The Only Running Footman

The financial fat cats of Mayfair have a new watering hole, one that's thoroughly British instead of new-fangled Euro-flash. The Only Running Footman (above left) is an old pub that has been reborn with a smart upstairs dining room and the ground-floor bar transformed into a friendly place for drinks, light meals, meeting friends, and even just sitting alone at the counter with a Ploughman's, a pint and the paper. Real ales include Red Squirrel, Young's and Bombadier. There's a large but not obtrusive TV screen, comfortable seating and plenty of space to stand and chew the fat. The pub area is also open for breakfast from 7.30-10.30am. The restaurant on the first floor is bright and airy with large windows on two sides and snug velour seating, just right for long lunches where deals are done, claret bottles pop open, and cognac and liqueurs are essential. Everything on the menu is delicious and comes in man-size portions: a mixed grill includes beef fillet, lamb cutlet and kidneys, sausages, bacon and black pudding. There's also a fine rib of Aberdeen Angus for two and sensational roast chicken with mash. Freshly-baked bread includes a strange but addictive one using white chocolate and chilli. There is more girly food like endive and pear salad, or lobster and clam spaghettini, but when you come to puddings, apart from home-made sorbets and ice-cream, it's a full-on nursery experience with Bakewell tart, chocolate pudding and traditional cheesecake. On the second floor there is a large private dining room with its own kitchen and the top floor is a neat, modern cookery school for small classes of up to five people. 5 Charles Street, London W1, 020 7499 2988; www.therunningfootman.biz

 

Sauterelle

The Royal Exchange is swathed in blank hoardings like a Christo artwork but inside, things are really rocking. The luxury shops are booming, (who needs the West End with these brand names on the City's doorstep?), and the Grand Cafe and two mezzanine bars are a bustling hub for social and business face time. But there's a more discreet success story, the Restaurant Sauterelle, nearing its second anniversary with a new chef and definite shift upmarket in the quality of the food. Darren Kerley, who comes via Le Pont de La Tour and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, is a class act. Menus are written in French and English (rare these days) and include classic French dishes prepared with a modern lightness of touch with seasonal vegetables, herbs and fungi. Halibut is served with a fricasse of girolles, baby fennel, broad beans and a vivid green sauce. Guinea fowl is served with lemon risotto and baby leeks. Braised shoulder of lamb comes with Swiss chard, parsnip puree and ceps. There's a section on oysters and foie gras makes a lavish and enriching appearance in several dishes, Sauterelle is quite cosy, seating just 66, but with mesmerising views over the internal courtyard of the Royal Exchange and up into the imposing atrium. With so much excitement on the plate to rival the view, Sauterelle has really come of age. The Royal Exchange, Bank, London EC3, 020 7618 2483

 

Divo

This is London's only Ukrainian restaurant (above right) and a puzzling newcomer. The decor is a gaudy take on grand Tsarist interiors with faux marble painted ceilings, acanthus-leaf mouldings from a low-price DIY shed, TV screens in clumsy gold frames showing downtown Kiev (the Ukranian capital), alongside half-hearted collections of pottery and embroidery to bring the peasant's hut into the palace. The menu veers wildly between simple rustic dishes and pompous, complicated food with lots of swirling plate activity. It should be a disaster and yet it isn't. The furniture is comfortable, the linen and glassware sumptuous, the staff enchanting and the food, once you get the point - that it's trying to be both traditional and modern - is OK-ish. You won't find nicer or prettier waitresses and they're nobody's fool. Despite her blonde hair, low-cut bodice and acres of creamy décolleté, Olga speaks four languages and impressive English and is studying to be an interpreter. The pinstripe suits who hang about Divo at lunchtime shouldn't try to patronise her. The menu is huge. I like simple dishes like dumplings of veal, pork, lamb and chicken served with sour cream, pancakes with glistening red salmon caviar (the budget didn't run to Beluga), rabbit stew, and rough pork sausage with a mountain of fried onions and red pepper sauce. The swanky dishes can seem a decade (or more) behind modern London tastes and one dish, Salad Olivier, is "inspired by the French influence across Eastern Europe in the 19th century". Picky modern eaters should avoid Chicken Kiev and order sea bass cooked with ginger and soy sauce "en papillote". In contrast to the long and complex evening à la carte, there's a neat lunch menu with two courses at £19.50, three courses, £24. The word Divo means "amazing" and owner Alexander Amirov must have hoped to take the town by storm with his ambitious new project. Sadly it's out of sync with today's taste. Let's hope he can tweak it and keep it going. It certainly adds to the gaiety of London life. 12 Waterloo Place, London SW1, 020 7484 1355; www.divo-restaurant.com

