A Slow Roast…….

                        

Located in the heart of Soho on Greek street Bó Drake (http://www.bodrake.co.uk) is an East Asian restaurant using slow cooked BBQ methods from the Americas and Europe. On first appearance it is slick, modern and fresh. I myself went there on a girly dinner on a Tuesday evening. It wasn’t crazy mad busy but had just about the right atmosphere for a weekday evening. All we wanted was something to pick on and some cocktails for a much needed catch up. I had never been there before myself but thought why not. The cocktails sound good and it’s a Tapas style menu, which is perfect for this type of evening.

We sat down and picked our way through the cocktail menu, it is not a menu full of pages and pages of choices, which I myself much prefer. When faced with too much choice I feel my decision-making skills are not up to par, sending me into a state of panic and breaking out into a cold sweat. I decided on a Ginsberg and my friend went for a Big Smoke. My drink was exactly what I needed Tequila mixed with Plum Wine and Rose Honeywater. I had to tell myself to drink slowly and not knock it back in one, yes that is how much I enjoyed it.

I had to force myself to order some food as I could have quite happily sat and worked my way through the cocktail list, but I was in no mood for a dirty kebab on the way home. They have a substantial menu consisting of Smalls, Meat, Veg, Sides and Sweets along with daily changing specials. We were not overly hungry so ordered very little. We had the Tuna Sashimi which was sliced perfectly served along side fennel, peashoots and togarashi and delicately dressed with lemon and rosemary. Tiny but tasty, and a good choice to accompany my cocktail.

From the meat we decided on the Smoked Rib Stack. The ribs are smoked with sweet chestnut wood and then covered in an Asian BBQ sauce. For my taste the ribs were a little dry and not meaty enough, but the sauce was very good. It was rather unfortunate that this was not the meaty showstopper I was hoping for. If I could have my menu choosing time again I would probably go for the Smoked Bobo Chicken or the Scottish Sirloin Tataki. It is funny as the ribs seemed to have been a favourite choice on the menu as every table around us seemed to have ordered them. Personally if visiting Bó Drake I would either go for a special or choose something else on the menu. Thankfully we also ordered broccoli from the specials and pickled cucumber and I kindly passed on my meat to my friend, she seemed to be really enjoying it. Maybe it was the effects of the cocktail or maybe I’m a meat fusspot.

I liked Bó Drake, I liked the décor the atmosphere and I really liked the cocktails. I would visit again but would be stricter on my menu choices. It’s a great place to go to if you happen to be planning a first date or like myself a catch up with a friend over cocktails, unfortunately the food did not blow me away but I would order the sashimi again. If you are looking for somewhere with great drinks, and not so much importance on the food then this is the place for you.

Happy Dining

xx

I Think I’m Turning Japanese

Shackuyu (http://www.bonedaddies.com/shackfuyu/) has very quickly become one of my favourite places to eat. Located on Old Compton street in Made in Italy’s previous location this one year pop up, a brain child of Bone Daddies, is certainly taking food lovers taste buds by storm.

The menu is small and simple but full of exciting choices, which is aptly described as Japanese Soul food. I am very much a lets order a little of everything type person, and this tapas style set up works perfectly for a greedy girl like myself. Everything comes on small Falcon metal camping bowls or a classic willow pattern plate adding a nice bit of kitsch to the already rustic décor.

As always I have particular recommendations that one should pick on the menu. I myself whenever coming here with a friend will simply take charge. So here are my top Shackfuyu menu picks:

At number one we have Edamame! Unlike any edamame you may have picked up at your local Wasabi, this little soybean filled green shelled delight are slightly warmed and then covered in a sweet chilli soy sauce. You should order two portions of these as they are going to go fast and the sauce that they are bathing in is way better than a sprinkling of sea salt and soy you normally get. You will forever be craving your edamame to be dipped in a sweet chilli soy.

