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 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!
Restaurant Review: Pizza East
Saturday 7th October 2009
Restaurant: Pizza East, 56 Shoreditch High Street
Price per person: £30 exc service
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Currently Munching: Toast with Marmite and a hard boiled egg (best hangover cure)
I took my dad and my sister to this new pizza restaurant on the recommendation of my friend Nick. It is in the old Tea building on the corner of Bethnal Green road and Shoreditch High Street. Walking into the entrance you feel like you are entering an unpleasant car park in the centre of Hammersmith, all concrete walls and peeling paint. The stencilled walls state that ‘Pizza East’ does indeed lie behind these doors, so with a deep breath we enter…the inside décor is clearly where the money was spent. It is gorgeous, very rough and ready New York loft/warehouse style. The light fixtures are big and glamorous and makes for a lovely contrast to steel tables and chairs. There are red leather booths which link in to the rags to riches aesthetic, and large wooden tables where groups of people have all joined up to dine together, much like Wagamama’s do – this kind of informal eating arrangement is great and creates a very lively buzz of conversation and laughter in the darkened restaurant. In the middle a station is situated where hangs large prosciutto, Bresola and mortadella, with chefs slicing away platters of thin wafers of meat, an option for a cold antipasti starter; you can chose from three to eleven of the meats and cheeses and they are presented on a platter – not just for starters, this is a great idea too for a Sunday nibble session with the girls! The bar area sitting behind the reception area is another large wooden table, and here feels like a rustic Italian kitchen, a slightly more cosy and homey feel than the large restaurant which is fitting for the purpose and again adds to the gentle hum of comfortable conversations. They have Peroni on tap to my father’s delight; no cocktail menu is offered just a beer and wine list which is an error as I know one is available. Still water is brought to us when we ask for tap – as the water is all in the same glass bottles whether tap or mineral, we are not sure until we see the bill if we have been charged – of the two bottles ordered we were charged for that first one £1.50 – not the end of the world but poor when we specifically asked for tap water.
Garlic bread is ordered while we read the menu and delivered very quickly. The ciabatta base is dripping in hot garlic butter and is absolutely delicious. We decided to choose a few antipasti starters to share on the table, and then have our own mains which we are assured by our very friendly and knowledgeable waiter is the ‘done thing’. The starters take no more than ten minutes to arrive, and do come staggered which as we are sharing is not a problem. We have lightly fried calamari with a caper aioli, a little over cooked but the flavours are there. Squid is very tricky to not get rubbery, and unfortunately the calamari is tough. We have lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, which is delicious. The sauce is very rich and fresh and not too sweet. Finally we have the wood roasted mussels, with garlic and fennel aioli, which is by far the nicest of the dishes. There are at least fifteen mussels served with toasted bread, the rich wine and garlic sauce is perfection, and the cool aioli is full of flavour.
I opt for a carafe of the sangiovese ‘on tap’ for my main course, at a £10 cost. It is exactly how you would expect – weak, young and bitter. I do commend a restaurant offering value wines so that you do not isolate any clientele who may want wine with their meal but not be able to afford something more pricey, but I think that wine on tap is effectively the same as sticking a £10 box of wine on the table and squirting it into a glass – now when in life do we buy these boxes of supermarket wine…for New year’s parties when we don’t know any of the guests? As a joke? Never? In truth you can buy good tasting bottled wine now for a very low cost, therefore there is no need to drink wine from a tap and if there is no need to do so in your home, there is certainly no need to go to a restaurant and lower your standards as such!
