tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24508543681457657142024-03-05T12:48:08.067-08:00An Ever-Ready FeastA food blog for the greedy and eclectic eater. Mainly focussed on London with the occasional international foray.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-48616643320030169882012-05-18T09:07:00.000-07:002012-05-18T09:07:51.178-07:00Restaurant Review: TrangallanA quick trip to Andalucia and a couple of visits to the tiny village of Setenil de las Valles reminded me how good the simple, unpretentious tapas of this region is. Little fried squid, cured manchego stored in good olive oil, slices of jamon with fried quails eggs and all a Euro each. So what to do upon my return dine out on some modern Spanish in Newington Green's Trangallan, price per tapita £7-11...hmmm.<br />
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This is slightly unfair. This isn't rural Andalucia where unemployment is some of the worst in Europe after the collapse of the construction industry in the region and where agriculture is dominant (the tourist industry on the coast is mainly dominated by outsiders). Secondly these weren't really Tapas, they were -shudder- small plates, London's newest not very new fad. So not new is this craze in fact that the Pitcher and Piano now does what they call grazing plates. This is progress from the begining of the trend in Bocca de Lupo and Polpo in the same way that going from the Parthenon to the Elephant and Castle shopping centre is progress in architecture. However, before I give the impression that I didn't like Trangallan I will clarify. The food was very good, very very good in fact and it was a pleasant little place, although with a slightly self concious air of being a trendy neighbourhood secret.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />So the food. A very good plate of asparagus with crispy jamon and an egg yolk with pea foam was delicious. The sweetness of the pea working well against the salty ham and rich yolk. I will even forgive them for frying the jamon, which would normally start me off on a rant about gastronomic homicide, sacrifice of texture, and drawing a funny moustache on the Mona Lisa. I may well have subconciously forgiven the hame because raw egg yolk on top of almost anything is amazing (and begrudgingly because it worked rather well, though I still contend it's a waste in the same way as putting caviar on a burger). Another stand out dish was the slow cooked beef with spring vegetables and almond cream. Slow cooked in London now means pork of a pulled variety that is so soft it is nearly a drink, delicious as this is it is everywhere, so it was a refreshing change to have a slow cooked piece of meat that whilst tender did not fall apart at the touch, but felt like a real piece of muscle. The meat was very good, excellent flavour and enough fat content, and it was very juicy. Again the vegetables added a lovely sweetness and the broth had a seemingly subtle but actually incredibly deep flavour. This was a brilliant, light and perfect spring version of a comforting stew. The almond cream lifted the dish, and provided a lovely milky flavour that accentuated the sweetness of the vegetables but also added to the dish with its earthy notes. <br />
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All of the dishes had wipably good sauces, however, bread cost £2 a bowl. So back to my original gripe: Paying £11 for a plate of food, which I require at least (!) two of in order to be full, when a plate of similar and equally good quality food is available at places like the Charles Lamb or several other gastro-pubs for around £14 in portions that do not leave me hungry is infuriating. It makes me think of high-street chains that sell slightly overpriced food in slightly undersized portions in order to ensure you order a side and a pudding. Also phrases like 'our menu is based on what is available in the market that day' are self-concious beyond belief and rather than impressing me merely remind me that we live in a country where most meals still come from the freezer. Still, really very solid cooking. The criticism I levelled at Trangallan is in fact criticism that can be levelled against the general direction of a lot of London dining and to be fair quality ingredients and good cooking cost money and this place has both. The food is modern but unpretentious. It focusses on flavour and doing the simple things right before spiking their food with creative touches that lift the level. The place itself is cosy, stylish and informal in a very well thought out way. As a bonus the sherry list is excellent as well. All good things. Maybe not a destination restaurant, but a very very good neighbourhood one. .Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-25481911196234398332012-05-18T02:22:00.001-07:002012-05-21T10:13:31.215-07:00Best Food and Drink Shops: The Sampler<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/05/21/1689.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/05/21/s_1689.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I tell almost everyone about the Sampler. Winner of 'The Best Small Shop in Britain' from the Telegraph it is hardly a secret, but I think it is a shame for anyone who likes wine not to know about it.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/05/21/1690.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/05/21/s_1690.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /> The concept is a simple one. Knowlegable staff sell exceptionally well sourced global wines in a pleasant shop. But there is a twist. They have around 80 wines ranging normally from around £8 to anything up to £800 (more during the holidays) a bottle in glass fronted stainless steel cases, organised by grape and style. These cases pump out either a third, a half or a full glass of wine on insertion of a card pre-loaded with money and then keep the wine fresh by vacuum seeling them afterwards. The best thing the wine you buy this way is that the wine is charged as a percentage of the bottle price, so ther is no mark up for drinking this way instead of taking home a full bottle. You may not ever buy a £200 bottle of wine, but for around £6 you can try some. Also, because this is a vintier there is no pub like markup where £20 buys you a cheap bottle of plonk. The quality is high, all the bottles have tasting notes above, the grape mix and details of the producer. It's a brilliant way to affordably explore wine and find new producers and styles that you like. It's also a very nice time. Going with a few friends and having a chat is the norm here. The atmospher is relaxed and informal and a big table stocked with books on wine and complimentary crackers for palatte cleaning makes a great focal point. I don't have a bad word to say about the Sampler, it is absolutely fantastic in every way and I urge you all to go and have a glass there.<br /><em>The Sampler has branches in South Kensington and Upper Street, Islington</em><br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-25833079575315249242012-02-29T01:54:00.002-08:002012-02-29T01:58:58.439-08:00Restaurant Review: The Albion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxNulXcoX_DsYvImpL7vloHZEr-JD-eMmHAmtcKgXPcL_Q4dEteIeDwtwR6hSqWhO-y3QxFO_P_mqZkSNfLVb8iVQBKRZGl6Y5YTILc-Yk2m6kSnvMogLLZVQqo4XxMrVaJtOMBZBqekW/s640/blogger-image--1922076377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxNulXcoX_DsYvImpL7vloHZEr-JD-eMmHAmtcKgXPcL_Q4dEteIeDwtwR6hSqWhO-y3QxFO_P_mqZkSNfLVb8iVQBKRZGl6Y5YTILc-Yk2m6kSnvMogLLZVQqo4XxMrVaJtOMBZBqekW/s320/blogger-image--1922076377.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Winner of the 2009 Observer Food Monthly Best Sunday Roast award Albion comes with a formidable reputation and a lot to live up to. Having failed to have Sunday lunch at a reasonable hour I was particularly hoping for a good feed as I dragged my weakened body through (what must be some of the nicest) streets of London. Hurdle number one, would such a popular place even have space, even at 9pm on a Sunday? Answer; only just, but yes they did and the armchair I ended up in was massive in a sort of mediaval king with a serious evil ruler complex kind of way. A good start that continued. Service was good and efficient and the surroundings were comfortable and well presented in a very gentrified plush, countrified gastropub way. Then my food arrived and I was ready to see if Albion had kept up with the pace or if it was 'totes noughties'.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmoUTYREhkHbGbmgdVEjy98V3MS5BBOVo4q936hWBXYyKwLZuDNeemb9fnkLH-BxptCmaPAEvbgUO09Pm09qwNBS6sjicdwyO2OIrkJ0iA4O0DT7WD87DlFzaHf1qklc8SQQUzMIUw-2/s640/blogger-image-980123578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmoUTYREhkHbGbmgdVEjy98V3MS5BBOVo4q936hWBXYyKwLZuDNeemb9fnkLH-BxptCmaPAEvbgUO09Pm09qwNBS6sjicdwyO2OIrkJ0iA4O0DT7WD87DlFzaHf1qklc8SQQUzMIUw-2/s320/blogger-image-980123578.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="more"></a>I went for the salt marsh lamb, roasted with rosemary and all the trimmings - with a Yorkshire added for an extra 75p. It came to £17.50 minus yorkshire, which puts it in the same pricerange as Hawksmoor which again piles the pressure on. The first bite sadly was dissapointing, slightly bland meat and an an insipid feeling gravy. I was deflated, I must admit. And then I spotted it, the salt shaker, the roast's best friend. Really that was all it needed, they had seemingly failed to season every element of the roast at all. I don't understand this seeming trend, Hawksmoor did nearly the same, though not to the same extent. Either way, annoying as this was the correctly seasoned dish was transformed. The lamb was of really exceptional quality and perfeclty cooked, importantly allowed to retain a good ammount of fat, which gave it a wonderful complex flavour. The carrots and whole roast onion were delicious. The gravy nice and rich, though still not the best I've had. The potatoes were decent and had a good goose fat flavour, but I prefer mine smaller with more edges so they get really crispy and very mushy in the middle. The cabbage was also great, but they had seasoned it with white pepper. This might be a personal thing, but white pepper is horrible and no substitute for the black stuff. Any way a minor quibble. What is more major was a dry and flavourless Yorkshire. The lamb though was superb, I can't fault it. I think it's the best quality of meat I've had in any roast in London. <br />
