Archive for the ‘Editor’s Review’ Category
Nusa Kitchen, Cannon Street
Posted on: November 24, 2013
NUSA KITCHEN
88 Cannon Street
London EC4N 6HT
WEB: http://www.nusakitchen.co.uk/
PRICING: Keralan Fish Soup – £4.95
RATING: 9
It was one of those weeks when I was walking around with ice cubes in my head, praying for it to just combust so I could feel some warmth. Naturally I was looking for something to scare away my cold and trigger off my inner central heating; so I thought I would finally give Nusa a go, a little place that opened up a while ago close to Cannon Street station.
Nusa Kitchen only has a few options on the menu and doesn’t seem to have taken off just yet, but I think this winter could be their window of opportunity. The influence is Singaporean, so you know right off the bat that you are going to get something interesting.
I tried the Keralan fish soup which was packed full of flavour and turned out to be both filling and satisfying. I would opt for more chillies next time to really make it a winter warmer. I did enjoy it as it was just the thing to get me through the day, without the need to snack before dinner.
Soup’s up
All their soups sound quite gorgeous (roasted lambshank and barley for one? well hello!) and if you’re the kind of person who likes something a bit different at lunchtime, you should definitely give it a go.
Wahaca, St Paul’s
Posted on: November 12, 2013
WAHACA
One New Change
London, EC2V 6AG
RATING: 10
WEB: http://www.wahaca.co.uk/
Thomasina Miers first became known to me when I watched her travel around Mexico, for the love of her cookery program Mexican Food Made Simple. She infiltrated tiny villages in search of authentic Mexican food and to my delight, showed the journey from cocoa bean to cup which convinced me that I must have smellivision on my Sony.
The fact that she won Masterchef in 2005 is no surprise, as her talents are evident in Wahaca and new fast food addition Burrito Mama.
Nothing pleases me more than when fabulous restaurants come to me! So the relatively new Wahaca in One New Change, was most definitely the one to take a bunch of the most discerned palettes to. My partners in crime were more than eager to try literally everything on the menu, and with the wonderful array of street food on offer we were able to do just that.
Tacos, fajitas, tostadas, taquitos. Steak, chicken, vegetarian. Spoilt for choice? Then try it all!
The street food options were like tasters, so you get three small tacos, two tostadas or two fajitas. We all loved the steak tacos and fajitas, but I think that the one that stood out for me the most was the chicken mole taco. Mole sauce originated from Puebla, Tlaxcala and Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaca..see the connection!!) and it contains chocolate. Chocolate and chicken you say? Well that’s just crazy! But it is really quite a subtle flavour and truly delicious.
I was also in love with the sweet potato and feta taquito. I really hope that it isn’t because it was deep fried, but it just went so well with the crema, salsa fresca and chipotle mayo.
But now let me tell you why I am going back to Wahaca. I’m sure I am not in the minority when I say, that there has been many a time when I have wanted to start from the dessert menu and work my way backwards. To be honest if I wasn’t so scared of catching hereditary diabetes, I would dispense with the rest of the menu altogether. Wahaca’s dessert menu makes me want to order the lot and stick a flag in it, saying “Conquered by EAL”. It was literally a Sophie’s Choice, but there was one that tugged at my greed strings. Let me introduce you to my half eaten salted caramel ice cream..
Salted Caramel Ice Cream & Mexican Hot Chocolate
Que bueno! What perfection in a bowl. Is there caramel? Are there bits of chocolate? I don’t know but I attacked it so fast, that you’re really lucky there is anything in that photo.
Remember my story about the journey from cocoa bean to cup. Well it travelled a little bit further and ended up at our table. With a dash of chilli and made with water, this is the shot of Mexican chocolate that I hoped for. Choccie nirvana.
The service at Wahaca was extremely attentive and the décor had an edgy, modern, unfussy feel to it. The pricing is very reasonable, and it’s the perfect place to take a group of culinary curious punters. I’ll certainly be back for more dessert!
