and a mixed starter plate for one for our starters, and for main, we selected the Chicken Thai Green curry, and the stir fried beef with ginger with egg fried rice.

This is what it looked like

 

As you can see, quite a bit of attention had been paid to the appearance of the food, and the portion sizes were sufficiently big that we had a doggy bag for one person to take home. I am glad we did not order more food. The taste of everything was excellent, with good quality ingredients (beef was a bit chewy, but for more money I could have had sirloid steak). The very good news for me was that even without a hot plate, the food was as hot as I like it, scoring an 8.5-9 on the CHOF scale, and remained hot (but it is July). Interestingly but I am out of touch with these things, you do not get chopsticks. No extra sauces or condiments were needed, and the two starters came with their own chilli and satay sauces and garnish (not that it was needed). Service was efficient enough, and pleasant, moreso that some other places I have been to recently. We washed down the meal with a bottle of beer each (£4.95 for a small bottle). The total bill came to just about £60 for two with a couple of containers to take home. This is the way of the world now, and my expectation of getting out of a suburban restaurant for £50 for two has disappeared in the wake of covid, and introductions of new minimum wages and other taxation penalties for business owners. We just have to take it on the chin. 

I was very happy with this establishment and will definitely go there again. Even with the shorter menu, there was plenty to chose from. It might be my imagination, but I thought the food had improved over the previous incarnation, but it is so long since I have eaten here, the break made things seem better.

 

Bargain set weekday Italian lunch at Bella Rosa, 98-100 High Street, Bushey.

24th Feb 2025.

At last, somewhere new to try, at the behest of one of my wife's cousins who are very limited in what they will choose and don't like paying a lot.

There are a few very acceptable restaurants on the high street in Bushey. I particularly like the Turkish one, but today, as it was lunch on a Monday (not many places do this on a Monday), we were happy to try this new experience. Easy to reach from North London (at least my bit) by car, but parking in Bushey can be a bit tricky during the daytime, and particularly on the day I went there were road works just outside which made things a bit more tricky. The car park at the back does not seem to belong to them. The restaurant does a set lunch every day, but the pricing is different at weekends. The big deal is that two courses for lunch costs £15.90 which sounds like a good deal. You can see the menu here:

 https://www.bellarosarestaurant.co.uk/?page_id=3523

 

 

As you might expect the set menu is a little limited to the lower end of the agenda for Italian restaurants, and there is no fishy main or meaty meat. Mainly chicken, pasta and pizza. No problems, because we think we know what we are dealing with here.

When  I say old fashioned in connection with Italian restaurants, it means that the clients can expect nothing much out of the ordinary and the sort of dishes that Italian trattorias in the UK have been serving for ever. It's what people want. Pizza has now become a global staple eating habit both at home and out. All that differs is the quality of the product (I compare them to pizza experiences in Naples when I have been there), the variety and generosity of toppings and the size. Having said that, none of us ate pizza, but I did see one being served to another table, and it was huge. Might try that next time. The interior was a bit overdecorated in fake cherry blossom trees, and it was impossible if these may have been a permanent installation, or put there for the season of Valentines/Mothers' day/Easter. No matter, because it was the food that mattered to me. For a Monday lunchtime they had quite a few customers, but it may have been because there was not much else to choose from in the area, and the pricing is attractive.

As I said, the menu is a bit limited, but I had no difficulty choosing the mushroom al forno. This came as a dish filled with a creamy cheesy sauce and sliced mushrooms. This was very hot and tasty and very filling. I thought I could have just been satisfied with this alone.

 

The thing that struck me was that it did not look very Italian, and if I did not know that the restaurant described itself as such, I could have been in many varieties of pub or cafe or restaurant. But let us not quibble over this. The questions are did I like it- yes, was it tasty -yes, and was it hot- very much so, scoring the coveted 10/10 on the CHOF scale. It needed a spoon rather than a fork, and it was just as well that there were a couple of slices of bread, which I dipped and coated in the mixture. I am not sure what region of Italy they were trying to emulate, and the somewhat exotic waiter turned out to be called Rishi, so the experience is based on WYSIWIG rather than some kind of pretentious conviction that you are offering regional food. My wife ordered minestrone soup which she described as being more like a fresh vegetable soup rather then bona fide minestrone. But no matter, as it was good of its kind.

For main I had grilled chicken in a mushroom sauce.

Again, the same comments apply. It does not look very Italian, and whilst it litterally was exactly as described on the menu, it was more of a generic experience rather than a taste of little Italy. My wife's Polo Milaneses was exactly what she was expecting, and as it was a big helping, the restaurant made no fuss over boxing the left overs. Nevertheless mine was good, a bit bland, and hot enough being an 8 on the scale. Portion size is big and the bottom line is that we were happy at the end of the meal, and I was left thinking about the next opportunity to come back and sample their pizza and pasta offerings.

The bill was more than reasonable. For four set lunches, one beer and one glass of wine, the bill came to £86.62 which was like half the price we had paid the day before, but for a less authentic experience. Don't get me wrong. If you want a bargain Italian style lunch on a weekday, this is the place to come if you are in the area. Service was good but lacked the Latin flourishes, but what do you expect on a Monday lunchtime. This is middle of the road bargain eating out.
 

