Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Meat
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos

Motcombs, Belgravia

by Jeanne Horak on October 28, 2015 6 Comments in London restaurants

MotcombsTitle

It’s a fickle old place, the London restaurant scene.  One minute you’re the talk of the town – think nouvelle cuisine (or as my father described it, starvation rations plated by an interior decorator), fusion food, sharing plates, artisan pizza, gourmet burgers/hot dogs, and single-food restaurants (roast chicken, breakfast cereal, toast – the list continues to grow). But take heed, those who ride the whirlwind of the culinary trend: today’s hot ticket is tomorrow’s congealed leftovers, leaving in its wake only fading memories of glory, and empty tables. So it’s nice to know that there are some restaurants in London that have sailed serenely on through the sea of fashionable foodie trends, floating among them but not setting course by them; restaurants that still serve proper portions of proper restauranty food of the kind that you grew to love on the rare occasions as a child when you went out for a fancy meal. Motcombs in Belgravia is such a place.

It’s easy to walk right past the entrance to this unassuming Belgravia fixture – my excuse is that I was distracted by the red London phone booth on the pavement right next door – but I soon found my way into the cosy bar area at street level. Above the narrow staircase leading to the basement, a red neon “Restaurant” sign beckons – a deliciously louche touch in a bar that otherwise seems the natural habitat of a more genteel era of diner. Downstairs, the general feeling of a more genteel era continues with white damask tablecloths, fresh flowers on each table, and the owner’s eclectic collection of art on the walls. The restaurant was bought by current owner, restauranteur Philip Lawless, in 1982 and transformed from a café into a restaurant and bar.  The premises have been extended twice and now include a suite of rooms across the road that may be hired for private functions.  Philip (who happened to be dining in the restaurant on the night we visited) says that the Motcombs formula for success has always been to produce good food at a reasonable price and to make the customer feel welcome – and both elements were very much in evidence on the night we visited. The menu reads like a pan-European greatest hits compilation, featuring things like soupe de poisson; eggs Benedict; jamon Iberico with melon; penne a la vodka; lemon sole and chicken Parmigiano.  It’s proper, grown-up food that may not push any trendy buttons but that we all secretly crave each time we are served a plate of foams and gels.

To start, we were advised by out lovely waitress to try the oysters as the season had just begun – so we took her advice and ordered half a dozen award-winning native oysters from the Loch Ryan beds in South West Scotland (£3.25 each).  The Loch Ryan oyster beds date back to 1701 when the Wallace family was granted a Royal Charter on the oyster bed.  The oysters are dredged from the seabed and then resettled in the oyster beds in the loch where they settle and grow. Each day, 40,000 oysters are harvested from the Loch and hand-sorted to obtain just 2,000 marketable oysters that are large enough to sell.  The rest are re-laid in the oyster beds to continue growing until they are large enough to harvest.  As they are slow-growing, by the time you get to eat a Loch Ryan oyster, it it about 8 years old. So how do they taste?  In a word – fabulous! They are plump with an almost crisp bite to them and a pungent, briny flavour that makes the sides of your tongue tingle before leaving you with a nutty aftertaste and a hunger for another. Served with the oyster was a little bowl of tomato and horseradish vinaigrette – and although I am usually a purist about such things and eat my oysters with lemon juice only, I have to say that the vinaigrette was utterly spectacular as an accompaniment. Our other accompaniment was a glass of Sancerre, which was a great match for the shellfish.

 

MotcombsOysters

 

For our main course the waitress pointed out that grouse season has just begun and that we might want to have a roast grouse with all the trimmings (£23.50)– which Alan did. When his plate arrived, I have to admit to a pang of menu envy as it was a thing of great beauty: a perfectly bronzed and glistening whole grouse garnished with bacon rashers and served atop a slice of rich paté and huge fried crouton, with lashings of gravy and bread sauce. But Rosana and I were too smitten with the idea of the lobster linguini (£19.40) to be swayed from our original choice. The linguine portions were enormous – a mound of pasta generously tossed in a tomato and lobster meat sauce – the kind of comfort food that’s I’d eat every night if I had the budget! Sides of tomato and red onion salad as well as rocket and Parmesan salad were both fresh and tasty. The entire selection of main courses has a “hooked on classics” feel to it, but if all dishes measure up to the quality of ours, then it’s easy to see how these dishes became (and remain) classics.

