March Round Up

Rounding up this month, my final weeks in London were pretty out of control, I had breakfast, lunch and dinner out one Monday and my waistline has expanded as a result.  Fortunately, despite the -25º lows, I've been walking everywhere in Montréal.  Here are a few of the places I've eaten this month in both cities.

Harwood Arms
I had a brilliant Sunday lunch at The Harwood Arms with Nibs and Charlie, returning to our previous hood for one of the best roast dinners ever.  This is the special roast beef for 2 and it was awesome.  I tried the roast pork, also great but this was the one, 2 kinds of beef, yorkshires filled with beef, cauliflower cheese, horseradish moussey stuff, hispi cabbage.  Every element was excellent.  They also do Pol Roger by the glass, loved the place.  We paid around £50 each but we stayed and drank all evening.

The Harwood Arms

27 Walham Grove

Fulham

SW6

9.5/10

Chicken Shop
I finally made it to Chicken Shop in Kentish Town with Bel in the weeks running up to my departure.  We may or may not have been drinking champagne all day in Hampstead so this is exactly what we needed.

We opted for the half chicken with plenty of sides, we sat at the bar seeing the chefs doing what they do, chopping up chickens with cleavers, we drank more wine.  The sides were excellent, fries, green salad with avocado and the slaw.  The hot and smokey sauces are also great, both really have a kick. 

I knew I'd love it.  They've recently opened in Vauxhall too.  Service was nice, we paid around £20 each, cheap and tasty.

Chicken Shop
79 Highgate Road
Kentish Town
NW5
9/10



Silk Road
Also on my list for a long time was Silk Road, one of Nibs and Charlie's faves.  We went as a group of 5 and I was informed it was all about the middle plate, a big bowl of meat, broth, veggies and later, noodles for groups to share.  It was amazing.  I always find it funny when places are renowned for bad service, this place is popular and they do their best, but don't expect them to roll out the red carpet.  It was really hot and sweaty in there, it's communal dining, and it's really fun, the sauna like environs added a headiness to the whole experience.  We also had dumplings, home style cabbage and loads of beers, we paid about £13 each and left stuffed.  Quite brilliant and eye wateringly chilli hot!

Silk Road
49 Camberwell Church St
Camberwell
9/10



Barnyard
The last meal I squeezed in was lunch at Barnyard, Ollie Dabbous' new opening on Charlotte St.  There Art and I were, sat beside Matthew Fort on their 2nd day of opening.  It's a tiny dining room up some stairs at the rear of the building, an even smaller bar area doubles as the entrance with a couple of tables outside.  The most memorable dish for me was the barbecued grain fed short rib, with mustard and black treacle (£12), so so good.  Everything was good actually, as you'd expect, here's the sausage roll with piccalilli (£5). 

And these chicken wings were lovely, smoked paprika and lemon flavoured (£4).  Worst was perhaps the cornbread (£3), it was a little dry, served in their signature paper bag with date stamp, but we'd forgotten about it and go to it late.  Cauliflower cheese (£3) was amazing as was the black pudding bubble and squeak topped with fried egg (£8).

Desserts were a highlight actually and I rarely favour the sweet dishes.  Lemon posset (£4) and popcorn ice cream with smoked fudge sauce (£4) were so so pretty and both absolutely delicious.

Loved the food.  Drinks I wasn't overwhelmed by, they have a selection of alcoholic shakes and shandies.  Sort of beer cocktails.  I tried the country house shandy with elderflower, lemon, ginger ale, bourbon and goose island IPA.  It came in a mini tankard though, lotta love for a mini tankard.  I imagine it'll soon be a queue situation here, they were full for lunch on day 2 and it's a no bookings situation in stark contrast to Dabbous. 

Barnyard
18 Charlotte St
Fitzrovia
W1T
8/10



José
Gotta say I was very disappointed about dinner José.  I just don't think Barrafina and Fino can be beaten for Spanish in London, but I went with high hopes because everyone else seems to love José and Pizarro.  These croquetas (£6.50) had some kind of pimento filling.  The menu doesn't tell you what's inside, and I saw other people with cheesey ones, which upset me.  The beet, walnut and blue cheese salad (£6) was the best thing we tried.  We also had Ibérico pork meatballs which were good, in a tomato sauce (£7), pan fried squid with confit onions (£8.50), which had a really unpleasant texture and pan con tomate (£3), nice but the bread wasn't toasted enough.

