September Round Up

Little round up of some nice things I've eaten this month.  First up a trip to the final Kerb Saturday of the year at King's Cross (they're launching in Maida Vale from 12th Oct).  There were relatively few traders and a lot of people so queues were pretty long.  Fortunately not the case at The Grilling Greek.

Obviously not the best picture ever taken, but this was a pork souvlaki garnished with tomato, red onion and tzatziki.  Those chips were awesome too, topped with feta and oregano, though Artemis (who knows her Greek food) was upset that there were no chips inside the pita.  Speaking of the pita, this was the best I've ever had.  Think they're about £5 each from memory.

I had some brilliant scallops from the rather irritatingly named Healthy Yummies.  Healthy they weren't actually as they were floating in beurre blanc and sitting on top of some lovely creamy celeriac puree.  Very good.

Fried to order, they're really fresh, topped with lardons and fried herbs, about £4 each.  We wanted to try Bao London too but they sold out pretty early.  They had a long queue all day so we missed out this time.  Fortunately, they were also at the We Feast 1 year anniversary event so we head straight there to try them out.

I'd had one of these bad boys before but it was even better than I remembered.  Braised pork belly in a steamed bun topped with coriander, pickles and caramelized peanut crumbs, they're sweet and savoury perfection.  Love, love them.  They're under £5 and totally moreish, Art had 2.  They also do deep fried buns with fried chicken inside. 

Also at We Feast were Anna Maes, which I obviously cannot resist whenever I see them.  Mac & cheese is the one.  They had a special on which was dubbed the macgic mushroom.  Mushroom and truffle goodness pimping it up.  Not cheap at £7.50 for a smaller tub than they usually serve in, but there was actual truffle on it, as well as oil so I happily parted with my pennies.

Wishbone had a stand there too, making me very happy, I tried one of their chicken sliders, the mini tower block, a nod to the colonel's zinger tower burger.  Hash brown, hot sauce, crispy chicken thigh, lettuce and cheese, I thought the bun was a bit dry but overall enjoyed it.

I started the month off with a night out with fellow bloggers Hannah and Sarah to the soft opening of Breddos Tacos residency at Slider Bar @ The Player.

Their main thing is clearly tacos but you can still get sliders too, as you rightly should do at Slider Bar.  The tacos are good, we each got the taco tray which offers a selection of all 5 on the menu, spiced chesnut mushroom, jerk pulled pork, fried chicken, cod cheek and beef shortrib.  I liked the cod one the best but they were all really good.  Bargain for £12.

We also tried the slaw (£2) and the pork belly croquettes (£5) which were also great, it was day 2 so 50% off food so this was a real bargain.  Good to know you can still get a decent bite to eat here following the departure of Lucky Chip.

Last but not least, I've spent a couple of nights this month propping up The Lobby Bar at the newly opened Edition Hotel.   Looking forward to trying the Berners Tavern sometime soon, Jason Atherton's latest opening also in the hotel.  Great martinis, decent sliders (po' boy and pulled pork below) and a really fun atmosphere make for an excellent night and a guaranteed sore head the next day.  Love everything about the place and think I'll be huddled around their open fire for much of the winter.

The Grilling Greek
Weekly at Kerb KK (Tuesdays)
Brentford Market
Check their facebook for details.
7/10

Healthy Yummies
Catering, and Kerb occasionally. 
Check the Kerb traders page for deets.
7.5/10

Bao London
Regulars at Kerb KK (Thursdays)
Netil Market (Saturdays)
9/10

Anna Maes
About, check here
8/10

Wishbone
Visit their Brixton restaurant
9/10

Breddos Tacos @ The Player
8 Broadwich St
Soho W1F
6/10

The Lobby Bar @ The London Edition
Berners St
W1T
10/10

July Round Up

Kimchinary
Hanna's Korean tacos are really special.  I remember trying her rice pudding at We Feast back in November and being seriously impressed with the flavours she'd got going on.  It's next level stuff with these tacos, just look at how pretty they are.  I've sampled these, pulled pork belly ribs and braise bulgogi ox cheek tacos, 2 for £6, at We Feast at Brick Lane Yard and just last weekend at Street Feast in Dalston Yard.

