RESTAURANT FILE – Page 19

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

Lunch at Marchal, Copenhagen

Published on January 19, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

I have a long list of Copenhagen restaurants I want to try, but they were all closed for lunch on New Year’s Eve. But that was lucky in a way because that made us discover Marchal, the one Michelin-starred restaurant in Hotel d’Angleterre.

The lunch menu was really nice, but a little tricky to figure out which dishes were starters and which were main courses, but I think we did alright. Claes and I had poached oysters with potato and root vegetable balls, crispy potato, horseradish sauce and dill oil. Such a great dish – subtle flavours in absolute harmony.

Emma had a chicken salad with crispy chicken skin and loved every bite.

And Linus had confit pork breast with onions, apples and jus. Also really, really nice!

The portions were not very big, but still felt quite substantial so it was perfect to follow it up with two plates of cheese (with fried rye bread, figs and strawberry conserve) to share. It was a fine balance to eat enough to feel full and content but not too full as we had a quite large dinner planned for the evening.

We had a nice Sancerre with our dinner, recommended by the sommelier, and I must say the service was really good over all.

Marchal offered exactly what we wanted for our New Year’s Eve luncheon; some flair and big city buzz but still a relaxed ambiance. And of course wonderful food! We’ll be back.

Marchal, Hotel d’Angleterre, 34, Kongens Nytorv, 1050 København K, Denmark

Dinner at B.A.R., Malmö, Sweden – one year later

Published on January 13, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

My first evening in Sweden before Christmas I spent with dear friends. First lunch with my bestie and then we gathered a bunch of friends in her and her husbands’ flat for some bubbly and snacks before going out for dinner at B.A.R.

Almost the same group of people went to this restaurant the year before as well, so it was fun to go back and compare. We were even seated in the same area and had another lovely evening with fantastic food, great wines and lots of laughter. Thanks guys for lovely get together!

The food so, was just as nice as the previous year. For some it was a bit strange to eat lamb’s heart but I think everyone enjoyed it in the end and I thought the dish was splendid.

But we started with their nice sourdough and beautifully whipped butter.

The first course was cured pollock with celeriac. It was nice and a fun take on different textures.

Next up was the lamb’s heart which was incredibly tender and thinly sliced. Mine was served with beetroots, capers, Jerusalem artichoke crisps and fresh horseradish.

The others had their hearts with red cabbage and crispy kale and that was a lovely dish too.

The pork with baked heritage carrot, red onions and lingonberries was very tasty and quite filling.

The wines we got recommended with our meal were as nice as the food, and this peppery red (La Stoppa Trebbolio Rosso 2012) we were served with the pork was especially good.

The pudding was similar to last year’s but I liked this one better; the salted caramel sauce with thyme was amazing! When photographing the dish my friend Tobias suggested I should be in the picture too, so I made him take a selfie of us! My friends thought I should continue to be in the pictures, but I prefer to showcase the food on its own, but occasionally I can post a picture of myself too.

B.A.R. Malmö, Erik Dahlbergsgatan 3, 211 48 Malmö, Sweden

Dinner (and boule) at Boulebar Malmö, Sweden

Published on January 8, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

On Boxing Day two of my best friends had organised a boule tournament at Boulebar Malmö and since I often miss larger gatherings like this because I live abroad I was very happy I could attend this time. Although I’m not very good at boule, I had a lovely time.

We played for 90 minutes and had our own little tournament going on four lanes. Before and after we mingled at the bar and we also had dinner here after the game.

The winning team!

I really like the concept at Boulebar; that you have boule lanes, a bar and tables to eat at all under one (big) roof.

The food had a French theme (no surprise there) and the menu we all had included crunchy baguette with dips (aioli, tapenade, oil and Dijon mustard) to start, chèvre chaud with beets, moules marinière and steak with frites and bearnaise butter.

The bread and dips were a great way to start the meal, the chèvre chaud was really nice, the mussels well cooked but could have had more flavour and the beef was very tender and nice. My only issue is that it wasn’t enough for us hungry people. If there would have been more baguette to start and more frites with the beef (one little basket is not enough for six people to share) we would have been very happy. More meat would not have gine amiss, but considering what the menu cost I wouldn’t expect anything more than some more carbs that frankly don’t cost much. We should have asked for more though and were too shy to, and that is entirely our own fault.

Boulebar, Drottningtorget 8, 211 25 Malmö