a rather unusual chinaman

Ramen, the London Trio - Tonkotsu, Bone Daddies and Shoryu

2013-05-06T00:48:00.002+01:00

Before we start, I'm going to lay it out there, I am NOT a ramen expert just a man who has eaten and loved a lot of noodles in his life and can consider myself a noodle fan. Over the last 6 months, London has seen a sudden influx of ramen bars with a focus on the noodle soup, as opposed to relegating this to just another item on the menu. If you aren't acquainted, it is a combination of noodles, rich broth and an array of toppings normally and can be the most wonderful of dishes when executed perfectly. Here is my rundown of three of the Londons finest:

Bone Daddies Ramen Bar

I guess you can say that Bonedaddies isn't your average ramen bar. Pumping out rock and roll (at a very acceptable decible level), it's all high tables, stools and shared dining space. The menu itself consists of eight variations, with two core broth varieties, pork and chicken. I've gone through most of the menu here and I normally opt for the Soy Ramen with some add ons (the chashu pork is delicious, but two meat ramen is always better than one meat).

The noodles have bounce and are plentiful, swimming within a deep meaty broth. On top, a combination of pork or chicken as well as a variety of bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, corn, nori and mizuna. As you would expect from a chef who used to be head chef at one of the outlets of Nobu and Zuma, each bowl is beautifully presented and once you get into it, builds flavour with every mouthful. And the nitamago egg! Unlike the other ramen outlets, you get both halves of a wonderfully oozy soy infused egg. A joy.

Bone Daddies delivers the full package on flavour and satisfaction. Each bowl is packed to the brim with different flavours and textures, and with the different varieties available as well as the rotating specials, you're never going to get bored. And any write up won't be complete without a hat tip to their fried chicken, soft shell crab and their chilli oil which are all excellent.

Bone Daddies Ramen Bar - 31 Peter Street, London W1F 0AR, UK

Tonkotsu

Tonkotsu is an offshoot of the successful Tsuru Sushi restaurants which are based around the city. Normally peddling sushi, katsu curry and a new kara age chicken burger, I was pretty intrigued how their incarnation of ramen would fare.

If you're going to name your restaurant after a product, it puts quite a bit of pressure on the product nailing it. Thankfully, the Tonkotsu ramen is a decent incarnation and a very welcoming bowl of noodles. Although early visits were pretty disappointing (weak broth, terrible service, tasteless pork), they seemed to have turned this around as my last visit was pretty good. My preferred option is the plainer soy version, which is still rich and deep in flavour. The tonkotsu can be a little too porky for me and a bit heavy for lunch.

Tonkotsu is good but something seems to be lacking. The ramen is fine, with good broth and good noodles, I just found the toppings a little disappointing, with far less variety, content and ultimately, taste. The sides are also ok, but the chicken kara age is nothing to write home about. Maybe I'm missing something, but I am just not that into Tonkotsu.

Tonkotsu - 63 Dean Street, W1d 4QG

Shoryu Ramen

So, rounding off this soupy threesome is Shoryu. Arguably, Shoryu can claim to be the most authentic incarnation of a ramen house. Run by those folks across the road (Japan Center) and with a bona fide Japanese chef at the helm, I was fully expecting something great. Unlike the other ramen joints, the menu here is vast. Unlike Bone Daddies with their standard eight or so options, and Tonkotsu with a mere four varieties, Shoryu has more than both of the former combined, a monstrous 14 standard options. Not to mention the vast number of sides and starters too, you've got your work cut out deciding what you're going to have.

On my visit, the Hirata buns had to be tried. Much like ramen, these little steamed buns are making their presence felt on the London dining scene. As enjoyable as these were, these didn't quite stack up to the superior versions by street purveyors Yum Bun or Bao. For the novelty of it, we also ordered a side of Chikuwa fishcakes, an odd combination of battered fried fish and cheese. Strange but weirdly moreish.

For the main event, I went for the Yuzu Tonkotsu, a pork tonkotsu broth with the added citrusy zest of yuzu. Surprisingly, these were perfect bedfellows, cutting through the rich broth. The toppings were mostly great, with a soft nitamago egg (although only half), pieces of nori, beansprouts and kikurage mushrooms. Sadly, the meat was slightly lacking in flavour, although this was the only real weakpoint to a great bowl of noodles.

The restaurant was buzzing, although there were a few core issues for me. I enjoyed the ramen, but all the tables and seats were ridiculously close to each other. But probably the biggest bug bear, that damn drum. Every time somebody paid their bill or got seen to their table, BOOM, there goes the drum. It was cute the first time, but after the tenth or so, it was extremely grating. Especially when you're trying to appreciate a perfectly good bowl of noodles.

Shoryu Ramen - 9 Regent St London SW1Y 4LR

VERDICT

So there you have it, three different ramen joints all with their own merits. It's clear that they won't appeal to everyone, with their bonging drums, dark interiors or rock and roll music, but considering where we were six months ago, we now have three ramen joints to choose from and slurp noodles at your convenience. Personally, after much research/slurping, I name Bone Daddies my favourite. I love the place, I love the ambience and most of all, I think their bowls of ramen are the most balanced with quality through toppings, broth and noodles. Well played.

The Mall Tavern: A quirky classic

2013-04-14T22:50:00.000+01:00

The London restaurant scene is growing up at an alarming rate, but even with these new openings every week, I find it hard to be drawn in by many of them. You have the burgeoning junk food scene, for example. Let's not try to tart it up as anything else, it's simply delicious filthy food like burgers, hot dogs and fried chicken but not really something I can cope with eating every day. You have the new wave of brasseries, which have strangely ballooned over the last few months (do we really need more than a few brasserie places?). Sadly, I find these astonishingly dull in principle. You have the new wave, trying to put their own stamp on their food, but normally only either offering expensive tasting menus or bar food.

Deep down, what I really yearn for is somewhere I can sit down and relax, order a reasonably priced beverage and eat good food at my own leisure without feeling over serviced or rushed, which, even with all these new restaurants opening up, I'm finding don't really meet this criteria. Which was probably one of the reasons I was so bowled over by my visit to the Mall Tavern in Notting Hill.

Hidden just off the high street, the Mall Tavern is a gastro pub with a fully functioning utilitarian bar. This isn't a restaurant masquerading as a gastro pub, this is a pub which serves very good food. They have a variety of beers on draught and even stock proper crisps (for proper, read Monster Munch). Add a dart board and a fruit machine and I would happily settle in for a few hours.

Round the back of the bar is the restaurant area, and although the tables are more well dressed, the service is still casual yet attentive. Service with a more human touch, which sounds like a ridiculous thing to say in principle, but I still find myself enamoured by the less robotic approach, versus those who have a pre-prepared routine which has been drilled into them. The menu is a rarity, every item is something I would genuinely consider ordering. Sadly, with just two of us, that wasn't going to happen, so we had to settle for a beef tea, some deep fried camembert and popcorn chicken to start.

The Beef Tea was an outright winner, not just for being pure crazy, but it fully delivered on flavour too. Little scones came with a bovril butter with what I think was a bit of fat speckled on top. Add to that a cup of "beef tea" which was actually a consomme packing in the essence of cow. This was an assault on the eyes, the brain and all my senses. Rock and roll.

You can never go wrong with deep fried triangles of oozy cheese served with a sharp, tangy yet sweet cranberry sauce (never). Perfectly executed and greaseless. Popcorn chicken were moist morsels of chicken, battered and fried to a crunch, but still managing to retain moisture. I loved the peppery cress and the actual popcorn all thrown together. Witty, but mostly tasty.

The mains were an even more difficult decision. With my friend settling on the ever present house chicken kyiv (an all time favourite dish of mine) I plumped for the intriguing pork and pickles dish. After the highs of the starters, it would have been a shame had the mains not stacked up, but I needn't have worried. The pork loin was wonderfully cooked, and those mustard and paprika pickled vegetables cut through the rich pig perfectly. The little crubeen on the side (a little piggy croquette essentially) was packed with fatty pig meat which just coated your mouth in the best possible way. As much as I felt jealous of my friend, I had no arguments with my own dish.

As you can probably imagine, we were stuffed by now, but couldn't leave without having a taste of the house arctic rolls. These may seem like an ordinary retro dessert to you, but at the Mall Tavern, they introduce five or six different choices every evening. On this occasion, we settled for one original, one slice of the black stuff and one red bull. The first was jam, sponge and vanilla ice cream, exactly what you would expect and perfectly nice. The second ramps up the crazy a notch and combined a dark malty sponge with Guinness ice cream, which was by far and away the winner. The red bull had to be ordered for the pure novelty, and although it didn't really taste of red bull (it tasted more like bubblegum), it was pretty decent and a great way to end the meal.

Yes, as you can tell, I love the Mall Tavern. But why not? The food doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't stick to retro or modern, it just sticks to "being great". I loved the inventive little touches to the dishes we tried, and as intimated at the beginning, I think I could have closed my eyes and stuck a pin into each section and still come away with a fantastic meal. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The Mall Tavern - 71-73 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill Gate, London, W8 4RU

The American Invasion continues: The Electric Diner, Portobello

2013-03-29T10:00:00.000Z

It seems there is no stopping the American invasion. It's been a juggernaut since last year where parts of the London restaurant scene are starting to resemble New York, from Wolfgang Puck (Cut) and Serge Becker (La Bodega Negra) who opened last year to Keith McNally (Balthazar) and Brendan Sodikoff of the Electric Diner who have been more recent additions. Whisper it, we still have David Meyer and his Shake Shack looming over Covent Garden in the very near future.

The Electric "Complex" (let's call it) comprises of the cinema, the diner, the members bar and the little doughnut shop which sits in the cinema lobby. Affected by a fire in June 2012, it took another six months before it was restored and revamped. The Diner itself, with Sodikoff brought in to consult, started to serve tarted up American Diner food. Think sandwiches (which basically covers everything which involves bread), things served with eggs and a variety of other things cooked on their grill.

We ordered a lot, which seems to be the case whenever I am involved. From the 'sandwiches' section, the bologna sandwich, a towering testament to slices of meat on bread. It came highly recommended and whilst enjoyable, I couldn't help but think that I would have rather tried one of their signature single/double burgers.

Much better was the duck hash from the 'egg' side of the menu. Crispy potato hash topped with shredded duck confit and a sunny side up fried duck egg. With the Americanised 'gravy' on top (more of a ducky bechamel), the whole ensemble is extremely rich but just drags you back.

