[AlanQS]

Of course if you want really good beef, it should be from 18 month old bullocks and not clapped out ex dairy cows. The former only seem to be available in Scotland while the latter pervades the supermarket shelves in England.

[the_oracle]

Tone, if you need good quality fruit and veg, pm me for my brothers number, you can catch him on Sundays at New Covent Garden Market and he supplies restaurants all over the place and is cheap as chips. Like a 10kg bag of carrots for a fiver, 8 huge lemons for a pound!.

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

Of course if you want really good beef, it should be from 18 month old bullocks and not clapped out ex dairy cows. The former only seem to be available in Scotland while the latter pervades the supermarket shelves in England.

All supermarket beef is shit Al. I don't think Tesco etc give a shit which side of the border its on....

Matt

[AlanQS]

Yes indeed Matt, but whilst the shit stuff is easily available on both sides of the border, the good stuff isn't...

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

Yes indeed Matt, but whilst the shit stuff is easily available on both sides of the border, the good stuff isn't...

That's probably fair enough. I use a farm shop which is good, but it might not be as good as a Scottish farm shop!!

Matt

[prt71]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

All supermarket beef is shit Al. I don't think Tesco etc give a shit which side of the border its on....

Matt

I'd excuse Waitrose from that, their meat is generally very good. When I can't get to my favourite butcher I use them, not cheap but good. Nice that they do some of the more obscure cuts like skirt and flatiron as well.

[E92Fan]

Ahhhh.... is this the BMW E90post.com forum? Don't know if I remember anybody/anything on here, I've been away for so long!

Sorry all - have been a bit busy making people fat and getting people drunk

We're finally open after months of really hard work. Have had to contend with all matter of problems, not least three water floods and collapsed walls. Nevertheless, the restaurant opened its doors officially on Wednesday 23 February and since then has been going better than all my reasonable expectations.

Have had a load of reviewers and journalists in already and reviews will be coming out over the coming days and weeks. Already have a few online things posted -

Square Meal Review

London Daily News review

ViewLondon review


Can't wait for the newspaper reviews to come out. There are some E90posters who have booked up to come for Sunday lunch and things, so I hope to see some more of you in due course.

I'll be back on the forum soon - just got a few more beef wellingtons to wrap


In the meantime, more pics...



Seared scallops, fried potatoes, crispy bacon, mixed salad




In kitchen shot - roast beef for two on the board, with jumbo Yorkshire puddings. Roast leg of lamb in the background


Just had to take a picture... ps the size of the Yorkshires now has some perspective!











Sample menus

The Penny Black Restaurant Sample Dinner Menu.pdf
The Penny Black Restaurant Sample Sunday Menu.pdf
The Penny Black Restaurant Sample Wine Menu.pdf

[willhollin]

Welcome back Tony!

I think we have lost Viv as well.

[G33]

Saw Tony sitting in the front window on his laptop a saturday eve about a month ago :P I was blind drunk and didnt want to make more of a fool of myself tho

Pics and food looks good tho mate!

[RagingKileak]

Hey Tone,

Glad its going well mate. If you get chance, would you mind just sending back a pm with your number again. I'm in London often now, so the first time I book in, it'd be good to meet up with you.

Matt

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

My Own, Personal Report on the PENNY BLACK

WARNING: It's gotten somewhat long - so if you're just interested in some blurbs about the food or the wine, scroll down to the appropriate section

Introduction - remembering a war zone

We were in London for three days over the last week-end, specifically to see Tony's Penny Black (and also to eat there! ). It's Tony's fault that after these three days my trousers don't fit any more...

But seriously, WHAT A CHANGE!

We've seen the restaurant in December, or rather what was to become the restaurant. Because at that time it looked more like a WW2 ruin than like a place to accomodate guests - a huge mound of rubbish in the middle, all paintwork stripped, remains of the previous owner (fishtanks!) all over the place...it was hard to imagine that anything remotely comfortable could come out of this!