PORTRAIT RESTAURANT
National Portrait Gallery Restaurant
St Martin’s Pl,
London WC2H 0HE
PRICING: 2 courses: £25, 3 courses: £30
RATING: 10
WEB: http://www.npg.org.uk/visit/shop-eat-drink/restaurant.php
The National Gallery is definitely one of London’s pride and joys, and it is so large and impressive that I have to admit to never really making the time to browse the National Portrait Gallery, which is located on the side entrance. It is little wonder that I ended up there for the first time, with the primary intention of trying their restaurant.
A section of this beautiful building is cordoned off for a diverse selection of portraits, displaying everyone from Edward VI to Emmeline Pankhurst to Nelson Mandela and ending with an impressive collection of current celebrities by Jonathon Yeo. The walls are adorned with familiar faces, all painted with oil on canvas and some displaying such an amazing combination of textures to achieve the skin tone, that they looked like they had been painted in water colour.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2013/jonathan-yeo-portraits.php
Most diners visit The Portrait Restaurant for its panoramic view of London, but this is very quickly forgotten when an elegantly crafted meal is placed before you. The service could not be faulted, it could only be described as seamless and well timed. In fact it seems that food imitates art at this restaurant, as the only thing missing from each plate was a frame to celebrate it’s achievement.
My starter was Smoked Gressingham Duck; now I have no clue where Gressingham is, but I did get the impression that it’s the equivalent of living in Bath and being rather pampered as the duck was smooth and lean. The combination of sweet, nutty and the unique noodle like texture of the celeriac went together so well that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I was especially eager to try the Cornish Bream with gem and mussel vinaigrette. This is an absolutely beautiful dish entirely reminiscent of a summer or spring day, when all you desire is something light and so fresh that it tastes like the fish was caught in front of your eyes. They certainly are not kidding when they claim that they use seasonal ingredients sourced from the most esteemed suppliers.
My compadres were all impressed with their choices. They appeared to be the most impressed with the coconut and mango pavlova with passion fruit and fennel herb. The mango draped across the meringue did not show a hint of being out of season, which of course it is and we could identify it as being one from Pakistan (the most strong in flavour).
The Portrait was most definitely a hit with my party of diners, and I will be going back for their afternoon tea which was designed by world-renowned pastry chef Claire Clark. It sounds like the perfect end to a day wandering around the main part of the National Gallery, and most certainly well deserved.
Hare And Tortoise, Blackfriars
Posted on: September 8, 2013
HARE AND TORTOISE
90 New Bridge Street
London EC4V 6JJ
WEB: http://www.hareandtortoise.co.uk
RATING: 9
WRITER: THE EDITOR
This restaurant came very heavily recommended by my Japanese colleague, who raved about so much on the menu that I propelled myself there with the excitement of a cave woman who caught her first fish.
First of all, when he told me about Hare and Tortoise, I had visions of it being underneath a pub. Let me assure you that it was never a pub and has no links to a pub. It just has a pub name. So now we’ve cleared that up, lets get to the fantastic food on the menu!
In many restaurants that I am dragged to, I only ever see one or two things on a menu that really say “eat me”. The problem with this restaurant is, that you don’t know when to stop ordering. There are so many must tries, that my cohorts and I needed a bigger table.
chilly wing sticks, chinese greens, seaweed, spider maki, veggie spring rolls
Now, I am a woman with simple tastes (haha), all I really need in life is a good chicken wing or a piece of salmon to make me happy (I kid you not). So naturally I had to try their spicy wing sticks; and the fact that they were smothered in chillies, causing my lips to feel like someone had just placed hot coals on them, did not prevent me from going back for more.
The chinese greens and seaweed were a wonderful compliment to the sushi and chicken, but what I had especially gone there to try was the spider maki. This is a seaweed roll filled with deep fried soft shell crab, cucumber, tobiko and lettuce. I could not taste any crab at all, probably because of the deep fried element. So I have to say that I did not enjoy this as much as if it was filled with salmon. Consequently, the soft shell crab hand roll was not as fresh tasting as my usual favourite; the one filled with salmon and avocado.
unagi and avocado maki
And so to the Pièce de résistance; unagi (eel) and avocado maki. So beautifully presented that it deserves a place in the Tate and also quite delicious. I must admit I was surprised that it was so palatable, as the flavour was a kin to that of mackerel. The inside out seaweed roll was filled with avocado and omelette, with the eel on the top. There was a sauce that brought it all together, but I’m not sure what that was. I loved it until the last piece which, I noticed my colleagues avoided, and basically had the tail on top. I don’t know why, after eating a whole eel, the tail put me off. So I had to have a moment before I ate, to cut it into pieces to help me forget what it was.
