Eat Like Ushi

Antonio Carluccio has been a face of Italian cooking for me not because I've watched his TV shows or eaten at his restaurants, but moreso because I've looked through a few of his cookbooks when finding a smaller version of Marcella Hazan to use. After his death it had been on my list of places to try so luck had it that a friend suggested it for a Christmas meal after visiting NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

There was a special menu for the festive season. With 2 courses for £17.95 or 3 for £20.95. 3 courses for lunch seemed excessive although I wanted to squeeze in the panettone but just couldn't do it...

- Plin in Brodo (traditional dish from Piedmont. Pinched pasta stuffed with beef & pork served in chicken broth);
- Crostini al Funghi (mushrooms & kale sauteed with garlic & chilli served on toasted ciabatta);
- Lobster & Crab Lasagna (lobster, crab, crayfish with layers of spinach, ricotta & tomato sauce, topped with garlic & herb breadcrumbs).

All dishes were very tasty and of good quality. To top things off, the staff gave us a buy 1 main, get 1 free card to use to jolly in 2018. I guess I'll be back soon!

Targa Green is a lovely little cafe off the main region of Roman Road. I think the owners are Moroccan, cook great Middle Eastern and speak French to each other. They are very friendly and encouraging on the weekend buffets. £13 is a moderate price for a brunch for just food but the variety and quality makes it worthwhile. And the matcha latte is good too!

There's soup, roasted vegetables, fattoush, strong hummus, vine leaves, tabbouleh and delicious lamb koftes (which are cold but they microwave upon request).

Perfect for a lazy weekend brunch when you have a lot of time to think about life.

This was an exciting night because I had tickets to the opening preview of Hamilton (how lucky I was to get those). After eating at A. Wong a few weeks earlier, something cheaper and more casual was in order. There's a few places in the area and this Korean one looked interesting and had good reviews. Additionally it would only be the second Korean place I've tried in London, the first in 2013 somewhere around Tottenham Court Road.

They've got all the classics - mandu, japchae, bibimbap, tteokbokki and chicken. What more could one want?

- Chicken katsu (deepfried crispy chicken with sweet & sour sauce) £7.5 - nicely fried and juicy chicken pieces in a mild sweet sauce. I generally prefer my KFC more on the chilli side so it's a shame they didn't offer that;
- Seafood bibimbap £9.9 and Beef bibimbap £9.9 - both were served in the hot stonepots but for some reason they couldn't have been more different. The seafood had a lot less flavour and none of the rice crisped up on the bottom. The beef had reasonable flavour but had a good amount of rice crusted there. And with both dishes we didn't touch the bottom rice for a while to enable it to do so. It was quite strange. The gochuchang sauce is very mild in chilli and so I added quite a lot of really coat the dish red.

I know it's already in theatre district but I'm sure Hamilton will improve their business for years to come. And so it should because this place is pretty good. The bibimbap will have me coming back when I'm due to see Wicked next (or Hamilton again).

Bad Egg is Neil Rankin's move away from smoke to eggs. But it's a lot more than that. The menu seems to be heavily dedicated to Korean spice, various hashes and lots of cheese.

Harissa Lamb Hash (crispy potato, pulled lamb, harissa, leeks, cheese & a fried egg) £10.5 was a heavy flavoursome way to start the day and tasted a bit like barbecue lamb had come to breakfast. The cheese sauce was thick and lifted it into coronary territory.

I don't find myself often in that area (too many suits) but I'd happily go back there with a bigger appetite (and belly).

I've actually been to The Morgan Arms ever since the first day I arrived in Mile End/Bow when the poor state of the flat meant we had to leave for several hours so it could be cleaned. On that ridiculous 35C (or so) day, sitting inside was stiflingly humid but at least it was respite from the sun.

I haven't had the chance to go on quiz night Wednesday or live music Thursday, but I have been able to play a mostly intact game of Monopoly Manchester edition and see Cards Against Humanity strewn about.

The food is generally good without being great. It is definitely a step above the other pubs in the area that I've tried. For that reason they also charge more than the other pubs too. The service varies but generally food takes between 30-60mins to arrive.