The dishes from the grill were kind of ridiculous. Best of all was the flat iron chicken, a huge hunk of flattened out chicken cooked on the smoking hot flat iron. Cooked perfectly even throughout and lubricated with garlic jus, this was one of the most addictive pieces of chicken I have ever eaten.

I mean, just look at it. I wish I had something to sit alongside it to show quite how large it was. The flavour of the pork was spot on, the slow roasted apples the perfect accompaniment, although my only qualm was how tough the overall turned out. It's not easy cooking a piece of meat like that to order, and the outcome was a slightly chewy piece of meat. Still, no major complaints, it was another enjoyable dish.

Despite ordering a few other dishes (a salad and a side of crisp bacon), we tried a few desserts too. A chocolate pie was nice enough, but the coconut pie was just fantastic. A berry compote with lemon curd was enjoyable, a classic combination of sweet and sour, and I can't resist ordering a root beer float if it's on the menu, even if it was listed as a dessert and not just a drink (there was a lot of ice cream).

Sadly, there were none of their well praised doughnuts available, but at this stage, even the faint whisper of any food turned my stomach. We were shown around the rest of the complex, from a glimpse of the bar to the impressive Electric cinema. The Electric Diner is far from perfect, but theres's no denying that it's a good eat and you're not going to leave hungry. I for one salute the American influx. London was slightly lacking in these middle of the road places to eat, and places like the Electric Diner fit into that middle space nicely with cocktails and good comfort food. Well worth a visit, and why don't you catch a film in probably the most beautiful cinema I have seen for afters.

*I was invited along to the Electric Diner and had dinner with their PR as well as a few others*

The Electric Diner - 191 Portobello Road, London, W11 2ED

Old School Chinatown - HK Diner

2013-03-26T00:47:00.000Z

Chinatown holds a lot of fond memories for me. When I first moved to London, I remember the Sunday trips my family and I used to make. Dim Sum at New World and the weekly shop for ingredients at either New Loon Moon or Loon Fung supermarkets (both institutions in their own right), with a special treat of haw flakes or boxes of weird biscuits containing mini robots if we behaved ourselves. For an 8 year old child, weekends built up to these days.

As an adult, I wrote my dissertation on Chinatown, documenting the shift from being a cultural center for the London Chinese to a tourist center for the London tourists. I even worked on Wardour st to fund my university days, popping into Wong Kei for cheeky roast meats on rice. You could say I'm quite connected. Over the years, Chinatown has changed a lot, with premises seemingly changing names as often and inevitable as the seasons. One of the few constants has been HK Diner, an institution on Wardour Street, packed equally with local young Chinese students and the older generation alike.

Serving strictly Cantonese food, I hurtled in with a few of my friends and was lucky enough to stroll straight to a table. Navigating the menu in any Cantonese restaurant can often be a minefield, faced with a myriad of choices all sounding a little like the last. Playing it safe, I palmed off ordering duties to my friend who is a little more versed in Cantonese food than I am and awaited the impending feast.

There must be some sort of unwritten three point code of conduct within the restaurants of Chinatown:

Surly staff
All the food will turn up when it's ready
It's not going to break the bank

'Tick" point one. Although the staff weren't rude unlike some of it's neighbours, they took our order without so much as an upward glance. Rushing about the tables, there is an air of efficiency with a whiff of sterility. This is not a place where you are expected to hang around. All being said, the food arrived quickly and certainly lived up to it's reputation.

First up was some jellyfish. Most people who have never eaten jellyfish may balk at the idea of chowing down on jellyfish but it's really more of a texture than a flavour. Think a soft rubber band often doused in sesame oil. Still probably not sounding that appealing, but I am rather fond of it, it's well worth a try and the version at HK Diner had a hint of sweet chilli to it which wasn't displeasing.

Hot on the heels of the jellyfish came the beef ho fun. Flat noodles, slices of beef and bean sprouts cooked in a really hot wok. Simplicity itself, but it's the heat of the industrial wok which seems to reach ridiculous temperatures and impart that deep smoky flavour which really makes the dish.

I'm not really all that fond of tofu. It's bland and the texture is so soft that I rarely see the addition of tofu adding anything to most dishes. On the other hand, stuff it with mince pork and then frying it just about makes it palatable. Dousing it in a garlic and oyster heavy sauce and it becomes a joy.

I find it hard to resist ordering some roast meats the second I venture into the borders of Chinatown, so an obligatory portion of roast duck was up next. Roast Duck, roast pork and rice was my go to comfort food when I started writing this blog and it's been a while since I rated a new contender. This one was pretty decent and served without bones if requested, something I am fond of.

Pea shoots are probably the most expensive of the veggies available, but there's something about that tender stem vegetable stir fried in a little garlic which I just can't resist. I do get horrified at the cost of vegetables in Chinese restaurants (this one weighed in at about £7 a portion) but it's well worth an order for it's delicate flavour and texture.

Pork belly and preserved cabbage is one of those more traditional Cantonese dishes and is packed with flavour. This generous portion is packed with sauce you just want to smother all over your rice, the preserved cabbage adding a pleasing sourness which helps cut through the rich pork fat of the belly. Moreish.

Last but not least, a wobbly comforting steamed egg. Combining standard eggs, century eggs (which are dark in colour and add a slightly chalkier texture) and salted egg yolks, this is simply steamed and served with a bit of soy. The subtle contrast in textures of the egg, combined with the bursts of flavour from the salted egg yolks combine to form an incredibly satisfying and comforting dish.

HK Diner is one of the few restaurants which seems to have stood the test of time. It isn't going to win any awards for it's food, but it's decent and enjoyable and for around £20 a head, you can eat enough food to fill you beyond capacity (tick list point 3).

*This post was sponsored by Cox and Kings as part of their Chinatown review challenge. Check them out, they put together some pretty great holidays to China amongst other places*

HK Diner - 22 Wardour Street, London W1D 6QQ

"What I Ate Weekly" 3/4 - Illness, Chinese New Year and a truly Quality Chop House

2013-02-25T00:21:00.001Z

Being sick doesn't half know how to put a dampener on things. Snivelling, coughing, sneezing, complaining that my throat hurts ALL the time. But these are not the worst thing about being ill, not even close. It's the lack of appetite, an idea so alien to me that it took a virus to remind me how utterly depressing not wanting to eat is.

So that is why there is no week 3, it was pretty much a write off with one highlight, a dinner at the Old Quality Chop House. After a few drinks at the new Four Roses popup bar under the Zetter Townhouse (up there with my favourite bars in London), I headed with the venerable Gin Monkey for some food to mop up the bourbon.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, its previous incarnation was a restaurant selling meatballs which I previously hadn't heard particular great things about. This version seems to have strong British and Italian influences. Sharing a plate of charcuterie to start set the whole meal off on a good footing. Delicious cured meats, but hardly genius cooking. Morcilla and apple sauce may not have been the prettiest thing to look at but was also extremely moreish, with the apple compote not too sweet and breaking up the richness of that blood sausage perfectly.

Where the Quality Chop house really came into it's element was the meat. The longhorn fillet may not have been cheap, but was cooked to medium rare perfection. Served with watercress, nuggets of bone marrow and a pickled walnut, each mouthful was a joy. Even the nuggets of bone marrow that I have never been that fond of injected that little depth of beefy flavour. The Quality Chop house is a great place, and even though we only ate in the bar area, I look forward to going back to try out their ever changing set menu in the dining room.

The Quality Chop House - 94 Farringdon Rd, London, Greater London EC1R 3EA

So, the on-set of sickness hit and I managed to miss two eagerly anticipated meals. One was a leaving party at the institution that is Tayyabs (if you ever need some fantastic curries and grilled meats, this is the place) and the launch of Melba (a new platform to find and eat at some of Londons supperclubs). Thankfully come Sunday, I had managed to get take a break from generally feeling crap to spend Chinese New Year with my family.

Every year, we end up at the same restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen in Bayswater. Our family have been coming here regularly over the last 20 years and I think you would struggle to find a better version of lobster noodles or aromatic duck in London. Some of the other things it does well here are their deep fried baby squid (packed with chilli and garlic, and one of my favourite things in London), their dry fried chicken, chilli and onion dish, and maybe best of all, their off the menu truffle, mushroom and tofu special, which is indeed very special. Rounding off all the food, the traditional Yee Sang, a raw salmon and jellyfish salad with all sorts of other bits and pieces, flung into the air by all at the table and cheered with gusto to see in the year of the Black Water Snake.

Mandarin Kitchen - 4-16 Queensway, Paddington, London W2 3RX

One of the best burgers you're going to find in London can be found at Lucky Chip, a successful convert from mobile burger shack to bricks and mortar. From Netil Market to a semi-perm residency at the Sebright Arms in Hackney, you can gorge on fries in many guises (truffle oil, cheese, chilli, all of the above, not forgetting the wasabi and ginger mayo version) and burgers named after movie stars. The special on the night, a Danny Trejo, was a punchy mix of jalapeno, bacon and sour cream amongst other things, and will set you back just under a tenner. I would go as far to say as Lucky Chip are currently best in class and unmissable if you love burgers.

Carrying on the Chinese New Year celebrations, a feast at Goldmine with friends. Located in the heart of Londons 2nd Chinatown (the Bayswater/Queensway area is awash with great Chinese restaurants), we feasted on all sorts of great Cantonese fare. Steamed egg three ways was a new dish on me, and a perfect banqueting dish. Best of all is their roast duck, a "signature" dish of so many Cantonese restaurants. Here, the meat is moist, tender and roasted to perfection. Rumour has it that students heading back to the East come here to take some duck home then, vac packed on site. If that isn't endorsement enough, I'm not sure what is.

Goldmine - 102 Queensway, Paddington, London W2 3RR

So there it is, a fortnight punctuated by illness but book ended by good eats. Hope you enjoyed.

Vigo, where it's all about the fish...(Day 1)

2013-02-17T23:19:00.000Z

At the end of last year, I got an email asking me if I wanted to go to Spain and learn a bit more about Galicia. Initial reaction, was this a joke? Secondary reaction, where the hell was Vigo? I'm a Geography graduate, so that last point was pretty embarrassing but once I realised this wasn't some sort of elaborate wind up, I keenly said yes. This was after all, my first invite abroad. And I was pretty damn excited by it.

Vigo (as Google Maps swiftly revealed) is located just north of Portugal, deep in the heart of Galicia, and as it turns out, one of of the biggest fishing ports in the whole of Europe. I was slightly worried about the itinerary, containing an assortment of seafood related activities including fish markets and an outing on a fishing boat. It was Winter and I am hesitant about seafood at the best of times. But what's the point of writing this blog if it wasn't about learning?

