The Hungry Londoner Is Back!!! And feeling Korean ...

Wednesday 14th January 2015
Restaurant: Jubo at Bedroom Bar and On the Bap
Price per Person: £12 upwards
Rating: 8 out of 10

 

Well, you know me, I am a hipster at heart and proud of it, therefore I am obviously obsessed with Korean street food like the rest of the East London hip kids.  I had never had it before, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I have had anything authentic yet; however what I have eaten in two fine London eateries was delicious, so I am sorry this is where my hipster façade falls as I don’t care if it’s ‘the real deal’, it’s AMAZING!

First up I was in Bedroom Bar on Rivington Street to watch my cousin’s band play (Hi 5 to The Plastics!).  When you walk into the venue there are all these little tables to the left, and it has been set out as a Korean Canteen called Jubo.  It is all very ‘trendy’ with exposed wood and brick, dim lights and tight spaces.  We moved into the main bar to listen to sound check and have a drink.  The food smells however and the plates moving past us where too good to resist.  After enquiring about a menu at the bar I was told we would need to move to the main restaurant and put our name on a list.  She was a bit gruff and rude, the only down side of the place being that some of the staff seem to have forgotten it’s called the ‘hospitality’ business, therefore be HOSPITABLE!

I went to the host who was lovely, and quickly told me that we could eat where we want and he would be right with us.  So back in our comfy seats we decided to order the Chicken Dinner Platter between the 3 of us, which is 8 wings, 8 strips and 3 sides.  The sides all sounded amazing so we asked the lovely host who was quick to attend our table, what he would recommend.  He enthusiastically said to try the lotus root chips as they are so unusual.  We went for that, with of course some Kimchi slaw and chips for good measure.  You can always judge a place by the quality of its chips, as my dad says.  We were asked how spicy we want our chicken, to which we when to ‘hipster’ middle of the road – medium – so we got half soy garlic and half hot and sweet.  The food arrived quickly and was piping hot.  The chicken was a mix of wet and dry marinade.  The portion was MASSIVE – we struggled with three of us.  The flavour of the meat was the perfect balance of sweet, salt and spice that Korean food is known for, with fresh chopped spring onion garnish giving it a fresh lift.  The kimchi slaw was punchy and vinegary working well with the mayonnaise dressing.  The lotus chips were beautiful and crisp –not the biggest flavour, but delicious when combined with the other elements.  And chips were crispy on the outside, soft in the middle as it should be!  We even had to ask for the balance to be wrapped up – which was done with pleasure.  It was a lovely atmosphere, the food was fresh and delicious, and apart from the reluctant bartender it was an experience I can’t wait to repeat.

http://www.bedroom-bar.co.uk/assets/Uploads/Food_Menu/JUBOA2PRINT.pdf

So, now I am clearly an expert in Korean food, I decided to brave On The Bap on Old Street last week, sibling to Koba in central London.  The ‘bap’ part of the name means served with ‘rice’; not a floury bread roll in sight I regret to inform.  I say I braved it as, there was only one table at the back occupied and three expectant waitresses waiting eagerly like a personal welcoming party at the door for anyone coming in, which always intimidates me a bit.  I am also a curvy westerner, wearing a large coat and was more scarf than human, so the insanely close together tables injected another level of danger to me deciding to dine there: would I get into the seat, will my arse clear the table behind me as I was sliding in?  But god loves a risk taker and I got into my corner table safe and sound!

The deco is of course exposed brick work, with soup tins holding cutlery on the tables.  The menu was printed on brown paper and on a clip board – I was in hipster heaven!!  Service was efficient and friendly.  The menu was varied enough that I wasn’t sure what to choose from so asked for advice between two tempting dishes.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure what a lot of it was, which also didn’t help!  In the end I went in favour of Kimchi Bokeum Bap, described as Korean style bacon Paella with a fried egg on top.  I also ordered a miso soup as I am obsessed.  This arrived first in a bowl on a little wooden tray – it had a big pillow of softly friend tofu, something I had not seen treated that way before.  It was full of flavour, scattered with fresh spring onions and seaweed. 