I must give kudos to my colleagues who managed to polish off a main meal after that as they were served a very large bowl of delicious lakhsa, a gorgeous looking salmon teriyaki and gyudon which is beef with onions in a sweet sauce served with rice. The last one appeared to require more sauce as beef can be quite dry.
The service was excellent as the waiters were very attentive, helpful and extremely speedy. The decor was just as you would expect of a primarily Japanese restaurant, clean and modern with the kitchen in plain sight. We sat a little too close to the kitchen as the seating looked very comfortable, but later thought it might have been better to leave without smelling of teriyaki! But it did have the bonus of getting good service from the waiters. All in all, we loved our Hare and Tortoise experience and would definitely recommend it to others.
BanhMi11, Old Street
Posted on: August 6, 2013
BANHMI11
101 Great Eastern Street
London EC2A 3JD
PRICING: Banh Mi-£5, Noodle salad/rice box-£6
RATING: 10
WEB: http://www.banhmi11.com/
I had heard a lot about Banh Mi from their food festival presence this summer. They have been touting their healthy “market fresh” Vietnamese lunches all over town and I was very eager to try it. Not only do they hit the food fests, but they have their own” Market Cafe” near Old Street station. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and the decor is as simple and fresh as the food; the colours just whisper “this is the healthiest place you are going to visit today!”
I had a Fish Q Banh Mi which is a baguette filled with a grilled catfish fillet marinated in turmeric and galangal. They also add dill and spring onion. This is my idea of delicious fast food; freshly made baguettes, herbs and julienned vegetables and not a processed item in sight.
Now they do maintain that they use the finest ingredients sourced locally; so I would like to know where catfish are swimming around in Old Street, because I would really like to see that!
Ah, they source the fish from local night markets. OK well that makes more sense.
Catfish banh mi with watermelon juice
You can try a number of other fillings for your baguette or try a noodle salad or rice box instead. They also have noodle soups and fresh summer rolls which are incredibly pleasing to the eye.
BanhMi11 is a great addition to the street food movement and anyone who serves me up some tasty catfish is already a friend of mine!
Whitecross Market, Old Street
Posted on: July 20, 2013
WHITECROSS MARKET
Whitecross Street
EC1V 9AB
RATING:10
There were some thumping good eats at Whitecross; the market made famous by Andy Bates, a Food Network regular whose stall takes inspiration from international street food.
We should be so incredibly proud of our London markets; where else can you find such a celebration of diversity? There were plenty of Indian bites on offer, alongside Thai, Caribbean, Mediterranean, German and a rather large Turkish stall which I was very happy to see.
No paps please, I’m Turkish!
I haven’t seen many Turkish stalls in any of the markets, probably because there are so many Turkish restaurants in existence. But Lahmacun is the epitome of good street food; it’s a fabulously satisfying thin dough like pizza with lamb mince cooked into it. They add salad and sauces, roll it up and charge barely a couple of quid for it.
The juice bar had some amazing concoctions that hit the spot on yet another scorching day. I recommend the melon, apple, pear, orange, pineapple and mint juice. I don’t think I have ever had anything so thirst quenching, it was gorgeous!
I must say I did wonder how the majority of lunch timers could opt for the heavy hot meals on offer; surely this would only lead to a mass of afternoon nappers? London must definitely take a dive in productivity after the lunch rush! I’m not terribly productive at the best of times, but I felt like something lighter so I joined the long queue at the Mediterranean salad stand.
This “small” salad box for only £3.40 was filled to the brim with dolmades, guacamole, sun-dried tomatoes, tzatziki, red cabbage, wild rice, potato, chick pea and couscous salads. Not forgetting some focaccia on the side!
