RESTAURANT FILE – Page 15

Wonderful lunch in Rome (Armando al Pantheon)

Published on November 9, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Book! That’s my best tips for visiting Rome. Book everything you possibly can beforehand; taxi from the airport, tickets to all the sights and tables at sought after restaurants.

During my lunch at Armando al Pantheon, which is a small and cosy restaurant, I saw the maitre d’ send away at least ten people that hadn’t booked as not a single table was available for walk-ins. So I was extra pleased I had made a reservation (you can do it online so no hassle at all) because this was a restaurant I certainly didn’t want to miss.

I took the old adage When in Rome seriously and had antipasti, primi and secondi. And wine. Oh, what a lunch!

I started with bruschetta; one with lardo and walnut (nice!) and one with quail’s egg and truffle (wow!).

I then had the spaghetti alla carbonara (a typical roman pasta just like cacio de pepe), and Armando’s version was lovely. Not too creamy but with plenty of flavour and nice pieces of pancetta this was exactly what I thought proper Italian pasta was about. Only downside was the size of the portion – if I had finished it I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything else, so I ate about half and saved myself for the next dish.

It was one of the specials that I thought I might try if I could finish the pasta, but when the waiter told the table next to me about the specials I just could not not order the slow cooked veal with truffle. Although really full after the pasta, I almost felt less full after having had just meat, jus and truffle. The meat was very tender and the jus nice and light but with nice flavours.

Armando’s is, as you can see, small and cosy. So cosy I made friends with the people at the next table (we sat very close) who loved the place so much they’d come back six times during their two weeks in Rome. Armando al Pantheon, Salita dè Crescenzi, 31, 00186 Roma, Italy

Dinner at my local

Published on October 31, 2015October 30, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

After a full on day at the Goodwood Revival we were cold and seriously hungry, and I was really pleased with myself for booking a table at my local pub for dinner. We went there straight from the train and after looking at the menu for two seconds we all settled for steak and ordered three hanger steak, red wine (for mum and me) and cider (for dad).

The hanger steak arrived quickly accompanied by shallot purée, amandine potatoes, girolles, carrots, spinach and jus. It was delicious and just the hearty type of food we craved!

After the maincourse we could relax a bit (I certainly know where my hunger panic comes from…) and ordered two puddings to share. One pretty-as-a-picture lemon meringue pie with lemon jelly and one cheesecake with plum icecream, ginger bread mousse, plums and blackberries. Both were delicious and perfectly executed.

I’m so pleased to have this amazing pub just around the corner. The pub bit is cozy and offers nice snacks and the restaurant bit is just as rustic but with really good food!

The Sands End, 135-137 Stephendale Rd, London SW6 2PR

Eelbrook, Fulham – revisited

Published on October 27, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

I feel very lucky to have a nice choice of restaurants within walking distance from where I live and Eelbrook is certainly a favourite.

When my parents were visiting they stayed nearby so I thought it a good idea to go here for dinner one evening. And they liked the place just as much as I do, it certainly is a little gem of a restaurant. It’s relaxed and easygoing but with good food!

We started the meal by sharing a few starters. First up was the salad with endive, gorgonzola, perfectly ripe figs and hazelnuts that was really nicely balanced and a joy to eat.

We then had deep-fried courgette flowers stuffed with white crab meat and served with a brown crab meat mayonnaise. Very different to the goat’s cheese filled flowers with honey you usually get but also nice.

The salad with confit trout, capers, pickled cucumber and creme fraiche was also lovely but the rye bread on the side a let down, at least for us Scandinavians

For her maincourse my mum had bream from Dorset with beurre noisette, cauliflower puré, capers and almonds and it was a really lovely dish and the fish was perfectly cooked.

My peppardelle with girolles, marsala cream and hazelnuts was seriously creamy (almost a tad too much) but nice in flavour!

The duck breast dad had was cooked to perfection and served with jus, cherries and sweet potato puré. My parents also ordered a side dish of amandine potatoes and an amazing tarragon mayonnaise.

We were too full for pudding and instead went for a walk, had a drink at a pub before going to bed. Such a nice evening in my neighbourhood.

Eelbrook, New King’s Road, London SW6 4SE

Dinner at Granger & Co, Notting Hill

Published on October 20, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

A Friday night after work my friend Caroline and I met up for dinner in Notting Hill. Although living fairly close-by I don’t spend enough time here, so this was a step in the right direction. We hadn’t booked a restaurant so instead tried our luck in the queue at Granger & Co (where it’s first come first serve) and since we we’re happy to sit at the bar we only had to wait for ten minutes. Amazing.

We ordered a cocktail each, celebrating the end of another work week, Caroline with a margarita and I with a perfect bellini.

Then the food followed. Wonderfully crispy Korean fried chicken with tender chicken in the middle for Caroline – so yum, especially as they had a little spice!

I had the grilled squid with rocket and coriander, and of course a little spice. Simple but nice!