 

Embassy London

It's been a busy time for owners Mark Fuller and Garry Hollihead. They have an active expansion programme with Embassy outposts opening in Abu Dhabi (before the end of this year) and Dubai in 2008. There's also a chic London boutique hotel in Soho on the cards for next year so they could be forgiven for neglecting their swanky Mayfair restaurant, (above right) but not at all. On the ball as ever, they've noted that everyone is eating fresher, lighter food these days, and Garry has introduced a new menu to replace the elaborate a la carte. You'll find ceviche, salads, oysters, soups and salads amongst the hors d'oeuvres - though there's still a place for foie gras, steak tartare and smoked salmon of course. There is fine Angus Scotch beef and whole roast fish from the grill along with simpler fish and meat dishes plus yummy puddings and cheeses. Embassy is now open for lunch Tuesday - Friday with dinner Tuesday - Saturday. 29 Old Burlington Street, London W1, 020 7851 0956; www.embassy-london.com

 

Boisdale

Ranald Macdonald, founder of Boisdale in Belgravia and Bishopsgate, was never going to take the smoking ban lying down. A passionate afficionado of Cuban cigars, and a director of Havana Holdings, he's found a clever way to subvert the nanny state. A new Cigar Terrace opened on 1st November with a splendid party for members of the Boisdale Jazz & Cigar Club plus special guests including the illustrator Sue Macartney-Snape, famous for her devastating Social Stereotypes column in the Daily Telegraph magazine. Snape was showcasing a new series of cartoons of happy cigar smokers while other guests enjoyed Por Larranaga Magnifico cigars, the first ever to be launched and tasted outside Cuba. Smoking on the Cigar Terrace will be a very different experience from social outcasts huddling in doorways or messing up the pavement. There's an awning and outdoor heaters, comfortable sofas and armchairs, marble-topped occasional tables and cuddly tartan rugs for the ladies. With its unique mix of Scottish food, fine wines, and impressive range of whiskies, Boisdale now aims to be the number one destination for cigar connoisseurs who can sample 19 brands and over 120 different sizes and vintages of Cuban cigars. 13-15 Eccleston Street, London SW1. 020 7730 6922; www.boisdale.co.uk

 

New arrivals, chefs and menus keep the foodie pack on its toes this month. Restaurants are now part of the entertainment business and London thrives on novelty. Do keep up.

Must try...

Sophie Conran, the thinking man's Nigella Lawson, who won us over with her savoury pies, cook books and kitchenware, is now appealing to the metropolitan sweet tooth. In collaboration with ultrafashionable chocolate boutique Melt, the gorgeous blonde daughter of Sir Terence Conran has inspired a luscious dark chocolate "pie" filled with smooth Earl Grey tea ganache and a hot chunk of organic crystallised ginger. For a final flourish the "pie" is topped with a cranberry. Melt, 59 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11, 020 7727 5030. The shop is open seven days a week and you can buy online. www.meltchocolates.com

Do you long to make proper cocktails but don't know how? On 24th November, Chris Sheldon the well-known mixologist and general manager of Zebrano in Soho, is launching the Zebrano Bartending School which aims to encourage and demystify the art of cocktail making. Courses take place from 4-5.30pm and will run into the New Year. The courses include basic methods spirit knowledge, mixing, blending and connecting flavours, as well as learning to make classic and modern cocktails from the martini and mojito to the cosmopolitan and newer drinks like the carnaby and zebrano. For more information call Zebrano on 020 7287 5267 or visit www.chrisjsheldon.com

Another unusual collaboration is between the head chef of Kensington Place and the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum. During November, Sam Mahoney is using wild ingredients for dishes like rabbit baked in hay and wild marjoram, wood pigeon with roasted cobnut and dandelion salad, and baked crab apple custard with rosehip syrup. Mmmmm. There's a three-course menu a £17.50 which includes a ticket to the exhibition and the ticket is undated so you can chose your own time to visit. Kensington Place, 201-20 Kensington Church Street, London W8, 020 7727 3184; www.kensintonplace-restaurant.co.uk