Regency Cafe for Sale. 'Unmitigated, shambolic' Miss in Greenwich. A Portuguese Hit. Critics & More.
Sitwell isn't sold on Sael. Giles le gusta la Fonda. Ellis craves China Gourmet. Ivers gets philosophical in Leamington Spa.
Hello! Christmas time is fun, isn’t it? I’ve had some wonderful Professional Lunches (and dinners) over the past couple of weeks, and have one or two more still to go. It’s fantastic to see how spending time together strengthens relationships, reduces the risk of misunderstanding, and makes Teams and Zoom meetings more productive. More please!
On the other hand, my waistline is suffering. I suspect in January you’ll see more reviews of places with healthier options — if I can find any.
Where have you had a great Christmas lunch? And where do you turn for healthier choices come January? Let me know in the Comments.
Regency Cafe on the Block
The Regency Cafe in Victoria is the first place I added to the ‘breakfast’ section of my London Dining Guide. It’s an absolute classic.
And now it’s for sale.
It’s been owned by Antonio Perotti and Gino Schiavetta since 1986, and according to the Standard, they have decided to sell-up and retire.
Westminster Council owns the freehold and has said that they intend to keep the location as a cafe if at all possible.
The property listing for the site has already been removed from Rightmove, suggesting that the agent might already have a winning offer or that they didn’t want curious foodies digging through it.
But you may only have a couple of months to get to the Regency for one last authentic fry up.
Hits & Misses
Mini-reviews of places that were either (a) good, but not quite good enough to do a full review and add to the Guide, (b) had a flaw or two, or (c) that I revisited following a prior review.
Shambolic Miss: High Road Social
We knew we were in trouble as soon as we sat down. Arriving a few minutes early for our 6:15p booking, we were passed off three times as we made the 18 foot trek from door to table.
Then we discovered that we had not been left food menus.
We waited patiently for a few minutes. A server came to take a drink order. We said we wanted some wine, so would like to see the food menu. She disappeared. Ten minutes later, another server offered drinks. We asked again for the food menu. Five minutes later, I asked another passing server. I watched her go to the host stand, pick up two menus, and then head behind the bar, where she lingered in a chat with the barman. Thirty minutes after we sat down, the menus finally arrived.
We ordered starters of soup and smoked salmon. A glass of wine for me. Mains of fish and pork. Nothing complicated, but our movie was at 7:45p, and we still had plenty of time.
My wine was forgotten. After 15 minutes, I asked the server who took our order, then a bartender who happened to be passing, then the manager, then our server again. The wine took 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, staff was carrying tables and chairs through the middle of the restaurant. There was something frantic happening behind the bar. And it wasn’t as though our early-ish booking made us the only table. There was a family of five by the door, a group of four ladies enjoying a sparkly pre-Christmas night out behind us, and a couple of two tops in our area. The restaurant was in full service mode, but still moving furniture.
Our starters — which could have been dished out in 5 minutes — took 30 to arrive. The soup was pretty good, and might have been made in the building. The smoked salmon was mediocre. The accompanying brown bread was untoasted and cold, which may have been by design, but made the 30 minute prep time even more mystifying. We had now been in the restaurant an hour.
When starters were cleared, I ordered a second glass of wine, which arrived a mere 5 minutes later.
At 7:20p, I flagged down the manager. I told him politely that we had movie tickets at 7:45p and would like to have time to eat our mains before we left.
He blamed the kitchen. I suggested that the kitchen probably wasn’t at fault for failing to give us food menus and neglecting to take our order for 30 minutes. He said he would check on our food.
He returned 18 minutes later at 7:38p to tell us that “had been standing by the pass” and that our food would be along in five minutes.
The theatre was next door, and we figured there would be at least 20 minutes of ads before the feature, so we asked him to bring the mains. We also asked him for the bill.
He went to do something else.
So we asked our server for the bill.
The manager intervened, realised he had forgotten us, and brought us the bill. He comped my two glasses of wine — no consideration for my wife’s side of the experience, apparently — and he sort of apologised for our experience, explained that there was a new menu, and the kitchen was in over their heads. I asked him why he had filled the restaurant on a night when the kitchen was trying a new menu. I also asked why they had launched a new menu on a busy Friday evening in the middle of the Christmas period. He didn’t offer a view.
I didn’t ask why the floor staff had to share a single terminal, so there was always a queue of servers around it. Nor did I ask why that terminal was in the very middle of the restaurant, which made their inevitable cluster and confusion the centre-point of everything. Nor did I query why the two bartenders hadn’t divided labour so that one could focus on serving the bar and while the other did orders for the restaurant. Nor did I ask why tables and chairs weren’t in place before service began.
Our mains arrived at 7:44p. My pork was too salty. My wife’s fish was overcooked. But we ate it as fast as we could, paid the bill, and left.
We live nearby and go to Greenwich regularly. The Picturehouse next door to the restaurant is our default movie spot.
We were excited to see High Road Social opening, and have been eager to try it. We should be regulars. And Greenwich desperately needs a good place.
On its website, High Road Social describes itself as “Greenwich’s new dining and drinks destination serving high-quality, seasonal food.” Not quite.
We experienced only calamitous service and mediocre food.
And its unmitigated, shambolic failure is mystifying. The founder / manger has a strong pedigree, with stints at Sushi Samba, Caprice Holdings, and Galvin. The chef recently worked at the Chelsea Pig. And the restaurant has been open since July, so newness isn’t to blame.
As we were leaving, my wife caught the eye of a guy at one of the two-tops nearby. They were seated before us, but after an hour and forty-five minutes, had been served no food. My wife gave him a “fingers crossed” gesture. He could only shake his head.
