Fischer's, Marylebone, London restaurant review

There are some restaurants worth visiting for the atmosphere alone.

Fischer’s in Marylebone is one of them.

The dining room is stunning - a mock-up of a grand Viennese konditorei with imposing railway clocks, old-fashioned portraiture and a stuffed animal menagerie all forming part of the set.

In fact, eating dinner at Fischer’s is like being in a Wes Anderson film i.e. my idea of fun.

Service was impeccable too (I’d expect no less from Corbin and King, the blokes behind The Wolseley) – stylish, unobtrusive and warm, the waiting team didn’t put a foot wrong. When our waiter detected an undertone that my friend wasn’t too impressed with his main course – the option of a replacement was offered in a flash.

Whilst the decor is the epitome of central European grandeur, so too is the menu. Wursts, schnitzels, kuchens and tortes are found alles uber der platz. 

Top notch crusty bread and whipped butter kicked things off on a good note. However, the £7 dinner cover charge which appeared on the bill was a sucker punch.

Starters were all enjoyed. Meaty smoked salmon (£9.25) was served with a quenelle of punchy horseradish cream and Nordic bread.

An unappetising looking log of sweet mustard cured herring (£7.50) made up for its appearance in taste – tender and sweet it was a great example of its type. 

The winner of the round however was a glorious dish of käsespätzle with bacon (£6.50). Essentially an Austrian take on macaroni cheese, the little noodles were enveloped in velvety cheese sauce and laced with nuggets of crisp bacon. 

Onto mains where there were a few glitches.

A chicken schnitzel (£14.50) was crisp, tender and impressively overhung the edge of the plate. However, save for the muslin wrapped lemon and demi-glace covering the bottom of the plate, there were no other accompaniments. 

Therefore a side of spätzle (£3), sauerkraut (£3.50) and honey-glazed parsnips (£3.75) were well needed to break up the dish’s monotony. A special mention should go out to the parsnips – covered in what seemed like a whole jar of honey, they were wickedly sweet and sticky. 

A functional lamb goulash (£18) disappointed. A handful of pieces of well-flavoured lamb, tender potatoes and mixed peppers sat in a paprika-laced broth. There's no doubt it was a tasty plate but such was its simplicity it felt like a dish from the office canteen and at £18 overpriced. 

The würstchen were the best - Fischer’s have an enviable sausage selection. I ordered a marjoram twanged Nürnberger and a Berner Würstel stuffed with oozing emmental and wrapped in crisp bacon (£12.75). Accompanying sauerkraut and mustard-tinged potato salad completed a top notch and well-priced plate of food. 

As the only person on the table to order pudding (why am I friends with people who don't order dessert?), I had a difficult choice to make from the exotic sounding selection which included scheiterhaufen, gugelhupf and dobos torte.

I decided on a Bergasse sundae (£7.25) comprised of faultless hazelnut, almond and pistachio ice creams served with a jug of hot butterscotch sauce. Oofh. 

So, all in all a mixed bag – some excellent, some average and some overpriced food. There’s definitely a delicious meal to be had at Fischer’s and there’s plenty more menu I'd like to rootle through. 

Most importantly, for anyone who’s wanted to feel like a character from the Grand Budapest Hotel or The Royal Tenenbaums, Fischer’s should be on your to visit list.

The Details:

Address - Fischer's, 50 Marylebone High Street, Marylebone, London W1U 5HN

Web - https://www.fischers.co.uk/

Telephone - 020 7466 5501

Burger & Lobster, Cardiff restaurant review

*** Update July 2016 - Burger & Lobster Cardiff has now closed *** 

In homage to their compact menu, here’s my compact review of Burger & Lobster Cardiff:

Burger – Incredible but too expensive.

Steamed lobster / lobster roll – Delicious (but I think lobster is overrated) and well priced.

Drinks / Desserts / Service / Atmosphere - Excellent

If you want more details then read on…

The opening of Burger & Lobster’s first branch outside of the Big Smoke in Cardiff is a coup for the city. Alongside the arrival of Wahaca, it’s further evidence of the upward trajectory of Cardiff’s food scene.