You can also catch Hanna at her Zainichi supper club event this weekend where she'll be cooking an offal based menu alongside masterchef 2011 winner Tim Anderson.  Tickets are still available, snap them up, it's going to be great.  Rooftop and everything!

Bleeker St Burgers
I tried the cheeseburger with sweet potato fries from these guys at Street Feast too, cooked medium rare served with American cheese, lettuce and mustard.  They have some awesome sounding dishes, have heard great things about the blue (cheese) burger and the atomic fries.  Burger and fries cost around £9.

Dirty Burger
Staying on the burger theme, the recent spat of American imports, Shake Shack and Five guys, inspired me to try some home grown offerings that I'd been wanting to check out.  I recently took a trip down the road from my place to Dirty Burger in Kentish Town. 

They are not kidding with the name, we ate this sitting on the pavement outside for as dirty an experience as possible.  Things got messy.  No interior shot, but here it is safely wrapped up in it's paper.  The crinkly fries were brilliant.  I do love a crinkle.  Perhaps something to do with this being the tail end of a 3 day burger bender, but I was a bit over it before it began.  My fault though and I'll definitely be back to give them another go and to try Chicken Shop and Pizza East on the neighbouring site.  Cheeseburger is the only option (£5.50) chips are crinkle or onion (£3) and it's all rather fun.  Go in the warmer months though, it's literally like you're eating in the shed in the garden.

And, just to be clear, that is not my coke, I hate coke.

Joe's Southern Kitchen and Bar
Navajo Joe's has relaunched as Joe's Southern Kitchen on the same site on King Street in Covent Garden.  I was lucky enough to be invited to a blogger preview event on the 4th of July to sample some of the new American inspired menu.  Highlights included beer can chicken (£24.95), recommended for 2-3 to share,

Braised beef brisket chilli cups, soft corn tacos, diy loading and squirting of the sour cream is a nice touch but possibly for preview only (£5.95),  and the key lime pie dessert, bottom right below.   Unsure of cost, it's not listed on the website, but it was great.  The girls next to us thought there was something off with the shortbread but I liked it.  Crunchy topping and tart citrussy bottom, it's everything I want in a pud.

The guys working there seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the revamp and were keen to recommend things to us and to hear our feedback.  Absolutely appalling mac & cheese though, wrong on so many levels that I was lost for words but the chicken was really good, as was the beef short rib.

Le Gavroche
Finally, not only did I have my birthday meal at Le Gavroche, but I also met Michel Roux Jnr, who must be the nicest man in food.  God love him.  Highlights of Le Gav were the cheese trolley and the cheese trolley.  Ha.  It's epic.
 

 

Other highlights were the octopus carpaccio, made even better because it arrived just after I'd spoken to Noyl who was stepping off the ferry at Manly beach in Oz,  Happy days.  

We had the tasting menu priced at £180 with matching wines, it's not cheap but it was a special occasion.  31, ouch.  We were in the last sitting of the day so it felt a little rushed towards the end, I only had 1 sip of the last wine and we were the last people to leave.  If you're going, go earlier.   Lovely crockery and brilliantly salty butter balls.  Think we were a bit rowdier than the typical Le Gav diner, but they were ever so gracious about it. 

Kimchinary
Catch Hanna at at Kerb, check twitter for details weekly.
8/10

Bleeker St Burger
Also regularly at Kerb but check website for regular updates.
7/10

Dirty Burger
79 Highgate Road
Kentish Town
NW5 (woo!)
7/10



Joe's Southern Kitchen and Bar
34 King Street
Covent Garden
WC2E
I dined as a guest of Joe's Southern Kitchen and Bar



Le Gavroche
43 Upper  Brook Street
W1K
7/10 - it's all about that cheeseboard. 

June Round Up

Here are some other things I've eaten over the last few weeks which I don't feel warrant posts to themselves really, and I'm liking the recent round up from April/May, feels a bit like having a clear out so here you have it for this month...

