Monday 25th October 2010
Restaurant: Highlands, West Village, NY
Price per person: $$$
Rating: 4 out of 5
Currently munching: Home made super green soup
One of my best friends Katerine Stephens (Kat) is traveling in the big apple and had such an amazing experience at Highlands I asked her to write us a review; Big thanks for that Kat, I can actually taste that beef wellington as I read...mmmm...
It's always a wonderful turn of events when that 'quick bite' you grab on the way to your evening's destination, turns into one of the most amazing dining experiences you have ever had. I’m in New York visiting my friend Simon, with whom I went to university and who now lives in Harlem. Speaking to a Scottish friend online, I found out that his sister went to school in Glasgow with a man who now resides here and works in the restaurant industry. “Check out Double Crown,” I was told, and dutifully googled it to get the information. The place looked amazing - but the man in question, Brian McGrory, no longer worked there. He had opened his own Scottish themed restaurant in the West Village called Highlands. Even though the concept of themed restaurants makes me shudder a little inside, I felt obliged to check Highlands out, and suggested to Simon that we go, with the promise that if it was terrible we could go back to his tried-and-tested favourite eatery. We got there around 7.30pm on a Saturday night. It looked fairly classy; dimly lit with a busy bar of well-dressed folks. We were sat immediately by a charmingly efficient maitre d' and presented with a glass bottle of tap water (I liked that; no attempt to charge us, but no having to catch anyone’s eye for a refill) along with the menus. The decor was nice: grownup soft brown leather banquettes and token tartan seat covers, feature wallpaper and sturdy, comforting tables. There was a slightly odd enormous painting of two wolves with a Scottish flag, but it did prompt conversation which is never a bad thing!
To the menus: Just the right size, with five or six options for starter and for main, plus a few specials mentioned by our waiter. All fairly typical Scots dishes, such as Scotch eggs, cod, pork belly, mussels, barley, salmon, mushroom pie. I was disappointed not to see Cullen Skink as I had read about it in a review, but it shows they change their menu fairly frequently. The drinks menu was startlingly Scottish, however not in the whisky-centric way that most themed bars tend to rely on. There was my dad’s favourite beer, Belhaven, along with bottled Brewdog (a brewery rapidly making a good name for themselves worldwide, despite being based in a tiny fishing town on the edge of the North Sea) and a good selection of cocktails and wines. Simon had a perfectly acceptable beer from Long Island, and I went for the Scotch Pear Martini - Hendrick’s combined with Glenfiddich 12yr and pear, lemon and agave syrups - which is possibly overtaking the Hawksmoor’s Artist’s Special as my favourite ever cocktail! Food wise, we weren't sure what to expect and not too hungry anyway, so decided to share a starter of lamb and pork sausage rolls and a main course of Beef Wellington with mini roasted potatoes. The fact that I’m only now realizing that we had two courses which were literally just pastry and meat speaks volumes for the amount of flavour in the dishes. The starter arrived with a harissa aioli which was really tasty and unusual. The sausage rolls themselves were beautifully crisp with tender meat, very simple, although the ubiquitous inclusion of a few salad leaves on the side irritated me - that’s not the Scottish way! The main course, though, was the star: Nestled on a bed of well-seasoned potatoes and mushroom gravy was a perfect, fist-sized parcel of crunchy, flaky pastry encasing a chunk of beef, the likes of which had never been so well cared for in a kitchen. It was cooked on the rare side of medium-rare - the way it should be! The smell was incredible enough, but one bite and I was in heaven! The pastry was solidly crispy on top and just beginning to go soggy on the underside with the glorious drippings of the gravy, and the meat was buttery, creamy, manly and melt-in-the-mouth amazing! There was no mention of where the meat had come from, but given their policy of using local produce as well as importing from Scotland, I would hope it was American and hadn’t traveled the globe before landing on our plates.
Although the dessert menu looked equally incredible, with seckel pears, Millionaire’s shortbread and Scottish cheeses, we were sadly just not hungry enough. No doubt about it, chef William Hickox has stepped up to the plate here and delivered a fantastically high quality Scottish experience without overdoing the theme. Service was friendly and attentive, with the only minor irritation being that we were asked three or four times if we’d finished yet. If you’re in the city, go to Highlands. I‘m certainly not leaving without paying it another visit. (an additional note - their pop-rock playlist was genuinely fantastic. I haven’t heard Edwyn Collins in years!)
The Restaurant Show rocked!
Tuesday 12th October 2010
Currently munching: my Graze box!