Lentils and chorizo (£6.50) was more meatballs, they were fine and the cheese plate was very good (£10).  Maybe I'm just a Barrafina fangirl, but they'll always have my heart, go there instead.

José
104 Bermondsey St
Bermondsey
SE1
5/10



Paul A Young
Best leaving present ever from Bel!  These little truffle selection boxes are best enjoyed, as we recently discovered, with a bottle of Pol Roger.  That's a battenberg one (bottom middle)....I assure you, you need this in your life. Best_thing_ever.

Paul A Young
Various
10/10



Zetter Townhouse
Best cocktail bar in London.  They can be a bit dismissive sometimes, if you show up late as a large group, they'll most likely tell you to do one.  But show up early, pre dinner drinks are your best bet.  Most recent visit was for a pre Quality Chop House martini and scotch egg.  Both incredible.  The gin martinis are dangerously drinkable.  LOVE and will miss this place a lot.

The Zetter Townhouse
St John's Sq
Clerkenwell
EC1V
10/10




Here's what I managed to try in Montreal in my first week:

Boucherie Lawrence
One of the places I most want to eat at is Lawrence.  I want their pancakes at brunch, but they've not been on the menu both weekends I've been here so far.  I was happy to learn that they have a butchers shop a few doors down the Main (as Boulevard St-Laurent is known to locals) and that they serve incredible sandwiches from 11:30-7pm.  Better yet, it's just round the corner from me!

First I tried the porchetta ($8) and it was a revelation.  They're into their sandwiches in a big way here but this one is next level.  Every element is perfect, the home baked rolls, the meat - just the right ratio of fat to pork, the cornichons, the mayo, lettuce, really everything is spot on.  I was in awe.

 

Also tried the ham, look similar don't they?  This was nice but the porchetta is the one.  They have various fillings depending on the day, but you want that one if you go, I promise.

Boucherie Lawrence
5237 St Laurent Boulevard
Plateau
H2T 1S1
10/10



Holder
Close to my new office there are literally tonnes of restaurants I'm dying to try, the Old Port area has almost as much to offer as the Plateau.  The weather really does make it tough to get about though, I've tried to walk as much as I can as it's the best way to explore but I've fallen over twice already and I don't want any more bruises.  Luckily, Holder is literally 5 minutes away so an ideal post work drinks spot.  I've been twice since arriving.

On my first visit, night 2 in the city I had the boeuf bourguignon, apols for the shoddy snap, it's taken from my Instagram.  It was beef cheeks with mash and green beans.  Plenty of big chunks of bacon and little onions, really good.  The wine didn't agree with me at all though.  I've also had the confit duck with roast potatoes, very good too.  Service is great, nice bread and the fact they give individual bills still astonishes me, makes it so much easier when time comes to settle up.  Good one Montréal.

Holder
Rue McGill
Old Montréal
H2Y 2G3
8/10



Saka-Ba
In the search for something a fraction as good as Bone Daddies, I head to the newly opened saka Ba, in the Plateau.  Bar style seating with ramen and all the usual sides from gyoza to kimchi cabbage.  Very nice it was too.  Think Tonkotsu in London, reminded me of their ramen, really good noodles, clean broth and good pork.

I got the small bowl for $10 which was just right after the kara age ($6) with spicy mayo.  This was really good, thigh meat, perhaps could have been a better crumb on it, but it was nicely seasoned and the mayo with a wedge of lemon gave it an extra zing.

In other news, it seems that restaurants not having a website but relying on a facebook page is a thing here.  Which I deplore.  I so rarely use facebook, feels plain lazy to me to not have a website these days.  

Saka-Ba
1278 Mont-Royal Ave East
Plateau
H2J 1Y4
8.5/10

October Round Up

Round up time.  Looking back, it's been a pretty busy month....

Finally made it to Janetira for lunch one day to try their famed Khao soi (£9.50) and I wasn't disappointed.  It consists of chicken on and off the bone, a rich coconut soup, boiled and crispy fried noodles.  Look at the sides you get with it!!  Knew it was going to be seriously good when I clapped eyes on that side plate.  Will definitely be back to try more.  Much more of interest here than you see on typical Thai menus in London.

I wished my friend Suz farewell at The Eagle one evening (she's gone home to Mexico City).  I was chuffed at the choice of venue as I'd been wanting to visit for a long time.  I had a lovely bowl of linguini with mussels and a ton of garlic.

