Pho - soho

Pho is one of those places that i have been meaning to visit for ages. Mainly because it always smells amazing when i walk past. I have very little knowledge of Vietnamese food so for this visit i took a friend who has visited Vietnam a few times to get her verdict. That and the fact that place seems to have such mixed reviews so i wanted to see what i was like for myself.
For me, the lay out is an issue. Obviously, this can't be helped because of the constraints involved with being in a listed building. The bar is at the back and this is also where you have to ask about getting a table or your reservation. So on opening the door, you are confronted with a busy restaurant and a lucky guess as to how to get in on the action. Once round at the crowded and cramped bar, we got the booze in and our names down for a table. However, a couple of unfortunate diners were unaware of the "system" and had been waiting for quite some time before asking about a table and getting their names on the list. This system could be avoided by having someone greet people at the door, though they may have to remove a table for this. Ultimately, if you get your elbows out, you get a table. As long as you sit where you're told. We asked to sit elsewhere but told this was impossible. We then became the honorary meet and greeters as our table was by the door. So we told people about the "system" as they opened the door and got confused.
On to the food then, it was delicious. We had fresh spring rolls and lemongrass pork balls to start. They were both lovely and balanced in flavour and had a fantastic dipping sauce that was more than addictive.
For mains, we didn't have the pho after which the restaurant is named, but i had a fantastic curry which was delicious and very warming. So, my travelling friend gave it her seal of approval and i would definitely go back. If anything it's made me more keen to try the clutch of Vietnamese places dotted along the kingsland road. The service was slightly slow and haphazard but this was surely down to the fact they were so busy. Where is your favourite Vietnamese place? Let me know your recommendations!

Gabriel's Wharf - Gourmet Pizza Company

Finally, London has seen a glimpse of summer and Londoners are clamouring to stay outside no matter what. For me, the nicest thing about the sunshine is how everyone is in a better mood and generally London feels like a reasonably friendly city for a change. Of course the other nice thing is having a meal outside and pretending that you're actually on holiday. So where is the first port of call to eat outside? Apparently the entirety of London storm the South Bank to queue for an hour to get a table as when the sun shines, I found that a whole host of south bank restaurants won't take bookings.

A quick scour of my usual London resources reveal lists of top ten al fresco restaurants in London, most of which will set you back a significant amount of cash which is not ideal. So, I've hopefully managed to find some more reasonable  options and as I try them out, will update you here about them.

First up is The Gourmet Pizza Company, Gabriel's Wharf on the south bank.

Gabriel's Wharf is a cute little enclave of shops, bars and cafes that has a really nice feel to it and the Gourmet Pizza Co. is one of the first restaurants you encounter as you enter from the riverside. It makes for a really good outdoor option with a lovely terrace alongside the restaurant and out onto the south bank as well. I rang up at lunch time on the same day and was able to book a table for dinner which was great as I had actually intended to visit a different restaurant that refused to take a booking. It was great being able to saunter to the front of the queue, if a little awkward but I have excellent death stare deflection abilities. We had a short wait for a table which thankfully, was outside. I don't think booking guarantees you outside but I got the impression that you had priority which was good. I would recommend waiting if it's a hot day as the inside temperature in the restaurant was about that of the pizza oven. If you don't book, I would guess that you would have at least half an hour wait.

On to the food, pizza is the obvious choice given the restaurant name! They are all reasonably priced and excellent quality and they offer a range of specials too. On my visit, I had a starter of bruschetta followed by a bacon and goats cheese pizza which was delicious. I was anxious about the level of service in the jam packed restaurant but they know what they're doing and we were served promptly by a very friendly waitress. The food didn't disappoint and it all arrived very swiftly. I mean it's pizza so it was nothing life changing but a good spot to enjoy some wine, pizza and a good amount of judging people watching from the terrace. So next time you're looking for somewhere to eat outside, give them a try and hopefully you'll have as good a time as I did.

Union Jacks

Jamie Oliver, love him or loathe him, his influence on contemporary British cooking is irrefutable. I do have three JO recipe books in my collection and I do enjoy watching his cookery shows, partly for the giggle but mostly for the food. One of the most successful series he's done has to be 'Jamie's Great Britain' with an impressive number of recipes you'll find something for any occasion that's bound to impress.

