Happy New Year!

Happy 2016! I hope you had a good start to the New Year. I certainly did. I was travelling and moving. I'm not sure which happened first. Anyway I was in South America. Yes I know. Hot and exciting! And I am not just referring to the indoors.

I went to Argentina, managed a day in Uruguay and even made it over the Andes to Chile.

I know what you are thinking. Argentinian steak. I never though I could have a meat overdose but I have! It's just incredible the amount of meat the Argentinians consume. I started off with a 450g steak. This was nothing compared to the parilladas, which is an Argentinian barbecue. I got to Chile and had fish for the entire time I was there. In fact I haven't had any meat since I left Argentina. I am still digesting what I had there.

Flesh and Buns, London WC2H

There are times when I doubt myself. When, despite my best efforts for a Saturday night half of my crew dejects on the grounds that we don’t have enough time for food before the gig-yes I still do live music, or when meal after meal I am left with lukewarm impressions. Until I go somewhere and the food, like a miracle, slowly unfolds its wonders to me. I realise that I have just come across something so spectacular that I am reminded of why I started writing about food, that it is inspiring, exciting and all the other wonderful things of good company and laughter.

In a huge basement, lacking formality but in vogue trendy with it’s wooden tables and big table running across down the middle, and efficient waitresses buzzing around. But flesh and buns is not just about this. It exceeds my expectations of what I would think is another trendy venture in trendy seven dials, with trendy food; an interesting concept with a well designed venue. But the food, oh the food. The sushi, the duck, the salmon.

Each mouthful better than the previous. I didn’t want it to end. But alas it did. And on to the next mouthful. Flesh and bun has the quality of such places as Roka and Zuma but without the price tag and refleshingly, without the formality, allowing you to enjoy the food. And don’t leave without a visit to the little boys, or girls room to see the let’s say romantic manga on the walls.

Rating 4/5        

Expect to pay about £40pp including wine.

Flesh & Buns, 41 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LX

Balthazar, London WC2B

There are times that even the best of us get carried away by all the ‘good press’ a place gets. Even if that place is in Covent Garden. It’s not that I don’t like covent garden, but having lived in London for such a long time, I tend to avoid the typically tourist places. Saying that you do get street performers, and the overpriced market and the most elegant building, being of course the Opera House.

So when Balthazar, which came all the way from New York, opened it’s doors into it’s massive interior, almost right in the heart of Covent Garden, all the London foodies seemed to be flocking there. The only reservation I could get for a weekend was for 2.30pm.

It was actually quite empty when we got there, or rather many diners but even more tables. The interior is a typical charming French bistrot, multiplied by 5. That’s how large it is, with gloriously high ceilings. But try getting seated. The rows of tables are so tightly packed that any woman with larger than a size 4, UK that is- for you Americans that’s a 0, will struggle to get through to the seat on the inside, against the wall, and will instead be tempted to head instead straight to the gym for a 45 minute spin class.

We of course had starters, which despite my incredible memory for food, I don’t remember, so average were they. Then we shared a platter of fruits de mer. Bad choice. Not because there was anything wrong with the sea food. It was all you can expect. But the tables were not only so tightly packed that I was closer to the lady at the table next to ours than to my friend, they were also tiny as if they were brought in from a children’s nursery and put on high support. I kid you not. So in come the two layers of fruit de mer, and not only is a stranger closer to me than a friend, I now can’t see the friend. And we are struggling with our sides as there is no space, then I knocked over one of the sauces. Slight disaster. I did ask if I could leave the drinks menu on the next table so I could choose the wine when we were done with our Bloody Mary’s but, no. Of course no. At any time someone could walk in a request to be crammed in to one of the tiny tables.

If you do decide to dine at Covent Garden, then may I suggest you stick to one of the original tourist traps. At least they give you more space.

Rating 2/5 

Expect to pay around £90, 3 courses for 2 people, no alcohol. 

Balthazar 4-6 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HZ

Mykonos, Greece

Mykonos-Views of the Aegean

Summer and again I was back in Mykonos. One of the, dare I say, most cosmopolitan of the Greek islands, is part of the Cyclades in the Aegean. It has blue seas and after-clubs and everything in between. The picturesque town offers everything from morning walks and coffee, retail therapy, art, restaurants, bars, clubs, post-club gyros to high end dining and lunches by the beach with dancing included if you so wish. It is not cheap. But you do get your money’s worth, which, to put into perspective is a lot.