 

My Kimchi Bokeum Bap arrived a couple of minutes after, and served in an enamel bowl, my hipster scale exploded with joy.  The dish had the flavour to back it up though, served with a raw salad of mixed cabbage and kohi rabi (I think that is what is was anyway), smothered in a smoky/spicy mayonnaise style sauce.  The bright orange yellow yoke burst forth all over the rice, with a gentle nudge, creating a rich sauce to baste the delicious tangy, umami rice that lay below.  It was pure joy in a bowl to eat, and I managed ever last mouthful with satiated happiness. 

 

 

 

My bill was £12, a total pleasure for exciting, and fresh flavoured food.  I felt relaxed, looked after, and oh so ‘hip.’  I cannot wait to dine there again, this time going for the Soondubu Jjigae, a seafood stew made Koba style … whatever that is … I better get googling Korean lingo!

 

http://onthebab.co.uk

And yes, I am moving back to London after 3.5 long years away!  I look forward to sharing all my London foodie adventures with you soon!

Much Love

The Hungry Londoner

Chatsworth RD, Brownies and Bad Service at Viet Grill

Sunday 20th March 2011

Restaurant: Viet Grill, Kingsland Rd
Price per Person: £30 upwards
Rating: 3 out of 10

It was a lovely sunny day, and thanks to the wonder that is Twitter I had got wind that The Chatsworth Road Market was on today, and was a stones throw from my home in Hackney. We wondered down and had a lovely mooch - The Chatsworth Kitchen was packed and buzzing, likewise Le Creperie on the corner. There were lovely cupcake stalls, The Vegan Peasant making yummy salads, American hot dogs, and Japanese pancake stall, fresh cheeses and organic meat...lovely, lovely, lovely neighbourhood market. I really hope this market continues to grow and grow as it is a great asset to East London. You might even see a Hungry Londoner stall there one day soon...

Next on the agenda was making brownies. After seeing a recipe for brownies using Hellman's mayonnaise in place of butter in many magazines over the last few weeks I thought I would give it a go as I am allergic to dairy so brownies are normally a 'no-no.' The recipe called for the following:

40g Flour (I used white spelt flour as I am also allergic to wheat!)
25g Cocoa
140g Chocolate
3 Eggs
225g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract/Essence
55g Chopped Walnuts
8 'Dollops' Hellman's mayonnaise

You have to sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Then you melt the chocolate over the stove (we used Green & Blacks 70% as it is dairy free). You whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together then whisk in the melted chocolate. Finally fold in the flour mixture, walnuts and the tablespoons of mayonnaise. Pour this into a greased tray and put into an oven heated to 160c for 30-35 mins. Leave to cool in the tray(while you go to the Viet Grill) then cut up and munch! They are incredible: and dairy and wheat free! Literally the softest, squishiest brownies ever; crispy top then proper roof sticking oozing middle. I am going to make them again but with Lindt 'Touch of Seasalt' to see how they turn out...

While the brownies were cooling, my housemates and I decided to use a £50 voucher I had received from Viet Grill due to a previous bad experience of poor food and poor service in what had been until then a favourite haunt. On arriving we were seated quickly in the not even half full restaurant (it was 6pm by the way). We waited...and waited...and waited...more than ten minutes for anyone to offer us a drink (we didn't even have a drink menu mind!). When someone finally came over we were asked if we were ready to order, and on asking were finally given a drink menu. Only one of us ordered a starter, Vietnamese rolls, the rest of us wanted just prawn crackers. Three of us went for Sizzling Seafood, number four order beef cooked in a clay pot,and we had some greens in oyster sauce and a couple bowls of rice for the table. We also asked for four tap waters. We waited...and waited...the restaurant was still not even half full...the starter came...we still had no drinks...no prawn crackers...starter cleared no drinks, no crackers...Mains arrived immediately. Actually no, greens and rice arrived then almost five minutes later the rest did, so our accompaniments were already cold. We had to ask twice for our water, twice for our prawn crackers. Our one cocktail that we had ordered with our food arrived finally halfway through the meal (so twenty minutes after ordering); the place is even emptier by now as a party of 4 adults/4 children had gone. The food itself was very tasty: lots of squid and lovely fresh vegetables, a few slices of scallops and 3 fat fresh prawns in a thick and flavourful garlic sauce served on s still sizzling cast iron pot did the trick just grand. The greens were crunchy (but cold). The beef dish was literally just beef strips in a pot but flavourful. We were cleared and promptly ignored for over twenty minutes. We were not offered desserts, drinks, the bills - ignored. We finally waved our arms to get the bill. The price before discount was £82, which was for one stater, four mains with 3 sides, one cocktail and one beer. I find that really extortionate for what we had: it was good but no better than any other Vietnamese establishments on that strip. After the discount we paid £8 each which we decided was exactly what it was worth and nothing more. Considering we were going to the Viet Grill after a previously poor experience, I have concluded I will never go back again. It is over priced, poorly served and no better than any of the other restaurants on Kingsland Road - please go somewhere else!!!