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A dissapointing aside though was the treacle sponge pudding with custard. It was dry and rubbery which was a real shame as this is one of my favourite things and something you don't see a lot. In all then, the star of the show at the Albion was excellent, the surroundings ranged from good down to pretty average, though most admittedly were nearer the first and they need to learn to season. Very good, but I don't think at that price it's quite hitting the mark, certainly not enough to make it a regular. The quality of the produce though has certainly made me want to go back for a proper dinner and test them a bit further.<br />
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</div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-63513743381764696492012-02-26T02:39:00.003-08:002012-02-27T05:54:35.007-08:00Restaurant Review: Yipin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPi5bTuB6W5ja-IezJjidrFna4dfqJem-Y81bwgSucrzj2br-6kCWO3kNAG0u-XwHpyRrz2nrdm2i3R1a77T9B4Py_f8xpTBiDoAG0M2ClTkHUvM5p9C9w2yPirC4TIaRamrtv_4buo26/s640/blogger-image-1177658887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPi5bTuB6W5ja-IezJjidrFna4dfqJem-Y81bwgSucrzj2br-6kCWO3kNAG0u-XwHpyRrz2nrdm2i3R1a77T9B4Py_f8xpTBiDoAG0M2ClTkHUvM5p9C9w2yPirC4TIaRamrtv_4buo26/s640/blogger-image-1177658887.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Any regular readers of the blog will probably have noticed the slew of Sichuanese restaurants that I have reviewed around London and my love of Chinese food in general. Well then, imagine my excitement when walking home along Liverpool Road I wandered past Yipin. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but on looking at the menu in the window I was happy to find Sichuan classics like pock marked old woman's bean-curd, boiled fish slices and hot and numbing beef. On closer investigation of the menu online, however, I found that though the Sichuanese is reputedly good, Yipin actually specialises in Hunanese food, a cuisine still heavy on the chilli, but without the numbing peppers and a bit more fond of a dash of sugar.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2450854368145765714&postID=6351374338176469649&from=pencil" name="more"></a>When we arrived at nine the restaurant was busy, but we were still seated straight away without a reservation. It's fairly nondescript inside, in a functional sterile way, though some of the walls are painted a slightly worrying shade of magenta. The menu on the other hand is a lovely site to behold, providing a fairly comprehensive series of images for those unfamiliar with dishes helpfully split into Hunanese, Sichuanese and Cantonese sections.<br />
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We started off with preserved eggs with peppers and man and wife offal slices. Both came in a slick of chilli oil that was spicy, but not as hot in some of the aforementioned places. The preserved eggs were subtle with a lovely gelationous texture, that was complemented well by the soft sweet peppers. The offal slices cooked in a delicious stock had a deep savoury flavour. Both were excellent. <br />
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After this the first main arrived. Dry wok duck was tasty enough, but not particularly interesting and was my least favourite dish, though the meat was well cooked and tender there wasn't an enormous amount of character to it. This is not a charge that could be levelled against Chairman Mao's red braised pork, a classic Hunanese dish of slow cooked belly pork, the fat having broken down but not rendered, encasing the soft meat with a lovely jelly like texture. The sweet sauce was also delicious and rich with the flavours of star anise. Also excellent was the silken tofu with duck egg-yolk sauce. The soft tofu was coated in the rich duck yolk which was cooked together with a a rich duck stock. The whole dish was very subtle but still packed a great deal of flavour, very good indeed. My personal favourite dish was the hand torn cabbage stir fried with chilli and pork. The prok was crispy and had an smoky bacony flavour, the cabbage was well cooked and again slick with chilli oil. <br />
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In all the meal for three came to £73 with beers. This is probably the kind of place you should bring friends as sharing a number of different dishes gives you the opportunity to play with an array of different textures and flavours. Yipin is highly recommended and a welcome addition to London's ever-improving Chinese dining scene. The Hunanese food is a real treat given places like Gourmet San, Bar Red, Silk Road and Sichuan Folk are spoiling us all on the Sichuanese front.<br />
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</div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-73219787973106246412012-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:002012-02-27T05:59:32.034-08:00New Siam, Colombo Airport, Sri Lanka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyEpaQNugTDH1bubedfK-VBtA59MG8tX4WViwpzcBSdM7up79VKPzE5AidnoWkkD0kpXBQ3uvVTmWFl1jMTDl9CTpdrr0gz7-zSJHZcCfqpcA3Jtx7Q_6HkPWSqHFQASFfJBUGTxHSx2x/s1600/IMG_3052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyEpaQNugTDH1bubedfK-VBtA59MG8tX4WViwpzcBSdM7up79VKPzE5AidnoWkkD0kpXBQ3uvVTmWFl1jMTDl9CTpdrr0gz7-zSJHZcCfqpcA3Jtx7Q_6HkPWSqHFQASFfJBUGTxHSx2x/s320/IMG_3052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Apparently explaining you're entering a country despite only transitting for a few hours between flights, to go and eat in the cheaper, more interesting restaurant in the arrivals part of the airport is not a good enough explanation for some passport officials. The fact that English wasn't the man's first language (though he was very good at it) didn't help. I'm pretty sure he had understood what Ihad said, then decided that it was too ridiculous to be right leading him to conclude that he must have made a mistake. After one or two more attempts I decided to just say I was going to walk to get some fresh air; that seemed to do the trick.</span><br />
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Thankfully all the effort was worth it. In the restaurant on the other side awaited a series of spicy curries tangy chutneys and way too many carbs consumed over two enormous and unnecessary portions. The whole lot came to about six pound each. A particular note was a good spicy chicken curry and a coconut flavoured dahl. Sadly they didn't have any egg hoppers something I'd like to my previous trip through Colombo. These are a kind of crispy savoury pancake with an egg cracked inside, the batter a slightly sharp flavour and they are really very delicious. Instead they offered stringhoppers and thinking maybe somewhat similar I ordered two. They are no similar at all. What stringhoppers actually consist of is hopper dough shredded and then boiled like noodles into a kind of bird-nest shape. The result is extremely stodgy and when you have already eaten three or four portions (albeit quite small) of different curries on top of an enormous mound of red rice they're pretty superfluous and actually not that pleasant.<br />
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Apart from that the meal was great and the service extremely friendly. I can't recommend crossing through passport control enough for this lovely restaurant, which though it looks like a fairly basic canteen is a cut above almost every other airport restaurant I've been in (there were some ribs in Texas once that still make me misty eyed). Admittedly that doesn't sound like a high praise so I'll just leave you with the message with any Siam is good and should eat there if you get a chance.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-79268855234664109942012-02-01T13:31:00.002-08:002012-02-27T06:02:19.085-08:00El Charoles, El EscorialI've never been given a screwdriver at the end of a meal before. This one was pretty good. It had a Philips head screwdriver of two different sizes that were easily interchangeable and one of whatever the other kind of screwdriver is called. I have no idea what it's called but its pretty useful. Thinking about it I don't actually know which one is a Philips head at all and which is the other kind whose name I don't know. Before I get too bogged down in this I'll get back to the point, which is that it is a pretty weird present after you've just eaten a big piece of beef. This was the second surprise of the afternoon. The first was at the restaurant was any good at all give it was planted firmly on the tourist trail. Having said that, things here are are markedly less touristy than in Segovia where an incredible piece of suckling pig made me remark something quite similar. Pig didn't feature in lunch this time, however. Here the name of the game was steak.<br />
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And what a steak it was; a massive slab of meat cut into slices served rare crispy on the outside without any of the overburnt charring, lovely flavoursome fat ringing it and having been cooked enough to be soft and melting round the wonderfully flavoured meat. Potatoes weren't amazing and there was no gravy, but who cares the star of the show was the beef; basically it was the show so I suppose that's obvious. But it was the definitely kind of star that would get an encore and have to take several bows amongst rapturous applause at the end of the end of the big musical number.<br />
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There's also a good bar round the corner, nuff said. If you're in Escorial eat here.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-65524031156205871212011-11-20T03:29:00.001-08:002012-02-27T08:21:32.504-08:00Eat Thailand: Chang Mai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>The North of Thailand has some of the countries best cuisine. Isarn food brings us some of the perenial favourites of som tam salad and sticky rice as well as a series of delicious grills. As in much of Thailand a lot of the best food comes from street vendors, but there are some great restaurants as well. Where exact addresses aren't available I have included pictures to help you find you're way.<br />
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Having only 4 nights in Chang Mai we were lucky to arrive on Sunday and stumble accross Sunday Walking Street, host to a busy market on, you guessed it... Sunday. It wasn't all food here, but there was certainly no shortage. Highlights include a very good sticky rice with coconut milk and sliced mango probably my favourite sweet Thai dish. The slightly salty rice provides a great balance to the sweet milky flavours and the sharpness of the mango. By far the standout here was the green mango salad. Shredded green mango, peanuts, fish sauce, sugar, and dried shrimp gave it the familiar flavours of a som tam, with the mixture of sharp crunchy mango going wonderfully with the slightly softer peanuts and the savouriness of the dried prawns. What made it really special though were the little crunchy dried anchovies that lifted the flavour of the whole thing and gave it a welcome fattiness, though not so much as to get in the way of the incredible freshness and vibrancy of the dish.<br />