For a food lover like me Mykonos is a little piece of heaven. Scattered around the island are the traditional Greek tavernas, where the fish is displayed, on ice, much in the manner that jewellery is displayed in London boutiques. Just take your pick. Try Nicolas Taverna at Agia Anna, right next to the very trendy Paraga Beach. They varied menu includes fresh fish, traditional meat dishes and pasta. A good place to start your food odyssey if this is your first visit to Greece.

There is such a novelty to the trendy beach bars/restaurants, where not only is the food always good and the service excellent but once you have consumed all that has been brought to the table, the party starts as does the table dancing. Try Sol y Mar at Kalo Livadi. Also a good place for a swim as the bay protects it from the wind. Bear in mind that Mykonos is known for being the most wind swept island in the Aegean. I mean serious wind. Hold on to your hats.

For something a little less musical, but equally nice, have lunch Panormos Beach restaurant. The sun loungers in front also make it a worthwhile visit.

I nearly forgot. If you want to go all out, do not miss lunch at Nammos. There are champagne wars going on, food, dancing and beautiful people. The place to see and be seen. And hey if you have time in between the starters and the wine you can have a swim too.

Wine consumption at Nammos

The choices for dinner are endless. I usually opt to have dinner in Town. For something more relaxing or even romantic try Kalita. For sexier ambience (or just drinks at the bar) go to Interni. For excellent lobster pasta and a dance try Sea Satin Market on a Friday or Saturday night. Go to Caprice for a Margarita and the decor. At €14 I wouldn’t say it is cheap but well worth it.

Oh and don’t miss the sunset at Little Venice. A good place is Semeli Bar. Walk around and don't be afraid to get lost in the tiny street of Town. The more you lose yourself the more you discover of this wonderful place, which takes you in and accepts you like an old friend. I have been back year after year and have had some wonderful times and met some incredible people; you know who you are. You are the ones who made me smile, really smile.

Little Social, London W1S

Another week, another restaurant. After the disappointing experience at The Social Eating House, I decided to persevere. I made a reservation at the Little Social, to complete my experience of Jason Atherton’s trio of restaurants in London. Located opposite the flagship Pollen Street Social, which even after all this time, I still recollect for the incredible food and ambience.

Little Social, is nothing like it’s older sister venue across the road: a French bistro, where waiters are aloof, the décor shyly charms you and whose diners remind you that you are not in a quiet Paris backstreet but most definitely in Mayfair.

The menu which is inspired by British produce with a French twist to it has a good selection of both meat and fish dishes. There are also the specials, the steaks, although the waitress failed to point these out and I only noticed the specials board after I had ordered.  My starter of slow-cooked egg, parmesan and squash soup, roasted mushrooms, crouton, presented in a bowl with the contents of and the soup added almost as an afterthought at the table was good despite the flamboyant serving. My charming dinner companion seemed to like their starter of pork head and foie gras terrine. It certainly looked good.

Pork and foie gras terrine

Soup

For a main I had the pork chop which was served with butternut squash puree, pine nut dressing and endive. In truth, although nice, the combination of accompaniments slightly overwhelmed the main feature of pork chop. My friend’s burger was as a burger should be, but the addition of foie gras, if possible, resulted in quite a delicate dish!

Pork chop

Little Social does what it says: bistro with an interesting gastro-pub style menu. If that’s what you’re after, then why not. This is Mayfair after all and such an unusual combination in this part of the world is almost refreshing. Almost.

Rating 3/5

                                                   

Expect to pay around £65pp for 3 courses incl wine and service

Little Social, 5 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NE tel: 020 7870 3730 www.littlesocial.co.uk

Social Eating House, London W1F

My memories from when I was little were those of a simple life. Courtesy of my dear parents. Except the food: The bad food, the good food, the commoners food, working class food and the posh food. Food was the priority.

We (brother and I), learnt to have food any way it was served. From the humble fasoglia-butter beans- which remain some of our favourite food, to rabbit (yes I do know), fish, steak and almost everything else. From posh restaurant to the local kebab place. We would go everywhere and so I learnt to have food any way it came. These days I make my way through some of London’s finest restaurants to the most authentic street food found at the spectacular Jemaa El Fna square in Marrakesh.

Fast forward to last week and in it’s 3^rd week of operation, I had a reservation at Jason Atherton's new 'social' venture: Social Eating House. This is in Soho. Forget Pollen Street Social or the like, this place is every little bit designed to suit the area. The bare brick walls, white washed to give just a tad of warmth and what I found to the beautiful portraits hanging off the walls just to add a touch of elegance, the 80's ceiling design and the tables whose tops were identical to a 70's criss cross parquet flooring. I know you won't admit it, but you all know what I'm talking about.

