- Salata od morskih plodova HRK90
- Mijesana riba na zaru HRK130
- Mussels HRK45
- Cuttlefish risotto HRK45
- Jupiter HRK48
I first discovered Yum Bun online and then in person at Broadway Market (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/broadway-market-london-2012-2013). In fact, I made my maiden trek to this market just to try them. As I had visited David Chang's Momofuku a year earlier, I was surprised (and amazed) to find I enjoyed the Yum Bun versions more. Maybe it was the cold weather and rain, but they were so very great.
As the months went on, I visited Broadway several times for the buns, but they seemed to appear there less and less (including on my birthday in 2012 which I was bitterly disappointed). Eventually they opened the store front and it became apparent.
The buns were as good as ever, better than the USA, Melbourne and other parts of London and Europe that were doing them. They are still my favourite and will remain so. Despite a few different flavours, the original pork belly will always be the best. One particular time the pork had a crisp textural shell. I thought it was skin, but the owner told me they never use skin and so it must have been crispened by the grilling. I'll have to remember to ask for that every time.
It's a shame the store has now closed.
01-2018
It's been a long time since Yum Bun graced my lips and in that time it appears Bao has become the premier bun place (even though I haven't tried it). The revamp of the foodie section of Spitalfields gave me a good opportunity to try again my lost lust.
£7.5 for 2 buns or £9 to include the meal (salad) and an extra £1 for a flavoursome soup (not miso but equivalently nice).
Unfortunately the bun quality has deteriorated over the years. Firstly the pork bun no longer comes with hoisin but instead used another sauce (plum sauce I think) which changes the flavour completely and not for the better. The pork is smaller but still reasonable sized but look at those tatty broken peeled buns. Compare with the beauty of the originals from Broadway Schoolyard market or the store near Old St and there is a significant difference.
Tofu was heavily fried and had very slight flavour.
Despite that, it had the longest queues in Spitalfields so maybe not everyone shares my view (or my nostalgia).
The first time I went to Broadway was for one reason - Yum Bun and their David Chang-copied pork belly bao. It was a beautiful snack, better than the original in my opinion, and as they began to leave Broadway there were several instances where I turned up and they didn't.
I had to find another reason to go, and it became the game meats and local pig farmer stand there. My staples were venison shin and pork ribs which I always turned into stew for the week and noodle soups for warming up the winters.
Other than that my favourite snacks were the Remix Roti, Vada Chaat and chai as well as one day sampling the Macbeth haggis toastie at Deeney's (both places in the schoolyard area, as was Yum Bun). Netil Market nearby also has Lucky Chip burgers and a spinoff of the seafood place within Broadway and a taco van. The food in Broadway is decent (£5-6 for a banh mi considering I'm used to the $4 ones in Abbotsford is a little beyond me...), but I think with the exception of the schoolyard stands, none of it is essential visiting. Borough is better for that in my opinion.
There's nothing quite like visiting Borough Market. Some people enjoy the bustle of Saturday when all the tourists flock and the stalls are heaving. I personally much prefer weekdays, when many vendors are still open but there is space to sit, wander, peruse and enjoy the gardens next to the church.
I've tried many things in Borough, from the paella as soon as you descend the stairs coming off London Bridge, the cake and pastry stands, multiple sausage stands, melted cheese, pies and then the back areas with seafood, curries and roast pork rolls.
What are my favourites?
- Richard Haward - easily my favourite and the reason I go to Borough. The oysters are good, the clams are great. Strong, pungent, oceany, delicious, it's good that they've moved from a cart to a stall;
- Brindisa - the chorizo smell fills the area outside. Although the double chorizo is decadent and value for money, I feel the single has a better balance of ingredients overall;
- Ginger Pig - good quality (but expensive) cuts of meat;
- 3bis - quality Italian gelato in London and closeby;
- Roast - roast pork belly sandwich (with extra crispy crackling);
(Monmouth - I don't drink coffee, but the Australians tell me it's Aussie-grade coffee).
Funnily enough my first experience was with the more conveniently located Nopi (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/nopi-london-09-2012) with a gluten-free friend. The food that evening was exceptional, both meats and vegetarian and gave me a taste as to what is was all about. It wasn't until my second last day before leaving that I booked a final lunch with friends and ticked Ottolenghi in Angel off my list.
The display has a beautiful selection of cakes and tarts to finish off the meal of colourful salads. The selection is by a main and accompanying salads to compose an artwork dish.
- Chargrilled salmon with anchovies, mint, parsley, capers & lemon salsa
- Roasted pumpkin with sundried tomato dressing, chickpeas, red onion, cumin, feta, barberries & herbs
- Roasted aubergine with black garlic yoghurt, fried chilli, caramelised hazelnuts & herbs
- Mixed peppers & brown bulgar tabbouleh with mixed nuts, red onion & pomegranate seeds
The salads read like a dream concoction that illustrates just how Ottolenghi has put salads and Middle Eastern cuisine on my culinary map. The salmon was well cooked but served cold, which I found unusual (but I suppose it is a salad bar). It did seem quite expensive for a lunch salad plate so I wouldn't frequent there but for the occasional splurge and excellence of colour and flavour (and reputation) I'm glad I went.
Idiot is an unusual name for any type of business including a restaurant. It's actually a reference to Dostoevsky - it's quite common that places in Russia have reference to a writer or poet and if you are ignorant (like me) you wouldn't even know it.
Inside is a lovely cosy restaurant and there were many families inside. Books and shelves filled the place and my chosen dining area looked like the perfect study place, where someone like Dostoevsky could have done his best work. It's supposedly well known for being vegetarian (pescetarian to be precise) but some meats have since popped up to cater to everybody.
A ridiculous amount of bread with several swirls of butter were brought to start with. Maybe it's a set amount but for 1 person (as much as I like carbohydrates) even that was excessive. After sampling a bit I saved them more for the soup.
- Borsch with sour cream - there's a hot and a cold option. Having tried both I'm much more partial to a piping hot bowl with sour cream and vegetables riddled through. The flavour was a little less deep considering no meat stock but still very good;
- Beef stroganoff with wild mushrooms, onions, cream sauce (with mashed potatoes, salty cucumbers, chopped parsley) - quite an unattractive dish with reasonable beef, creamy sauce and mash. The cucumber added variety and the "chopped parsley" is a bit of an exaggeration.
I'll happily go back and have the borsch and try some other dishes. In particular it really is the relaxing and well designed setting that would bring me back inside another world so unexpected from the veneer.
After a long night out of visiting most of St. Petersburg's beautiful sights for the second or third time (but the first under White Night aura and twilight), I needed a snack. Most cities would serve up some kind of kebab or equivalent and it would have been great if I came prepared and knew where to go.
I had to settle for a fast food burger joint I had never heard before. I've since discovered Carl's Jr is an American chain. Before I knew that I thought the food looked very similar to McDonald's. It was serviceable for 4am...