I had the best day ever last week with my two friends Jen and Sarah. We started last Tuesday at The Restaurant Show at Earls Court, a fantastic trade event where you can see new products, drink lots of wine, watch chefs in action and eat free cheese samples. It was brilliant, we started the day with a shot of quinoa Vodka...not the best choice at 12noon but it was lovely and smooth and weirdly actually tasted of quinoa. We then drank lots of lovely Hungarian Tokaji, which were syrupy and full of raisin and honey caramel notes. Next, we identified that the green stands were the ones offering free food, and made a killing on the free samples, trying delicious olives and breads followed by a bit more wine. We decided to then dump our bags in the VIP club, and had a glass of bubbly before heading out again. We tried incredible ice creams made by Oddono's: a lemon and prosecco flavour that sparkled on our tongues, a fresh basil sorbet begging to be dropped into a chilled gazpacho and an insane smoked salmon ice cream that I can still taste now! It was so creamy, so subtle, and so surprisingly delicious - throw that amid a spring shoot salad with broad beans and avocado and I would be a happy eater. I can't wait to order some of their mental flavours and use them in cocktails too.
The other highlight of the show Koppert Cress, an amazing company that stock the most beautiful micro vegetables and natural cress' from the Himalayas. They had mini cucumbers the size of a boiled sweet, soft grey 'oyster' leaves that tasted of the sea, tiny yellow flowers that tasted like aniseed, honey cress that dripped sweetness and Tahoon Cress that actually tasted like you were walking through the forest. The most amazing thing was sechaun buttons, a tiny yellow flower, the affects of which must be experienced to be believed! It made my mouth sparkled like i had sucked a battery, then go numb, then crackle - totally mad and a fantastic cocktail ingredient.
After an inspiring afternoon we decided to have sushi in Covent Garden. We chanced bumped into James from The London Cocktail Club and went for delicious Tommy's margarita's at Pacifico - this is the only place to go now for good margarita's since the sad news Green and Red is on the way out, but they are by no means a second best choice: Pacifico is one of the coolest hangout in London. We walked past the brand new Hawksmoor site, situated opposite Pacifico and looking spectacular through the windows. This new venue will be a restaurant unlike anything London has ever seen if the exterior is anything to go by; I spied a giant antique metal cage to store coats and an elevator that would make Willy Wonka green. We all walked around to Kyashii, a sushi restaurant I had heard great things about. We sat in a room where 3 walls were glass fish tanks and had the most delicious vegetable tempura and dragon rolls I have ever had in this country. The service was amazing, the waitress was a total sweetheart - it was truly one of the best dining experiences I have ever had in London. We finished the evening in the fantastic London Cocktail Club, surrounded by leather sofas and mismatched kitsch gentleman's club knick-knacks drinking aviation's and giggling like school girls - a day where London truly showed us what it has to offer!
Currently munching: my Graze box!
I had the best day ever last week with my two friends Jen and Sarah. We started last Tuesday at The Restaurant Show at Earls Court, a fantastic trade event where you can see new products, drink lots of wine, watch chefs in action and eat free cheese samples. It was brilliant, we started the day with a shot of quinoa Vodka...not the best choice at 12noon but it was lovely and smooth and weirdly actually tasted of quinoa. We then drank lots of lovely Hungarian Tokaji, which were syrupy and full of raisin and honey caramel notes. Next, we identified that the green stands were the ones offering free food, and made a killing on the free samples, trying delicious olives and breads followed by a bit more wine. We decided to then dump our bags in the VIP club, and had a glass of bubbly before heading out again. We tried incredible ice creams made by Oddono's: a lemon and prosecco flavour that sparkled on our tongues, a fresh basil sorbet begging to be dropped into a chilled gazpacho and an insane smoked salmon ice cream that I can still taste now! It was so creamy, so subtle, and so surprisingly delicious - throw that amid a spring shoot salad with broad beans and avocado and I would be a happy eater. I can't wait to order some of their mental flavours and use them in cocktails too.
The other highlight of the show Koppert Cress, an amazing company that stock the most beautiful micro vegetables and natural cress' from the Himalayas. They had mini cucumbers the size of a boiled sweet, soft grey 'oyster' leaves that tasted of the sea, tiny yellow flowers that tasted like aniseed, honey cress that dripped sweetness and Tahoon Cress that actually tasted like you were walking through the forest. The most amazing thing was sechaun buttons, a tiny yellow flower, the affects of which must be experienced to be believed! It made my mouth sparkled like i had sucked a battery, then go numb, then crackle - totally mad and a fantastic cocktail ingredient.