Staying in the heart of "new" Vigo, we were put up in the Gran Hotel Nagari, five star accommodation. The hotel is home to a rooftop spa boasting a grand view if Vigo. Or so it claimed. Sadly, I wasn't allowed up there so I can't really comment on how bad or good it was. My room, on the other hand was lovely, as were the staff and the location is pretty close to the old town and Maruja Limon, the solitary Michelin starred restaurant in Vigo, and incidentally, the destination for the first night in Vigo.

To start, a little about the wine of the region. Throughout the meal, we were served one white and one red, but played a few tasting games including being blindfolded and tasting at different temperatures to pick up the subtle nuances of each. The white, an Albarino which is a grape common to the region, was the star of the show and as the focus of this meal was around the seafood of the area, matched well with many of the dishes we ate throughout the evening.

The first bite of marinated tuna-esque fish set the tone, a light and fresh mouthful, swiftly followed by a delicate veal carpaccio with parmesan. Each subtle mouthful, heightened by little accents like the mustard in the carpaccio and the diced tomato with the tuna.

I'm not going to lie, I don't remember what was in every dish I ate. I have pictures, but with the limited Spanish I know, most of my memories are just that, just supported by a liberal use of Google translate. An unknown fish started the banquet in earnest, dusted with a liberal shaving of macadamia nuts. Next, a mullet dish with lightly pickled vegetables. Simple, elegant but just what the fish needed to shine. I've never really understood the fuss around fish before, as often found it bland and dull, but these dishes let the fish speak for each itself, and when it's as fresh as this, it's hard not to enjoy.

The best dish of the night came next, a truffle and savoury egg custard with nuggets of bacon and mushrooms. We were urged to dig deep into our little bowls, and with each spoonful, a different balance of flavours revealed itself. A wonderful dish that left us licking our bowls.

Back to another fish, this time with an artichoke and seaweed sauce. I don't remember ever having enjoyed such a fish based meal, but I guess that I have never eaten fresher, which clearly makes the difference. After the fish, was our final savoury course, an odd combination of sweetbreads and grapes in a cheese sauce. Put simply, I have never enjoyed sweetbreads. I put them up their in the league of the devil alongside anchovies. The texture, the fattiness and the aftertaste are all too challenging for me and this dish sadly did nothing to change my mind.

The desserts were extraordinary. A sorbet of green apple had such surprising clarity of flavour, and paired with celery, pineapple and tangerine in a juice with a slight savoury tang left me yearning more. A final dessert of "False truffle" arrived looking like a rather large summer truffle. Inside, a chocolate truffle, completing the witty play on on words. A joke doesn't really work if it doesn't eat well, but there was nothing funny about this. This was a serious dessert.

On reflection, the whole meal at Maruja Limon was extraordinary. I learnt a little about the wine of Galicia and it's subtle nuances, I learnt a little about the different types of fish and its individual flavours, I even got to try a sip of the first Galician gin, but most of all, I learnt that there is nothing quite like a fresh fish supper.

So day 1 was a great introduction to Vigo. A wonderful meal and a wonderful hotel. According to my agenda, day 2 was going to teach me all about the fishing trade that manifests itself everywhere in Vigo. I couldn't wait.

Maruja Limon - Restaurante Maruja Limón, Victoria, 4 (Plaza Compostela), 36201 Vigo

Hotel Gran Nagari - Plaza Compostela, 21, 36201 Vigo

"What I ate" Weekly - Issue TWO

2013-02-06T18:59:00.006Z

The best way to kick off the week is vodka, right? Well, that's exactly what I did when I attended an LCS event with Vestal Vodka. Coming out of Poland (with an Anglo-Kiwi twist), this vodka is different in many ways, although the focus is on it's single filtration, the "terroir" and age of its potatoes, and it's concept of small batch vintage. It has a pretty interesting (and initially not entirely pleasing) smell, but once you drink it, I picked up the strange nuances of apple and bubblegum, challenging but not displeasing. Over the night, I sampled the entire current Vestal range and emerged from the Vestal Vaults very much converted, only something an evening with the London Cocktail society can do.

Learn a bit more about Vestal Vodka HERE

I'm not gonig to deny it, I have a bit of an obsession with ramen at the moment. I've always loved noodle soup, and the latest influx of ramen restaurants has just fuelled this obsession. Bonedaddies is my current favourite, but after an initially disappointing outfit (to be fair, it was very early days), I thought I would give Tonkotsu another go for lunch. I'm glad I did as it was infinitely better. The tonkotsu broth was ridiculously rich (probably a little too porky for me), although my soy ramen had just the right balance. The chashu pork was plentiful and retained bite, packed with flavour. I can't help thinking that the whole bowl and experience was a little underwhelming though, lacking the fun and variety of Bonedaddies, but please don't misunderstand, this is in no way a bad ramen. It's just that my heart (and bowl) lies with another.

Tonkotsu - 63 Dean Street, London W1D 4QG

I've never visited Bambuni in Nunhead before, crazy really as it is so close to where I live, but it was the venue for one in a series of Gran Luchito supperclubs. Being early for once, I wandered around the shop and was astounded with the cornucopia of delights on the shelves and in the fridge. As soon as the other guests arrived, we started to tuck into a range of Gran Luchito inspired dished by Tiffany of Kitchen Conversations. My personal favourite was the pork tamale, steamed corn husks containing tender pork. I loved the smoky Gran Luchito, and have an inclination that I may be spooning it on everything. Grabbing a few goodies off the shelves, I left vowing to return for some ham, cheese and a cup of coffee (which uses beans from local SE London supplier Volcano).

More pictures of the night can be found HERE, and please visit the Gran Luchito website to find out more about their roving Supperclubs HERE.

The end of the week took me deep into Dalston, probably one of the strangest neighbourhoods in the whole of London. On the way to Shanghai (restaurant, not city), I walked past men and women in suits, hipsters painting a wall advertising a tea shop with a vintage vibe and a scary old mans pub with groups of old drunk men by the door shouting indecipherable obscenities at each other. Shanghai itself is just as mental, a tatty looking pie and mash shop fronting, leading to a large, far more modern looking dining space out the back. The food was decent enough, with cracking aromatic duck and mediocre dumplings, but we all had a decent time chugging Tsingtao, playing coin eye spy and generally making lots of noise.

So two out of two. Not looking too shabby so far.

"What I ate" Weekly - Issue 1

2013-01-29T18:29:00.001Z

So this weekly round up is going to be a "thing" for me. Let's call it a trade off to try and at least keep up and get some constant content on here.

First out of the traps, the guys at Paul's Pies. Randomly, I used to work with one of the guys behind this, and he got back in touch letting me know about his new venture. "Do you want to try some pies?" he said. "Hell yes" I said. A few days later, a delivery arrived packed with four handmade and rather excellent pies. Dinner for the week sorted. Each pie is hand made and packed with whatever the box says (I think the venison and mushroom was my favourite). Knock up some mash and gravy and you'll have a rather excellent dinner. Thanks guys!

You can get your hands on a pie through their website HERE.

One of the highlights of the week was an unsurprisingly excellent meal at Silk Road in Camberwell. A local favourite selling Tsingtao for a couple of quid and a host of reasonably priced dishes from the Xinjiang region of China. We devoured the menu in under an hour and left as satisfied as food and beer can leave you. Order the lamb skewers, aubergine, homestyle cabbage and their dumplings. Roll home.

Here is my old post on Silk Road.

Tuesday saw me visit The Thatched, a lovely pub located in the heart of Ravenscourt Park, for a test run of Tim Andersons (he of Masterchef fame) menu of his upcoming restaurant Nanban. Based around the food from the South Island of Japan (Kyushu), we tried a number of strange dishes, from lotus root to ramen to kinako buttercream (or roasted soybean to the unaquainted). Best of the lot was a cheesy vegetable curry crowned by a slow cooked egg, crazy in conception but it just drags you in for that one more spoonful. Look out for the official Nanban opening in the next few months.

Nanbans FB page is HERE.

For a couple of months, my friends and I have been plotting to get away for a few days, them predominantly from their wives, me, away from the hustle and bustle of London. How we settled on Deal in Kent, I have no idea, but it's close, has a rather drab pier, and more pubs than you can shake a stick at. It was a pretty slack weekend of pubs, pizzas and pound coins (couldn't resist sticking some money into the fruit machines), with little gastronomy in sight. Thankfully, we came to our senses before our drive home and ended up at the Black Douglas Cafe on the Deal seafront, an excellent cafe recommended by Marina O'Laughlin. In our state, only the Black Douglas big breakfast would do, and the end results were exactly what was needs. I loved the look of the proper menu too and it was packed on the Sunday we were leaving, which I guess says more about it than I can write in this paragraph.

More info on the Black Douglas cafe can be found HERE.

So there you go, roundup 1 done. Lets see if I can keep this up for another 49 weeks....

The Lazy Posts of 2012: Part 1 - The Pricy Ones

2013-01-23T18:59:00.001Z

There seems to be a trend of “lost posts” going on at the moment, posts which got lost in the draft sections of their blog archive. This post is not a lost posts writeup, but a lazy posts write up. This has nothing to do with being lost, these have been sitting penned in ink upon my notepad next to me, staring at me whenever I sit down to type anything at my computer.

So here they are, the lazy posts, written up lazily, but hopefully with enough to help make you decide whether it could be your cup of tea, or just another herbal teabag destined to be languishing at the back of your store cupboard. Part one (oh yes, there will be at least THREE parts) will be about the places on the slightly dearer end of the scale.

The Classic Posh One: The Square, Mayfair

Now, I really should have written something about this earlier, because the food was very very well executed, and as good an example of classic French techniques as you will find anywhere in London, I would imagine. I was there for a little blogger dinner for the launch of Phil Howards new cookbook, an anthology of savoury recipes. Apparently, this had been many years in the making and I can see why. It’s a beautiful and bountiful cookbook containing recipes for beginners up to the pros.

In summary, a flawless masterclass of classic cooking.

Check out the book HERE, and more photos of the food HERE.

The Square - 6-10 Bruton Street, London W1J 6PU

The Next Big Thing: Upstairs at the Ten Bells, Shoreditch

In a stark comparison to the Square, the food I ate at the Ten Bells with the Young Turks in residence was about as cutting edge as you can find in London at the moment. Formed by a few guys who have come from some of the best restaurants in the world, expect pine flavoured fried chicken, mackerel with pickled melon and olives, and one of the best dishes I had in 2012, a pork, sweetcorn and peach dish which inspired me to cook something similar at home. Suffice to say, it wasn’t as good.