In at number two the Korean fried wings. You will want to order at least 3 portions or more of these. Trust me these are some of the best wings I have eaten in a very long time. The wings are battered deep fried and then covered in a sweet spicy nuclear red sticky sauce. Writing about it now is making my mouth water as the taste is explosive. These wings will turn you into a Neanderthal endlessly sucking on chicken bones and desperately licking every drop of sauce off your fingers and plate.

Number three the aubergine – 4 miso – bubu arare. I am not a fan of aubergine I generally find it rather slug like and the texture is not something I enjoy. At first when I came here with the ladies from my office I was staying open to their menu choices but it was not number one on my list. The aubergine is cooked to perfection it does not display its normal aubergine tendencies and has been turned into a very tasty vegetable. The sticky miso sauce it is cooked in is sweet, salty and sour all at the same time and the bubu arare (small puffed balls of glutinous rice) gently pop in your mouth making this the best aubergine ever! There is so much going on in this little bowl the textures, the flavours. If you do not try this dish on your first trip definitely pick it on your second.

At number four Prawn toast masquerading as okonomiyaki. I myself had no idea about okonomiyaki until I went to a great place which you can read about in a later post. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake which contains a variety of ingredients and then topped with very thin shavings of dried fish. This prawn toast has taken the elements of the Okonomiyaki and turned it on its head. Instead of your traditional deep fried prawn toast topped with sesame seeds this one is on a nice crisp piece of brioche and then topped with dried seaweed and dried fish shavings and served with a zingy miso mayonnaise which you will end up dipping anything edible in. If you like to experience fusion food and new food then get this, it really turns the prawn toast into an experience rather than the oil filled buffet accompaniment.

Number five the duck breast with pepper and orange ponzu. Cooked just on the right side of medium, thinly sliced and seasoned perfectly I would recommend adding this ducky delight to your order. The fat is rendered perfectly and the orange ponzu adds a refreshing twist on the classic duck à l’orange. It is not a huge portion so be prepared to only a little taste if sharing, or you can simply let it be known round the table that the duck is a no go area and if you require a taste order your own!

Sliding itself in at the end is the mentaiko mac and cheese with cock scratchings. On my first visit a man on the table next to us said ‘get the mac and cheese, it will change your life’ I did not order on my first visit but on my third. I was looking forward to it as this confident preacher had told me it would change my life and quite frankly anything that could make life a little better will always be tried. I was a little disappointed as it was a little dry and I wanted it to be more cheesy, but for a carb injection it certainly hits the spot and the salty cock scratchings on top are crispy and very satisfying.

The pièce de résistance is dessert and the only dessert on the menu, quite frankly I do not think anything else would be able to compete with this beauty. Kinako French toast with soft serve ice cream. This is possibly the best dessert in town, it really does deserve to have its name in lights. A triangle slice of brioche is soaked overnight and then fried dusted with roasted soybean flour and served with cold soft set ice cream. It is crispy on the outside and gooey and syrupy in the middle. It has a caramelised quality that is perfectly teamed with the matcha green tea ice cream. The perfect end to a winning meal.

I would recommend this place every day of the week simply to get my edamame fix. A great place for a friendly get together, or a working lunch. Being able to pick at bits means that it has a real friends and family feel. Thankfully Bone daddies have decided to make Shackfuyu a permanent feature so I can forever nibble on chicken wings and stuff my face on French toast. Huzzah!!

Happy Dining xx

the beauty in a hamburger bun

Located in the back streets of Vauxhall housed in a shack made of corrugated metal I found the best burger these lips have ever touched. Thinking about it now I can still taste every mind blowing burger meated mouthful. Thank you Dirty Burger I feel that my life long search of finding the perfect burger are over, now you have come into my life.

Dirty Burger http://www.eatdirtyburger.com brought to the streets of London by those very clever boys at Soho House, is a fairly simple set up, but do not let that fool you. What is produced in these small shacks is literally food porn. Located in Kentish Town, Vauxhall and Whitechapel Dirty Burger has become my new go to when ever anyone asks the question, “know anywhere good to grab a burger?”

