two good meals

We've been for two very good meals this week. The first was supper on Tuesday evening at The Palomar in Soho, where the food of modern day Jerusalem is warmly served. We sat at the beautiful zinc-topped bar overlooking the open kitchen and shared a variety of small dishes - sweet, buttery bread served with tahini and tomato dips, assorted mezze (featuring a delicious, oily aubergine dish), a knockout bowl of polenta topped with a rich mushroom ragout, asparagus, Parmesan and truffle oil and a striking, fresh salmon tartare. The small space was buzzing and lively and the music was loud; it felt like a new and exciting way to eat out in London. I recommend!

The second good meal was breakfast this morning - we ventured into town and drank hot chocolate and ate eggs with potatoes, onion and bacon over the Sunday newspapers at Fischer's on Marylebone High Street. The food (classic Austrian fare) is not particularly groundbreaking, but, as with The Palomar, the atmosphere is overwhelming and transportive. At Fischer's it's all about the ritzy elegance of Mitteleuropa - gorgeous panelling, marquetry and mirrors, distressed, hand painted wallpaper, waiters in green waistcoats and golden ties and a magnificent station clock looming over it all. Timeless and dreamy, the whole experience is pure Grand Budapest Hotel.