Petite Auberge, Cockfosters: Consistently good French food in Bistro style setting

 23rd February, 2025

Check out the website on  https://petiteauberge.co.uk/

My wife and I started using this restaurant for Lunches and Dinners at the end of the Covid lockdown because they had an open frontage then, so you were virtually eating al fresco, and we have been there a few times now over the five years. They also have a branch in Islington, but I have not knowingly been there. If we keep on using the place, there must be a good reason, which is that meals there have never failed to please both of us. They have a limited a la carte menu and a more limited fixed price set menu. The prices have gone up, naturally and the set menu is now £31 for three courses for lunch. I have tended to go with the a la carte, and forego the desert or share with my wife. A la carte works out very similar, depending on what you choose, and the wine list of French (obviously) wines is a bit pricey. I don't think there is a bargain house wine, and at the moment, a bottle of their cheapish stuff comes in at about £30. I have gone off drinking cheap restaurant wine (or at least their cheap end), as I have lost my taste for it. We have another dining out couple, and we fear to bring them here because they can polish off more than a bottle between them. Separate bills please!!!!

It is a fairly modern looking bistro with hard surfaces and some piped music. We all know that the French are pretentious about their food, pretending they are doing anyone who is not French a favour by serving it to them. Because of its suburban location, they would get no friends by not being more straightforward. It has a wide client base taking in locals and local families. It can get crowded, but this time we went at 2.30 on a Sunday, and it was starting to thin out. In the evening, it is possible to park on the slip road outside, but it gets very busy on Sundays. It is walkable from Cockfosters tube station, but I have always driven there. The menus are limited, and I tend to have the same sort of things when I go there, but as it is not so often, I tend to savour them rather than get bored. I always choose their French Onion Soup, which is a classic and is among the best onion soups I have had. It comes steaming hot - a 10 on the CHOF scale, with lashing of stringy cheese and slices of freshly toasted French bread. My wife has the mussels every time, and it is a testament to the consistency of their food that we repeat ourselves. Whilst I like to venture off piste, sometimes, especially in company, best to keep to the tried and tested.

Among my favourite main courses are the beef bourginon and the coq au vin but on this occasion I had the calves liver with onions and bacon (not a great fan of bacon but this one was ok). Most calves liver in our area goes to restaurants, so it is not something I can have at home regularly. It's a bit like veal which is virtually impossible to source in North London. I asked our server how the liver came, and he told us that as standard it came the well done side of medium. I told him that as long as it was not bloody that would be good for me. It came cooked to perfection for me. Soft but not squishy, cooked all the way through, served with creamy potatoes. The picture does not do it justice

As with the soup it was also served at the right temperature for me, being a 8+ on the CHOF scale, which is what I expected. It was even better than I remembered from past experiences, so I knew I was going to leave happy.  We shared a chocolate mousse for desert (no picture because decimated by the time it came my way.
 

Almost as reliable as a VolksWagen, Da Franco, Friern Barnet Road.

 13 Feb 2025

I checked back through my posts, and 11 years ago, exactly, I reviewed this traditional Italian local restaurant near to where I live. You should check out the post after reading this.

This is an old fashioned Italian restaurant, like they used to be in the 1970's and 80's, and comparing my notes to those of 11 years ago, it has not changed either the menu, clients or attitude. It seems to be what people want, and whilst other local restaurants come and go, this just keeps on plodding along, doing what it does do well. I even had almost the same meal, but swapped the previous pasta dish for fried calamari.

My wife always eats veal here, and they seem to have found a good source, because you cannot get it in the supermarkets round our way.

I guess some of the staff must have moved on, or at least aged a bit (as have I), but it seems to be the same family which was running the place all those years ago. I spoke to the front of house guy, and he told me that the place had been their's since the early 1980's transforming from a pizza house into a trattoria style restaurant, and I have been there several times because you know what you are dealing with, and the chances of a disappointing meal are low.

My wife had seafood salad followed by veal in a lemon sauce. I had the calamari for starter and veal in creamy mushroom sauce for main (exactly the same as I had 11 years ago). There were also some fried zucchini as a side. We shared a panne cotte for desert.

 

This is good old fashioned Italian style food for British tastes. It was great, and it was really hot, scoring about a 9 on the CHOF. Just what you want.

The prices, like everything else, had followed current trends, but checking back on what we paid last time, it was entirely consistent, and whilst a little high for suburban restaurants, compared to other places we have been recently, the bill came in at £90 for two including service for 2.5 courses each and one glass of house wine. It is also interesting to note that unlike many other places, clients are offered bread and butter at the table. A nice touch, even though it is probably built into the bill. Will definitely go there again and again.

Alaz Turkish Restaurant: Pleasing higher end Turkish in Temple Fortune.

 7th Feb 2025

I have a very old friend who lives in The Garden Suburb, and after a very long break, we ate out near his home, at a place he uses for special occasions. The site has had many incarnations, having been the legendary Uncle Ian's, an Iranian, and currently a Turkish. We ate there on a Friday night, which is not a big going out night in the area, and there were only a few other diners in this shiny modernistic interpretation of an Ockabasi. A few young expats were using the tables for a few drink prior to whatever they were doing next.

The menu is very familiar, and the prices are fairly standard for this kind of food in this area. The difference is that this place sort of sparkles and was decorated with no knowledge of the word understatement. It's a bit of a collage of many styles, not really giving a clue as to what lays in wait. My wife and I are pretty boring when we try out a new Turkish restaurant, and my barometer is typically to see how a lamb beyti is presented, and my wife always has a chicken shish because that is highly unlikely to go wrong.

The starters were intersting. She had grilled octopus and got a tentacle. I had the sucuk sausage to start. As indicated above, I then had the lamb beyti. Because I like my food hot, I asked for the yoghourt to be served on the side, and this did not seem to faze them

 

You can't tell from the images, but the portion sizes were generous enough, especially the main courses. These were prefaced by freshly prepared Turkish bread with yoghourt and chilli dips, and more bread was brought when we asked.  Main courses included rice and salad.

The good news was that the hot food was hot, scoring 8.5 on the CHOF scale. 

