Eat Like Ushi

I've been a fan of Neil Rankin since the early Pitt Cue Co. days in Soho. That was a long time ago and whereas I feel like PCC has stagnated at the Spitalfields branch (even though I have their cookbook), NR seems to have done well. John Salt wasn't my favourite but Temper Soho sounded like an excellent choice of meats, Sunday roast and mezcal. It's still on my list.

But for now I'm happy to have been to Temper City, particularly during their soft opening with 50% off food. That ended up being a £56 saving for 4 people, which is remarkable. It's nice to be able to eat at a well reputed place without having the wait and getting a discount. Funnily enough even during this early stage the large dining area was half empty on a Saturday night. I guess people don't go to this area much on the weekends. Bad luck to them then.

The seats are arranged around the square/rectangular open kitchen complete with hanging meats next to the charcoal grill to finish them off and propel to the heights of greatness. New Delhi Sour (cinnamon smoke, bourbon, cardamom, absinthe) £12 was an expensive offering but read like a dream. It wasn't as strong as it sounds with smoke, bourbon and absinthe but the overall flavour was surprisingly mild, a little tangy sour and easy to drink.

- Mutton roll £9.5 - it's rather a fried flat croquette rather than a roll as such, but the crisp crunchy coat belies a lovely soft mutton. It's quite expensive for what you get, but it's good;
- Crab beignet £8.5 - similar to scotch eggs but with indistinct crab. Probably the only dish I didn't appreciate much;
- Korean haggis £9 - the thought of heart, liver, stomach, kidney and co. would be enough to put many off, but not me. There is a slight liver aftertaste but nothing compared to foie gras or pate. The different organs have different textures so there's contrast in it. It would be better if extra lettuce was served with it, otherwise it ends up being eaten off the spoon.

The main meals are curry plates served with soft paratha, fresh salad leaves and herbs, jhal muri, potato chaat, turmeric pickles, yoghurt & chilli sauce, peshwari dust. This results in a series of textures and flavours to create a nice set of wraps to eat the meal. The chilli peppers are grilled and served whole with seeds and pith. Consequently they are quite fiery, not to the point of pain but definite hit of searing heat.

Dry goat £17 is the classic meat that an unexpected number of people steer away from. This was a very tender set of boneless meat. Fish head £15 was shredded pieces of fish in a watery slightly more tangy base. Both of these were excellent, full of flavour and made wonderful combinations with the other ingredients.

Finally the Red curry spiced duck £26 was a beautiful sight on the table. This was an exceptionally flavoured smoked duck served with a mild red curry (although this was an Indian curry rather than the potent distinct Thai version I would normally associate with the words red curry). The duck itself was incredibly soft with a red core and one of the best I've ever had, perhaps rivalling HKK from all those years ago (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/hkk-london-04-2013).

I'll definitely be planning for the Soho one to compare.

The first time I had Georgian food was in St. Petersburg (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/khochu-kharcho-st-petersburg-06-2013). Since then I've dreamt of the khachapuri yet never had the opportunity to eat it again. It was only a matter of time before I got around to the Little Georgia cafe in London to relive those memories.

The Bethnal Green outpost is very near Columbia Road flower market which makes Sunday a perfect day to visit. Surprisingly not everyone thinks the same way and so during lunch time on a lovely warm day, the cafe was quite empty. Maybe it was so warm noone wanted to be inside - also possible.

- Ajaruli Khachapuri (with egg & butter) £9 - very similar to the Turkish boat-shaped breads but this one was cheeses in the middle topped with an egg and lots of melted butter. The green condiment mix was a little bit herby and tangy for balance. But the overriding flavour was warm butter and mild cheese. It wasn't as salty/savoury as the one in Russia but nice nonetheless;
- Khinkali x4 £8.5 - beef and pork dumplings with thick dumpling skin, particularly at the top where the edges were squeezed together. It housed a tasty warm filling and meat broth with the Ajika yogurt providing some contrast.

To wash it down, very fresh berry juice and an avocado smoothie were both refreshing and delicious.

Will happily go back go borscht, the traditional khachapuri (see how that one is) and any of a series of meat dishes available.

Kiln has been on my radar since I arrived. It's one of those places that I have to make the special trek to get to knowing that there will be a queue. The first and only other time I tried was a Saturday night with a 2 hour wait. I was surprised to find that Friday early evening was only 30mins quoted (actually about 50 in the end). Maybe the summer and daylight means noone is interested at 615pm.

