LONDON-guide – Page 9

Dinner at Eelbrook, Fulham

Published on March 3, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Even though I don’t live in central London I am more than pleased with the restaurants near where I live. Boma have nice burgers, just like Joe’s Brasserie and the best pub ever is just around the corner (all three places are actually within a 4 minute radius!).

There’s also a lovely one starred pub with amazing food a 10 minute walk north, and if you walk the same distance in another direction you have lovely Claude’s. And now there’s another addition; Eelbrook.

Caroline and I had dinner here on a Saturday night at in January and had a lovely meal! We started with pig’s head croquetas that were utterly delicious! As was the little crab tartlettes with beurre blanc and chives which I loved.

We also shared a portion of smoked eel, with beetroot, apple, mustard and horseradish.

Then it was time for our mains. I had bavette with broccoli rabe, trompettes and wild garlic butter. Very simple but absolutely perfect.

Caroline’s pork chop with lentils, leek and romesco sauce was equally amazing!

What a great addition to the already mentioned restaurants! This is definitely a little more up-scale than some of the others but the cooking is consistently very good and quite homely so it really works for a neighbourhood restaurant.

Eelbrook, Eel Brook Common, New King’s Road, Fulham, London SW6 4SE

London’s best burgers – a selection

Published on February 14, 2015February 12, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

The fast food trend is here to stay it seems as more and more burger joints and restaurants offering American food establish themselves in London. I love a good burger and having sampled a few I thought I’d share with you my favourites.

There seems to be two types of burgers, one with a coarser ground beef that I like to call British or chunky, and one with thinner more finely ground patties that for me feels more American. I like both types but if I have to choose I prefer the thinner ones that usually comes two in a bun. They hold together better in my opinion and feels juicier (as long as they’re cooked right).

You find my favourites in each category below:

Thin patties;

Soho Diner – My absolute favourite. Nice bread, fresh condiments, perfect patties and perfectly melted cheese.
Sophie’s Steakhouse – Almost as nice as the ones at Soho Diner.The fries aren’t great but the burger is very good!
Meat Liquor – This used to be favourite before I discovered Soho Diner. They’re still a good contestant.
Honest Burger – Good beef and buns and wonderful rosemary fries.
Five Guys – Really good for being a chain. A bit messy though.

Coarser patties:

Tom’s Kitchen – Without a doubt the best coarser burger. Great seasoning, perfecty cooked. Nice chunky chips and plus points for making their own ketchup!
Bar Boulud – Also very good, but a bit crumbly.
Opera Tavern – The mini burgers with pork and foie gras are phenomenal!
Joe Allen – They only serve burgers for lunch, but they’re good. Just like their skin-on chips.
Byron – Another chain, with fresh burgers. I also recommend the courgette frites.

Dinner at Social Eating House, Soho

Published on February 11, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Jason Atherton has been busy opening restaurants the last few years with the additions of City Social, Little Social and Social Eating House to his earlier established Pollen Street Social.

Out of the new editions I have only been to Little Social, but a few weeks ago I went to Social Eating House in Soho for dinner with a friend from home I haven’t seen in ages. It was so much fun and since we’re both foodies we thoroughly enjoyed the food as well!

Both starters were amazing! My smoked Angus steak tartare (above) was to die for. Lovely flavours, amazing meat and loved the toppings that added different textures. Oh and the egg cream was delicious too!

Mattias basically had a cheese fondue on a plate with warm Vacherin Mont d’Or, croutons, ham, chicory and boiled new potatoes. Utterly delicious!

The main courses were also really nice. This slowcooked venison with date jam, kale, brazil nuts and goat’s cheese was delicious but the lamb was even better. V

The lamb loin from Kent with neck confit, miso caramel, aubergine and mint yoghurt was pure perfection! Especially the confit was to die for and the whole combination of flavours was spot on!

We were too full for a proper pudding (the portions here were certainly substantial) but we couldn’t resist some sorbets and icecreams. Mattias had the coconut (which tasted a bit like Malibu) and mixed berry, which was really nice. The mango sorbet I had was really good and the yoghurt icecream was nice too.

I’m a big fan of chef Atherton and his restaurants. Both I’ve been too have a very high standard of both food, wine and service. The ambiance is nice and relaxed too which is a plus. It’s just very well done. All of it.

Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, Soho, London W1F 7NR

Dinner at Koya, Soho

Published on February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Koya, who recently opened another branch, Koya Bar, just down the streat from its original restaurant on Frith Street, has been around for quite a while but I (finally!) did my first visit a few weeks back. It was a cold cold January evening and me and some friends thought a warming bowl of noodles would make a perfect supper.

We started with a few small plates specials from the board and I must say they varied a bit. The fried tofu (above) was alright I thought, but not being a tofu fan my comments may not do it justice. My friends seemed to enjoy it a lot more!

The sword fish came in breaded and fried chunks complete with bones and things. Not my favourite but perfectly OK.

But I really enjoyed the grilled oysters!

For our mains most of us had noodles, but Jenny chose a domburi (rice bowl) with beef and vegetables that looked really good!

I had a wonderful noodle soup with pork, vegetables and miso. The broth was had great flavour and the udon noodles a nice chewiness to them, the pork itself was probably the least exciting with the dish. It was just what I needed; a soothing and warm bowl of noodle soup!

Laura also had a noodle soup, but one of the specials with miso and fried salsify (I think), not in the picture. Unfortunately the photo of Amy’s noodle soup with vegetable tempura came out grainy, but I think you can imagine what it looked like. It was also really nice.

We were very satisfied with our meal (and wine) but it’s not a place where you can linger. As soon as you’ve finished someone wants your table; it’s first come first serve – no bookings.

Koya, 49 Frith Street, London W1D 4SG

Claude’s Kitchen, Parsons Green – revisited

Published on February 2, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Claude’s Kitchen is a lovely little restaurant a nice 10 minute walk from where I live, and yet I don’t go very often. A real shame I realise when I DO go, as the food is great, the ambiance nice and the wine list and service are good too.

I was here a few weeks ago with Felicity and we had a great time enjoying the food and catching up.

I had two starters instead of a main course because there were several things I couldn’t eat in the main courses and I don’t like picking apart a dish as it then loses its purpose. The two starters I had were wonderful; first the braised octopus with orange, blood orange and a root veg purée.

The the Jerusalem artichoke with chicory, mature cheese and pesto. Delicious! .

Felicity chose a vegetarian main course the waiter said was the best dish on the menu! And she thoroughly enjoyed the baked carrots with chickpeas and turmeric yoghurt dressing.

We had room for pudding too and Felicity continued with the carrot theme and had the carrot purée, apple ice, dulce the leche and raspberries. Fun and yummy!

I was very predictable and chose (probably their most popular pudding) the peanut butter parfait with pretzels, salted toffee and vanilla creme fraiche. Wonderful and less sweet than expected.

I promise, I will be back soon!

Claude’s Kitchen, 51 Parsons Green Lane, London SW6 4JA

Dinner at Magdalen, London Bridge

Published on January 31, 2015January 29, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

There are definitely holes in my London knowledge of restaurants and I really appreciate when friends introduce me to new places. I had never heard of Magdalen near London before a friend took me there, as it’s not an area I usually frequent but Magdalen was a good find; a really cosy neighbourhood bistro.

We started with potted crab with toasted sourdough. Simple and very nice!

For my mains I chose the pan-fried cod with leek, little beans and clams in a creamy delicious sauce. Very satisfying with subtle flavours.

The pork belly with seriously crispy crackling, lentils and green beans was equally nice. I can honestly say that London Bridge is not one of my favourite areas in London, but having this restaurant in your neighbourhood is a little bit tempting.

Magdalen, 152 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU

Dinner at Honest Burger, Camden

Published on January 28, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

After a night in a Camden pub celebrating my friend Amy’s birthday the birthday girl craved a good burger and a few of us were quick to join her at Honest Burger. In my quest to find London’s best burger I’ve heard great things about Honest Burger and was very excited to try it!

The Camden branch was almost empty when we got there, as it was late and they were about to close, but we were greeted and served immediately. I chose the cheeseburger with cheddar which – like all their burgers – came with delicious rosemary salted fries. The burger was really nice with a great relish, wonderful brioche bun and a really good patty! It gets a high score but in my very subjective competition, Soho Diner is still number one.

