The Irish Coffee with whisky was as unique as you'd expect, with a strong coffee flavour and whisky aftertaste. I balanced it with black current sorbet for the sweetness, tartness and lightness. The cookies, chocolate and caramelised brown bread beg to be tried next time.
When in Dublin, the tourists apparently go to The Temple Bar. That isn't necessarily a good reason to be there but a French girl I met had it listed in Le Routard, and so off we went. The live music area is very cosy, and it is a nice space to have food and a drink.
I was only after something light only for myself, so the Irish Smoked Salmon & Smoked Trout platter with Guinness bread, cucumber pickle and salad €12.5 had me from the word Irish. In future I think Galway Bay oysters, black pudding platter or an open sandwich may be alternatives.
The fish was nicely smoked and not too strong, although I couldn't discern the smoked salmon and trout since they were heaped together. The bread was nice and moderately dense. The music provided entertainment and the atmosphere was sound. It may be touristy, but I thought it was worth a visit in the end.
On my way to Eurostar I wanted to swing by the new Bone Daddies in Old Street and take advantage of the opening 50% special off food. Unfortunately the lunch queue was too long so I had to settle for a quick burger next door.
It’s been a long time Honest Burgers – the one and only time was all the way south in Brixton and I remember thinking it was good but not better than some of the other competitors.
On this occasion I had the burger – £10.5 for the burger and rosemary chips. The meat patty was cooked beautifully medium-rare to my order (their default is medium) and was not overly salted with a nice beef flavour. The remaining ingredients were only supplementary but the little burger was overall very satisfying. The chips were a good texture with crisp outside and could have used a little more seasoning. The wings had a small amount of meat and a nice flavour but needed more heat and depth.
The burger was better than expected. I look forward to returning to the land and rediscovering the burger options. I wonder how well MEATliquor and Tommi's has stood the test of time (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/tommis-burger-joint-london-09-2013).
Dishoom is the beautiful Bombay lover I once got close to but went away from. After my first lust (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/dishoom-london-10-2012) back in Covent Garden late-2012 to my leaving farewell meal in Shoreditch late-2013, it has always had a special place in my heart for the quality food, breakfast after the 2013 AFL Grand Final win and drinks to get a night started. I had heard it was recently rated the number 1 restaurant in London/UK - a worthy winner in my opinion.
A reunion of people from Australia and UK spelled the occasion this time, and it was an easy decision to spend £50 each on a bit of food and a lot of drinks in the old Shoreditch haunt.
- Chicken & pomegranate salad £9.5 (not pictured) – still as exceptional
I my first visit. The pomegranate seeds, the sliced tender chicken, the herbs
all harmonise together;
- Chilli cheese toast £3.5 – a very strongly flavoured
rendition with a touch of spice;
- House black daal £5.9 - it doesn't compete with Bukhara but still good;
- Awadhi lamb biryani £9.9 – nice light fluffy rice spiced
with pockets of lamb hidden away;
- Garlic naan £2.5 – chewy soft and garlicky;
- Mahi tikka £8.2 – delicate fish morsels, well cooked and
delicious;
- Chicken ruby £8.5 – a soft bread is used to pick up the
chicken curry.
Thanks for creating more memories (albeit hazed by cocktails) including 4 women discussing the realities of childbirth and episiotomies.
The restaurant I ate at the most in London was my local
curry house and luckily it was a phenomenal one. Some prefer Tayyab (and to be
honest the grilled meats aka lamb chops are better there) but Needoo clearly
wins the curry war in my opinion. My usual trifecta of Daighi dry meat curry,
lamb biryani and pumpkin curry used to last me a week of meals and has been the most reminisced of London foods since I left.
The prices have gone up by about 20% in 2.5 years but the quality and serving size remain the same.
- Daighi dry meat curry – still the best curry to my palate. The
soft lamb, the dry spiced heat and the deep salty burning flavours are balanced by
the squeeze of lemon juice;
- King prawn biryani – I usually opt for the lamb biryani (I think the base
rice is the same and cooked with the key ingredient). They found a serve of
king prawns in the freezer (interpret that how you will) and although slightly
overcooked made a nice textural contrast to the deliciously flavoured rice.
