Week Thirty Forty Five
Happy New Year guys and welcome back to another week (still 5 or so weeks behind!). In this edition we saw the competition winner (Bex Murphy) finally get her special day of being wined and dined by The Financier. This entailed drinks and then dinner at the ME Hotel on the Strand.
Special guests include: The Financier, Sonia Gravestock, Fred Gravestock, Stella McCusker and Bex Murphy
Summary of Radio Rooftop Bar
Name: Radio Rooftop Bar
Type: Rooftop Bar obviously
Location: 336-337 Strand, London, WC2R 1HA
Date Visited: 10/11/14
Price: Ask Dad
Rating: 4.5/5
Review
Summary of STK
The day had finally arrived for Bex Murphy, the extremely lucky competition winner, for a night out with The Financier. It had come with huge scandal, with many accusing the competition of being rigged...some disheartened readers even threatened to withdraw their subscription. I can assure you that the competition wasn't rigged and their will be another one held in a few weeks so keep your eyes peeled.
Competition winner and The Financier
Back to the night - now Dad had booked a table at STK restaurant but before going there, he had got a table outside the Radio Rooftop Bar. Wow! The views were absolutely exceptional and were even more impressive due to it being in the evening....London was lit up like fairy lights. Sorry, I'll stop writing like a cliche. Drinks were ordered and Fred, my brother, decided to order a cocktail while the rest of us went for Hendricks (doubles obviously) and tonic with the essential slice of cucumber accompanying it. Dreamy setting and dreamy drink.
Bex was then allocated her 15 minutes of Q and A with the Financier and got her souvenir too, which of course is a photo with the Financier. Another round of drinks were ordered and despite Fred claiming he didn't regret ordering his tiny cocktail, he joined us on the Hendricks....odd. Fred's friend Stella was also in attendance as a thank you for letting Fred stay at hers in London while he's job searching, he's just got back from Australia.
The group of us with a tidy backdrop
Radio Rooftop Bar is pretty impressive. The inside is well decked out, with glass doors all around the outside so no matter where you are the views are always decent. The toilets were also phenomenal. Odd thing to rave about but they were very high brow.
The only downside of the place was that we were pretty cold by the end which influenced our decision to leave after the second round of drinks. That said, it was our decision to sit outside, ten storeys up in the middle of November. If that isn't self inflicted, I'm not sure what is.
Worth a visit this place and definitely another one to put on the good date spots list and the summer drinks locations list. Bravo.
Edgy photo
Summary of STK
Name: STK
Type: Steak Restaurant
Location: 336-337 Strand, London, WC2R 1HA
Website: http://togrp.com/stk-london/
Date Visited: 10/11/14
Price: Ask Dad
Rating: 4.1/5
Review
We left the Radio Rooftop Bar and got in the lift to the ground floor, we had arrived at STK restaurant. It's also part of the ME Hotel, The Financier is no slouch. Or maybe he is? Well anyway the inside of this restaurant is quite a sight, phenomenal some would say. White metal piping form the main structure which are impressively littered around the restaurant in some style. The mood lighting is also perfect....quite an impressionable entrance it must be said as you walk through the doors.
The waiter sat us down at our table which was importantly round, as a key to a comfortable and sociable dining experience is a good round table. With a round table you can talk to all diners and you don't have any elbow competitions with the people sitting directly next to you. That's why I love a round table and this was a good one.
What then followed was quite an awkward moment. The steak debate had begun about which is the best steak restaurant in London. I was calmly explaining my perfect combo when, to my alarm, the waiter overheard and stated, 'STK is better than all three of those... you wait.' The gauntlet had been set.
The confident waiter returned and was initially stumped when Stella informed him that she was a vegetarian and asked for recommended non meat dishes. He had the a look of a man who had not found himself in this position before but to be fair him he remained professional and presented the vegetarian options without any sign of discomfort.
After starters arrived and then swiftly finished, on came the mains. The 'best ever steaks' were presented with the very many sides, including the creamy spinach, the mac n cheese and most importantly the highly recommended giant prawns.
The sides (I do love a side) were superb, the prawns in particular, and the Steak was pretty damn incredible too, nicely topped with the béarnaise sauce. Overall I have to say STK is a superb restaurant which oozes class and does the job very well. Where does it rate on the all time list? Number 3 for me behind Goodman and Hawksmoor. Still ruddy good though and a fitting meal for competition winner Bex Murphy who got to sit next to the Financier too. I highly recommend this place, it will not disappoint.
The inside of STK. Not a great photo to live up to my write up
The waiter sat us down at our table which was importantly round, as a key to a comfortable and sociable dining experience is a good round table. With a round table you can talk to all diners and you don't have any elbow competitions with the people sitting directly next to you. That's why I love a round table and this was a good one.
What then followed was quite an awkward moment. The steak debate had begun about which is the best steak restaurant in London. I was calmly explaining my perfect combo when, to my alarm, the waiter overheard and stated, 'STK is better than all three of those... you wait.' The gauntlet had been set.
The glorious round table and the highly rated metal pipes for all to see.
The confident waiter returned and was initially stumped when Stella informed him that she was a vegetarian and asked for recommended non meat dishes. He had the a look of a man who had not found himself in this position before but to be fair him he remained professional and presented the vegetarian options without any sign of discomfort.
The veggie option. Fish I believe.
After starters arrived and then swiftly finished, on came the mains. The 'best ever steaks' were presented with the very many sides, including the creamy spinach, the mac n cheese and most importantly the highly recommended giant prawns.
Action shot
The sides (I do love a side) were superb, the prawns in particular, and the Steak was pretty damn incredible too, nicely topped with the béarnaise sauce. Overall I have to say STK is a superb restaurant which oozes class and does the job very well. Where does it rate on the all time list? Number 3 for me behind Goodman and Hawksmoor. Still ruddy good though and a fitting meal for competition winner Bex Murphy who got to sit next to the Financier too. I highly recommend this place, it will not disappoint.
It could be you next time folks.....
Special Shoutout
Winner: Bex Murphy
Some may feel that rewarding a special shoutout to the competition winner is unfair but I dispel those critics as she has been an avid reader of the blog from its early birth. She is a keen supporter and a regular user of the phrase, 'Viva La Blog'. Thank you for your support Murph and it's that regular support that gives you the chance in life to win such a prestigious competition, take note fans. I asked her to describe her evening in a sentence. Her response was, 'How can you summarise a night where your dreams become a reality?' The next competition will be announced soon....
Poem Advice
Stunning views of London,
and a trendy bar too
Radio Roof Top bar is wicked,
With quite a stunning view
Take the elevator down,
STK the restaurant there
Not the best steak in London
But third place is quite fair
Thanks again guys. Welcome to 2015 and much appreciation for your continued readership. Until next time....Goodbye
Remember to do the three most important things:
Like
Share
Subscribe
See you next week fans
X
No comments:
Post a Comment