 

MotcombsGrouse

 

MotcombsLinguini

 

MotcombsSalad

 

MotcombsTable

 

Dessert presented us with another agony of indecision and we ended up each having something different. Rosana chose the pannetone bread and butter pudding with rum ‘n raisin ice-cream (not pictured, £6.35); I chose a selection of ice-creams (pistachio, toffee fudge, and rum ‘n raisin – £6.35); Tracy had the classic tiramisu (£6.35); and Alan chose a winner in the flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream (£6.35). The bread & butter pudding was surprisingly light, as was the (huge portion of) tiramisu. My ice-creams had a god flavour and texture, particularly the hard-to-get-right pistachio, and I loved the retro wafer stuck into each scoop. But it was Alan’s super-decadent flourless chocolate cake  that had us all groaning with pleasure, particularly the lava-like melt of the vanilla ice-cream.

 

MotcombsIceCream

 

MotcombsTiramisu

 

MotcombsChocCake

 

Overall, we had a delightful evening – it’s hard to find fault with anything that Motcombs does. The service was excellent and friendly; the room is inviting and filled with twinkly candles, glittering silverware and fresh flowers; and everything we ate was delicious.  Portions are substantial – this is clearly a place for people who love food, not supermodels who want to push an artfully served piece of lettuce around their plate all night. If I wanted to be churlish (and I don’t), I could say that the menu has not moved on since the early 1980s – but surely that’s part of the charm of the place, serving the kind of dishes we all secretly crave but stopped ordering when high-fashion restaurants stopped serving them. It’s a winning formula that’s been attracting a loyal following for over 30 years – the kind of place you can take an aged aunt or a hot date with equal ease, and both would be equally pleased with their dinner and the restaurant’s old-school ambience.

Motcombs is currently taking part of London Restaurant Festival 2015 (1st – 31st October 2015), during which time you can enjoy 2 courses from a set menu for £15.75 per person.  Every Sunday you can also take advantage of the Sunday roast special – a fore-rib of Scottish beef for 2 people priced at a very reasonable £29.95.

For two other perspectives on our evening, do pop over and read Rosana’s review and Alan’s review.

DISCLOSURE:  I enjoyed this meal as a guest of Motcombs but received no further remuneration to write this post.  I was not expected to write a positive review – all views are my own and I retain full editorial control.

Motcombs
26 Motcomb Street
Belgravia
London
SW1X 8JU

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7235 6382
E-mail: info@motcombs.co.uk
Closest Tube:  Knightsbridge

Let’s keep in touch!
You can also find me tweeting at @cooksisterblog, snapping away on Instagram, or pinning like a pro on Pinterest.  To keep up with my latest posts, you can subscribe to my free e-mail alerts, like Cooksister on Facebook, or follow me on Bloglovin.

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • Saturday Snapshots #80Saturday Snapshots #80
  • Saturday Snapshots #96Saturday Snapshots #96
  • 9 tips for making the most of the Singapore Grand Prix9 tips for making the most of the Singapore Grand Prix
  • A postcard from London – Book 9 of 1000 Recipes reporting!A postcard from London – Book 9 of 1000 Recipes reporting!

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Behind the scenes at Singapore Airlines: airline meals and crew training
Saturday Snapshots #309 »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Rosana @ Hot&CHilli Food and Travel Blog says

    October 29, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    I had the perfect view of the grouse! What a lovely evening we had. Hope we can get together again before the year is out. R

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      November 26, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Yes you did! It’s all about the angle 😉 Was a fab evening and we have had a couple of good ones since then – and more to come!

      Reply
  2. Krista says

    October 30, 2015 at 1:44 am

    As much as I love trying new dishes, there’s something inestimably comforting about returning to a place where the menu is familiar, you know what to expect, and where you’re rarely, if ever, disappointed. This sounds like such a place. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      November 26, 2015 at 12:50 pm

      I know, right?? Novelty can be rather exhausting…! This was comfort food deluxe!