Unlike when I get takeaway lamb biryani, this one also came with a serve of chickpea
curry with tomatoes;
- Kahari fish – a nicely flavoured curry with fish that is too overcooked. The
flavour does make up for it though.
In my time I’m yet to find another decent Pakistani biryani and curry that can match Needoo (although on the curry front my recent experience at Hoppers may compete - http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/hoppers-london-06-2016).
Next time I would order a biryani (the king prawns themselves may not be worth the extra £5 charge compared to other versions), dry meat curry and another vegetable curry as per my norm. Having the chickpeas and fish curry reaffirmed that just about any curry at this place will be a safe choice.
I was reading about new places to try and this Sri Lankan place is taking London by storm. I’ve had Sri Lankan once in Canberra (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/camellia-canberra-11-2014) but it didn’t compete with the basic successes of this place. 4.8/5 rating from 50+ people - are you kidding? I know London curry is exceptionally good and the main cuisine I was back here to eat (Dishoom, Needoo, other) but that rating is ridiculous. The other places that competed for me stomach that lunch was Black Axe Mangal (haute kebab, exceptionally rated) and Kricket (Indian in Brixton).
The queue for 2 or 3 people was 45 mins. Luckily I have no friends and was let in immediately. The Buffalo Biryani, Duck Egg Curry, Yoghurt and Brinjal Moju was the dish that attracted me the most, but there were two drawbacks – I don’t think I could’ve finished the whole thing (they do allow takeaway) and secondly I felt I should try the namesake items. The very lovely waitress confirmed this and suggested a starter, hopper and curry.
The starter I selected was the Duck Heart Chukka. I absolutely adored this. The dry heat (not as hot as led to believe as the hottest one on the menu) with a deep intense flavour and the chewy crunchy heart had a mild unique afterflavour slightly reminiscent of beef heart slices. I have to find these to cook for myself.
The Egg Hopper was similar to the appam from India. The outsides of the disk are easily torn like chips to pickup the condiments and curry. The inside is cooked with an egg and reminds me of the tangy and spongy feel of injera. It is topped with a salty spice to contrast the egg yolk and hopper. Of the condiments the orange coconut sambol was the one nicely flavoured part.
Of the curries, my choice was between the Black Pork Kari (explained as the driest) and the Gourd & Cashew Kari (explained as the waitress’s favourite). I opted for meat this time based upon the dry Needoo style. It was nice but paled in quality to the duck and Needoo’s Daighi curry.
The remarkable Duck Heart Chukka and my desire for the Buffalo Buriani will definitely bring me back. There’s also mutton roti and a Ceylonese spit chicken for the future.
I’ll always remember Pitt Cue Co. (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/pitt-cue-co-london-08-2012-12-2012) and the numerous meals at the bar or the downstairs wedged under the staircase and enjoying the thick beef ribs, tender pork ribs and a remarkable beef brisket. I was pleased to see they had expanded to a larger place, dropped the Co. to become Pitt Cue, and closer to the part of London I consider home. On top of this, they accept bookings so as a catchup between 8 friends was an obvious choice.
I do like Neil Rankin and so Bad Egg was another contender, as was Seth Troxler's Smokey Tails but those will have to wait until next time.
