Reisz, that was nice !

Jason Atherton does one proud but it costs !
A spacious, comfortable dining environment with muted colours, crisp linen, your neighbour at a respectable distance and attentive staff who can provide reading glasses. Leisurely beginning with a Rumbullion - sweet, sour, strong and sharp; just as a cocktail should be and accompanied by a very large pork scratching with a lovely apple and parsnip (?) dip. Good start. Excellent bread and butter although they tried to take it away after the first course. What is this hideous habit one finds so often in English restaurants - bread's not just for starters ! I began with crab in a coriander vinaigrette with nashi pear; a flavoursome combination but the alleged "frozen peanut powder" was sadly absent. My next course was roast red mullet with cockles, prawn and a kind of catalan rice which was rich and delicious. All washed down with some excellent albarino wine. For desert, I enjoyed a goat's milk rice pudding with mango sorbet and passion fruit sorbet. And with this, I had a glass of muscat de rivesaltes - is there anything more heavenly than a first rate sweet wine ? No, I say ! You are probably thinking that I over-riced in this meal. Perhaps I did, but I enjoyed it all. I did think our meal was very expensive and so I didn't get that tingle in the taste buds you get with great food and good value. So I give it 7.5/10

Great Expectation

I had high hopes of PSS having read rave reviews of both this restaurant and the cooking skills of the chef/patron. We were met at the door by friendly, slightly distracted staff and were lead to our well-placed table. The room was pleasant enough without setting the pulse racing and this was indicative of the whole experience. The cocktails were all top class and we were treated to an excellent amuse bouche which we scoffed with superb homemade bread. My scallop starter was well crafted and tasty without really reaching the highest heights - a little under seasoned I thought which was true of my lamb main course - very well put together but just not quite as great as I'd hoped. My desert was also perfectly good but not out of the very top drawer. All in all a perfectly good meal but in the end a littler underwhelming. I give 7.75/10

Spring Pollenation

To's choice - Jason Atherton's latest venture is in an alley just off Oxford St. PSS has a large and sumptuous interior, with a nice rather than exciting atmosphere - which somehow sums up an evening which never quite took off.
We started with excellent bread and appetisers of pork scratchings served with brandade and something gingerey, washed down with some unusual and complex cocktails. My 'thyme traveller' was exquisite, although I am at pains to remember any of its ingredients.
My starter of tiny squid cubes in velvety cauliflower puree, surrounded by a rich seafood consomme was clever and divine. This was followed by melting ox cheek, shoulder and sirloin served with gorgeous horseradish mash.
Pud was apple, puff pastry and calvados cream - which I finished off without complaint.

Very attentive (and predominantly Eastern European) staff, though sadly none who's English could be accurately interpreted.

Ok, I'll give the restaurant 8/10.

The Bill

Rhubarb Margarita

Due entirely to a combination of company and cocktails, I can't compile a critique of this quarter's culinary quest. What I can do is to record the ingredients of my margharita which ranks as the most superior of its kind; rhubarb, lime and Falernum rum (especially imported from South America and flavoured with cloves, ginger and vanilla) with a chilli salt rim. Awesome and even better second time round. Well done Hakkasan ! What I also recall about the evening is my delight at finding myself once more reunited with Su and To. We always have such a happy, funny and interesting time together. As regards the food at Rasa Samudra, it is the pickle selection and the Gavi wine which come to mind. They went down rather well together, much to my surprise. And then there was the sago pudding; the payyasam - which made for a comforting finale. A fabulous evening - thank you Supper Club 10/10

Night Out

As usual, a delightful evening with Su-To, who really are exemplary supper companions!
A glamourous start at Hakkasan, where we had 2 cocktails each; the star being the rhubarb margharita, though my 'Hakka' was pretty good...from here we wobbled down to Rasa Samudra which specialises in fish. We commenced with a delicious selection of freshly made pickles, then on to starters - my dry fish and prawn fry was actually rather good. The Kappayum Meenum I had to follow had a good taste, but wasn't served with the cassava separately, as it is supposed to be, and it also lacked the smoky cocum fruit traditionally included.
Overall, the food was interesting (for London) but some of the dishes definitely lacked punch - especially a crab dish, described as "the chef's speciality" which seemed to consist only of crab in its shell.
Staff were somewhat unengaging I thought - I'll give it a 6/10 for food.

Really Rasa Good

Wonderful to get back into the Supper Club saddle after a too lengthy break. Delightful to see Ti and Ju and a real pleasure to toast Ju's exciting new adventure. Fine cocktails at Hakasan which gave the evening a rousing start without dulling the senses. On to Rasa's West End incarnation to sample the delights of Kerala. Friendly, gentle waiting staff made us feel most welcome and brought a divine pre-meal assortment of chutneys, pickles and crispy treats. The starters were pretty good although I found Su's chickpea and my beetroot a little bland and the crab slightly under-whelming. The main courses were similar, highly edible without reaching stratospheric heights. The wine went well and the whole evening was a total pleasure but maybe not quite reaching some of the dizzy heights previously attained by this Supper Club. I give 8/10.