Eat Like Ushi

London has a lot of tapas restaurants to choose from. The names of the classics include Barrafina, Brindisa, Dehesa, Salt Yard, Jose. I decided to pick Fino from the lot for a few reasons (generally good reviews, a well respected pork reputation) but mostly because the menu appealed to my preferred group situation. The options of Suckling Pig, Lamb Rack and Sangria sounded like the perfect way to celebrate my 30th birthday with a small group of friends.

The Whole Sucking Pig and Half Rack of Lamb had to be pre-ordered and added to the anticipation of the meal. We supplemented these with some tasteful options from the a la carte menu.

- Chorizo & Potato Chips - effectively deep fried spring rolls filled with chorizo & potato;
- Marinated Queen Scallops Ceviche
- Octopus with Capers - succulent slices of octopus with delicious salty capers;
- Crisp Fried Octopus Head with Romesco Sauce - more succulent octopus with a red pepper and pine nut sauce;
- Cuttlefish Wrapped in Panceta with Ink Sauce - the continuing trend of quality seafood, this time wrapped in salty panceta and served with ink sauce;
- Picos, Chicory and Walnut Salad
- The Classic Tortilla - I was expecting a simple flour tortilla, but it ended up being a heavy omelet with filling;
- Black Pudding Tortilla - tortilla filled with quite flavoursome black pudding. 

Now to the specialties. Firstly the Half-Rack of Roast Pyrenean Milk Fed Lamb was unexpectedly succulent. The meat disintegrated off the bone in a way I've only experienced with the highest quality slow-cooked beef. Fantastic texture.

Secondly the piece-de-resistance - Whole Roasted Suckling Pig is a simply roasted piglet from Segovia in Castilla-Leon. For £145 it isn't cheap, but as a spectacularly presented main course for the 6-8 people to enjoy (as part of a sharing meal) it is worth it. The pork is fantastic - the skin is crispy, the thin layer of fat under the skin is tasty, the underlying flesh is succulent. A little salt drew out the flavour of the skin and meat. Aside from the usual favourites of legs and belly, the more adventurous enjoyed the crispy ears and delicate cheek meat. Overall sensational. It was served with a pork-flavoured sauce that I didn't feel added much to the meal - I much preferred the meat on its own.

Desserts
- Donuts, Vanilla Ice-Cream 
- Creme Catalana
- Turron De Alicante - a type of almond, honey nougat
- Poached Pear in White Wine, Apple Sorbet

Overall the meal made a great choice for a birthday celebration for a small group of 6. The Suckling Pig was so memorable that it seemed to dull my memory of the other dishes. However I still fondly recall the Lamb and Seafood.

Next time I would order the Suckling Pig given enough notice. Failing this, the Crispy Pork Belly off the a la carte menu is supposedly a great alternative. I think any hot seafood (octopus, cuttlefish, arroz negro) or meat (Iberian pork ribs, chicken wings) dish would be quite safe and a better option than the tortillas and salads.

London has a well known negative reputation for Asian food (ie. Oriental to the locals). In particular all the Europeans who I've met in Melbourne universally agree London Japanese food is expensive, overpriced, poor quality. Even the recent opening of a Japanese restaurant by a well known Kyoto kaiseki Michelin-star chef hasn't been well received for a variety of reasons. I have had a ramen and udon bar on my list for a few months now, so it seemed appropriate now that winter is coming to try one and hope for the best.

Bone Daddies (odd name for a ramen bar?) is the first ramen place I've considered going to here. Maybe because of good advertising and simply the fact that it is new and hip. Reviews have been mixed so far - the main complaints have been about the T22 chicken ramen. I don't think I've ever had a chicken-based ramen in Japan, so I was happy to avoid that anyway.

Peak times supposedly involve lines, so 2pm on a weekday seemed perfect. The setting is made for all sorts - sharing tables, window seats for singles, small tables for privates. The walls are nicely decorated with Japanese posters.

I tried two typical staples - Fried Chicken and Tonkotsu Ramen.

