How good is the best Sunday lunch in London?

Often voted the best Sunday Lunch in London – how good is Hawksmoor on a Sunday?

I was invited to the new Air Street branch ‘soft opening’, Hawksmoor’s latest venture in Piccadilly Circus.  The Soft Opening ran for 2 weeks so that they could test out their new team and kitchen set up.  The massive kitchen (…we’re talking hotel kitchen sized) includes the magnificent closing-door Jasper charcoal ovens – the first for the Hawksmoor chain but also used at the renown Goomans Steak Houses in London.

Hawksmoor Air Street London Restaurant blog Review

Hawksmoor Air Street, London

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Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant, Paris

Pierre Gagnaire, Paris

I became obsessed (in a food stalker way) with Pierre Gagnaire when I saw him appear on Masterchef UK.  He was the restaurant mentor of Emily Ludolf, the 18 year old prodigy amateur cook who made it to the finals in 2008 (http://emilyludolf.com/  and  http://www.emilyludolf.blogspot.co.uk/).  Besides a crush on Emily, I developed a life long goal – to eat at Pierre Gagnaire’s flagship haute cuisine restaurant.

2006, 2007, 2008 restaurant Pierre Gagnaire was rated the number THREE restaurant in the WORLD.  Currently it sits at 16 (not necessarily due to a drop in standards, but rather, a raising of the bar from competition).

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Biota Dining {Bowral, NSW}

Biota Restaurant

Can you get a world-class dining experience in a country town of 10,000 people? While I had my doubts I was hoping I would be proved wrong…

Today we are celebrating both my birthday and mother’s day so ‘cheap and nasty’ is not going to cut it. We need to go somewhere special. I decided that we all go to a new restaurant in Bowral called ‘Biota’. Bowral is a town just over an hour south of Sydney and as special significance as its where my wife and I got married.  Biota is a welcome addition to this upmarket town and has gained quite a bit of attention including being nominated for SMH’s Best New Restaurant last year.

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Paris ‘part deux’ – after the sun goes down (Contiki Europe, Part 12)

The final Contiki event is an optional evening visit to the Moulin Rogues for dinner and cabaret show.

contiki Europe paris restaurant food review

L'Annexe menu - scribbled in chalk to match the days produce

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Paris, France (Contiki Europe, Part 11)

This is my Contiki food Magus Opus.  Paris and my own free time to eat my self into oblivion. Buckle in, I tell my tummy.  Buckle in.

contiki Europe paris restaurant food review

Galette season in Paris ...during winter?

 

The Contiki tour takes us to the mandatory tourist attractions – Eifel  Tower, Musee Du Louvre, Champs Elysee, boat ride tour etc, and then an unmemorable hotel meal (possibly the worst Contiki meal we have had).  However, the next day they let us run free. I wake up on time to get the bus ride into Paris central.

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Avignon (Contiki Europe, Part 10)

On the way towards Paris, we stop by Avignon – a small French town where we stay at a cold (haunted) château.  I am horribly (stomach) sick by this stage.  That dammed egg brik half-soft must of been full of salo-sale-sallemo…ninella (see my post from France, Nice), like a bad girlfriend – I love you, but you make me sick.  Sick, especially while in France ?!

Avignon France contiki tour europe restaurant review

Markets Macron

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Monaco (Contiki Europe, Part 9)

We head to Monaco for the evening entertainment – it is a very short drive from Nice, maybe 20minutes, maybe less.  You can easily catch a taxi between the two, if you fancy a cheeky Casino hit.  The Contiki group dress up for the night – anyone that hasn’t brought a formal evening outfit goes shopping in Nice to pick up some glamour.  Casino, bling,
and glitz await the evening.

U'Cavagnetu Monaco Contiki Europe Restaurant Review

U'Cavagnetu

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Aronia De Takazawa {Tokyo}

Aronia De Takazawa Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche

Ratatouille Aronia De Takazawa

Ratatouille

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Momofuku Seiōbo {The Star, Pyrmont}

Momofuku_Seiōbo_Interior

Momofuku Seiōbo Interior

David Chang’s latest Sydney venture Momofuku Seiōbo has without a doubt being the most highly anticipated new restaurant by foodies in the last few months. To be honest I was going to wait it out, see if it lived up to all the hype – it isn’t cheap at $175 for the degustation, with $60 or $95 wine pairing. Plus, I usually have an aversion to fine dining ‘asian’ influenced food (because I usually know a place who does it three times better for a quarter of the price)! But of course when a couple of our good friends were wanting to try it and were planning on making a Saturday night booking, precisely at the strike of 10am, 10 days before the Saturday on their online reservation system (they only take bookings 10 days in advance), I more than willingly accepted – a chance to dine at a well acclaimed celebrity chef restaurant in good company was too good to pass up.
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Baroque Bistro {The Rocks, Sydney}

Baroque Desserts

Macarons! Mmmm

I do adore this place. For its relaxed, unpretentious edgy interior, its superb location, delicious French food and of course, for their perfect macarons (one of the best in Sydney dare I say!). It’s a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon in Sydney and Baroque Bistro is priced well to make it a good affordable stop if you are at the Rocks, offering views out to the Harbour.

On a recent visit over the Christmas break, the highlight was the vegetarian dish – (from memory) goat cheese scrolls, pumpkin and mushroom.  And yes of course, their macarons! They do them properly here – crisp outter shell, a more moist chewy middle layer and yummy creamy centres. I love the rose flavour.

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