I love what these guys are doing, and their residency at the Ten Bells is now permanent with some of their chefs still working in the kitchen (led by Giorgio Ravelli). The Young Turks will be opening up their own restaurant in Shoreditch Town Hall soon. Destined to be a success so keep your eyes open for this one.

For more pics, please click HERE

Upstairs at the Ten Bells - 84 Commercial Street, London E1 6LY

The One Where The Scary Chinese Owner Gets Me Into A Headlock: Hunan, Pimlico

Hunan had been on my to do list for as long as I have been writing this blog and is quite an institution down in Pimlico. The principle is old school Cantonese banquet, a never ending sequence of dishes which only stops when your stomach yields and waves the white flag. Getting a group together is not essential, but it is quite an experience best shared with others.

Over the course of the evening, we covered a whole selection of food groups, from the humble green bean to every meat known to man. Half the time I had no idea what I was eating, but that mostly didn’t matter, it was all pretty decent. There is no heavy seasoning or use of MSG, with the aim of letting the main flavours come through central to its ethos, although slightly unfortunate in some instances where lack of seasoning was definitely an issue. On the whole though, loved Hunan, it’s conveyor belt of mostly excellent food and a hat tip to the chef who having smacked me round the head and got me in a headlock, was great entertainment (for my friends mostly).

Click HERE for more pictures of the meal.

Hunan - 51 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8NE

The first of 2013: The two faces of Bubbledogs

2013-01-06T19:27:00.001Z

First up this year, and one of last years successes for me, a bit of both at Bubbledogs &. And when I mean both, I mean opposite sides of the foodie spectrum. Out the front, you will find a queue snaking out the front all the way down Charlotte Street, waiting for their turn to tuck into a selection of hot dogs (pork, beef and veggie) covered in all sorts of delicious accompaniments. To drink, a selection of grower champagnes selected carefully by wine buff Sandia Chang, or a decent selection cocktails made and shaken to order by people who actually know what they are doing.

The dogs taste great and come with that essential snap of the skin, releasing all the meaty juices held within. For me, a hot dog with no snap is like a sad bowl of soggy Rice Krispies, mushy and undesirable. Toppings are inspired from all over the world, with kimchi, chilli, truffle and even red cabbage adorning the dogs. Personal favourites are the BLT, which is a dog wrapped in bacon, and topped with caramelized lettuce and truffle mayo, and the Small Eye (in the pic above), a combination of pickled veg and sriracha, akin to a hot dog stuffed banh mi.

I'm not massively into bubbly or queueing, but I do love cocktails and hot dogs. Book a table for 6 in advance, gather a few friends together and go and eat the menu, you won't be disappointed. If you're a sadist and want to torture yourself, get there at half seven and wait in the queue. Not advised as these get kind of crazy long, so basically either book or start queueing early. Oh, and don't forget sides of tater tots, the best sweet potato fries I have ever had, dipped in bowls of cheese wizz (artificial cheesy artery glue). Dirty but satisfying.

Step through the curtains at the back and you enter the realm of the "&". In front of you is the most beautiful open plan kitchen, with a horseshoe shaped bar seating surrounding the hot plates and prep areas. This section is very much the domain of James Knappett, husband to Sandia, and orchestrator in chief behind that curtain. Every week, James plans his menus around the produce that his suppliers choose to send him. Only the best in season will hit your plates and you will never get the same menu twice.

James has had experience in so many top kitchens, it wouldn't be outlandish to say that his CV reads like a list of ther worlds best. Per Se, The French Laundry, Noma, The Ledbury, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, a pretty impressive bunch. All this experience has finally culminated in his own place serving his own food. I've bumped into James a few times wandering around Maltby Street Market; jovial, friendly, buying ingredients to cook and eat with. At the Kitchen Table, his attention was devoted to the food, meticulous with each dish and orchestrating his chefs with ease and calm.

There is no a la carte, with just two tasting menus differing in length as your options (I forget how long they are but I went with the 12 course menu, the longer one). Each listed menu item was simply summarised in one word, not giving away what each dish had in store. I'm not sure the menu helped all that much anyway, as each dish was a surprise and a delight.

Take "Cod, for example. What arrived was a delightfully light cod roe based taramasalata, served with curls of pork crackling to dip and scrape. I'm not a massive fan of taramasalata, it's fishy pungency and salty fishy tang embodies much of what put me off fish in the first place when I was a kid. This, however, was something different altogether. That salty fishy tang was still present, but was whipped smooth and creamy, without being overly pungent. The crunchy puffed pig skin wasn't heavily salted and the combination of crunch, salt, fish and a few other ingredients just left me wanting more. Lick the bowl clean good, the best dish of the lot for me (I may or may not have done any licking).

I'm not going to go through every dish, but each one came prepared in unconventional ways or came paired with with ingredients that I had never tried together before. A whimsical take on a lobster mac and cheese (in the pic above), a classic seaside combination of mackerel and oysters, venison rack with a side of venison pie, a superb Meyer Lemon sponge, straight from California. Each dish carefully presented, each dish plated with precision in front of you, a unique experience I don't think you can find anywhere else in London.

The Bubbledogs package is something quite unique for London and in this ever expanding city of restaurants, it's always pleasing to see something so unique take off. Struggle with the crowds out the front for a chance to scoff down some hotdogs and champagne or sneak behind the curtain for one of the best tasting menus in town.

[For more photos, please click here]

Bubbledogs& - 70 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QG

Benares - An East meets West love story

2012-11-24T13:56:00.000Z

When I was a youngster, I was lucky enough to be exposed to all sorts of food. My parents have always loved eating and I learned to appreciate food from all over the world. I may have been principally a fussy eater, but one of my favourite cuisines was Indian food. Fuelled with my dads love of it, it appeared regularly as a dinner option. Thing is, the regularity of this meal started to wear me out, and over the years, I guess you can say that my interest had waned.

Only recently has this changed. More and more contemporary Indian restaurants are opening like Dishoom, Trishna, Delhi grill, Roti Chai etc... all building on those traditional Indian flavours and modernising them for London restaurant goers. With all these amazing places, it's hard not to get the taste back.

Benares has been a relative old timer sitting alongside these young bucks, with head chef Atul Kochar focusing on combining Indian flavours with English influences. It was somewhere I had always wanted to visit, and I was kindly invited along for a little tasting.

Meeting the chef is always a massive bonus at these sort of events and I have always admired Atuls attitude to food, passionate and positive. Here we learnt of the ethos behind his cooking and his love of the ingredients that his adopted country provided him, embracing Britain and India. In the kitchen, we watched him cook soft shell crab and the most ridiculously large scallops.

Back at the table, we continued to be spoilt. To start, I opted for a Chicken Tikka pie, or Khasta Murgh to give it it's proper name. Yeah, I know, ridiculous, but in the very best way. It just had to be ordered and boy was I glad I did. A clash of cultures forming just about one of the best pies I have ever tasted. Light pastry, tangy chutney all complementing the richly spiced but wonderfully balanced chicken tikka filling. A wonder on the plate and just about one of the most perfect things I have ever eaten.

My main of cannon of lamb was such a delicate piece of meat, cooked to a perfect pink with a light touch of spice. A little samosa of umbles (or innards) had a delicate offal taste, nothing too invasive thankfully as that would have been a bit too much for me. And those potatoes, oh my. Simple crushed potatoes apparently but they were so damn good and packed with seasoning, culminating with the most amazing potato flavour. Add a little artichoke and a drizzle of rogan josh sauce, and you get a dish which looks very British, elevated by touches of Indian influenced spicing.

I ended up with a betel leaf baba, which had a pleasant medicinal tang to it, pepped up by a sweet passionfruit cream and tart spoonfuls of passionfruit. Other desserts were equally mesmerising with a bhapa doi and peanut butter and chocolate tube with jaggery cake all embracing the East meets West flavours that we had experienced throughout the night.

The prices are painful in places (think £30 mains territory) and you would be lucky to escape a bill of less than a £100, but for me, Benares is one of those special restaurants. The food is just so precisely balanced in spicing and seasoning, as well as not putting a foot wrong in the cooking. A very modern British take on traditional Indian flavours, an unexpected evolution from the famous British curry houses.

FYI, I was invited along by the PR with a few others. Just in case that wasn't clear.

Benares - 12a Berkeley Square House Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6BS

Hong Kong pt 2: You Dim Sum, you lose some

2012-11-17T14:55:00.000Z

Mid Autumn Festival fireworks

Many of the London Dim Sum restaurants are Cantonese in origin, with Hong Kong being a heavy influence. With this in mind, I was fully expecting Hong Kong to be a dumpling fuelled nirvana but for the most part, I couldn't help but think that a lot of the stuff we can get in London is actually of a pretty high standard.

One of the places on my must visit list was Tim Ho Wan, famously awarded a Michelin star and subsequently recognised as the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. You clearly don't get this sort of acknowledgement without doing something right, and since their award, they have opened a few branches across Hong Kong. I was told the best branches were located on the mainland, but as I often found myself shuttling through the IFC mall (it's en route to the ferry terminal), I opted to give the newer branch under Hong Kong station a go.

Being situated on a mezzanine level under the main entrance to the station, I found it remarkably tricky to find, although after going up and down a few escalators, I managed to locate it, mainly by the small huddle of people outside waiting for a seat. As a solo diner, I was sat almost immediately and ticked a few boxes on their short English version menu. Service is brusque but efficient, and the rate at which the food is churned out is remarkable, and probably one of the reasons why the end product was ultimately so disappointing. Asparagus dumplings with shrimp and wasabi was terrible to eat, mainly owing to the thick dumpling skin, beef and egg rice was incredibly bland, and (normally one of my personal favourite) Wu Kok (or yam croquettes) were given the THW twist with a filling of salad cream. Mental.

Not everything disagreed, as their cheung fun (erm, like Chinese canneloni?) were light and good to eat, whilst their siu mai were packed with pork and prawn. To be honest, I'm not sure what happened here, as their were plenty of people eating and plenty of people waiting, but this was definitely not my cup of tea.

[Tim Ho Wan - Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall) , Central]

One of my lasting memories of eating Dim Sum as a child would be New World in Chinatown, a vast three storey dumpling spewing beast with trollies containing through the aisles laden with fried and steamed goods, coursing like lifeblood through the building. The minute I entered Maxim's, I drew many paralells. Massive banqueting-hall-esque room with trolleys snaking their way around the tables.