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Sticking with markets it would be silly not to talk about the night market near the canal, (fairly close to Mike's burgers if you need a reference). There is a good Pad Thai stall, though by no means the best I had (that was in Chang Rai) and some very nice barbequed squid at the far end. All the usual suspects are here, crispy grilled pork belly, boiled chicken over fatty rice, isarn sausages, fish balls, and some nice sweets. All good but probably nothing completely standout that I would put down as a can't miss.<br />
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Not so in one of the main produce markets that you will undoubtedly go to if you do one of the cooking courses that are on offer in Chang Mai. The best dishes here were the Isarn prok sausage. Very meaty, coarse ground pork sausage that you would expect at breakfast but with a good kick of lemongrass and chili and a bit of sugar, something ubiquitous in Thai cuisine. Even better were the chicken liver skewers. There was a charcoal barbeque stall in the middle of the market selling these, which were just set and creamy, wonderfully soft with no residual bitterness, with a good flavour from the sweet marinade used on chicken in the North giving them an extra element. Also worth noting were the numerous stalls here and around Chang Mai that sell, alonside other fried chicken bits, deep fried crispy chicken skin, with a little sugar and salt on top. I don't really need to explain why a bag of deep fried chicken skin is amazing so I will move on to some of the restaurants.<br />
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Down the main tourist road (the on with Julie's Hostel and JJ's off it if you are using a guide book) towards the temple is a very good noodle soup restaraunt. Noodle soup in Thailand is probably the most common food you'll see. Some people I spoke to complained it was quite bland - but that's because they ignored the condiments on their table. These include, typically, sugar (of course), chilli flakes, pikcled chill and fish sauce. Apply liberally and you have a really punchy breakfast lunch or dinner. My bowl here came with good broth and very tasty pork balls, also good were the grilled chicken legs sold on a cart accross the street. Next was dinner in a fairly random restaurant that a Tut Tut driver took us to by mistake. It is on the same road as the university but a lot closer to the centre of town. The food was pretty good, but the hot and sour Tom Yum soup was an absolute standout and worth the visit. This is one of my favourite Thai dishes and this bowl packed a fantastic ammount of flavour as well as being full of seafood, with great balance between the lime and lemongrass and a good chilli kick that didn't become overpowering. 100% Isaan was also good - especially the Som Tam and grilled pork, it is directly opposite the university.<br />
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Finally I really should mention the cookery school. I was worried this might be a bit dull, but the market trip alone made it worth it. Our teacher was very funny and the cooking was good fun and although very easy gave you a good feeling for the flavours and ingredients of Thai cooking. Most importantly my food was delicious (I would of course say that). One thing to note, almost no Thai person will think you can eat spicy food and will always look at you as if you are some kind of deluded lamb to the slaughter if you insist on heat. You should however, insist, especially as the food up North is not particularly hot - it's a really important element to a lot of the food and essential to the balance of most dishes.<br />
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So Chang Mai is a good place to eat, although obviously also completely full of sub-standard tourist fare - thankfully this was largely avoided, although there was something strangely tempting about Mike's chilli fries, probably the beer beforehand. I'll leave this article with a picture of a brilliant fried, battered radish dish I had in Chinatown, a really good mixture of soft and crispy with nice spikes of saltiness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7-r9jhgWfIdOzlKxso8oGmGaOLHcZArBCP2CqrqU2XrWEsMoVD4F7cxRK_-jVVc5YqzEY3zeqYDVfratqr9jQ0hmpx60uUuUHtRxzlyl7ByLjFHRCxL7TM2Hd5iohY1wp8YeLcfavOYI/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7-r9jhgWfIdOzlKxso8oGmGaOLHcZArBCP2CqrqU2XrWEsMoVD4F7cxRK_-jVVc5YqzEY3zeqYDVfratqr9jQ0hmpx60uUuUHtRxzlyl7ByLjFHRCxL7TM2Hd5iohY1wp8YeLcfavOYI/s320/IMG_2797.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-23739319956749156452011-11-20T03:17:00.001-08:002012-02-27T06:24:48.628-08:00Eat Bangkok: Chinatown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hl88gIKUWPVNUvKIg0kwItB1Vv1MzxRSF3YU_YCif4Qz4_gR6kPOaDmm3g05oniE_MD17w0zVI8zjhOG8njifJVewgurbzkZlwfQ50L5ATU7LICIn45TUkCKkcJo6v-RvQ8JXqGTWOcz/s1600/IMG_2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hl88gIKUWPVNUvKIg0kwItB1Vv1MzxRSF3YU_YCif4Qz4_gR6kPOaDmm3g05oniE_MD17w0zVI8zjhOG8njifJVewgurbzkZlwfQ50L5ATU7LICIn45TUkCKkcJo6v-RvQ8JXqGTWOcz/s320/IMG_2681.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So my rules when I travel are that I only eat local food (unless it is awful/consists of two dishes, though I'm not going to name and shame here). My one exception to this is places that have large immigrant populations with great food of their own. Imagine my joy then when I learnt that a full 15% of Thailand's population is Chinese and that Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the biggest anywhere in the world. To quote Charlie Sheen; 'Winning!'<br />
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Chinatown is big and there is food everywhere, almost too much. It's daunting. But, handily there is one road with a series of excellent stores, close to the markets that acts as a good reference point. Ask for Plaeng Nam. This is home to Burapa bird's nest soup restaraunt where you can buy your swallows nest in grades starting at £10 and rising rapidly. This doesn't sound like that much, but considering a plate of pork and rice is about £1 it really, really is. At the other end of the road (the last place on the right hand side) is a restaurant with a huge array of dishes displayed from the shop front, spilling onto the street. Sit outside to people watch and have some of the beautifully soft, slow cooked pork. It sits in a nice, quite thin, salt sweet sauce and soaks in the flavour. The meat is extremely tender and beautifully flavoured, but even better is the letingly soft fat that permeates the dish. Also good are the steamed fish with ginger and spring onion and the stir-fried greens. Word of warning, the food will probably come lukewar unless they've just finished cooking the dish. At the other end of the road is an excellent noodle stall, serving a vaiety of things, with especially good fried wide flat noodles with seafood or chicken and egg. These come on a smoking skillet and if you leave them for a bit they will caramlaise and crisp to the bottom in a very tasty way. I initially thought they were a bit bland despite the great textrue, but liberal application of the table condiments quickly put this to rights.<br />
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Another Chinatown speciallity are fried mussles in a sort of quite battery thick crispy pancake served with bean sprouts underneath. Nice and crunchy, but with a soft eggy centre and lovely salty muscles it's a dish worth seeking out. There is a particularly good one on the road opposite the market entrance that goes off the main road here (Th. Ch. Krung). If you carry on a bit further you start to see a number of larger places (still on the street) serving up huge plates of steamed and grilled seafood, and waving plastic menus in your face. These all seemed much of a muchness but served up great grilled prawns, though unsalted so they definitely needed the dipping sauce, and sadly the head juices were a bit bland. Also good were gently warmed but still live clams that open to pour out quite a lot of blood and juice - this may not sound appetising but it was meant in a good way. Everyone laughed at us as we failed to open them, but some help from our waitress helped resolve this and we were soon tucking in.<br />
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As a quick aside, at the back of Chinatown is the Indian/Pakistani area where there are good places both for South Asian food (a good nicely spiced Biriyani from Naz for instance) and South Thai Muslim food. <br />
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I've only just scratched the surface of this part of town. It's an absolute foodie dream, there is a whole variety on every corner. There is also delicious fresh pomegraite juice being made everywhere to wassh all this down with. Several walks around here cannot be reccomended highly enough.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzpUPZgq85eeH2wE4-I20omDhyphenhyphenQ9_1LQoMbkk7TgEucxc5nayq2Ahj5NrAMggnwwGqUv4ZqylR45_B3j1WrZU0LfPUPyfCCZe3rky5F2Hb4clDxVVwdGGCTf059nSHXIx7RIVI7CfDVr5/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzpUPZgq85eeH2wE4-I20omDhyphenhyphenQ9_1LQoMbkk7TgEucxc5nayq2Ahj5NrAMggnwwGqUv4ZqylR45_B3j1WrZU0LfPUPyfCCZe3rky5F2Hb4clDxVVwdGGCTf059nSHXIx7RIVI7CfDVr5/s320/IMG_3007.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-12560074325542688302011-11-20T03:11:00.001-08:002012-02-27T08:24:48.041-08:00Eat Bangkok: Nahm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYzjeSBSDou9wvuHRxRUabGSWpzsczqebJvrZuuxlkBsblgJE8j5MH6uDzbG9zFO_kYemNbBPDf7-pqNdfvvEZEYOHwnNDGp5rRLqbOXLNXIXqVfiFiHx4CRvr_vYc__icg55qFH-bBhH/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYzjeSBSDou9wvuHRxRUabGSWpzsczqebJvrZuuxlkBsblgJE8j5MH6uDzbG9zFO_kYemNbBPDf7-pqNdfvvEZEYOHwnNDGp5rRLqbOXLNXIXqVfiFiHx4CRvr_vYc__icg55qFH-bBhH/s320/IMG_2884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>An Australian is the best Thai chef in the world. So good in fact he is the first Thai chef to win a Michelin star. The restuarant that received this honour is called Nahm and is right here at home in London, and it is very, very expensive. There is however also a Nahm in Bangkok, in the Metropolitan hotel, where you can sample Thompson's cooking for a fraction (though it's still not cheap) of the price.<br />