Nibbles of olives and bread were good and the house red was very well received by our table of 6 ladies.  Lola, Suz's dog got a pork chop bone to chew so everyone was happy!

It has a very loyal following and The Eagle is widely considered to have been the trigger of the gastropub revolution when it opened in 1991.  I loved it and will be back to try more.  Open kitchen situation.  Relaxed and fun.  My dish was under a tenner, as is a bottle of house wine.

Early in the month I was invited to a brilliant event at Fish Market to mark the launch of this year's vintage of Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc.  Hannah (Crump Eats) and I teamed up to create (rather, watch the restaurant chefs scramble something together from the fruits of our lacklustre Borough Market haul) this.

It was a cooking competition to see who could come up with a dish the judges (head chef Barry Macmillan and Nick-Blampied-Lane, one of the winemakers) deemed the best match for the 2013 sauvignon.  Needless to say we came last but after the cooking we got to enjoy a 3 course meal in the restaurant.  Beginning with Barry's creation to pair with the wine, scallop ceviche with chilli and lemon zest.  I'll leave the professionals to it in future!

I enjoyed my first visit to Honey & Co early in October too.  I knew I'd enjoy the meal, many friends and bloggers rave about it.  Middle Eastern in flavours, the place is tiny, so it's advisable to book ahead, we did and they lost the reservation so the first round was on them, yay!

Barry Macmillan

Barry Macmillan

Standout dish on the night for me was the slow cooked lamb with saffron rice, almonds and raisins.  We were all sharing and I was happy this dish was close to me, it was really moreish, a sweet creamy sauce with plenty of lamb lurking in the rice.  So good.  We went for the set menu which allows you a selection of mezze style starters and a main dish each for £26. 

I was also quite taken with the pistachio cake which at first look appeared to be a bit dry but was moist and sticky and everything I want in a dessert with a big dollop of cream.  We were given a freebie of chicken liver baklava as they messed up our starter and omitted some of the dishes, I was pleasantly full though and they dealt swiftly with the couple of gripes we had.  

Onto brunch with the Kid at The W Hotel.  You get slippers and bottomless bloody mary's so with those 2 boxes ticked I was happy.  Food wasn't great but it's a fun vibe and a good place to read the Sunday papers and people watch.  For £25 you get granola and fruit followed by this starter platter, between 2.

Not sure who in their right mind would think it's a good idea to pipe cream cheese onto a mini bagel, but that's what they do.  Welsh rarebit was the highlight of this selection.  This is followed by roast beef in a yorkshire pud with veggies and truffle mac & cheese, without any truffle.  I doubt I'd return here to eat, but it is a fun place to hang out.  There's a DJ, at 10am.  Fun times.  Oh and you get unlimited sweet shop style sweets.

Final treat to report is a little local find, recommended by my friends Bel and Lee, Rossella.  It's a small family run restaurant in Kentish Town, nothing fancy, a few doors down from The Southampton Arms, where a half rounded off our night nicely.  I had this special, some kind of beef stew with veggie risotto, portion sizes are ridiculous and costs are insanely low.  We ate a lot, had a bottle of house red and paid something silly like £20 each.  A starter of fried calamari was very impressive.

I should also mention London Cocktail Week.  I went for various evenings of fun and ate this at the Portobello Road gin pop up Parlour in the Seven Dials Club, where we could still smell the paint, they'd prepped the dining room earlier that day!

This was a rose veal cottage pie and it was very nice indeed.  For £15 you got this, a cocktail (Tom Collins) some bread and a little smoked salmon starter.  Bargain.  Check here next year for details of London Cocktail Week events and to get your wristband.  £4 cocktails people.

Janetira Eat Thai
26 Brewer St
Soho W1F
7/10



The Eagle
159 Farringdon Road
EC1R
9/10



Fish Market
16b New ST
Liverpool St
EC2M



I dined as a guest of Fish Market

Honey & Co
25a Warren St
W1T
8/10



W Hotel 
10 Wardour St
Chinatown
W1D
6/10



Ristorante Rossella
103 Highgate Road
NW5
8/10

Brasserie Zedel

Having heard so so many good things about Brasserie Zédel, I'm an idiot for not having made it there before their 1 year anniversary arrived.  I was lucky enough to be invited to dine with co-owner Jeremy King to celebrate and hear a little bit about his motivations behind opening the behemoth.

