Eat Like Ushi

My bus from Whitechapel into town always gives me a lovely view of St. Paul's - day or night, sunshine or rain, it's always different and special. A few times I got off just to marvel at it from the outside (as I haven't managed to swallow the huge admittance fee nor turn up during mass just to look around) and wander the area.

Nearby is Bea's which I'd read does an excellent banana bread (true) but I discovered also does the only chai latte in town that remotely resembles the type I like in Melbourne.

On my visit, it tended to be older people enjoying cakes and tea but whatever the preference it is a great daytime break.

A major concept sweeping through new restaurant openings is specialising in a select dishes only. The limited menu makes choice very simple for diners who at least know what they are coming for, ensures the restaurant cooks the specialties repetitively well and at least waiters don't need to deal with fickle customers (like me!).

The Tramshed in Shoreditch specialises in two simple delicacies - chicken and steak. Chips are chips, salads are there for balance, and dessert is for completeness.

Roast Woolley Park Farm free-range chicken (for 2-3) or the smaller version poussin (for 1) are delightfully roasted and served whole, ass up in the air with a silver spoon buried within it. The claws are dramatically sky-high and make easy handles to gnaw on tender drumsticks. As expected the chicken is cooked well without any dry texture. The flavour is basic - pure roast chicken, but isn't particularly unique. The alternative Mighty Marbled Glenarm sirloin steak is a lovely rare specimen with nice flavour up there with the reputed London steakhouses. We added some decent chips, fried onions, salad, vegetables and a simple chocolate ripple cheesecake which were all great supporters.

As tasty and textured as the chicken and steak are, it does seem difficult to justify a £25 chicken compared to the local £4-5 Whitechapel variety (which although doesn't have the some delicacy, does impart a more unique flavour) or even roast chicken from the local chicken & chip places around local neighbourhoods. The steak is delicious but at £40 per 500g is slightly higher than even the specialty steakhouses.

The restaurant building looks like an airport hanger except with a giant cow and chicken elevated to God-like status in a formaldehyde tank in the middle. It sets a nice atmosphere, although the massive roof does lend to an impersonal feel and can be a little chilly.

In the end it's a fun experience with a chicken served like you'll never see it again. Just a bit pricey for something that seems simple.

Next time I would order the same - there isn't really much choice to change. In the end I think the steak was closer to the top of the range than the chicken, but noone is going to serve a whole cow on its head with legs in the air. I'd pay if that did though.

With the 2012 Summer Olympics due to start tomorrow and the influx of millions of athletes, support staff and tourists, it seems as good a time as any to recommend places to gain calories. Given that the majority of people will come and go in two weeks and likely everywhere in central London will be bustling full regardless, and that most locals intend to stay away from these main areas I don't have fears of these places being overrun to the point of annoyance. Having said that, as I live in the east (and Olympic Park is slightly more east than me) and my most regular eating places are local I won't be surprised to see a few extra people around.

If you read this post, then you deserve to eat well.

Favourite Restaurant in London - Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
More reasonably priced, conveniently located and equally tasty to The Fat Duck. Not as theatrical but the one place to be if you were lucky enough to get a reservation months ago. See my post for the recommendations.

Favourite Minimal Choice - Burger and Lobster
Well known as the lobster-place-to-be. Once again be prepared to wait with the no bookings policy, but apparently you are able to wander locally and they will call you when your table is ready. Get the lobster for the best value or the lobster roll for something more balanced. Don't even think about the equally priced burger.

Favourite Burger - MEATliquor
The best burger I've eaten. Some may find this a bit tasteless if used to the heavily salted versions found elsewhere around the world as these patties are thick pure rare beef flavour. A bit oily and messy to eat and likely to leave you waiting outside, but worth the entry. The more recent MEATmarket in Covent Garden is a takeaway version of the same thing.