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</div>Nahm, housed in the Metropolitan Hotel, is unsuprisingly in a very nice part of town, in the financial district opposite JP Morgan's offices. The clientelle is international and when we arrived the restaurant though trendy and highly designed was not particularly full. A bit of a worrying start, although as we had booked very early it did start to fill up. The other concerns remained, however. Remained that is until the food arrived.<br />
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Ordering the set means that you get a selection of starters, before your salad, reslish, soup, stir fry and rice arrive together as the main course. These starters were nothing short of superb, packed with flavour, in no way dumbed down for a foreign palate, they were both refined and intense. The smoked fish in tapioca was my favourite, with the salty smoky, and importanlty fatty fish, providing an excellent contrast to the bland, gently sticky chewiness of the tapioca, that had within it an all important sweetness. A really, great dish, or mouthful more accurately. Following this were some fat and juicy green mussles in the sweet marinade used by almost everyone grilling chicken. This dish was far simpler, but was just as good a marriage of flavours. Next a crunchy dish of pork with sugar which you spread and wrap in a bettle leaf. A nice combination of bitter and sweet with savoury pork working through at the end, good, but the least interesting of the dishes. Finally came a small case filled with crab meat. The lemongrass flavour was intense, but the rich brown crab stood up to it perfectly allowing the more delicate flavours to ease through as the initial strong flavours became muted. Really excellent and probably up there with the smoked fish.<br />
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The mains were also very good indeed, though they couldn't match the near perfect start. The lemongrass, shrimp salad was sadly uninspiring but a relish of thick spiced coconut milk sauce, served with crispy fried soft shell crabs and slices of purposefully muted fruits was very good, an interesting mix of textures and capturingsome the subtelty of flavouring of some of the initial dishes. The soups were probably the strongest dishes. One was a fantastic Tom Yum which pulled no punches with the chilli heat, and amped up the acidity as well, without sacrificing the delicate flavour of the chicken and mushrooms. Even better, I thought, was the duck soup, beautifully tender pieces of duck meat, with slices of young coconut that gave a wonderfully slipperiness sat in a mild autumnal broth flavoured with star anise. It was warming and comforting, but still incredibly flavourful. The stir fry of fish balls with greens was unremarkable, but had been suggested by our waitresss to counter the series of fiery dishes that we had ordered. The gentle greens spiked with garlic were definitely fit for purpose, even if it was not spectacular as a stand alone dish. Our curry was also very good, a smoked fish and chicken liver affair, with an incredible ammount of chilli heat. I was initially dissapointed that it lacked the nuance of the other dishes, but paired with a sweet pineapple chutney and a slelection of sliced raw fruits and salad items it came alive and became a searing mix of flavour and texture, balanced beautifully by the smooth liver.<br />
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Puddings were also good, but too much food at this point, sago, with coconut milk, rice and fruit seemed the order of the day - with both puddings revolving around similar combinations. £55 in Thailan is an incredible ammount for a meal, but it was absolutely exceptional, and in London would be considered a bargain, so I'm not going to feel too bad about it. The service was good, but the ambience was lacking somewhat. It would also have been nice given the abundance of food on the table to have some explenation of orders or combinations to eat in. These are minor things, but they would certainly have added to the experience. Overall a very good meal though.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-18452506759537152102011-10-24T09:26:00.001-07:002012-02-27T08:30:23.360-08:00Sunday Roast: Hawksmoor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg5x543XRA_-i3ELqyo-E70Pcp1n7tNN2Ns2oUhqw3ECme09B3dx8SDmPEyMHd8AhnC7XXa8-RPf_GS4u91-LK7cwVmjU-KAaFx7OQfwSfnh4kx-n7qdQFBcTyX3fOErrdUont4fGa6ZR/s1600/IMG_2652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg5x543XRA_-i3ELqyo-E70Pcp1n7tNN2Ns2oUhqw3ECme09B3dx8SDmPEyMHd8AhnC7XXa8-RPf_GS4u91-LK7cwVmjU-KAaFx7OQfwSfnh4kx-n7qdQFBcTyX3fOErrdUont4fGa6ZR/s320/IMG_2652.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hawksmoor does great steaks and cocktails, I would say the best in London, but how does it fare when cooking the classic of British cooking le rostbif (incidentally they only do le rostbif, rather tha le rostlamb or le rostpork, so don't go if you fancy something else)? The thing is they know meat, but a great roast is a lot more than that, I would almost, but not quite, go as far as to say that the meat is secondary to trimmings. Thankfully with a yorkshire pudding the size of a flying saucer and bone marrow and onion gravy of unlimited refills up their sleeves they are doing very well indeed.<br />
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Let's start with the meat though - 55 day aged rump - decent, but not high fat content, lovely and juicy, and cooked (unsuprisingly perfectly). The quality of the meat, again unsuprisingly, was fantastic, full of flavour and complexity. Even better they start off the cooking of the joint over a charcoal fire in nearly medieval fashion, though if they had really gone for it I suppose it would be over wood, before transferring to the oven. The effect is lovely crispy edges full of the flavour of charred meat and smokey fat - pretty triumphant really.<br />
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So a good start. I've already mentioned the Yorkshire, which was fantasticly flaovoured from the very good dripping it had been cooked in.The outside was crisp and the base nice and soft giving a nice textural contrast and providing an excellent vehicle for gravy mopping. And what gravy it was - rich and characterful from the bone marrow and sweet from the onions, nice and thick and glossy just as it should be. The gravy's other natural foil the roast potato was also very good, cooked in goose fat it was lovely and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside. Having said that, I like sharper edges on my spud, rather than these rounded things, in order to get the ridiculously crispy edges that I particularly enjoy (my Granny's roast potatoes - incidentally the best ever - were not done in the oven at all, but rather dropped in the deep frier - that's the Scottish for you, absolutely fearless in matters of dietary health). Also there were only three, my personal record is 14 of similar size, and though admittedly that is excessive and I don't do it often it does mean that when I see only a handful of roasties I feel a little let down. The only other slight complaint was the cabbage, it had lovely flavour, but I would have liked it cooked a bit longer and with a bit more butter. If I'm being really fussy I would say that I also prefer Savoy cabbage, and maybe a bit more salt. The seasoning issue held true for most of the meal and though not lacking entirely it wasn't quite pitch perfect. However, these are mere niggles, the veg, especially the carrots were exceptional as was the whole meal.<br />
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Hawksmoor's roast, alongside its steaks and burgers comes highly recommended. They know more about beef than anywhere else in London. Almost as impressive was a marmalade cocktail from their defoggers page. Though not as much to my personal tastes as a boozy Old Fashioned or Julep did exactly what it said on the tin and made me feel great, a slight suprise during the early afternoon on a Sunday. <br />
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Now I can't wait to go back and try their breakfast!Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-86798146989436926552011-10-18T09:15:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:15:45.171-07:00Mama LanFor me hearing the combination of Beijing street food and Brixton market is pretty much like putting crack and a crack pipe in front of a drug addict at this point. My favourite place to eat in London with some of my favourite food from when I used to be fun and travel a lot (wistful sigh... also please no comments that I never used to be fun). Mama Lans also has the benefit of being setup by a blogger, so obviously its getting immediate points, it's also a family mother and daughter enterprise - so all very positive and cosy. So how was it?<br />
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In short pretty good. The cold slow cooked beef came in thin slices with a good star anise flavour as well as a lot of other warm, autumnal spicing, very nice and tender, still moist enough despite the fact that chilling has a drying effect on meat. The pickles were great, and the dumplings were good. It was especially fun watching them being hand rolled infront of us the whole time we were there, given the counter puts you practically on top of the kitchen. The only dissapoinment was that despite the filling being good the dumplings were pretty underseasoned. At this point, however, I think it's fair to put that down to teething problems given Mama Lans had only been open for a couple of days. I will definitely go back and try this place again.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-4475296659056637472011-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:07:57.407-07:00Brixton Village: KaosanKaosan has been getting a lot of good press lately. Brixton Village has made it into the Standard, Jay Rayner has review Kaosan specifically, it's loved on Chowhound. Sadly when I first went there I was a bit underwhelmed. But then I had Larb Gai, a combiation of toasted rice, minced chicken and coriande, which is fine, but not the most exciting thing in the world - this Saturday the Moo Ping pork skewers marinated with sugar cane, and stir fried pork with holy basil turned me around completely.<br />
