Been there after hard days of work. Enjoyed the world cup match during the period. Nice ambience below the windsor castle. Excellent british cuisine. Highly recommended.
I recently revisited Royal Oak, Paley Street without knowing that Michael Chapman had left. Michael was a very capable successor to Dominic Chapman (not related in the slightest) having been his right hand man at Royal Oak and although he adopted a slightly different style, the cooking was still top notch. It was only at a recent meal at the Beehive did I find out that Michael is now heading the kitchen at Hurley House (formerly Red Lion) which I am due to visit soon. He is replaced by James Bennett.
There are certain neighbourhoods that have taken a long time to shake off their reputation for bad food. At one time Covent Garden was the culinary wasteland, full of gimmicky tourist traps and Bella Pastas and not much else, where you'd end up by accident, never on purpose, poking glumly at a pasta penne while someone bellowed opera at you. Now, we have 10 Cases, Flesh & Buns, Hawksmoor, Opera Tavern, 32 Great Queen Street and - coming soon - Margot from ex-Bar Boulud Paulo de Tarso, surely definitive proof that this area has Arrived.
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