Favourite Fish & Chips - Poppies (Shoreditch)
When you walk along the street you can smell the alluring frying scent. Inside you will find beautifully crisp batter coating soft delicate fish. If on the move, a cone of chips will keep you happy and satisfied. 

Favourite Sharing - Ceviche (Soho), Wahaca (Canary Wharf), Boho (Shoreditch)
Serving happy dishes of ceviche, guacamole, various meat and fish dishes. There are also lots of tapas places in central London all of which are recommended (and some quite pricey) and none of which I can tell you the difference between.

Favourite Healthy Food - Kastner & Ovens (Spitalfields) and Beatroot Cafe (Soho)
Both have similar concepts - fresh salads that vary daily that you select into a takeaway box for a deliciously healthy meal. Beatroot is vegetarian, Kastner & Ovens has optional hot meaty food to have with your salads. Must try the "sausage" rolls at Beatroot and anything with beetroot at K&O.

Favourite Breakfast - The Breakfast Club (Spitalfields)
Inspired by the 80s movie, the decor is a trendy retro diner style. Great breakfasts ranging from muesli to eggs to Mexican. Team it up with a healthy smoothie, lovely morning mojito or a jug of sangria for the perfect that to the day.

Favourite Markets - Borough Market (Saturday preferred), Broadway Market (Saturday), Sunday Upmarket (off Brick Lane)
Borough Market is the well known staple that all visitors should see. Teemingly busy on a Saturday, try some samples, pick up some gourmet supplies, fresh produce and make sure the fresh oysters and clams (especially clams if you like strong ocean flavour) and chorizo rolls make it into your belly.
Broadway Market is much more local in the east. A more spacious street for enjoying life and the Momofuku-style pork buns from Yum Bun, roast pork crackling rolls and more.
Sunday Upmarket sets up within an indoor carpark. Vintage clothes stalls hide the true gems of street food stalls that have people sitting all over streets eating. Cantonese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Ethiopian, Lithuanian, Mexican, cupcakes and more. My personal favourite is Carribean which serves chicken and fried plantains. Go at 6pm for the closing time when everything becomes discounted between £1.50-4 each. 

Favourite Curry - Needoo (Whitechapel)
Avoid Brick Lane - that is common knowledge. Go to Tayyabs - that is common knowledge. However Tayyabs guarantees a lengthy >30min wait and the smell of meat-body-odour sticking to your body and clothes after you leave. Needoo around the corner (run by the ex-manager of Tayyabs) has a similar menu, similar flavours and reasonable prices and much less touristed. Guaranteed to please are the meat biryani and dry meat curry and lamb chops (not that "meat" on the menu is generally lamb).

Favourite Asian - C&R Cafe (Chinatown)
Tucked away in a small alley in Chinatown on a street unmarked on Google Maps, this is the place that gives me my Malaysian food fix and makes me happy on my days off. Har mee, assam laksa and ice kacang will keep you happily enjoying Asian flavours that are difficult to find in London.

Places recommended but untried - Pitt Cue Co, Dabbous, Pollen Street Social, Opera Tavern, Roganic, La Bodega Negra.

I haven't been to Peru and other than small taste by way of a restaurant in the Mission district of San Francisco and a hint of influence from the dishes of Nobu in Tokyo, I don't really know what their staple foods are. To be honest, there seems to be much similarity between Peruvian, Mexican and possibly much of Latin menus from around.

In any case I have been keen to try Ceviche since opening a couple of months ago, and despite reading some mixed reviews I was pleasantly surprised they had space for a same day weekend evening.

Given the name of the place, it can be expected that the ceviche items are supposed to be tasted. Don Ceviche (fresh seabass ceviche in aji amarillo chilli tiger's milk, aji limo chilli & red onions) was a great signature start to the night - tart tangy lime coating chunks of seabass seared by acidity and raw inside with some crisp sweet potato adding contrast. The waiter also recommended Barranco I Love You (tiradito of thinly sliced seabass in aji amarillo chilli tiger's milk & cancha corn) - I suppose the main differences I noted was the extra chilli kick and peanut crunch that wasn't in the Don; maybe I wasn't paying attention closely enough but otherwise the flavours didn't strike me too differently and I don't recall corn being added as supposed.