Disappointing breakfast at The Breakfast Club Hoxton

Saturday 19th march 2011

Restaurant: The Breakfast Club, Hoxton
Price per Person: approx £15 per person, including a drink
Rating: 4 out of 10

Currently Munching: Ready Salted Chipsticks...mmm...

First off, I want to clarify that I love The Breakfast Club establishments. My first experience was the one on Great Marlborough Street, and I stumbled across it while killing time before a job interview. I had a huge cup of tea and watched door stop sausage sandwiches leave the kitchen with my mouth watering. I laughed at the 'we are not a fast food restaurant, please be patient or the chefs get angry' poster. I loved the kitsch decor, and I told everyone I know about this hidden jewel I had found. My sister went to the Angel branch, and raved similarly: we took my dad and HE raved. So you see, this place is a family favourite and it actually pains me to have to write negatively about the chain.

This was the first time my sister and I had been to the Hoxton Branch. First off, we joined a small queue, which was no problem; its part of the experience of The Breakfast Club I have found and causes me no qualms. What was disappointing was the amount of empty tables there were, and the fact that no one seemed to be in charge of 'hosting/seating.' The poor waiters were running all over the place, appearing to do a section and be clearing and resetting, AND be seating. We were eventaully lead to a table in a side room area. Now the front section and back section of the main restaurant are bright, chatty, lots of natural light and bustling energy. This side room however seemed like a complete after thought: almost as if it was decided 'got enough storage rooms, I guess we'll stuff an over sized sofa and the wobbliest tables and chairs in there and forget about it.' You could not even hear music, and it was dark and grey and miserable. My chair was so unstable it is a miracle it did not collapse. We decided to go back to the queue and wait for another table, which the staff didn't make us feel awkward about which was great. We were seated on a shared table quickly (one that had been empty since we got there...). I don't mind the shared table thing but I know its not for everyone.

The menu is extensive. There are loads of American influenced options, as well as traditional 'fry ups'. There are pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, breakfast burritos or porridge and fresh berries, bagels, wraps - literally think all breakfast desires are covered. There are also a great selection of fresh smoothies, milkshakes and juices too. Since we waited over ten minutues for someone to acknowledge us we decided when we finally got someones attention to order everything at once. I had a lovely fresh and spicy Bloody Mary for a very reasonable £4.70. My sister had a mango based smoothie which she nodded encouragingly towards when I asked if she approved. For the food my sister had the Green eggs and Ham, which I had at the Angel branch last time. I had the Chorizo Hash Browns. We ordered a toasted bagel on the side as well.

Our drinks arrived about ten minutes after ordering. The food then appeared within 30 seconds of that which was a shame, as we had sat there empty handed that whole time. As I said I have had the Green Egg dish before so I know how much better it can be. The portion was smaller than I had experienced, it was very dry, there was merely a suggestion of green herbs and it was cold. The accompanying wedges were over cooked, misshapen and looked like they were on their fourth or fifth re-fry. The bagel was a bagel...bit over priced at £2.40. My food was also disappointing. The hash browns were again soggy and squishy potato chunks that seemed on their last 're-heating' legs. The pepper cutting through them was raw and therefore very crunchy, which created a strange contrast with the luke warm and soggy potato in my mouth. The chorizo sausages were two big fat ones, and were delicious. The fried eggs were runny but on the underside they were brown and dry, like they had a toasted skin on them. If this dish was done by throwing potatoes, onions, chili, peppers and diced chorizo all together in a pan to be warmed through then served with a bursting poached egg on top you would have a winning dish. Instead, I finished my plate confused about what just happened.