Then I had the shrimp burger that I have heard Caroline rave about a few times, and it hit the spot just like I knew it would. Just as satisfying as a beef burger but a little lighter. Can’t wait to have it again.

Caroline’s main course was really drool-worthy though, and even though my burger was great I did have a little food envy of her chicken and pancetta meatballs with pasta and spinach in a lovely soothing broth with heaps of parmesan.

As usual we skipped pudding (we were way too full) and instead headed to a nearby pub for a few more drinks.

Granger & Co, 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB

Cakes at Konditori Antoinette, Copenhagen, Denmark

Published on September 10, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Growing up in the south of Sweden we made many trips to Denmark and Copenhagen. Before the famous bridge we took small ferries but the bridge certainly made it even easier to visit.

The café where Maria, Daniel and I had cakes during our last visit, has been a long standing place for me to visit when visiting Copenhagen. My mother’s friends first introduced it to me as their breakfast place, a tradition Maria and I made our own as well. But since then it’s changed shape a few times.

This visit we found out it’s a proper patisserie with award-winning cakes which we thoroughly enjoyed while resting our legs out in the shade. You see, the absolute best thing about this place is the location. You just take a turn off Strøget through a small street and voilà you have a nice little oasis without tourists.

We were definitely impressed by the cakes (left with white chocolate, almonds and raspberries, top with chocolate and passion fruit and bottom a tarte with chocolate, creme patissiere and strawberries) but less so by the plastic menus.

After the cakes we walked around the city some more and looked in a few shops before going for dinner (review to come). It was one of those perfect days when you have no plans but end up finding new great places (and old favourites).

Konditori Antoinette, Østergade 24, 1100 København, Denmark

Lunch at Torvehallerne Food Halls, Copenhagen

Published on September 8, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

My friends Maria, Daniel and I have this great tradition where we go to Copenhagen for a day. I love Copenhagen but living in London I usually go back to Sweden to see my friends and family so having a day in Copenhagen together with some of those good friend each summer is perfect. We were quite hungry when we arrived so after hitting a few shops we walked to Torvehallerna, the lovely food halls just by Nørrebro Station.

We started with some lovely pinxtos at Tapa del Toro, recommended by a my food blogger friend Helena. It was the perfect way to start the day in Copenhagen; with a glass of cava and Spanish charkuterie.

The pinxtos were just the appetisers so we soon moved on to Hallernes Smørrebrød for some traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches.

Maria had the prawn sandwich to the left, Daniel the chicken salad with bacon on rye bread and I had the plaice fillet with remoulade. All very good!

I can’t say that we were still hungry after all this (at least not Maria and I) but the pizzas at Gorm’s Pizza smelled so lovely we couldn’t resist trying one with prosciutto, mascarpone and mushrooms. It was very nice but I sadly only managed one slice.

After this carb loaded lunch we had plenty of energy to walk around the city in the sunshine. We walked along the river for a while and ended up in the Botanical Gardens, a lovely oasis on a summer’s day. (The main entrance is actually just by Torvehallerne but we used a different entrance and exited at Nørrebro). We then carried on walking looking in some shops and then stopping for coffee and cake at a bakery I will tell you more about in another post.

Torvehallerne, Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København K, Denmark

Skybar, Malmö, Sweden

Published on September 3, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

Finally Malmö has a bar with a view. Sure, Malmö is a pretty small city (although the third largest in Sweden) but it has some impressive landmarks that are a real treat to view from above.

Skybar is located in the same hotel as Eatery Social, on the 24th floor, so after our taco dinner we took the lift upstairs to take in the view.

We were there a Monday evening and it was buzzing, which made us wish the bar was a bit bigger. But what’s there is good; the view, the cocktails, the service and the ambiance.

But it’s worth coming here for the view alone. It’s pretty great. So good that they’ve printed a funny hash tag to the loo window.

Sky Bar, Clarion Hotel & Congress Malmö Live, Dag Hammarskjölds torg 2,
211 18 Malmö

Dinner at Eatery Social, Malmö, Sweden

Published on September 1, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

Malmö has changed a lot lately. For the better, I might add. The area near the Central station which was all bare before now hosts the new addition Malmö Live; a cluster of three modern looking buildings just by the river containing a new four star hotel, a conference centre and a new concert hall.

I really wanted to try the restaurants, both from patron chef Marcus Samuelsson. Eatery Social is the larger fun one on the ground floor serving tacos and the likes. Kitchen & Table is more formal (and a lot smaller) and shares the top floor with the popular sky bar. But even though I visited the hotel twice, I went Eatery Social both times, so Kitchen & Table will have to wait.

Javing been twice to a restaurant in the space of two weeks I feel I can certainly give a fair review. The first evening I was here with Emma and Claes and we started the evening with a mojito each in the outside bar. Good cocktails!

