Sometimes it pays of to leave random comments on other bloggers’sites. In this case it was a wish that I left on A Rather Unusual Chinaman who had been previously visited by the Fairy Hobmother.
Unfortunately the Fairy Hobmother did not have the power to make my job in rural Wales end and put me back in the centre of London,this was maybe a little bit too much to ask for. She (actually it is a he called Ian) however granted me a wish for amazon vouchers which will certainly brighten up my days in rainy Carmarthenshire. Read more...(177 words,1 image,estimated 42 secs reading time)
After having read formidable reviews about Chabrot in the Metro and the blog Cheese &Biscuit this restaurant was top on my list to try,particularly as I am always a bit at loss on where to go in Knightsbridge. I don’t like to be ripped off,you see.
In the end,I was not as taken with Chabrot Marina and Chris. The food was good,but it was by no means exceptional and it didn’t leave any lasting impression. The main criticism I have though,is that I found it rather overpriced. Ok,we are talking Knightsbridge here,but the only fish main on the menu £29? To be fair,there were cheaper dishes to choose from,but I really wanted fish. £29 I may pay at a Michelin star place with amazing atmosphere and great reputation,not at something that calls itself bistro…(that’s the cheapskate in me,sorry)
The atmosphere was positively remarked on by most reviews I read about this place. I assume most of the reviewers must have sat downstairs which did look nice upon entering. We were however led upstairs to an empty,drafty room and apart from the checked tablecloth,I didn’t feel much of a pleasant French flair I have to say.
Now there is one thing worth mentioning about Chabrot Bistro D’Amis. They do a Plat du Jour,I think from 6-7 pm and also for lunch. We got there at 7:30 and sadly missed it as it is very good value for money. The dish of the day,one glass of wine and a coffee for 17.50,this is such a bargain for Knightsbridge! I do have to come back for this.
Back to the A La Carte menu. Read more...(619 words,9 images,estimated 2:29 mins reading time)
Located just off the posh Walton Street on the boarder of Chelsea and Knightsbridge,Tartine is a pleasantly non-pretentious place in the heart of South Kensington. It has been around for almost 10 years and it is understandable why.Tartineis stylish,not budget breaking and friendly and offers a much needed contrast to the stuffy and overpriced etablissements its vicinity. And the food is lovely,the perfect place actually for a quick lunch.
A tartine is a French slice of bread. At Tartine,they use freshly baked French sourdough bread (Poilâne) and serve it with a variety of toppings,either warm or cold. As someone who could never really get used to the bland and soggy English sandwich,I am very taken with both,tartine and Tartine.
Which tartine to go for is a hard choice to make. Morrocan lamb and harrisa maybe,or shredded duck with plum sauce? Or choose something more French like the Goat’s cheese and grilled vegetables?
We settled for the Italian option,Buffalo mozzarella,roasted tomatoes and pesto (9.50) served hot. I really enjoyed the crispy and warm bread with the melting buffalo mozzarella and plenty of flavoursome pesto.
The certainly more exciting choice was the beautiful Wild mushrooms,endive,parmesan and balsamic tartine (9.95). (Beautiful in taste I mean,not so much in looks…). The mushrooms were very well prepared and wonderfully complemented by the coarse shavings of parmesan. Read more...(447 words,7 images,estimated 1:47 mins reading time)
There I had some haloumi in my fridge and was wondering what to do with it. Google,as so often,was the saviour and brought my attention to Yotam Ottolenghi’schargrilled asparagus,courgette and haloumi salad, which was published in his The Cookbook.
It gave me the inspiration for my Haloumi and Asparagus Salad with is loosely based on the Ottolenghi’s recipe only as I didn’t have half the ingredients and most importantly I have no grill or griddle pan. Bad housewife I am!
Haloumi is a Cypriot cheese which is popular all over the Mediterranean and Middle East. Through its high melting point it can easily be fried or grilled. It has a strong salty flavour to it and its has the interesting attribute of being kind of squeaky when eating it. If you have ever eaten haloumi you know what I mean.
This salad is a perfect summer dish,light and healthy and making use of plenty of delicious fresh vegetables. Here we go:Read more...(467 words,3 images,estimated 1:52 mins reading time)
I kind of thought I had written up Spuntino long ago. It appears I haven’t…So some words about the current bloggers’favourite. In this case I absolutely and completely agree with the Spuntino-Hype. It is an amazing place,so much fun! We went there on a Friday evening which is a mistake if you are hungry. As we knew what we were up against,I didn’t mind waiting at this occasion. Spuntino is very small,around 25 or so seats around on the counter around the central bar area,and has a no booking policy. It’s quite comfortable to queue leaning against the wall where there is also space to put down your drinks. Yes you get served in the queue and yes I was very drunk long before we got to sit down to order some food.