For mains my dad takes the waiter’s recommendation of Salami, tomato, mozzarella, red onion and chilli flakes for his pizza topping. The base sauce was again spot on, the pizza size was big but not daunting, the cheese was plentiful and the base was crispy and rustic; all in all a fantastic pizza. My sister was not as happy with hers: she had the speck, mozzarella, tomato and rocket. The base had too much sauce on it, not enough cheese and far too much rocket thrown on top (it seems rocket is the noughties answer to the eighties over use of parsley). It was an average affair compared to the flavours of my dad’s pizza. No one was brave enough to try the duck sausage pizza! There comes a time in ever pizza restaurants life when the base of the pizza becomes less a part of the flavours of the dish and more a plate to serve a totally unrelated topping on – next visit I will take someone more adventurous to see if this is the case with the duck option! As I have a wheat allergy, I went for one on the ‘none pizza’ options, of which there were a good mix of hot and cold dishes. I went for the Middle White Porchetta with cannellini beans, kale and fennel apple sauce. It was a really good size portion, the flavours were rustic and fresh, and the meat was lean which was a nice surprise considering the cut, meaning that the quality of ingredients remained as high as on their pizza’s. A real delightful mix of flavours, and a dish I would love to enjoy again.
Totally stuffed we decided to share a bowl of ice cream for pudding. There was a choice of around seven flavours, which they change which was good to know – we were offered three scoops and opted for pistachio, honey and brown sugar crème fraiche. The pistachio was out of this world, the most amazing creamy flavour with a soft nutty tone – it was so good we ordered another bowl and I would go back to Pizza East and just eat the ice cream it was so amazing!
The service was great, atmosphere fantastic and value for money that you don’t often find in London. For a venue that has only been open for three weeks, I see great success in its future if it keeps the quality of its ingredients and service to the same standards it has opened with and I will be going back there again very soon.
Restaurant: Pizza East, 56 Shoreditch High Street
Price per person: £30 exc service
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Currently Munching: Toast with Marmite and a hard boiled egg (best hangover cure)
I took my dad and my sister to this new pizza restaurant on the recommendation of my friend Nick. It is in the old Tea building on the corner of Bethnal Green road and Shoreditch High Street. Walking into the entrance you feel like you are entering an unpleasant car park in the centre of Hammersmith, all concrete walls and peeling paint. The stencilled walls state that ‘Pizza East’ does indeed lie behind these doors, so with a deep breath we enter…the inside décor is clearly where the money was spent. It is gorgeous, very rough and ready New York loft/warehouse style. The light fixtures are big and glamorous and makes for a lovely contrast to steel tables and chairs. There are red leather booths which link in to the rags to riches aesthetic, and large wooden tables where groups of people have all joined up to dine together, much like Wagamama’s do – this kind of informal eating arrangement is great and creates a very lively buzz of conversation and laughter in the darkened restaurant. In the middle a station is situated where hangs large prosciutto, Bresola and mortadella, with chefs slicing away platters of thin wafers of meat, an option for a cold antipasti starter; you can chose from three to eleven of the meats and cheeses and they are presented on a platter – not just for starters, this is a great idea too for a Sunday nibble session with the girls! The bar area sitting behind the reception area is another large wooden table, and here feels like a rustic Italian kitchen, a slightly more cosy and homey feel than the large restaurant which is fitting for the purpose and again adds to the gentle hum of comfortable conversations. They have Peroni on tap to my father’s delight; no cocktail menu is offered just a beer and wine list which is an error as I know one is available. Still water is brought to us when we ask for tap – as the water is all in the same glass bottles whether tap or mineral, we are not sure until we see the bill if we have been charged – of the two bottles ordered we were charged for that first one £1.50 – not the end of the world but poor when we specifically asked for tap water.
Garlic bread is ordered while we read the menu and delivered very quickly. The ciabatta base is dripping in hot garlic butter and is absolutely delicious. We decided to choose a few antipasti starters to share on the table, and then have our own mains which we are assured by our very friendly and knowledgeable waiter is the ‘done thing’. The starters take no more than ten minutes to arrive, and do come staggered which as we are sharing is not a problem. We have lightly fried calamari with a caper aioli, a little over cooked but the flavours are there. Squid is very tricky to not get rubbery, and unfortunately the calamari is tough. We have lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, which is delicious. The sauce is very rich and fresh and not too sweet. Finally we have the wood roasted mussels, with garlic and fennel aioli, which is by far the nicest of the dishes. There are at least fifteen mussels served with toasted bread, the rich wine and garlic sauce is perfection, and the cool aioli is full of flavour.