Again, you cannot tell from the images, but going through a non-greedy phase at the moment meant that both my wife and eye left substantial amounts of our main courses which were graciously boxed for us to enjoy the next day. The quality of the food we were served was excellent and the meal could not be faulted.

Service was attentive (but they were quiet that evening, and one hears that on a busy Saturday, it has taken some people time to be served). Our waiter seemed a bit uncertain of what to do, and fumbled drinks showing a lack of familiarity with serving beer, and there was a minimal confusion as to who had ordered what at the point of delivery. But no matter, as we knew what we wanted, and knew what it would look like.

Two course with three beers between four, including service came to just under £140 for 4. About what would be expected for this  sort of meal currently. Inflation has taken the basic price of eating out in London suburbs up by about 20% since covid and cost of living crisis meanng that it is tricky for a couple to eat out decently for under £60.. I can only imagine that things will get tougher when the increased national insurance and minimum salaries increase later this year. More nails in more coffins.

 

The bottom line is that I liked this place, and not only would be happy to go there again, but would feel confident enough to suggest it to other people.

Villagio Pizza, Barnet. Consistently good meals but pricey

2nd Feb 2025.

For a cold February Sunday night, this place was unexpectedly busy when we arrived at 7.30. The last time we had been was midweek, when it was quieter. This particular location near the church in Barnet High Street has had many incarnations, but most of them have not stuck. I can only guess that the current incumbents have probably got the formula more correct, in that they are offering a menu that is fairly limited, have pushed the prices to the high end of what people might pay for a very suburban restaurant, and have the right sort of staff at the time of writing. It is is easy to get to and fairly easy to park at night down side streets.

Whilst called a Pizza restaurant, probably because there is a big pizza oven at the front, they also serve a limited number of other dishes of chicken, beef and fish, and obviously pasta dishes. I have eaten there once before. It is noteworthy that other Italian restaurants in the immediate vicinity have struggled to survive, so we will see how this one fares over the course of time. In the current economic climate with pressure on staff salaries, business rates and general consumer uncertainty, anything is possible.

On this occasion I had the mushrooms in a Neapolitan sauce with Garlic (and lots of it), and then an Il Padrone pizza, which I had last time. Portions are big, and after the mushrooms, I knew I would not be able to finish the Pizza. My wife had mussels followed by Chicken Milanese with linguine. The taste and quality of both was good

 

 

You can judge the size of the portions from the cutlery and glasses on the table. They were big portions, which made the price more bareable. The good news is that service was efficient enough and the dishes arrived hot. I inspected the open kitchens at the back and given that we were seated between the pizza oven and the kitchen (in a good way), this was not surprising. The chef when he saw me looking in insisted that all food was freshly cooked, which was believable. I would give both dishes 8 on the CHOF scale, so no problems there. I just drank water because I was driving, and my wife had a glass of wine (nothing special). There was no problem in splitting the bill with our friends. Our bill for two courses and one glass of wine, including service was £71.78. This is almost central London Prices for a middle of the road Italian, but because the food was good and portions big, I will go there again. I will write about this elsewhere, but I had a three course set menu at Cotes earlier in the week for £24, so it is still possible to eat out at a reasonable price in North London.

The Clink, HMP Brixton. Good food, but not that hot, and eyewateringly expensive.

 22nd Jan 2025

We were given a voucher for a lunch at the training restaurant with Brixton Prison in south London. Apparently this place has had rave reviews on tripadvisor. The idea is the rehabilitation of offenders.

Don't get the idea that you can just walk into here and sit down for a meal. You have to be booked in well in advance (at least 7 days), and the hours are very limited, so it won't do for an after theatre supper. The instructions are so severe that it almost makes it punishment to be a customer. The biggest deals are that you cannot take any form of electronics including phones and cameras (even film cameras) inside the prison, there is no alcholol, and there is only plastic cutlery. You are told to turn up at least half an hour before you appointed time, and have to be questioned, leave photo id and lock away all your property including wallets, and anything with printing on it. There is a strict dress code, and your slot is timed from begining to end. The menu is interesting but short and is high end British/continental. No cash is allowed, and you can carry one debit card into the restaurant to pay.You can see the menu here:

https://theclinkcharity.org/theclinkcharity/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Winter-A-La-Carte-2025.pdf

The restaurant,which is a separated building, can hold about 60 guests but on the day we went, there were only three other people, so service should have been great. 

I had the pork belly starter followed by ox cheek, my wife had a scallop starter followed by duck with a side order of chunky fries, and we mistakenly ordered two deserts, which we did not need. To drink we had a bottle of still water and a couple of mocktails. There was also a an order of bread (baked in the prison), with butter and salsa.

Our waiter, who probably told us far more than he was supposed to about himself (but we did not necessarily believe him) was great, but they seemed to have difficulties coordinating the serving of food resulting in a lot of down time. He was somewhat older than the other staff members,  and let slip that he had no intention of working in hospitality when he was released.  Even though I made it quite clear that I wanted hot food to be hot, the mains turned out to be no more than a 7.5 on the CHOF scale, which, for the price we paid (I know it is a charity) should not have been the case.

The quality and taste of all the food was excellent and could have been from a good central London restaurant, or a good cruise liner, and the home baked breads were particularly good. I could have done without the mocktail, as life is too short for pretend alcoholic drinks. The desserts were a bit too sweet for my liking and were not finished. Quantities were huge and the portion of fries for one person was more than enough for two. The pricing of everything was high west end (see link to menu), with a 13% service charge. Without alcohol or coffee, a lunch for two was over £135 which I would never choose to pay except for a really exceptional occasion. I also bought a souvenir mug (could not resist) for £12.