One of Jamie's latest restaurant ventures 'Union Jacks' ties in with the series' patriotism not just by name as some of the recipes featured appear on the menu. Union Jacks is all about celebrating the best of British produce in a whole new way and has been established by Jamie in partnership with renowned American pizza chef, Chris Bianco.
The website has a nice vintagey feel and I used the online booking system which worked a treat. If you can be arsed to watch the two or three videos on the homepage, you're in for a treat as well! The central location of the London branch is really convenient, a short walk from tottenham court road and holborn stations and a short skip and a jump from covent garden and shaftesbury avenue. A minor drawback from a personal perspective is that it is situated in one of those super shiny new office developments where they leave room for retail/restaurants on the ground floor. I'm not going to rant about it now, but these kinds of locations irritate me - however they have managed to inject some personality into the place so all is well. They also have a very funky looking function room downstairs for anyone who's hatching party plans.
Met with a friend for an earlyish dinner meant that we were in time for happy hour which is always a pleasant treat and the cocktails served with those old skool stripey straws didn't disappoint. I was surprised the place wasn't busier! Happy hour - on a Friday!! The service was friendly and attentive throughout our visit which is always excellent, especially getting recommendations from the staff, all of which were great.
To start we had the smoked trout pate and baby yorkies that I have previously blogged about adapting so I was keen to try it as intended and the waitress spoke very highly of it. We also had the garlicky mushrooms which were the most garlicky things I've eaten in a long time, they certainly lingered. Both starters were absolutely delicious - the trout pate was nice creamy and smokey in flavour and the yorkies were searing hot, straight out of the oven which was great. The combo worked really well because of the contrast, will definitely be giving this a go at home, following the recipe next time.

On to the main event - I had the Empire Chicken, a recipe I've been intending to attempt from the book for a while but haven't quite mustered up the courage energy. It was delicious. The chicken is served on the bone and is amazingly tender with really zingy flavours coming from the spicy rub. Served with a jug of gravy and bombay potatoes - it was quite delicious. I like that the gravy was served separately, it does mean you can regulate the coverage of sauce to your liking.

Despite being absolutely stuffed we couldn't resist the lure of the home made ice creams and chose a scoop each of earl grey and biscuit flavour along with sticky toffee pudding flavour. It was gorgeous. All throughout the meal they were playing amazing 90's tunes as well, some real classics which just added to the atmosphere. So much so that my friend asked if they had a copy of the playlist available, I'm sure that they'll be selling compilations before too long. Jamie's next venture perhaps. Next time, I'll try  out the flatbreads, which are apparently the speciality here. Check it out while it's quiet! No doubt many branches will be cropping up over the city in no  time and there are already plans for a branch in Covent Garden.


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They like to grind it in Shoreditch - Shoreditch Grind coffee

London's had a well documented 'coffee revolution' in recent years, with a seemingly ever increasing number of independent coffee shops cropping up all over the city. Good news for the independent businesses and good news for coffee loving Londonahs. More recently and somewhat controversially, the big chains have been upping their coffee game as well, which is no bad thing either but I think a big proportion of Londoners would rather opt for their local indie joint than generic chain. 

We're so lucky to have the variety that there is in London and I quite often find myself on a coffee pilgrimmage of a weekend. This has been made much easier since lovely T bought me a beautiful book, 'The Independent Coffee Book' (London edition). This fantastic little book has info on over thirty of London's independent coffee shops, helpfully divided into London regions with maps included too. What's more they also tell you the type of coffee machine each place uses and whether the company roasts their own beans or not. You don't get much better than that. It's also perfectly handbag sized so I've made a habit of taking it with me of a day when I'm out and about. Keep an eye out for it as it's well worth the purchase. T even wrote little notes in mine giving reasons why we need to go and visit them, which is just amazing. Folks, take note - the book is an excellent gift for the coffee lover in your life - added notes make it so much more personal.  I'm hoping that they're able to release an updated version very soon as it seems that there are many cafes that have opened since its publication that could definitely be featured.