- Marmite glazed aubergines, baba ganoush, crispy tomato corn bread, tempura fried sage £7.5 - two halves of a tiny aubergine and the corn bread is a flattened hard rock of fried something. Wouldn't get it again;
- Smoked ham hock scotch egg, Bramley apple sauce £5;
- IPA battered haddock, thick-cut chips, mushy peas, chunky tartare sauce £13.5 - good fish, whole salt flakes enhancing the flavour on top with reasonably crisp chips. Once the peas were thick and chunky, the other time watery and not impressive;
- Ginger curried cod, coconut & cumin sauce, toasted cashews nuts, coriander, green beans, red quinoa "rice" £16 - good fish with discernible ginger flavour in the mild curry.

It's not the best around (I'd have to test The Marksman in Hackney not too far away to compare) but it's adequate for the area.

I've been back for Sunday roast which was my first (and only) for 2017. I wanted to go somewhere more well known but laziness meant proximity was the blessing.

Roast half chicken £16 was quite tender and flavoursome whereas the roast beef £17 was quite small, cooked medium-rare but chewy and not that good. Additionally the Yorkshire puddings were burnt and tasted as such. I wouldn't go back for that.

Up near the bridges and next to a big carpark, many a yuppie, their dog and their young family attend this drinking hole for a weekend lunch. It serves pizza and although the bases are crisp Middle Eastern flatbread rather than your standard doughy base, the creative toppings make up for it.

- Middle Eastern Lamb (tomato reduction base, mozzarella, fresh spinach, marinated lamb mince, parmesan, pine nuts, fresh chopped mint, chilli flakes) £12 - probably my favourite with good earthy flavours and textures roaming throughout;
- Proscuitto & Rocket (mozzarella, oven semi-dried cherry tomatoes, parmesan, vincotto, proscuitto, rocket) £11 - perhaps a little less on the creative side for toppings but standard and good;
- Kashmiri Dahl (mozzarella, fresh spinach, dahl, cumin, chilli flakes, crispy shallots, mango chutney, Greek yoghurt, fresh banana slices, fresh coriander) £12 - the weirdest and most creative pizza had a nice spiced element but I have to admit the sweet banana was a bit further along the strange spectrum on this pizza.

I'm not sure if I'll specifically go back to the area as there isn't much else for me there. The bases didn't thrill me even though the toppings did moreso.

Hopscotch reminds me of drinking in Canberra but it's also a drinking and dining venue along the north section of Brick Lane. It's a quiet area on weekdays and indeed despite the advertisement for 50% off food, there were very few people enjoying its wares. It's unfortunate because the food is very good - and an absolute bargain at half price.

Note that the menu in the front window has prices that are generally £1-2 less than the current pricing on the menu.

- Green peppercorn crab (pickled daikon, coriander, crispy shallot) £11 - juicy crabmeat had been pulled out for us. So spoilt;
- Seared scallops (charred corn, fennel & garlic sausage, chilli butter) £11 - two sizeable scallops with some sausage and on salad;
- Smoked goat flatbread (tamarind, bitter melon, bacon fat gravy, fermented chilli) £9 - smokey, warm and middle Eastern;
- Beef shortrib (masterstock, horseradish, butter-pickled onion) £11;
- Grilled hispi cabbage (miso butter, parmesan, togarashi) £4 - could cabbage be made any more umami? I don't think so. Delicious.

The food is good, the drinks Brick Lane Swizzle (dark rum, banana falernum, lime) £9 is good; I hope they have another 50% off deal. If not, I may end up that way anyway...

Despite living in Mile End/Bow for over 6 months and passing through Victoria Park countless times, I've only ever had one chai at The Pavilion. It's probably because it tends to be the warmer months when the tables are all outside and full but the queue to order precludes patience.

No better time than a 10C sunny winter weekday which also happened to coincide with BBC 2 filming for a feature on the chef (they told me).