After an inspiring afternoon we decided to have sushi in Covent Garden. We chanced bumped into James from The London Cocktail Club and went for delicious Tommy's margarita's at Pacifico - this is the only place to go now for good margarita's since the sad news Green and Red is on the way out, but they are by no means a second best choice: Pacifico is one of the coolest hangout in London. We walked past the brand new Hawksmoor site, situated opposite Pacifico and looking spectacular through the windows. This new venue will be a restaurant unlike anything London has ever seen if the exterior is anything to go by; I spied a giant antique metal cage to store coats and an elevator that would make Willy Wonka green. We all walked around to Kyashii, a sushi restaurant I had heard great things about. We sat in a room where 3 walls were glass fish tanks and had the most delicious vegetable tempura and dragon rolls I have ever had in this country. The service was amazing, the waitress was a total sweetheart - it was truly one of the best dining experiences I have ever had in London. We finished the evening in the fantastic London Cocktail Club, surrounded by leather sofas and mismatched kitsch gentleman's club knick-knacks drinking aviation's and giggling like school girls - a day where London truly showed us what it has to offer!
Restaurant Review: Favela Chic
Monday 4th October 2010
Restaurant: Favela Chic, Great Eastern Street
Price per Person: £35 inc wine and service
Rating: 0 out of 5
Currently Munching: Dry roasted peanuts
So, here is my first ever negative review; and boy is it negative! On entering Favela Chic, on the off chance of an early dinner after fantastic (yet snobbily served) cocktails at Lounge Lover, my two friends and I were in awe at the space. The ceilings are so high, the decor super kitsch, the staff smiling and warm, we were looking forward to a great dinner. We were taken to a table in a cosy corner and given menus. The food is themed around Brazilian cuisine. We were not given a 'leave by' time, remember that point. We shared a bottle of house white wine which was fine. We shared a vegetarian tapas style starter. It was pedestrian but inoffensive. Then came the mains...Sarah had a salmon dish which she enjoyed. I went for black beans with slow cooked belly pork which was ok but essentially was just beans and a big piece of bone, no meat. Jen had ordered kingclip with mixed seafood rice but when her dish can it was just prawns - apparently they had run out of Kingclip, even though it was about 7pm when we ordered. The waitress stated "if you want to order something else just don't touch it and I will take it away." As me and Sarah had our food already, Jen said she would eat it. She later revealed she was so shocked that the waitress had said that she didn't know what else to say other than yes. It was again not particularly exciting, and baring in mind all our mains were between £12 and £15 each, we were understandably under whelmed. We were drinking our wine, relaxing, when the waitress came over and demanded the table back as it was rebooked at 8.30pm and we must have taken off the label on the table that stated that. When we replied that we clearly hadn't she just stomped away. We decided to leave as it was slowly becoming less and less fun to be there. We asked for the bill minus service as we decided the 12.5% they were adding was too high, and were more comfortable leaving some cash. The bill arrived with service and Jen's dish on the bill too which seemed a bit ridiculous considering she had prawns and rice which was not what she wanted, and certainly didn't warrant a £14 price tag. We called over the waitress and asked for the amendments. Another waitress this time came with the same bill, so we asked for the changes again. Our original waitress then returned with a menu, slapped it onto the table and exclaimed while pointing at the dish "you ate this, you ate this, you could have ordered something else!" Jen politely stated that she did not want to order something else while we were eating, that she had been to shocked that no one had informed her that her food was going to be different from that ordered until it had arrived, and that she wasn't going to pay for kingclip when she didn't eat kingclip. The waitress stormed off, leaving us slack jawed. Then a third person came to the table, this time the male manager. He sat down at 'our level' and asked what the problem was - again we explained, by now getting rather annoyed. He became very aggressive and rude, stating we had to pay for the dish, and the service. We corrected him that service is always optional, that we were not paying for food that was not as described and he could either accept what we were willing to pay or we would pay nothing. He got very heated, was very angry but took our payment begrudgingly. We left utterly appalled, worst service ever and worst ever dealing with a complaint I have experienced. I will never dine there again.
Another place we went back to recently was the Viet Grill and again really disappointed. Jen and I had such a lovely time last visit. This time, our mains were brought while we were still eating our starters, the waiter just saying 'aren't you finished' even as we are mid chew. I had the same as I had last time and it was literally half the portion size from before, and basically under seasoned, over cooked mushy noodles. Jen also had the same as last time too, and had hardly any seafood in her rice (boy it’s becoming a theme for Jen...lack of seafood...), and flavourless. We were cleared and brought the bill before we even swallowed! Awful: turning a table for a future customer should never been more important than the customer presently there! I will not rush to go back there.
