Eltigreblanco's Qype reviews
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9 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0DR
Huge and popular with the middle aged after-work drinker, there isn't an awful lot to recommend this particular watering hole. Bland in the extreme - avoid.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 17 March 2013
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1 Widegate Street, London E1 7HP
You'd have to either seek out Sri Thong, or stumble on it accidentally, given that, although only a couple of hundred meters from Liverpool Street, it is down a narrow sidestreet ( incidentally, only a few yards from Jack The Rippers old haunts). Given the location, you may be surprised by the light and airy feel to the restaurant. Pricing is reasonable, service, on our visit, with a party of eight, was attentive and polite, and the food was good, managing to cater for even the demanding vegan in our group. I particularly enjoyed the Ped Ron ( very crispy shards of duck) as a main, and of the starters, I'd recommend the peppered ribs.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 14 March 2013
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54 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AG
I can't comment on the food, not having eaten here, but as a drinking pub The Gun definitely passes muster - clientele are an odd mix of tourists and City types, but lends the place a buzz. Definitely has a certain shabby comfortableness to the decor, but given it is a busy pub, cleanliness was good - no sticky tables here. The Gun (4.1 %) and the XPA available on our visit were both well kept pints.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 14 March 2013
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38 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AY
A great addition to the City dining scene - are really great one. It's not just the food - robust, well executed "modern Italian" ( high points including the crispy squid as a starter, and very well executed pasta dishes - oxtail tortelloni gets two thumbs up) or the well constructed drinks list ( good quality limoncello is a revelation). Service is chipper and upbeat - for example, putting through starter orders straight away while a large group thought about their mains, and when asked, regaling stories of Jamie's last visit ( and incidentally what a good manager he is). Worth a visit.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 21 February 2013
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32 Brushfield St., London E1 6AT
A bijou new addition to the Chilango chain, located just near Spitalfield Market, nestled between Liverpool Street and Brick Lane. The same range of burritos, tacos, and salads as found in the other Chilango outlets, served up with the same sunny disposition. I thoroughly recommend the pork belly burrito, with everything - a prince among sandwiches. I also find Chilango's tortilla chips a little less salty than some others.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 11 January 2013
However, as with all of the contenders in this particular segment of the market ( Tortilla, Chilango, Poncho 8, etc.), I have to say that I still find them somewhat overpriced - I can't imagine that 10 quid for a effectively a good sandwich and a drink is really supportable in the long term. -
52 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8JX
Inoffensive, middle of the road Pan-Asian food, located in the heart of the city just near Bank station. I've not eaten here for lunch, but have done a little business entertaining here in the evenings. Give the nature of these straitened times, it's a reasonable choice - two courses could come to only 20-25 GBP per head, excluding drinks of course. I can't comment on the cocktails, but there is a good range of Asian beers on tap, including Asahi and Tiger.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 8 January 2013
The menu comprises an array of soups, tempura, sushi, noodle dishes, Thai and Japanese dishes, and other hot dishes ( picking two, Mongolian Lamb { which looked pretty unexciting, like the contents of a fajita, without the tortillas to go with it}, and seared tuna { which was very good, and elegantly presented with tiny pearl onions}). Pork belly also looked like a good option, this mains coming in at about 15GBP on average. The sushi was unremarkable - the usual selection of timid tuna and ebi . All that said, the way the menu is constructed, it would be quite possible to eschew courses per se, and have a dim sum style procession of dishes to share.
In sum, not bad, and a good venue for business entertaining, but not somewhere oozing bags of character or that I'd make a special trip to. -
5 Finsbury Avenue, The City, London EC2M 7LH
I'm afraid I may have some words of dissent - although this branch of Gaucho is very nice, it's not fantastic. On the plus side, there's the novelty of the contrast between the apparently pockey entrance/bar, which looks a bit like the sort of semi-temporary sales office that would be erected for a new development of over-priced flats, and the spacious interior. The staff were friendly, on our visit, but more of that later.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 2 December 2012
On to the food - I enjoyed my starter of empanadas, but couldn't escape two conclusions. First, they're probably the most expensive in London, at a fiver each ( which seems a bit steep for a pleasant but unexceptional product). Secondly they lacked a bit of "oomph", neither being as spicey nor as well seasoned as some others I've had, merely salty.
My entrana fina (marinated skirt steak) was a lovely piece of meat. However, it took a few minutes to get to me, as it took a detour via another diner's plate, which wasn't very satisfactory, and did rather cast into doubt the apparent efficiency of some of the waiting staff. I decided to pass on desserts, in part because I was rather dissapointed to see that there was no dule de leche centred option at the time of visit, which was a shame. My dining companion's sticky toffee pudding was reported as "fine, if dry" - high praise indeed if you're talking about the weather for a visit to the seaside, but poor if you're talking puddings.
All in all, I feel that the product is good, and the service OK, but Gaucho's still not the best place ( sorry. chain) to visit in London if you simply must have a great Argentine steak - if you can brave going out of the way, I'd say the mighty Santa Maria Del Sur on the Queenstown Road still holds the crown. -
Kiosk 3, Liverpool Street Station, London EC2M
Everything one might expect of reasonably priced sushi, and hugely popular with City and commutey types - my only real qualm is the hot food. I say that, but I do feel the sinister draw of the( day-glo) sweet chili chicken on a fairly regular basis; it's probably one of the best value meals to be had in this neck of the woods, as essentially it's a bucket of rice and retro-guilty pleasure for a shade over a fiver.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 2 November 2012
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34 Threadneedle St., London EC3V 3LR
In essence, The Mercer is something of a posher version of the likes of City chophouses like Simpson's Tavern - although definitely more upscale and refined. There's certainly a public-schooly air to both of them - although The Mercer is more Eton than King's College Ruralshire, if you get my drift. Or not. In any case, it's a fine place for a smart business lunch; you'll feel out of place if not wearing a tie and smart suit during the week, and I would guess it's the same in the evening. On my last visit, I'd alos attest to the clientele being fairly male, and fairly middle-aged.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 11 October 2012
Service is attentive, with the chuminess that seems to be in vogue at the moment ( although you'll see the waitrons recoil aghast if you answer one of their obsequious queries with "too much detail"). All that said, to there credit, on our last visit, they made a point of asking how much time we had for lunch, and then working to that.
The menu is heavy on "Traditional British" items - lots of game and pies - with a daily special. Make sure they give you the correct menu for the up-to-date version. There's also a good selection of more modern items - lots of dainty salads, and I particularly enjoyed a goats cheese and spinach ravioli dish, with wild mushrooms. Puds are also a high point - treacle tart with clotted cream was well executed, and while pleasingly rich, wasn't overwhelming in terms of portion size. Expect to pay around 15-20 GBP for a main course, and 7-12 for starters and dessert dishes. The wine list is good, but not cheap.
Worth a visit, from a business lunch perspective in particular although you'll probably be a lot happier if you ( or someone else) can expense it. -
5 Horner Square, Spitalfields, London E1 6EW
A busy ( at least during week days) branch of the sprawling GBK empire - it's newer and less careworn than some of the older branches, but I'm afraid I can't raise much more than a "meh". My last visit involved me parting with the what seemed like quite a lot of money for a not-very-special burger ( a Habanero, as I recall) and a Coke, and waiting for twenty minutes to get my takeaway. The "spicy" Habanero I would have said was not really so - perhaps my tastebuds have taken too much of a battering of the years, but I didn't "feel the burn". So, erm...."meh" it is.
Eltigreblanco
wrote on 5 October 2012
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