Restaurants

Dining out with picky refuseniks is no ones idea of fun. And at Archipelago, its a complete no-no, which has to be a blessing. The list of dishes here is more menagerie than menu, with crocodile, wildebeest, kangaroo and frogs legs all appearing under the guise of such exotically named concoctions as Cayman Islands, Serengeti dusk, hot marsupial and Jamaican mountain chicken. Crocodile fillet is a house favourite: juicy hunks of seared flesh bundled into vine leaves with plum dipping sauce on the side. Sliced wildebeest (gnu) fillets taste like lamb, but have the close chewy texture of beef. Spicy vegetarian fare is available, but, tasty as it may be, nobody comes here expressly to try Durban bunny chow (lentil curry) or Arabian parcels (mixed bean Middle Eastern curry). Be warned: all sense of normality is lost the moment you step inside and hear the crunch of gravel underfoot (from a patch the size of a welcome mat). Tables are intimately arranged and presided over by fertility idols and African masks; the menu is coiled like a Dead Sea scroll; and your bill is presented between the elegant digits of a carved wooden hand.Babies and children admitted. Booking advisable. Tables outdoors (2, patio).Map 3 J4.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008