Restaurant: Favela Chic, Great Eastern Street
Price per Person: £35 inc wine and service
Rating: 0 out of 5
Currently Munching: Dry roasted peanuts
So, here is my first ever negative review; and boy is it negative! On entering Favela Chic, on the off chance of an early dinner after fantastic (yet snobbily served) cocktails at Lounge Lover, my two friends and I were in awe at the space. The ceilings are so high, the decor super kitsch, the staff smiling and warm, we were looking forward to a great dinner. We were taken to a table in a cosy corner and given menus. The food is themed around Brazilian cuisine. We were not given a 'leave by' time, remember that point. We shared a bottle of house white wine which was fine. We shared a vegetarian tapas style starter. It was pedestrian but inoffensive. Then came the mains...Sarah had a salmon dish which she enjoyed. I went for black beans with slow cooked belly pork which was ok but essentially was just beans and a big piece of bone, no meat. Jen had ordered kingclip with mixed seafood rice but when her dish can it was just prawns - apparently they had run out of Kingclip, even though it was about 7pm when we ordered. The waitress stated "if you want to order something else just don't touch it and I will take it away." As me and Sarah had our food already, Jen said she would eat it. She later revealed she was so shocked that the waitress had said that she didn't know what else to say other than yes. It was again not particularly exciting, and baring in mind all our mains were between £12 and £15 each, we were understandably under whelmed. We were drinking our wine, relaxing, when the waitress came over and demanded the table back as it was rebooked at 8.30pm and we must have taken off the label on the table that stated that. When we replied that we clearly hadn't she just stomped away. We decided to leave as it was slowly becoming less and less fun to be there. We asked for the bill minus service as we decided the 12.5% they were adding was too high, and were more comfortable leaving some cash. The bill arrived with service and Jen's dish on the bill too which seemed a bit ridiculous considering she had prawns and rice which was not what she wanted, and certainly didn't warrant a £14 price tag. We called over the waitress and asked for the amendments. Another waitress this time came with the same bill, so we asked for the changes again. Our original waitress then returned with a menu, slapped it onto the table and exclaimed while pointing at the dish "you ate this, you ate this, you could have ordered something else!" Jen politely stated that she did not want to order something else while we were eating, that she had been to shocked that no one had informed her that her food was going to be different from that ordered until it had arrived, and that she wasn't going to pay for kingclip when she didn't eat kingclip. The waitress stormed off, leaving us slack jawed. Then a third person came to the table, this time the male manager. He sat down at 'our level' and asked what the problem was - again we explained, by now getting rather annoyed. He became very aggressive and rude, stating we had to pay for the dish, and the service. We corrected him that service is always optional, that we were not paying for food that was not as described and he could either accept what we were willing to pay or we would pay nothing. He got very heated, was very angry but took our payment begrudgingly. We left utterly appalled, worst service ever and worst ever dealing with a complaint I have experienced. I will never dine there again.
Another place we went back to recently was the Viet Grill and again really disappointed. Jen and I had such a lovely time last visit. This time, our mains were brought while we were still eating our starters, the waiter just saying 'aren't you finished' even as we are mid chew. I had the same as I had last time and it was literally half the portion size from before, and basically under seasoned, over cooked mushy noodles. Jen also had the same as last time too, and had hardly any seafood in her rice (boy it’s becoming a theme for Jen...lack of seafood...), and flavourless. We were cleared and brought the bill before we even swallowed! Awful: turning a table for a future customer should never been more important than the customer presently there! I will not rush to go back there.
Restaurant Review: Le Relais de Venise
Tuesday 29t June 2010
Restaurant: Le Relais de Venise, Marylebone Lane
Price per Person: £20 excl drinks and service
Rating: 3 out of 5
Currently Munching: dried apricots...roll on payday!
This restaurant, also known as l'entrecote, is modelled on its famous original counterpart in Paris, of which there are now a few scattered across Europe and beyond. We went as a family to dine here, with old family friends who had been taken there by their son previously. There are a few things to get your head around on the off - firstly there is a no booking, and you are invited to queue around the building until a table is ready. Secondly there is no menu - you are all served the same starter and main course. So, after an hour waiting in the queue on a Friday night were ready for our table; in fairness we would of been seated much sooner had 30% of our party not been stuck in Wimbledon! The decor is pretty dated, think cheap 1980s faux French, wobbly tables and school hall chairs. There is even a glass cabinet displaying deserts in the entrance of the premises, a rather obscure tradition which I thought was rightly phased out in restaurants... Also, I should note that the maitre'd for the evening was very polite and efficient walking up and down the queue very regularly to check how big peoples parties were - she seemed very in control which made us feel much more comfortable with the slightly off kilter way of waiting to be seated.
