Review: Lanes of London
Concept menus are an interesting approach to dining. From slim selections (burger or lobster) to intriguing combinations (hotdogs and champagne, why not?), they add a certain novelty to eating out. One restaurant to jump on the bandwagon - or proverbial food cart - is Lanes of London.
This smart Mayfair restaurant has daringly revived its menu with a series of street food dishes. The idea is that with so much of London's culinary prowess taking place in the hands of good old street vendors, it is high time that a high-end eatery harnessed the wares, serving them up with the comfort of cushioned seats rather than concrete pavements.
It makes for an eclectic mix. The small plates are about the size of an average starter, ringing in at between £5 and £8 per dish, and range from American mac and cheese to Thai green papaya salad. It's something of a marmite effect: some love the broad spectrum of flavours, others long for a traditionally single-themed meal.
I fall firmly in the former camp, so delighted in sampling the sizeable selection. The lamb koftas were tender and juicy, the duck hash succulent, and the salt baked pumpkin wonderfully fresh. The soft shell crab was more batter than actual crustacean, but the bed of fennel, chilli and apple made up for it. The hearty homemade Scotch eggs are a must-try too. There is also a 'Food Hero' - the star dish which changes every few months - which is currently the Indian-themed 'Tiffin Board' (four samples of savoury dishes) created by the Urban Rajah. The idea is that you share the dishes between the table, which makes for a curiously carnival-esque sharing of food coupled with very polite English cutting.
The menu also offers 'Big Plates' (or normal main-sized dishes) for those still hungry. They were down to a solitary sirloin steak on the night we visited so, in the spirit of sharing, we divided it between the table. One bite of the flavourful, soft meat had me wishing I had kept it to myself. The roast wild cod was light with an inspired 'Welsh rarebit' (otherwise known as cheesy) coating, while the butter chicken - supposedly made to the head chef's family recipe - tasted as authentic as any curry house offering.
By the time you've trail blazed through a host of cuisines, pudding is unnecessary but pretty inevitable. The restaurant is famed for it's jammy dodgers, but they were slightly too sweet for my taste. The chocolate torte was standardly tasty, but the cheese board is where the menu really shines. Five generous slabs of the stuff were accompanied by mini descriptions, along with quince jam and decent sized crackers.
A whistle-stop tour of the world's culinary delights, coupled with a delectable bottle of Shiraz, left us feeling uncomfortably full. It is here that Lanes of London excels itself: their padded seats beat a tarmac street any day.
www.lanesoflondon.co.uk
This smart Mayfair restaurant has daringly revived its menu with a series of street food dishes. The idea is that with so much of London's culinary prowess taking place in the hands of good old street vendors, it is high time that a high-end eatery harnessed the wares, serving them up with the comfort of cushioned seats rather than concrete pavements.
It makes for an eclectic mix. The small plates are about the size of an average starter, ringing in at between £5 and £8 per dish, and range from American mac and cheese to Thai green papaya salad. It's something of a marmite effect: some love the broad spectrum of flavours, others long for a traditionally single-themed meal.
I fall firmly in the former camp, so delighted in sampling the sizeable selection. The lamb koftas were tender and juicy, the duck hash succulent, and the salt baked pumpkin wonderfully fresh. The soft shell crab was more batter than actual crustacean, but the bed of fennel, chilli and apple made up for it. The hearty homemade Scotch eggs are a must-try too. There is also a 'Food Hero' - the star dish which changes every few months - which is currently the Indian-themed 'Tiffin Board' (four samples of savoury dishes) created by the Urban Rajah. The idea is that you share the dishes between the table, which makes for a curiously carnival-esque sharing of food coupled with very polite English cutting.
The menu also offers 'Big Plates' (or normal main-sized dishes) for those still hungry. They were down to a solitary sirloin steak on the night we visited so, in the spirit of sharing, we divided it between the table. One bite of the flavourful, soft meat had me wishing I had kept it to myself. The roast wild cod was light with an inspired 'Welsh rarebit' (otherwise known as cheesy) coating, while the butter chicken - supposedly made to the head chef's family recipe - tasted as authentic as any curry house offering.
By the time you've trail blazed through a host of cuisines, pudding is unnecessary but pretty inevitable. The restaurant is famed for it's jammy dodgers, but they were slightly too sweet for my taste. The chocolate torte was standardly tasty, but the cheese board is where the menu really shines. Five generous slabs of the stuff were accompanied by mini descriptions, along with quince jam and decent sized crackers.
A whistle-stop tour of the world's culinary delights, coupled with a delectable bottle of Shiraz, left us feeling uncomfortably full. It is here that Lanes of London excels itself: their padded seats beat a tarmac street any day.
www.lanesoflondon.co.uk