The Corner Rooms

Earlier this week, the few trimmers that weren't masquerading around Europe or having an MRI scan, decided to relish a quiet day , make like the french and actually go out for a three course lunch and maybe even drink some wine...gasp.

The chosen destination was London's latest top secret restaurant 'The Corner Rooms', headed by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes. It's hidden away in the shadows of Mendes's first London restaurant, Viajante (probably the most controversial restaurant to have opened last year) in the austere, beautiful and according to Leila, haunted Bethnal Green Town Hall Hotel.

There's no website, no phone and no reservations. The only evidence of it's existence is a lonely facebook page. This is the first reason why this place is great. The second reason is that the menu is short, 3 starters, 4 mains and 3 desserts. Third reason, is the price. Compared to the eye opening prices at Viajante, eating at The Corner Room feels like you've just found a £50 note on the pavement. Without wine, £20 for 3 courses of simple yet exceptionally executed dishes leaves you laughing at the fools next door.

We fell into silence at the feet of a super rich poached egg starter served with asparagus and pop in your mouth tapioca balls. Iron levels were raised with a hunk of lamb encrusted with macacadamia nuts and miso, that bled beautifully into the new potatoes. A satisfying loin of park was partnered with sweet scrapings of fried portugese bread. Two very different desserts were chocolate cake scattered like a painting with peanut butter ice cream, caramel, fudge, mousse and lemon cream. This was seriously good. A second more unusual dessert was a herby granita, totted with goats cheese blobs, blueberries, toasted brioche and minimal caramel. It tasted like a perfectly plotted summer garden. Our only issue at The Corner Room was the sloooow service. Problem being that there only appeared to be one chef to start with, and then as the room filled I guess more were nabbed from Viajante, hooray!

We left, bellies full, feeling smug and a tiny bit bitter that the french do this all the time. I guess we will just have to make a more conscious effort to seize the quiet days and luxuriate ourselves in the E2 eating opportunities.

Go to Corner Rooms before the prices go up and a phone line is put in.

To pig trot or not? That is the question

So apparently when Gus Herdman drinks Grappa, his nipples get rock hard. He demonstrated this at the Trim Christmas Supper club (no.3) held at Bistro Bruno Loubet. But before I divulge in how hard his nipples get, lets rewind 3 courses and several bottles of wine.

Located at the Zetter hotel, Bistro Bruno Loubet is a curved relaxed eating venture, serving rich and refined french dishes. The menu reads like a dream, causing salivation before the warm bread has even arrived. After much deliberation and discussion over the virtues of stuffed pigs trotters, half of us decided to stick to Bruno's signature starter dish of snail and meatballs served with a mushroom mousse. The juicy umami morsels were enrobed in a rich tomato sauce offset by a smooth mousse topped with pesto. A very very good dish, only slightly setback by a Dolmio nostalgia. Beating the piggy balls and snails was Ross's faultless animalistic dish of foie gras, pheasant and duck liver terrine. Gus and Naz went for 'lady' starters of Salmon with chilled borscht and ratatouille and octopus salad. Both delicately flavoured, yummy and reminiscent of Summer.

The signature main dish of Hare Royale, served with posh macaroni cheese was unbelievably tender, rich and flavoursome. Topped with a slither of foie gras, this unassuming creation was worthy of sitting upon a shrine and worshipped till your arteries were clogged with pleasure. Dom's pheasant crepinette served with turnip confit and elderberry sauce was a glorious christmas carol whilst Gus's Duck confit with honey and dukkah was an 'eh' tasty dish. Ross and Naz both went for fish, Cod and Gurnard...honestly cant remember much about them but apparently the Cod was good and the Gurnard was not.

With everyone stuffed, we decided to venture into the sweet land. The land that both Paul and Tom have recently terminated themselves from due to fashionable diets. In a greedy approach, we ordered all the desserts on the menu; a dreamy chocolate marquise, a secretly tantalising glazed quince served with a green peppercorn ice cream, a curious self-saucing passion fruit pudding, a moorish nougat glace, and a crap apple and blackberry Clerkenwell mess. Crap, because it wasn't a mess but more of a compote and who the hell wants to eat compote for dessert?!

So all in all a wonderful, rich, cockle warming meal that ended with some grappa for Gus, giving him a nipple chaffing extravaganza. Also did I mention that Marcus Wareing was sitting opposite us and all he ate was some lettuce and half a bottle of red wine?

BISTRO BRUNO LOUBET

86-88 Clerkenwell Rd City of London EC1M 5RJ

Round 2 of Trim Supper Club!

Leila brings you her second restaurant review.

Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels. There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one's belt buckled. ~Frederic Raphael

Ding ding seconds out -last night was round two of Trim supper club. Oopf and what a marvellous supper it turned out to be. Five trimmers eagerly arrived at Blue Print Café (above the Design Museum) along Shad Thames. Don’t be fooled by the name, this eaterie is anything but a ‘café’. Huge floor to ceiling windows reveal a monumental view of Tower Bridge, whilst small binoculars on each table, allowed us to get a closer view of the riverside buildings and of course people’s food!

From the word go, we knew we were onto something special when three of us bit into a toasted eel sandwich. The meaty fish was enrobed with the most mouth watering fresh horseradish and mustard sauce, offset by tart thin strands of pickled red onion. My god, this sandwich was GENIUS and I know the three of us will be dreaming about it for days to come. Other starters of fresh cuttlefish and asparagus salad and a velvety parsley soup were equally pleasing. And a freebie of asparagus wrapped in crisp parmesan was, as crazy as it sounds, reminiscent of a crispy croque monsieur.

The mains continued to thrill our taste buds with a mighty blackened cut of onglet reminding us why we love cows, served with a oozy wild garlic polenta and fiery fresh horseradish. The papa of all fish – turbot came with a punch of tender, roasted artichokes and a scattering of spring time gremolata. By now our stomachs were certainly purring and our eyes were widened with joy.

We finished our venture in this ‘mouth (watering)-brothel’ with three delightful desserts – a trusty crème brulee was light and perfectly excecuted. Whilst a moist fig and almond tart served with a dreamy cloud of dense jersey cream had us all licking our spoons. And the third, bitter sweet walnut meringue, ladened with whipped cream, berry ice cream and sorbet was a triple sensational conundrum for the buds.

So now we pass the message on – GO TO BLUE PRINT CAFÉ…..its a damn good mouth-brothel!

Blue Print Cafe

Butlers Wharf

28 Shad Thames,

London SE1 2YD

020 7378 7031

Trim reviews Galvin La Chapelle

Trim assistant Leila Sarraf used to be a food writer, and all Trim's editors enjoy their food. We'll be bringing you a series of restaurant reviews from eateries within walking distance of our cutting rooms. Enjoy.

Tucked on the edge of Spital Square, Galvin La Chappelle is the most recent venture from the renowned Galvin brothers (Galvin at windows, Galvin Bistro). Set in a former Victorian school chapel, the restaurant dazzles with a high vaulted ceiling, raw brick work, yards of crisp white linen and shimmering glasses. I must say, a most handsome and suitable choice for Trim’s first supper club ra ra.

Stupidly we all started with the lasagne of Dorset crab served with a veloute of chanterelles, apart from Gus. I say stupidly because the dish was more reminiscent of a reconstituted eggy flight breakfast than the delicate unctuous starter it had promised to be. So in-between four frowns round the table, a smug Gus tucked into his mouth-watering marriage of escabech of yellow fin tuna and aubergine caviar. Damn you Gus.

Mains turned out to be a mix of mmms..ooohs and errs. Top trumps went to Dom’s blushing calves liver served with a sheet of salty caramelized bacon, and perfectly partnered with a sweet onion marmalde. This was the mmm..simple yet utterly pleasing to all your senses.

An assiette of French veal with carrot and cumin puree and a meagerly spiced diable sauce was beautifully presented and certainly tasty but nothing to write home about. The same went for Tom and mines dish of squidgy pink duck breast, red cabbage and blackcurrant sauce. Cooked to perfection, this dish was very gobble worthy but afterwards both of us found ourselves shrugging our shoulders with a murmur of ‘meh’. Tasted pretty on par with your standard gastropub food which is about half the price.

We managed to relinquish our disappointments with a variety of ‘oh my god, that’s amazing’ desserts all washed down with rightfully matched dessert wines. One bright pink strawberry soufflé was pleasingly drowned with a sticky white chocolate sauce. Whilst a dreamy praline parfait was cut through with a flash of lime . A surprisingly delicate and dare I say, refreshing rice pudding sported puddles of sweet alphonso mango. And once again Gus managed to triumph with his choice of chilled chocolate fondant with suitably tooth decaying clumps of honey comb and a banana ice cream.

The food at Galvin La Chappelle has some major hits and misses which come at high prices. Nevertheless it’s a beautiful venue and despite the clientele of suited city folk, I believed it still managed to keep a relatively laid back and buzzing atmosphere with a smooth and friendly service. A special occasion kind of place, somewhere to woo and impress .

Trimmers last words:

Dom “The food was unspectacular and the place lacked atmosphere. I had a nice evening bit that was more to do with my fellow diners than the restaurant”

Tom “Loved the corner table, loved the company, lots of laughs. But overall atmosphere was a bit too city, amazing space but felt like it wasn't exploited well enough. ”

Galvin La Chappele won Tatler's restaurant of the year award 2010.

GAlVIN LA CHAPELLE

St Boltoph's Hall, Spital Square, E1 6DY

Transport Liverpool Street tube/rail

020 7299 0400