Boo in New York - Ippudo

Best ramen in New York?  Friends I was staying with reliably told me it can be found at Ippudo.  We went for Sunday lunch at the Midtown outpost.  They've just opened in London, to mixed reviews, but I loved the meal we had in New York. 

So, their thing is that each table is announced and cheered by the staff upon entry, bit weird, but to be honest, not even that noticeable.  I expected it to be very in your face, but I actually think it's quite nice.  Maybe because I was in holiday mode, rather than nipping round the corner from work to have a quick ramen lunch, but people need to lighten up if they find this intrusive.   We scored a much sought after booth as we were a big group and only had to wait about 20 minutes, which we spent in a nearby vintage clothing shop.  It flew by. 

We started with an obligatory Sapporo ($6), mine didn't go down all that well tbh, it was too early and I was 2nd day hanging.  Molly and I ordered exactly the same, starting with agedashi tofu ($10)

This is served in a dashi broth topped with aubergine, radish, spring onion and wasabi.  Probably the best agedashi tofu I've ever had, the lightest batter encasing it, it was quite difficult to eat actually because the tofu was so soft it was impossible to grip with chopsticks.

Next up we went for the Tori tatsuta-age ($9), the fried chicken with daikon ponzu sauce.  This was incredible.  London has some amazing karaage chicken (Bone Daddies), Montreal too (Saka Ba), but this is the nicest I've ever had.  I could have eaten all of this in a heartbeat, but I had to stop to save some room for the ramen.  It pained me to leave any.

SMILEY FACE!!!  The main event being this, the karaka men ramen ($15).  Tonkotsu pork broth, noodles topped with chashu pork, minced pork, spicy sauce, sesame mushrooms and onions.  Optional extra seasoned egg ($2) was added, obvs.  Now, this was not a Clarence Court egg, so clearly inferior but everything else about this bowl hit the spot.  I'm keen to try the London branch when I'm back in December, to judge for myself if the same formula works in another city. 

Apparently these guys invented steamed buns, who knew.  The starter dishes were really standout and the ramen ticks all the boxes too. 

Ippudo, NY
65 4th Avenue
New York
10003
9/10

June Round Up

Here are my eating highlights from both London and Montreal over the last 5 weeks (confess some late May eats have crept in here as I was too busy getting the Kid wed to blog). 

LONDON

Nopi

Em and I head to Nopi for brunch after a ridiculously early morning screening of Maleficent at Leicester Sq Odeon.  I had the Shakshuka with spicy tomato sauce and smoked Labneh.  

 

There was a lot of red pepper to contend with, I confess I’m not the hugest fan of red peppers, sometimes they disagree with me, but everything was perfectly cooked, most importantly the eggs.  Runny yolks, yes.  I hate when they’re overcooked, I’m looking at you Caravan on Exmouth.  Great bread and a decent flat white too.   Not the cheapest brunch and front of house seemed outraged we’d not booked a table.  Weird WEIRD mirrored toilets, really quite disturbing.

Nopi

21-22 Warwick St

Soho

W1B

6.5/10

Antidote Wine Bar

Fast forward on the same day and Art and I drank a shitload of wine and needed to soak it up with some cheese and meat.  I just didn’t have time to fit in a full meal here, which is a shame as I would have loved to, particularly based on the quality of these boards.  

Wines are all organic, you can buy bottles to take away and the bread is the talk of the town, really very good.  Menu is overseen by Mikael Jonsson of Hedone fame, so no wonder it’s good.  We probably spent around £40 each, but were there for most of the afternoon and had a couple of bottles of wine.

Antidote

12A Newburgh St

Soho

W1F

8/10

One Leicester Street – Leo’s Pop Up

Fast even further forward, still the same day (oof) and we had dinner at One Leicester St.  It was the last night of a 3 month long pop up which saw Leandro Carreira (ex- Viajante chef) take over the kitchen Thur-Sat.  

It was a communal affair with guests sharing a 7 course tasting menu for £88, wine pairings included.   Highlight was the iberico presa with baked beets and the langoustine with honey carrots.  Really fun night, obviously not something you can enjoy yourselves (unless you went) but keep an eye out for Leo’s next venture.