The food itself was ok, but really nothing amazing. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but there was no wow, just mediocre grunts of "mmm". The steamed stuff was nice enough, but lacking in seasoning, the fried stuff also decent, but it all tasted quite...normal. In fact, the thing that amused me the most were the little video screens on the front of certain trollies. I was beginning to wonder if this vision of a dim sum nirvana was just some sort of pipe dream.

[City Hall Maxim's Palace - 2nd Floor, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central]

The minute I entered Din Tai Fung in Causeway Bay, all this ennui dissipated. This place rules. Now, to add a bit of context, Mr Noodles has been banging on about this chain for as long as I have known him, and has even created an online petition to try and bring this restaurant to London. After my visit, I couldn't agree with him more.

The thing that DTF is renowned for are their Xiu Long Bau (or soup dumplings). As you enter the building, walk past the cheery little XLB man and enter the waiting area (it is highly likely you will have to queue). You can peer into a big window showing all the staff studiously churning out dumpling after dumpling. You get given the short menu stub and start ticking away. Although it is clear this is not a devoted dim sum restaurant, there are plenty of dumpling options.

The XLB were one of the best I have eaten anywhere. Thin, almost translucent dumpling skin, strong enough to hold in its contents while delicate enough to sag with its juicy cargo when lifted. I loved that there was a little instruction guide on how to eat these, but I favour the "bite the top off, let it cool (for a bit), suck the soup, eat the rest" method. A portion of 6 may have been a bit excessive for just one man, but I snarfed the lot in record time.

Other dishes included one of my favourites, a simple but perfectly executed fried rice. Eat this with the battered pork chop and it will soon be one of your favourites too. Siu mai (pork and prawn steamed dumplings) came with their own little prawn hats and were meaty yet delicate, lesser places will turn these into stodgy meatballs wrapped in wanton skin.

So there is much to love about Din Tai Fung and if you look closely at Mr Noodles' petition, my name should be down there amongst the many many others. It would be great if they did make a trip into London as I think out of all the wonderful food we have here, it would be great if we could get an affordable Cantonese restaurant here serving good quality, consistent and most importantly of all, delicious food.

[Din Tai Fung - Shop G3-11, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay]

Lung Hing Keen is one of four three Michelin starred restaurants in Hong Kong, but the only Chinese one. I've often wondered what makes Chinese food worthy of such rewards and was ultimately intrigued by Lung Hing Keen and wanted to give it a go. Through some strange and very lucky circumstance, I was invited to meet the lovely head of marketing at LKH along with my friend who organised it all, and proceeded to work my way through one of the best meals of the whole trip.

Sticking mostly to the dim sum menu, plate after plate of the most delicate and flavoursome dim sum hit the table only to be scoffed seconds later. Lobster and prawn dumplings served elegantly with the tail skywards, the prawn as eager to get in there as I was. Perfectly steamed scallop dumplings with the lightest dumpling skin clinging to the succulent seafood. Even the siu long bao came with their own little baskets, so to avoid any of the deep broth inside escaping the hefty touch of a wayward chopstick.

Best of all were these tiny abalone and chicken dumplings. The pastry so short that they just crumble on your tongue, and a glaze of meat juices so glossy you can see your happy face before devouring each one. Baked char siu (BBQ pork) buns were light and packed with meat, not crimson red as I'm so accustomed to in the UK. Every single thing was so wonderfully executed that I wanted to avoid all chat and just eat.

Finishing off this most decadent meal with tiny custard puffs (another outstanding piece of pastry), I couldn't help but lean back and think what a lucky boy I really was. As you would expect from a 3 star restaurant, the bill would be very steep, and in a city where so much great food is available at a fraction of the price, I would feel pretty guilty in doing so. But the thing is, as with anything in life, you get what you pay for and you can't put a price on memories and those abalone puffs will live in mine for a long time to come.

[Lung Hing Keen - Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central]

So there it is, part 2 of my Hong Kong roundup, from the ridiculous to the sublime, although sadly not even scratching the dim sum landscape in Hong Kong. Next stop, a few words about my stay in Hanoi.

[More pics this way...]

[Mini Bites] No waffle on Duck & Waffle

2012-11-08T11:00:00.000Z

So one of the most covered openings in the blogosphere over the last 6 months has to be Duck & Waffle, a restaurant located on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower in Bishopsgate, and subsequently, contender for most awesome view in London while you eat. So much has been written about this already (like here, here, here and here just to name a few) that I will keep this very brief. The food on offer is essentially "British Fusion", British ingredients and inspiration in most part, with ingredients and ideas from the rest of the world.

For the most part, the food is really decent. With most dishes based around sharing (small plates etc...), we managed to order a decent amount amongst the four of us. Snacks of crispy pigs ears and battered cods tongues get the party started, and scallop with apple to follow acts as the most decadent palate cleanser.

I enjoyed some of other small plates like the smoked haddock scotch eggs and the nduja clams, but others like the tuna sashimi and the bacon wrapped dates did little for me sadly. However, one thing not be missed is the dish that the restaurant is named after, the Duck and Waffle. A seemingly strange combination, but I am a big admirer of sweet and salty combos and this dish combines both those tastes with an excellent confit duck sat on a soft waffle, and topped with a fried duck egg. The best bit, however, is the little pot of mustard maple syrup which has to be dumped all over the dish for maximum effect.

Duck and Waffle is one of those places which manages to back up it's outstanding view over London with good food. Drinks are City prices (for that read pricy) which is a understandable if not disappointing, but one major advantage is that it now operates 24 hours of the day. I like it and will definitely be back, be it on a hot date (fat chance) or with mates (much more likely).

Duck and Waffle - Heron Tower | 110 Bishopsgate | London EC2N 4AY

p.s. For full disclosure, the chef sent us over a few free dishes. How we knew we were there, no idea, but the sentiment was appreciated.

[more pics]

Bringing the joy back: Rita's Bar and Dining

2012-11-03T12:43:00.002Z

It's been a barren few months for my poor old blog, but after the shock of having written a bonafide blog post last week had worn off, I thought I would try and make an effort, and keep it up. Truth is, and strange enough to say, after nearly four years of blogging, it's started to feel like a real slog. Hard work, little gain, and recently, my real life has just demanded that little more of me. I think of the blogs I used to love reading, like American in London and World Foodie guide, and see how their life has simply taken precedence, and while I miss them and can finally understand why they stepped away. I don't think it's quite Game Over for me yet, but it's strangely satisfying to admit that I came pretty close.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about Rita's, because in short, this is one of those places which always seem to make me happy. Set in the heart of Dalston (for now at least, I believe that the premises are temporary until they find their own place), it may come as a surprise to some the effort I made to get there. Now most people who know me are probably accustomed to my rather outspoken view of the East of London. In a nutshell, I have never been too fond of it but have definitely grown to tolerate the area, particularly fuelled by it's rather excellent array of bars. But Dalston, it's just so so far away. All that said, I like the venue. I like the classroom-like desks and chairs, the little strips of neon light giving the room colour and the overall clean and simple urban feel of the place. Young, old, hipster, city boy, all packed into one room. You won't find a more eclectic clientele in London.

The food too, it's great. The theme is America with splashes of the rest of the world, and somehow, it really works. Best in class are the items closest resembling burgers. The patty melt is uncomplicated and pretty awesome. Take a smashed patty covered with slow cooked onions and cheese, squeeze it all between two excellent slices of carraway seeded bread and chuck the thing into a sandwich toaster. The most filthy pimped out cheese toastie I have ever had, and I loved every second.

Better still is their chicken burger. Served in a paper bag (which I still don't really get), it is everything you could possibly want from a chicken burger. The chicken is crisp and succulent, the bun has that slightly stick-to-your-mouth texture which really appeals to me and is slicked with ample mayo and lettuce. I have no idea what spices they put into this thing, but it might as well be fairy dust as the minute you open the bag, poof, the burger disappears within a matter of moments. Magic.

I could go into every item of the menu I have tried and loved, but you would probably get very bored. So to summarise the rest of the must eats, you really need to give the soy and ginger hot wings a bash, as well as the comforting green chilli mac and cheese. The wings were a new discovery as they never really appealed. I'm not particularly enamoured with ginger and wings are fiddly little things. I would much rather just eat another one of their chicken burgers instead. On my last visit however, I was surrounded by tables ordering wings, and being the sheep that I am, I had to order them for myself and my god they were good. Sticky, hot and so moreish, led by sweet soy and backed up by subtle ginger and chilli. The green chilli mac n cheese is an excellent accompaniment, being a good rendition of the faithful American classic, lifted by a punchy green chilli salsa.

There are always interesting specials on the menu, so I highly recommend keeping your eyes out for them. Varying from lamb ribs to things like ox heart tacos, I've never had a dish I didn't enjoy. The thing is with Rita's, there's something about it which is just so damn likeable. It might be the fact that I am normally a couple frozen margaritas deep by the time I eat (which are equally potent and delicious), or it might be the fact that the food is great with prices which are incredibly reasonable. Whatever it is, it has managed to achieve the impossible as I appear to have a constant hankering to head back to the East. Quite amazing what effect good food can have on me.

Rita's Bar and Dining @ Birthdays - 33-35 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BJ

[more pics]

Hong Kong eats and fun times. MEGA POST

2012-10-24T23:33:00.003+01:00

I'm back in more ways than one. As well as this being the first post in about three months (general blogging malaise), I'm back from my lovely holiday out in Asia and boy have I got a lot of tasty eats to bring you. First stop, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is an amazing place, full of the future and the past, with skyscrapers towering over nearby temples. Over the week I was there, I managed to eat in small side street cafes and Michelin starred restaurants alike (there are a lot of those), and stuck to as much Chinese food as possible. No point trying to eat anything I can get out here in London. Amongst my favourite eats was the roasted goose and char siu rice at Yung Kee.

Originally, my initial goal was to eat some roasted meats at Joy Hing, a renowned restaurant in Wan Chai specialising in roasted meats. Sadly, it was shut over the bank holiday weekend, so I had to look for alternatives. Yung Kee is one of those places which has become part of Hong Kong history. Talking to people who grew up in Hong Kong, I heard that it was a place where one set of parents had there wedding reception, and another whose mother used to get their lunch there. Over the years, it has developed, grown and refined, and is now one of Hong Kong's many Michelin starred restaurants.

I was only there for a quick lunch, and had never had roast goose before, and in a twist of my quest for the perfect "roast duck and crispy pork", added some barbecued pork. What arrived was a majestic plate of meat enhanced by the pouring of goose gravy (fat) all over the edges. Crisp goose skin, rich meat, similar to duck but seemingly deeper in flavour, and the leanest, smoky sweet pork. All this cost about 70 HKD, which is about £6. An absolute bargain.