Would I go there again. Not under my own steam, as it is inconveniently out of the way for me, is a lot of bother to get into and whilst it was an interesting unique occasion, for the price it was more for novelty value. I also understand that in the evening, it is tricky getting something to eat beyond 7pm due to prison regulations. Another thing that slightly spoiled it was the fact that prison staff could get lunch here and either carry it away or eat in an adjacent room (i.e. not with the guest diners). To me it was rather distracting having the continuous footfall across the restaurant. If it had been fuller, I might not have noticed so much. But you would not expect somewhere like the Ivy or Wolesley to have a takeaway trade in front of their diners, so why here?

DUE TO PRISON REGULATIONS AND SECURITY THERE ARE NO IMAGES (SHAME)

Saga Cruises: High quality food at inconsistent temperatures.

Xmas 2024

This year, because it was not our turn, we embarked on a the Saga Cruises ship Spirit of Discovery. There is also a sister ship, the Saga Spririt of Adventure which is almost identical. I have been with Saga Cruises several times but this is the first report of their food on this website by me.

Essentially you are given three dining possibilities. There is a main dining room with silver service meals three (and four if you include afternoon tea) times daily. There is a grill which offers buffet style food except in the evenings when it is served (did not use this) and three specialty restaurants offering either steakhouse meals, fish, or pan-asian style. At lunchtimes there is a veranda style service for informal lunches such as fish and chips, burgers and hot dogs etc. This is usually freshly prepared and has been adequately hot, but who wants cold fish and chips? There is also 24/7 room service which typically takes about 15 minutes to deliver. This has been hot enough taking into account that fact that it comes from a galley to your cabin on different levels.

The temperature of food at the point of service is  big deal to me, and I know from previous Saga Cruises that unless you make it known or choose very carefully, you are on a hiding to nothing relating to the temperature of hot food and even the temperature of different elements of a meal. I always have had to tell serving staff about this, and I think I earned the nickname 'Mr Hot Food', but I did not care because it is a big deal for me. The issue in my opinion is that they go out of their way to look after you on a Saga Cruise, and tepid meals spoil my experience.

I did not even attempt trying to get hot food from the breakfast buffet. It is on display for up to three hours in baign maries and there is absolutely no control over what temperature it is at the moment of serving. You can watch until a new serving is delivered and pounce, but that is not how eating should be done. I have simply given up trying to get hot food from the breakfast buffet and similarly with the served breakfast. Instead I have worked out that you need to put in a request at the fresh cooked egg etc counter and that seems to work.

In the main restaurant, despite my requests, it is completely inconsistent for many dishes. The soups are usually very hot and will score a 9 on the CHOF scale. The worst offenders are sliced meats which can come at any temperature from a 6 (barely edible in my opinion) to a 8.5, and their accompanyments can be a complete mix of temperatures. Attempts were made to use a very hot plate, but I have no idea how long the plated foods were hanging around and often the plates were hot, but the food was not. I know it is a major undertaking to deliver high quality table de hote food to up to 900 people in a short window but my point is that just as other people have dietary restrictions, I have a need for hot food to be hot.

Whilst these are unretouched images it is clear that a lot of effort has gone into the presentation of this food and the quality of the ingredients is excellent, especially the steaks and other meats but they simply do not seem to be able to deliver a consistently hot meal to my needs. Whilst I did not send anything back, food was often delivered at a CHOF score of 7+ and diffent ingredients of a plate were at different temperatures. Nothing I said seem to make a difference, and the only way around this was to avoid any kind of buffet, when the score could be as low as 6 (they did not seem to heat their containers significantly), and to focus on things that had to be individually prepared such as grilled and fried dishes. The thing that bothered me was that no one else seemed to care, and it may be that Saga cruise passengers normally eat their food tepid, or they are so un-used to restaurants that they know no better. There were complaints about food but for other minor infractions relating to the spicyness of food (usually bland to British tastes) or saltiness.
Food in the specialty restaurants tends to be hotter because they are dealing with smaller numbers.

Another things to mention, which is nothing much to do with hotness, it that Saga Cruises seem incapable of delivering top class deserts. Their panna cottas and mousses and similar are stodgy, dense and possibly have been frozen before delivery. I tended to avoid them and focussed on their cheese selection and it is true that Saga Cruises have the best selection of cheese on any cruise line I have been on.

Would I use Saga Cruises again? If you ignore the issue of the age of most of the passengers, the answer is yes because they really know how to look after you, and if you are picky the food can be just about hot enough.

 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.

The Ivy Brasserie, St Albans: at last one to recommend

This was my daughter's choice for a birthday lunch, so all the family deposited themselves in this popular branch of the chain. I had lunched previously in the original Ivy market Grill in Covent Garden, so was looking forward to this.
The place was packed on a Saturday Lunchtime with the well-heeled residents of Hertfordshire, and it was clear that if you did not have a booking, you were going to be out of luck.
I did not realise just how extensive the chain is (not mega, but enough to widely available throughout the country in places with money) and it amazes me, in retrospect how they have not fallen foul of the curse of chain restaurants: indifferent foods catering to the lowest common denominator. In the current times, when well known mid-priced chains are falling like dead flies, it is reassuring that someone knows how to make things work.
We had a big family table, and must have frightened some of the other diners with our collection of small children, but they know how to behave in smart establishments, so we all just got on with it. The menus are not huge and this is probably part of the key to success. Find a few great dishes that can be produced consistently in a pleasing manner. Whilst none of my particular favourites were available, I had no difficulty in choosing dishes different to my last experiences.
For starter I had the duck liver parfait which came with Caramelised hazelnuts, truffle, tamarind glaze with pear and ginger compote, toasted brioche (toast) and was a pleasingly large portion of tasty pate

It looked a bit strange before cutting into it, rather like a rice crispie pie with jam on the top. I found this very satisfying.
For main I chose Monkfish and prawn curry - £17.95 Keralan curry with jasmine rice, coconut “yoghurt”, coriander and sweet potato crisps

Whilst not the most spicy of curries, it was properly flavoured, and more importantly, hot, scoring 8.6 on the CHOF scale. Wonderful stuff with enough rice and yoghurt which I did not use. I liked this and would recommend.
I shared a creme brulee with my wife for desert, as the food had been most filling.