I find that the regular markets really deliver in terms of portion sizes and value for money, compared to the food festivals which are not so much about sustenance, but experimenting with different tastes and looking at where the popularity grows.
I have read an article or two about the frivolity and obsession with food that has emerged over the past few years, and I am baffled at how anyone can find anything negative to say about it. Tourism and as a result the economy, and the integration of our diverse community has been boosted by this very social development. After having to endure the fast food movement, which has caused nothing but obesity and other kinds of ill health I would think that everyone would be grateful for some real innovation in the culinary arts. If it produces more chefs than McDonalds managers, then I think we are very lucky indeed.
Bring on more markets and food festivals and lets drive McDonalds into liquidation!
FEAST FESTIVAL
Brick Lane Yard
Buxton Street Gate (Corner of Buxton Street and Brick Lane)
E1 5ER
PRICING: £10 ticket + £5/£6 per plate
RATING: 10+
WEB: www.wefeast.co.uk
Finding the Feast festival was a feat in itself; I was surprised to find so many hidden markets off Brick Lane trying their best to lure me away from my goal, and I did wonder whether it was going to be worth the entrance fee. I must say, it was for me but for my vegetarian friend, not so much.
I expected more stalls but there were plenty of innovators about. The portions were very small for the price, but we came for gourmet so I guess that was to be expected.
It immediately became apparent that the guys running the coconut water stall at the entrance, drew in the most punters. They hit the hottest day of the year with a home run.
The first food stall was The Flat Iron sporting a 48 hour slow cooked wagyu beef:
Du u wagyu?
Wagyu is a breed of cattle (similar to Kobe) that is famous for its marbling and high percentage of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. It was succulent and scrumptious with the horseradish. But my question remains, if it has been cooked for 48 hours, shouldn’t it have been more tender? I chewed, I loved, I finished. OK so what’s next?
And on I roamed. Now let it be said in a fight between meat and fish, for me fish is always the clear winner. So when I clocked The Rum Kitchen, I knew the swordfish roll with aioli would be mine eventually. The only problem was that I got distracted by the crab roll at Bonnie Gull; but it was a fresh and light distraction, perfect for a hot summer lunch with the soft buttered roll, spring onions and little gem.
crab n oysters @ Bonnie Gull
The fabulous thing about our “food revolution” is that chefs search every corner of the globe for street food that Londoners have never heard of, or they are simply replicating a taste that they grew up with abroad. Feast is one opportunity to show off these discoveries. For example, Gua Boa at Boa which is a stuffed pillowy bun, Korean tacos at Kimchinary, Hainese poached ginger chicken at Miss Manchu, the now popular arepa at Ricarepa which is stuffed cornbread to name but a few.
Arrrreppppaaaa!
I especially loved the bizarrely eye-catching Indonesian stall, serving udang pepe which is chilli prawn in banana leaves.
Indonesia’s finest.. hairy mask not included.
I did go back for the swordfish roll at Rum Kitchen after all and it was quite satisfying. The roll was steamed inside and fried outside, which made it a bit chewy and reminded me of a ‘pulki’; this is deep fried gram flour batter which puffs into a ball and Pakistanis soak it in yogurt as a side dish to biryani or pilau. It was a compliment to the swordfish and aioli, as a roll would not have had the same punch. I did get a bit of a flashback to a beach in Trinidad where I tried a shark sandwich for the first time. Rather wonderful!
A taste of the Caribbean..
The most eye-catching stall was from the Meringue Girls, see for yourself:
My eyes were harangued by the Meringue Girls stall..
Now, I have a question for you. When is a super food not a super food?
Say for example, our trusty friend the beetroot is doused in chocolate and served up as a brownie by a place called Detox Kitchen, does eating it make me super healthy?
I’m going to take that as a yes. And mostly because it was not too chocolatey or too cakey and was sweetened by the beetroot, and partly because well, who cares.
All in all, Feast was heavenly. It was a little difficult to see everything that was available as most of the stalls were packed full of people and there wasn’t a lot of room to move around them. It would also have been nice to have more seating, as people just got territorial and didn’t bother moving once they found a seat at the picnic style tables. But the food was gorgeous. I loved everything I tried.
