Poeken just finished their 2 weeks pop up in Suki Gerrard Street on the 24th July but the reason…read morewhy I am writing this review still is because I had they will be doing something else in the future, hopefully something more permanent. Their menu was short and sweet, listing their infamous fantastic value pokēs all £8 and under and all generously portioned too. It's shame I never actually met any of the staff or owners from Poeken so can't really comment on their service in the restaurant itself but communication via online was great. I asked for their menu before going and they sent it straight away and also responded to my feedback of the food too. Deconstructed Spicy Ahi Such a visually stunning and vibrant dish. Everything in it was a match in heaven except the horrible sharp cherry tomato where they need to find a better supplier. The avocado were ripe and buttery soft, cress added a lovely dimension with its earthy aromas, kaiso seaweed gave the dish a nice crunch whilst the daikon pickles added a nice zing. Now moving on to the best bits. One of the highlight of the dish was definitely the sweet potato salad which was basically mash sweet potato in Japanese Mayo. It was mashed till smooth and creamy and its honey like sweetness won me over. Of course the show of it all was the beautiful rich and silky chunky cuts of tuna, cut into good sizes so it wouldn't get lost among the other ingredients in the dish. From their springiness and delicate mild flavours you can tell they were fresh and of high quality. A fantastic pokē overall. Sake miso don The same pairings of ingredients except this one was with beautiful oily slices of salmon. The pieces were buttery and clean cut throughly showing skilful knife skills. The miso dressing was light but fragrant, just add depth and complexity through its umami and to flavour the lovely al dente sushi rice so no flavours were lost. Filled onigiri salmon belly Sadly this was too dry and bland for my liking. Somehow the curry flakes soaked up the moisture in the rice making it lose its fluffiness and stickiness. It became very dense and the small seaweed wrap wasn't enough to season it. This also meant that the salmon belly flavours was very much lost in the rice and were overcooked so it too became dry in the cooking process. Need a bit of soy sauce to save it. I think Poeken couldn't have picked a better time to open up their pop up in London. During the heatwave I think that was nothing more appealing than a refreshing poke, all made with excellent quality of ingredients, high grades of seafood and all dressed in it's unique dressing and perfectly seasoned too. Each ingredient was creatively paired so the flavours complemented each other creating a burst of delightful flavours. Can't wait till they open on 39 Gerrard Street. Heard they are adding more to the menu and hopefully they will keep their awesome prices too.

Did not disappoint. Walked in after Dishoom next door informed me it'd be a 2 hour wait. Didn't…read morefeel up for lining up solo. Claw had no wait when I popped over. I wasn't confident that this meal would be good as there were zero Yelp reviews to lean on. I was going in dark. The meal was very good. Aspects of it excellent. The grilled colchester oysters are to die for. I don't even like cooked oysters. Rockefeller oysters usually disappoint and besides, there is something sacrilegious about cooking delicate seafood until the merroir is nothing but a figment of your imagination. These oysters are baked with a light touch. They come out mostly raw with a buttery cheese melted atop them. And the accompaniment seems to draw out the flavours of the oysters perfectly. The fish fingers sound pretty basic and they are, but Claw executes it well. The fish is cooked but is soft and moist. And the salad is a well balanced, refreshing counterpoint to it all with layers of endives, chicory, basil (2 kinds), thin radish and heirloom leaves. Lots of eating options in the city, yes, but this is worth a stop in.

I really want to love CLAW, as I work nearby and I LOVE seafood. I've had many a lobster roll,…read morewhole crab, and ceviche in my life. I came to try their new summer menu, and they were also running 50% off the menu at this time. I came away feeling that it was acceptable value at 50% off, and I would have felt robbed at the full price. What was good? The crab roll was great - a spin on the traditional lobster roll, but it was tasty and good. What was not so good was the ceviche - in a city full of great ceviches, this dish is to be avoided here. Overall, I don't think I'll be back. Maybe for the crab roll. If someone else is paying the bill.

AMAZING chicken gordita- Roasted chicken with jalapeños, almonds & pistachios in a creamy pecan…read moresauce. Made my Mexicans. It is inside a pub. The address is correct. I ate in, but they are brought to you piping hot in a bag to take away. I found this on Yelp. There were only 3 reviews. All 5 stars. Now I am the fourth 5 star review. The ingredients and flavors were sublimely perfect.