One Leicester St

Erm, 1 Leicester St

WC2H

7/10

Berner’s Tavern

Bel and I head back to our old fave the Berner’s Tavern for my last night in London.  We lashed right out and got the chateaubriand for 2 with foie gras, roasted baby artichokes and truffled mac and cheese.  

There is so much good stuff going on with this dish, it’s just incredible.  So much truffle.  It’s really rather good value at £80 for two.  We drank Prosecco, obvs and stopped off in the Punch Room.  Love and miss this place sooooooo much.  Well done Jason.

Berner's Tavern

10 Berners Street

Fitzrovia

W1T

9/10

Koya Bar

Another old fave I had to make time for was Koya Bar, Nibs and I popped in for lunch and both opted for the special udon which was poached chicken in soy milk broth with sesame.  It was really simple and clean, as all their dishes could feasibly be described.  We shared the mackerel sashimi also from the specials board, I always always order their specials, they’re so interesting.  Miss you Koya.

 

Koya Bar

50 Frith St

Soho

W1D

9/10

Bull & Last

Also popped in for a Bull & Last bloody mary and Sunday roast combo with Bel which saved me after the Kid’s hen do!  They really know what they’re doing with a bit of beef.  Lemony pud was really good too.  We lurked about for the pub quiz then hit Aces & Eights, classic NW5 Sunday.

Bull & Last

118 Highgate Road

Kentish Town

NW5!!

8/10

MONTREAL

Café Melbourne

On my first Saturday back I met Sarah for lunch at Café Melbourne.  I remember walking by this place in February when I visited, it was approx. -15 and I was slipping all over the place in the snow, determined to have a wander about and get a bagel from Fairmount.  What a difference a few months makes, it was a boiling hot day, we sat in the window and ordered coffee and ‘jaffles’.  

Jaffle meaning Aussie toastie, think Breville.  I got the mac daddy, of course, filled with actual mac cheese and served with a nice bit of pickle and some ready salted crisps.  The big concern with toasties is usually that they’re so hot they burn, but I found the opposite was true of this one, the second half was barely warm when I got to it, perhaps I was chatting too much.  Good coffee though and they had a Donna Hay magazine in there and good world cup banter. 

Café Melbourne

Saint-Laurent

Plateau

H2T

6/10

 

Bishop & Bagg

Speaking of the world cup, I watched an England match at Bishop & Bagg an English inspired ‘pub’.  In inverted commas because it’s absolutely not a pub, but they’re trying!  They have an English menu too, curries, a ploughman’s, kebabs.  

 

I had the lamb kebabs which look an absolute mess here but were really very good.  Reports of the ploughman’s were along the lines of don’t do it to yourself.  I sound negative but I actually really like the place, and I live near it now, woo!  Apols for the shocking photo, finger included so you could see the wrap, pitta type thing.

Bishop & Bagg

52 Rue St Viateur Ouest

Mile End

H2T

7/10

 

Le Gros Jambon

Another greaso lunch with Sarah, this time close to work, Le Gros Jambon appears on this list of the best Mac & Cheese to be found in Montreal, so I had the chicken tacos.  Need to go back for the mac cheese, newsflash - it’s almost too hot to eat macaroni cheese.   It’s upsetting, and I need to stop moaning about/talking about/checking the weather.  

The chicken tacos with a side salad were my attempt to make a healthier choice at this diner.  Really liked them actually.  Nice guacamole, sour cream and salsa accompaniments, and it was served individually on a tray for your own construction.   I rather like that.  

 

Cute, kitschy décor and cheap, about $12.

Le Gros Jambon

286 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest

Old Montreal

H2Y

6.5/10

Nora Gray

One Saturday evening a group of us went to Nora Gray, a restaurant opened by an ex-Joe Beef chef and front of house duo.  It comes highly recommended by food people so I was super excited and it proved to be the best meal I’d eaten so far in Montreal (until my birthday meal at Liverpool House, but more on that soon).

My starter was cavatelli with tomato, anchovy and fennel.  The pasta was perfect, all home made and great value at $12 for a bowl.  Love Italian meals where it’s the done thing to eat pasta as a starter, they are genius.