The Fried Chicken (aka tori kara age) is the same as you'd find in Japan - crispy fried, juicy good quality chicken, no added flavours. Simple, effective, authentic. A touch of lemon helps and chilli on standby if you roll that way.

Tonkotsu Ramen (aka pork broth) is as basic as it gets. Like all great Asian noodle soups, the broth is the most important part, and they have done it well. Simple light pork flavour, some murky fat emulsifying through and just done well. Often Japan places to layer this with salt, soy or miso flavour but this was plain and tasty. I had to specifically ask for 7-spice (shichi-mi) and even the wait staff didn't seem to know what it was, which was strange. Within the broth was some typical Japanese char-siu (not the same as the red and 5-spiced Cantonese if that is what you are expecting), bean shoots, garlic chips, bamboo shoots, spring onion and a perfectly soft-boiled egg. My only suggestion would be to have more broth added to the dish as it runs out pretty quickly after a few initial ladles to taste it on its own.

The prices aren't cheap, but expected for a new place in Soho London. I suppose the only real complaint here is a cup of green tea for £3 - extortionate.

Next time I would order the Tonkotsu Ramen for a safe bet. Chicken broth would be an unusual change just to test it (since 6 dishes are chicken broth based and only one pork) of which the Sweet 3 Miso Ramen appeals to me most. The snacks are all supplementary options but none seem necessary - you are here for the ramen.

2013

As my time in London came to a close, Bone Daddies became the restaurant I most frequently ate at and the one I would unhesitating go back to for any meet. I may have attended 6 times in 2013, of which 4 were during my final month of October. The reason was simple - the tonkotsu ramen was still delicious but the addition of the spicy pig bones was a sensation. Soft pork ribs doused in a thick sweet sauce (honey/sugar, mirin, rice wine, soy is all I could determine from it) are incredible. Keep going back.

A lot has been made of the opening of Duck & Waffle a few months ago. London's first 24-hour restaurant; one of London's very few high rise restaurants/venues; serving London's drinkers with a good range of shared plates including the odd combination of duck and waffles. In many ways it has been likened to the spirit of New York City - high up, late night, poultry and waffles.

The reviews have been mixed - the view is universally applauded, the difficulty of reservations frustrating, the service average and the food variable. Hmm. Nonetheless being located close to my area, open after finishing work late and being hyped up for the above, the 3rd attempt to eat here proved successful - only after booking for 10:30pm on a Monday night a month in advance.

Due to timing, luck and winter coming, the seating area was only half full and the wait staff good enough to honour a request to move tables from the middle of the room to what is probably the best corner with a spectacular view of the gherkin and tower bridge. Not many people have seen London from high up at night (the only other way I know being London Eye) but as a city with landmarks it is definitely worth seeing.

There is no cocktail menu (which I found surprising given the bar is a large part of why people go - no reservations required or taken) and at £10.50 each not the cheapest, but adequate to supplement the view and dinner.

Now on the food. Overall great. Unexpectedly great. 

- Raw Scallop (with Apple, Black Truffle, Lime) - nice and simple, although couldn't taste truffle;
- Raw Yellowfin Tuna (with Watermelon, Balsamic, Basil) - very creative combination of raw tuna, cube of sweet watermelon with tart vinegar and basil;
- Thinly Sliced Pig's Head (with Olive Oil, Amalfi Lemon) - odd slices of a little bit of meat and a lot of cartilage. Strange;
- Herdwick Mutton Slider (with Harissa, Lime Creme Fraiche) - average mini-burger, nothing special;
- Seasonal Vegetable Salad (with Toasted Nuts & Seeds, Ricotta Salata) - the healthy option which used parmesan (not ricotta on this day), pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds and balsamic over greens and tomato. Very nice complement to the meal;
- Roasted Octopus (with Chorizo, Lemon, Caper) - deliciously succulent and flavoursome octopus tentacles. Chorizo was a nice additional flavour but not required;
- Foie Gras 'All Day Breakfast' - calories-on-a-plate combo of toasted brioche, covered with nutella, bacon, pan-seared delicious foie gras, fried black pudding balls and topped with a quail's egg. Simply unhealthily grand.
- Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut (with Apricot Jam) - a fried ball encasing some not-so impressive ox cheek;
- Duck & Waffle (Crispy Leg Confit, Fried Duck Egg, Mustard Maple Syrup) - juicy soft duck meat housed in crispy skin, lying sandwhiched between a waffle and a runny yolk duck egg (one was a bit too overcooked). So good we ordered 2. And then a 3rd.