I opt for a carafe of the sangiovese ‘on tap’ for my main course, at a £10 cost. It is exactly how you would expect – weak, young and bitter. I do commend a restaurant offering value wines so that you do not isolate any clientele who may want wine with their meal but not be able to afford something more pricey, but I think that wine on tap is effectively the same as sticking a £10 box of wine on the table and squirting it into a glass – now when in life do we buy these boxes of supermarket wine…for New year’s parties when we don’t know any of the guests? As a joke? Never? In truth you can buy good tasting bottled wine now for a very low cost, therefore there is no need to drink wine from a tap and if there is no need to do so in your home, there is certainly no need to go to a restaurant and lower your standards as such!
For mains my dad takes the waiter’s recommendation of Salami, tomato, mozzarella, red onion and chilli flakes for his pizza topping. The base sauce was again spot on, the pizza size was big but not daunting, the cheese was plentiful and the base was crispy and rustic; all in all a fantastic pizza. My sister was not as happy with hers: she had the speck, mozzarella, tomato and rocket. The base had too much sauce on it, not enough cheese and far too much rocket thrown on top (it seems rocket is the noughties answer to the eighties over use of parsley). It was an average affair compared to the flavours of my dad’s pizza. No one was brave enough to try the duck sausage pizza! There comes a time in ever pizza restaurants life when the base of the pizza becomes less a part of the flavours of the dish and more a plate to serve a totally unrelated topping on – next visit I will take someone more adventurous to see if this is the case with the duck option! As I have a wheat allergy, I went for one on the ‘none pizza’ options, of which there were a good mix of hot and cold dishes. I went for the Middle White Porchetta with cannellini beans, kale and fennel apple sauce. It was a really good size portion, the flavours were rustic and fresh, and the meat was lean which was a nice surprise considering the cut, meaning that the quality of ingredients remained as high as on their pizza’s. A real delightful mix of flavours, and a dish I would love to enjoy again.
Totally stuffed we decided to share a bowl of ice cream for pudding. There was a choice of around seven flavours, which they change which was good to know – we were offered three scoops and opted for pistachio, honey and brown sugar crème fraiche. The pistachio was out of this world, the most amazing creamy flavour with a soft nutty tone – it was so good we ordered another bowl and I would go back to Pizza East and just eat the ice cream it was so amazing!
The service was great, atmosphere fantastic and value for money that you don’t often find in London. For a venue that has only been open for three weeks, I see great success in its future if it keeps the quality of its ingredients and service to the same standards it has opened with and I will be going back there again very soon.
TV Time - Hell's Kitchen USA
Monday 26th October
Curently Munching: Celery and prawn cocktail
Just watched Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen USA. I think he actually hates Americans – he would never talk to people like that on the English version!!! I have never seen such terrible chefs so far into a competition and you can see the total dispair in poor Gordon's face, as they have like 2 shows left before the final and not a single service has been completed yet without a disaster!Totally amazing, love it – watch it on ITV2.
Curently Munching: Celery and prawn cocktail
Just watched Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen USA. I think he actually hates Americans – he would never talk to people like that on the English version!!! I have never seen such terrible chefs so far into a competition and you can see the total dispair in poor Gordon's face, as they have like 2 shows left before the final and not a single service has been completed yet without a disaster!Totally amazing, love it – watch it on ITV2.
Restaurant in MY OWN living room!
Saturday 24th October
Restaurant: My lounge
Price per person: £3.24
Rating: 5 out of 5 of course!