I have been wanting to go and sample their delights for a while, but have not had the excuse or the opportunity at present. My cousin who is a personal trainer has been on an extremely strict diet for the past two months in order to get himself lean enough for a photo shoot for his website. The deal was once he was done with the photo shoot we would meet up for a burger and a beer to make up for the weeks of behaving. Dirty Burger was the perfect place for the food binge!

There are three burgers to choose from on the menu cheese burger, dirty bacon and a cop out (vegetarian option) and they also had a special chilli burger on yesterday evening too. I went for the dirty bacon, one thing this place is good for is the quality of their ingredients. The bacon was not that crispy pretend bacon you normally get in a burger place, this was thick cut, proper bacon the type of bacon bacon addicts only dream of. The burger itself was succulent and cooked to perfection not too well done and not too rare. I wanted to eat this slowly make friends with this burger, eat it like I have never eaten a burger of this quality before. But like an excited teenage boy I ate too quickly and in a flash my love affair with the dirty bacon was over before I knew it. Thank goodness we ordered crinkle cut fries and onion fries. The crinkle cut fries are no McCains, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside the perfect fries to accompany the perfect burger. If you do go to Dirty Burger EAT THE ONION FRIES they are something else. Not your traditional onion ring, these are like onion battered fries which are then covered in salt and pepper, I will never touch a onion ring again I have been converted to the onion fry.

You can’t book a table at Dirty Burger you just rock up, and you can either take away or sit in. This is a great place for the day after the night before. I would totally recommend going here with friends and if you have a meat loving significant other than take them here and eat the onion fries!!! Now I need to try the Dirty Burger breakfast menu, but I think I need to wait for an encounter of the morning after the night before 😉

Happy dining xx

the Phantom of the tapas is here, with a glass of wine…..

The Opera Tavern on Catherine Street http://www.operatavern.co.uk (opposite Drury lane theatre), used to be a somewhat normal pub. Then someone came along and put some love in it, and has turned it into a fantastic tapas bar! I never ventured inside when it was just a pub as it never really appealed to me, but my friend wanted to take me out for a little food before we went to a work party, and I can only say that my opinion has changed. If I could eat there almost everyday I would.

I left my friend in charge of picking what we were to eat as the Opera Tavern is a frequent dining spot for her. What happened next involved little conversation as I was so preoccupied by the food that talking was not an option and eating and drinking became priority from that point onwards.

Our first plate arrived with an excited squeal from my friend, this had better be one damn good plate of food or our friendship would be over, purely based on bad food judgement alone. Our first sample of what was to follow was a small mountain of Padrón Peppers girdled and generously sprinkled with rock salt. Each pepper tasted better than the last and each bite would either be smokey or salty. I found I was unconsciously reaching for more! good thing the next tapas plate arrived before I finished the whole small mountain of green goodness.

Next to arrive were the courgette flowers stuffed with goats cheese and drizzled with honey. If you happen to go to the Opera Tavern, order this dish and when you eat your courgette save your goats cheese stuffed flower for last! the courgette was tender, and not watery at all. I sometimes find when courgette is over cooked it just tastes of sloppy water, but this courgette tasted like courgette but better. The honey glaze made every bite start really sweet and end with you wanting to go in for another bite. Once I reached the flower, it was stuffed with goats cheese which was distinctive but mild and went perfectly with the honey glaze. I was satisfied by this point if no more food came along, I was quite happy finishing off the bottle San Campio, Terras Gauda Albariño (2012) which was being polished off quite nicely with the flowers stuffed with goats cheese.

The smoked and cured sea trout with beetroot gazpacio and cucumber shimmed it’s way onto the table and it was love at first sight. the sea trout was smoked to perfection and was not too fishy. The earthiness of the beetroot fitted perfectly with the crisp cucumber. this plate was perfection, all aspects of it happily married together. I would eat this everyday and on some rye bread it would be amazing!