Desserts were also impressive. Given this is a 24-hour venue, I should not have been so surprised.

- Warm Chocolate Brownie (with Peanut Butter Ice-cream, Crunchy Caramel) - the heavy sweet dessert of all the elements you'd expect from the name;
- Cinnamon Pear Cappuccino (with Toast Gingerbread, Pear Caramel) - the dessert dark horse was a special combination of sorbet, pear, gingerbread and a delicious "cappuccino" of pear milk froth in the basin. Fantastic.

I came here for a lovely view, good company and hopeful expectations for food and ended up with a gem of an experience. Not all food hit high notes, but enough dishes to easily warrant coming back and having a more informed selection.

Next time I would order a Duck & Waffle for every 2-3 people, Foie Gras 'All Day Breakfast', Roasted Octopus and Cinnamon Pear Cappuccino. These were all undoubtedly going to be repeat offenders in my stomach. From the November menu, the Roast Beetroot Salad and Whole Roasted Sussex Chicken looks like a good way to supplement the rest. The Crispy Pig's Ears were sold out and something I've liked from other places before.

06-2013

It came as no surprise that at 7am on my birthday after a Ministry of Sound night, the logical decision was to go for food at the 24-hour D&W. Duck & Waffle as a dish is probably a little heavy for that time of the morning with an alcoholic stomach, as was the Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs and Hash Brown. They still tasted good. I managed to try the Crispy Pig's Ears too which were an unusual snack of heavily smoked thin twigs of super crispness. I'm not sure whether I liked these or not, but they are a snack that complements drinks well.

09-2013

Another two visits for some views and cocktails. The bar staff are excellent at making fruity cocktails tailored to your preference. Became one of the *it* places for me to take guests to enjoy a new quintessential London experience.

The French chain arrived in London a little while ago and has started franchising. Given one of the current food trends for minimal menus/choice is observed here, it is no surprise this has generated some interest. I finally had a chance to visit the Canary Wharf branch before watching Looper. (If you haven't read it before, Canary Wharf is great for afterhours and weekends. The crowds are gone, the cinemas aren't overly busy, and neither are the good selection of restaurants.)

The concept is simple - you pay £21 and get a steak, fried and salad. You only need to tell them how you like your steak cooked.

On this occasion, the menu was "Entrecote Steak Porte Maillot with its famous sauce, French Fries and Green salad with walnuts." As usual I asked for rare. Salad comes out first, almost like a teaser as every patron is there for meat. The salad wasn't of great quality, but hey, it's a steak joint. The lettuce was soggy in dressing and the walnuts at least gave some texture.

The steak then comes out in its first portion, pre-sliced, smothered in sauce with a beautiful collection of golden skinny fries. Firstly the important part - the steak. The inside is perfectly cooked to order. No complaints there. The local British beef is pretty good quality with nice texture, although I felt the taste was a bit lacking overall. There wasn't the hearty crust of meat/salt flavour (which I expect in any steak, especially from any steakhouse) and I didn't particularly like the Porte Maillot sauce (it is rumoured to be made of chicken liver, thyme, cream & butter) and much preferred a little salt, pepper and mustard. However my fellow diners seemed to enjoy it more - each to their own.

The fries were decent - skinny, crispy, soft. Needing a good sprinkle of salt (and pepper in my case) to bring out the flavour. Maybe it's just me, but I'm used to restaurants serving thick chips. More classy? Perhaps I just associate skinny fries with McDonald's.

Partially through the meal, they top up your plate with some extra meat and a very generous serve of hot fries. Well planned.