The menu is brunch/lunch with a nod to Sri Lanka and it's fun to read Sri Lanka The Cookbook from mid-2017 sitting on the shelves whilst waiting. After dinner at Hoppers a couple of nights earlier, it's a good daytime follow-up.

- Wild mushrooms with poached egg on sourdough toast £8.5 - an excellent dish of mixed mushrooms beautifully cooked with 2 soft poached eggs, quality sourdough and the lime brought all the flavours to life. Truly fantastic;
- Sri Lankan breakfast (turmeric egg curry, string hoppers, dhal, coconut sambal) £10 - a beautifully presented dish with a few setbacks. The potatoes in the curry were cold in the middle. The dhal and green vegetables were really salty. But it's ok.

The coconut chai is now cow-milk chai £3 and is very strongly spiced with loads of cardamom and some ginger. It's really excellent and different to the chais I've had around town (and so far in my travels).

I'll definitely try to get back before moving away.

I haven't explored much of Bethnal Green - to be honest I don't see it as particularly any better than a cross between Whitechapel and Mile End and not nearly as pleasant as Hackney/Broadway. A friend invited me for breakfast to a little place tucked behind the Bethnal Green tube and it was the first cafe in the area I have tried.

It's not a vego/vegan place, but it does have a good selection of food to cater toward those tastes.

The chipotle jackfruit tacos (homemade chipotle barbeque jackfruit, kale, jalapeños, avocado, crispy onion, salsa, spicy mayo) was an excellent dish full of vibrant colours, flavours and textures.

They do an excellent smoothie also and I will happily eat there again.

After three visits between 06-2016 to 04-2017 at the Soho branch, I found an opportunity to take advantage of the bookings allowed at the newer St. Christopher's Place branch. It's a much much larger form than the tiny Soho original and much of the seating for 4 is shared whereas larger groups all seem to have curtained private rooms.

Given there were 4 of us, it allowed a wide sampling of this menu which does differ slightly from the Soho one. I still remain disappointed that the duck heart chukka isn't available any longer, but maybe next time I'll try to order it in advance. Failing that, I think I've found a replacement...

The start proceedings this evening, a Toddy Tapper part 2 £10 was ordered and it had a smooth smokey mezcal and tequila with sweetness from pineapple bark, lime, coconut blossom pickle and acharu. I'm not sure how all the elements contribute exactly but it ended up being similar to mezcal and pineapple juice but not too sweet and very nice.

- Chicken Wing Chukka £8.25 (for 4 pieces, instead of £6.5 for 3) - chicken wings in a rich thick tasty coating. It doesn't have the textural element of the duck heart but it's still good;
- Jaffna Beef Rib Fry £9 - this remarkable dish outshone the chukka in terms of strength of spice and flavour. The tender morsels of rib and the dry chilli surface were incredibly good. Reminiscent of Needoo's dry meat curry;
- String Hopper Seafood Kothu £12.5 - a mildly flavoured dish of cabbage with seafood topped with a soft shell crab. Very pretty and a reasonable size but I didn't think the flavour was very memorable;
- Aubergine, Bean & Okra Kari £7 - a tiny dish of curry with overall mild flavour. The aubergine had been cooked to the point that it was soft and stringy clinging to life attaching barely to the skin. Forgettable overall;
- Crab Kari £15 - a crab with very pliable shell that could easily to crushed and torn with the teeth. The meat was soft and juicy particularly from the body and the curry sauce had a heap of curry powder/leaves that formed the overall taste. The liquid was excessive and mopped up with the hoppers;
- Egg Hopper £4.5 - spongy inside, crisp surface, although I remember it being more sour previously;
- Masoor Dhal Ghee Buriani, Pineapple Acharu, Yoghurt £13 - I wanted the fish buriani but was trumped and ended up with dhal ghee instead. The rice was clean, not oily and mildly spiced. The raita and acharu added some tang and sweet notes.

It's still an excellent meal and one of the finest curries in the city. I'll definitely be back for the chukka, beef rib fry, and to try the Jaffna lamb chops (if it is anywhere as good as the Jaffna beef rib), black pork ribs and fish buriani. That's a lot to get through.