So, seated comfortably (kind of) we had some cold beers to start which were a Kronenberg and therefore none offensive. We followed this with a decent bottle of Chateau de Nardon 2002, for £22 which was really tasty. About 5 minutes after being seated we are served the starter of mixed leaves salad topped with walnuts and mustard vinaigrette dressing. It is good enough, I personally would rather of not bothered with the song and dance of starter followed by main and had it as a side with the steak frites as I think the flavours of the walnuts and the dressing would work really well. French baguette baskets were placed on the table, no butter, and having read previous reviews of the place we decided not to request as apparently that's when the switch flips and the waitresses turn snotty! The bread was plentiful and refilled with no problem on request. The waitress had asked how we wanted our steaks cooked and scrawled this in Biro on the throw away paper table cloth by way of helping her remember position numbers. I personally don't like when they use this technique, like they do at Wagamama's too; especially if i am planning on ordering a rather large amount of food, i don't want the rest of the restaurant seeing the waitress turning my place mat over to find space to continue my order! I also think it looks ugly, and its not that hard to remember 6 peoples steak temperatures especially when the options are rare, medium, or well done!
Starters were cleared instantly (peoples plate removed when people were done rather than when the table was, I don't like this but it does help to speed the table along which is the idea here). I foolishly did not ask if the famous mustard sauce is served on the side as I have just been diagnosed with a dairy and gluten allergy (more on that fun in future posts...). It came poured all over the steak so mine had to be taken back - the waitress needed a little coxing, no more than most who always assume your just being fussy when you have an allergy and look at you as if to say 'really? just eat it'. She warned me I would need to wait up to 20minutes for a fresh plate of food but within five I was chowing down. The steak was perfectly cooked, fantastic quality meat and the chips where hot, skinny and crispy chip heaven. The beef is Scottish, and reared by a gentleman called Donald Russell who sells his lovingly reared cows to the Queen no less. The flavour certainly was top notch. My mother had to describe the secret sauce whose recipe seems to be held with more confidentially than the wear abouts of FBI's most wanted - she said it was 'good'...so not really as amazing as I was hoping. I had a mouse's amount on a chip and yes it was mustardy, tangy, worked well but I would suggested the PR machine has slightly created its own hero out of an average affair...which reminds me, must find out who does their PR... Best thing is that after one plate of food, more chips are piled on your plate and a second helping of steak, including some sauce free steak for me which I thought was really good of them to remember.
For dessert I had some raspberry sorbet, it was only ok but I was impressed that there was several sorbet flavours to choose from as having a dairy allergy normally means I don't get to have dessert! My sister had the famous profiteroles, again she described them as 'ok' and our family friend has a very well executed creme caramel.
We didn't feel pressured to leave even though there was a queue around the building which was really good. We did pay up and get on out though as you felt a comradary with those waiting few as it had been you with bellies rumbling only hours before. I did really enjoy the main course, and I would visit again. I think you need to leave all your preconceptions at the door, and if you go with a good positive attitude you will enjoy this restaurant. Yes, i could have cooked the same food at home, apart from the sauce, but atmosphere was really warm and I enjoyed the wine so I think it was still worth the trip. Just try to not be to British about it all!
Restaurant: Le Relais de Venise, Marylebone Lane
Price per Person: £20 excl drinks and service
Rating: 3 out of 5
Currently Munching: dried apricots...roll on payday!
This restaurant, also known as l'entrecote, is modelled on its famous original counterpart in Paris, of which there are now a few scattered across Europe and beyond. We went as a family to dine here, with old family friends who had been taken there by their son previously. There are a few things to get your head around on the off - firstly there is a no booking, and you are invited to queue around the building until a table is ready. Secondly there is no menu - you are all served the same starter and main course. So, after an hour waiting in the queue on a Friday night were ready for our table; in fairness we would of been seated much sooner had 30% of our party not been stuck in Wimbledon! The decor is pretty dated, think cheap 1980s faux French, wobbly tables and school hall chairs. There is even a glass cabinet displaying deserts in the entrance of the premises, a rather obscure tradition which I thought was rightly phased out in restaurants... Also, I should note that the maitre'd for the evening was very polite and efficient walking up and down the queue very regularly to check how big peoples parties were - she seemed very in control which made us feel much more comfortable with the slightly off kilter way of waiting to be seated.
So, seated comfortably (kind of) we had some cold beers to start which were a Kronenberg and therefore none offensive. We followed this with a decent bottle of Chateau de Nardon 2002, for £22 which was really tasty. About 5 minutes after being seated we are served the starter of mixed leaves salad topped with walnuts and mustard vinaigrette dressing. It is good enough, I personally would rather of not bothered with the song and dance of starter followed by main and had it as a side with the steak frites as I think the flavours of the walnuts and the dressing would work really well. French baguette baskets were placed on the table, no butter, and having read previous reviews of the place we decided not to request as apparently that's when the switch flips and the waitresses turn snotty! The bread was plentiful and refilled with no problem on request. The waitress had asked how we wanted our steaks cooked and scrawled this in Biro on the throw away paper table cloth by way of helping her remember position numbers. I personally don't like when they use this technique, like they do at Wagamama's too; especially if i am planning on ordering a rather large amount of food, i don't want the rest of the restaurant seeing the waitress turning my place mat over to find space to continue my order! I also think it looks ugly, and its not that hard to remember 6 peoples steak temperatures especially when the options are rare, medium, or well done!