<a name='more'></a>This place is small and, perhaps unsuprisingly given quite a few of my last few articles it's in Brixton village. It's all fairly basic, in a kind of cafe way. The service is friendly and pretty quick though they forget to bring water sometimes, not a big complaint since they are so nice. Most important are the smokey pork skewers, rich curries (the Massaman in particular is very good) and tangy soups. Definitely a good feed, especially when it will cost you around £12 for 2 courses. It's also BYOB. Very good.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-57083438979117185582011-09-09T08:39:00.001-07:002012-02-27T06:08:19.870-08:00Barcelona Restaurants: BarcelonetaHow much would you pay for a plate of prawns, 6 to be precise? At a good restaurant £12-15, though baring in mind they're just grilled, no foams, or sauces maybe not. I'm guessing you would not pay £35, but if you don't at Barceloneta you will be missing out big time (I am going to caveate this by stating quite clearly that I wasn't paying, and if I was maybe I would be less adament). The gambas de palamos are regarded as the best prawn world wide and after trying them I can't disagree. If I was more pretentious I would say they were the Platonic archetype of a prawn, all others being paltry shadows dancing on the cave wall... but I'm not (ahem) so I'll just say they were bloody brilliant. Food like this is what differentiates the Spanish and Itialians in their food culture. Simple, unpretentious food, with bags of flavour, beautifully grown, caught or bred is king and people will pay a lot (some would say an extortionate ammount) of money for a great, great prawn that hasn't had much cheffing inflicted on it. This is a very, very good thing.<br />
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Barcelonetta is great. It scares of a lot of visitors by having an ever so slightly naff nautical theme with some expensive fittings that seem to be attempting to replicate a yacht. This is derigour for fish restaurants in Spain and you shouldn't let it fool you into thinking they are not high-end. La Trienera, one of Madrid's best and most expensive restaurants has exactly the same copper port hole feel. Once past the initial aesthetic hurdle you will be overjoyed by the food. The paella is nice, but it isn't what I would go for. The simple grilled fish and seafood is what really stands out. It is quite simply fantastic and it is in very few places that you will get fresher or better seafood, simply but perfectly cooked. They'll make you pay for it true, but it really is wonderful food, highly recommended.<br />
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P.S. Cheaper prawns are also on the menuDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-58080326634257165992011-09-09T08:24:00.001-07:002012-02-27T06:22:08.845-08:00Barcelona Restaurants: Cova Fumado<div style="text-align: center;"><span id=":8d"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f32187acba&view=att&th=13215f3c0fab8eb7&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw" target="_blank"><img alt="la foto.JPG" class="hv" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f32187acba&view=att&th=13215f3c0fab8eb7&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw" /></a><span id=":8d"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f32187acba&view=att&th=13215f22f2fdb900&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw" target="_blank"><img alt="la foto.JPG" class="hv" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f32187acba&view=att&th=13215f22f2fdb900&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw" /></a></span></span></div><br />
Barcelona is full of experimental food, molecular gastronomy, etc, etc blah blah, I was trained with Feran Adria, blah blah, el Buli blah blah. Sadly very, very few people can do this food well, and honestly it's quite boring if people don't. It stops being food and starts to be an infuriating attempt by the chef to convince you he's clever, and far too many kitchens seem to think this kind of experimentation and scientific apporach is a short-cut round learning how to <em>actually cook</em>. After a couple of these trendy tapas/pintxos later I felt a bit deflated, I wanted a bar with proper food. So after desperate Time Out IPhone search we decided to go to Cova Fumado, somewhere which seemed to fit the bill of proper food.<br />
Initial signs were good. It was heaving and not with a lot of tourists with guidebooks (as a tourist I shouldn't sneer, but it's often a bad sign). The guy behind the bar was loud and shouting conversations at regulars and new joiners alike, his mum was behind the griddle along the other wall and the bar was made of granite and cracked and the chairs were near falling apart through years of enthusiastic eating. The food did not dissapoint either, anything but - squid with oil and garlic was caramalised on the edges and beautifully soft and fresh. Chickepeas with morcilla rich and moreish and the fried sardines were perfect. Dried broad beans flavoured with black-pudding and chilli were another highlight. The bill with beers and wine came to comfortably under £35 for two and was worked out with a pencil dirlectly on the bartop. <br />
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This is exactly the kind of food I like, simple one to four ingredient dishes made with top quality produce and not messed around with. The place had a great atmosphere in a been on the dockside forever kind of way, it's rough and ready and great fun. Highly recommended.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-10610506696803821222011-04-27T06:28:00.000-07:002011-04-27T06:28:29.366-07:00Brixton Village: Casa Sibilla<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyIhdhCvKY75U9mQXzGu8fdtuXATYBcH3uMK02zC_V7NT9ifX6hXXviRBY__bt3NSIZFHvPQV455OjrKEQ7Kli25yXo0nTpbn9qsRtl2Z6hfSToX95NMwjfrqq2cMOIU1jud8VXGjOpdt/s1600/IMG_1565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyIhdhCvKY75U9mQXzGu8fdtuXATYBcH3uMK02zC_V7NT9ifX6hXXviRBY__bt3NSIZFHvPQV455OjrKEQ7Kli25yXo0nTpbn9qsRtl2Z6hfSToX95NMwjfrqq2cMOIU1jud8VXGjOpdt/s320/IMG_1565.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I was saying before how difficult it has been in the past to go out for decent pasta. Now two places open practically next door to each other in Brixton Village market. Casa Sibilla does a lot more than just pasta though. It's got a daily changing lunch menu and is open for dinner on days when the market is open late. Lovely salads and more substantial dishes are all available in a lovely setting. They even do cooking lessons.<br />
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</div>I did, however, have pasta. And very good it was too. The pasta itself had great flavour and stood up for itself well in a rich sauce of butter and rosemary that was bound together with a little of the cooking liquid from the pasta itself. The filling - spinach and riccota- was a little lost, and I'd have liked it to have been cooked for thirty seconds less, but still high marks. Special mention must go to the pile of leaves served next to the main event. These I was not bothered at all by until I tasted the delicious thick balsamic vinegar that made up the entire dressing. Very nice indeed.<br />
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</div><div>So I will have to return to try more things, but what I had was promising. The setting as I said is lovely. Bright, and homely. The cooking area is a tiny zone behind the counter and its fun to watch everyone bustling around preparing the food. The whole atmosphere was warm and friendly. This is another great part of Brixton Village and yet another reason to go and wander around.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Mains £6.90 - £11</i></div><div><i><br />
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</i></div></div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-41581773460132522922011-04-25T07:33:00.000-07:002011-04-25T07:33:42.404-07:00Brixton Village: Etta's Seafood Kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb15b_GmuVTlkYLT51jKIHIB7qrTrjeVx-U0gmlrKN8c6Q0w22B4tQIKnaTlMZ-TrY2F2VL03B1f6Jf7b8Y_paA3vallK19htAer8xFfabtxe5ZIJ1Uw7DIFRuVq9uDm9eUmh6OtKan5CT/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb15b_GmuVTlkYLT51jKIHIB7qrTrjeVx-U0gmlrKN8c6Q0w22B4tQIKnaTlMZ-TrY2F2VL03B1f6Jf7b8Y_paA3vallK19htAer8xFfabtxe5ZIJ1Uw7DIFRuVq9uDm9eUmh6OtKan5CT/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It can be disappointing when you read about how friendly and welcoming a cook/owner of a restaurant is and then go there and find that they're not talking to you anymore than a chef does anywhere else. Do they not like me you think, who are these stupid newspaper reviewers who everyone talks to anyway - mutter, mutter. Thankfully I cannot imagine this being a problem at Etta's. Talking is what they do (that and cooking, obvously). They are welcoming and chatty and extremely friendly the whole time. Their caribean influenced food's pretty sharp too.<br />
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Before I talk about the food though, I have to mention the home-made sorrel juice. The sour herb has been mixed with a punchy amount of ginger and sweetened just enough. Absolutely brilliant and definitely worth the £2.90 that initially might seem a little steep. But, enough of that and on to the food. To start we had crab fritters. These were really fried dumplings with a bit of crab running through them, rather than large bits of crab in batter. They were tasty, but I don't think tasty enough for me to order them again. The main course - a mixed seafood curry - on the other hand was great. A mix of crab claws, mussels, prawns and fish sat in a mild, coconutty vegetable sauce filled with coriander seeds. This sat over a nice portion of rice and peas. Good solid flavours, not messed around with made the whole thing a real treat. My friend fish and chips were pretty good too, with not a hint of grease on the batter, though it wasn't the thick crisp type that I prefer.<br />