Whilst lacking the warmth of a freshly cooked/flamed brulee, it was a good one of its kind.

Also recommended.

We did not drink as a group, and I just had a pot of coffee, which could have been fresher.

Altogether this was a memorable meal, and the hot food was hot. All our party were happy with the outcome, and we would definitely go there again.

It does get crowded, and it was a bit on the noisy side, but the inside is attractive and spacious. Service was slow but accurate: it did not matter for us, but I think that if you dine when it is busy, you need to leave enough time. It is not cheap, and you are unlikely to emerge for under £50-60 per head, but you get what you pay for.

This place hit the spot for me, and I would go there again, no question.

Piebury Corner, Kings Cross. Smart Pies for the nouveau pie eater

8th Feb 2019
I first read of Piebury Corner in Time Out, and my love of Steak and Kidney Pies made me put on the 'to do' list. When the opportunity presented, finding myself in Kings Cross (just up the Caledonian Road) rather than the other home at Highbury Corner, I gave them a try for a late lunch on a Thursday.
When I went, which was at about 2pm, the place was pretty deserted except for a younger David Hockney lookalike (who made the staff take a video of him eating his pie and had successfully parked on the double yellow line outside).
I was only really interested in the s and k, so the lunchtime offers were not available to me.
Everything is sold separately, so you have to order the pie and the side and even the gravy is an extra.
The cafe is small with old fashioned zinc topped table and chairs. It can probably hold about 20+ at a pinch, and I noted that for evenings, they took bookings. I would be interested to find out if that is when the action really happens.
When you go in, from the point of view of the door, it might look as if you had entered a bar/bistro with its small range of bottles and the gleaming expresso machine

 The picture above give you a sense of scale of the place. At the time of my visit, they were also offering an art exhibition by Tony Husband, who I knew to author the Yobs cartoon in Private Eye, and had drawn the cartoon for a story which I had published some years ago. Most of his work was on the tiles of the toilet, so worth going if only to see the art.

My order was a budget order of Steak and Kidney pie and chips. The quality of the pie was excellent and it scored an 8.6 on the CHOF scale. In retrospect, I think I should also have ordered the gravy to go with it. The chips were also of good quality.

It is difficult to tell from my photo, but the portion sizes are small. Another web site has described them as being 'sensible size', but when you are into eating pies, sense does not come into the equation, and to be frank, I had expected to leave feeling a bloated, but this was not the case. In terms of quality of the product, I could not fault them: unlike so many commercial steak and kidney pies that you might buy at a supermarket, this had lots of kidney and meat. The pastry was not too thick and the consistency was just right.

The staff were encouraging and friendly, and a I got chatting to the waitress/counter staff who claimed to come from Baltimore via Arkansas. It was a bizarre mix of the merits of Bill Clinton and the dangers of downtown Baltimore.

This had started out for me with the intention of being a cheap quick lunch stop, but the Pie cost £7, and the chips £3, and there was 10% automatically added on to the bill. I was too mean to ask for drink and/or desert, as it seemed that this could quite easily get out of hand. On the other hand, if you were coming here as an evening main event, I could see that the extras would only bring this into the realm of a reasonably priced night out. I could have had the set lunch meal for about £8, but I wanted to try the S and K, which was not on the lunch menu.

If I wanted to take the pie home in its cooked cold state, that would be £4. I am contemplating buying a batch for the freezer.

Will I go back there again? Probably, but this is not the place for a romantic meal, and women might fail to be impressed, unless they really really like pies and small cafes. This was probably the best steak and kidney pie I have tasted in a long time.

Plum and Spilt Milk: upmarket treat

10th September 2018
My wife and I were given an outing to this newish restaurant as a birthday gift. It seems that at our stage of life, experiences rather than stuff is the way to go.
Many years ago, my boss had used the meeting rooms at the Great Northern Hotel as a base for organising London meetings because they were cheap and available. The hotel has been greatly revamped since then, and I dare say that would not be the case now. It is completely unrecognisable compared to 25 years ago. This is not a place we would have chosen to go, mainly on grounds of expense, but as it was a gift, we said thank you very much and boarded the Picadilly line.
The restaurant follows modern trends being fairly open, hard surfaces, and staff who can border between patronising and obsequious. At the time of visiting, there was major work going on in the hotel which limited the routes of entrance or egress, but the main consequence of this at the moment is that there are no accessible lavatories near the restaurant.
This is what the restaurant has to say for itself (from website)
"SIMPLE CLASSICS, BEAUTIFULLY COOKED
COURTESY OF HIGHLY ACCLAIMED CHEF MARK SARGEANT, IN AN ATMOSPHERE ELEGANT YET RELAXED
Theatrical destination restaurant Plum + Spilt Milk, celebrated for the quality of its seasonal British dishes. Our new menu includes Wild watercress soup, wild garlic oil & sourdough croutons; Wye Valley asparagus feuilleté, orange hollandaise sauce; Organic Wiltshire burrata, broad bean puree, pickled red onion, chilli, pine nuts & raw rapeseed oil; Grilled lamb cutlets, roasted & wild garlic creamed spelt, slow braised lamb shoulder & mint sauce croquette.