Interior, decoration, style

The amount of work that has gone into this is really incredible - and what's even better is that one can see a lot of thought and experience has gone into making it as it is right now. That starts with the layout itself - a nice lounge with extremely comfortable sofas in the reception area, nice bar on the right side when you come in and tables that are arranged so that everyone has his/her own comfort zone. Next are the colours - dark red and gray (the latter colour called "elephant breath"...) and a bit of black (obligé), contrasting nicely with the tableware. Then you have the lighting - I've been in a few restaurants where you either think the owners want to develop photos or you find yourself on an operating table with lights glaring all over. The Penny Black has mainly indirect lighting arranged with spots in the sidewalls and which are dimmed during dinnertime (lighter if it's lunchtime), creating a cozy atmosphere. The tables themselves are also just the right size - I still remember dining in a nice high-end restaurant in Luxembourg with a few friends where the tables were so large that you could not really speak to the person opposite you, resulting in a not-so-nice atmosphere. Here it's just right, large enough to accomodate dishes and meals, small enough so that you can get close to your Date.

Then there are also some nice paintings / pictures hung up, a few of them being of the famous penny black stamp (commissioned for the restaurant, by the way), and there's even an original Salvador Dalî hanging at the far end of the restaurant. Some of the pictures will probably return to Tone's appartment in the near future, but they all accentuate the modern but very comfortable / cozy feeling of the place.

By the way, there's also a second level in the basement with more tables and a second lounge area to chill out after your dinner, but this wasn't yet opened as a few things were still missing when we were there. Looked just as promising, though.

What surprised us quite a lot when we were there for the first time last Friday was that it was already almost booked out! Quite amazing for a restaurant that had just been open for a few days, and proves that Tone has engaged the right PR people.

Getting closer - how's the staff?

Now, on to the things that probably interest you more. First the service (yes yes, we'll come onto the FOOD right away! If you've got a limited attention span, skip down... ). What really puts me off in a restaurant is if you're systematically ignored by the waiters, and you got to smack one of them on the *** to get their attention. You know, like when each time you look around for them they're studiously looking in the other direction and so on. On the other hand, some high-end restaurants overdo it and have a "waiter ballet" with several people hovering around you and coming to your table every two minutes to enquire whether you want anything else - that can also spoil the evening with your better half! In the Dark Stamp the balance is just right, the staff is very attentive (there are also quite a few of them), polite, friendly without being ingratiating and very informed about the menu and the wine. There were some differences in our three visits, on the second night (Saturday) the staff seemed to have more routine and experience - but all that on a very high level.

NOW THE FOOD.

I must admit having had some reservations about English food. Hell, most of the English people I know have them, to put it mildly. Having grown up in a more francophile environment, coq au vin or crêpes suzette (not crabs! it's crêpes!! LOL sorry private joke) do have more appeal than fish & chips or toad in the hole. Then again you could say the French eat anything, even frogs and snails, but I disgress. Now, Tone's idea was to go back to the roots of English food, to revive some of the traditional English dishes that many know who've grown up on the island, but are not traditionally served in good restaurants - and to do these dishes on a high level with - as far as possible - ingredients coming from England. Result is that I now DO like English food - at least if it's prepared the way it is done at the Penny Black! I was also quite curious to taste some stuff that I've been told about by Tone and Sarah, like Yorkshire pudding or beef Wellington.

So, we've eaten three times at the Penny Black and have tried to eat something different each time (didn't always succeed though ).

First Time
Starters:
- Scallops with fried potatoes, bacon, salad
- Roast root vegetable salad from "Secrett's Farm"
Verdict:
Both were done excellently, the scallops being very tender, the bacon being really crispy, and I just loved the roast vegetable salad. The vegetables were done just right - not just done for two seconds and then thrown on the dish ("c'est la nouvelle cuisine, Monsieur"), nor cooked into oblivion until all that's left is an unpalatable mass with indistinct flavour. If I could choose between the two, I would choose the vegetable salad - we were not so sure that the scallops actually go well together with the rest, but that's subjective of course.

Main Course:
- Beef Wellington, potato and celeri bake, roast carrots, brokkoli
- Seared venison, Jerusalem artichokes, duck fat chips
The main courses were even better than the already very good starters. To say the beef Wellington is good is the understatement of the century. It's FANTASTIC! The meat is cooked perfectly, very tender, still juicy but not raw, with the crisp outer layer around it that was very succulent. No surprise this is the Penny Black's signature dish...the vegetables were also excellent, I loved the carrots in particular. - I had the venison and it was just great - crispy on the outer side, tender on the inside, very tasteful sauce and the chips are among the best I've ever eaten. Perfect combination! I could have this every evening for a week without problem.