We asked the girl who cleared the table for the bill. She responded with "I will tell your waiter", which I always find a bit rude; don't make me feel bad because I have asked the wrong person for a service! We waited...five minutes...ten minutes...toilet break...fifteen minutes...twenty minutes...We then did the waving arms in the air thing as subtle eye contact was lost on the staff. Now, the whole time we are waiting, the girl who cleared our table was simply standing there doing nothing. A guy with face piercings finally came to our aid, but with an attitude of 'what you want to pay, I am a bit to cool to talk to you but I will.' There seemed to be 2 waiters on the whole floor actually doing anything, the rest seemed more concerned with how 'Shoreditch' their outfits were today. The man with the piercings even criticised how our very nervous (clearly first shift) waiter was serving us IN FRONT of us, not making eye contact with us, perhaps explaining why he was belittling the waiter in front of customers; pierced face boy simply had a really bad attitude.

So I left disappointed in this branch, it was such a shame. The decor rocked, the music was great but the staff largely were stuck up and had terrible attitudes and the food was really below standards. I recommend the Angel branch out of all of them, go if your mates are a bit funky, and I am looking forward to the Spitalfields branch opening soon...as long as they drop the 'we're so East Londoner sceners' attitude and sort the kitchen out!

Sunday Lunch at Brawn

Sunday 6th February 2010

Restaurant: Brawn, Columbia Road
Price Per Peron: £40 inc service and couple glasses wine
Rating: 4 out of 5

Currently Munching: Nothing! I am on detox :-(

I went to Brawn this week after it was recommended to me by a good friend. Brawn is the new offering behind the team at Terriors in Covent Garden. I have not been to Terriors but having read mixed reviews I was not sure about Brawn. I booked a table for Sunday and was told that there was a £25 set menu operated on this day only. Disappointed after my taste buds had been excited by their full menu, I thought this was still a very economically priced 3 course meal and that at least the options on the set menu would probably be their best offerings. We got there for our 3pm table, a time I would recommend going as that is when the flower market starts marking down the blooms and I got a great couple of bunches for a fiver!

The exterior of Brawn is understated and unassuming. It took us a moment to understand if we were outside the correct restaurant. The bar area was none existent so we were lead straight to the table to wait for the rest of our party. The interior is reminiscent of St Johns, if St Johns threw caution to the wind and became a bit 'cluttered': The cutlery was impressive heavy duty silverware, the bathrooms had expensive soaps and cotton hand towels. There is a lovely feeling of quality and detail to the restaurant. If there was a fault, I would say the tables are a little close together: I had a small child on my lap almost as his chair was so close to mine. On settling down with a glass of tap water, we were given the set menu...by 'Set' it turns out Brawn means no options at all. That is pretty set...alarm bells were ringing a tune that sounded like the word 'pretentious'. I will give points to the team though for their care and attention as one of our party was on a gluten free diet, and one was on a wheat and dairy free one. The kitchen and wait staff went out of there way to ensure we all knew what food was suitable and cooked alternatives even. This is very impressive.

The wine list was equally impressive, organised refreshingly into 'soft' or 'full' reds and 'citric' or 'stone' whites - this way of categorising an extensive list was very enjoyable to read. We were having a selection of white pork belly terrine, north Atlantic prawns and home made mayonnaise and sheeps milk and herb cheese, the actual name I can no longer remember! The bread and butter was plentiful. I chose a lovely bottle of Picpol, which the waitress was able to assure me was a good choice, clearly demonstrating that Brawn train their staff in wine highly - another thing I was very impressed with. The prawns were fine...they were nothing to write home about. The cheese was lovely and creamy, again enjoyable but forgettable. The terrine was exquisite though, soft and full of meaty flavour, lovely texture and extremely moreish. The main course was Blade of Bourguignon was melt in the mouth perfection. Those who were avoiding certain items were given a small Staubb pot of the stew to share, whilst the rest of the party had a huge steaming cast iron stove placed between. It was a lovely 'family style' dining experience with everyone helping themselves to mashed potatoes and delicious, rich, juicy bourguignon- my mouth is watering just thinking of it. To avoid the dairy in the mash, the chef prepared some boiled potatoes on a bed of finely chopped and sauteed savoy cabbage - such extra effort I feel was really generous of the chef. I would suggest a portion of something green for the rest of the party would have been good: just something to cut through the richness of meat and potato. We had a delicious 'Faberges' red which was aromatic and smoky, matching the sweet, soft meat to perfection.