Recently, a particularly hungover Sunday called for a bike ride and some fresh air. Then it started to rain. As everyone in the country knows, it hasn't stopped since. It's rained all April and we're STILL in drought apparently, how can this be?! Anyway, as one not in the know about the ins and outs of our ground water levels, my mantra of 'we need the rain, we need the rain, we need the rain.' is beginning to wear thin.

So it was that shelter was needed and nourishment, well, a bonus as it was the perfect opportunity to visit Shoreditch Grind. Though not featured in the aforementioned book, it's a great little coffee shop just off Old Street roundabout, perfect to dip into if you're waiting for a friend at the maze that is Old Street station.  It's housed in a old building, apparently called The Roundhouse and I really like their old cinema style sign in front, I think they change the message every so often too which is nifty. I'm pretty sure it used to house some kind of mobile phone store before being empty for some time and the cool coffee joint took over in timely fashion because it's slim pickings for decent coffee around there as far as I'm aware.

Promoting themselves as East London's favourite coffee shop, I had to investigate this bold claim, and if the expansion plans mentioned on their website (into the courtyard at the rear of the building) are pulled off, then they may well clinch it. They don't roast beans themselves but have them roasted to their own specifications and they have a beautiful La Marzocco coffee machine for those who know how this can make a world of difference between coffees.

The coffee was  really great and well-crafted as expected and the service was  very friendly. They are clearly enthusiastic about quality coffee AND pastries. A vital mix! My only (minor) issue was the weird stools by the window. Not comfy! They look cool and are an obvious design feature but what happened to nice squishy seats in which to sink and hide from the downpour outside? The decor is spartan but that does work with the whole feel of the place and the 'normal' chairs probably do better on your behind but are still lacking in desired squish factor. I think it's a trait of East London coffee shops to not have sofas... but correct me if I'm wrong. That said, it's worth perching on those ridiculous stools for some of the best coffee in the area. The desire for squish was likely stemming from my hungover state after all. Shoreditch Grind is definitely well placed to serve a wide crowd from Shoreditch hipsters to the local office types and long may they continue to do so, it's definitely earned a place on my mental map. 

A few days in Amsterdam

On a recent trip to Amsterdam, found some gems that I thought I'd share with you here. I'm not going to go into loads of detail about what we did/ate/saw as there is so much to discover there but I have to let you in on where to find a bloody good cup of coffee, some incredible pizza and tasty chips and mayo, all pretty essential when it comes down to it. If you do want to read more about some of Amsterdam's essential culinary treats check out Hollow Legs.
If you're in Amsterdam for a special occasion or you're just feeling fancy De Kas Restaurant is an absolute must. It's an incredible restaurant set in an old municipal green house that the owner and chef saved from being demolished to create an amazing culinary experience. What makes it quite unusual and very special is that they grow a lot of their own produce in the greenhouse on site and in small farms outside of the main city. They also source the best local seasonal produce and create an ever changing menu according to what's in season and what's good that day. I didn't take photos of the food, I don't often take photos of the food.. partly because I'm still behind on the whole smart phone thing and my current phone sucks but partly because I've nommed all the food before even thinking about taking a photo of it! Hopefully I'll get a snazzmatazz phone soon and will be a whizz. All I'll say about the food at De Kas is that it was unbelievably good! Everyone eats the same menu unless you have specific allergies or dislike something they're serving so the nice thing was that as we were eating early, we didn't see what other people were having! Starters were beautiful followed by venison to die for, a trio of perfect desserts and a delicious cheese plate. What's more is that we had the wine pairing (a wine to match each dish) which just enhanced the whole experience. The staff and service were impeccable, with explanations of each dish and the wine as well. What was even better was that it was T's idea to go here as a complete surprise to me and it really was the highlight of the trip.

The next day, a little hungover we wondered over to the main shopping streets in search of much needed caffeine. Coffee@Last came to our rescue. Serving beautiful coffee and brownies, sandwiches or pastries, it doesn't look all that special from the outside. A warm welcome awaits as does some great coffee, they clearly know what they're doing. Though a little part of me feels that it might be let down by its location, right next to a few tacky touristy spots which can be off putting but it's worth a look for a decent caffeine fix, it's right near the station too so we took a stop there right before getting our train out of the city.