Starters were cleared instantly (peoples plate removed when people were done rather than when the table was, I don't like this but it does help to speed the table along which is the idea here). I foolishly did not ask if the famous mustard sauce is served on the side as I have just been diagnosed with a dairy and gluten allergy (more on that fun in future posts...). It came poured all over the steak so mine had to be taken back - the waitress needed a little coxing, no more than most who always assume your just being fussy when you have an allergy and look at you as if to say 'really? just eat it'. She warned me I would need to wait up to 20minutes for a fresh plate of food but within five I was chowing down. The steak was perfectly cooked, fantastic quality meat and the chips where hot, skinny and crispy chip heaven. The beef is Scottish, and reared by a gentleman called Donald Russell who sells his lovingly reared cows to the Queen no less. The flavour certainly was top notch. My mother had to describe the secret sauce whose recipe seems to be held with more confidentially than the wear abouts of FBI's most wanted - she said it was 'good'...so not really as amazing as I was hoping. I had a mouse's amount on a chip and yes it was mustardy, tangy, worked well but I would suggested the PR machine has slightly created its own hero out of an average affair...which reminds me, must find out who does their PR... Best thing is that after one plate of food, more chips are piled on your plate and a second helping of steak, including some sauce free steak for me which I thought was really good of them to remember.
For dessert I had some raspberry sorbet, it was only ok but I was impressed that there was several sorbet flavours to choose from as having a dairy allergy normally means I don't get to have dessert! My sister had the famous profiteroles, again she described them as 'ok' and our family friend has a very well executed creme caramel.
We didn't feel pressured to leave even though there was a queue around the building which was really good. We did pay up and get on out though as you felt a comradary with those waiting few as it had been you with bellies rumbling only hours before. I did really enjoy the main course, and I would visit again. I think you need to leave all your preconceptions at the door, and if you go with a good positive attitude you will enjoy this restaurant. Yes, i could have cooked the same food at home, apart from the sauce, but atmosphere was really warm and I enjoyed the wine so I think it was still worth the trip. Just try to not be to British about it all!
Restaurant Review: Viet Grill
Monday 8th March 2010
Restaurant: Viet Grill, Kingsland Road
Price per person: £15 per person inc service
Rating: 4 out of 5
Currently Munching: Baxters French onion soup with lashings of grated Leerdammer! (yes this is the second time i have mentioned Leerdammer in my blog...)
I have found the best Vietnamese food in London, so good that I can still taste it thinking back which is always a good indicator in my books! The location and name is Viet Grill on Kingsland Road, a place previously recommended to me by a colleague and a recommendation that was totally lived up to. Me and my mate Jen arrived at nearly 3pm on a Friday to grab a late bite and were happy to see a few tables meandering (nothing worse than an empty restaurant!). The menu is big and has a massive variety of dishes; I would defy anyone not to find something to their tastes. The little smiley faces next to dishes indicated the most traditional dishes which was a great touch as I personally like to know when I am eating something authentic. Jen and I were lucky enough to get there just in time to order from the ‘One Dish Meals’ menu where selected dishes were £5 instead of £7 and upwards. We ordered 3 dishes, enough for 3 people but we (or I) were feeling like greedy pigs and wanted to try lots of stuff. We went for Com h¬i s¬n xào rau (Scallops, prawns and squid with vegetables and rice), Bún Nem ‘Spring Bowl’ (imperial and prawn spring rolls with rice vermicelli and fresh herb salad), and Min xào tôm cua (sea crab and tiger prawn with cassava vermincilkli and knot weed). The salad was so fresh and vibrant, crunchy and great range of textures and the noodles were al dente and slick - the rolls were outstanding, the one wrapped in a leaf was especially good with its sweet/hot/sour filling. The rice dish was a little boring for me but Jen loved it, and it was certainly full of massive prawns and huge pieces of well cooked squid. My favourite was the Min xào tôm cua and if someone handing me a bowl of it right now I would gulp it down. I had been desperate to try cassava noodles after learning that they are like 11cals a portion (god bless cassava). Again, the seafood was plentiful and the creamy hint of coconut milk in the sauce gave in a rich and luxurious flavour but was not too heavy, balancing perfectly with the freshly chopped knot weed - a totally winning dish. There was a good range of beers and wines too; we both had a Vietnamese lager just to keep in the spirit of things!
