Verru

Such a tonic it is to have a meal in a normal restaurant, and I didn’t realise how long it had been after a good year of burgers, pop-ups, small plates, single-item menus, wine tumblers and a lot of queuing. 

Remember when you booked a table at a certain time, arrived at that time and somebody took your coats, and offered you some fizz and you were then seated at an empty, set table? Bread and real menus follow (which are NOT placemats) and food is served to you all simultaneously and in courses?

Yep it seems so odd that in a new-ish place is offering what could depressingly now be seen as a traditional approach, outside of the stratospheric bubble of fine dining. Step forward Verru, a curious mix of Scandinavian and Nordic food, prepared with French techniques and served with bold colour.

At the top of burgeoning Marylebone Lane, it’s a tiny place with little ambient noise save the clink of cutlery on porcelain and self-consciously hushed conversation. An inescapably conspicuous arrival jars a bit, but it soon dissipates as you slump into comfy seats, and fresh bread and booze arrive.

Yellow pea soup with a topping of crunchy goose was a fantastic start. The soup was rich and deep in flavour and the goose did the job of posh bacon bits admirably.

A tick list Scandi starter of meatballs on mash with carrot puree was rich and creamy – the crumbly, homemade meatballs providing a bit of texture to the smooth accompaniments. Correctly made, you can discern the different meats involved, including veal which is a must.

The other starters were herring and mackerel, neither being my favourite fish so I must come clean and admit I didn’t taste them. But feedback was lofty indeed – the herring was surrounded by fantastical mushrooms and presented in an on-trend “oh look what I just casually scattered” forage-y style. 

Mackerel was also entangled in a forest of Thor only knows what, and with a brick of caramelised ham hock for good measure.

Onto the mains – lamb rump with homemade lamb sausage (so close to that Masterchef chestnut of ‘X three ways’) with a slightly spicy chutney, chickpeas and red pepper. Very good dish, although the lamb sausage had a very high meat content and did almost get the better of me.

Halibut with pork belly was another star. Perfectly cooked and presented.

And finally, the venison. Again, beautifully presented and cooked with the obligatory red sauce and a smidgen of potato. There is some real care and attention in the kitchen at Verru and it shows.

Prices were £7-10 for starters and £16-20 for mains, but there was also a cheaper set menu including a steak option for £16 including a glass of wine. We had a sneaky side order of chips which were triple cooked and excellent – but definitely needed.

I liked Verru a lot and would recommend it to anyone. It isn’t the buzziest scene you’ll encounter in 2013, but go for exquisite presentation (provided you like a good pea swirl), thoughtful flavour combinations and attentive service.

Riotous booze-ups should probably go elsewhere – ruling out my friends certainly – but it’s a discreet, relaxed and for 2013, defiantly old-school option for a culinary twist on a date or the parental meal out. 

Food – 9/10

Drink – 7/10 

Service - 8/10 

Value – 7/10 

Tap water tales – 5/10 (not offered but once established, topped up a lot with ice) 

Staff Hotness – 6/10

Tommi's Burger Joint

Tommi’s Burger Joint is indeed a low key burger joint in a rather unlikely location. The Wigmore Street end of Marylebone Lane is more known for boutiques and kitchen showrooms than indie burger places, so this is quite an interesting addition to the area.

It’s an Icelandic chain (which probably explains the ability to pay the W1 rent) and an uncomplicated set up. One room of about twenty covers, order and pay at the till and take a seat for the burgers to arrive.

The menu is straight forward, with a few oddities such as BYOB (in a burger place? not for wanting of trying I’m sure) and free coffee. The décor is carefully careless, with the feeling of an indie bar or possibly student union, staffed by Aryan giants.

Burgers come as steak (rib eye, rump and fillet mince) or regular, which I had. It features the inevitable brioche bun, a good sized patty – nicely charred and yet medium rare – and even with the cheaper burger, you can see the roughly minced evidence of meat of quality:

Fries are forgettable, I wouldn’t bother order them next time. Me and my friend actually thought we’d get a third burger and split it. It was very good. Cheese wasn’t fancy, but perfect. The burgers are £5-7 which is great value itself, or £8-9 with fries and a soft drink.

Comparisons are predictable and rife, especially in this burger-sodden age. Apologies for being deliberately pretentious by going abroad, but I would suggest it closest to Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien in New York, or Golden Brown of Tokyo’s Omotesando Hills. In London, I’d probably say Byron. Fries not as good, and missing a trick on the craft beers (although I’m guessing that’s a licence thing), but a better bun and mature, relaxed approach to medium-rare cooking which Byron now sadly shy away from.

I like this place. It has a simple, indie feel to it – you’d pop in for a burger and pop off just as quickly, but far more contented. The area around Selfridges has always been a little weak on the food and drink front. The best of Marylebone is a trek away, St. Christopher's Place is chain-heavy, and until Workshop you couldn’t get a decent coffee for miles.

Now you can add a decent, simple burger to that list, notwithstanding the MEATliquor experience of course, if you fancy dabbling. And it’s good to see some recently-maligned Icelanders bringing some of their spirit back to London.

Food – 8/10

Drink – 4/10 (cult-followed milkshakes to follow but not up and running yet)

Service - 7/10

Value – 8/10

Tap water tales – 0/10 (none on the sideboard, asked but directed to bottled water fridge)

Staff Hotness – 8/10 (if you like Vikings and East German baddies from '80s films)

 

God Jul!

Christmas Eve Norwegian Style including pinnekjøtt.
Christmas Day Traditional British.
Boxing Day Hunt-themed Game Spread.

24th:

 

 

Special guest: Mr Darcy!

25th:

26th

homemade game terrine on the left

haunch of venison

Nordic Bakery (Marylebone)

Relatively hot off the press, and located right behind the heart of Marylebone High Street, is the second branch of Scandi coffee and cafe offering Nordic Bakery.

Marylebone is one of London's more interesting quarters, and has several good eateries and a few decent pubs, but for me has never had that many enticing coffee places. The Providores knock out a decent flattie, but you wouldn't pop in just for a coffee, and it's not that comfortable or relaxing to hang out in. I love the brunch, and the buzz is part of that, but it's a bit too cramped and once fed, I'm always happy to be on my way.

Quite surprisingly, Nordic Bakery feels extremely spacious, and less surprisngly, it's a very well designed space. The tables are huge, long communal ones with matching teak-y wooden benches - more dinner hall than cutesey 'pass the shared oversized jar of marmalade' nonsense. Moody grey floors and walls mix with wooden wall panels, red tiles and huge windows to create quite a towering effect.

We only stopped for coffee (standard filter, decent) and a quick snack. I had a slice of orange and poppy seed cake, and Piglet had some sort of eggy baked pancake with jam- both of a good standard too. My cake was a touch dry perhaps. Good crockery too, which is to be expected from a Scandi place in London.

I'd return with more of an appetite to try some of the dark rye smorrebrod open sarnies or the impressive pile of gleaming cinnamon rolls at the counter. Service was Scandi too; politely aloof and no worse for it. I liked it here, it's definitely the most chilled spot to refuel and rest the bones away from the madding Marylebone crowds.

Food – 6/10
Drink – 7/10
Service – 6/10
Value – 9/10 (can't remember exact prices, but coffee and cakes were around £2 each)
Tap water tales – N/A, not really expected for such a casual place 
Staff Hotness – 7/10 (bona fide brooding Scandinavians)

Nordic Bakery Marylebone
37b New Cavendish Street, W1

- Golden Square branch (new one not yet on Urbanspoon)