We ended with standard desserts of Creme Brulee and Lemon Tarts. Simple sweets and nothing particular about them.

It's not the best steak in town, but scratches an itch. We got lucky in discovering at the end that the Canary Wharf branch has 50% off meals on weekends until January. Steak and fries for £10.50? Bargain.

Next time I would order... well, there isn't really much choice. Perhaps I'd try blue just to see...

Dishoom has been long on my London breakfast list. I'd been particularly slack with this as most times I have mornings off, I much prefer lying in bed and blessing that I'm not required to get up. However on this occasion shopping around Covent Garden loomed and thus nearby Dishoom seemed like its time had come. The cafe has an elegant seating area upstairs with dedications to (assumably Indian) actors. The open kitchen behind includes a fire grill and tandoor from which meat scents entice you.

Unfortunately (or not?) I arrived too late to sample the much anticipated breakfast naan, but at least the House Chai was still flowing. Delicious, thin, milky with nice ginger richness. This is the first chai I've had in an Indian cafe and sets the standard very high. It is also only the second acceptable chai I've had in London (after Bea's of Bloomsbury near St. Paul's Cathedral)

After careful perusal of the menu I selected the Chicken & Pomegranate Salad (juicy jumble of pulled Murgh Malai spiced chicken thighs, Dishoom Slaw, pomegranate, mint & coriander) and a waitress-recommended Dishoom Chicken Tikka Roll (rosy warm chicken, lavish salad & tomato chilli jam).

Firstly to the Salad - absolutely spectacular. One of the best dishes I've eaten this year, with a playful collection of sweet, sour, mint flavours and soft, crunchy textures. The only equivalent salad I've ever eaten would be Hellenic Republic's Cypriot Grain Salad (in Melbourne) or an exceptional Vietnamese goi.

The Tikka Roll was a contrasting warm roti roll encasing tandoor-cooked chicken and crisp salad. Tomato chilli jam added additional kick and flavour, and I felt the roll worked even better with the Mint & Coriander sauce provided separately at the start.

I left a happy boy.

Next time I would order the Chicken & Pomegranate Salad at any time of day or night. There are many combinations of meats, roti and naan that I'm sure will taste fantastic. I will be back for breakfast and also for dinner.

2013

In late 2012, Dishoom opened a second branch in the hip happening region of Shoreditch. Unlike the Covent Garden branch, this seemed a much cooler venue with an open drinking area at the front behind some metal gates, an excellent bar which served as the table waiting area, and two main areas for dining including long tables, couple tables and retro booths.

I had the pleasure of finally making it for breakfast on a couple of occasions, most notably after Hawthorn won the 2013 Grand Final.

- House Granola (oats, seeds, cashews, almonds, pistachios, and much cinnamon, toasted in butter and honey. Served with fresh fruits and creamy yoghurt infused with Keralan vanilla pods) - healthy and delicious;
- Infamous Bacon Naan Roll (baked naan wrapped around char-striped back bacon direct from the grill, with a most palatable combination of chilli tomato jam, cream cheese and herbs) - a simple tasty combination of flavours, although I felt the dish was a bit flat (physically) and although nice wasn't worth hyping over;
- Bollybellini (raspberries, lychees, rose and cardamom sparkling with first-class Prosecco).

I was also lucky enough to have a 3 nights of dinner and drinks during the year and try a large collection of dishes.

- Spicy Lamb Chops (marinade of lime juice & jaggery, warm dark spices, ginger & garlic. Charred outside, pink inside) - these are impeccably cooked and wonderfully tasty. A lighter flavour than the Tayyabs/Needoo chops, but much better quality meat and cooking;
- Murgh Malai (chicken thigh meat is steeped overnight in garlic, ginger, coriander stems and a little cream. Still slightly pink when cooked);
- Kacchi Lamb Biryani (marinated lamb and rice cooked together in the traditional Hyderabadi style);
- Chaijito (smoky rum and Dishoom sweet-spice chai syrup muddled with fresh mint, coriander, ginger & lime).