Mama Wangs
Straight from the off here I'm going to rave about these noodles.  In my opinion, the pork cheek biang biang noodles coming out of this little street food stall in various locations across the city, is one of the finest dishes London currently has to offer.

I bloody knew I'd love it, and I do.  I've been to Harringay Market twice in 3 weekends to get my fix and I'll be back, whenever they are there.  The assembling of the dish is theatrical, the noodles hand pulled while you wait, flash boiled then combined with the carrot, cucumber and coriander mix, chilli oil, dried chilli, sesame, cumin seeds and topped with the pork cheeks and crispy crackling.  Once I've eaten it, I literally cannot stop thinking about it for hours.  It's that good.  Fiery and fragrant, you need these in your lives. 

I've also tried the cumin lamb but they weren't quite as satisfying as the pork version.  Still amazing though.  Mama Wangs also host supperclubs and various events, check their website for details of the next dinner.  They're really sweet people and are serving up something quite unique.  See, raving about it and to think, I once claimed to not like Chinese food, I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself.

Cookhouse Joe
One lunchtime I darted up Berwick St from my office to meet Art at the reasonably new Cookhouse Joe, another chicken restaurant.  I must confess I've not really gotten involved in the recent chicken revolution, I do really want to try Wishbone, but Brixton is a bit out of my way.  I must rectify it and get down there.  The thing Cookhouse Joe has going for it is value for money, and proximity to my work I suppose.  Also, it's rotisserie chicken, not fried.

For just £6 you get half a chicken with fries and a side at lunchtime, making this only 5p more than a takeaway salad from Vital Ingredient.  An absolute steal and quite delicious actually.  I opted for the salad but corn or slaw sides are also available.  Staff were cheery and there's an upstairs seating area so plenty of room, anyway it's not too busy,  yet.  You also get a choice of sauce, garlic, yoghurt or chilli. 

Savage Salads
Another food stall find, Savage Salads are at Berwick Street Market 3 days a week through the 'summer' months.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday they can be found outside The Endurance.  Salads come in box or pitta, an ever changing, seasonal menu and you get a bit of everything for £4 in a pitta, or £5 in a box.  I was 5p short when I stopped by and they sorted me out anyway, because they're nice. 

On the day the selection included a brilliant panzanella,  a red cabbage and parsley number, a red quinoa salad flecked with pomegranate seeds and a bulghar wheat and mushroom thing.  All come served on a bed of leaves and topped with grilled chicken, halloumi and garlic sauce, if you wish.  I wolfed it all down back at my desk.  A great new addition to the market.

Meatlover

John, Sue and I went to the Meatlover soft launch @ Filthy McNasty's in Angel a couple of weekends ago, bouyed by the idea of 50% off of a meat feast.  It was good value but not mindblowing, we went for the large meatlover to share between the 3 of us, the ribs were excellent, tender and sticky, really nice work. 

I had high hopes for the fried chicken, based on pictures I'd seen, but was disappointed by what we were served, it lacked flavour and tasted like old oil.  The pulled pork and the brisket were good, but the ribs really were the highlight.  The side of mac & cheese was textbook and the fries were great.  Cabbage and bacon was a token green order.  We shared the cheesecake and the strawberry shortcake for afters and it all came to about £30, until we added our bar bill, drinks were not 50% off.

To be honest, I won't go back, but they're open until the pub gets a revamp and becomes The Fountain, a respectable gastropub, this is McNasty's bowing out.  Open through the 'summer'.

Mama Wangs
Various Locations
Often Harringay Market
South Harringay School
N4
10/10

Cookhouse Joe
55 Berwick St
Soho
W1
7/10



Savage Salads
Various locations inc
Berwick Street Market
Soho
W1
7/10

Meatlover
Filthy McNasty's
68 Amwell St
EC1R
5/10

Whitecross Street Market

I think I've mentioned that I miss working in Soho.  It's upsetting really.  That said, there are some perks to working near Old Street, like being able to walk to work and having Whitecross Street Market on my doorstep come lunchtime.

