Fifty Shades of Food

 Any foodie needs no introduction to the highly successful TV program Masterchef. The restaurant with the same name inspired an eager visit indeed. At booking it was no surprise to know they were almost fully booked for their Friday brunch. The arrival was welcoming and a pleasant surprise that the outside seating was well enclosed and very comfortable. Our waiter Robin was a delight and very helpful. The menu is a combination of their own creations and offerings from different Masterchef winners from around the world. There were five starters on offer with the Crispy rice cakes and Rillettes clearly being the best. The Prawn Bhaajis with Avocado  were excellent followed by the Lemongrass and Ginger Meatballs on a skewer offering an explosion of flavours. It would have done more justice to the quality of the starters if they were not brought to the table all at once but gently rolled out one by one in intervals of ten odd minutes. With eight main courses on offer there were adequate ch

 Arriving at the West 14th for dinner one cannot but help notice the lovely view of the sea and the skyline that greets you. While casual in setting there was clearly a busy feel about the place. Dorothy, the hostess who greeted us was professional and helpful throughout the evening. While a tad bit warm there were fans around, though would have liked our drinks to arrive a shade earlier, one settled in comfortably. The menu was uncomplicated, while pricey, and was well set and balanced. Would like to see more vegetarian offerings and the waiter who took our order needed to be prompted by our questions to explain the food in more detail. The beef carpaccio starter was simply divine. Personally one would have preferred a slightly larger helping given the price. For the quality of the starter one could not fault it, it melted in one’s mouth with the crispy Parmesan giving it nice crunch. The main course of grain fed rib eye steak was well prepared, we opted for the blue cheese sauce whic