Dessert should have been a big bowl of Rhubarb Crumble and Custard in the middle of the table but the kitchen were out, so the choice was either a chocolate mousse or a treacle tart. The tart had a paper thin and crisp base, with a deliciously balanced sweet sugar topping. The chocolate mousse did its job, being both chocolaty and light as air. We called it a day at that. The atmosphere for the afternoon had been lovely and relaxed, the staff, particularly our french speaking waitress were professional and charming, and the food was the right side of better than you could cook yourself. Brawn is a lovely place to spend a lazy afternoon when you want good, honest and reassuring food. I will be back to try Brawn again when I get to choose from the full menu - but I have to hand it to them, when you take choice away from the customer you better deliver, and that they certainly did.

Franny's Pop Up, Frith Street

Happy belated New Year to all! As ever, my work schedule has meant I have not been out anywhere hence the lack of posts! I did manage to finally get out into the world last weekend. It started with a very cultural morning of short films at the Curzon in Soho. From there we decided to attempt the impossible: find food that was not Chinese in China Town! Remarkably we found a lovely Vietnamese place and enjoyed huge bowls of noodle soup with tofu and vegetables; all very healthy and virtuous. As we were so impressed by our cultured path so far that day we decided to continue on to the National Portrait Gallery. After taking in the art we headed upstairs for a glass of prosecco in the restaurant, whilst watching the sunset over London...well that was the plan but it was rammed! It is such a lovely restaurant though; I highly recommend it. The price is really good value, especially the set menu, it has the best cheese board I have ever had, and the views across London are breath-taking. The service is pretty stiff but it does the job.

So the next plan was to head over to Sketch and have some early drinks in their bar. We made our way in that direction, cutting up to Carnaby Street. We then remembered that the Arts Theatre club was there on Frith Street and how much we love it there...but it was not open...by now we were getting desperate and couldn't face walking on to sketch without one drink inside us!

We decided to just go into this place on the opposite side of the road called 'Franny's Pop Up' for a quick drink before moving on, as we weren't to sure what to make of it from the outside. Well what a lovely surprise it turned out to be! We entered thinking we would be told we couldn't have a table just for drinks, but the warm reception from the staff who assured us we could just drink eased us instantly. The bubbly waiter pulled up a chair, cheekily suggesting he might join us - he was very personable and just the right side of casual with us and upsold 3 shots of some concuction within moments due to his charm. We ordered a bottle of prosecco costing....wait for it...£21! It was dry, hints of apple, lots of fizz - what more could we ask for! The food coming to the tables around us looked great: big stonebaked pizza's and huge bowls of pasta, again ridiculously cheap considering we were in central Soho, and that the food was of a very high quality. The decor is really nice, it is kind of 1950's seaside caravan in style, with kitsch touches all over. I felt like I was in a trendy student hang out in Brighton rather than middle of London. We had some olives, fries, fried courgette, and calamari to nibble on. We were assured several times that they did not need the table back for reservations. The staff were always there the moment we needed something and yet we never felt pressurised to keep ordering. The half price happy hour cocktails were palatable and made very well - they only do a handful of classics, but for the style of the place I think it is all you should expect (head back across the road to The Arts Theatre club for more exotic cocktail offerings). We left very happy, with our wallets still full of money because everything was so cheap. All the staff said goodbye as we left. There was an absolute genuineness of the service that was a real joy to experience and I will be going back before it closes for a refurb in March for sure - I believe they have a quiz night of 1st February...get that bottle of prosecco on ice Franny!