Desserts:
- Apple snow, clotted cream, biscuit
- Chocolate fondant (+ sorbet)
- Bread and butter pudding
Now you'll wonder, how did they have three desserts for two people? Well, upon our arrival at the Penny Black we had a tour through the whole restaurant, including the kitchen - and were FORCED ( ) to try out the chocolate fondant. To say it was delicious would be to say that Angelina Jolie has a passable figure. TRY IT! You'll want more, I promise you. - For dinner I took the apple snow as it was also something I didn't know and a bit lighter, and Sarah tried the bread and butter pudding as she wanted to see how a nice one tasted (she only knew the microwave variety until now...). Both were really good, the apple snow is actually a bit like apple mousse, very fresh and refined tasting, and the cream and biscuits are just delicious. We also liked the pudding, even though I believe I would choose the fondant over both of these any time (but that's just me, ask Tone he'll confirm that I'm a chocoholic).

Second Time
Starters:
- London particular
- Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup
This time we chose two soups as starters, as the London particular is something typically British and because we wanted something a bit light (after having almost exploded after last night's dinner). Both soups were marvelous, the London particular being somewhat familiar to me because we eat quite a lot of pea soups in Germany. But this was easily one of the best I've ever tried - I think you can really tell that the ingredients that are used (same for the vegetables) are all carefully chosen and only of the highest quality. I absolutely LOVED the artichoke soup - it was rather a cream than a soup, if you know what I mean. Positively delicious, and that coming from someone who's not into rabbit food (i.e. meat-eater).

Main Course:
- Beef Wellington, potato and celeri bake, roast carrots, brokkoli
- Paddington's Duck, marmelade gravy, chicken stock potatoes, cauliflower cheese
Well, do I need to tell you what food envy is? Probably not. It's when your girlfriend always wants to "try" what's on your plate, or when your brother wails when you're eating something nice and he can't have it. Well, this time the tables were turned - Sarah actually wanted to take the beef Wellington a second time, but as I wanted to have one too, we agreed in the end that it would be more reasonable for her to have something else. Anyway, I've already raved enough about that dish (see above), it's an absolute marvel. And you have to know for this that I do NOT like mushrooms! Quite an amazing feat. The duck was fantastic as well - I don't want the other dishes to go unappreciated just because the Wellington is something else; I'm also a big duck fan (I mean as long as they're dead and on my plate), and having tasted this dish I can vouch for it as being one of the best duck dishes I've eaten. The cauliflower is also absolutely delicious, in France they would probably call it a "gratin".

Desserts:
- Orange posset, cocoa butter, brioche
- Chocolate fondant, raspberry sorbet
I was in particular curious about the orange posset - never heard of that word, the only thing coming close is a possum, but I don't think you can eat it (then again, maybe the Kiwis do, what do I know). It's actually a very creamy pudding with orange flavour, with a bit of cocoa butter and a brioche (french pastry). After the fondant this is definitely my favourite dessert so far, not heavy, fresh and fruity yet creamy and sweet at the same time. An absolute delight.

Third Time
Starters:
None! This time we were there for lunch, and although having abstained from breakfast we were not that hungry after last night's feast (and I still had to drive quite a long way...). So, straight on to the main course!

Main course:
- Roast forerib of English longhorn beef, rost potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding (for two)
It really looked just as good as on the photos posted by Tone hereabove. I was told that this is another specialty of British food, and served mainly on Sundays as "The Sunday Roast", and the concept being to present it as a sort of social dish, i.e. several persons eating it together. I could tell it worked very well, there were quite a few tables being served this - right besides us a Spanish family who had it for all of them, rugrats included. And it IS really good. I'm quite critical about the quality of meat in general - it shouldn't be stringy, dry, overcooked, undercooked, stale tasting, too fatty...it's not that obvious to first find the right meat and then cook it just right. Well, here it was done just as it should be, the quality of the meat is quite obviously first rate. Really juicy, tender, tasty without actually lots of spices, and the portions are generous to say the least. Another thing I was curious about was the famous Yorkshire pudding - I always imagined you British eating some sort of strange pudding (you know, like a dessert), looking maybe a bit like the Yorkshire terrier (no just kidding)...anyway, this one was really gigantic, and very crispy. Looked exactly like the photos posted here, and together with some sauce and the meat it was a perfect combination. I've already mentioned the fabulous quality of the vegetables - suffice to say I could even imagine eating just them (that's saying a lot for me...). If you go to the Penny Black on Sundays, order the roast, it's totally worth trying.