One hundred and fifty hand-blown glass lamps suspended from the ceiling set the atmosphere; leather banquettes curve luxuriously around tables of cracked black lava".

Nuff said.

For starter I chose Spiced Cornish fish soup, red pepper rouille & croutons. This was a winner. It was really really hot, about a 9+ on the CHOF scale. It was only mildly spiced, and the red pepper relish, which I rightly or wrongly chose to add to the soup, made for an interesting taste.

This was a good choice, and if the opportunity presented, I would definitely do it again.
The choice, as I mentioned before is limited, and for the main course I chose a flatiron steak, not really knowing what to expect

They had turned down the lights by then and it started to get tricky to take pictures.

I asked for my meat to be medium, but not bloody, and I think that they followed my instructions. The dish came accompanied by triple cooked chips

You get nine large chips in a dish.......... and I also had some mixed vegetables.
Desert comes from a pairing menu, but I decided not to pair my desert with a wine.
I had  iced peanut parfait, chocolate ganache with salted caramel sauce.

At first glance, it looked a bit like a deconstructed Snickers bar, and as I love Snickers, it was pleasing to find it tasted similar, particularly as I like to keep my Snickers in the refrigerator.

I am off wine at the moment, but the wine list has house white and red which are realistically priced. I finished with a coffee which was excellent.

The meal was of excellent quality as one would expect, and what was supposed to be hot was actually hot. No problems there, but of course, medium steaks may not always be hotter than they are supposed to be.

I have no idea what this meal cost, but you can probably work it out from on line.

My only criticism would be that the place was very noisy to start with, with braying businessmen creating a non-intimate atmosphere. However that is a sign of the times, and almost every modern restaurant one goes to is unsuitable for a deep conversation. That is probably why you see so many diners texting each other during meals. To help that, all tables here had charging points and USB sockets. A sign of the times.

The Haven Bistro and Bar, Whetstone: very popular local eating place

1st September 2018
I have eaten at the Haven several times and also organised to celebration dinners there in their semi-private room. It is probably one of the best places to get decent food in Whetstone, and over the 17 or so years I have been using it, the standards have remained constant, and it is fair value for money. It also serves bar food if you don't want a full meal.
I have also used it for a set lunch which was fantastic value for money.
On this occasion, we had to go on a Saturday night, to offer hospitality to a family member, and it won the choice competition of where to go on a Saturday night. It gets busy on a Saturday night, and you must book. I would not chance turning up there without a reservation, but because the owner, Julius knows me as a long term customer, he says he would always fit me in.
On this occasion the menu had changed from its long term pattern, and instead of being a sort of fixed price shortish menu, it had gone a la carte. So instead of my usual bang bang chicken starter, which I always found to be the best choice for me, I had the salt and pepper Calamari

This is not a true reflection of what came, as I had given my wife a couple of rings, and clearly had some of the dish before I started. Suffice it to say that this was a very generous starter portion and not the measly 5 rings out of a bag of frozen that so many restaurants stoop to.
It was well cooked soft and satisfying. It was also hot scoring an 8.4 on the CHOF scale. Recommended.
For main, I had the pan fried lamb liver.

It had a piece of bacon on it, and it was only when I downloaded the photo from my phone that I saw that it almost had a porcine face appearance: weird. I had asked for my liver to be cooked so that it was no longer bloody, which is my preference, and that was exactly how it came. It was exactly right. The only comment I would make is that it was promoted as coming with baby spinach, and the green vegetable it came with was a kind of cabbage or kale. No matter, as the liver was great. It also scored well on the CHOF scale at about an 8.3.
I did not bother with a desert, but had a coffee in a strange Germanic cup.
This was a good experience, and we emerged thinking that it had beed a good place to offer hospitality. The bill came to £125 for three of us, but there were only two glasses of wine, two coffees and two deserts, so expect to pay £50 per head for a full meal with drink.
The down side is that it gets very busy on Saturday night, and with its hard-surface decor, it can be difficult to hear. As much of the clientele being the comfortable retired of the area, who may already be on the way to hearing impairment, I am guessing there were some raised voices.

Now Closed. 

 

Nippon Izakaya, North Finchley: Consistency needed if this place is to survive

I have been to this Japanese Restaurant, usually at weekends, twice before, and it really hit the spot. Good food at a fair price, and what was supposed to be hot was actually hot.
I recently went at 8pm on a Wednesday towards the end of August and it did not live up to expectations in many ways: so much so, that I might give it a miss in the future.
There is a web site on https://www.nipponizakaya.co.uk/ and it tells you that it is a non-chain Japanese restaurant in North Finchley. Strangely enough there are quite a few to choose from in the area, and given that the Japanese are long departed from Woodside Park/Finchley, it can only be because of the popularity of Sushi (which I do not like). However it serves hot food, which in the past has been great.
On this occasion there were five of us, and we ordered nothing clever from the menu. The staff seemed confused by their own menu and actually one of our party failed initially to get any food despite the fact that the place was not especially busy. My wife and I ordered bento boxes, she having a tempura one, and mine being a grilled salmon and beef mixture. The portions are big, and there was a taster portion of miso soup provided before.
The food arrived only moderately hot, scoring no better than a 7 on the CHOF scale. However the included rice was almost cold. There was absolutely no point in complaining, as clearly these people had lost the plot on the night we visited and our lives are too short to wait for a re-run of preparation.
On previous occasions, we have been awarded a 10% discount (even at weekends) but some weak reason was found why we were not eligible this time.
At 10p.m. without actually saying the words, they were trying to turf us out. They have longer hours on a weekend.
If you are not a drinker, the food is reasonably priced, but when hotness is a factor, then no price is right if the food doesn't meet expectations. Our friend who suggested the visit ( he has a well filled loyalty card) was apologetic, and thought the real staff might have been on holiday.
The morals to this story are that August is a problematic month to eat out in the 'burbs of London, and that consistency of delivered product is what generates loyal customers.