As I was staying out near Sheung Wan, I thought a brisk walk into the center of town would be a great activity for my first day. Thing is, I hadn't counted on the fact that it was a blazing 35C outside, and it didn't take long before I needed food and shelter. For Kee is a little kitchen/cafe hidden off Hollywood Road specialising in one thing, pork chop. Have it in noodles, in soup, or the most popular option, on rice. After a bit of pointing, I got my plate of rice and meat. Quick, easy and tasty. Ultimate comfort food, and all for just 48 HKD (£4). Once you're done, hop by round the corner to Teakha and digest with one of their speciality teas. The Keemun Black which was on that day was quite special.

Hong Kong is scattered with places to eat, and I always stick to the principle of "if it's full, it's probably decent". Taking this approach doesn't help you find the special little places hidden away though, and with space at such a premium, these places are everywhere. Take Sake Bar Ginn. Located on the 4th floor of what looks like an apartment block off Lan Kwai Fong (the bar area of Hong Kong), you would never find it if you didn't already know it was there. Up the lift is a tiny little sake bar, selling a variety of bites whilst you neck some of their excellent sake. We only ate a few things when we visited, but these included a mini bowl of excellent udon, a little cracker made up of tiny little fish staring at you as you eat them, and chicken knees. Tiny little battered and deep fried morsels packed with the flavour of chicken skin. Amazing little things.

Chicken was the order of the night as after our starters at Sake Bar Ginn, we moved onto Yardbird, a newish yakitori restaurant/bar modelled on modern Brooklyn, and remarkably similar to the kind of places you now find scattered around in London (think Spuntino, Pitt Cue and Bubbledogs, with a dash of Bincho). Inside, it has a bar upstairs and some seating downstairs, but the place is small and queueing is very much the order of the day. After a little while and some good cocktails, we managed to perch on the bar and decided to settle there. After all, the place was pumping, the music was rocking and the staff were pretty awesome too.

Once we got stuck into ordering, a basket of seriously kick ass chicken arrived. Lightly fried, well seasoned and each juicy morsel packed with chicken juices. Other stuff included meatballs with a chicken yolk as dressing, a bowl of chicken fried rice (which was more like a chicken skin risotto) and probably the best of all, four perfectly formed round sweetcorn fritters. All were devoured within minutes, not a kernel missed. Yardbird is not cheap, and probably ranks on the upper middle of Hong Kong dining. Expect to pay about £40 a head with a few drinks, but it's definitely worth it.

Falling back down to earth, one of the iconic dishes of Hong Kong is the simple bowl of wanton noodle soup. There are a couple of pretenders to the throne of best rendition of this dish, with Maks well rated and well covered in the blogs, but I opted for Tsim Chai Kee instead, a more traditional outpost. I can't vouch for the quality of Maks, but I was very happy with my bowl. Firm but yielding noodles, a broth which was actually more than just a vehicle for the noodles (like so many in London) and three large wantons packed with prawn. I split each wanton, spread it evenly amongst each mouthful of noodles and soup and slurped away happily crammed onto a table with strangers. 21 HKD later and I was done. Yep, less than £2, once again an absolute steal.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing one of my closest food buddies Charmaine. When she moved out back to HK from London, I lost a dining partner and a good friend. She was one of the reasons I wanted to revisit Hong Kong and she took good care of me whilst I was out there. One of the meals she organised was a visit to the Kimberley Hotel where we had pre ordered their speciality, a whole suckling pig.

Preceded by a deep fried chicken, a ridiculous ox tail broth, the suckling pig arrived whole, stuffed with sticky rice. Once sliced, it looked like quite a big task for just five of us, but we managed to destroy it in record time. It's hard to describe how good this was, but just imagine crisp porky skin all stuffed with sticky rice, encasing a weird root vegetable of sorts. Wonderful stuff.

The last stop on this mega round up of my Hong Kong eats is yet another one of those Hong Kong Michelin starred places, The Chairman. The Chairman is a restaurant with a difference. It is the first Chinese restaurant I have ever visited which seems to put an emphasis on using seasonal and local produce. The blurb on the inside cover would not be out of place on any of the new wave British restaurant where you would expect the words "local", "foraged" and "organic" scattered quite liberally throughout its menu. And in all fairness, it was like no Chinese meal I had ever had before.

Each dish we ate was interesting without being over complicated, with almost Western influences in a few. Whole crab in a wonderful Chinese Wine based sauce had me licking my bowl, even resorting to pouring the rest of the gravy into a little bowl for future dishes. Other dishes included a cuttlefish/chicken hybrid which sounds weird but tasted delicious and was arranged in a painstaking checkerboard fashion. Take these along side some more traditional dishes such as tofu and wild mushrooms, and slow cooked braised pork belly and you have somewhere which is a must visit.

So there it is, my monster Hong Kong post. The thing is, there's more. Much more. Stay tuned for some Dim Sum based goodness, and hopefully, I won't leave it so long this time.

Speaking Easy: Evans and Peel vs Dach and Sons

2012-08-25T14:38:00.002+01:00

In the ever evolving London bar scene, it seems merely calling yourself just a bar isn't enough. You seem to need a theme, apply some rules that are not to be broken or brew your own booze to stand out from the crowd. Once you're done, call yourself a speakeasy, adding an air of mystery, something that makes you feel that you're part of a special gang. Maybe a password, or a hidden door, or better still, keep yourself hidden out the back of some perfunctory diner.

Something like this seems to be opening every month here in London, and although the concept may seem quite contrived, it doesn't necessarily mean that the end product will disappoint. I was invited to try out Evans and Peel a while back and whilst it worked under some weird pseudo-charade, the cocktails were good which is essentially what every bar boils down to. Having said all that, I kind of liked the concept too. Masquerading as a "detective" agency a short stroll from Earls Court station, you buzz for entry at a door in an otherwise nondescript road and descend the stairs into what seems to be a small office to meet the detective. I was genuinely confused as to how we would get into the bar from the office, but one secret panel later and we were in.

The bar itself is lovely and have all the fittings and fixtures befitting what I would consider a "speakeasy". The bonus for me, a devout hater of standing and drinking/eating, is that there is a no standing policy, with plenty of space for seating, many of which were filled on my visit, providing a good drinking atmosphere. Personally, I found some of the food lacking, but it was early days and the team behind E and P were still developing the menu. With a lot of focus on smoking things (including cheesecake which was surprisingly delicious), I would highly recommend their macaroni cheese and squash salad to soak up the booze. I can't remember the specific drinks I had, but there were no duds. All well crafted whilst being interesting at the same time. (no pics of the food, it was REALLY dark)

The problem with competition is that you really need to be good to differentiate yourself and encourage repeat visits, especially if you aren't based right amongst the nightlife. I enjoyed Evans and Peel, finding it charming without overdoing "the theme" and will definitely be back. Sadly, I'm not sure the same can be said of my visit to Dach and Sons.

Located in the heart of Hampstead, it's the second venture from Purl, the popular bar based more centrally in Marylebone. Renowned for their molecular approach to cocktail making, I was excited to visit, especially with the promise of yet more American diner based food.

One thing to note is that Dach and Sons is more about the food than the drink, bringing aspects of their molecular approach to drinks into their food. The main room is large and contains a decent number of seats that you can plonk yourself down on and order. I found it pretty odd for an establishment with a well regarded bar upstairs, that there was only one cocktail and a limited drinks list. Nonetheless, the Julep that was on offer was decent enough.

The food sadly was greatly lacking. The hot dog had no snap, was underseasoned and had an extremely unpleasant texture, with a soft and porridge like consistency all the way through. The strange compressed chilli tomato topping led to the whole dog tasting more sweet than savoury. And the bun, too stiff and chewy.

The trio of sliders, all professing to contain a variety of different ingredients like bacon jam, smoked flexi-cheddar and a salt beef chilli, actually kind of tasted the same. We had to peer under their lids to figure out which was which, and often found us asking the other "Which one is this one meant to be?". Under-seasoned, lacking in real flavour from it's ingredients, these were sadly not greatly enjoyable.

It's a shame that all the main meat offerings from the menu were so poor. The sides we ordered were mostly decent with good fried pickles and an excellent dill flecked coleslaw. Once we had finished our food, we popped upstairs to the bar which as you would expect from Purl, smart, dimly lit and packed with a variety of cocktail gadgets. I can't help feeling that a lot of the add-ons are just for gimmicks sake, but you can't deny the showmanship of the bubbling Mr Hydes No 2, or my Counted but not out, accompanied by my very own little juniper oil burner. The cocktails are all expertly crafted and highly enjoyable, gimmick or no. The cocktails are definitely worth returning for, but I think the issue lies in that their main differentiator (the food) was so disappointing. I think I may just stick to the drinks in their Marylebone location. A bit closer to home and plenty of better places to eat nearby.

*I was invited to try out Evans and Peel, everything at Dach and Sons was paid for out of my own pocket*

Evans and Peel - 310c Earls Court Road, London SW5 9BA

Dach and Sons - 68 Heath St, London NW3 1DN

[Preview] - The Nomad Cinema ft. Salt Yard Group

2012-08-15T15:16:00.003+01:00

It was only the other day that I was reminiscing about grand open air cinemas, amphitheatres of the modern day. Just outside Frankfurt, where I grew up, I was taken as a treat to see The Goonies on a massive outdoor screen, bringing along all the junk food an eight year old would need (basically just a bag of sweets). The occasion, the screen, the film, they all still resonate within me. I know the weather in the UK is debateable at the best of times, but I do wonder why we don't have more outdoor drive in cinemas.

One thing we do seem to have plenty of is the "enhanced" cinema experience. Companies such as Secret Cinema and Future Cinema ply their trade by showing classics such as Bugsy Malone and Blade Runner, and enhance the experience by encouraging fancy dress and interactive elements with actors. However, the new boy on the pop up cinema scene is Nomad, a pop up cinema experience run by the Lexi Cinema. With all profits going to charity and food supplied none other than Salt Yard Group. this looks to be a pop up cinema experience with a difference.

I was invited to a preview of the food that will be available at these screenings, including hot dogs and their famous iberico burgers (sans foie gras this time). Think American comfort food with a Salt Yard twist. Of course the evening wouldn't be without popcorn, which can be ordered in either a smoked paprika or cinnamon and lemon version. Everything we tasted was excellent, even the rather odd yet moreish saffron and pistachio ice cream. If they are there, you have to get the salt cod croquettes which were complemented by a lemon and caper alioli. Great cinema food.