Yucas (fried cassava chips with Huancaina sauce) was a good snack of fried crispy outsides and a more chewy texture than potatoes on the inside.

The cooked food at Ceviche has been the most scrutinised and I am happy to note that they were definitively successful on my eating. Corazon (beef heart skewers) were spectacular - the meat was cooked with lovely rareness maintaining texture and the typical heart flavour I like, exemplified by a chilli sauce for difference. It was served with choclo corn which have the largest kernels I've seen and a strangely unexpected starchy texture. Odd.
Pulpo skewers (braised octopus & chorizo) was equally delectable - tender soft flavoursome octopus cylinders and oily rich chorizo. I'm salivating just remembering them.

Main dishes of Lomo Saltado (wok cooked striploin beef strips, chips & saltado sauce) were again cubes of nicely medium-rared beef with quality crispy chips that unfortunately the underneath ones got soaked soft in liquid. The other dish I'd read good things about was the Peruvian Corn Cake (choclo corn & feta Peruvian style vegetarian cake) is certainly something I would not have ordered if others hadn't commented on it - it had some nice corn flavour, but otherwise the wet texture was not for me.

Dessert to try was the Suspiro de Chirimoya (fruit mousse with manjar blanco, cinnamon & port wine meringue) ended up effectively being a very thick sweet caramel with what resembled more cream than meringue on top. Good if you have sickly sweet tooths, but again not so much my taste.

Overall a good meal with plenty of highlights I would return for and many more menu items I'm keen to try.

Next time I would order the Don Ceviche, Yucas and more serves of the Corazon (beef heart) and Pulpo (octopus/chorizo) skewers. Striploin beef is also good but some of the other mains items sound more interesting. From the menu the salmon ceviche and seafood or duck rice mains would be on my list for next time.

There are many choices for steakhouses in London - the classic recurring names are Hawksmoor and Goodman, with Cut on 45 being a recent addition to the list. Given that decent quality meat is quite expensive here, a night out to celebrate an occasion with a hearty carnivorous meal is always something to look forward to.

This evening started off by testing the newly opened Spitalfields bar with a simple Pina Colada (Bermudan and spiced St. Lucian rums blended with coconut sorbet & fresh pineapple) which was delicious and the so-potent-it's-maximum-one-per-person Zombie (three rums churned with grapefruit & lime, falernum, absinthe, bitters & homemade grenadine, with a Navy Rum float) that would satisfy any alcoholics thirst. Worth sharing I'd suggest...

We skipped starters in favour of sides, supplementing the meal with Triple Cooked Chips (similar texture to Heston, but just not as flavoursome), Mac & Cheese (quite average, although the beef shin version at another store is meant to be superb), Roasted Field Mushrooms (slightly overpowered by an acidic vinegar) and steamed Sprouting Broccoli (only really added to help keep us regular).

Desserts for the occasion were Peanut Butter Shortbread with Salted Caramel Icecream (as delicious & rich as it sounds), Sticky Toffee Pudding with Clotted Cream (tasted like it had rum added to heighten the experience) and a very disappointing Cornflake Icecream (literally vanilla icecream with cornflakes on top - please guys, put in some effort if it's on the menu...)

Beef options are a series of large cuts that can be shared between several people (generally 700g-1kg) or smaller ones for the individual. On these evening we shared a 700g Bone-in Prime Rib, 300g Fillet and 400g Rib Eye served with optional extras of anchovy butter and delicious grilled bone marrow.