Dec 2024. I update this review to say that I have been several times after this review, and the restaurant, having been through a food hygeine scare, is now back on track, and is serving consistently good meals at a reasonable price.

Ninova Restaurant, East Barnet. Competent Turkish local with bizarre decoration

26th June 2017
After a long break, where most of my reviews have been on TripAdvisor, I bring you something new and local and more fitting to my blog.
I have noticed this newish local Turkish located in central East Barnet where a bakery used to be.
Initially the reviews were a bit unsupportive, but now they are more consistently positive. I went there with my wife and a friend for an informal meal on a Monday night. I had had a look in there on other week nights, and it had not seemed crowded, but even so, we booked.
The web site http://www.ninova-restaurant.co.uk/  gives the menu and seems more orientated to selling takeaway. There is very little info about the actual restaurant. It is easy to find, and there is no problem with on-street parking in the evening. Also plenty of unrestricted side streets.
The first things that strike you are the size: I did not count the place settings, but it looks as if they could probably seat about 100 persons with some tables which could easily take an 8. The interior decor is a bit bizarre with plaster relief scenes which range from Babylonian hunting scenes and Assyrian soldiers like you might see in the British Museum, the statue of Liberty, Mosta Bridge, and most bizarrely a native-American hunting scene. All adds to the ambience.
On a Monday night, a few tables were taken, but I cannot say if it gets full at weekends.
The menu is fairly short and bog-standard stuff. There is little in the way of clever or inventive Turkish food here. The pricing is slightly over the local average.
We shared a cold mixed meze starter which came with humus, tarama, tzatsiki, cold vegetables and stuffed vine leaves. This was served with bread and a mixed salad. Good size portion, big enough for three sharing for £14.50.
My companions had chicken and lamb skewer kebabs for main (which I tasted and were of excellent quality), but I had Lamb Beyti.

Unlike other beytis I have had, the yoghourt was on the bottom, and was flavoured with mint. This was a fair size portion, but it could have been with being a bit hotter, scoring only a 7 on the CHOF scale. If we had not been with company, I might have thought about returning it, but as the fashion in some Turkish restaurants is to serve luke warm food, I made my mind up that when we returned here, which we will, the most expedient solution is to tell them up-front that my expectation is for food to be hot. My party also reported that their kebabs were not so hot, so it wasn't just me. I think that this raises a key point, that if you want hot food, it is fair to warn restaurants at the point of ordering that this is your expectation. An unsolicited plate of sweet water melon was offered to customers.
All in all, despite the temperature, this was a good choice, and we would go there again. The staff wer fairly helpful and the weird decor cannot be beaten.
A meal for three including a shared starter, 3 mains, two beers and a soft drink came to £58 without service. This seemed like fair value.

UPDATE DEC 2024. NOW CLOSED

Mirage Restaurant, Ilford/Newbury Park: very popular local restaurant with shortcomings.

9th December 2016
December is never the best time to judge a restaurant as they are inevitably overstretched and know that it is a sellers' market. We got involved with an outing here because a friend of a friend had a husband who was providing the musical entertainment. I am always game for a Turkish Restaurant, but the menu is far more extensive than just Turkish. I would also re-iterate my opinion that it is difficult to give a fair judgement when large parties are being served. But it was what it was, and here is my opinion. Their web site is on http://www.miragerestaurant-ilford.com/ which makes it look more like a wedding venue.
The menu is mixed and the Turkish side of it is a bit unchallenging, being mainly mainstream kebabs and moussaka etc, even on the halal menu. It is more of a Meditteranean/Continental menu, which is probably responding to the needs of the local customers, of which there were many. In retrospect, I should have chosen the steaks, because that is what they seem to get most accolades for.
For starter, I had the Calamari with salad.

They were satisfactory and hot scoring an 8.6 on the CHOF scale. What should be evident even from this blurry picture is that this is the boring side of calamari. Nothing challenging here.

Given that we were a 7.30 kick off, this picture is time stamped at 9pm. I really have nothing more to say about them.

For main course, mainly because I knew I would be getting a real Green Lane Turkish experience the following night, I went for the "CALF LIVER LYONAISE 

PAN-FRIED WITH SAUTÉED, ONIONS FLAMED WITH MADERIA WINE". Not very Turkish. This actually would have been something from an Italian Trattoria.

I had this with an accompaniment of cauliflower cheese and sauté zucchini. The cauliflower cheese was a bit of disappointment as it was clearly boiled cauli that had been put in an oven dish, and then a lay of cheesy sauce poured over, and then put back in the oven. Not really what I would have hoped for. The liver was fine, if not a tiny bit on the rubbery side. This main course was time stamped at 2158, meaning there was a gap of an hour between starter and main which could not be compensated for by the efforts of the male crooner singing to his rat-pack backing tapes. I can't wait until punk becomes the music of yesteryear that we all want to hear.

I was luckier than one of our group, who seemed to have been forgotten altogether, and was made to feel that it was his fault for not ordering in a way that the staff would take notice of. I really don't care for it when any restaurant makes their problems your problem, and then expect to put 10% service or more on the bill.

Whilst the house red was reasonably priced at £12.50/bottle, they did not bother to take the sticker off which said 'retail price £4'. So they were selling very cheap wine.