Beginning the evening with a couple of gin martinis in the Bar Américain Jeremy explained his inspiration stemmed from meals he enjoyed in Parisian restaurants, noting in particular their relaxed attitudes and paper tablecloths, and recognizing an absence in London of a French Brasserie appealing to both diners on a budget and those looking to splash out.  Jeremy, along with long time business partner Chris Corbin, set out to establish a similar setting here.  It's clear to see he's passionate about what he's doing, and he a charming and interesting man to boot.

Here's what I ate:-

Oeufs dur mayonnaise, £3.50

Literally everyone who has eaten this delight raves about it.  So simple but so good.  I knew I loved boiled eggs, but I can't stop thinking about this dish.  Who da thunk it? 

Boeuf Bourguignon, £9.75

Despite it being the hottest day of the year so far, as most have been in recent weeks, I couldn't resist this classic French stew and I wasn't disappointed.  Generous portion of everything, really creamy mash and a rich bacony red wine sauce. 

Iles Flottante, £3.95

If I haven't raved enough, things got ridiculous with dessert.  Meringue, on creme Anglaise.  If there was a pudding made for me, it's this.  Then they drizzled it with caramel and sprinkled it with crystallized rose petals (I think).  Unbelievable.  

There's a really lovely air to the place, it feels much like everybody in the grand dining room is having a brilliant time, and with food of such amazing quality and value, it's clear to see why they've won such a huge following in just 1 year.

I can't wait to revisit, especially for that Ile Flottante!  Open 7 days a week, noon til midnight, get yourself down there. 

Brasserie Zedel
20 Sherwood Street
Soho
W1

I dined as a guest of Brasserie Zédel.

MEATmarket and London Cocktail Week

After a crazy week at work I can't really think of a better way to unwind than an afternoon celebrating London Cocktail Week around Seven Dials, followed by my first MEATmarket experience to soak up all the gin.

Thanks to John, I had a wristband waiting for me and we began the day at Smatt's rum and ice cream shack on Monmouth St.  I'm not a rum fan and made a massive error in ordering a cocktail that practically had visible vapors emitting from it, I forget the name, something about death and bitterness.

We cruised around Covent Garden's various gin pop ups, trying Hendrick's teas at the Monin Mad Hatter tea club, G & T with a twist of grapefruit from The Ginstitute, more G &T at the Fever-Tree Botanical Bicycle as well as Kamm & Sons punch & Judy Bar and The Gran Marnier Punch House.

It was a pretty boozy afternoon and by the end of it, we needed sustenance.  We head to MEATmarket where they were offering a vodka laced slush puppy type thing as their nod to London Cocktail Week, though the programme promised a Woodford Reserve cocktail.  Fortunately, we were just about done with cocktails.

I ordered a dead hippy (£7.50), so I could do a direct comparison to MEATliquor and I found their version lacking actually, and overall my heart still lies with MEATliquor, but we walked straight in and got a table at MEATmarket, so you can't argue with the plan to make things more accessible.  The girl at the counter was rather curt and dismissive, but then we can't have been the first woosy customers to amble in after a gutful of grog.

What I did LOVE were the poppaz (£4), little deepfried morsels filled with jalepenos and cheese.  I could eat these all day, they're quite fiery, but so moreish, I didn't let anyone else get a look in.  We also had the chicken wings with blue cheese sauce and the chilli cheese fries, all of which I know and love from MEATliquor.

I've heard talk about the buns here not being steamed like the MEATliquor ones, and whilst I don't recall them being in any way dry, there is something lacking in both atmosphere and quality of the food at MEATmarket.  The venue is less of a destination, it's more of a takeaway bar, and I know this is the idea and I'm all for avoiding queues if at all possible, but I don't mind queuing for MEATliquior, because it's MEATliquor!

Having said all that, a dead hippy was just what the doctor ordered to soak up all that gin at this point in the day, and it certainly did the job.  I hope the next MEAT appears in EC1!  It's dirty, it's cheap and it's hugely satisfying and still the talk of the town.
NB. Announced today (17th Oct) was the opening of MEATmission, Hoxton market, before the end of 2012, and they'll take bookings!  Hurrah, I work just down the road.

MEATmarket
The Mezzanine
Jubilee Market Hall
Covent Garden
7/10