The highlights of the meal were (as expected) the beef. There is no doubt that the meat is of exceptional quality and flavour, but here's the rub - you can buy fantastic meat if you seek out the right butcher; what you pay for is for them to cook/grill/bake it to a perfect level that you can't achieve at all and this is where Hawksmoor let us down. I like my beef rare and will accept medium rare if on the rarer side or if recommended from a fat melting point of view. With regards to our 3 cuts - the Bone-in Prime Rib ordered medium-rare (as they advised against rare) came out more medium and was quite tough; the Fillet ordered medium came out rare (which had fantastic texture); the Rib Eye ordered medium-rare came out rare (which was the tastiest meat of the three). All had a great tasting crust and the anchovy butter really wasn't required.

I certainly savoured the (rare) meats and similarly my group enjoyed eating their own desired level of cookedness, but the fact is Hawksmoor simply did not cook any of the meats as ordered. A steakhouse cannot be excused for being unable to find the correct doneness. I emailed them about it the next day and never received a reply.

Next time I would order my usual preference of Prime Rib or Rib Eye and insist on being cooked rare. An overcooked piece would warrant sending it back to the kitchen. Get the Grilled Bone Marrow and Triple Cooked Chips and a sauce only if you want variety of taste. Everything else is optional. Alternatively try a different branch or even Goodman (my group did think Hawksmoor meat was better quality and flavour)

Obviously eating well incorporates some of the simplest food pleasures, just done extremely well. After reading through the London burger blogs, I came up with the list of ones to get around during the year (consisting of MEATliquor, Honest Burgers, Lucky Chip, and also potentially Hawksmoor and Opera Tavern although these last two probably serve better other courses than burgers).

In any case MEATliquor was very close to a shopping trip at Bond Street and so seemed only natural.

On a Friday evening at 8pm the wait outside along the side of the building was similar to waiting for nightclub entry. You could peer insideto reveal an enchanted atmosphere of smiles, drinks and social people. This is certainly not somewhere to go alone in the evening.

Each few minutes of the 30-40min wait we inched closer to the entrance until burger aroma wafted over us. The wait outside led to a short wait at the bar before being seated. Enjoy the ceilings as it nominated one of the best decorated food places in London for 2011.

We ravenously ordered a fat-filled meal of Green Chili Cheeseburger, original MEATwagon Cheeseburger, Dead Hippie burger, Chili Dog, Chili Cheese Fries and Onion Rings. This was sealed with a Crack Pie with Ice Cream.

My Green Chili Cheeseburger was sensational - a thick rare patty of unadultered beef flavour, layered with green chili, cheese, pickles and sauce. The bun was soft, greasy and rich. Not a healthy burger, just full of tasy sin. My friends attested their burgers were equally sensational (equivalent to their experiences at Lucky Chip and the hidden burger joint in NYC).

Chili Dog wasn't all that great. The frankfurt tasted quite ordinary and similar to the cheap boiled kinds, although it was the toppings of chili, cheese, jalapenos and mustard were the main reason to enjoy it. Similarly the fries weren't particularly crispy but the toppings (same as the Chili Dog) are what it's all about. Onion rings were large chunks wrapped in crispy coatings - nothing special but a more simpler flavour to contrast the richness of everything else. Dessert was a simple effective way to wash down the meat, cheese and fat flavours.

Next time I would order any of the beef burgers. The Deep Fried Pickles also caught my eye and are apparently very noteworthy also. I'm sure the pork and chicken options would be good too, but if I only had one opportunity here the beef is definitely the go.

12-2012

The opening of the first offshoot called MEATmarket in Covent Garden was an excellent choice. A great central location in a different part of town, a place that didn't require queuing ridiculously and accepted takeaway, and some of the greatest hits from the MEATliquor menu to keep your stomach happy. It doesn't have the same atmosphere as the original place, but this is about a more relaxed atmosphere with the same great food.