My vegetarian friend had a little trouble finding anything interesting however, but we were in Brick Lane, so I found her a South Indian dosa place merely a few yards away and she was as happy as a veggie clam.
Vive La Revolucion!
Camden Market, Camden Town
Posted on: July 4, 2013
Camden Lock
WEB: http://www.camdenlock.net
Camden Town was understandably my favourite place in London when I was a student. A haven for hippies and anyone with a passion to stand out in the crowd, it was always a feast for the eyes. It also drew in the tourists for the same reason, but as the years went on it became more of a tourist spot and less of a statement for locals. It still has an edge, only now I can blend into the crowd rather then stand out from it.
Having not visited for quite some time, I was amazed at how the markets have expanded. The little pop up shops, the regular stalls, the food markets; I walked for hours and hours, still conscious that there was more ground to cover. In a genre where the small business has been ousted by the giant warehouse American chains, malls and mass production; Camden market is a sign that there is still a demand for the unique, because that is exactly what you get here. The small trader can dream and rise again, thanks to markets like this.
Stables Market
The coolest thing about it all is Stables market. It’s a great testament to London culture, when the area is made current without trampling over its history. From a horse hospital to a vintage clothing market; the old engravings in the wall and the huge horse sculptures give the market character and an odd sort of beauty.
Just at the entrance to Stables market, you are surrounded by street food vendors peddling everything from couscous to satay. My eyes were awash with cakes, fresh donuts and Brazilian churros, a genius invention! I don’t know why you can’t get this in Spain, why keep dunking your churros in chocolate when you can inject it through the middle instead?!
Getting a Brazilian
There was a secondary purpose to my Camden spree. Tuesday night salsa classes at The Cuban are quite well known amongst die hard salsitas, so I thought I would give it a go. However, only after sampling a few Cuban delights. We dived into a huge plate of delectable nachos rancheros, chicken and beef quesadillas and my old favourite, patatas bravas. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the chicken quesadillas a bit dry but the chilli beef ones were amazing. It was the perfect pre-salsa food, because you definitely do not want to be weighed down by anything heavy when you’re dancing in one of these places.
Salsa at The Cuban is out of this world! The teacher was hilarious and happy to dance with newcomers (you find a lot of dancing snobs at salsa classes sometimes), and although I have been to classes before, there are so many moves to master and here the speed of La Rueda (Cuban salsa is danced in a circle) was so fast I was dizzier then a blonde at a physics class! I could see why this venue is so popular; it’s relaxed, friendly, the food is great and while I was there I felt like I was actually in Cuba.
The Cuban
RATING: 10
PRICING: Tapas from £3.95
WEB: www.thecuban.co.uk
Brixton Village, Brixton
Posted on: June 30, 2013
Today we set ourselves a Task: To break the record for the most eateries visited in one lunch within a single market.
The Mission: not to feel like a stuffed pig when the task is completed.
The Venue: Brixton Village, an homage to street food.
Web: http://brixtonmarket.net/info/brixton-village/
Street Eat No 1: Mama Lan
WEB: www.mamalan.co.uk
PRICING: King prawn & water chestnut dumplings-£6, Spicy chicken wings-£4.50
RATING: 10
Mama Lan
Mama Lan is a testament to the saying “good things come in small packages”. It occupies a tiny corner in the market and specialises in homemade dumplings. You’ll probably have to wait for a seat, as there aren’t many of them, but it is well worth the wait. The delicious dumplings are heavenly, stuffed with fresh prawn and water chestnuts which gives them an incredibly fresh and delicate flavour.
If you have a hankering for some wings, go no further then this Mama! They are crispy, they are spicy and no other wing can compare to them. After a bite of these you’ll achieve wing nirvana.
Heaven on 2 plates..
Street Eat No 2: Mr Taco
PRICING: Chicken or beef taco – £1/£1.50
RATING: 10
Blazing the taco trail..
