Buddha Bar

When it comes to family, especially cousins, it is very hard to see them on a regular basis because of life, work, children, husbands etc (two of these don’t really apply to me). So when I meet with my cousins I always look forward to it and make an extra effort.

This time our chosen venue was Buddha Bar. I have heard many good things about this place so I was excited to finally be going there but I was told beforehand that we would be having sushi. Now let me tell you, I was never really a fan of Sushi, the idea of eating raw fish pretty much made me want to gag! However, it was four against one so I had to suck it up and go for it.   

Upon arrival, we were greeted by friendly staff, our soaking wet coats were taken and we were shown to our table. The venue is your typical bar/restaurant with minimal lighting and modern decor. It made the place look classy and ‘high end’ (I think an episode of Made in Chelsea was filmed there).

  

First and foremost, we ordered house white, you can't go wrong with it! Next we ordered some spicy edamame. There is no classy was of eating edamame, my fingers were covered in the sauce so you could say the edamame were finger lickin' good? 

Now on the Sushi, looking at the menu there are a lot of options so the girls had a tough choice. In the end they settled for the prawn, salmon, and cucumber & avocado. I was very reluctant to try at first but I was told to just go for it…and I did and wow! They actually tasted really good. There was a lot of flavour in each bite. The presentation was picture perfect and there was enough to share between five people. 

I experience good service frequently but at Buddha bar it was top notch, they made sure we were happy with our food, our wine glasses were never empty and even when everything had been eaten and cleared away they allowed to stay for one more bottle of wine.   

Our bill at the end appeared to be pricey but that may have been the four bottle of wine we had (oops). However, at £42 per person I thought it was totally worth it. Good food, good service and amazing company, what else could you ask for?

I would definitely visit Buddha bar again to see what else the food menu has to offer and to try some of their cocktails, especially with their impeccable service and the cool, laid back atmosphere. All in all it was a good Friday evening.

Food: 4*

Service: 5*

Value 4*

Overall: 4*

Read more »

Flat Iron

One spontaneous rainy evening, five of us ventured into Soho in search of good food. After a quick drink in Two Floors on Carnaby Street, we headed south and stumbled upon Flat Iron, a minimalist steakhouse hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of Central London. 

We were greeted by a friendly patron who advised that the wait would be around 90 minutes. Luckily, we were able to leave a telephone number and we headed over to a local pub (The Old Coffee House). 

Over 90 minutes and one packet of crisps later, we still hadn't received a call. We headed back to Flat Iron and they asked us to wait in the bar downstairs with a buzzer. 5 minutes later, the table was finally ready!

Flat Iron is a very intimate venue with minimalist decor. Long wooden benches form the majority of the tables which are decorated accordingly with tea lights and quirky cutlery! The atmosphere is reminiscent of a hipster restaurant in SoHo, NYC (Back Forty West springs to mind). 

We were given small cups of popcorn as an appetiser whilst we decided what to order.

The menu is very small but the main star of the show is it's trademark Flat Iron Steak. I ordered this (medium) with 2 sides (Dripping Cooked Chips & Creamed Spinach), one sauce (Peppercorn), and a drink (Dandelion & Burdoch).  

For a £10 steak, we were all surprised by the quality. The meat was seasoned well, cooked to perfection and very tender. The peppercorn sauce complimented the steak and the delicious sides brought the whole thing together. 

There was only one thing on the dessert menu, a delicious salted caramel mousse, but the light and airy texture was perfect to cleanse the palate and complete the meal. 

The bill came to under £25 per person for a main, dessert, drink and service. Flat Iron is incredibly good value for money and despite the queue length, an excellent alternative to popular steakhouses such as Hawksmoor.

Food: 5*
Service: 4*

Value: 5*

Overall: 5*

Read more »