I should probably mention at the point that Spuntino is the little brother of Polpo and Polpetto,we are talking creative restaurateurs here.
rather nice dirty martinis ,I think they were only 5£ or am I wrong?
The menu,even though small,is full of dishes I want to try,and it is on the cheap side. Of course considering the amount of alcohol you have consumed before eating,the bill adds up…The food has a clear American theme to it with some American-Italian influences. American Rock ‘n’Roll in the background and adorable guys with tattoos serving makes for a unique and particularly charming atmosphere.
Finally we have a seat (to which we stagger at this point). The nice people at Spuntino immediately serve us some fresh popcorn. Unfortunately it was too salty,but one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth…Read more...(583 words,11 images,estimated 2:20 mins reading time)
Even though I love all kinds of meat,fish and seafood,my favourite pastas are vegetarian ones. Nothing is more enjoyable than authentic Penne All’Arrabiata,wonderful are simple Spaghetti al Pomodoro and Penne Alla Norma (with tomato and aubergine) need to be ordered whenever I see it on the menu.
In addition to these rather famous paste,I love one that I have hardly seen anywhere on a restaurant menu. Penne e Piselli is very cheap,easy and fast to prepare, it’s surprisingly tasty and you need few ingredients. This pasta I think originates from peasant food in Naples (I’ll let me Italian readers rectify this,should it be wrong). Some people prepare it with pancetta,I prefer the vegetarian version:
Read more...(387 words,3 images,estimated 1:33 mins reading time)
For those of you who haven’t heard me moaning yet –I am in exile in Wales (no,not Cardiff,somewhere VERY rural) for a few months and I miss London! I am suffering from a restaurant and culture cold turkey and if I don’t get my fix soon I see terrible things happening…
So,there are no restaurants to talk about were I live,or rather exist,now and I am finally sick of Innocent Vegetable Pots. The food in the canteen is basically inedible and I was thinking of taking a couple of pictures of the stodge they serve here,so that not only my appetite is spoiled (I take care of my readers ).
Taken all of this together I have decided I have to start cooking now. In seriousness. And indeed I made a very decent (and very easy) salad today which I think was good enough to post about it. Was it really good or was it just good for Wales and my standards are already dropping I cannot answer,but judge for yourself.
Read more...(412 words,2 images,estimated 1:39 mins reading time)
Zuma is a restaurant for special occasions. It is part of a small world wide chain with subsidiaries in Hong kong,Istanbul,Miami and Dubai. You might be able to get away with a semi-affordable bill when ordering carefully,but in the end you will want to splash out. Zuma invites to decadence and gluttony,and at this night,for my birthday,I was part of it.
In London,Zuma is located in a very ugly building not far from Knightsbridge tube station and doesn’t look like much from the outside. When you enter it however,you feel like you have stepped into a night club or into one of these bars I never go to because I refuse to pay 15 pounds for a cocktail and I usually don’t confirm with the dress code.
Surrounded by the young,rich and stylish I was glad I had dressed up for this special occasion feeling like a real Chelsea girl,wearing something rather short together with very high heels in the form of my almost virgin golden Sergio Rossi stilettos. Sipping my Saffron and Poppy Seed Martini (10.50) I was waiting to be spoiled.
I really liked Zuma,in fact I liked it about 1 million times more than the only other posh Japanese restaurant I have been to in London,Nobu Berkley Square.
LIKE
Lovely staff: Even though we didn’t have a reservation the lovely people at the counter found us a place at the sushi bar within 10 minutes. Friendly and forthcoming they had nothing in common with the pretentious waiters at Nobu.
The menu:I liked the fact that in addition to some astronomically priced dishes they do have a good selection of dishes costing less than 10 pounds.
The wine:There are also quite some wines for under 20 pounds,which allows you to maybe order a couple of dishes more…
The food (see below) was sublime. I loved the fresh and exquisite ingredients,the exotic and well-balanced sauces and the inventive take on Japanese food without losing the traditional touch.
DISLIKE
I really wanted some cold sake to go with my Japanese delicacies,but they were out of the two cheapest sakes! (19£ and 29£ respectively for 300 ml). We did not go with the next expensive one (40£) but had wine instead. Wanted sake though!
Read more...(769 words,14 images,estimated 3:05 mins reading time)
This weekend I was doing my blogger-self proud and went to two food blogger’s favourites:Spuntino in Soho and The Meatwagon (changing location). While I was absolutely enthralled by Spuntino (review to follow),The Meatwagon left me a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong,London’s best and probably most famous underground burger was by no means bad,but I kind of expected more…Read more...(564 words,6 images,estimated 2:15 mins reading time)
).
What you say