Currently Munching: More Onuga and rice cakes
My best friend Kat has been staying over for a few days and we are supposed to go out for drinks and food tonight in Shoreditch. On closer inspection of our wallets we decided to invite everyone over to a dinner party! As the recession keeps kicking all of us in the bank balance eating in has indeed become the new eating out. My parents have long celebrated the benefits of eating in over going to a restaurant – they know what they will be eating will be of a standard they enjoy, they can drink and not worry about the drive home, and yes there is the washing up but there is also the joy of leftovers. Plus there is nothing like being able to relax in your own home with your friends without feeling the eyes of the hostess’s pressuring you for the table back! Kat and mine’s favourite show is Come Dine with Me, so we decided to go for a three course meal that would win any week. Off to Sainsburys and we manage to get everything we need for a three course meal for 6 for £19.49. That didn’t include the two bottles of wine, but it did include a small bottle of Brandy that we needed for cooking. I think the trick is when it comes to cooking on the cheap is just being inventive with your ideas, and not fearing away from the greatness that is the basic’s range. As long as the food is cooked well and seasoned well it doesn’t matter if it was a little ugly in its former life. Of course in an ideal world we would all shop local and support our local businesses…but I am afraid I am a realist and until my local grocer can do me 1.5kg of onions for 68p like the basic’s range does then Sainsburys retains my custom for now!
So the menu was as follows: French Onion soup to start, Mixed Mushroom stroganoff with rice and vegetables for main and an individual banoffee pie for pudding. This menu worked as their were ingredients for the starter and main that were repeated so it saved us money as we just needed to buy a few bulk items rather than lots of little things. The soup was so easy to make – neither of us had ever tried before but I did have a tip up my sleeve from a good friend and old house mate of mine Helen; when cooking the onions down in the butter when they stick a bit on the bottom and side and leave those crispy burnt bits on the pan scrape them off with your wooded spoon and keep mixing them through as the onions soften as that is all the lovely sugars from the onions caramelising and will make the soup lovely and sweet. Kat added a tiny teaspoon of sugar too but it is not needed if you prefer it not so caramelised. You are then supposed to coat the cooked onions with flour before pouring on hot white wine and beef stock but I forgot this step…oooppps! Turned out it did not affect the thickness of the sauce and as I have a wheat allergy it is good to know that the recipe worked fine without the added flour. Even though the recipe asked for beef stock we used vegetable as we had lovely Sarah coming for dinner who is brilliant but a vegetarian so we had to cater for her – it’s a good thing we love her so much…Point is the soup was full of flavour with the vegetable stock too so I think it is absolutely fine to substitute without loosing any richness from the soup. It was then cooked down, bit of water added here and there as we wished until it was the thickness we wanted and that was it, job done! You could add some thyme or bay leave but we couldn’t afford these items on the budget and the soup was amazing without. When doing a vegetarian dinner for meat eaters I think mushrooms are always a good option as their texture and robustness is often likened to meat and they certainly are the steak of the vegetable world. A tip for making a successful stroganoff, meat or vegetable based, is as follows: step away from the red pepper and the chopped tomatoes!!! The amount of times I have had a disappointing stroganoff and the culprits have been the unnecessary addition of anything red! Stroganoff is meant to essentially be a rich dinner of meat, cream and onions deliciously flavoured with masarla or wine. If you really can’t do without then serve roasted cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers as a side vegetable, just keep them out of the sauce!!! I am now going to tell you the story of the invention of stroganoff as my mate Kat informed me – those who are squeamish skip to the next paragraph! It was invented by Count Pavel Stroganoff in 19th century Russia who originally cooked this dish with human flesh – he had bad teeth and couldn’t handle beef it turns out…apparently he had never heard of chicken…
We served it with cheap and cheerful boil in the bag rice which is great as it seems to not get as sticky as normal rice for some reason, I am sure it is all very scientific. For vegetables there is nothing better than broccoli and green beans with the lovely rich mushroom sauce. Best stroganoff I have ever had (sorry dad!). For the individual banoffee pies we did a layer of buttered digestive biscuit crumbs. These were both basic range ingredients and together cost over a pound less than branded products and did the job fantastically. Just crumb the biscuits in a food processor or give them a bash, stir in a little melted butter and press into the bowls. We left them to cool in the fridge. We them melted butter in a pan and sautéed some sliced bananas before flambéing them in brandy. We had already bought brandy for the stroganoff so we decided to use it here too, ensuring value to the purchase. This went on the biscuit base and was topped with condensed milk which we had boiled in its tin for two hours. This is safer than it sounds to do, just ensure the tin is covered in boiling water the whole time, and that as the water evaporates just make sure you top it up. On top of the caramel we sliced fresh bananas, then whipped double cream and then finally some grated Galaxy chocolate which Jen had kindly brought over as a present! Seriously good pudding – the best bannoffee pie I have ever had, the brandy really gave a sophisticated edge to this easy dish and I will definitely do this again when making this dessert.