Looking for budget places to eat when staying near the city centre can be a bit of a challenge but we spotted this pizza place, Da Portare Via on a stroll of an evening and so decided to give it a whirl. The place is tiny but on later research I discovered that there are a number of other larger branches in the city. They make everything fresh in front of you and they have a beautiful wood fire oven to cook the pizza in, moving them around on one of those giant paddle things. So nice to watch! The pizzas are simple and classic, with lovely ingredients. I had one with Parma ham and rocket that was delicious.

This particular branch is mainly takeaway but is next to a very cool pub and people were coming over from the pub, grabbing piles of pizza to take back to their friends enjoying the beer next door. We were lucky enough to grab the two stools at the front of the pizza place to chow down our pizza but this did mean we couldn't have a beer, they sell only take away alcohol. The people in the pub had a good thing going on! I guess if you go to a larger branch you could probably have booze on site. We stopped by the pub after we'd scoffed all our pizza.
What are the dutch known for if not chips and mayo!? We went down to the market, Albert Cuypmarkt of an afternoon in search of lunchtime snacky and the first stand you come to had your classic fries and mayo and they were the bomb. The market was pretty good too, with a variety of food, sweets and chocolate private parts.. interesting if you're into it.
Amsterdam is a great place with a fantastic vibe to it. T was mesmerised by all the bikes and I was inspired by how stylish the cyclists are and how many there are of all different ages, shapes and sizes, it's brilliant. T sought out some of the specialist bike shops to get some inspiration for ugrading his single speed bike to cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats this summer (madness). I also bought some amazing panniers not from a bike shop but from a shop that only sold red stuff! They're going to look great on my red bike! I'll try to post a picture once they're in situ.

Where we stayed: We stayed in a tiny B&B (only two guest rooms) called B&B Margot. It was a lovely room, with a view of the canal and an amazing breakfast each day. There was also a really cute cat (the main reason we chose to stay there, obvs) Here's a picture of her looking desolate at the prospect of our leaving, I think she kinda liked having us around.

 
How we got there: Eurostar. It's an easy journey with a quick change in Brussels, taking about 5 hours in total (not including the wait time). Book in advance and you might get lucky with a £99 return deal, it's worth it I tell you!

Down in Battersea town..

This ia bit overdue but a few weekends ago it was a beautiful day and so T and I decided to cycle down to Battersea and have an explore. We made a day of it too as we had tickets to the fabulous Battersea Arts Centre in the evening.
After a lovely cycle along the river from Aldgate East, it's just a hop over the river and even though the river is not the most direct route (probably is the easiest) it only took half an hour, which is about half as long as I was anticipating.
So, after a little basking in the sunshine in battersea park, we had to have lunch and we went to a lovely spot on Battersea Rise called Entrée. Now, it was a while since we went but it was fantastic. T had pork belly (I remember distinctly the food envy) and I had trout for the mains - both were great. The atmosphere is very nice for a late lunch as well and there's a cocktail bar downstairs which must be lively come the evening. The service was also excellent, very attentive. I was leaning to the side so I could see the kitchen past T when the waitress came over asking if we were ok as she thought I was trying to get her attention. I then had to explain that I was just being nosey and looking at the kitchen as everything smelled so delicious. Hey, at least I wasn't lying! Worth a look if you're in the area at any rate.
After a little shopping, a little mooching there was suddenly a need for something and that something was CAKE. We didn't have dessert with lunch after all (as if there's ever a need to justify cake).

I've wanted to go to visit Cake Boy for ages but it is totally out of my way. When I knew we would be going to Battersea though, how could we not go? I became aware of Eric Lanlard about 4 years ago, maybe? When a friend invited me to a wedding cake tasting at the shop where she was working at the time. The cake was absolutely amazing, and since then, Eric has had a tv show on channel 4 and released a book all about his fantastic cake creations, he was at the cafe the day we visited which was nice to see.
Although it is in a slightly unusual location, (it's back by the river away from the main shops in the bottom floor of a new block of flats). It's unusual in the sense that it's out of the way but it is worth the trip, the picture below speaks for itself. When we arrived, a cake class of some description was just finishing up and all the students had the biggest grins and had clearly really enjoyed themselves. I also overheard Eric give career advice to an aspiring baker which was so nice! It's a very chic cafe with something for everyone and the counter literally spills over with treats, both made at the cafe and a few others thrown in. It is a very hard choice I went for a chocolate walnut slice that was just so rich and decadent with amazing decoration including gold sparkles! This coupled with a beautiful cup of tea was perfection.