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Friendly, tasty and satisfying would describe Etta's in a nutshell - what more do you really need and at £26 for two you're getting it at pretty good value to boot.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleyT3t3PpQ0Pi0PbJ70AIoqpPPKToaEgg393CyyAiMT_MA3OaqntXilIQ0x49wJeL6p6XvJ_AFm_TAXKYjOKsOhgl_Y3d9eJ5K4fjgRiK6B4ZG7V7VmGikxANKb3jpdIW9-5Ks35KaQty/s1600/IMG_1598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleyT3t3PpQ0Pi0PbJ70AIoqpPPKToaEgg393CyyAiMT_MA3OaqntXilIQ0x49wJeL6p6XvJ_AFm_TAXKYjOKsOhgl_Y3d9eJ5K4fjgRiK6B4ZG7V7VmGikxANKb3jpdIW9-5Ks35KaQty/s320/IMG_1598.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBfRG228WnQ-AwMBB2fRtwRvQ-TW27GEy86O8FBCfutUJNlmpeTnE13BIygyIdpkV_PEDuSVlHVZDlJaupn_gk92rUyPej-gsxpQiGmMG04ppSSb2ENixdSqD10apyhTDjxI-ZuoNAaRm/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBfRG228WnQ-AwMBB2fRtwRvQ-TW27GEy86O8FBCfutUJNlmpeTnE13BIygyIdpkV_PEDuSVlHVZDlJaupn_gk92rUyPej-gsxpQiGmMG04ppSSb2ENixdSqD10apyhTDjxI-ZuoNAaRm/s320/IMG_1597.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-81788197622252450822011-04-23T15:22:00.000-07:002011-04-23T15:22:34.810-07:00Curry Ono<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KpkCHFsZuKCQ5kteAXaET9fCmtwbjxJubyJguih04U4VhkWGrncb8863Ki-NJ8lqtoKMhTvCtKSyiI_mdvt4lkJsxQNg5IuW2lXOxw_D5EJjX37PwtNPlIWUjYOZiOqxxd7vXi9tcP2n/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KpkCHFsZuKCQ5kteAXaET9fCmtwbjxJubyJguih04U4VhkWGrncb8863Ki-NJ8lqtoKMhTvCtKSyiI_mdvt4lkJsxQNg5IuW2lXOxw_D5EJjX37PwtNPlIWUjYOZiOqxxd7vXi9tcP2n/s320/IMG_1609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I've been writing a lot about the newly(ish) rejuvenated Brixton Village lately, but it would be a mistake to ignore the good new places that have opened up in next door Market Row. Curry Ono is one of these, and its my favourite so far. It specialises in Japanese curries and they do them very well indeed. In fact they do them so well that I'd say they're the best I've tried so far anywhere in London.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Curry Ono sits just in from the Coldharbour Lane entrance to Market Row. Despite a good location it's not particularly full at the moment. Which is a shame. It's probably because Japanese curries a fairly niche thing to focus on. Personally I like it when somewhere decides to just do one thing really well. Hopefully though word will spread about how delicious Curry Ono's rendition is and they'll be doing a roaring trade soon. <br />
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Since I've mentioned how good it is a few times now I'd better say why. The last time I went I started with a dish of chilled tofu. This dish is incredibly simple, but the balance of a light scattering of seaweed strips, celery and spring onion with salty soy sauce and the sweet milkiness of the tofu was delicious. This balance and the ability to do simple things very right - more importantly to do them far more right than you would expect - is what makes the Curry Ono curry so good. The pork katsu curry I had the first time had deliciously crisp juicy pieces of pork. Even better was the kar-age chicken curry. The kar-age pieces had been freshly deep fried and were stunningly light and crisp and completely greaseless. The skin had bubbled and blistered to the texture and lightness of a brown paper bag. And then there's the sauce. Both of these came with the same mild chicken stock based curry sauce, though there are veg stock versions for vegetable and fish dishes. This sauce is loaded with the flavour of carrots and green beans, a rich array of vegetables, the flavour of cooking alcohol. The list goes on and on. It's incredibly complex with each mouthful bringing something different into play. It does this, however, without ever becoming cluttered. Everything is balanced. It still feels simple even though its not and that's probably one of the best compliments I can give it. Absolutely delicious.<br />
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So go and try it for yourself. The owners are friendly and the prices are great. The food is even better.<br />
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<i>Price: £6.90 for a Pork Katsu or Chicken Kar-Age Curry.</i><br />
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</i>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-24401658734704769622011-04-17T03:36:00.001-07:002011-04-17T03:36:22.538-07:00Brixton Village: Federation Coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqTzR_w3oHm67sGeYQpnw9xwO7RhdFULy0W8jS9oywiAEOY4T3nFI9lFdcrDu95kDxjsbjEaIe-hbt6WeBRD4bJtvpggJY2CRCxcEAhtFruiCqFHWD5w__P26vsO9hL2rTRBfc18tJIG4/s1600/IMG_1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqTzR_w3oHm67sGeYQpnw9xwO7RhdFULy0W8jS9oywiAEOY4T3nFI9lFdcrDu95kDxjsbjEaIe-hbt6WeBRD4bJtvpggJY2CRCxcEAhtFruiCqFHWD5w__P26vsO9hL2rTRBfc18tJIG4/s320/IMG_1582.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Coffee houses used to be places where rebellions were planned and where deals were struck. In the 18th century they were the central trading houses for shares and bonds, a fairly new idea at the time. Lloyd's Bank has its roots in this world, having itself started as a coffee house. However, coffee in the twentieth century was very different. Seen as a slightly strange drink that had a peculiar popularity on the continent, good coffee was hard to find. Then came the chains. Still not so good, but better. After a while they upped their game and good coffee came to be expected. No we are in the midst of a new wave of smaller artisan cafe's that focus on high quality in preparation and detail in sourcing. At least half of these places are run by antipodians. Enter - 'the flat white'.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFWlij9ac28mVWvdKStVut35IiDJDZS_GQm5IdAKdtl-DY3x7gy2UpdjNF0Y6iCDJHNnhuic8gjyd8SwRjLpxWOl4zc4Gx7r2BhyfRmI7ggiTHyZ_W4gR_phaQ53KluktANxWtrkPhMHZ/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFWlij9ac28mVWvdKStVut35IiDJDZS_GQm5IdAKdtl-DY3x7gy2UpdjNF0Y6iCDJHNnhuic8gjyd8SwRjLpxWOl4zc4Gx7r2BhyfRmI7ggiTHyZ_W4gR_phaQ53KluktANxWtrkPhMHZ/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div>Less milky than a cappuccino it's meant to be smooth, but pack a bigger punch. The one in Coffee Federation in Brixton Village certainly does that. Beautifully presented, it's deep and strongly roasted. Very good indeed. But, this is after all a food blog and going on about the different flavour notes in coffee is beyond my general remit. So it's lucky that they do great cakes. And I mean really great. The first one I had was a raspberry and vanilla friand. A friand is like a muffin, but lighter and a little moister. It was delicious. The brown, slightly chewy outter lair gave way to a beautifully soft inside. The parts of it with a raspberry nearby where gooey and sour, working perfectly against the sweet batter. Delicious. The second was even better. A rich caramel, coffee and walnut cake was a series of deep, bitter flavours lifted by the sweet caramel. There was not a hint of dryness anywhere. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>Coffee Federation is a great cafe. There are no rebellions, and thankfully no banking, just great coffee and cake in a really nice setting.</div><div><br />
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</div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-17487902425552058752011-04-17T03:36:00.000-07:002011-04-17T03:36:59.894-07:00Istanbul Restaurants:Akdeniz Kokorec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltgy4FiWPEtZ9LtEAkLo1cQFcR5jXnD2EtVR9LdYdQcdhcmzrNEOnw2RRXhecrQ3H-B6ucHUVehpheSAnHxfHB9-IqWS76-M8HCBK1sbvhdp43N2LkZ_PJLzb4j7Iy0BlhYzLzZeqS__h/s1600/IMG_0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltgy4FiWPEtZ9LtEAkLo1cQFcR5jXnD2EtVR9LdYdQcdhcmzrNEOnw2RRXhecrQ3H-B6ucHUVehpheSAnHxfHB9-IqWS76-M8HCBK1sbvhdp43N2LkZ_PJLzb4j7Iy0BlhYzLzZeqS__h/s320/IMG_0848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i><br />
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<i>Again I'd like to thank the brilliant <a href="http://istanbuleats.com/">Istanbul Eats</a> for turning me onto this place.</i><br />
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I like to take every opportunity to champion offal. I think eating the whole animal (in one sitting if I can) is crucial in limiting waste and the damage caused by mass farming. I also think it's more respectful. Imagine my joy then when I found out about kokorec an enormous sausage stuffed with lamb fat and sweetbreads inside a thick outer casing of wound sheep's intestines. Imagine my even greater joy when this - admittedly slightly unappetising sounding dish - turned out to be absolutely delicious.<br />
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</div>The kokorec though is huge and spit roast, too much even for me. The way it's served isn't, therefore whole, or even in slices. It's chopped up fairly fine and mixed with chopped tomatoes and green chillis and fried on a grill. The sweetness and sharpness of the tomato and the bitter earthiness of the chilli goes really well with the rich fatty meat. I don't use rich and fatty lightly here, this is probably a once a month dish at best for the health concious. But, it's definitely worth it. The intestines don't provide much flavour but they give a lovely chewy resistance to the whole thing.<br />
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The place I tried it was Akdeniz Kokorec on Galap Dede Cd near Galata Tower and I can't recommend it enough. The place was tiny so it was nice that the guy serving was extremely friendly. Most importantly the food was great. Go and enjoy it, don't over think what it is if your not an offal fan, it's just delicious.<br />
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<i>A portion of kokorec and a water cost around £4.50</i>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-71298016582928087472011-04-10T06:04:00.000-07:002011-04-10T06:04:39.020-07:00Istanbul Restaurants: Pera Sisore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7mgNHQBKf4T6SrsdZiQW6KrL1v75Kd2DqFyixNj7EmJ2x03ipQVocvkT7YKGX97OJyCzfacnOfBpo8ADOcjqg65DLZiWmsGLcPX6r-R2LaoTCFPKRB8xU0ikUfJskzDN2GZjiFC4iekW/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7mgNHQBKf4T6SrsdZiQW6KrL1v75Kd2DqFyixNj7EmJ2x03ipQVocvkT7YKGX97OJyCzfacnOfBpo8ADOcjqg65DLZiWmsGLcPX6r-R2LaoTCFPKRB8xU0ikUfJskzDN2GZjiFC4iekW/s320/IMG_1018.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>Meze, fish and grilled meat are well known staples of Turkish food. The last of those is probably the best represented over here in London, but you can find the others as well. What you don't really see (and if anyone can correct me, that would be great news) is the Black Sea coast cooking they specialise in at Pera Siosore. This has been described, by the fantastic Istanbul Eats where I found this recommendation, as similar to the soul food of the Southern USA. This means deep rich flavours made from simple ingredients, great stocks, stewed greens and that kind of thing. This is definitely what I remember about Sisore, that and the best Pide I've ever had. Now this is something that you can get good versions of in London, but I've never had one like this.<br />
