All the best institutions have an amusing anecdote at their origin and The Palm is no exception (pictured). If a New York City clerk had paid more attention, the restaurant would actually have been named Parma, after the home town of the founders, John Ganzi and Pio Bossi, but the gormless pen-pusher had trouble understanding their native accents and so The Palm was born.
The dark wooden panelling that seems to be synonymous with upmarket steakhouses is enlivened here with caricature sketches – a tradition harking back to the original location on Manhattan’s Second Avenue. The premises happened to be near a cartoon syndicate and attracted a large clientele of impecunious artists who, in exchange for their meals, would draw their own creations on the restaurant walls.
You too can be in with a chance of being immortalised in art by joining the restaurant’s 837 loyalty club; members who amass enough redeemable points will be eligible for a private party and a caricature of themselves to be displayed at one of The Palm’s locations. Along the way you’ll be entitled to such rewards as a complimentary starter or dessert, an autographed cookbook or a Tiffany & Co gift card.
When I visit my dining companion and I choose one of the incredibly comfy booths and kick off the proceedings with that stalwart of steakhouse dining, a classic caesar salad, and a dish called jumbo shrimp bruno, where the crustaceans are sautéed in a mouth-watering Dijon mustard sauce, writes Colette Doyle.
For main it simply has to be the signature Surf ‘n’ Turf – buttery-soft filet mignon served with half a lobster and accompanied by a cornucopia of side dishes, including creamed spinach, fried onions and potatoes au gratin.
It really is a struggle to find room for any more food after that gargantuan feast (these are definitely American-style portions) but somehow we summon up the strength to try two down-home favourites: the key lime pie and the New York-style cheesecake, both of which are pronounced sublime. The Palm may have started life as a humble neighbourhood eatery, but it has evolved into a seriously classy dining experience.
The Palm; 1-3 Pont Street, London SW1X 9EJ; 020 7201 0710; thepalm.com/London
Royal China
Royal China is a group of restaurants that has its London clientele queuing out of the doors at lunchtime. Bearing this in mind, we choose to venture further north-west to the spacious Harrow venue, writes Nicole Holgate. The locations are all decorated in a similar elegant style with red, black and gold, while being airy and bright.
There is almost too much choice available, including an à la carte menu, chef’s specials, vegetarian options and lunchtime dim sum. We decide to stick with dim sum, which has the added bonus of a traditional pot of green tea that is topped up throughout the meal. Prices are reasonable, although it depends how many dishes it takes to sate your appetite.
We order a variety of plates to arrive together: light crab and spinach dumplings, fluffy roast pork buns and gorgeously fresh scallop dumplings – I can never say no to scallops. These prove too easy to finish off, so round two consists of tasty Vietnamese spring rolls, soft vegetable cheung fun (rice noodle rolls, an alternative to their crispier counterpart) and crunchy deep fried squid.
Really getting into the swing of it, my friend chooses a popular Chinese dish: sliced beef ho fun with wide, flat noodles cooked in soy sauce. The beef is deliciously tender. I go for the seafood udon, which is a generous mixture of prawns, scallops and squid among chunky, flavoursome noodles.
There are countless more dishes, including a variety of desserts. However, by that point we concede defeat and are kindly allowed to take our remaining noodles home in a doggie bag. Rest assured, we will be back to try some more; we may even brave the crowds in central London.
Royal China; 148-150 Station Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill HA1 2RH; 020 8863 8359; tinyurl.com/n9atljp