The morning after our visit, the manager, whose name is David and is listed as the sole director at Companies House, gave me a ring to apologise again for our poor experience and invited us back to give High Road Social another try. I told him that we would be happy to do so, and I genuinely appreciate both the phone call and the invitation.
But I also asked him again to explain the shocking evening. I mentioned that I thought there was a Christmas party upstairs and that the staff all seemed new. I was trying to give him an out. I’m happy to believe that this was just a bad night. But again, he put the blame solely on the kitchen.
That just doesn’t fly. The failures in our experience were mostly the down to the front of house team, which was disorganised, poorly trained, and badly managed. His failure to take any responsibility plus the instinct to throw the kitchen under the bus — though I acknowledge that our food experience was both slow and bad — doesn’t give me much confidence that things will improve in the future.
We’ll see. I’d really like to be wrong. If we go again, I’ll report back, and would be delighted to recount a more positive experience.
Hit: Bar Duoro (London Bridge)
Christmas is the season of (hopefully) pleasant surprises and great lunches. I recently managed both at Bar Duoro in Flat Iron Square near London Bridge.
Authentic Portuguese tapas in a beautiful space, adorned with gorgeous tile work. There are big windows, and even on a cloudy day, it’s bright. The seating is counter-style, with some outside space for warmer months. It’s all very cozy and comfortable.
There’s a fantastic selection of Portuguese wines and a knowledgeable staff ready to help you navigate the list.
And the food is delicious. Lovely sausage croquettes arrived steaming. “Arroz de coelho à caçador” — rabbit rice — was a discovery. Pig cheeks with roast squash were epic. There’s cured meat and imported cheese. And, of course, pastel de nata — custard tarts — served with cinnamon ice cream.
I’m not sure you could find a better way to spend an afternoon, even in Lisbon. And Bar Duoro is great for a Professional Lunch. Although it’s sharing portions, they are easy to manage, and the set-up is conducive to conviviality. I can’t wait to get back.
Critics Wrap-Up
✍🏻 indicates a review that you should read for the writing.
🍽️ indicates a place that sounds excellent and is probably worth a try.
William Sitwell (Telegraph) tries Sael in St. James, the new spot from Jason Atherton, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. “We left exhausted, that menu a symptom, perhaps, of that fevered empire building, and us wondering if, now and again, less might very possibly be more.”
Giles Coren (Times) visits Fonda, the new Mexican place in Heddon Street from the team behind Kol. “The execution was incredible, the skill levels insane, the space awesome, the vibes delightful.” But you’ll have to wade through about 350 words of nonsense about reader stats.
Jay Rayner (Observer) liked Claro in St. James, but disliked their e-mails. “Claro is a serious restaurant. You have my affections. And now I’ve told you this, enough with the emails already.”
Tanya Gold (Spectator) goes back in time to the Guinea Grill in Mayfair, “a sort of Rainforest Café for monarchists who won’t sink to the Tiltyard Café at Hampton Court.”
- (Braise) gets wonderfully pedantic at Bánh, a new spot for Vietnamese bánh mì in Shoreditch. “This is the ideal bánh mì baguette: short and plump, with a flaky, crisp crust that shatters at the slightest bite, with none of the crunch and resistance you’d expect from the French equivalent.” Sadly, the pork isn’t quite as perfect.
David Ellis (Standard) offers a list of his favourite places of the year, declares, “this was the year of the hype restaurant,” and files some mini reviews:
🍽️ Of Lita in Marylebone, he says, “I do not have a Spanish friend with an income I wouldn’t like to ask about, but were I to, their ranch might look like this.”
On Juno, an Omakese spot in Notting Hill, he concludes, “15 courses of sushi, but not entirely Japanese. Instead, in keeping with the Los Mochis restaurant it sits above and belongs to, Mexico provides the spicing.”
About Counter 71 and Pied à Terre, he offers, “Counter and Pied are different… But what they share is a firm belief that fine dining can drop all the sexless fuss. I admire them both.”
On Legare, an Italian place near Tower Bridge, he suggests, “Legare is unlike most of the Italians across town. Maybe that’s why I loved it so.”
🍽️ And about China Gourmet, near Canary Wharf, he tell us, “Restaurants like this, that go unnoticed, feel like gifts. This one might be the most memorable present of 2024.”
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) heads to the Blue Stoops, the buzzy new pub in Kensington. “A glorious chicken, leek and black trompette pie, the pastry crisp and burnished, the filling as heavenly as it is hearty. Throw in a bottle of Château Cissac at an eminently respectable £61 and you have a lunch that is every bit the equal of its surroundings.”
🍽️ Marina O’Loughlin (independent critic) is the latest to opine on Anglo Thai near Marble Arch. “The level of thought and technique that goes into every powerhouse dish is verging on bonkers.”
Maitake Mushroom, Sunflower Seed Satay & Wild Garlic at AngloThai. Photo by the restaurant via Instagram. Hester van Hensbergen (Vittles) visits the River Café Café and has a mixed experience. “The River Café Café, the echo emblazoned in its name and the Chocolate Nemesis waiting patiently at the end of its menu, is neither. It’s dangerously close to being no idea at all.”
✍🏻 Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) heads to Herb in Leamington Spa, and concludes with some words to live by. “Find as many things as possible that you haven’t heard of. Order as many as you can eat. Then sit back, enjoy it and think about how hugely lucky we are. There’s a whole world out there, and you can find it in Leamington Spa.”
Tim Hayward (FT) went to Bristol to review Dongnae, a new Korean spot.
Grace Dent (Guardian) seems to have been off this week.
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No way, better get to The Regency pronto, it's been on the visit list forever, better be quick!