Honest Burger, Unit 34a, Camden Lock Place London NW1 8AF

Dinner at Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell

Published on January 22, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

It’s not often I go out to eat on Sundays, but when you’re friend works in the restaurant herself, there isn’t much choice, but looking for a place to go I realised most restaurants are closed for dinner on Sundays. Not surprisingly as Sunday lunches are a big deal in Britain, but still disappointing.

Luckily there are nice restaurants open, and we went to Bistrot Bruno Loubet in Clerkenwell. As the name suggests the food served here is French bistro cuisine, which we very much enjoyed. There aren’t any twists or much innovation here – but in a good way. Instead the food is traditional and very well executed. It is not easy cooking simple food well!

Helen started the meal with the rillette which was quite plain, i.e. no twists, but still very good.

I chose the pig’s head and got this wonderful big croquette and a sauce with eggs, capers, mayonnaise and herbs. Very good!

We both had the bavette with chips, salad and bearnaise sauce for our mains and it was very good. In fact one of the better bearnaise sauces I’ve had in a restaurant! It was thick, not too acidic and lovely!

Bistrot Bruno Loubet, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5RJ

Brunch at Roka, Canary Wharf

Published on December 17, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Five months after her actual birthday, my friend Gaby invited a few of us to a birthday brunch at Roka in Canary Wharf. It was definitely one of the best brunches I’ve seen; plenty of Japanese food (it just kept on coming), yummy bellini on arrival and as much wine (it was perfectly drinkable) you wanted.

The birthday girl was also quite happy with her choice!

It was definitely a decent buffet with sushi, seafood, vegetables, sashimi, meats and lots of it. And the chefs really worked hard at refilling it at the same pace we kept filling our plates (not an easy task!).

Apart from the buffet we also got some nibbles at the table, delicious dumplings and crispy calamari.

And a main course each was included as well. We were a group of eight and decided on four different dishes to share between all of us. The barbecued rib-eye was absolutely delicious and so was the dipping sauce.

The poussin with miso dressing was also utterly delicious!

The ribs were thickly glazed and nice too. We also had some terikayi salmon but I didn’t try it.

As it that wasn’t enough food we also got some puddings to share. Beautifully presented on platters we had fresh fruit, a chocolate mousse type thing with sorbet (very good) and a very fluffy vanilla mousse in the little pots.

It was a great brunch with a good selection and wonderful food. The buffet selection was very tidy and everything on there was really fresh. So good!

After the brunch we went outside and had another drink my the ice rink where it was this Christmassy and cosy. What a wonderful day!

Roka, 1st Floor, 4 Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, Canary Wharf Group, London E14 5FW

Dinner at Asia de Cuba, Covent Garden

Published on December 10, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

A few weeks ago Karin, Niklas and their friend Ania and I had dinner at Asia de Cuba, a fusion restaurant serving Asian Cuban food served on plates to share.

The starters appealed to us more than the main courses so we shared a bunch of those, starting with some ceviche. The one with kingfish, curry and passion fruit (above) was nice but my favourite was the prawn, snapper and confit watermelon ceviche. Both were served with enormous prawn crackers and plantain crisps.

We also shared a crispy spring onion pancake topped with smoked salmon which was delicious! One of my favourite dishes that evening.

The Asian noodle box with Cuban vegetables and mushrooms was alright, but nothing special. A dish I actually could have done without.

The tuna tartar on crispy wontons was, on the contrary, another favourite!

Spiny lobster served with palm cajou hearts (whatever that is, Google couldn’t help me) and a spicy sauce. It was nice but not wow.

Confit duck leg on lettuce with hoisin sauce was a take on crispy aromatic duck that was really nice.

So far, we were happy guests (despite the draft from the air con) and we were looking forward to the desserts that were carried in on large platters to share but we were utterly disappointed. Our giant banana split looked quite impressive, but the brownie was really floury, the vanilla ice cream all icy and the biscuits not very nice. The bananas, chocolate ice cream and store-bought mini marshmallows were all fine, but I expect more from a restaurant cooking savoury food this well – like them having a decent pastry chef.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the cream. It was really sweet and probably from a can. Poor.

Asia de Cuba, 45 St. Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4HX