But it did not stop there! next to arrive was the confit of old spot pork belly with rosemary scented cannellini beans and the classic tortilla which was cooked in the traditional way and a little runny in the middle. Pork Belly is one of my favourite cuts of meat, and this was cooked perfectly the crackling was so crispy and salty and could almost be mistaken for a favourite pub snack. The meat was falling apart, secretly I did not want to share this plate with my friend but I played nice. Next time I am going to sneak off to the the Opera Tavern alone and order myself a plate of the pork belly confit and spend a long time savouring every taste. The tortilla was cooked perfectly a little runny in the middle and not rubbery at all, which sometimes a tortilla can be accused of being.

The Opera Tavern really know what they are doing when it comes to tapas. This tapas is far far far away from the patatas bravas and Tortilla Española one pictures when offered spanish tapas for dinner. The menu goes above and beyond expectation, its a shame that my stomach could not stretch a little further as every dish on the menu sounds fantastic. The only thing I was upset about was that all five plates left me so satisfied I could not fit anymore food in my belly.

This is a great place for an anniversary dinner as it is a little pricey and not one of your average date places to eat. This is the place you save for someone special who deserves a nice night out. you would not leave the Opera Tavern felling empty, in fact you might rock out with the tummy of a glutton after one sitting. This place just leaves you wanting more I will definitely be visiting again.

Happy dining xx

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

If someone said to you I have found what could only be described as the holy grail of Belgium beer in London, you would brush them off with some incoherent sound and tell them to pull the other one. I have indeed found and frequented the holy grail of Belgium beer in London and NO it is not Belgo’s !!!! Please let me introduce you to Lowlander http://www.lowlander.com. Located on Drury Lane this little diamond of a venue can only be described as a fantastical beer cave. The walls are covered in various beer art and the menu of beer is like an encyclopaedia.

The staff are fantastic and their knowledge of beer is tremendous. I recommend if you are stuck at being spoilt for choice than ask your server what they recommend, after asking only a few questions in regards to what your taste is and what type of beer you normally go for, I can only describe the beer that was recommended to me to be the sweet nectar of the beer gods! I would drink any and all of the beers stocked in Lowlander, but I would highly recommend you have a go at drinking a Troubadour. If you still can’t figure out what you want, Lowlander kindly offer a tasting paddle on their menu of three or six 1/3 pints. Even without sampling the food this is where all you beer lovers need to go and just simply have a drink.

Now I can’t visit anywhere that serves food and not try the food, in my eyes that would be a crime unto myself! So browsing the menu I found that Lowlander not only offer a great menu that teams nicely with a pint (venison burger as well as many Belgic favourites) I noticed they had a beer board menu. The beer boards include 3 tasting plates matched to 3 recommend 1/3 pints of draught beer. I have been to a few beer and food matching events and although I am a wine lover at heart, I was quickly converted to how beautifully beer can compliment food (sometimes) a lot better than wine. You have two combinations to choose from a hot board or smoked board.

I went with the hot board, which arrived on my table like a little alter of beer and food deliciousness. Now if I had a completely sober head on my shoulders I would have remembered to note down which beer was with each taster. So you will only have to go and try yourself in order to know the names of the beers. If you are simply happy with a taste description of each tasting, than hold onto your seats. The Belgium beer-battered cod goujon with tartare sauce was light and crispy and not in the slightest bit greasy. The fish in the batter was cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth. The beer combined with the fish which was a blond Belgium beer,  added an extra hint of citrus to the pallet which complimented the goujon and in fact highlighted the taste of the cod more.

The Lowlander-smoked chicken wings with chilli jam were finger licking good, and I did lick my fingers a vast amount in this small plate tasting. I was not prepared to waste a single drop of that chilli jam. The wings were falling off the bone and the chilli jam gave the smokiness a sweet and spicy note which when combined with the pale beer undercut the spiciness to give it a subtle heat rather than one that kills all your tastebuds and leaves you only tasting hot for the rest of your meal.