All the food and drinks are great. The atmosphere is great. The location is great. Just go there.

Considering Longrain in Melbourne serves my favourite dishes in the world, and the head chef Martin Boetz was taught by David Thompson, it is no surprise nahm has been on my list for a long while. nahm has been one of the only Thai cuisine restaurants in the world to have a Michelin star and I have David Thompson's two famed Thai cookbooks on my shelves too. People have commented that since he opened the Bangkok branch and bases himself there, the London branch has suffered and since lost its Michelin star whilst the Bangkok has breached the San Pellegrino Top 50 list in the world.

Nonetheless despite a reduced reputation, you can't reverse years of curiosity from my belly. Given there were 4 of us, we skipped the tasting menu in favour of ordering more variety of a la carte dishes.

- Salad of Langoustines (with young ginger & lychees)
- Spicy Minced Pork Salad (with crunchy rice & betel leaves)
- Dtom Yam Hoi (hot & sour soup with mussels, turmeric & coriander)
- Smoky Kingfish Relish (with toasted coconut & chillies served with five-spice eggs, pickled greens, starfruit & green beans)
- Stir-fried Eel (with pork, curry paste, wild ginger & chillies)
- Jungle Curry of Venison (with long leaf coriander & deep fried shallots)
- Double-Steamed Rabbit (with pickled mustard greens)
- Stir-fried Tofu (with corn peppers, samphire, spring onions & corn)
- Gola Cuttlefish Salad

- Mango Sticky Pudding
- Sesame Seed & Coconut Dumplings (with pickled ginger agar agar)
- Coconut & Taro Pudding (with ancestor biscuits filled with young coconut)

All of the dishes were at least good. The Salad of Langoustines and Spicy Minced Pork Salad were great - I always enjoy South-East Asian salads for the amazing combination of herbs and spices and textures especially when reinvented by modern Thai chefs. The Tom Yum soup was a must try for me as I've tried to make the impossibly complicated David Thompson's version in Thai Street Food cookbook. The true form is deliciously deep (although not overly strong) with flavour and a kick of chilli - unlike any version I've tried before.

I will say that I did expect some stronger flavour from some of the dishes that I'm used to from Longrain. On that front I was a little disappointed, but different people have different tastes.

If you have access to Bangkok, I'd suggest trying that one instead given the modern trends. Otherwise the old faithful London branch is certainly acceptable.

Next time I would order any combination of the salads and the unique Dtom Yam Hoi which you won't have a similar taste to anywhere. The other dishes are all good and so picking something where the ingredients appeal to you won't be difficult.

Who doesn't like the Jamie Oliver brand? Some professional chefs may feel that his methods lack true high-end restaurant skills but he has always been one to appeal to home cooking and more accessible food. Barbecoa is his version of a good old American steak house.

The restaurant also fronts as a butcher which helps guarantee the quality of meat served. If I was to be very particular, I'd have to suggest the meat quality at Hawksmoor (sourced from The Ginger Pig) is slightly better and more tender. However the chefs at Barbecoa clearly know how to cook to order (see my Hawksmoor experience for further details).

One thing Barbecoa does have over the other steakhouses in London is a good selection of starters and sides to keep things interesting.

Starter favourites were Pit-Smoked Baby Back Ribs (with coriander & chilli) and Lyme Bay Crab Plate (with avocado, chervil & tomato) - tasted as expected, just great flavours. Crispy Pig Cheeks (with piccalilli, chive & lamb's lettuce salad) weren't as good as I'd hoped - I suppose I prefer them nice, plain and simply roasted. Crispy Calamari (with smashed avocado, lemon & rocket) was decent but the serving size was quite small for the price.

Sides of Creamed Spinach and Coleslaw were as expected. Baked Beans had a nice smoked essence that separated it clearly from the breakfast canned variety. Duck Fat Chips (with Volpain vinegar, salt) were nice and crisp, although short of those from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Lastly the steak - honours to the cow. APL Rib-Eye for Two and a special of the day Picanha (top sirloin cap) were wonderfully cooked to a medium-rare to rare perfection. Easy to cut, easy to chew, gentle beef flavour with optional sauces for variety. Similarly a Short Rib (with Worcestershire glaze, Irish champ & watercress) was fall-off-the-bone tender, as it should be.

