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Five to try: sticking to small plates
Evening Standard 30.04.08
Spicy: Imli
Regular customers: Fairuz
Gastronomic bargains: Le Cercle
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It's not so much about eating less or the illusion of saving money, it's sharing and exploring that makes an array of small plates eminently satisfactory.
TENDIDO CERO
174 Old Brompton Road, SW5 (020 7370 3685) £35.
Years before dedicated foodies had El Bulli on their speed-dial, Abel Lusa and David Rivero were offering cutting-edge nueva cucina at Cambio de Tercio. At their tapas bar opposite, offerings are more traditional, although last week foie gras dotted with green apple almost painted on to the plate was surreally delicious. As was the Pata Negra 5J Sanchez Romero Carvajal ham and freshly made tortilla. Lunchtimes are relatively blessedly calm. Any day now Tendido Quattro opens at 110 New King's Road.
VRISAKI
73 Myddleton Road, N22 (020 8889 8760) £30.
At this Greek/Cypriot Tardis a poky kebab shop reveals dining rooms at the back filled with customers delighted by the wave after wave of mezedes brought by waiters who operate on the good cop/bad cop principle. So much food is brought that it makes sense to apply discrimination to what you eat and consequently not be flabbergasted when a main course of kleftiko or grilled lamb cutlets comes as the penultimate offering. Opt for the later evening sitting.
IMLI
167-169 Wardour Street, W1 (020 7287 4243) £25.
Named after the Hindi word for tamarind, this source of brisk, inexpensive, spicy food in Soho has the same ownership as Michelin-starred Tamarind. Here my husband Reg confessed to a hitherto secret passion for papdi chaat, the street snack of wheat crackers, crisp vermicelli and beansprouts in yoghurt and mint chutney. Similar sparky assemblies, many vegetarian and gluten-free, are available, as well as dishes such as chicken haryali (cashew nut, coriander and chilli sauce) and Goan pork.
LE CERCLE
1-5 Wilbraham Place, SW1 (020 7901 9999) £28 (set menu).
An off-shoot of the estimable Club Gascon, Le Cercle also specialises in petits plats with culinary roots in southwest France. Chef Thierry Beyris is inventive, responsive and deft. Highlights of a recent meal — eaten in a chillier month — included mustard-glazed smoked haddock with carrot “delicacy”; beef onglet with celery, salsify and extract of black olives; crunchy nougat and chocolate fondant with pistachio ice. These items were from the lunch and preand post-theatre £17.50 menu, one of London's greatest gastronomic bargains.
FAIRUZ
3 Blandford Street, W1 (020 7486 8108) £38.
The legendary Lebanese chanteuse is invoked in the name of this cramped and crowded restaurant, more bistro-like than most of its ilk. The many visits I've made reveal that the majority of customers are regulars, attracted by the care taken over crudités, freshly baked flat breads, hot and cold mezze and spicy grills. Parsley salad with pomegranate seeds is a vitamin rush; muhammara, a groundnut and hot red pepper dip, is addictive; falafel emerges as delicate rather than the usual balls of ballast; jawaneh (garlicky chicken wings) are a favourite from the hot list.
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