Located in the top floor of the old Habitat building on the Hayes, Burger & Lobster’s dining space is one of the city’s best – grand metal arches, an imposing central bar, DJ decks and boothed seating all contribute to the funky vibe. 

And with an interesting drinks menu of cocktails priced around £7.50 and beers at £3 - £4.50 it’s the kind of place you could easily put in a session.

A Swiss 1936 lager (£3.80) and a ruby cooler (£7.50) - a citrusy, fragrant and not too sweet blend of gin, blood orange and Ceylon tea - were both a welcome change from the norm. 

Onto the food and as you may have guessed, Burger & Lobster only serve burgers and lobsters (all accompanied by fries, salad and butter sauce) at a flat rate of £20.

There are 3 ways you can have your whole Nova Scotian lobster – grilled, steamed or in a lobster roll.

The corn-fed Nebraskan beef burger meanwhile is cooked according to preference and available with a choice of toppings.

Of course we ordered a burger, steamed lobster and lobster roll to share. 

Half and Half (half lobster and half burger)

First to the burger and it’s a thing of absolute beauty, in fact without doubt the best I’ve eaten in Cardiff. Served a pleasingly pink medium-rare (other places take note) with a good lick of char, the giant patty is sandwiched inside a soft and sweet brioche bun and accompanied by oozy American cheese, crisp streaky bacon, crunchy pickles, burger sauce, thinly sliced red onion, shredded lettuce and sweet tomato.

It’s an absolute joy to eat and almost worth £20… but not quite. Can any burger really be worth £20?

Next onto the steamed lobster and it’s the best lobster I’ve ever eaten. I should probably caveat that by saying I haven’t eaten lobster many times because it’s normally so bloody expensive.

So, at £20 for a whole lobster it’s a bit of a bargain. All sweet and tender fleshed you’ll need the provided pickers and crackers to furtle all the bits of meat out of those pesky nooks and crannies. And accompanying it is a lemon butter sauce of unparalleled silkiness. That sauce is also rather incredible for dipping the excellent fries. 

The lobster roll is lovely too. A marvellous toasted sweet brioche bun is loaded with cold lobster meat in Japanese mayo (I think it’s meant to contain wasabi but I couldn’t taste it). Whilst it’s less of a hassle to eat than its steamed counterpart, the cold crustacean isn’t quite as tender and therefore not quite such a good option. 

But here’s the thing, even at £20 I’m still not convinced that lobster is all that. Where’s the earthy complexity that you get from brown crabmeat? Is it really worth the faff of having to pick and crack your way to a few decent mouthfuls?

For dessert there are two choices available, both priced at £4.50.

A snickers pot combined a light, slightly sweet chocolate mousse sat atop a layer of runny salted caramel and scattered with crisp chocolate-coated cornflakes and toasted peanuts. Lush.

Meanwhile, a cheesecake pot combined a fluffy and slightly tangy unset cheesecake topped with berry compote and biscuit crumbs. Equally lush.

So what’s the verdict?

I’d eat Burger & Lobster’s burger any time of the day but I'd be reluctant to stump up twenty quid for it. In contrast, I won’t crave lobster that often but if I do I’d quite happily pay twenty notes.

However, if lobster’s your thing or you don’t mind dropping loadsamoney on a burger then Burger & Lobster is definitely the place for you.

Disclosure - I was invited to Burger and Lobster, all food and drink was complimentary.

Update 26/12/15 - 

Burger & Lobster Cardiff now offer a £12 burger and fries during weekday lunchtimes. It’s a slightly smaller 6oz compared to their usual 10oz offering but it’s still a thing of beauty and the best way to sample Burger & Lobster without bankrupting yourself.

The weekday lunch menu also includes lobster niçoise salad and lobster mac and cheese. But, I’m all about the burger.

The Details: 

Address - Burger and Lobster Cardiff, Unit 29-11 The Hayes Cardiff CF10 1AH