While waiting for space at the bar, the aromas of grilling meats and hot charcoal stewing claypots filled the air. It's a great sight to behold. Unlike Tayyabs there's no meat body or clothes odour issues to contend with afterwards.

- Aged Lamb & Cumin Skewer £2.9 - a very tender and slightly fatty piece of spiced cumin lamb. Not very salty and good for it;
- Miang of Monkfish £3.5 - a betel leaf with raw monkfish. There were plenty of textures but not nearly enough flavour. It needed more spicy, salty, sweet to it;
- Grilled Razor Clam £6.2 - one grilled razor clam for £6.2. Really? Really;
- Mackerel Dry Red Curry £7.9 - the word curry is deceiving but I suppose the word dry made up for it. The fish was nicely cooked with the flavour covered by the thin curry sauce and some moderately spicy chillis;
- Beef Heart Laap with Makhwaen £6.5 - my favourite dish with a deeply earthern beef heart minced but retaining that little bit of chewy that is so characteristic of beef heart. It should be made a bit spicier and would do well with some lettuce and herbs to eat it;
- Grilled Tamworth £8.75 - a very tender cut of pink pork with excellent flavour. The chilli dipping sauce was very mild;
- Claypot Baked Glass Noodles, Tamworth Belly & Brown Crab Meat £18 - a big bowl of noodles for a big price. The pork was very fatty and had little meat. The crab meat wasn't discernible. And there wasn't enough sauce provided for the large noodle serving. Maybe the smaller £5.75 serves are better value (looking at the sizes I wouldn't think there was more than 3 serves in the bigger one);
- Stirfried Cornish Greens & Soy £4.5 - greens with sauce.

The food was ok but overall I felt the dishes lacked punch. I like strong flavours with my Thai/SE Asian food and many of the dishes just didn't have edge to it. The prices aren't too bad once I think about removing the monkfish, exorbitant razor clam and the noodles. I'd be happier replacing them with the Burmese beef cheek curry and a lot more rice.

I'll go back once more to see.

Each day I walk or bus along Mile End Road, I go past Rusty Bike and look enviously at the signs advertising Thai food and the people sitting outside happily socialising and drinking. Even on a Tuesday night there were no outdoor tables available but luckily the inside is decorated (with bikes too) and has a variety of seating options from couches to tables.

I haven't had much Thai food in London - although Rosa's and Som Saa and the now defunct Nahm set the standard quite high.

There's a few of the menu item classics. It does focus on individual meal plates with some sharing starters rather than the typical banquet-style mains.

- Tom Kha Prawn (Thai coconut soup with lemongrass & fresh herbs) £4.95 - a good version with strong tom yum flavour. I would prefer more coconut cream and to be thicker but this was fine. There was also a generous number of prawns (about 5);
- Salt & Pepper Squid (deepfried squid with garlic, salt & pepper served with sweet chilli sauce) £5.25 - lightly battered and quite salty with good textures between the soft squid, crisp batter and crunchy fried bits;
- Pad Ke-Moo (stirfried flat rice noodles with peppercorn, paprika, chilli, green beans, red peppers, onions, holy basil leaves, fresh chillies) £7.45 - a little bit too plain for me. It was similar to a minimally flavoured version of char kuey teow;
- Duck Curry (slices of roast duck cooked in coconut milk with pineapple, cherry tomatoes, red peppers & Thai basil leaves) £9.95 - a nice flavoured red curry and but I would prefer a little more thickness or spice. There was a reasonable amount of duck too. Some duck curries use lychee and this one uses pineapple with good effect of sweet balance. The rice was a bit too wet and sticky if I'm being particular.

The food is nicely flavoured and quite good. The prices are reasonable and similar to what you would find in Chinatown. For a local neighbourhood place along the main Mile End Road next to the tube station, with an outdoor summer area and televising sports, it's very welcome.

Next time I would try any of the salads (green papaya, duck or sirloin beef) or the Chilli Lamb. Of course the Tom Kha and Duck Curry would be fine options again too.

The most anticipated restaurant for me was Red Rooster in Shoreditch. I haven't been to the mothership in Harlem, but I've read a bit online about Marcus Samuelsson when searching for Ethiopian recipes. There aren't many to find and many are quite simple, but his seem to be a little bit more professional. That isn't necessarily a good thing when recreating traditional recipes but for an amateur like me it's nice to see the recipes from someone reputable who knows how to cook well.

It surprised me that the place wasn't full and that I was able to get a booking for 8 people at 730pm on a Friday night just after it had opened. The immediate feeling is mood lighting, cosy and oozing soul with a live band warming up the atmosphere with their sultry vocals. It was a shame they didn't carry through until the end of the night as it would have been perfect just to sit and drink after the food had ended.