Others had a mixed experience with some meals better than mine and some worse. The key issue was poor service, and lacklustre food. However judging from the full house, it looked as if it was a crowd that knew what they wanted, and it was not challenging food, and not really caring how long it took to come.

I would avoid going there again at a weekend. May be it is better during a quiet week.

Three Jolly Wheelers, Woodford Green : Formulaic 'gastro' pub with strong following

7th December 2016
A cousins' lunch had been long in the planning, and it was left for one of the others to choose a venue. I have some favourite pub lunch destinations, but it seems to me that some of the chains have got a bit out of hand presenting themselves as up-market destinations with restaurant prices. I was fascinated when I arrived here, as the menu appeared in wording and pricing almost identical to the menu at the recently visited Old White Lion. At least I thought I knew what I might be in for. What you do not get is a 'pub lunch' but you do get pub prices for drink. Interestingly the Three Jolly Wheelers, whilst a 'Vintage Inn' is own by the same umbrella company, Mitchell and Butler and more detail can be found on http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/restaurants/london/thethreejollywheelerschigwell .
For starter I chose the salt and pepper calamari with chorizo-flavour seasoning and chipotle mayonnaise

This was pretty good and hot enough at an 8.4 on the CHOF scale. However what is apparent is that this is a triumph of style over quantity and is drowned out by the relatively inedible green leaves and a surfeit of unnecessary chipottle (sic) mayo and not a lot of discernible seasoning.

Just to be different, I did not choose the fish and chips for main, but the Steak & mushroom pie

(described as slow-cooked British beef in a red wine sauce, topped with puff pastry, served with mash and seasonal vegetables, £11.50).

This was not so much a pie, but more a dish of stewed beef covered with a pastry lid with some tired carrots. This is presumably the outcome of corporate boil in the bag supplies of pie filling and is not really the stuff of pies of pub lunches that I yearn for. It was very hot (a 9 on the CHOF scale) but tasted a bit bland.

All in all this was a bland packaged meal, and I guess I am always looking for something a bit more challenging in a pub lunch. I was spoiled by my numerous experiences at the King's Arms in Bexley near where I used to work.

My wife had a slightly more expensive meal, and by the time the bill came, for a 'pub' lunch for two, it came to nearly £50.

Whilst the food was hot enough, it was all a bit bland and corporately uninteresting and this was not the sort of hit I had expected for a mid week pub lunch.

I will not be going back there in a hurry: I can get far better far cheaper: a pub lunch should not cost £25 per head.

UPDATE NOV 2024. I WAS COERCED INTO GOING BACK TO THIS RESTAURANT, AND WITHOUT REALISING IT HAD THE SAME MEAL. THE PIE WAS NOW CALLED PIE. THE CONTENTS WERE LARGELY GRISTLE, AND THE RESTAURANT STAFF, WHO REALLY COULDNT CARE LESS, TOLD ME THAT WAS HOW THE MEAT CAME. I COMPLAINED, AND IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE BILL (COSTS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE NOW). I WILL NOT BE GOING BACK THERE AGAIN. REVIEWED ON TRIPADVISOR.

Bleeding Heart: Trendy smart Clerkenwell Restaurant with consistent reputation.

2nd December 2015
If you had to choose a name for a Restaurant, would you choose Bleeding Heart, especially if you had a vegetarian to feed? The name relates to the location which is in Bleeding Heart Yard.
According to wikipedia, Bleeding Heart Yard is a cobbled courtyard off Greville Street in the Farringdon area of the City of London. The courtyard is probably named after a 16th-century inn sign dating back to the Reformation that was displayed on a pub called the Bleeding Heart in nearby Charles Street. The sign showed the heart of the Virgin Mary pierced by five swords.
Urban legend has it that the courtyard's name commemorates the murder of Lady Elizabeth Hatton, the second wife of Sir William Hatton, whose family formerly owned the area around Hatton Garden. It is said that her body was found here on 27 January 1626, "torn limb from limb, but with her heart still pumping blood." The location is mentioned in Little Dorrit as the home of the Plornish Family.
I have been there a few times over the years both to the restaurant and bistro. Fortunately this has always been with someone else footing the bill.
The restaurant is old fashioned higgledy piggeldy looking more like a converted house on different levels, and the main eating areas are downstairs.
It is now a groupe and has a web presence on   http://bleedingheart.co.uk/ . It says it is French, but the food is more French influenced than pure French. Reports on TripAdvisor are consistently good.
The meal started with an amuse bouche of a piece of smoked mackerel (I think) on a sliver of bread. Not very amusing as one of our party did not eat fish.
For starter, I had the cauliflower soup:

Not a very helpful image, as the flash went off on my phone. However, it was hot, and as can probably be discerned from the picture, was home made. The soup comes in a little pouring pot, and the waiters make a ritual of pouring it into the plate. Anyway it was a good 8.6 on the CHOF scale and was an excellent representative of such soup.

For main course I had haunch of Yorkshire venison with Juniper braised venison cheeks, ruby plums, roasted red chicory and elderberry sauce

It also came with mashed potato and I had a side order of spinach.

The meat was cooked very well, and was tender and tasty and scored an 8.4 being hot enough on the CHOF scale. The helping of spinach was huge.

This was an excellent meal (I shared someone else's desert) and another good experience here.

If you look at the web site, it is clear that this is pretty upmarket, and you could easily expect to pay £80-100 per person for a three course meal with drink. I did not get to see the wine list at the time, but the web site shows it to be comprehensive, and house wine (not that most people were drinking that) would be about £25/bottle.

I would recommend this restaurant but it is not for routine eating unless you have deep pockets and very high standards.