We were all extremely hungry and soon ventured inside to find our table and order something quickly. We agreed on the nachos with chorizo and it was so delicious we order another two plates of it.

We also shared a quesadilla la nina, which I thought was quite bland. After that it was all about the tacos.

The scallops and mango ones were good but the mango took over a bit too much. The chicken and refried beans taco was actually not nice at all, but the flank steak taco was delicious!

We were still a bit peckish (I said we were hungry!) after all that and ordered a serving of crispy sweet potato fries with spicy mayo.

Finishing the meal we decided to share two puddings; the churros with chocolate crème and cream cheese ice cream and an ice cream cone with three flavours (coffee, coconut and berry sorbet). Sadly none of them were amazing but we all liked the coffee ice cream and the churros.

I may sound very critical of the place, but I’m not. For the type of restaurant and what you pay it’s a nice place. OK, I would be really happy if the reworked the chicken taco but some other dishes were really nice; like the nachos with chorizo and the flank steak tacos.

The second time I came here was a busy Friday night and we were a table of 14, something I don’t recommend. We had all pre-ordered the food but it arrived bit by bit so we couldn’t all eat at the same time and ordering drinks was confusing too. This time Emma, Claes and I shared our favourite dishes from our last visit (chorizo nachos, flank steak tacos, sweet potato fries) and were really happy with the food. But some of the other dishes, like the seabass for two looked really nice as well.

All in all I think this is a great place. It’s not fancy but fun, bustling and good value for money.

Eatery Social Taqueria, Clarion Hotel & Congress Malmö Live, Dag Hammarskjölds torg 2, 211 18 Malmö

Dinner at Bodega 1900, Barcelona, Spain

Published on July 24, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

In June (where does the TIME go?!) Carina and I met up in Barcelona for a weekend of sunshine. It was fabulous hanging out on the beach in 30C, sipping Sangria and eating tapas.

Before I went I had quizzed my Spanish colleague about restaurants and got some recommendations from a friend of his. The one that jumped out at me was Ferran Adria’s (famous for El Bulli) casual tapas place, Bodega 1900.

Bodega 1900 is quite a humble place; it’s not decorated in a fancy way and it’s not expensive, it’s just really nice tapas the Ferran Adria way.

We ordered some of the very traditional tapas dishes (above) and it was all nice but I have had better jamon and pan con tomate elsewhere and was a bit surprised. The patatas bravas were also just good, but didn’t wow us. But bear with me, because then things changed.

The jamon croquetas for example were fabulous and absolutely perfect.

And once we tried some of the more innovative dishes, like the calamari hot dog recommended by our waitress, we were blown away. It was so so good!

And these skewers of Iberico pork were the most delicious pork I’ve ever eating. I’m salivating now just looking at the picture.

We also had these, pretty-as-a-picture pinxtos with seafood (left to right: snow crab; glazed salmon with horseradish and tuna with peppers.) And they were absolutely amazing. Next time I go to Barcelona I’ll definitely pop back in.

Bodega 1900, C/ Tamarit nº 91, 08015 Barcelona, Spain

Eat brain? (Barrafina, Adelaide Street)

Published on July 22, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Barrafina is one of my favourite tapas places in London, both the newer one in Covent Garden (and dangerously close to my office) and the original on Frith Street in Soho. They have also just opened another restaurant on Drury Lane which I can’t wait to try! I really like that the different restaurants sport different (although similar) menus, which makes it feel like two (or now three) free-standing restaurants and not a chain.

bar5

Felicity and I had dinner here the other week and while waiting for our table we had some Txakoli (semi-sparkling wine from the Basque region which I love) and crab croquetas. When seated at the bar we noticed they had jamon croquetas as a special and we just couldn’t resist haveing some more croquetas. The crab ones are yummy but the jamon ones were perfection. Oh wow!

Next up we had smoked salmon with white beans, fennel and a dilly dressing. It was nice but a little too mild in flavour.

The asparagus with romesco sauce was wonderful though, I’ve had it here before and it has always been a great vegetable dish.

The skewes with Iberico ham were also really nice, but I’ve had even better pork in Spain.

We then decided to try the lamb’s brain (!). Once when I came here for lunch a lady dining on her own came here especially for the lamb’s brain and raved about it, so I’ve been dying to try it ever since. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!

The texture is very soft so frying it until crisp on the outside was a smart move and the bold flavours with lots of acidity cuts through the richness very well, so this dish got top marks from me. But, the texture is still a little strange in the mouth (like very very soft sweetbreads but more jelly like) and it’s so rich I would not have been able to finish the dish on my own. But I would happily go back and share it with someone.

After the savoury dishes we were quite content but you always have room for sorbet, right, so we had a scoop each. Felicity’s mixed berries sorbet was really nice and fruity, the perfect ending to a lovely meal.

My peach sorbet was a bit too sweet and cloy. But apart from that our dinner was fantastic, just like the company.

Barrafina, Adeleide Street, London WC2N 4HZ