The magic was the Ripper Hot Dog (although I thought it was a different name when I had it). A deep-fried bacon wrapped pork frank topped with mustard, onions, danish sauce and spicy relish. Easily the best hot dog I've had in my life (I haven't had *that* admittedly) but with such an explosion of delicious flavour I couldn't deny lusting. Unfortunately it wasn't on the menu the several times in 2013 I went back to find it. Not to worry - the burgers are still great.

10-2013

Headed back to the original MEATliquor for some lunchtime burgers in the quiet empty venue. The Green Chili Cheeseburger and Chili Fries still get my attention every time. What is new (and possibly not so great) is the intense smell of burger/meat in the air resulting from probably a lack of ventilation. Leaving the place was akin to the adherent odour from Tayyabs - not so nice. It's a shame.

They've also opened MEATmission in Hoxton, which I never was able to try. The Burger Sundae looks like a dream.

The Triple Chili Challenge is also something to keep in mind next time I venture that way...

I hadn't actually heard of The Ledbury until a friend made a booking on our behalf. I didn't realise that it was ranked 29 in the World Top 50 for 2011 making it London's highest rated restaurant. To be honest since I hadn't spent much time researching or reading about it, I wasn't overly excited about going despite the reputation.

In a rather quiet road in Notting Hill at 930pm it seemed an unusual time to be preparing for a large degustation, but minimal daytime food prepared our stomachs.

We started with a light snack (seaweed cracker with savoury cream, roe & dill - correct me if I've remembered incorrectly) as a nice salty way to kick off the evening, followed by the first formal course Amuse Bouche (kataifi quail egg, chestnut puree & shaved truffles) - delicious, fantastic.

The menu rolled on as such:
- Cornish Oyster Chantilliy & Tartare with Horseradish & Dill
- Flame Grilled Mackerel with Smoke Eel, Celtic Mustard & Shiso (the best dish by far, uniting flavours of the world in each beautiful mouthful)
- Hand Rolled Macaroni Stuffed with Rabbit & Celery with a Veloute of Toasted Hay & Truffle (any excuse for truffles)
- Roast Cod with Crab, Pinenuts, Cauliflower & Blood Orange (quality cod, excellent crab salad. The raw cauliflower slices seemed odd and out of place)
- Berkshire Muntjac Slow Cooked Shoulder with Parsnip, Apple & Juniper (nice flavours but not as tender as I'd expect from slow cooking)
- Berkshire Muntjac Loin with White Beetroot, Red Wine Lees & Bone Marrow (wonderful cooked meats in different styles, the rare slices being my favourite.
- Pre-Dessert (burnt meringue, mango sorbet - of what I remember)
- Caramelised Banana Galette with Salted Caramel, Peanut Oil Parfait (galette was average, parfait with peanuts was wonderfully sweet, refreshing and creamy-crunchy end)
- Petit Four (chocolate ganache, macaron, jelly cube - all too sweet for my liking)

Overall I liked the food; but I found the Flame Grilled Mackerel to be the only course that made me think this is different, incredible and delicious. To their credit, all dishes tasted between the spectrum of good-to-great and none were declared plain nor strange. You are guaranteed to eat well here and £105 is extremely reasonable.

Next time I would order still the tasting menu. Considering a 3 course is £80 and the tasting menu is £105, you're getting much more diversity for a small additional price. The Flame Grilled Mackeral is otherwise the only dish I would without-a-doubt order again.

Excitement was high when booking London's biggest restaurant opening of 2011. After my experience at The Fat Duck in 2009, this was probably my most anticipated place when food reading about London.

Between 6 of us, we managed to try much of the menu. Excellent quality bread whet our appetites (the white being tastier than the wholemeal) before the entree procession started. The overwhelming favourite was the famous Meat Fruit (mandarin, chicken liver parfait & grilled bread) - a splendid presentation of the creamiest parfait (similar to pate) with a delicate sweetness. Simply superb. My other favourite was the Savoury Porridge (roast cod palette, smoked beetroot, garlic, parsley & fennel) - a warm tasty almost-risotto like dish with fantastic flavour. My colleagues were also struck by the Rice & Flesh (saffron, calf tail, red wine). We also tried the Buttered Crab Loaf (crab, cucumber, pickled lemon, herring roe & stone crop) which had good crab flavour but nothing especially unusual.