The Overnight slow-cooked pulled pork with BBQ sauce on its own without the beer tasted like barbecue sampled on a backstreet restaurant in America, with BBQ sauce dripping down your arms with every bit of dignity you ever had is thrown out of the window in order to shovel vast amounts of meat down your gullet in an attempt to savour every taste. The beer (which I believe was a dark Troubador) added caramel and smokiness to the meat which only enhanced the flavour of the pork.

Lowlander is one of those places that needs to be visited muchly and often, anyone who makes it their life mission to sample every beer that Lowlander has on it’s menu would be incredible! I would like to take the burden on myself but my waistline would suffer, and in a vain attempt to look somewhat good I must decline on the mission and only visit for small short bursts of giving into the beer craving.

Ladies if you are in charge of planning a date for you and that special man, take him here, fill him with beer and some pulled pork, and if he is not eternally grateful that you have showed him his new beer mecca and makes you his wife, than he was never meant to be!!

Happy dining xx

you win some, you dim sum

I have an aversion to restaurant chains , there is something quite corporate and sterile about them. the only good thing is that you can always rely on the menu knowing that wherever you are you can always have yourself a katsu curry or that medium spiced chicken and chips you love. When faced by the mysteries of an unknown place or town having one on every corner does not seem quite like a bad thing.

They always prove helpful on social occasions, where drink is mostly required but food is very much needed. This is where the restaurant chain becomes like a reliable buddy, always reasonably priced and bound to have one of your old favourites on the menu.

My friend was passing through London and with only a couple of hours to spare before he had to jump on the train, the only reliable place near Victoria I was willing to jump into quickly for drinks and nibbles was Dim T http://www.dimt.co.uk/index.php. The decor is nice, and it always has a friendly atmosphere. Our waitress was the superwoman of the catering world, manning over 10 tables on her own. For a moment I felt like I was in a real life game of Diner Dash!!

My cocktail was an amazing thirst quencher and the prawn crackers and chilli sauce was the perfect compliment to the fragrant sour tones of my lychee and lemongrass beauty that I was sipping.

I love Dim Sum, they are in fact my perfect type of food, small finger foods full of flavour leaving you with the amazement of how did anyone even manage thinking up that complex flavour combination, and fit it all into one perfectly sized little dumpling.

Whomever that person was they are a genius in my eyes! However Dim T’s dim sum menu is somewhat limited, but sufficient for the event at hand. With 16 dim sum choices to choose from I felt the selection, especially for the vegetarian option, was rather small in comparison to places I have been to previously and considering that the restaurant’s name pushes itself in the dim sum realm, it is a little disappointing that the majority of the menu is focused on noodle and rice dishes.

I was happy with what I ate at Dim T, but if you are a lover of dim sum I suggest you go somewhere like yum cha silk and spice on chalk farm road http://www.yumchasilksandspice.co.uk which has an incredibly vast menu of dim sum and every time I dine there it just seems to taste better and better, but make sure you book a table as it can get very busy especially on the days where it is 50% off all dim sum.

All in all Dim T is a great place for a cocktail, nibble and a social catch up. If you have never had dim sum before than going to Dim T is like a great introduction course. I suggest if you do go to Dim T try something from their noodle and rice part of the menu. It has much more variety and actually sounds quite nice. If I ever happen to dine in Dim T again I think I might just go for the Malaysian butternut squash curry.

Happy dining xx

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Rum!!

I took a little trip to The Rum Kitchen on Carnaby Street, which I discovered while having a little shop in town. I instantly had an urge to walk in and try it. Not only is it inviting and makes you feel like you have walked into a Rum Shack by the sea, but the fact that it has the word Rum in the title makes it a place one needs to experience.

The Menu as expected is exactly what you would want from a Rum Kitchen. I had the Jerk Chicken wings, Sticky BBQ Ribs and Saltfish Fritters for starters. I was there with other people I obviously did not consume this elaborate starter on my own. Although challenge accepted it is very possible I would be able to do it.