And for all those curious as to why I refuse to take photo's of the food and split my writing with these images, food writers in magazines never have them and I don't intend to either! I hope my words paint a clear enough picture for you. If not, you'll just have to head down to the restaurant yourselves!

The Hungry New Yorker!

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!

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 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 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.

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!

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.

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.

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!!!

TV Time - Restaurant in Our Living Room

Friday 23rd October

Currently Munching: Onuga Caviar on rice cakes

Time for a cookery show recommendation: Restaurant in our Living Room. It is too funny: basically two couples run their own restaurant in their living room. They have a budget of £500 and 24 hours to prepare. Chaos of course ensues, everything goes wrong – and it is brilliant car crash TV. The guests at the restaurants pay what they think the evening was worth at the end of the night and whoever raises the most cash wins a trip to a culinary hot spot. My favourite disaster has been the couple that created a drive-in in their garden. Guests were picked up in a ‘lovely’ collection of Fords and Range Rovers at the gate, driven a full twenty metres and parked in a circle surrounding a very enthusiastic Michel Buble impersonator who sang joyously to the guests as they ate canapés from Iceland, a hot pork roll, and defrosted individual Iceland desserts whilst sitting in the back of a random person’s car (random person employed as driver who awkwardly sits in front seat as the ‘meal’ is consumed, its basically like inviting your taxi driver to your dinner). It was a total disaster but made for fantastic viewing and I look forward to it every week – it’s on Thursday nights on Virgin.

My First Restaurant Review: Le Gavroche

Thursday 22nd October 2009

Restaurant: Le Gavroche
Price Per Person exc service: £48
Rating: 5 out of 5…for now…

Currently Munching: Leerdammer and celery, Bacon Frazzles

As this is my first review, I think it's appropriate to start with my favourite restaurant, the place where I have enjoyed the most wonderful meals and service. Ok, a lot of you are now going to judge me based on the name of this establishment – but before you do, I assure you I am not some upper class snob who is going to only being reviewing places that have two star’s or more because the idea of eating anything less than that fills me with dread. I am not a food snob, I even went to Mcdonalds and had a chicken nugget meal deal two days ago and oh yes I totally went large on the fries! But this restaurant for me is the pinnacle of everything a luxury setting should have – the food is astonishing, the service is precise but not too stiff and the value for money is actually fantastic. Also, whenever I go it is only for lunch and it is to enjoy their insanely good value set meal deal where you get three courses, canapés, water and half a bottle wine per person for £48 – bargain!

I have been to Le Gavorche about five times now I think, for my 18th and 21st birthday’s, for the graduation of my Bachelors and Master’s degree, and once when I was going through a really rough time and my dad surprised me for lunch in London to cheer me up (genius). The celebration today was my mother’s birthday – she has one more year before she is batting half a century, and there is not better place to kick off the celebrations. Although it is a French restaurant, for me it has a real saturation of Britishness about it. The decor of the restaurant has been accused of being very dark, very shadowed and of course very masculine; indeed this is true, but this restaurant is steeped in history and I feel the darkness and the essence of genteel masculinity is part of the restaurant’s charm. As a woman I get an excitement from feeling I have crossed a boundary into the world of man – the surrounding tables are made up of about 10% women the rest chortling suited men with their chins rolling and their middle shirt buttons popping, sipping scotch and muttering ‘oh yes, oh yes’ dully whilst sipping their veloutte – yes I am essentially surrounded by tables seated with the dog from the Churchill advert. But again, here is part of Le Gavorche’s charm – here men are allowed to be men and allowed to eat food cooked in butter and drink in the day without their wives saying anything of it. It’s like sitting in a British comedy sketch waiting for the punch line – fantastic! Every table has a beautiful sculpture made of cutlery, today we have, to my father’s dismay, the goat…he wishes we had the lobster. After the eight of us cheers with a glass of house champagne we are treated with canapés of a small pastry tart filled with celeriac and duck and a large smoked mussel dresses in a light curry sauce. The tart was a bit tasteless if I am honest, but the curry sauce on the mussel was very unusual and worked very well. For my starter I enjoyed a silky velottue flavoured with lobster poured at the table over a bowl of salty French ham cubes and pumpkin. It was warm and autumnal and seasoned to perfection. Around the table Stuart opted for smoked eel and beetroot salad with a horseradish crème; lovely to see golden beetroots being used as their flavour is so rich with honey tones and works really well as a contrast to the oily eel. The others went for the squid dish, served as a salad (I am always surprised by how many people opt for squid when it is on the menu, what happened to all the squeamish people?!).

