2a Ormond Terrrace/Regent StCheltenham, GL50 1HR
01242 574 008
info@mubrasserie.co.uk
Visited: Wednesday 15th June, 2011
Starter: Mu Pate - Home-made with chicken livers, streaky bacon, chunky chutney & granary toast
Main: Lime Chili & Coriander Chicken - Preserved lemon, avocado Salsa, flat bread, Skinny Fries
Desert: Roasted Peach Knickerbocker Glory
The Mu Brasserie formally Merlot Brasserie is a hidden gem tucked away behind the Regent arcade in Cheltenham.
The restaurant is in a stunning building, and it's well presented inside and out with outside seating available.
We booked our table for 7:30pm, and arrived just shortly after, greeted by a up-beat friendly chap.
What a warm welcome... He was polite, he had attended to all our requests and delivered in what I would consider the ultimate customer service experience. (This may sound silly, but this is coming from someone with many years of CS Skills and knows a thing or two) Unfortunately I didn't catch his name, however I 'm sure himself and the manager was the only members of staff on the floor so I'm sure he'll be easy to identify.
We were shown to our table and provided with a wine list. I ordered a refreshing white Pinot Grigio delle Venezie spritzer.
For the starter I ordered the "Mu Pate", a generous serving of chicken liver Pate with chunky pieces of streaky bacon, a nice sweet onion chutney and a fresh crisp salad. Decorated with a balsamic vinegar dressing. A truly scrummy dish.
The main was Lime Chili & Coriander Chicken, a serious amount of amazing flavours across the board. The avocado salsa was so good, creamy and refreshing, great with the flat bread and even better with the skinny fries. The chili infusion with the chicken was just right, however the only point I will mention was that I really didn't get a feel for the coriander. The squeeze of lemon over the chicken gave that extra factor.
My partner had their 10oz Rump steak, which he said was cooked perfectly.
Both starter and main did not require any seasoning, GREAT!
The Roasted Peach Knickerbocker Glory was a real treat. Mixed white and milk chocolate daggers in the desert with a crunchy scatter of meringue. Underneath was an airy, creamy custard filling which was very nice. However the roasted peach was a little bitter and perhaps not the nicest end to a stunning looking desert.
In terms of value for money, Mu Brasserie was fantastic. We used a voucher from "Groupon" which gave us a big discount, however I would have happily paid full price as the three course wouldn't have cost anymore than £25!
The manager was also polite and friendly and chatted to us both briefly before we left, and answered a couple questions we had.
Overall a fantastic little brasserie with great staff who provide a great level of service, amazing value for money and chefs who provide amazing food.
Highly recommend
Here's some snaps
10 Lincoln Street
London SW3 2TS
020 7225 1881
info@rasoi-uk.com
Visited - Saturday 7th May, 2011
Starter: Chicken Tikkas - Lemon Chicken Tikka with Goats cheese; mushroom chicken tikka, chicken tikka salad cone
Main: Matka Chicken - Braised chicken masala, chili rice with ralta and black lentils
Desert: Rose petal mousse and vanilla bean kulfi - Decorated with 24ct gold leaf
We booked the table for around 10:30pm just before they closed as we went to see The Wizard Of Oz. We arrived at the restaurant just on the corner on a side street near Sloane Square, Chelsea.
A nice and clean listed building, Intimate almost. Walking in and we were promptly greeted by a well mannered, suited chap. (We felt a little under dressed to say the least)
Once shown to the table, we were offered a wines menu (more like a book) and a few moments to decide our choice in drinks. The perfect opportunity to have a look around, and wow... the art on the walls, the dimmed lighting, the matching styles and patterns on their walls and cushions, It all just looked perfect and really gave me the feel of a upper class Indian restaurant.
We placed our orders for starters and main from their small but interesting menu, roughly 8 starters and 8 mains. Small but offering a good variety.
Once ordered the waiter provided us with complimentary nibbles. A more nicer version of Poppadoms. Small shards of poppadoms broken up on a small plate, served with a variety of dips. The typical Mango Chutney, a mint and coriander dip, and mixed onions, tomatoes, and cucumber. The mint and coriander dip was a bold and unusual flavour.
I ordered Chicken Tikkas for my starter, presented on a stone slate were three different types of chicken tikkas. The first which was a mushroom chicken tikka. A small pipette was stuffed inside the boneless piece of chicken which the waiter pulled out and drizzled the mushroom sauce over the chicken. This was presented with a saffron dressing, three small blobs. The lemon chicken tikka was yet again a boneless piece in a lemon marinade with a rich and creamy goats cheese topping. The third being a purposely cold chicken tikka cone, a mini wafer thin ice cream like cone with a cold tomato, salsa type filling with small chicken pieces. Perhaps for me a little unusual but oddly nice to finish the starter with.
The main was Matka Chicken presented in a clay like pot. On the top was a generous amount of matka chicken in a rich sauce and hidden underneath was the chili rice. The rice I found was very sticky and clucked together and very over-powering. Half of the rice was certainly enough, otherwise it could have blown my head off.
Moving onto the desert, and beautiful presented rose petal mousse with a lime green sugar cane decoration and a small green pyramid shaped vanilla bean kulfi which was stunning. Finished with a sprinkle of 24ct Gold leaf. This didn't taste of anything to be honest... more a pretty finish to the dish which was served on a rather over-sized round plate.
A further complimentary mango yogurt was given to us prior to us leaving which was very refreshing.
In terms of value for money, The Rasoi Vineet Bhatia was good. £49 for a 2-course A la' Carte or 3-course for £59.
In a very small print on their menu they do disclose that they add 12.5% to your bill to cover tipping. And a further £1 charge was automatically added to our final bill for a charity.
This is kind of a bug bare for me, as almost everyone tips, and I believe it should be no less than 10%, but to have it automatically added to your bill I find it somewhat rude. And the same goes for the charity £1 too. Don't get me wrong we happily paid it and would have anyway but I would have liked to have been asked prior and find out a little more information about the charity, it's as almost as if we were taken for granted a little and left a sour taste.
Overall the service was excellent, minor improvements can be made but nothing major.
The restaurant was stunning, and the food was of a good quality.
I would highly recommend.
Here are some pictures
Hi there, and welcome to my blog of Mr Secret Diner. I will be visiting different restaurants up and down the country and giving my review of the highs and lows in the restaurant world.
From their foods and wines to their service. Everything will be taken into account from the moment I step foot into their establishment. I'm not here to make restaurants rise or fall, I'm here so you know the best places to go.
2 Blogs will be coming within the next 48 hours, The 1* Michelin Restaurant - The Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, And the recently rebranded Mü Brasserie.
Please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail at: MrSecretDiner@gmail.com