From the owner: Gorditas are hand-made Mexican flatbreads stuffed with different kinds of yummy fillings. We're the…read morefirst and only place selling gorditas in London! Our Gourmet Gorditas are made with a variety of carefully selected, locally sourced ingredients. We've created recipes that take inspiration from authentic Mexican dishes, but have given them a 'foodie' spin by using the best gourmet ingredients.

We used them for our wedding, amazing!!! Great staff, made the pizzas right in front of us to…read moreorder. They tasted great.

Wow!! Leo and his fabulous pizza van visited our School Fete at the weekend and his pizzas were…read moredelicious, lovely fresh ingredients, catered for a variety of dietary needs and freshly made from scratch! Can't wait to see you again soon. Thank you! Highly recommend!

The Mercato Mayfair is essentially an indoor food court living in an old church…read more It's not particularly accessible, there are quite a few stairs to get to the second floor and upstairs patio (there is an elevator but it's for wheelchair users only) but they do have a nice array of restauraunts. We wished we'd known you can just sit at the patio and order and they'll deliver it to you, but you can also go up to each stall to order and receive a pager. We liked that it was an easy way to eat outdoors (which is what we tend to do while traveling) and that they had quite a bit to choose from. The stain glass window is also really gorgeous as you walk up and down the stairs. All in all, while maybe not a must-do, if you're staying in the area, it's definitely a good stop for eats if you're looking for something simple and easy.

Omg probably the best food hall I've ever been to! This place is a church turned food hall. It is…read morefascinating and amazing how they utilized the space to make it a place to enjoy food rather then Jesus! Lool It is multiple stories floors etc etc...when you first walk in you are greeted with all these cute succulents for sale and other foliage. It smells great. There is also a banana pudding place to the right. They have signage on the wall that indicates what is available on each respective floor. They literally have everything to choose from. Mexican, Italian, English food and Gelato! Plus coffee! Since I was visiting London I decided to try fish & chips! Wow fried to perfection! The fries were so good, and the fish needs some Lowrys. There was literally no seasoning. There is also a outdoor seating area with a bar the 3rd floor ample seating. I really enjoyed this place. They also have cool renovated bathrooms in the basement.

I love pop up's in London. There's just something very exclusive about it especially as this one…read morewas hidden behind a miniature door which, on the outside was very ambiguous. But as soon as the doors were open, we were greeted to a slice of Texas complete with accents and costumes. I was one of the first through the door and I was blown away by the setting (I was even convinced this was a private party where all the diners knew each other as it felt like a private function). The meal we had was five courses long, including CROCODILE MEAT!!! Now, I had my reservations as I didn't like to stray too far from my regular chicken but man, I think I might actually have a soft side for bush meat ;-) The meat was comparable to chewy calamari ;-) We also had gumbo in a small earthenware pot and although it was a small portion, it did pack a punch and that truly filled me up. Also the dessert was lushhh (crunchy biscuit cake). Most enjoyable were the props. Ok they're not really props. More like ornaments but it is what I see them as and with that, I happily reenacted scenes with my fellow diners ;-) If ever you want to experience something just off the beaten path, then this is an experience you have to embrace. The staff were friendly, and you are encouraged to relax and just soak in the vibes.