Desserts:
- Orange posset
- Chocolate fondant
Well, nothing new here! Sarah wanted to have the orange posset this time (having tried it the previous day), and me - well, you know me now I guess!

What I haven't yet mentioned are THE WINES.

We had some really good ones on Friday and Saturday (not on Sunday, don't drink & drive...). A huge asset of the Penny Black is also that you can have ALL wines as a bottle, a carafe or just a glass; instead of having just some cheap open wines and the Grand Crus only in a bottle, you can actually try even the very expensive ones without having to order a full bottle. That's really cool, in particular if you're just two persons and you want a different wine for each course without wanting to drink two or three entire bottles. Also, the wine menu - as you can see in the link in Tone's post - is really well done, each wine is described in great detail and gives you a good idea what to expect. Of course, you can also ask to receive some advice from the Sommelier (that's French for the drunk guy in the wine cellar).

During the first evening, we had a bottle of Argentinian red wine (Reserva Malbec) that went very well with both our main courses and that was, considering its price tag, excellent value for money. Absolutely recommended!
I have to admit I don't remember our selection for the second evening - I believe we had a white wine from Stellenbosch in South Africa (which was really excellent, but then I expected that, having been to that vineyard and done some wine tasting in 2009) to accompany the starters, and then a red for the main course...maybe Tone remembers?

---

So, I hope the extensive description of my experience wasn't too long-winded and gives you some idea of what to expect or what to order when you're there (even though the menu changes from day to day). We are definitely looking forward to visiting the Penny Black again and recommend it without hesitation for anyone who has a chance of going there!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[RagingKileak]

Good writeup Marcel.

Having met and eaten with both you and Sarah, I think I can imagine some of the scenarios you describe - it's especially interesting to understand the European view on English food.

The great thing about Tone's restaurant for me is that it will appeal to my Northern sense of what proper food is too. London is, in my opinion, generally far too worried about what the rest of the world THINKS of it. In the North, we couldn't give a toss about what other people think, we want to put pastry/batter, cooked in grease and filled with meat in our bellies and that is what Tony appears to advocate. Thankfully the Penny Black appears to do it to such a high standard that it must surely be classed as fine dining.

I personally CANNOT WAIT to come down there and dine at Tone's restaurant. I stayed over Monday last week, but as Tony isn't open Mondays - I will have to keep waiting. Your description has made me feel very hungry though.....

I wonder if Tone will do me a 'tasting platter' of Venison and Wellington lol - I just can't choose!!!

Anywya

[CHG]

Hoping to make a visit to London in the next few weeks, so will definitely make a visit!

Food looks incredible!

Looking forward to it Tone!

[rogerxp]

Yes, great write up, I'm down in London on 24th overnight so hoping to shoe-horn a meal at Tony's place. Just need to get the itinery sorted. I know my hotel is only a couple of miles away.

Tone, when's your website going to be up and running???

[Snooky]

My good lady and I are having next weekend in London and are booked in for Sunday lunch at Tone's....just showed the miswah Tony's pic of the roast beef for 2.....we're hungry already!!!

#lookingforwardtoitalready

[zltm089]

Very good review Alpina B3 Lux....

the gratin sounds good! ...vive la francophonie!... lol...

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

The website is now properly online too. Have a look: The Penny Black Restaurant

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Em135eye]

Cracking reviews there Tone - will have a try when next in London.

[BGM]

i REALLY want beef wellington now.. absolutely love that dish

[chrisbin]

Looking great Tone!

[briers]

My mouth is dripping at the sight of that roast beef and yorkshire

Very pleased for you Tony, the restaurant looks first class. I will defiantly be visiting next time I am in London



// Rice pudding, strawberry jam is on the menu!! or the plum cobbler.... Can i have a spoonful of everything.

[rogerxp]

Table booked at Tone's place for a week today .

Who's going to run a sweep-stake on whether or not I'll be able to resist the Beef Wellington .