Desserts included an Apple Brioche and Cheese Plate, neither of which were for me. The Ultimate Sundae was a sickly sweet combination of peanut butter, caramelised popcorn and chocolate. Something decadent to share just to make sure you leave the restaurant feeling additionally fat.

Next time I would order an entree of Lyme Bay Crab Plate (for meal balance over the Baby Back Ribs), a nice rare Sirloin (if it was just for myself), a side of Baked Beans if I was extra hungry, and an Ultimate Sundae provided a minimum of 3 other people were sharing it with me. It is a great meal fit for Death Row.

You may find yourself in East London, particularly around Shoreditch for one reason or another. Perhaps it is for the pub and club atmosphere; perhaps you have strayed a bit too far from Tower of London; perhaps you are looking for other well reputed food experiences in the area such as Hawksmoor or Tayyabs or Sunday Upmarket. If you are just passing through for any reason looking for somewhere nice to eat, Boho Mexica may appeal to you. It isn't a particularly well known place, and is located in an area only really frequented for Hawksmoor or to go between Spitalfields and nightlife Shoreditch.

It isn't a ground-breaking place but has a menu of expected Mexican dishes done well.

- Guacomole Tia Patty (served with homemade tortilla chips)
- Cocktail de Camaron served in a glass (prawns in a chilled Mexican spiced tomato sauce, with fresh coriander, chopped onions & diced avocado served over coconut milk jelly)
- Elote de Domingo (traditional corn on the cob, a bit of chilli, mayonnaise and lime sprinkled with cheese)
- Tostadas Ceviche (crispy tortillas topped with sea bass marinated in fresh lime & herbs, tomatoes, Serrano chile & a bit of mayo, topped with lettuce and avocado)
- Tacos El Pastor (succulent pork marinated in a mix of chiles & grilled pineapple)
- Alitas Pa Volar (chicken wings marinated overnight in a mix of chiles and a bit of lime, served with chipotle & tamarind salsa)
- Pulpos Encebollados (sauteed calamari & baby octopus with Chipotle chile & onions; served with fresh corn tortillas & moros con Cristianos)

The dessert-happy people I was with picked two to finish off with:
- Las Dos Fridas (hibiscus flower and chocolate pie & coconut foam with a pineapple jelly)
- Pastel de Tres leches (homemade traditional 3 milk Mexican cake covered with meringue)

Wash it all down with a classic horchata (rice milk drink with cinnamon) or a Bohito for a great all round meal.

Next time I would order the Alitas Pa Volar - who doesn't like fried chicken wings? All the other dishes were excellent without any being spectacular. Eat whatever you feel like, you'll be safe.

I've had this restaurant on my London list since finding out about the San Pellegrino Top 50 restaurants in the world list several years ago. St. John peaked at number 10 several years back, was rated 41 in 2011, but sadly didn't make the final cut in 2012. Perhaps the cuisine doesn't figure in the recent trends; nonetheless the reputation built upon modern British cooking prevails.

The notion of nose-to-tail cooking is highlighted here - respecting an animal enough to use the whole beast for food. The menu therefore reads as exciting to someone like me, and simultaneously potentially disturbing for less adventurous eaters.

On our visit, the daily menu tickled us with less common dishes using pig's skin, duck hearts, trotters, ox hearts and other ingredients I hadn't come across before such as pink firs (a type of waxy potato), sea aster (an ocean plant), and damson (a type of plum that tastes like a prune) amongst others.