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Pera Sisore sits in the now up and come neighbourhood of Asmali sitting off the main Beyoglu drag of Istiklal Cd. Despite all the bars and fancy, slightly generic looking modern European eateries Sisore looks like it was there long before gentrification. Now steam trays are something that in Britain brings up bad memories of school, college, hospital food. Limp lifeless and not so great basically. But, they shouldn't be pre-judged like that. They keep stews really well, and help make them very soft. In London places like Needoo use them to great effect with their curries. So, the basic message here is; don't get put off when you see a window full of steam trays. Meatballs and mash were good even for someone with some Swedish roots like me, though I did have better Kofte. The stewed spinach was delicious. Sitting in a rich, flavoursome stock it was a main event in itself. The chickpea stew was again rich and tasty in a punchy and very smoky red broth. A lamb stew covered in mash was good, but not the best dish. Alongside this sat some very good vine leaf dolmas stuffed with rice and minced lamb. The main event, without a doubt was the pide. Big, rich, covered with a smear of butter. The cheese was salty and mild, with a delicious smoked sausage chopped up through it. The dough was thick, crisp on the outside, with lightly charred bits and a soft pillowy inside.<br />
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So the message, as it often is, is that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. This place is amazing and fantastic value to boot. Definitely a worthwhile stop off if you are in Istanbul and staying in Beyoglu.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Day Roman', 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Price for two: €25-30</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Day Roman', 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><em>Address: Oteller Sokak 6, Beyoğlu<br />
Telephone:</em><strong><em> </em></strong><span><em>212-245-4902</em></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Day Roman', 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>No Alcohol</i></span></span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-13108332920463858352011-04-10T05:37:00.000-07:002011-04-10T08:32:10.736-07:00Brixton Village: Bellantoni's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_uZZmatrHNHuiorl_lK7yb_xNR_YvvNJUAD-3ZhgL4e9E8jRS7-Mucd5uFY0zIR_z7oG77Z1mrn5fsMMZQEiSt7vjA9TGqh0LwVa5YppPw02L2pnSrkq84mBwB3rZXYMD4afDc3FMS0X/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_uZZmatrHNHuiorl_lK7yb_xNR_YvvNJUAD-3ZhgL4e9E8jRS7-Mucd5uFY0zIR_z7oG77Z1mrn5fsMMZQEiSt7vjA9TGqh0LwVa5YppPw02L2pnSrkq84mBwB3rZXYMD4afDc3FMS0X/s320/IMG_1558.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>Market Row in Brixton was the lunchtime place to be for a while. This was down to Franco Manca, which got rave reviews from basically everyone. It even made it into newspapers that only use the words South London if they sit next to 'postcode wars'. Then came Rosie's (of the Spooning with Rosie cookbook) and Wild Caper. What makes it nice is that it sits next to the South American butchers and West Indian and African grocers that made the place interesting for a lot of foodies anyway. Now it's Brixton Village's turn. This is a very similar covered market that sits just opposite Market Row. A series of rebuilds and an influx of new restaurants, cafes and delis again sit next to places that have been there for years. I want to take longer to explore it, but to kick it off I thought I'd talk about a small pasta place in there called Bellantoni's.<br />
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</div>This place has recently taken over another room opposite its original location, but it's still small. It's made up of simple tables and a simpler menu comprising about five things written up on a board. Two of these were pasta dishes when I went, both priced at £5. I chose macaroni with red cabbage. This was good. The pasta was nice and crisp from the oven and had a brilliant flavour in itself. Good quality parmesan and olive oil gave it a nice fattiness. The little bit of tomato sauce slightly masked the flavour of the cabbage, but this was a really good hearty lunch. I will definitely go back. Especially as good pasta is not that easy to find in London at a reasonable price. Good fresh, homemade raviolli can easily cost over £6 or £7 a pack in Borough market of a Soho deli, so to find quality like this at such a good price was fantastic.<br />
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After that I spent around an hour exploring the different cafes and places I wanted to eat, so watch this space for a few more reviews. The Brixton food scene is getting better and better all the time and the markets are definitely a big part of that. Any suggestions nearby would be great.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-88376071135673184472011-04-03T13:19:00.000-07:002011-04-10T06:08:19.096-07:00Restaurant Review: Delhi Grill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhiEPkjENykB_qA6kKFBGMhQPHFiT1KMVVf4w4vA3weTsrJkucIDeOT966eO8G9oz5jyW8aQp4aVrbYATFnIWsw1GbyecIJa1uIK7mU8TBbmtgDEbcDIpgmD7MeI_MbnIlGnEPnZCkF9h/s1600/IMG_0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhiEPkjENykB_qA6kKFBGMhQPHFiT1KMVVf4w4vA3weTsrJkucIDeOT966eO8G9oz5jyW8aQp4aVrbYATFnIWsw1GbyecIJa1uIK7mU8TBbmtgDEbcDIpgmD7MeI_MbnIlGnEPnZCkF9h/s320/IMG_0651.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Things have all been a little hectic over the last few weeks, having been away and now started a new job. But, I will be back to regular posting from now on. Sadly I am going to kick start this next round with a negative review, something I really don't like doing, mainly because I like to enjoy all my meals. I was enticed to try the Delhi Grill by a bit of Twitter/blog hype and the fact that at the time I went there was a goat curry on special. Mainly the food was fine but no more.<br />
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</div><div>The place is inspired by the Indian dhaba, an informal and quick roadside eatery. Its simple but decorated nicely, with bright colours and new solid wood benches. Sizzling starters were passing by as we sat down. For some reason, however, they were giving off a tremendous amount of smoke. This led to much coughing, and continued to do so as more of these orders were brought out throughout the night. The starters were fine. The goat curry was tough, though the curry sauce itself was very tasty. The poppadoms came with nice dips. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The thing is the food's not bad. It's just that its very similar in style to Tayyab's, Needoo and the Lahore. Sadly for Islington residents it's still best to take the bus to Whitechapel and eat in one of those. I was reminded of how true this was by a fantastic meal at Needoo yesterday, and a couple of great dinners at the Lahore that opened a few months ago in Norbury.</div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-65489742362330993852011-02-15T08:14:00.000-08:002011-02-15T08:33:45.342-08:00Restaurant Review: Koffmann'sLa Tante Clair was reputedly one of the very best restaurants London has ever seen. It won three Michelin stars and a plethora of Britain' most talented cooks trained in its kitchens. Sadly I never ate there before it closed in 2002. However, after a succesful and much talked about time cooking at a pop-up restaurant in Selfridges roof garden in the Summer of 2009 Pierre Koffmann decided to return to the professional kitchen and London full-time. Due to a fortunate coming together of circumstances and <i>things needed to be celebrated</i> I had a reason, after many months, to book a table at Koffmann's in the Berkely and it now sits near the top of my list for places to return for special occassions.<br />
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It's not just the food, which was superb, it's the detail of everything. The room, which some commented on opeing was a little boring, is a very well used space indeed. Yes the photos of pans and things that line the wall are a little bit like decorative muzak and there's quite a lot of greyish beige. However, the restaurant is lively, but with the sound dampened enough by soft surfaces to not make sure that doesn't turn into noisy. It's bright and airy despite having no windows and though you can see a great many people you don't feel watched. The service is similar. Choosing not to be so unobtursive as to leave themselves unnoticed and you believing your glass was filled by magic they take a much more active role in the experience. They smile and seem interested in your order, the wine recommendations are excellent, and they were all incredibly warm and friendly, something La Tante Clair was famous for. They are all skilled professionals but the atmosphere is almost that of a family establishment in the best possible sense. And then there's the food.<br />
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The idea of a family establishment keeps going here as well. Every dish is an example of classic french -almost-bistro style- cooking that made me want to eat everything on the menu. Unlike most humbler (and cheaper) restaurants serving this food every detail reaches the kind of perfect standard you would hope from a three-starred chef. On the other-side of the table the simply named foi-gras with baguette was tucked into with vigour, though thankfully I was allowed a couple of bites. Rather than serving the foi alongside a sweet chutney there was an aspic jelly on top of the pate, attractively served in its own jar. This had just enough tart pickled flavour alonside the sweetness to offset the liver. It also had a wonderful nuance of its own that added complexity to this rich dish. By serving it on top in this way it also kept the balance just right throughout. My own starter of seared scallops with squids ink was excellent. The scallops just set, with a beautiful salty caramelisation on the outside where gloriously sweet. They mixture of cauliflower puree alonside dark squid ink lent some neccesary earthiness and there was just a hint of acidity in the small amount of red pepper puree. Needless to say it looked beautiful.<br />