Kat and I decided to design a cocktail shot to accompany each course. This is another thing that is great about dining at home, little flourishes and touches you can get inventive with: individual place settings made from home-made truffles, or dressing the table with gold and silver coated sweets like my aunty always does, or unexpected courses which give you the chance to experiment in the kitchen. The shot that accompanied the starter was a mess so I will not talk of that one… We went for a traditional lemon drop for the main, which is lemon juice, vodka and sugar shaken with ice then strained into glasses. The lemon cleanses your palate and awakens your senses so that you are ready for the next course. It is a good way to get over that feeling of fullness that sometimes comes after a starter and gets your taste buds racing again! We did mini Brandy Alexander’s for dessert, using the last of the brandy and some of the double cream we had bought for the puddings, again just shaking it and straining it into glasses before dusting with cocoa (we didn’t have traditional nutmeg but cocoa is lovely with Alexander’s if you don’t have). The mix of flavours with the bannoffee pie was out of this world! The night was great, lots of wine, lots of laughing and lots of chats – the food was better than anything we could have afforded to buy in a restaurant in London and yes the washing up was a bit high but we got to do it the morning after so it didn’t interfere with the fun of the night! It was my first dinner party in my new flat and it will be the first of many I have decided!!!
Restaurant: My lounge
Price per person: £3.24
Rating: 5 out of 5 of course!
Currently Munching: More Onuga and rice cakes
My best friend Kat has been staying over for a few days and we are supposed to go out for drinks and food tonight in Shoreditch. On closer inspection of our wallets we decided to invite everyone over to a dinner party! As the recession keeps kicking all of us in the bank balance eating in has indeed become the new eating out. My parents have long celebrated the benefits of eating in over going to a restaurant – they know what they will be eating will be of a standard they enjoy, they can drink and not worry about the drive home, and yes there is the washing up but there is also the joy of leftovers. Plus there is nothing like being able to relax in your own home with your friends without feeling the eyes of the hostess’s pressuring you for the table back! Kat and mine’s favourite show is Come Dine with Me, so we decided to go for a three course meal that would win any week. Off to Sainsburys and we manage to get everything we need for a three course meal for 6 for £19.49. That didn’t include the two bottles of wine, but it did include a small bottle of Brandy that we needed for cooking. I think the trick is when it comes to cooking on the cheap is just being inventive with your ideas, and not fearing away from the greatness that is the basic’s range. As long as the food is cooked well and seasoned well it doesn’t matter if it was a little ugly in its former life. Of course in an ideal world we would all shop local and support our local businesses…but I am afraid I am a realist and until my local grocer can do me 1.5kg of onions for 68p like the basic’s range does then Sainsburys retains my custom for now!