Check out the upcoming films and settle in for a night of good food and old time classics on a big screen in Hyde park.

SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST – QUEENS PARK –GOONIES (PG)
SATURDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER – QUEENS PARK –THE GRADUATE (15)
SATURDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER – QUEENS PARK –THE BIG LEBOWSKI (18)

Click HERE for more details

Lima, Fitzrovia

2012-07-29T20:29:00.000+01:00

When I read about the growth of Peruvian food in some article or another about a year ago, I dismissed this out of hand. The little I knew I of Peruvian food revolved around roasted guinea pigs and fish smothered in some sort of strange limey concoction, and had no idea how this food fad could justifiably develop into a "trend". Can't say that seemed too appealing and read on about burgers and the rise of all things USA.

A year later, and although I still wouldn't call it a trend, we have two well respected Peruvian restaurants in London, peddling all things Pisco and Ceviche. I like Pisco, it's one of those drinks which gives a punch in the ribs, but then caresses your lips with a sweet kiss, making up for all it's misdemeanours. Whilst I had no real impetus to visit Ceviche when it opened (even it's pisco bar couldn't draw me in), I was pretty intrigued by Lima. I mean, two Peruvian restaurants opening in London must mean something, right? Without sounding too weird, I was partly intrigued by head chefs Virgilio Martinezs frankly awesome moustache (as displayed on the first page of the restaurant website, as I was his approach to a Peruvian fine dining experience. What I had seen of his food had illustrated a combination of intriguing ingredients and beautiful presentation.

I found the interior a little lacking, with a massive skylight dominating the main room, with a strange array of mirrors and a glut of cushions lining the sides. It all sadly felt a little soulless and started to feel a it cramped when more people arrived (although they do appear to have another room downstairs for bigger tables). What the room lacked in character was made up immediately by the service. Warm and welcoming, even Virgilio gave us a smile as we were shown to our table. I can't say enough nice things about our waitress, always there when we needed her, answered questions when we asked and always with a smile. It never ceases to amaze me what a simple little smile can do.

Now the menu, if I had thought that the menu at Roganic contained an array of strange and wonderful ingredients, Limas menu was on the same level. Aji pepper, Andean cancha corn, amazon tree tomato, pink molle, blue potato and more wonderful and colourful ingredients. Out of all the food I ate, there was only really one dud in my eyes. The bay scallop tiradito was a little one dimensional and bland, with none of the delicate sweetness I would expect from the scallops coming through. The sea bream ceviche on the other hand was stunning. The "tigers milk" that the fish had been cured in was smooth and full of citrus, yet not overpowering the subtle flavour of the fresh and firm fish. Pairing it with the toasted corn kernels and fried onions was wonderful, adding a contrast in texture and sweetness. Blinding.

An extra shared starter of artichoke hearts arrived elaborately presented, full of bright vibrant colours. The dish itself was very delicate, with the less familiar flavors of pink molle and Amazon tree tomato not clouding but complementing the artichoke hearts.

As for the mains, I really enjoyed them too. Although the suckling pig was slightly underseasoned, it was soft and porky with a crisp crunch coming from the perfectly cooked crackling. The slow cooked lamb was even better, rich and meaty accompanied by pisco soaked grapes to give it contrast. All the food was just so well executed, familiar dishes lifted by the addition of some innovative flavours and ingredients..

I finished with a rich chocolate dessert, served with a light mango granita and what seemed to be blue potato crisps. Not really sure potato has any place on a dessert, but I guess they were just trying to add a contrast in texture (and personally I would drop it). The hunks of chocolate were rich, decadent and hit the spot.

Lima certainly takes you on a journey with its blend of modern cooking and Peruvian flavours. I enjoyed it but when the bill came, I was reminded of the extravagance of some of these quite unique ingredients. The cost came in at the upper bracket, hovering around £50 a head with one drink and a shared dessert. Pricy but decent, so leaving me a bit torn. In my head, I will come back, to have more of that lamb and ceviche and all the other interesting looking dishes. In my heart, I have more chance of saving for a flight to Peru and eating guinea pig.

Lima - 31 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JH

[In Pics] Cafe Viva, Peckham

2012-07-26T17:49:00.001+01:00

Just a few cheeky pics of my lunch from a new (ish) cafe on Choumert Road (just at the end of all the Nigerian shops). I had a breakfast bap (bacon, egg, roasted tomato, rocket) with an iced coffee and a fresh apple juice for £7.50 which I don't think is too bad. Coffee is supplied by local roastery Volcano, which is a bonus. A nice addition for Peckham.

Cafe Viva - 44 Choumert Road, Peckham, SE15 4SE

[Mini bites] - Mestizo

2012-07-23T14:07:00.005+01:00

The general word on the street is that there aren't that many places to eat decent Mexican food in London. I can't say I know what real Mexican food is, but there are plenty of places that I enjoy. I've eaten at Lupita since it opened and generally enjoy each meal I have had, there is the Wahaca group of restaurants which do a good job in the casual dining market, takeaways such as Benitos hat and El Burrito which always fill the void and even higher end restaurants such as Taqueria which are meant to be excellent.

Mestizo is another which I enjoyed recently. Sister restaurant to El Burrito, it serves a bewildering array of dishes. From Antojitos (sharing plates?) to Tacos and then on to bigger dishes. It takes quite an effort to decide what to have as the menu is massive, but we stuck to a selection of tacos and antojitos to compliment the myriad of margaritas (we were celebrating...something or other). Things get a little blurry at this point (the margaritas are punchy, especially if you go big) but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. Items such as the flautas (rolled corn tortiallas and then fried) and tacos that I love from El Burrito were good, as was the queso fundido, a glowering pot cheese and mushroom.

I had a grand old time at Mestizo. It is far from fancy but it was perfect for my catch up with some friends, with solid food and drinks. A strange part of town, but worth a trip.

Mestizo - 103 Hampstead Road, London NW1 3EL

Up on the roof....

2012-07-13T12:58:00.000+01:00

When London is kissed by the sun, there are fewer places in the world that I would rather be. Sadly, we seem to be in the midst of one of those summers where the seasons in colour is grey and dappled with rain. Thing is, when the weather does take a turn for the better, there aren't many better places to be than on a sunny rooftop, eating, drinking and being merry.I'm not sure how I did it, but I managed just that, two sunny days in London, two rooftops and excellent times.

So you remember those Pizza Pilgrim boys, you know, the ones who gave up their jobs in media, rode round Italy in their little Piaggio Ape, and now peddle their wares on Berwick Street? Yeah, them. Well, they've decided their little mobile pizza oven just wasn't enough and in conjunction with "Bash" Redford created a little rooftop supperclub under the moniker "Forza Win".

With a family style approach, you will be getting ragu, sorbet, Aperol Spritz and of course pizza. With a little bit of luck, you may even receive a dash of that elusive sunshine. I was invited up for a little advance party/trial run, and had a rollicking good time. Get yourselves booked in soon before it's too late.

Forza Win - A rooftop in Shoreditch somewhere.

On the other side of the river is yet another rooftop which has definitely grown in popularity over the last few years. Last weekend, Franks Campari bar (based on the tenth floor of a Peckham car park) opened it's doors for business once again and will be sticking around until it's far too cold and wet to be prancing about on an exposed rooftop. It may not be the easiest place to find if you have never been there before, but head to the Peckhamplex and follow the red line. This will start you on an adventure down an alley, up a flight of stairs and then through the upper floors of the car park. Head past the strange exhibits and impromptu performances (weird vocal choir on my last visit) and keep going up until there is no more up to go.

I decided to trot along on the first day and not only was I blessed with glorious sunshine (who'd have guessed it?) but also free Campari and soda. Perfect day? Not far off it. Chatting and drinking, we started chatting to a few people around us, a conversation which would eventually lead to a random party/screening in Loughborough junction for some of our crew. Going forward, they will be doing food as they do every year, but on this first night, McDonalds across the road had no idea what had hit them.

Take 2 saw me on another random visit a week later. Not only did I bump into a whole raft of people I know, I also bumped into a few from the random encounters a few weeks later. A few drinks, a few bars later, and we were back at my flat dancing around to dancehall classics in my front room. Franks seems to have that effect on people, and for some reason, I can help but have an excellent time come rain or shine.

Franks Campari Bar - 10th floor, Peckham multi storey car park, 95A Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST

Burgers, Burgers, Chicken, Burgers

2012-07-02T18:40:00.001+01:00

Now that I managed to get over this whole burger hump, theres no stopping me. My number one at the moment comes from the quite excellent Lucky Chip. Based out in Hackney, they moved from their outfit in Netil Market indoors to the pretty old school setting of the Sebright arms. Each of Lucky Chips burger creations are named after a Hollywood star. The Kelly Le Brock oozes cream cheese, the Kevin Bacon is loaded with the porky stuff and the John Belushi is heart achingly packed with foie gras, bone marrow and truffle oil. My personal favourite is the Tom Selleck, a mind boggling invention including an onion ring housing BBQ sauce, bacon and a pineapple slice.

This was without doubt the messiest burger I have ever eaten but boy did it work. Meaty, smoky and sweet, perfectly balanced, the full package. I ate this so fast I forgot there were fries to eat. Weird and slightly flaccid, it wasn't crispy as I would normally expect, but was a tasty fry nonetheless. I loved the idea of additional truffle oil drizzle available but I'm pretty sure that would have pushed me over the edge.

Lucky Chip is excellent and everyone should give their burgers a go at least once. I have since been on a few repeat visits and I don't see any signs of me stopping.

Lucky Chip @ The Sebright Arms - 31-35 Coate Street, London E2 9AG

So next stop on this burger odyssey is Mother Flipper. Considering they started just 20 minutes away from my front door, I feel pretty sheepish that I hadn't visited it and the quite excellent Brockley Market earlier. Based in the car park of Lewisham college, Brockley Market opens for business every Satruday, brimming with traders selling ingredients and street food alike. Mother Flipper has been much lauded across the burger blogs, with the nature of it's double candy bacon flipper, a monstrous double patty with copious amounts of candied bacon shoved into the mix. There was only ever one thing I was going to order.

The first time I had eaten a truly exceptional London burger was my first Meatwagon experience in Peckham and in many ways still remains the best I have ever eaten. There are going to be inevitable comparisons with Mother Flipper, since they started out in SE London too, but sadly the whole experience was a little underwhelming. The burger itself was cooked well, but I found that the burger was quite underseasoned, and even with the candied bacon, and couldn't help thinking that it was a little bland. This assesment may be overly harsh as I still wolfed it down, but it was pleasant without being ground breaking.