The only down side was the over vigilant service, for example we asked for a drink menu and before it was even in my hand the waitress was demanding I order my drink; when I asked for a couple of minutes she literally returned in ten seconds and hovered until I chose something. I think though this can be taken with a pinch of salt though, because it is fair to expect this kind of service in this sector of restaurants, the same with Thai and Chinese establishments, and she was very good natured when I told her to go away twice! all our left over’s were happily wrapped up for us, and for £13 a head I will be running back there as soon as I can for more cassava noodles! It really was a pleasure.
Restaurant: Viet Grill, Kingsland Road
Price per person: £15 per person inc service
Rating: 4 out of 5
Currently Munching: Baxters French onion soup with lashings of grated Leerdammer! (yes this is the second time i have mentioned Leerdammer in my blog...)
I have found the best Vietnamese food in London, so good that I can still taste it thinking back which is always a good indicator in my books! The location and name is Viet Grill on Kingsland Road, a place previously recommended to me by a colleague and a recommendation that was totally lived up to. Me and my mate Jen arrived at nearly 3pm on a Friday to grab a late bite and were happy to see a few tables meandering (nothing worse than an empty restaurant!). The menu is big and has a massive variety of dishes; I would defy anyone not to find something to their tastes. The little smiley faces next to dishes indicated the most traditional dishes which was a great touch as I personally like to know when I am eating something authentic. Jen and I were lucky enough to get there just in time to order from the ‘One Dish Meals’ menu where selected dishes were £5 instead of £7 and upwards. We ordered 3 dishes, enough for 3 people but we (or I) were feeling like greedy pigs and wanted to try lots of stuff. We went for Com h¬i s¬n xào rau (Scallops, prawns and squid with vegetables and rice), Bún Nem ‘Spring Bowl’ (imperial and prawn spring rolls with rice vermicelli and fresh herb salad), and Min xào tôm cua (sea crab and tiger prawn with cassava vermincilkli and knot weed). The salad was so fresh and vibrant, crunchy and great range of textures and the noodles were al dente and slick - the rolls were outstanding, the one wrapped in a leaf was especially good with its sweet/hot/sour filling. The rice dish was a little boring for me but Jen loved it, and it was certainly full of massive prawns and huge pieces of well cooked squid. My favourite was the Min xào tôm cua and if someone handing me a bowl of it right now I would gulp it down. I had been desperate to try cassava noodles after learning that they are like 11cals a portion (god bless cassava). Again, the seafood was plentiful and the creamy hint of coconut milk in the sauce gave in a rich and luxurious flavour but was not too heavy, balancing perfectly with the freshly chopped knot weed - a totally winning dish. There was a good range of beers and wines too; we both had a Vietnamese lager just to keep in the spirit of things!
The only down side was the over vigilant service, for example we asked for a drink menu and before it was even in my hand the waitress was demanding I order my drink; when I asked for a couple of minutes she literally returned in ten seconds and hovered until I chose something. I think though this can be taken with a pinch of salt though, because it is fair to expect this kind of service in this sector of restaurants, the same with Thai and Chinese establishments, and she was very good natured when I told her to go away twice! all our left over’s were happily wrapped up for us, and for £13 a head I will be running back there as soon as I can for more cassava noodles! It really was a pleasure.
Hungry Londoner has her appetite back!
Sunday 27th Febuary 2010
Currently munching: Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs with cream and chives
Well I have not blogged forever because I have been suffering from a wrist injury. , which has made typing very painful. It is on the mend so I thought I would do a big round up paragraph of some places I have been to in last few months before getting back on track!!! Firstly, it has been a whole new year since I last blogged. I think it only right that I nominate my favourite restaurant of 2009 even if it is somewhat belatedly! It has to go to Bob Bob Ricard in Soho. I love this place, the decor is so fantastically kitsch but complete; even the waiters uniforms are theatrically in keeping. The menu is varied and affordable, but can easily become a more quality expensive meal if you decided – I like that you can have a great time no matter your budget. I love the toasters that come to the table a breakfast time so you can toast your own bread; I love that Ritz crackers with dairylea triangles is a bar snack! It is a bit like going to grandmas for dinner, dining on scotch eggs with salad cream for a starter and salmon and cucumber for a main. It works as a concept, and most importantly it brings some fun and joy to eating out – when we are watching the pennies the value of humour and enjoyment to a meal really makes it a memorable occasion.