Again, shocking picture but it's very dark in there, all candle light and orange.  I couldn’t resist the special main, pork belly with turnips and polenta.  It was sooooooo good, around the $30 mark.  We drank a load of red wine and left very very happy.  It’s a slightly odd area of the city, Griffintown, up and coming allegedly, but it feels like it’s out in the sticks with very little else around it.  Worth the trek though for sure, I’ll be back, they're awesome. 

Nora Gray

1391 Rue St Jaques

Griffintown

H3C

9/10

May Round Up

Eeeeek, I’ve neglected my blog.  Apologies.  It’s been all go.  A whirlwind trip to London during which I was Maid of Honour at my sister’s wedding, it was one of the best days of my life, it, and the trip, when far too quickly. 

So, here’s a quick round up of things I ate in May before I head off.

Biiru

Love love loved Biiru, went for an impromptu dinner on one of the first really hot summer days in Montreal.  I am beginning to see what people meant when they spoke of a seasonal transformation.  It has really come alive now the snow has gone, and I’m falling for the charm of the place.  Anyway. 

Biiru is a recent opening in the Downtown area and it’s great.  An Izakaya, it’s the kind of menu that’s really difficult to pick from, they have ramen, yakitori, sushi, japadogs etc. etc.  In London these things are generally offered at separate restaurants.  I like to know where I am with a menu. 

I opted for the mushroom and truffle okonomiyaki ($14) and chicken thigh yakitori ($6) and both were brilliantly done.  I wish I’d been braver with the yakitori and had hearts or livers, next time.   

I also got to try the agedashi tofu and the sesame edamame, always winners.

Biiru

1433 Rue City Councillors

Latin Quarter

H3A

8/10

Restaurant Helena

Had a speedy 3 courser here with a work buddy.  Lovely corn soup with chunks of chorizo inside to start and paella for main.  Some weird fruity thing for pud which I didn’t like but for $22 it’s an after thought. 

I blagged my way onto a table in the heaving dining room with no booking.  It’s really popular here, solid unfussy cooking.  Better for lunch than dinner due to the excellent value of the offer.  It's round the corner from my office, I'll definitely be back, vibe is workers with clients on lunchbreak. 

Restaurant Helena

438 McGill Ave

Old Montreal

H2Y

7/10

Kaza Maza

I tried this place with Grace, Patrick and Margharita one Sunday.  Really enjoyable ‘middle Eastern’ mezze type menu with small sharing plate.  Cold dishes only early in the day and a fuller menu available for dinner.  Hummus was as good as expected.  

Cheese plate with rose water jam and the mouhammara, a dip containing ground walnuts with pomegranate molasses, were the highlights.

There are olives and unlimited flat breads.  The beetroot dip was excellent too.  Cheap lunch, I think we paid around $30 each and outstayed our welcome.  Everything is well spiced and fragrant.  The earthenware dishes are nice, the service lovely and the room open and airy.  I think they have belly dancing nights, too so I’ll obviously be back.

Kaza Maza

4629 Park Avenue

Plateau

H2V

7.5/10

Trius Winery

A few of us took a holiday weekend road trip to the Ontario wine region.  I did a bit of research and found Trius Winery to be the most lauded eatery in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake.  I booked us in for the tasting menu with wine pairings on the Saturday night.  The gewurtztramier was the stand out wine of the night, surprise surprise, always a fave of mine.  The size of their wine glasses was astonishing, one used to serve a red fit an entire bottle, we made them test it.  Some of the dishes I had.

 Frozen lollipop canape, beetroot and chocolate. 

Can't pretend I liked starting the meal with chocolate.

Chicken wings with scallops on a sweetcorn puree, very nice.

 Dish of the night was the beef fillet with heritage carrots.  Lovely.

Highlight of the evening was a drunken cellar tour.  They were ever so nice, and patient with us.  The food wasn’t great to be honest, some fails, including a cold hard boiled quails egg with asparagus and balsamic, and the desserts were too frozen to cut with a spoon, but this is wine country, just go there for the wine.  5 course tasting menu was $75 and the showcase (not just any old) wine pairings was $45 each.  45 DOLLARS!!  So good.