I was lucky enough to grab a seat with the Yelp group. This pop up was in a covered outside space,…read morewhich was nice because it was well ventilated. However, there was a pigeon nesting in the roof just over our heads and it kept knocking chunks of dirt off the rafters. We had our table moved a little, but still sat right under Mr Pigeon. Luckily he didn't feel the need to completely spoil our dinner, so we just dealt with it by ignoring him for the most part. We started dinner with bread and a fantastic Chipotle butter. There was also a chilli jam, but none of the diners at my table liked it very much, so we all descended on the well spiced butter. The first course was a buttermilk "muffnut", a muffin donut, filled with pulled beef and Monterrey Jack, it was absolutely delicious! The crumbly bread and juicy meat bound perfectly by the gooey cheese. The second course came along in a small bucket, bouncing on a washing line style contraption. Fried crocodile tempura, very juicy albeit a bit chewy, definitely worth a try if you haven't had crocodile before and don't take "it tastes like chicken" for an answer. Third in line was a plate of slow roasted ribs, dripping with thick, succulent bbq sauce, fall-off-the-bone perfection melting in the mouth. The accompanying slaw lacked in flavour a bit as it was very bland and disappointing. Course number four packed a punch! A sausage gumbo with well balanced smokey and spicy flavours and a large smoked cheese ball dropped right in the middle. A perfect combination. For dessert we had a large slab of sticky rocky road with a scoop of ice cream on top. It was extremely sweet, but that worked quite well after the spicy jambalaya. Overall the meal was very well balanced and fantastically presented. The entertainment was somewhat lacking though. For an immersive dinner event there just wasn't much to it. The decor was fantastic, the food amazing, but apart from the country music, there wasn't much else. Our host of the evening was in full western garb, put on an accent and told the lamest jokes I've heard in a while. She did ask us to keep an eye out for gold in our food, several people found metal coins, others found plastic "fool's gold" on our plates. That was a nice touch and there was a bottle of champagne up for grabs. However, for an immersive event I'd expect a lot more than that, this was more of a themed dinner. Which was still great!

A group of us went to dinner here last night and we're so glad we did. The dining room has a lovely…read moreambiance. We were welcomed by staff who took our orders efficiently and indulged picking various items on the menu. Unfortunately none of us had room for dessert. Stop by and enjoy!

Boy does that name bring back a memory or two I may have had my last meal here well over a two…read moredecades ago, but I never forget a good meal. These kinds of places never change, so I guess the food is as good now as it was back then; I bet my life on it. (Goetz can confirm that.) Meghna Grill is a gloriously quaint, airy, invitingly cosy, sub-continental haven, that provides an inordinate amount of delectable Indian delicacies; cooked to perfection, and served with the utmost invisibly obeisant respect and warmhearted attentiveness. There is an effortless sense of charm in this restaurant; extremely eager to please, but in a masterfully passive sort of way. I remember distinctly how the soft white/blue decor and immaculate service managed to seamlessly blend classic style with modern approach, managing to add a little bit of unobtrusive luxury to good old classic local 'Indian' dining. It was oh-so clean in there, sort of looked like a drained, carpeted Greco/Roman bathhouse, or something. It was whiter than white; pristine in appearance. The design and layout of the restaurant is a tried-and-trusted formula; with the mock 'bar' being the focal point of attention in the room, from whence you can summon a waiter, one who will always be posted there. There was a smattering of ritualistic pomp and circumstance at the beginning of the meal, whereby at your chosen table, the old tablecloth (regardless of whether or not someone had even eaten there) would be demonstratively whipped-out, 'bull-fighter' style, and then promptly replaced 'Mary Poppins' style, with a fresh one, your one, just for you, with noticeably more time spent and more emphasis placed on, the laying of your tablecloth, than with the removal of the previous one. It is this kind of well-timed, showy but untroubling act of hospitality, that can add a touch of splendor to what is essentially just an evening's meal. A proper local (you wouldn't be able to spot it unless you knew about it.); I wouldn't say it was hidden, but it is certainly 'off the beaten track'. I will never forget the joy of watching the owner of Meghna Grill, tip-toeing up to and tentatively peeping out of the front window every now and again, as he kept an apprehensively watchful eye on the competition that had just set up camp across the way. He was monitoring the customer-flow of his newfound archnemesis, bless him, making sure that none of the faces, being lured into this apparent apocalyptic downfall incarnate, were familiar, belonging to any of his loyal, regular customers. That was twenty years ago Is he still peeping?! He's a peeping-Grill, he is. He must've installed some kind of periscope up the Victorian chimney-hole by now.SurelyAll that time?! Maybe he's developed X-ray vision from twenty years of peeping across the road? Who knows? Maybe he can cook curry with his eyes, now that the lazer-beams are coming out of them after twenty years of perpetual peeping; he's a Super-hero, 'Meghna-man' to the rescue. He shouldda gone to spec-savers WellThere's no need to peep anymore, that is for certain (there was neither any need to peep back then), as Meghna Grill stands proud as a benchmark amongst benchmarks of fine, local, London Indian dining. (Take heed: War and Peace menu alert.)