Marcus came to the table to say hello and I was impressed at how friendly and engaging he was. I told him about my run-in with his Ethiopian recipes and he seemed genuinely impressed that someone knew about them, let alone had cooked several of them.

Snacks
- Cornbread (with honey butter, tomato jam) £4 - the bread was quite tasty on its own and didn't really need the condiments;
- Loaded Popcorn (with bacon cracker jacks) £5
- CC's Deviled Eggs (with chicken skin aioli, duck jerky) £7

Starters
- Helga's Meatballs (bone marrow dumplings, pickled gravy, lingonberries) £9 - soft meat balanced nicely by the sweet berry flavours.

Mains
- Obama Short Ribs (marrow dumplings, succotash, steak sauce) £58 - a deliciously tender large chunk of rib meat in a savoury sauce;
- Bird Royale Feast (waffles, biscuits, mac & greens, pickles, Rooster sauce) £55 - they actually ran out of whole chicken by 8pm. I don't know how that's possible but they did. Instead it was made up by drumsticks and thighs to simulate a full amount of chicken. Not quite the same but adequate. The chicken was very mildly flavoured but at least well cooked with a crisp coating and juicy meat. It did seem a little excessive paying about £5-6 per piece of chicken;
- East End Chowder (whole grilled lobster, Manila clams, prawn, mussels, Jersey potato, rice, corn, spicy tomato broth) £62 - excellent quality pieces in a lovely seafood broth;
- Herb Roasted Chicken (sunchokes, carrots, wild mushroom, chimichurri) £20 - more quality chicken with a surprisingly mild flavour even with the chimichurri.

Sides
- Mac & Greens (cheddar, collards) - mac and cheese. Not the best I've had but pretty good with a burnt flavoured coat.

Dessert
- Summer Tartlett £7
- Red Velvet Cake £7

Drinks included the Lindy Hop Sour, Tell My Horse, Harlem Hellfighter, Rooster Juice, Whisky Sour, Five Aside, wine and beer.

Yes it was my birthday and nothing like a £400 meal to celebrate. It was very expensive and probably more expensive than it should be, even with London prices and when you factor in 12.5% service charge. Looking online now, it's nice to see they've dropped a few of the prices (Deviled Eggs to £6, Short Ribs to £55, and Bird Royale to a much more reasonable £44). I wouldn't get any of the snacks again other than maybe a cornbread if waiting. Of the starters, the meatballs were nice and the Sammy's Chicken 'n' Waffles may be better value than the Feast depending upon how many pieces of chicken you get (I assume 2). I'd happy eat any of the Signature mains as they were all excellent dishes - it really comes down to if the prices are worth it, which is another matter. But for a celebration or a splurge, then go for it.

The last meal in Brittany was during a short drive through Dinard. The airport was a quieter place than St. Malo and cheaper too. It made an easy decision to visit the little town and its beaches for lunch before leaving.

After finding some free street parking, a quick walk around showed mainly (no surprise) creperies. I struggled to pick between this and another which had fish soup, but the ratings for the other place were quite average. I was keen after many a galette to find a menu that hard a few different options and Cote Mer managed to do that. It had a nice outdoor but covered area along the walkway and some specialty galettes that stood out from the rest. Not only this, but there scallop options were €5 cheaper than the other places I'd seen. 

The buckwheat was once again full and flavoursome with a crisp coating.

- La Tourangelle (smoked bacon, goat cheese, potatoes, green salad) €8.8 - goats cheese balanced the light bacon and earthy galette well;
- La Perigourdine (smoked duck breast, apple, potatoes, cream, green salad) €10 - a fancy gourmet galette with strong savoury duck pieces.
- A simple crepe finished off the meal.

Both galettes were excellent and I preferred the wonderful contrast of the goat cheese the most. I'd happily eat here again.

After eating a lot of delicious oysters, it was time for something sweet. In the hot sun my craving was for artisanal gelato and quite a few places advertised this. There were no pure gelaterias in the area so it came down to a restaurant or creperie. A creperie around the corner won in the end and instead of sticking to my gelato plans, I ended up sharing a plain crepe and a sweet crepe with chocolate sauce, pear and dark chocolate icecream.

It was nice but next time I should stick to my gelato guns. That's what I wanted after all!

Cancale's greatest reputation comes from the oyster market. Here several oyster vendors setup and sell a variety of types at incredible prices. A dozen local oysters for €4-5 is remarkable. And they are good ones too with a strong flavour and touch of metallic. The lemon and bread from the nearby supermarket mopped the flavours well.