Trius Estate
1249 Niagara Stone Rd  
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Ontario
6/10

Restaurant Park

Musing one evening about the foods we miss most from our respective homelands, one of my colleagues said he was struggling to find decent sushi in Montreal.  I remembered reading many many glowing reviews of Restaurant Park placing chef Antonio Park at the top of the list when it comes to sushi here.  It's pretty undisputed, he's has a license to import it himself, not sure where from but the sushi here is really very good.

Service was good too, couple of blips, like freaking out because there was a baby with us but mostly really friendly and helpful.  I added 2 to the party at very short notice and they were obliging.  We mostly went for the chef's Omakase menu, a tasting menu which changes daily.  Some of the table opted not to and they were cool with that.  It is by no means a cheap eat, the sushi set menu is $65 per person, plus tax, plus tip, plus drinks you're looking at $100 each.

The tasting menu began with a hot and sour soup which was brilliant.  My pictures on the whole are shocking, my picture of the soup is unusable but trust me it was a great start.  Next up came a little crab tian, with mango and supposed balsamic tomatoes.  There was no hint of balsamic.  Regardless, it was nice and fresh, I even enjoyed the mango, and I'm not a fan generally.

Then onto the nigiri selection, this was for 5 people, there was so much!  Best of all was predictably the fatty tuna, each had a different topping/garnish and the quality of the fish was excellent.  I didn't reach for a piece of ginger once as I wanted to taste each fish. 

Next up was one of these boards each, they were maki and they were huge, filled with salmon and tuna tartare and topped with enoki mushrooms, micro herbs and truffle mayo.  They were quite difficult to eat, I attempted to cut them up with my chopsticks, things got messy and I was getting full.  I left one.

The next course was my favourtite, the sashimi was exquisite.  Seared tuna, tuna, salmon, seabass, red snapper and sea bream, all amazing.  The dashi broth was cold but the actual best thing in the bowl (possible exaggeration) was the unripe truffled peach.  The small green fig looking thing.  It was incredible, a little tart and almost olive like in texture.

I didn't have room for dessert, I gave mine to one of my fellow diners who hadn't ordered the tasting menu.  We drank a lot of red wine and some cocktails, they have a kimchi martini on the menu, which I avoided, opting for the cucumber one instead.  I really liked the place and when I want sushi this is certainly where I'll be heading in future.  They also gave us free shots at the end of the night which is common here, yay, and rarely happens in London.

Restaurant Park
378 Victoria Avenue
Westmount
9/10

Koya Bar

Everyone loves Koya.  I don't think I know a single person with a bad word to say about it.  Actually, oh yes, people hate the queue.  Because there is often a queue as their noodles are that good, people will wait.  But hey, people wait for hours to eat at The Breakfast Club which makes me think those people are not right in the head.

But they're right about Koya.  And now even the queue haters can shut up, because there's a new Koya where Mooli's used to be.  Koya Bar.

They opened a few days early, I saw pictures of people eating there before the announced grand opening so promptly scooted round to Frith at lunch the following day with Art.

I was surprised to find the same menu as Koya, I'd imagined it would be different but why fix what ain't broke?  We started, as we usually do, with the atsu-age, £6.90, fried and grilled tofu.

I then had the fish & chips, which was coley in tempura batter with celeriac crisps and shisho dip, £9.10.  A dish I've not had before at Koya and I was really happy with it.  Light and crunchy, lovely dunked in the accompanying dip, I even loved the garnish of battered parsley leaf.

Art had the beef donburi which looked amazing, I tried the beef and it didn't disappoint.  The rice dishes all come with a bowl of miso, £11.40.

Having read Lizzie's post, I've learned they are serving breakfast at Koya Bar and that they plan to move the original Koya towards a more specials led menu, which is really exciting, I'm always tempted by the specials board there and have liked every dish I've tried from it.

A great addition to Soho, and one I'm sure I'll be returning to again and again.

Koya Bar
50 Frith St
Soho
W1D 4SQ
9/10