      Reply
  3. Top10sy says

    October 30, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    Such a amazing variety of Ice-Cream I love vanilla ice cream Its looks amazing restaurant I will try.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      November 26, 2015 at 12:50 pm

      The ice-cream was fab – great for people who struggle to choose just one flavour 😉

      Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Enter your address to subscribe via e-mail

Search over 500 recipes

35 CHRISTMAS RECIPES!!

Christmas Recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
  • Myristica Grenadian supperclub
  • 8 favourite Singapore food experiences
  • Sticky spiced plum upside-down cake and 16 years of blogging
  • IT restaurant
  • Plum and peach flapjack crumble [GF]
  • The White Horse Inn, Sutton
  • Patron Cave a Manger (Review)

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Mamma's coconut tart (klappertert)
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
How to sautée Brussels sprouts
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

cooksister

Jeanne | Stylish food & travel


Are you a cook... or a baker?
I fall firmly into

Are you a cook... or a baker? 
I fall firmly into the "cook" category. Baking is too precise, too fiddly - and best left to those with an affinity for it, I always say! But every now and then, only a cake will do. Say, for example... when you celebrate your blog's SIXTEENTH birthday!! 🎉🍾 Yes, last month Cooksister.com turned sweet sixteen, and to celebrate I baked this sticky spiced plum upside down cake. It's a very forgiving recipe and it's worth every single calorie 😁. Click on the link in my profile to see the recipe or save this post so you can find it later: https://www.cooksister.com/2020/06/sticky-spiced-plum-upside-down-cake.html

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappoint
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Anybody else got Lockdown Itchy Feet Syndrome...?? If it isn't an official disorder,  it certainly should be!

I have always been a dreamer, a planner, an explorer. Few things excite me more than stepping onto the soil of a country I have not visited before. When I am going through tough personal times, my go-to self-help therapy has always been to arrange a trip - to throw off the metaphorical bow lines and sail away to a new adventure. 
But then... Corona 😞  I can honestly say that I am enjoying working from home; enjoying having the time to run every day; enjoying cooking proper meals; enjoying my own company; enjoying the lack of FOMO. But OH MAN, I miss travel. 
This image was taken 2 years ago in St George's, Grenada - my first visit to the Caribbean but  certainly not my last. This photo has me dreaming of the day I can throw off those bow lines and travel again... How are you dealing with the lack of travel during this time?

Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the S
Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the Spring bulbs that were planted last year that have been flowering in parks and public gardens with nobody (or fewer people, anyway...) around to admire them? Spare a thought for the gardeners at Holland's famous Keukenhof who planted SEVEN MILLION bulbs last winter in preparation for the garden's annual 2-month opening... but because of Covid-19 Keukenhof did not open at all in 2020. 
But the good news is that for the first time in its history, Keukenhof was virtually open this year, meaning you can enjoy the best of the Spring flowers virtually, from the comfort of your armchair.  Keukenhof posted an amazing series of videos to their YouTube channel featuring magnificent 360 degree tours of the 2020 flowering bulbs; a run-down of the best photo spots; talks by various Keukenhof gardeners; and even a visit from Spongebob Squarepants!  You can check out their YouTube channel here https://bit.ly/2WWkahW. Or you can visit my blog  https://bit.ly/2zMgrLL  to see more of my Keukenhof images like this one of a river of tulips from when I visited a few years ago.

Have you visited Keukenhof?  What were your favourite Spring flowers? ⚘⚘⚘

When people tell me they don't like Brussels spro
When  people tell me they don't like Brussels sprouts, my inner voice always cries out the same response: oh honey, you're just doing it wrong! Sesame ginger sprouts are nutty, zingy and delicious - the opposite of the overcooked grey stinky sprouts of your youth, and so easy to make! 🔖 Remember to save this post so you can make the recipe later! The recipe is also on my blog - click the live link in my profile. 
For 4 people you need:
500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and cooked (I roast mine in a hot oven)
1 x 2cm piece of ginger cut into fine matchsticks
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Salt & pepper 
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the ginger till fragrant. Add the sprouts, mix well and heat through. Remove from heat, add the sesame oil, season and serve topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the
Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand? .