In the evening, it was off to the beautiful Battersea Arts Centre for a performance of Homer's Odyssey by The Paper Cinema. This will mark the fourth time I've seen them since I first became aware of their work in 2009 as a volunteer for the East London festival. Essentially, the team that is the The Paper Cinema create films out of beautiful ink drawn puppets and projects them live to live music and sound effects. That description doesn't really do it justice at all but the video below gives you more info. They'll be going on tour this year and I urge you to see it. It's just gorgeous, see anything they do for that matter.



What better way to spend a saturday in London than exploring a different area of the city? It's definitely something  I should do more often! What's your favourite way to spend the weekend?

Obika, Mozzarella Bar.

Oh Mozzarella, how you have climbed the ranks in my cheesey estimations. When I first became aware of Mozzarella (probably thanks to Jamie Oliver, but I forget) the stuff available in most supermarkets was pretty poor. Nowadays there's a lot more choice and a lot more quality on offer. I realised how amazing Mozzarella can be during my days as a cheeser at Borough Market where you can buy some of the best Buffalo Mozzarella in town.
When it comes to Mozzarella, it's as important how you use it as much as the type or quality that you're buying. For me, it serves as a foil to other flavours but you shouldn't expect too much from it alone. Just a light milky, ever so slightly salty yumminess... Ok, enough of that, you get the idea.
What with all this Mozzarella love going around it's been a timely opening for 'Obika' a Mozzarella bar based in the West Wintergarden at Canary Wharf. I first became aware of the chain when I was in Toronto last year and spotted it there, though we didn't eat we were keen to find out if there existed a London branch and lo, one opened two months later.
Alongside some delightful Italian offerings or pizza, pasta and the like, there are a range of dishes that you choose to accompany your choice of Mozzarella. This is the Mozzarella bar portion of the menu, and if it's your first visit, how can you resist? There are three Mozzarella types to choose from, the Classic, Smoked and Creamy. I went for creamy and was quite unprepared for what arrived. I opted for the simple accompaniment of basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach. My creamy Mozzarella was amazing. So creamy, it's hard to describe. It's as though the mozzarella ball had unravelled and melted into a creamy pile of awesome.
T had the smoked option with an amazingly delicious Sicilian aubergine casserole. The casserole was lovely, but the smoked mozzarella is just not my thing. I'm just not a fan of smoked cheese in general. So I'll leave it at that. It you like it, go for it! I know that T enjoyed it and he said it went well with the aubergine. I didn't think that I would be full after the mozzarella bar dish but I was, it was more filling than I thought it would be.
We did manage a dessert though and it was the best Tiramisu I've ever had. Serious. What's also handy is you can get the desserts in different sizes so if you're not sharing or pigging out, a mini option is just the ticket. How can you resist?!
The only quibble was that the service was a little over zealous and there's a small amount of upselling here but  it's only a minor thing and forewarned is forearmed or whatevs. There's no doubting that the indredients here are at an extremely high standard and the success of the chain speaks for itself, with offerings in three continents.
It's something quite different without being too crazy and the quality of the produce shines through with classic cooking. Definitely worth a look. Check out the the moody video below for some cheese-porn basically.

