Rextail

Russian restaurateur, Akrady Novikov brings us Rextail, a steak and seafood restaurant in Albermarle Street, Mayfair. Rextail is surprisingly casual and bistro-esque in comparison to its glamorous sister restaurant on Berkeley Street.

The restaurant is lined with red and blue booths, taxidermy galore and an open kitchen at the rear.

We were offered rustic bread with a chicken and mushroom dip on arrival. The waiters were extremely helpful when it came to our selection of wine and cocktails, and the recommended New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was the best bottle of wine I have sampled in a long while!

We ordered a few starters, namely Grilled Squid with Green Chilli Sauce and Squid Ink Crackers, Tiger Prawns with Chilli, Garlic and Coriander, super fresh Crab and Avocado Salad and creamy Burrata Pugliese with Datterinni Tomatoes. The portions were extremely generous, which we shared - a good decision made!

For my main, I was tempted to try one of the "Finest (and more expensive) Cuts" on the menu. However, our waiter persuaded me to order the Argentinian Estancia fillet. The steak was cooked as ordered and the side dishes (roast potatoes, allumetes chips, mash and spinach) complimented the perfectly sized portion exceedingly well.

Unfortunately, the waiter forgot to serve the green peppercorn sauce and I had to ask for it twice. When it eventually arrived, there was no apology. I'd like to think that this was just a blip in what was otherwise, excellent and friendly service throughout the meal.

My fellow diners ordered the Yuzu Scented Black Cod with grilled Pakchoi and the Wild Halibut with Coco Bean Puree and Confit Lemon. They all shared my feelings regarding the quality of the food, the presentation and the general atmosphere throughout the evening.

The dessert menu was made up of my perfect selection of post-dinner treats - Sticky Toffee Pudding, Dark Chocolate Soufflé with Praline Ice Cream, Vanilla Cheesecake with Mango Puree and Doughnuts with Pistachio and Chocolate. What can I say...we just couldn't help ourselves - we ordered them all!  The soufflé was the perfect dessert for cocoa lovers but it was exceedingly rich for my liking and I could only manage a few spoonfuls. The doughnuts reminded me of those that you get at Thorpe Park. Whilst that may sound like an insult, the "Thorpe Park doughnut" is something I would look forward to every summer as a child and they were simply delightful. I find that sticky toffee pudding can be hit or miss, but this one was on point - not sickly sweet and the vanilla cheesecake was similarly delicately flavoured.

All in all, a fantastic meal. Great food, wine, service and most importantly, company.

Rating: 5/5

www.rextail.co.uk

Sticks "n" Sushi

*no tagline needed*

Sticks “n” Sushi reminds me of a romantic New York loft. This restaurant in Covent Garden is spacious and urban with its exposed brick walls, dim lighting and grey and brown tones. I arrived early but was grateful for the extra time which allowed me to delve into (all four!) of the menus. The menus have been carefully designed and juxtapose English and Danish concepts in a cool quirky way.

Sticks “n” Sushi was founded by two brothers of Japanese and Danish background and is an established restaurant chain in Denmark. Although the dining options are primarily Japanese, there are Danish influences such as their own organic wheat beer which was developed in conjunction with a microbrewery in Copenhagen.  

We ordered the soy cured salmon which was topped with red onion, dill and a miso mustard dressing. This is a spin on classic salmon sashimi that is served in most of this restaurant’s contemporaries and our waiter informed us that this was the most popular item on the menu.

We moved on to the “Ebi Bites” – another popular choice and I could definitely see why. These delicious bites were a twist on prawn tempura. The shrimp bites were crunchy and topped with chilli, coriander, lime and miso aioli.

We finished with some sticks…and some sushi. The beef skewers in sticks sauce and the chicken skewers with teriyanki, chilli and spring onion were more flavoursome than I expected – but unfortunately not the prettiest of dishes.

My fellow diner and I spent over ten minutes trying to decide on our choice of sushi. The menu is vast and a tad overwhelming but our lovely (and patient) waiter was on hand to assist. We settled on the Hell's Kitchen roll (tempura shrimp, avocado, spicy sauce, tuna & barbecue sauce) and it was excellent. 

All in all, the dining experience at Sticks “n” Sushi was excellent. I would definitely visit this restaurant again and perhaps later in the evening to experience the buzzy atmosphere that the décor commands. The concept, food and service were all brilliant and this restaurant is the perfect place to go to for fashionable and friendly night out.

http://sticksnsushi.com/

Rating: 5/5