I preferred the standard shaped creuses than the unusual oblong longues. Perhaps the creuses were just a little bit sweeter. I also sampled the famous belon at €3 each (and the stallholder said the €4 pied de cheval weren't much different) which were a little meatier. But at 6x the price, I'd be happy going for the sets of dozens.

After eating the oysters, the shells get discarded to the oyster graveyard littering the floor and serving as a scrap heap for the seagulls to pick from. It's not a bad life.

Having only one meal set for the walled city of St. Malo proved difficult. There's many restaurants within town and likely mostly catered toward the tourists that land during the warmer months. Most places have a mixture of reviews which makes things difficult. But a few places had interesting sounding menus with local ingredients and seafood. L'Entre deux Verres was one of only very few places in Brittany that had cotriade on the menu and I really wanted to try this local seafood stew. Also L'Absinthe Cafe had a seafood locavore menu. But unfortunately they were both closed in this Wednesday in June. As was the butter store and restaurant Bistro Autour du Beurre Bordier and even the places I found on Tripadvisor while walking around looking for something good such as Le Tourne Pierre. Au Coin Malouin looked very popular and busy but only seems to specialist in burgers.

Lion D'Or had very mixed reviews being very popular and the first place you come across as you walk through the walls. It had a reasonable menu and a large outdoor seated area being enjoyed by many. There was a well priced 2-course menu price of €25 (I think). Although given the size of the meals I think just one course would be enough next time (although adding an entree for a few € is hard to resist).

A complimentary starter of fish paste with some stale/hard-ish bread came first.

Entrees
- Organic stirred egg with Gorgonzola from Bordeaux and black truffle - a warm poached egg in cheese and butter with minimal truffle taste. It was good but the roasted cherry tomatoes were better;
- 6 oysters from Cancale #4 - nice oysters as expected although given the next day's plan was to go to the oyster traders in Cancale perhaps should have opted for a different course.

Cuisine traditionnelle Francaise
- Traditional salt cod gratin - a very salty fish protected by a large amount of sliced potatoes. The highlight was once again the delicious vine of cherry tomatoes;
- Half-roasted chicken with gravy - nicely flavoured skin with the meat itself being a little tough (but not dry). The fries were a bit average with a chewy texture. I'll be repeating myself in saying the cherry tomatoes were excellent.

The beef bourguignon looked excellent on the table next to me but the lady complained that the inside of the beef was cold/frozen which put me off a bit. However she did admit the taste was good.

The food was more general French than Breton but satisfying enough. Next time I'd see if any of the above places were open for a more local dining experience.

For the final meal in Perros-Guirec, the most well reputed restaurant in the best situated hotel had to be it. Luckily I was staying at the hotel also and could enjoy the beachfront location, the sunset and the moderately warm outdoor spa.

The a la carte was reasonably priced at €62 for 3 courses.

Pitted olives and vegetable crisps were presented first. The amuse bouche was a tuna maki piece showcasing an excellent piece of fish.

Entrees
- Saint Pierre/John Dory (with yuzu, small pickled vegetables, avocado cream, gomasio powder) - often I'm concerned about how well a place can cook fish. As expected from an upmarket restaurant along the beach, the fish was soft and good quality;
- Lobster (with Colonnata bacon, green asparagus, peas, lobster sauce) extra €5 to set menu - 3 lobster pieces adorned a mild sauce with the other highlight being nice crunchy fresh peas. I don't think the amount of lobster justified the extra €5 price but sometimes you just have a craving for lobster.

Main
- Signature Sea Bass (in a salt crust, mashed potato with truffle, vegetables, vierge sauce) - a bit of fish theatre with the cracking of the salt crust, deboning the fish and serving it with the olive/onion/herb/oil sauce, very very strong truffled potato and some buttered vegetables. The fish was cooked perfectly.

Dessert
- The Szechuan (crispy pecan, chocolate cookie, creamy Manjai & Jivara chocolate, Azelia raised ganache with Szechuan berries, chocolate icecream) - lots of chocolate forms on a plate;
- Souffle (with pan-fried apricots with honey & rosemary, almond icecream from Provence) - stunningly soft and warm souffle with the warmest sweetest apricots and a hint of rosemary.

Petit fours finished the enormous amount of food with chocolate ganache and lemon curd on biscuits.

Overall the ingredients were excellent quality and the cooking techniques were skilled. There isn't much competition in the area but it's clear to see why this is the highest rated restaurant in Perros-Guirec.