My main was the Black Foot Pork Chop (spelt, Iberico ham hock & Robert sauce). Honestly my pork chop was surprisingly tough and I wouldn't order it again, but the spelt risotto and pork crackling side with it was gluttonously tasty. I sampled some of the Powdered Duck (smoked confit fennel & umbles) which was a sensationally tender piece of rare duck (apologies about the photo). My company also tried the Cod in Cider (chard & fired mussels) which had the expectedly seafood punchiness and Spiced Pigeon (Ale & artichokes) which they didn't really comment particularly on. The Triple Cooked Chips (specially request them if you aren't getting steak) were the texturally best I've had - supremely crisp housing a moist core.

Desserts were the Tipsy Cake (spit roast pineapple), Taffety Tart (apple, rose, fennel & vanilla ice cream) and Chocolate Bar (passionfruit jam & ginger ice cream). My favourite was by far the Tipsy Cake which was basically a juicy sponge accompanied by tasty grilled pineapple.

Next time I would order an entree of Savoury Porridge (for myself) and/or Meat Fruit (to share) and try the main of Wing Rib of Aberdeen Angus for 2. The waiter told us outright the Hereford Ribeye was simply "steak and chips" so I think the Wing Rib would be more impressive (granted it is for 2 people and more than double the price).

As this place is only a couple of weeks old, coming here made me feel at the front of London's eating scene. The Japanese-inspired addition to l'etranger revealed a sophisticated bar and a stunning dining room designed by a 30 year old Italian artist. I spent a good 15 minutes waiting for my company to arrive just admiring the ceiling.

Molecular mixology came in the form of 'Bang Bang You Shot Me Down' - three liquid nitrogren crumbled sorbet Mojitos layered above wild blueberry/raspberry/strawberry compote and topped with caramel carbonated sprinkle (aka pop rocks).

Food highlights were the Crab & Lobster mayo mini-burgers - tasty shredded crab and lobster chunks served with a rich cheese sauce. The lamb burger was also good, but both beef burgers seemed quite uneventful.

Tuna with osetra caviar had a little too much soy, but gave me enough to realise they have good quality fish (we didn't try any sashimi, but the platter served over dry ice looked fantastic).

Off the a la carte menu, the standout for me was clearly Pan Fried Foie Gras, Cinnamon & Date Pudding, with Yuzu infused Endive & Lagavulin Chocolate Ice-cream. This harmony of flavours and textures was one of my favourites - fatty salty foie gras, heavy sweet pudding, sour endive and chocolate sauce (effectively). Note that none of my company liked the combination, but I thought it was sensational.

We also tried the Abalone & Foie Gras Toban Yaki (excellent quality abalone and foie gras - can't go wrong), Charolais Beef Ribeye Steak (nicely cooked tender meat, but nothing out of the ordinary), Sea Bass, Nori & Asparagus Tempura with Truffled Ponzu Sauce (tasty, but again nothing special) and Miso Grilled Aubergine with Ponzu & Aubergine Caviar (plain grilled slice of aubergine with a miso dipping sauce - good sauce, standard aubergine).

The wide range of sorbets and macaroons (with the exception of salted caramel) were nothing special to me, although next time I'll try the formal dessert and salted caramel ice-cream (they didn't have any that evening)

Next time I would order definitely the platter of 3 Crab & Lobster mayo mini-burgers and Pan Fried Foie Gras, with consideration to the Foie Gras/Abalone only if I had people to share the foie gras with. I would also be interested to try the Caramelised Alaskan Baked Cod with Miso (and compare it to Nobu's) and Grade 9 Wagyu tartare.