- Devilled Pig's Skin & Smoked Cod's Roe - akin to smoked pig flavoured prawn crackers
- Brown Shrimp, Artichoke & Boiled Egg - simple and tasty, although the prawns didn't seem to have strong intrinsic flavour
- Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad - lusciously soft marrow (ie. fat) spread upon toast and brought to life with a sprinkling of salt flakes and an optional topping of parsley and raw spanish onion. Fat never tasted so good. Ever.
- Razor Clams, Pink Firs & Sea Aster - nice ingredients obviously notably the clams with good texture and mild flavour
- Snails, Duck Hearts & Trotter - a rich buttery sauce soaking the ingredients nicely. I don't think I paid enough attention to the heart and trotters as I should have. Will have to try it again next time and be more awake.
- Ox Heart, Turnips & Mustard -  ox heart is one of my favourite ingredients from any restaurant and this was a quality specimen cooked to a light red inside and the excellent characteristic texture and flavour I expect from it.

We finished off the meal with some nice sweets including Baked Cheesecake & Damson, which is made with a goat's curd that makes it unusual but also a bit strange having such a prominent curd-flavour as a dessert. Raspberry & Almond Eclair looked like a fat kid's dream with raspberry sauce dripping from the pastry, and Treacle Toffee Ice Cream was as rich as it sounds. Good but I wouldn't say any were necessary if you aren't a dessert person.

A great meal, long overdue, and such an impressive collection of ingredients.

Next time I would order Roast Bone Marrow and Ox Heart as my favourite dishes of the night. Snails had a lovely sauce and I particularly want to try the duck hearts & trotter again. Of the rest of the menu the Venison, Prune & Trotter Pie looked great on another table and would be a definite order if I had more appetities for company.

I've owned Ottolenghi's much reputed vegetarian cookbook Plenty for a while. Admittedly although I've read the recipes and salivated over the pictures of healthiness, I've never had the audacity to try to cook them. I suppose after I visit the restaurant itself, I may be more inspired to try. It is on to-eat list for London, but just haven't got around to it just yet.

For those who don't know, Ottolenghi in London is meant to be a haven for vegetarians. Given the price of quality meat and seafood around here, I'm not surprised there are a lot of vegetarians to be catered for. I thought they would likely cater for other particular eaters and so when a friend from Melbourne with gluten-free preferences came, I discovered Ottolenghi's spinoff restaurant Nopi was very well reputed for the gluten-free mob.

We ate in the downstairs communal table section, which I highly recommend. It is a much more social space great for casual encounters, and allows vision of the open kitchen. Upstairs looks much more formal-restaurant/date-night which is fine if that is what you want.

We tried a variety of dishes from the dedicated gluten-free menu (which works out to be about 75% of the starters and nearly all the mains), selecting 6 share plates in a Middle-Eastern-inspired tapas meal:

- Roasted Aubergine, Feta, Pomegranate (really excellent mix of flavours and textures - smoked aubergine, salty creamy feta, sweet pomegranate and crunchy pine nuts)
- Purple Beetroot, Raw Golden Beetroot, Candy Beetroot, Labneh (sweet selection of beetroot, simply prepared)
- Organic Prawns, Kohlrabi, Bacon Sauerkraut, Jalapeno (great quality prawns with nice herbs, the sauerkraut was pretty ordinary)
- Roasted Hake, Chickpea Puree, Mussels (fish texture was good, flavours didn't stand out)
- Twice-cooked Baby Chicken, Lemon Myrtle Salt, Chilli Sauce (very SE Asian inspired combination of flavours, delicious)
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Peanut Mango Acar, Picked Pomelo (medium-rare pork had marvellous texture, the rest sounds nice but didn't have much impact)

Overall the meal was very tasty and outlined the skillful cooking working within a particular gourmet box, in this case gluten-free but also would well cater for vegetarians. A little pricey for the serving size, but quality ingredients cooked well always come with cost.

Next time I would order any of the vegetable starters as they all sound sensational. Sweet Potato, Figs & Goat's Cheese and Valdeon Cheesecake, Pickled Beetroot, Truffle Honey and Roasted Green, Purple, White Cauliflower, Ricotta, Golden Raisins are just some of the others I didn't get to try. Supplement these with some seafood or meat starters that take your fancy, eat downstairs in the communal area and wash it down with a Lychee & Grapefruit Spritzer like I did.