For my main course I decided to opt for the lighter option and take the fish. It was a lovely fillet of red mullet big and meaty and full of wonderfully light juices. It sat on a bed of crushed potatoes which was jewelled with little hidden lobster tails. For me crushed potatoes are all well and good, but if feel the lack of any skill required to create them makes me a little disappointed at their presence on my plate. In fact the lobster almost feels like an after thought to try and dress up such a basic use of potato that doesn’t quite feel succinct – look at the lobster not the fact that we can’t produce a mash! The plate is dressed in a browny green sauce which I have no clue of the ingredients because it just tasted like a miscellaneous vegetable smear. A lovely rich browny orange lobster sauce was poured on the opposing side of the plate by the waiter (love the theatre) and that was far more successful. All in all, the flavours were lovely and the dish did what was necessary but in honesty given the ingredients at home I feel I could Ready Steady Cook this meal without to much hassle. The other guests at my table had beef skirt cooked lovely and rare with a piece of melba toast spread with beef bone marrow – no one can remember what accompanied it which is never a good sign. The final option on the menu which none of us took was literally written on the menu as chicken cooked in beer. When I shared my surprise at seeing such a simple dish, everyone of course started exclaiming that there was nothing quite like a fantastic piece of chicken, and how in Australia it is normal to drink half a can of lager and stick the remains up a chickens bum then put it on barbeque it for a fantastic meal. However for me, I feel chicken is something that ‘one’ should never order when dining out as it is just too easy, and to see it on a menu of such calibre and in such a crass way was a real disappointment to me. It might have been the best chicken I ever had, I might have felt tears of joy and wonderment tumble onto my plate as I munched mouth after moorish mouth, but I just expect a bit more magic from my favourite restaurant than chicken in beer - I expect from Le Gavorche drama, excitement and flavours I would never get anywhere else. For dessert I took the cheese option for the first time, as I always normally opt for ice cream then wish I had had the cheese purely because you have NEVER seen a cheese board like it. It is literally the size of a door flipped horizontally with wheels attached and smells like stinky heaven. I had a piece of Comte, a very ripe Shropshire blue and a lovely runny stinky something French whose label I could not see but it was fantastic none the less. Cheese is served with a mountain of very thinly sliced fruit bread which is toasted and becomes all curled at the edges as it is so thin and it utterly delicious in place of boring crackers. I also have celery, quince and a lovely apple chutney; all in all a fantastic cheese plate. The ice cream trolley comes round for Richard who went for that option, on deciding he wants a scoop of everything he is delighted with his large plate of white chocolate ice cream, mint, strawberry, grapefruit and others that I wasn’t able to taste before they disappeared from his plate! The white chocolate, as always, is insanely beautiful. Everyone else went for a rich creamy rice pudding topped with poached pears and served with freshly baked flaky biscuits – totally divine. Finally coffees, and petit fours (the glazed physalis is always the one we fight over!) complete our meal and we all leave happy and full to the brim!

I think it is time to give you a reason for why I think this meal was disappointing compared to previous. I have already spied Michel Roux tucking into lunch across the restaurant and my dad informs me that Michel is slowly less and less involved in the kitchen after Rachel Humphrey’s was made head chef two years ago – it seems the master has cut the cord from his protégé. She is fantastic and it is certainly amazing and refreshing to see a woman heading up a restaurant so influenced my men in the past. I haven’t eaten their since before her time, literally a month or two before she was given the position of head chef so for me the contrast to what the food used to be was quite stark. I certainly will be lunching there again and hoping that next time I will be treated to the innovative and exciting dishes that I used to enjoy and celebrate there. All eight of us agreed that of all the visits (my father’s being larger than the average!) this one was not as good as standard. My next planned visit is February, and I am still very excited to see where the kitchen will be then, hopefully back to the magic it used to exude.