I am marking the occasion with this photo was taken just over 3 years ago on the shores of beautiful Lake Pukaki on the South Island, looking across at Mt Aoraki.  I loved my visit and planned the trip completely independently – here are some tips for anybody thinking of visiting the South Island. .
🔖Click “save” to bookmark these tips for later! ➡️ 1) Take more time than you think you need. In a week you will barely scratch the surface of the South Island - I would say 2 weeks is a comfortable amount of time. ➡️ 2) Don’t assume that summer means hot weather! Even in December (the height of summer) temperatures peak at about 21C in Christchurch. Pack layers. ➡️ 3) Do spend time in Queenstown. It is stunning and one of my favourite places I have ever visited – great for hiking in summer, skiing in winter, sailing on the lake, adventure sports and a base for many surrounding natural attractions. ➡️ 4) Take day trips from Queenstown to Milford Sound and the Franz Josef glacier (but be aware that the weather is often not great). ➡️ 5) Take a road trip! The roads are excellent and generally empty – and it means you get to pose in places like the shore of Lake Pukaki 😊 .
Have you visited New Zealand’s South Island?  Would you like to?  Let me know in the comments!

"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a
"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a pose there's nothing to it!" (Madonna)

Nicole Kidman's is both hands on hips. Meryl Streep's is only left hand on hip. Victoria Beckham's is right hip out, left foot forward (and no smile!). Mine started as a joke many years ago - the earliest evidence I have is from 2005 😎 Do YOU have a signature pose? Tell me in the comments or DM me a pic!

This particular pose was struck on the @chateaulhospitalet estate in the Languedoc, looking out over @gerardbertrandwines vineyards all the way to the Mediterranean. You can read all about my stay there now on the blog - click on the live link in my profile

Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you
Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you may be surprised by the number of French words you already know: rendezvous, entrepreneur, souvenir and ricochet need no introduction. All have been adopted into English wholesale, with their original French meaning and spelling. Perhaps they should apply for settled status post-Brexit... But sometimes a word’s literal translation in French bears no resemblance to what the word has come to mean, such as canape. Although we know the word as meaning a small piece of pastry or bread with a savoury topping served at drinks receptions, the literal translation is a decorative antique sofa. When a clever chef first came up with the idea, the topping was thought to sit on the bread or pastry like a person reclining on a sofa, and the snacks came to be known half-jokingly as canapes. Fact! 
I enjoyed these very elegant canapes (LOVED the lacy little potato lattices!) with Code Rouge sparkling wine before a jazz dinner at Gerard Bertrand’s flagship wine estate Chateau L’Hospitalet in the Languedoc.  The dinner was as  spectacular as the canapes and you can read all about it on my blog now – click the live link in my profile above.

The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Ol
The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Old Spitalfields Market where this photo was taken is very much open and is one of my favourite London markets. Here are my top tips for visiting Old Spitalfields:

1.  The closest station is Liverpool Street which is only a 5 minute walk from the market.
2. It's open daily, with over a hundred stalls, but on Wednesday the focus is on fashion & on Thursday the focus is on antiques & vintage.
3. The busiest day is Sunday - get there early to beat the crowds!
4. Make sure you sample some of the excellent street food on offer - I love the 8-hour pulled pork bagels from Dirty Bagel, topped with cheese melted by blowtorch in front of your eyes; or the traditional raclette at Abondance.
5. Don't forget to check out the amazing Shoreditch street art in the area around the market, either on a tour or self-guided walk.
6. The Truman Brewery just east of Spitalfields hosts a massive collection of vintage clothes stalls, and more street food - don't miss it!

Thanks @meetakwolff for the 📸

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Yo
"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so... get on your way!" (Dr Seuss)

How are you starting the new decade? Staring at the mountains ahead, worrying about how hard they will be to climb and whether your shoes will be comfortable and whether it is going to rain along the way? Or striding confidently towards the mountains ahead, looking forward to the fresh air filling your lungs and the sense of purpose as your legs carry you ever higher, and relishing the prospect of an amazing view from the top?

There is no finer metaphor for life than a walk in the mountains and I have already made my choice as to how I plan to tackle the mountains of 2020. What's your choice? 
Wishing you all a very happy new year and amazing views from the top of every personal and professional mountain that you climb!

This particular mountain is in the Austrian Alps where I hiked last summer. Thanks to @thepassionatecook for the 📸!


Follow me on Instagram


This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Cooksister

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs

See my Recipes at Feastie

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019
Beef-Udon-noodle-stir-fry-title
P2PIrelandRhubarb © J Horak-Druiff 2013
Blood-orange-halloumi-salad-title

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2021 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2021 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.