This very nice chap from Tenerife is an understated genius! He serves 200 magical little tacos a day on a small table with the few main ingredients and they are absolutely gorgeous! He was so fast I did not pay enough attention to what was going into them, but along with the chicken which was cooked in spices, and the usual guacamole, sour cream, cheese and herbs there was a kick of lime. I’m sure he must have added something else, because I don’t think I could replicate the flavour myself. I’m going to suggest he moves his operation to my office!
Street Eat No 3: KaoSarn
PRICING: Green Papaya Salad-£5.50
RATING: 8
We had an interesting experience at Kaosarn. The forecourt in front of the restaurant was full of people happily eating their Thai food, and completely oblivious to the humungous telescopic forklift parked right in front of them. But when we went to sit down at the only available table, the waitress came out and told us they were closed?! A few protestations later and she then said they could only do a few things from the menu, such as pad thai or a stir fry. We were only after a quick fix anyway, so we eventually convinced her to give us a green papaya salad.
The reluctant salad
Now let it be said that sometimes it is worth fighting for your lunch, because the salad was amazing. The green papaya, the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, the crunch from the peanuts and julienned carrots, the fire from the chillies and not forgetting the fish sauce to launch it into a new dimension.
Street Eat No 4: Laboratorio Artigianale del Buon Gelato (Lab G)
PRICING: Large/3 scoops-£4.80
RATING: 10+
I have asked myself this question every day throughout our wash out of a summer; “where on earth can you get gelato in South London?”
The answer: Brixton village
The day was unusually hot, and Lab G drew us in like moths to a flame. And what a delectable flame it was. It’s quite a popular spot which must be savoured. You’ll be tempted to try your old favourites, but be sure to give some of the new concoctions a go, especially Beetroot. It sounds like a weird one but it was really good, and you can count it as one of your 5 a day 😉
Street Eat No 5: Federation Coffee
RATING: 5
After an exhausting half a day putting the market to the test, it began to draw to a close. As the traders prepared to shut up shop, we managed to beg a last cuppa from Federation. They handed me a disappointingly small cup of tea and a small almondy type cake with a tiny piece of fruit in it. Well it was the end of the day, who can complain?
VERDICT:
Brixton village is amazing! They have completely embraced the whole street food phenomenon and created an amazing atmosphere in the process. The market is bustling with cuisine from every corner of the earth and the act of sitting and eating at any one of them makes you feel like you are on holiday. It’s so cosmopolitan and it really has boosted the area tremendously.
For street foodies such as myself, there is no better place to visit without the worry of hygiene that you get when you’re abroad. I’m very keen to go on a world street food tour, and I was looking forward to doing just that on my previous two month tour around India. But after experiencing the street conditions, I was in constant fear that my stomach might spontaneously combust, and so kept to reputable restaurants.
This is why I love London markets. They bring so much worldly fabulousness right to our doorstep.
Pilpel, St Paul’s
Posted on: June 8, 2013
PILPEL
Unit 5, Queen’s Head Passage
Paternoster Square
London EC4M 7DZ
RATING: 8
PRICING: Mediterranean Falafel pita – £5.25
WRITER: THE EDITOR
WEB: http://www.pilpel.co.uk
What a vegetarian delight! The décor in Pilel is quite dark and woody, but it’s very nicely laid out to cater for the arrival of hungry punters en masse. While I was trying to figure out whether I wanted to try this place or not, I was handed a crispy falafel dipped in hummus. Sold.
They stuffed a variety of ingredients into the bottomless pit that was a homemade, deliciously soft pita. There was hummus, feta, tahini, tabouleh, aubergines and of course plenty of falafel. The aubergines were quite dry and dark, perhaps they had been dried, but other then that it was all extremely tasty and incredibly filling. In fact a little too filling, I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it when they handed me the bag, as the quite substantial weight of the concoction was bound to stick to my insides. But the pita was so soft, that it was definitely worth trying.
A quick word about hummus. I’ve noticed that a lot of places serve concrete mix when compared to other places (Haz, to name but a few). But Pilpel got it right. There was a nice balance of flavour and texture.
Try Pilpel on an empty stomach and you won’t be disappointed.
Excited About Lunch 