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Mains were not equally as good, but far better. The dish of sweetbreads and kidneys opposite seemed to lack a little something until I was allowed to try them with the mushrooms they had come mixed with. They were good before, but this extra flavour element made the dish make sense in a whole new way, with each flavour balanced just right. The gravy was thick and rich and the soft exceptionally bad for atteries mash worked beautifully with the bite of the kidneys. I plumped for the dish that Koffman is probably most famous for, the pig's trotter stuffed with sweetbreads and morels, which elicited a knowing smile from our waiter and an exclamation of 'Ah le-trotter, very good'. The trotter had been soaked in armangac prior to cooking and this had also been made into a sweet gravy that added richness and character to an already powerful centre piece. There's not much I can say about this dish that hasn't been said. It's a triumph, it's what I imagine a sausage would be like in heaven, the loose delicious filling surrounded by wonderful sweet and meaty gelatinous skin and the occasional fleck of pork meat. Absolutely fantastic. I'm sure it will remain high in my list for dish of the year. Alongside this were some unneccesary, but good frites served in newspaper and some excellent carrots in butter, sugar and orange. For pudding we had the excellent pistachio souffle, very good indeed. The scoop of pistachio ice-cream dropped in less for flavour than to thoughfully cool the hot centre and keep the souffle moist even as it started to fall and dry. Clever, attention to detail, seamless - absolutely the things that hit you about the cooking here. It's carried off so artfully, however, that you barely notice and still feel like your eating the kind of food some fabled French grandmother used to make.<br />
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The thing is it's not just the main events here that are great. Someone talked about madelin's and Proust in their revue. Rather pretentious I thought and still think, but they have a point. They were amazing. The attentio to detail is everywhere. The bread for instance was absolutely delicious and the butter was served at exactly the right softness. Small things I know, but there are so many little touches like them that the whole experience becomes lifted and magnified by them. This coupled with the warmth and style of the service and the excited, busy chatter around you combines to create a really special place.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Price: 3 Courses for 2 with no wine £125</span></i>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-47171067719730435282011-02-09T07:16:00.000-08:002011-02-09T07:16:22.622-08:00Superbowl night at Bodeans and a Pint at the Effra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK0U1Cj_waOCLStFwLgB9fuhLMLAtoV8JrK2_2MZnLJ49PU5d_M4LFd07fkdcDbzfOpSI6DyGmxpgkdOGATJFc-BakFgRTaCcy3-0DnJnJ_svlMYuBrASN6ZHxS5_-VsZ_vqoHHHlskvx/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK0U1Cj_waOCLStFwLgB9fuhLMLAtoV8JrK2_2MZnLJ49PU5d_M4LFd07fkdcDbzfOpSI6DyGmxpgkdOGATJFc-BakFgRTaCcy3-0DnJnJ_svlMYuBrASN6ZHxS5_-VsZ_vqoHHHlskvx/s320/IMG_0585.JPG" width="238" /></a></div> <br />
An alternative title (if I liked bad puns) might have been 'It was the best of times it was the Wurst of times' but I may save that for a more sausage related post instead of just a porky one. Either way, this post is about last Sunday, which involved two great plates of pork, a lot of beers and 4 hours of watching a sport I don't understand after watching two matches of one that I do. Pretty sweet day all in all. It started in the Effra Inn on just round the corner from the Ritzy and then went on to encompass Superbowl night at Bodeans, somewhere that despite being successful, and a chain still manages to deliver the goods on every visit and what's more, serves you some damn tasty bbq sauce alongside them.<br />
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The Effra is one of my favourite pubs. It has two massive projector screens and shows all the sport you could want without becoming obnoxious, it has managed to remain ungentrified, sticking to being just a nice, well fitted pub, rather than resorting to black-wallpaper and Wasabi peanuts. It also keeps a mean pint of Harvey's and pours a great Guinness for which there is no doubt a special place in heaven. Even better than that though is a kitchen that serves about four things - sausage and mash and good West Indian food. The jerk pork is especially good. I like it a bit spicier generally, but that's just personal preference. The rub is full of warming spices like cloves and gives and intense flavor. Big pieces of fat are crisp and soft and cooked just enough to leave the meat nice and moist. Not something to make the trip for on its own, but a great addition to any pub and definitely worthy of mention. But was it a wise choice to eat a big plate of spicy pork before going to Bodeans. Answer; probably not.<br />
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I'm used to places that have a few outlets skimping on portions and I was worried the £25 the superbowl event cost, wouldn't leave me with enough food to fill me up: wrong. Bodeans still pulled the kind of blatantly profit-seeking moves that leave you annoyed and vowing to go to smaller places with more generous spirits. Case in point - you have to order fries seperately, why, why should I order them separately when they charged £25 for a ticket. But very good fries they were, especially when coated with the 2 kinds of bbq sauces, both of which I would be happy to bathe in. The rest of the portion wasn't scanty, a quarter chicken (decent but unsurprising), pulled pork (great if a little dry in places, a little more fat would be good), and a baby back ribs (amazing, just amazing). Before that we'd had some decent wings and nachos. All this in honour of a sport none of us really new the rules for. Definitely a fun night, though obviously the price was way higher than they normally charge. I still really like Bodean's. I respect that it's managed to keep standards high despite expanding and it will remain my regular place for fixes of American bbq pork.<br />
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Definitely worth a trip down next year as well if you have a hankering to watch some very fast and strong men being held back from hitting a man that can throw a ball accurately by some dangerously overweight men that should only be considered athletes in the same way that darts players are.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450854368145765714.post-82010550275726982122011-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:002011-02-02T08:45:47.204-08:00Restaurant Review: Polpetto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHLEQTXeNuLXO3IKnIZmBQaWTMACjOdX2gSt7H3W8NmAeKLuBxzsq-YxCQ13Td2u1riumtODhYbYk846PlIcIdvZfxq79g39LugtaJuIW0NDKKq879Kr7_A6yDkqmblMI-9Yxx9zfdqBx/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHLEQTXeNuLXO3IKnIZmBQaWTMACjOdX2gSt7H3W8NmAeKLuBxzsq-YxCQ13Td2u1riumtODhYbYk846PlIcIdvZfxq79g39LugtaJuIW0NDKKq879Kr7_A6yDkqmblMI-9Yxx9zfdqBx/s320/IMG_0481.JPG" width="262" /></a></div>Hype is a funny thing, so are bandwagons. They can stop you judging somewhere on its own merit and this happened to me at <a href="http://polpetto.co.uk/">Polpetto</a>. Even though I enjoyed my meal, I was expecting fireworks and that's because Polpetto and its bigger brother Polpo have been the object of an exceptional amount of praise - Time Out is admirably exempt from this, though the underlying reason that with two other similar establishments this is not requisitely trendy enough is predictably obnoxious as ever. I was thinking about the hype surrounding this place and trying to pin down the reasons behind it. Firstly I suppose is the location, the same room above the French House that the sainted Fergus Henderson started at. More than that though is that it provides a very strong, balanced and homely Italian menu that was once difficult to find. In doing this it replicates the formula from Polpo and Boca de Lupo of providing this food in small and shareable portions so you can eat through a decent amount of the menu on one visit. Obviously this also means slightly less food for slightly more money, but variety is after all the spice of life. Without all the hype this would be a great place to have a good glass of wine and well prepared Venetian food with the odd stand out dish thrown in.<br />
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Already I feel I am being harsh. At least half of our dishes passed into the excellent category. A wonderful, slow-cooked stew of beef cheeks and rich polenta was offset very nicely with some, briny salty olives in the otherwise rich sauce. The cuttlefish cooked in its own ink was meltingly tender, as it should be when cooked right. The rich ink was let down with a flavoursome seafood stock and given great freshness with some grated lemon zest. I would have liked a little bit more nuance within this, but still a great dish. My favourite was probably the cavolo nero with borlotti beans and rosemary crumbs. The earthy beans and irony cavolo nero is the kind of combination that would make a good light supper at home. The addition of the rosemary crumbs added a textural balance that lifted the dish. Less successful were the deep-fried soft-shell crab. The batter on these was far too thick and overpowered the delicate flavour of the crab and what I hoped would be a light and fresh fennel salad was drenched in mayonnaise. Lentils with basil and mozzarella was better, but the basil overpowered the dish and the creamy and delicate mozzarella sat unhappily with the earthy lentils. Honourable mentions go to the very-tasty cured pork pizza. The base wasn't the best I've had but the flavour from the meat was so fatty and savoury that the whole restaurant was filled with the smell from this popular item.<br />
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Unusually for me my two favourite dishes were puddings. Having said that one of them was an ice-cream, which despite my lack of sweet-tooth I am an absolute sucker for. This rendition was flavoured with bay leaf, which goes naturally well with milk anyway. The flavour from it was intense and worked well with the sweetness, leaving a set of flavours that were nicely complex. The second was a really fantastic saffron, honey and pear meringue. Each flavour was perfectly balanced and despite it being <i>very </i>sweet it never became cloying.<br />
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It would be very difficult to live up to all the expectations a number of reviews are putting on this place. Go without reading too much about it (except this review of course, which is Gospel) and you will have a good meal, can't say fairer than that.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666055750459286553noreply@blogger.com0