Tag Archives: Marylebone

Trishna, Marylebone

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One of the few Michelin-starred Indian eateries in London, Trishna aims to deliver “an innovative twist on the coastal cuisine of south west India”. The founder and head chef, Karam Sethi has a sister restaurant in Mumbai, and a newly opened venue in Mayfair, Gymkhana, which is causing quite a stir.

Presenting upmarket, highly flavoured and exciting dishes, Trishna has become a favourite for Indian loving foodies. It is located in a cute and contemporary venue on Blandford Street in Marylebone and is perfect for a date or cosy lunch meeting. Those who wish to go on for an after dinner digestif can wander down the road to Purl, arguably the best cocktail bar in London.

The intimate dining area can seat up to sixty people, and in the summer months there are also a few outdoor tables where diners can feel the warmth of the sun while they eat. Trishna also has a private dining area in the basement, popular, I’m sure, for work events.

Struggling with the vast range of eating options, we took the advice of our friendly waiter and opted for a selection of dishes from the Lunch Bites menu. After the customary poppadoms and pickles, we moved onto our chosen starters; Potato Chat – masala chickpeas, papri, tamarind, sweet yoghurt and sev – was deliciously spiced and an exciting mix of textures, with a creamy yoghurt balancing the heat. Pepper fry was a very satisfying dish: breadcrumbed chicken with Keralen spices, black pepper and curry leaf, a rich symphony of flavours.

For main, we chose Tandoori chicken and Guinea fowl tikka, perfectly marinated grilled meats with inticing and innovative accompaniments. Trishna are generous with the extras… our mains arrived with Hyderabadi Dal, Spinach corn, naan basket and basmati rice. The warm crispy naan and the creamy spinach were our favourites.

For dessert we decided on the palate cleansing, Indian Mango. This was a lovely trio mix of mango mousse, kulfi and fresh mango.

Trishna offers the opposite to a messy Indian takeaway on a Friday night, the venue is stylish and cool and the cuisine is sophisticated and creative. Full marks from me.

More information and book here: www.trishnalondon.com

Slabs London, Marylebone

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SLABS is not the most appealing name for a restaurant, and when I wandered through the door at 7.30 on a Wednesday evening the venue didn’t look very appealing either… a small place on New Cavendish Street in Marylebone with garish lighting and endless empty tables. The food however surprised us, an assortment of American and Mediterranean options which were fresh and appetising.

The staff, although appearing rather bored, were very eager to please, and were on hand with suggestions and anecdotes throughout the evening. Our waiter was clearly very keen on the Pornstar martini, though I preferred the sound of the Lychee martini so opted for that, a very sweet but satisfying drink.

To start we chose the ‘veggie sharer’ a Greek/Turkish inspired selection of nibbles including delicious grilled halloumi, hummus and sun-blush tomatoes. It was a generous portion, enough for a family to share and we were a long way off finishing it. For mains we chose the luxurious sounding Wagyu burger with roasted shiitake mushrooms, Asian ‘slaw and wasabi mayo, an exotic and premium take on the burger, with nicely cooked meat. My 28-day aged rib-eye steak was good but nothing exciting, an adequate piece of slightly too fatty meat with creamy peppercorn sauce and a pile of salad on top. I’d recommend the skinny french fries as the thick-cut triple-cooked chips were (in my opinion) undercooked and over-heavy.

When a natural pause came in our rapid conversation, we ordered an Eton mess to share and fresh mint tea for two. The dessert was epic, a saccarine sweet glass full of cream, ice-cream, fruit and meringue. Lovely for a few mouthfuls and then unbearably indulgent.

SLABS is yet another burger outlet in this over-saturated area. And although some of the options on the menu are tasty, the burgers will never make the cut with competitors like Tommi’s and Meat Liquor nearby. Sadly the ghostly atmosphere certainly isn’t going to tempt visitors in either.

More information here: slabslondon.com

Otylia Roberts Waxing at Gielly Green, Marylebone

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Gielly Green has been one of my favourite London salons for a while now. A stylish venue with careful and charming staff, it is a lovely place to have your hair done and pamper yourself from head to toe with the extensive beauty treatments. The Marylebone salon is extending its services and now boasts a long list of hair, face and body, nail, brow, beauty and waxing treatments.

Cheerful and smiley Otylia Roberts is a recent addition to the team. Polish born and nurse-trained Otylia moved to the UK in the 70s, she headed up the team at Harvey Nichols, and gained a reputation as the best Hot Waxer in the UK. In her long beauty career, spanning over 40 years, she has set up two companies and won numerous awards. She now brings her expertise to Gielly Green.

I was lucky to experience her mastery first hand when I went into the salon a few weeks ago to have a Brazilian wax with Otylia. Using plenty of talcum powder and chatting constantly throughout, this usually painful ordeal became a fun girly meeting. I usually sweat and swear throughout but with Otylia I felt completely at ease. She was casual and friendly but keen to do a good job.

I’m sure Otylia could wax in her sleep, in 30 minutes she perfected my bikini line. A trip to Otylia once a month should be an appointment in every girl’s diary.

More information here.

http://www.giellygreen.co.uk/