On the other side of the parking lot was the resplendent green trailer of Spit and Roast. Chicken seems to be quite the thing at the moment, and S&R serves the bird fried and rotisseried. After the burger, I couldn't face the idea of a 2nd chicken based meal straight after, but got a box of their buttermilk fried chicken, cornbread and gravy to go.

Wow. Even a couple of hours later (having had a quick blast in a hot oven), there's no denying that this was great chicken. The batter was crisp and the mix of spice and herb was perfect. The gravy, which after some discussion on twitter was revealed to be mostly chicken dripping, was thick and more of a spread than a gravy, but beefed up the chicken flavour in each bite. It was all over too soon.

There were a tonne of other great food stalls at Brockley Market that same day, and already struggling with the burger sitting in my stomach and the chicken in my bag, I decided not to push it. Had I decided to eat myself silly, I would have been sure to visit Mike and Ollie, Fleischmob, Tongue and Cheek or the Egg Boss for one of his scotch egg inventions. Even with the abundance of street food stalls, the selection of ingredients and other items to be bought should not be overlooked. If I lived closer, I would be here every Saturday.

Spit and Roast and MotherFlipper can be found at Brockley Market every Saturday until 2pm.

Brockley Market - Lewisham College Car Park, Lewisham Way, London SE4 1UT

The final burger of this burger, burger, chicken, burger quadrat is that of Patty and Bun, Having previously popped up in Battersea, I heard a smattering of positive feedback, but not the overwhelming tidal wave that places like MEATliquor or Lucky Chip seem to be getting. I never made it out there, but was pretty pleased to hear they had moved indoors for a short time , taking up residency in the Endurance on Berwick street.

Jumping at the chance to sample yet another burger, I dragged a friend along and mainlined it straight for the Endurance the minute the clock struck six. I had my eye on the Smokey Robinson, a seemingly interesting combination of bacon, caramelised onions and the thing which drew it to me the most, a smoky P&B mayo. Now, having thought that the excellent Tom Selleck from Lucky Chip was, as well as the tastiest of late, the messiest burger I had ever eaten, you would have thought I would have been able to conduct myself with a little more dignity. Not a chance. Mouth after mouth of excellent burger left a juicy mess all over my face, all over the box it came in and a trail of soiled tissues in my wake. It's as dirty and as gratifying as all those innuendos sound.

I loved Patty and Bun, not so much their chips which were a little on the cardboardy side of done. They will be around till the end of July now I believe, but keep an eye out for them, definitely one to watch. May lay off burgers for a while now.

Patty and Bun @ The Endurance - 90 Berwick Street, London W1F 0QB

[Mini Bites]: Josper grilling at Plateau, Canary Wharf

2012-06-27T13:27:00.001+01:00

I love playing around with gadgets and there are fewer better gadgets to play around with than a fully fitted professional kitchen. One rainy Satruday not that long ago (but long enough ago that I can't remember when), I was invited along to Plateau in Canary Wharf. The main reason behind this was to geek out and learn about the restaurant, their meat (and their suppliers) but most importantly, we had the opportunity to experience and cook with a Josper grill.

The Josper is no ordinary grill. The big metal box has the capability to get very hot and maintain a high consistent heat, lending itself to cooking things quickly, evenly and with an awesome char. On the day, we made burgers, baked fish and grilled some awesome steaks. I learnt a fair amount about the meat and how they rear their cattle for a better flavour (courtesy of Steve Turton, master butcher) and Josper themselves who sent down one of their team to talk a bit about the grill.

As you can expect, it was a lot of fun, and we learnt a lot about the process of making a great steak, from the sourcing of the meat, preparation and then finally the cooking. As for the restaurant itself, it's a lovely place and the head chef Allan Pickett (and team) were excellent hosts. I can't comment much more than that (as it was an event) although all the food I ate was good and I look forward to giving the full menu a go some time, and from the look of this, I would probably enjoy it. A lot.

Here are a few more pics of the day:

Plateau - 4th Flr, Canada Place, London E14 5ER

Burgers, Hypocrites and the return of hype: The Admiral Codrington

2012-06-07T18:26:00.000+01:00

So yes, it appears I have become a burger hypocrite. Ever since I mentioned that I was slowly becoming bored of the whole London burger trend, what do I go and do? Stuff my face with burgers. Actually, a lot of burgers. Burgers from Lucky Chip, burgers from MEATmarket, and most recently, the almost perfect slider from the MEATLiquor stall at the annual and very excellent Soho Food Feast.

The natural progression of this conversation takes me towards my topic of this post, the uncrowned but highly acclaimed king of London burgers, Fred Smith at the Admiral Codrington. Having met him by chance a few weeks earlier (at yet another burger related event (see, I'm a MASSIVE burger hypocrite), I promised that I would make the trip into the deepest darkest South West London and sample one of his fabled burgers.

The Ad Cod (less of a mouthful than the Admiral Codrington) is located just off the end of a rather exclusive Kensington street. As I walked from the station, I was surrounded by supercars, suits and slinky women. The actual pub held the same atmosphere, unsurprising as the people on the street need to eat and drink, with plenty of outdoor space for the warm Summer nights. I'm not going to deny it, the dining area was pretty cool as it had a reclining roof letting the lucky few on one side of the room to bask in the evening sun. Sadly our group of six were squeezed into a tight banquette in the sweltering corner of the room.

After all this preamble, I really just wanted to get on with it and get stuck into the food. A rather generous plate of burrata and tomatoes with basil was pleasant and fresh but was a mere distraction for my stomach prior to the main event. I had anticipated and dreamt what this burger was going to taste like, but sadly the burger I had was a little off the mark. The cheese had not melted properly and had curled up, probably from being sat around or being left under a heatlamp. The patty was decent enough although lacked depth of flavour and was underseasoned and undersauced (although nicely cooked for me). I didn't even realised there was bacon in the burger until it was finished. I liked the brioche bun a lot, but met criticism from a few of my dining partners as it was too sweet.

Sadly Fred was not in the house when we visited, which may have explained some of the shortfalls we experienced. Finishing off with some ice cream, we slowly digested the mound of meat in our stomachs and chatted about our meal. The burgers were definitely not bad, just pleasant, whilst the chips were actually rather good. The thing is, the whole experience was just sadly lacking (probably not helped by the heat of our alcove by the time we were done).

I know I have talked about the big old "hypemonster" on a few occasions, and in this case, felt like I had been chewed up and spat out. £15 sits firmly in the gourmet burger territory, and other examples at Goodman and Hawksmoor were for me more enjoyable. However, I was reassured that the burgers are indeed normally legendary (by a member of my group who had been before) and am surprisingly finding myself inclined to make the journey to South West London again to see if she was right. There is always the debate that the food should always be consistent with or without the main man at the helm, but next time I'm not taking any chances. If the burger genius isn't in, nor am I.

The Admiral Codrington - 17 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY

Jubilee Gubbins Pick'n Mix

2012-06-01T00:27:00.000+01:00

Ah, God bless the Queen and her Jubilee. Not only does it grant us an extra long weekend here in the UK (thank you ma’am) but appears to have triggered a jubilee avalanche over pretty much everything. Over the last few weeks, I have witnessed a variety of weird jubilee related gubbins, and the extent to which some people go to get Jubilee'd up is quite astounding.

For example, how about a queens head jelly mold or even a life size posing Corgi? (both mental, both from Selfridges and both via @pepper_tree. Maybe you're feeling lucky and fancy purchasing a special Diamond Jubilee edition of Tabasco? Just like normal Tabasco, just with a flag and some diamonds on the packaging. How about a Union Jack made entirely of cupcakes? How about a Jubilee SONG sung by Gary Barlow. A Jubilee remote control for your Sky Box perhaps (exactly like your normal remote control, but slightly different).

To be fair, not all Jubilee tie ins have to be rubbish. Tyrrells with their Red, White and Blue crisps were pretty eye catching and a nice take on the Jubilee. Using a Highland Burgundy Red, the White Lady Claire and the Salad Blue, lightly salted, they tasted just like a good Tyrrells crisp. I’ve always liked what Tyrrells do (especially their sweet and salty popcorn) and this packet of crisps was no exception. No excessive fireworks on the tongue, but a feast for the eyes (well, as far as crisps go anyway, and thanks to Tyrrells for sending me a packet).

Not too long ago, I got sent a sample box from Tea Horse and if you’re a tea lover of any sort, you’re going to love the service they provide. Every month, they choose four different tea blends and send them to your front door for a mere £12, like a wine club for tea. I was sent a trial to give the service a go and would sign up in a heartbeat if I was still staying in London. In May, they catered their Tea box towards Jubilee teas including one - Punch Blend No. 1 which was crafted specifically to feature as the main ingredient in a cocktail. Tea Horse worked with leading mixologist Julian de Feral to create their Crown Jules Punch, a really refreshing summer punch. A great concept and an even better product.

You can sign up for Tea Horse directly from their website HERE.

Moving from tea delivered to your front door, to tea in the grandest of settings. I was invited along to the launch of the Diamond Jubilee tea salon at the top floor of Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly. Walking into a room full of culinary world royalty (Jeremy Lee, Russell Norman, Fay Maschler and Angela Hartnett to name a few) to the music of the resident piano player, I felt drastically under dressed and out of place, although soon found a few friends and settled down to a few finger sandwiches, cake and tea. The room is fit for the queen herself (she even opened it) and with high tea (£42 per person) and a specialist tea room containing tea from around the world.
More pics of sandwiches and cake HERE

Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon - 4th Floor, Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EH

Last but not least, all this talk of the Jubilee has brought me onto my favourite Jubilee tie in, and it's meaty and delicious. Byron Hamburgers have been known to craft specials every so often, and for the Jubilee they have devised the Chilli Queen, a collaboration between Byron and burger trailblazer, Fred Smith of the Admiral Codrington. Imagine a beefy patty, cooked perfectly pink in the middle, smothered in cut chillis sealed under a gloss of American cheese. Then imagine this patty housed in a perfectly glazed brioche bun with iceberg lettuce and chipotle mayo. Yup, that. I've had a couple of these beauties from different branches and I'm amazed how they can keep this burger so consistent. The chilli queen is only on until June 5th so you have a few more days to grab yours. Nothing like ending the Jubilee weekend on a high.

Byron Hamburgers - Multiple Locations