MEATLiqour

Last week, it got cold and it rained. So what better way to console ourselves over the deepening of Winter than to chow down on some good old fashioned burgers. Burgers, it seems, are getting better and better and yet the quest for perfection is never at an end.
I'm quite happy to munch through the burgers on offer in most places but the problem is, once you've had a really amazing burger, no other burger can compete and to even contemplate a McDonald's is bordering on criminal.
Last Thursday, three friends and I ventured to the hottest burger joint in town, MEATliquor. The trendsters out there will know that this is the new home of the Meatwagon, a burger van that travels around London, unveiling its location on twitter with #meateasy. I'd heard about the meatwagon, the way you do these things but it wasn't until my friend @PollyButton invited me to join her and two friends for a visit to MEATliquor.
When I checked it out online, I realised that this was indeed the mystical place I'd spotted through the bus window but a week earlier so couldn't wait to see what was on offer. Tucked away next to a multi-storey car park, inhabiting what once was an Italian restaurant, I'm told. It doesn't give much away from the outside with the queue being the only real give away of its location. MEATliquor has a strict queuing policy, as detailing on its website (as well as the front door!) and it is enforced so if you join a lengthy queue, fear not for there are no shove-ins allowed and you're not even allowed to head straight inside if you're friends are already there. So that's just how it is and if you're willing to wait up to two hours for a burger then...there's no choice but to join the queue!
Once inside the door, two of us were able to head to the bar to get hold of some much needed lager to see us through the last bit of queuing and gawping at the decor, other diners and of course the trays of burgers flying past. With American rock and roll music blaring and 'burgerettes' strutting, there's a lot to take in until you get your seat.
Once sat down, you'll probably have decided what you're eating, and it won't stop at burgers! The sides, starters and more are hard to choose between and we ordered a bunch. The burgers may look small compared to some, more commercial ventures, but commercial this ain't.
Our order arrived, sides and all on one massive steel tray, covered in striped paper. No plates for your burger, wings, onion rings or pickles, the messier sides like slaw and macaroni cheese came in a bowl, as did the fries but I liked how some of the food was just piled on so you can dig in. My choice was a chilli cheeseburger, and it was beautiful. Juicy, succulent beef with a crisp pickle and american cheese and best of all, the lip-stinging chilli. All of this tucked up in the softest bun ever. The juice gets everywhere so be thankful for the rolls of kitchen roll that grace every table.
For me, the Buffalo wings were as authentic as I've ever tasted outside of buffalo and the blue cheese dip, even better! The mac and cheese had a crunchy topping and was creamy and spiced with nutmeg, the slaw was probably about the only thing to cut through the carb load.. unless deep fried pickles count? They were sensational, moreso for me as I've only eaten pickles at all for about two years!
I sincerely hope the MEATliquor is here to stay, I'm thinking on any opportunity to squeeze in another visit.
Honourable mention must go to the Q-man! How on earth he manages to maintain his sanity with hundreds of burger fiends in his face all night, God only knows but the man has my respect.

Highlights:

• The lagers on offer are great.
• They serve cocktails in jam jars - what's not to like?
• Burgers
• Wings
• Deep. Fried. Pickles. + Blue. Cheese. Dip.

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Thanksgiving at The Blues Cafe, Camden

Firstly, I'm not American. Not even a little bit, but that's not to say I don't enjoy an excuse to have a Turkey dinner in advance of Christmas and I also love any reason to hop on the back of another country's Holiday to enjoy some decent grub.
Last night I met my (half American) friend for Thanksgiving dinner at The Blues Kitchen, Camden. My first visit to Camden in a long while and every time I do go to Camden I wonder why I don't come here more often. I think it's mainly that the night bus provision from there is pretty crap back to East London... unless there's a new one I don't know about.
The Thanksgiving fair was a set menu of two courses for £20 and it was fantastic. Heaps of stuffing underneath 3 great chunks of turkey that was deliciously moist accompaned by sweet potato mash and runner beans with some kind of yummy nut on them. I think they were cobnuts. All of this came with gravy and your own pot of cranberry sauce (of course) and a little muffin of cornbread. The gravy was a little bland for my liking, almost generic but it did the job it was meant to do and that's bring all those tasty pieces together to make one delicious plate of nom. The cornbread is not something I've had before that I remember and I found it a little dry but by the time I got to it was so full that it was a bit of a struggle.
The waitress gave us a suitable time for a break before bringing us a desert where we had one of each of what was on offer, Pecan Pie for me and Pumpkin Pie for my demi-yank friend. Both were delicious, though the pumpkin pie could have done with a little more spice. The Pecan pie though was so delicious, the best I've had.
The service was also excellent, with happy and friendly waitresses being attentive throughout the evening. All our food was washed down with a deliciously fruity Tio Vito Rioja from Spain that our waitress recommended.
As we left the bands were getting ready to set up for the entertainment portion of the evening but with our bellies full of Turkey we were feeling increasingly somnambulant so decided to give it a miss this time. All in all, an excellent choice for Thanksgiving to remember. Especially great to catch up with my mate, a great atmosphere and a nice evening of reflecting for all those things I'm thankful for, living in London to name just one.