The Saltfish Fritters are something I would sell my nearest and dearest for, they are amazing and I could quite happily consume them all day and everyday, and the salad with spicy tomato sauce that accompanies it adds the perfect amount of kick and compliments these tiny balls of heaven perfectly. The Jerk chicken wings are the best wings I have ever eaten in a long time. They literally fall off the bone and the Jerk seasoning is a mind blowing taste sensation that everyone should have the pleasure of experiencing. The BBQ ribs where good, I just wish that they were cooked for a little longer, but thats just personal taste as I love meat to fall off the bone, but the BBQ sauce totally made up for it, as that was fantastic and I will hunt high and low to get a recipe so I can reproduce that at home.

For my main meal I had the soft shell crab burger. Words cannot describe how good it was!! The crab was cooked absolutely perfectly, it was softly placed on a squiggly brioche bun bed and kindly covered with a crispy piece of lettuce and smothered in spicy tamarind sauce, ginger aioli and guava-lime relish and generous slices of avocado. Every bit created a new taste sensation and one which I wanted to repeat again and again and again. A huge wave of disappointment surpassed over me when I looked down at my hands and every last morsel of my burger had disappeared into my tummy. It was lucky I had ordered some sides because at this point I was quite ready to order another burger!!

The sweet potato fries where cooked to perfection and had the right amount of crunch yet soft and tasty in the middle and dipped in some scotch bonnet mayo really made me want more. The pineapple chilli slaw and the home made slaw where the perfect cool me downs in an oh so spicy meal.

But you can’t go to the Rum Kitchen and not have one of their incredible cocktails, I highly recommend the Lesser of two Weevils which is Red Stripe and Jamaican ginger beer shandy, spiked with Mount Gay Rum and a dash of lime bitters. Very refreshing and a great thirst quencher and does not taste like your average shandy. If you want a cocktail to blow your mind, I would totally recommend the Zombie it has a lot of alcohol in it but perfectly balanced that you do not feel like you are sticking your straw into a bottle of rum.

I am now making it my personal mission to go back to the Rum Kitchen and try everything on the menu. If you like Caribbean food, a spicy taste explosion and something that makes every taste bud tingle, then this is the place for you. Perfect atmosphere for a friends get together or a party. The service is great and efficient and both waitresses were attentive and friendly and they really complement the atmosphere. My only little bit of niggle would be that the music was a little too loud, but that could come down to my old age.

If you are not in town they also have a place in Notting Hill and if Carnaby street is anything to go by then I would be there in a shot. Check out the website http://therumkitchen.com go eat be merry and make sure you wear elasticated trousers as you will need them.

xx

Allow me to re-introduce myself

Well hello world of the ever changing internet, I have decided to get my blog up and running again, I will be focusing on something I could not possibly live without, something so terribly important that every minute of every day is taken up by the thought of it – and that thing ladies and gentlemen is food.

Food glorious food, no matter what diet I am on, whether I am eating or not eating all I think about is food. My passion has grown so strong in the past couple of years that I have increased my collection of cookery books from one measly Jamie Oliver pukka meals, to an incredible amount that even my book shelve looks at me in utter distress on the strain I have put it under.

I have been going to lots of new places to dine, drink and laugh for many years and seeing as London is my home and playground, what better way to express my love for everything it has to offer but through written word. My thinking behind my new adventure in writing is to go to all the places and eat all the food and drink all the drink, and in doing so write about my experiences and all the fabulousness in the hopes that my experience could help in your own adventures in London.

Come on, if its on the internet it must be true right? So if your planning your next most excellent partying event, or looking for that amazing place to take a special someone, hopefully you can find it all here. I’m doing all the ground work for you so you don’t have to. Essentially I am your food, drink and fun times spirit guide, so come grab me by the virtual hand and join me on this journey of debauchery.

So here’s to a new chapter, and in all honesty I am just super excited about the food.

XX