So the menu was as follows: French Onion soup to start, Mixed Mushroom stroganoff with rice and vegetables for main and an individual banoffee pie for pudding. This menu worked as their were ingredients for the starter and main that were repeated so it saved us money as we just needed to buy a few bulk items rather than lots of little things. The soup was so easy to make – neither of us had ever tried before but I did have a tip up my sleeve from a good friend and old house mate of mine Helen; when cooking the onions down in the butter when they stick a bit on the bottom and side and leave those crispy burnt bits on the pan scrape them off with your wooded spoon and keep mixing them through as the onions soften as that is all the lovely sugars from the onions caramelising and will make the soup lovely and sweet. Kat added a tiny teaspoon of sugar too but it is not needed if you prefer it not so caramelised. You are then supposed to coat the cooked onions with flour before pouring on hot white wine and beef stock but I forgot this step…oooppps! Turned out it did not affect the thickness of the sauce and as I have a wheat allergy it is good to know that the recipe worked fine without the added flour. Even though the recipe asked for beef stock we used vegetable as we had lovely Sarah coming for dinner who is brilliant but a vegetarian so we had to cater for her – it’s a good thing we love her so much…Point is the soup was full of flavour with the vegetable stock too so I think it is absolutely fine to substitute without loosing any richness from the soup. It was then cooked down, bit of water added here and there as we wished until it was the thickness we wanted and that was it, job done! You could add some thyme or bay leave but we couldn’t afford these items on the budget and the soup was amazing without. When doing a vegetarian dinner for meat eaters I think mushrooms are always a good option as their texture and robustness is often likened to meat and they certainly are the steak of the vegetable world. A tip for making a successful stroganoff, meat or vegetable based, is as follows: step away from the red pepper and the chopped tomatoes!!! The amount of times I have had a disappointing stroganoff and the culprits have been the unnecessary addition of anything red! Stroganoff is meant to essentially be a rich dinner of meat, cream and onions deliciously flavoured with masarla or wine. If you really can’t do without then serve roasted cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers as a side vegetable, just keep them out of the sauce!!! I am now going to tell you the story of the invention of stroganoff as my mate Kat informed me – those who are squeamish skip to the next paragraph! It was invented by Count Pavel Stroganoff in 19th century Russia who originally cooked this dish with human flesh – he had bad teeth and couldn’t handle beef it turns out…apparently he had never heard of chicken…
We served it with cheap and cheerful boil in the bag rice which is great as it seems to not get as sticky as normal rice for some reason, I am sure it is all very scientific. For vegetables there is nothing better than broccoli and green beans with the lovely rich mushroom sauce. Best stroganoff I have ever had (sorry dad!). For the individual banoffee pies we did a layer of buttered digestive biscuit crumbs. These were both basic range ingredients and together cost over a pound less than branded products and did the job fantastically. Just crumb the biscuits in a food processor or give them a bash, stir in a little melted butter and press into the bowls. We left them to cool in the fridge. We them melted butter in a pan and sautéed some sliced bananas before flambéing them in brandy. We had already bought brandy for the stroganoff so we decided to use it here too, ensuring value to the purchase. This went on the biscuit base and was topped with condensed milk which we had boiled in its tin for two hours. This is safer than it sounds to do, just ensure the tin is covered in boiling water the whole time, and that as the water evaporates just make sure you top it up. On top of the caramel we sliced fresh bananas, then whipped double cream and then finally some grated Galaxy chocolate which Jen had kindly brought over as a present! Seriously good pudding – the best bannoffee pie I have ever had, the brandy really gave a sophisticated edge to this easy dish and I will definitely do this again when making this dessert.
Kat and I decided to design a cocktail shot to accompany each course. This is another thing that is great about dining at home, little flourishes and touches you can get inventive with: individual place settings made from home-made truffles, or dressing the table with gold and silver coated sweets like my aunty always does, or unexpected courses which give you the chance to experiment in the kitchen. The shot that accompanied the starter was a mess so I will not talk of that one… We went for a traditional lemon drop for the main, which is lemon juice, vodka and sugar shaken with ice then strained into glasses. The lemon cleanses your palate and awakens your senses so that you are ready for the next course. It is a good way to get over that feeling of fullness that sometimes comes after a starter and gets your taste buds racing again! We did mini Brandy Alexander’s for dessert, using the last of the brandy and some of the double cream we had bought for the puddings, again just shaking it and straining it into glasses before dusting with cocoa (we didn’t have traditional nutmeg but cocoa is lovely with Alexander’s if you don’t have). The mix of flavours with the bannoffee pie was out of this world! The night was great, lots of wine, lots of laughing and lots of chats – the food was better than anything we could have afforded to buy in a restaurant in London and yes the washing up was a bit high but we got to do it the morning after so it didn’t interfere with the fun of the night! It was my first dinner party in my new flat and it will be the first of many I have decided!!!
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