- Octopus – this was remarkably soft, tender and
flavoursome. One of the best I’ve eaten that was sliced through by a blunt
knife;
- Blood cake – I wondered if this was similar to black pudding. They said it
was different but I would like it. This had a excellent deep flavour and a
texture peppered with bits of rice and small fat cubes. Outstanding;
- Potato cakes – 4 heavily fried chips essentially. Very crisp and salty. Really
not worth it;
- Bacon – a flavoured slice of pork with a fat cap. Not a flavour of smoke
sadly;
- Courgette – crunchy vegetable slices topped with a crisp fry;
- Lamb breast for 2 – from the specials board a deliciously soft piece of meat
with a mild flavour. I wanted the smoked lamb neck but was sadly sold out the
moment before ordering;
- Pork jowl – a heavily salty cheek with a large surrounding fat layer on
top. I prefer beef cheeks for the thicker meat and greater ability to become
tender;
- Mangalitza pork – a pink tender medium rare cut with moderate flavour and
perfect texture. An example of how quality pork can be cooked to a more
specific degree;
- Bone marrow mash – softly and gently whipped, deeper beef flavour to stir through;
- Slaw – mildly flavoured, would’ve liked a bit more Spanish onion and tart vinegar;
I do think the meal was overall less impressive than my memories of Pitt Cue Co. The smokey flavour wasn't evident in many of the dishes and the rubs seemed to be more heavily on salt rather than spice or in some cases minimal spice at all. I've made the beef rib recipe from the book and it was on another flavour level to what I tried that evening. Perhaps a short trip back to the original dishes of beef and pork ribs, insane rib tips and the brisket is required for me. I'd definitely go back for the octopus and blood cake alone though.
My Pitt Cue Co. cookbook sits on my bookshelf and my Weber Smokey Mountain 22” in the garden in Melbourne waiting for me to create my own copycat versions.
I'd finally returned for a short visit to my previous home of Whitechapel. It isn't easy finding new places in the area as it tends to be dominated by old curry houses (and for good reason).
I was pleasantly surprised to see a new opening of a pizza and particularly cider dedicated space near my Qbic Hotel. They offer a good value lunch deal for only £6.5 including a pizza and salad. Add a half-pint of your choice of cider for £2.5 extra and you have yourself a great meal.
I'd need more time (and an evening) to go through the ciders and pick a few favourites but for lunchtime the pizza was my main focus. I sampled the Hells Bells (spicy chopped pork, Naga chillies, garlic, red onion, basil leaves, field mushrooms, tomato sauce, mozzarella). I've been scarred by previous curries with Naga (aka ghost) chillies but I was told this was cooked into the pork sauce and wasn't too offensive and it was true - there was a definite heat and kick but other than a slight runny nose I handled it nicely. The chilli pieces themselves weren't too hot so I can only assume those were different chillies. I was surprised at how little tomato sauce there was (obviously having been thin and baked in rather than much liquid left) and the base was thin and quite crispy (although I do prefer the chew eg. Franco Manca).
Overall it's a very good lunch deal and on another day with friends and time would be a good way to pass the afternoon with cider tasting.
For some reason I seemed to have difficulty finding a good online leader for dinner. Other than Le Chateaubriand which still remains on my list, the Paris places I had were (breakfast) Holybelly, Frenchie To Gogo, (lunch) Chez Alain Miam Miam, Breizh Cafe and (drinks) Chez Jeanette, Lockwood, Candelaria. Maybe it was too much choice and not enough decision-making experience with French cuisine but in the end with no real direction I was wandering the streets.
Eventually I came across Chez Papa (153 Rue Montmartre). It ticked some good boxes - looked homely, French diners, the food looked and smelled good, and everyone seemed to be having similar dishes in large pots or a display on a plate. It seems to specialise in cuisine of South-West France.
After perusing the menu, the English-speaking French family next to me asked if I needed advice. Stick to the specials on the first page - you won't go wrong. I'm glad I did and in doing so managed to try two dishes:
- Special Papa Cassoulet gratinated with breadcrumbs - a superstar dish of deep heavy duck-flavoured stew, with a thick rich sauce that could be swept up with bread;
- Garbure Papa hotpot - a speciality of cabbage with carrots, large French beans and duck meat in the form of neck and wings. The soup is quite thin and mild but distinctly duck flavour. However as simple as this was, the flavour paled compared to the cassoulet.
I want to eat that cassoulet again. I will go next time in Paris. There seem to be a few branches around so it won't be too hard to find.
A late night barmy evening lent itself to a gelato dessert. By coincidence, luck and fortune, I can across an artisanal seller after dinner.
There's a good list of flavours, but unfortunately on my first visit, the pistachio was sold out, and the deep green I saw was green tea.
Nonetheless it didn't stop me over the next 24 hours from sampling the wonderfully brown coloured pistachio with its intense nutty flavour and minimal sweetness, a rich fruity cherry and a slightly less impressive raspberry.