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Smiths of Smithfield

Friday night is steak night! Well, not every Friday but last Friday at any rate. T had a windfall recently and opted to spend the monies (or some thereof) on moi and an epic plate of beef!
Owned by John Torode (best known for co-presenting Masterchef) Smiths of Smithfield is a good bet if you want some quality meat dishes as it is opposite the historic meat market still operating there. It was a first visit for both of us and with a little internet research I discovered the place is huge! Four floors of fun. The ground floor is a buzzing, industrial-chic bar where we stopped off to whet the whistle as we were early for our booking upstairs. Thumping base and chatty crowds, it is an intense and buzzing atmosphere when you first arrive, I was unable to stop gawping at the beautiful people who clearly frequent this bar on a regular basis. The drinks on offer here are excellent and varied and we sampled an excellent pale ale by the half pint. (I know, but we didn’t want to fill up on beer when we knew what was waiting for us upstairs). Each floor also has a cloakroom which is handy in the winter months.
So, to upstairs as we had booked a table on the fourth floor (or floor 3, as Torode confusingly has labelled one floor, level P which stands for private dining). We took the stairs, not only to truly earn our beefy delights but also to snoop on the other floors as we went past. Level 1 is home to The Wine Rooms where there is an extensive wine list and small tapas style dishes on offer. Then comes level P which is private dining, as previously mentioned, so no chance to peek in there. Level 2 is The Dining Room, think bistro style dining but it’s level 3 where we came to a halt (it’s the top one, after all) and we were very happy. Known as The Top Floor in the restaurant, this is where you find your more luxurious and stylish dining, yet the feeling here is also very calm and relaxed – far from formal or stuffy which was a relief. This was of course down to the welcome on arrival and from the attentive and friendly waiters, the view also made the stair climb wortwhile.
Our starters were a great way to kick start our evening of eating, sharing between us one dish of Scallops, Chorizo, Toulouse Sausage, “Baked Beans” and the other consisting of Roast Foie Gras, Pears, Cobnuts, Brioche. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the slightly spicy beans that accompanied them were perfectly cooked and spiced. The foie gras was unlike anything else, so tender, smooth and rich made all the more decadent by the brioche slice is came with.
The starters were just the right stuff to get the juices flowing for the main event – we ordered the big kahuna, chateaubriand. Chateaubriand comes from the tenderloin of the cow, and is so tender and so flavoursome when prepared correctly. This cut from Smith’s, as with all their beef cuts, has been aged for 26 days and the flavour is all the better for it. More importantly, we were bowled over by how juice the steak, it was astounding. We asked for the steak to be cooked medium and I would say that it came out the rarer side, but no matter, in fact that’s why I ask for a steak to be medium because it usually treads the right line on the still-mooing to charcoal scale. All I know is that I’m rarely disappointed in a medium steak. Without doubt this was the best piece of steak I’ve ever had. We opted for sides of kale and French fries – the kale came with anchovies and garlic whose salty contrast and bold flavours cut through the sumptuous flavours of the meat. The fries were pale, golden, crispy and piping hot. Delish.
Now, the sauces were amazing – with our big cut we were allowed two to try and we went for horseradish cream, obviously. The other sauce was bone marrow butter! Meaty butter with such richness to it that the beef was definitely enhanced by it – I’ve not seen this on any other menu so it was a great opportunity to try it. The horseradish cream was great, but not really horseradishy enough for my taste – the word cream should really have given this away but I was expecting more oomph. That aside, we were also offered a selection of mustards to try – wholegrain, Dijon and English – which were all superb, even if I did overwhelm myself with the amount of saucy blobs on my plate.
All this wonderful food was accompanied by a delicious carafe of red wine though I fail you in not knowing which wine it was. T is the wine geek between us and I just happily drink his choices! What I did like though, was how many of the wines are available in a carafe as we often struggle to finish a bottle so that was a real bonus.
The only thing that let me down from this amazing dining experience (did I mention the view?!) was the desert menu. What we both tend to look for in a desert is something simple, classic and a suitably decadent end to the meal, often we end up sharing. The offerings here were fussy, over the top and pretentious to the point where I opted for ice cream, albeit very delicious, caramel, chocolate and vanilla flavoured ice cream. T on the other hand had the Carrot & Banana Slice, Cream Cheese, Orange, Walnut Ice Cream. The slice was large and very dry looking while the other flavours were over the top and the presentation was fussy to say the least with a carrot just sat in the middle of the plate, pointing almost accusingly at the eater! The puddings somehow seemed incongruous to the rest of the offerings here, but perhaps that’s just me. The cheese options were impressive though, we didn’t have a cheese board but a selection of lovely English cheeses is always a way to win with me. Definitely the best steak of my life, not quite the best dining experience. I intend to go back and try the other floors though as they all looked so inviting.. watch this space. 