In terms of places I have been in last few months, I can happily report that I have been back to Pizza East a few times now and have not been disappointed. They are consistent, the staff is fantastic and the place is getting busier and busier creating a fantastic vibe. I tried the Princess of Shoreditch for Sunday lunch with friends just after Christmas and was disappointed – a lazy gastro pub resting on clichés and over priced with robot staff; won’t go back. Another place not getting a return visit is Boho Mexica on Commercial Street. I went as they had a fantastic 4 star rating in Time out, the review hung proudly in the window. We were the only table there for the two hour period, the food was unimaginative and bland, even the tortilla chips were stale, the cocktails were poorly executed. A good Mexican restaurant is impossible to find in the UK it seems (although I do rate Green and Red on Bethnal Green Road in fairness), and with Boho Mexica you are certainly still searching. Drinks in the Commercial Tavern beforehand however were great. It is one of the most beautiful buildings, the decor inside is crazy and fun, the staff are lovely and friendly and the drinks are well priced – also not to many try hard Shoreditch types inside, a great place to hang out.
Finally, my new favourite drinking hangout is The Arts Theatre Bar just of Old Compton Street. It is an underground hidden treasure, full of quirks and vintage appeal: brick walls, distressed leather sofas, a dug out piano hiding a DJ booth, antique chest of drawers used as back bar shelving and prohibition pitchers served in mismatched vintage teapots and cups with saucers. I love the very speakeasy/New York decor. The cocktails are approachable, palatable and very competently made – highlights are a well made old fashioned, the orange and ginger daiquiri and a teapot of pineapple mai tai made with Appleton ox to the old trader Vic’s 1944 recipe.
So that’s a quick round up for you lovely readers. I am on the mend now and will be logging much more frequently – there will be cocktails recipes coming up as I have been mixing up a storm in my kitchen and have great ideas to share. Also, watch this space for the Hungry Londoners pop up restaurant soon to be launched – email with ideas for a name as nothings been decided just yet and it would be great to have your input – winning name gets a free dinner!!!
Happy Munching!
Currently munching: Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs with cream and chives
Well I have not blogged forever because I have been suffering from a wrist injury. , which has made typing very painful. It is on the mend so I thought I would do a big round up paragraph of some places I have been to in last few months before getting back on track!!! Firstly, it has been a whole new year since I last blogged. I think it only right that I nominate my favourite restaurant of 2009 even if it is somewhat belatedly! It has to go to Bob Bob Ricard in Soho. I love this place, the decor is so fantastically kitsch but complete; even the waiters uniforms are theatrically in keeping. The menu is varied and affordable, but can easily become a more quality expensive meal if you decided – I like that you can have a great time no matter your budget. I love the toasters that come to the table a breakfast time so you can toast your own bread; I love that Ritz crackers with dairylea triangles is a bar snack! It is a bit like going to grandmas for dinner, dining on scotch eggs with salad cream for a starter and salmon and cucumber for a main. It works as a concept, and most importantly it brings some fun and joy to eating out – when we are watching the pennies the value of humour and enjoyment to a meal really makes it a memorable occasion.
In terms of places I have been in last few months, I can happily report that I have been back to Pizza East a few times now and have not been disappointed. They are consistent, the staff is fantastic and the place is getting busier and busier creating a fantastic vibe. I tried the Princess of Shoreditch for Sunday lunch with friends just after Christmas and was disappointed – a lazy gastro pub resting on clichés and over priced with robot staff; won’t go back. Another place not getting a return visit is Boho Mexica on Commercial Street. I went as they had a fantastic 4 star rating in Time out, the review hung proudly in the window. We were the only table there for the two hour period, the food was unimaginative and bland, even the tortilla chips were stale, the cocktails were poorly executed. A good Mexican restaurant is impossible to find in the UK it seems (although I do rate Green and Red on Bethnal Green Road in fairness), and with Boho Mexica you are certainly still searching. Drinks in the Commercial Tavern beforehand however were great. It is one of the most beautiful buildings, the decor inside is crazy and fun, the staff are lovely and friendly and the drinks are well priced – also not to many try hard Shoreditch types inside, a great place to hang out.
Finally, my new favourite drinking hangout is The Arts Theatre Bar just of Old Compton Street. It is an underground hidden treasure, full of quirks and vintage appeal: brick walls, distressed leather sofas, a dug out piano hiding a DJ booth, antique chest of drawers used as back bar shelving and prohibition pitchers served in mismatched vintage teapots and cups with saucers. I love the very speakeasy/New York decor. The cocktails are approachable, palatable and very competently made – highlights are a well made old fashioned, the orange and ginger daiquiri and a teapot of pineapple mai tai made with Appleton ox to the old trader Vic’s 1944 recipe.
So that’s a quick round up for you lovely readers. I am on the mend now and will be logging much more frequently – there will be cocktails recipes coming up as I have been mixing up a storm in my kitchen and have great ideas to share. Also, watch this space for the Hungry Londoners pop up restaurant soon to be launched – email with ideas for a name as nothings been decided just yet and it would be great to have your input – winning name gets a free dinner!!!
Happy Munching!
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