On my first day, a colleague took me there and I was really impressed with the choice available, even on a Monday.  Things do tend to liven up towards the end of the week but there's a multitude of choice all week long.  Many of the stalls have mega queues, but they move quickly, and if taken as a sign of the quality, they're probably a good thing.

Here are some of the things I've tried.

Green Goat
I've loved both lunches I've grabbed from the Green Goat van, it's the dark green one (the light green van, a little further South down the street belongs to Luardos).

The double sardine fish-o-fillet burger (£5), 2 sardines served in a granary bap served with slaw and beetroot ketchup was delicious.  It's served in some parchment paper, and is a bit messy to handle (think sardine hands all afternoon, I had to go and buy some wet wipes) but the important thing is that it's delicious.  The beetroot ketchup is a lovely idea, nice purple hue to it. 

These guys get their fish in daily from Cornwall and it really shines through, the quality and freshness of the fish is what makes these dishes. 

I would have to say I preferred the Cornish pollack which came on a bed of roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes with rocket.  Again, the freshness of the piece of fish really made the dish, Green Goat are offering a really healthy but filling alternative to the norm come lunchtime. £6, but you get what you pay for.

I clocked that they're doing a fish curry at the moment, think that's a must have.

Hoxton Beach
I tend to find falafel a bit dull to be perfectly honest but I'd read good things about Hoxton Beach's balls.  I went for a small (3 falafs) wrap with hummus and aubergine, frankly I can't see why anyone would turn down those optional extras.  There's a large available with 5 falafals and these are such excellent value.  I've really craved more since I sampled this, a nice selection of crunchy salad gets added, then some ripe sliced tomatoes and chilli and tahini sauces.  Also jalapenos, if you're so inclined, I was.  It started raining as soon as I walked away from the stall, but I couldn't resist ripping it open and tucking in under the safely of my brolly.  It was so good.  Mmmm.

 

Bratwürst
Some delectable German sausages are up for grabs on Thursday and Friday at the Southern end of the street.  For only £3.50 you can get a traditional German sausage, in a bun topped with sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup and crispy onions.  They're also selling a load of traditional German sauces and snacking sausages like Landjäger which make me happy because they remind me of hiking up mountains in Bavaria, good times.

Can't wait to try these guys out, and I thought leaving Soho might be good for my waistline.....
Luardos
Eat my Pies
The Roast of Sherwood
The Wild Game Company
Wholefood Heaven

Eat Street

Blessed with a fair bit of time off over the last few weeks, I've been able to make regular excursions a mere 10 minute walk due West of my house, to Eat Street at King's Cross.

 Blythburgh belly pork and hoisin and mushroom, 

walnut and miso steamed buns from Yum Bun

 

I love the idea of this venture, a collective of street food vendors take turns to pitch on King's Boulevard and it's gone super size for the Olympics.  Usually a lunchtime only treat for those in the vicinity during the week, they are now open on the weekends and until 8pm daily, for the duration of the the games.  Slightly different location at the southern end of the Boulevard.

Thai meatballs from The Bowler with rice, 

slaw and fiery chilli jam

Check the website for a list of who will be there each day and a whole heap of other info.  Also see Petra Barran's twitter feed, @EatStreet, for deets.

The porky sub from Tongue 'n Cheek

Also happening thanks to London 2012, is Eat Street at the Exhibition Road Show, where all the usual Eat Street traders and more, will be on rotation with 20 different options each day.  It's open all day, until late Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I cannot wait to get down there to try the likes of Anna Mae's and Speck Mobile.

 Balti beef Bhangra burger

If you can, check out Eat Street whilst the opening hours are expanded, it's well worth the visit, I've never been disappointed with any the food I've been served and here's hoping the rain stays away.

Eat Street Collective

Various locations

Yum Bun

6/10

The Bowler

8/10

Tongue 'N Cheek

8.5/10 

I can't wait to try more Italian treats from these guys using unfavoured cuts.  The pork cheek sub was incredible.

Bhangra Burgers

Not my burger, would be wrong to rate.