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The Breakfast Club, Spitalfields

Met a friend for dinner recently, it was somewhat impromptu. I say somewhat because it was one of those occasions where she thought she’s have to work late but it turned out she didn’t. So, having cancelled our original restaurant reservation we met at Liverpool Street station and decided to check out the new(ish) Spitalfields branch of The Breakfast Club. It was a quiet Wednesday evening so we were seated straight away, all the while taking in the charmingly quirky décor.
After something satisfying for a cold autumnal evening (as well as stomach-lining in preparation of the inevitable post-dinner cocktails), I ordered a cheeseburger. My friend, being vegetarian, opted for the Halloumi wrap. The food arrived quickly (almost too quickly) and I was disappointed. My burger was dry, bland and over-cooked with too much bun for the size of the patty and the cheese being what I can only assume was a slice of American processed. In addition, the coleslaw was bland and watery, the dish's saving grace came in the form of the piping hot and delicious potato wedges - must've been a fresh batch. The other saving grace being that we arrived in the nick of time for happy hour which saved us precious monies from our delicious mango daiquiris.
The service though, leaves something to be desired, it was quiet, admittedly but the waiters were rather inattentive and spent much of the evening chatting just out of sight to the point where out of necessity we had to wave them over, overall the breakfast club should stick to breakfast. Now, there has been a lot of talk about the smeg-fridge door where you’ll find the mayor of scaredy-cat town, a less-than-secret speakeasy where you’ll find delicious cocktails abound. Check the menu and ask your waiter for details, let’s just say that the disappointing food was saved by our lovely cocktails.


I decided to give this same branch another try a few days later as a friend came to visit for the day from Oxford. Ginger, Harsh and I decided to fuel up with a good brunch in advance of a day of a London stomp and brunch, after all, is how The Breakfast Club made its name. Arriving at 10.30am on a Sunday, the place was immensely busy which meant a little wait and time to peruse the extensive breakfasty-brunchy options. We were seated in one of the booth seats which are really nice and apparently from re-claimed changing room benches, much of the furniture here is made from re-claimed items which is great.

Again, probably owing the busyness of the place this time, rather than quietness as in my previous visit, the service was hectic and inattentive and we had to wave someone over to get them to take our order, we’d chosen what we wanted as we were queuing for a table so the extra wait was a bit irritating. Furthermore I think we were served by at least four different people which is less than ideal.  Teas and coffees all round, I must say that my flat white was absolutely delicious. I don’t know what  coffee blend they use but it’s a winner. I ordered the chorizo hash browns but one of the eggs came underdone, they are cooked sunny side up which I don’t have a problem with but one of them had a lot of the white un-cooked. A waitress took them back to the kitchen only to have them returned to me cooked all the way through. They had clearly taken the same eggs off my plate, put them back in the pan and cooked it through. This isn’t what I wanted at all and it meant I missed out on the runny yolk. It’s not so much that they did this that bothers me, I realise they were busy but they didn’t check with me if this would be ok and were so unapologetic all the while. I only complained about one egg and both were returned to me cooked through to the point of rubbery. Harsh’s green eggs and ham was also dry but good she told me and Ginger’s all-american pancakes went down a storm so a mixed bag really, but having had two rather disappointing meals in a row, I might skip the food and head straight for the cocktails in future.


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