 

Social Eating House- The relaxed Soho interior

We sit ourselves down armed with the lovely and concise menu. Some jars at the start which we ignore. What are jars anyway? Why can’t I have a small portion of something in a bowl? Why does it have to be in a jar? It’s not like I’m at a farmers market choosing jam or preserve or whatever one would call it.

While deciding on food I ordered the wine. I tasted the wine. About 3 times. On the fourth time, the exceptionally observant waitress noticed that I was uncertain of something, takes it away and after a few minutes someone comes back-I have not said anything either before the wine was take away or after, in case you were wondering- and says that it's good just needs to be decanted. My friend steps in says that if we (including them) are not sure, we should have another bottle of something. Within 3 minutes we had a different bottle that we had chosen. Nice that she noticed that I was uncertain.

Another thing I had noticed in the meantime. The waitors were flying past with things on their trays that resembled bags used for steaming rice.

We soon found out. My friend's starter of mushroom and something was in fact mushrooms served in what I am still convinced was a microwaveable bag, on a cast iron plate. A pair of scissors was produced and this was cut open and left on the side, with a separate plate. Almost like a side to a starter but without the starter. If I could give a Michelin star, which of course I cannot do such a thing, I would give the first ever star to microwaveable mushrooms. This of course would be withdrawn as I am sure that the head chef, Paul Hood, does not microwave food and has used some brilliant method to cook the mushrooms in a microwaveable bag. So this leaves the mushrooms with no Michelin star, my reputation in tatters and most importantly a starter which despite initial appearances lacks any substance. A note to the creator, there can be such a thing as too much love as the smothered mushrooms would confess, if only they could talk!

Mushrooms in a bag

My starter was also a complex dish of ravioli with of wild boar bolognaise. It was ok.

For mains, my friend had mac & cheese. This I thought was lovely, and our waitress didn’t lie when she said that this was not your usual mac & cheese. I had the bavette steak from the specials. For all of £18.50 this comes with sides of chips and salad and sauces. Excellent value for money.

However. HOWEVER. I got my side of chips. I got my side of salad. My side of two sauces. Lovely. And a big empty plate. Steak was then served on a wood slab on the side. This took me a few moments to figure out. Despite their best efforts when I was little, when it came to table manners, my parents failed to prepare me for this. I looked at my dinner and thought I must be the only person in the world who doesn't know what to do with steak on the side. After silent deliberation my cool self and I decided we would not be beaten. We took our fork and steak knife and in the most elegant manner we could muster picked up the piece of beef from the wood slab and placed it on the plate. I am still praying that this is what one should do when presented with such a conundrum and that I have not missed some method like when eating spaghetti with just a fork having ditched the spoon a decade or so ago.

Steak on the side

After all of that? The outside was overcooked. The inside was just as I had asked: medium rare. It was a case of rough around the edges, but go past the exterior and there was a delicate and sensitive inside.

The dessert however was a different story all together. We shared the honey almond sponge, goats curd ice cream, orange. I don't know what the intention was but this tasted of marmalade on toast. There was sponge. There was ice cream. There were orange blobs: marmalade on toast. I don't even like marmalade. The result was incredible, almost miraculous. I don't know if the desired effect of this dessert was different and my taste buds went off on a completely different tangent, this was incredible and I loved every spoonful of it.

Delicious dessert

I was impressed that the staff were happy to listen to criticism. They even offered us a tour of the kitchen, which is always lovely. The problem here is that food still doesn’t know if it wants to be in Mayfair, Shoreditch, Paris even or Soho. It is still on the road to self-discovery. I don’t know if it will get there, I would like to think that it will. Maybe it should follow the sign post that says back to basics. On that road it would rediscover simplicity. Even if it decided to stop before destination basic, I do believe the recipe would spell success.

Would I recommend that you go? The truth is no. Would I go back? Do you know, they were so eager to listen to my comments, which in itself deserves a second chance. So I will go back. I hope next time the food is a little more self-assured and with more straight-forward. Then I would be happy to recommend the Social Eating House.

Rating 2/5

Expect to pay around £55 pp for 3 courses incl wine and service.

Social Eating House, 58-59 Poland Street,London W1F7NR Tel: 020 7993 3251 www.socialeatinghouse.com

The Hinds Head, Bray

I have already discovered that I enjoy day trips. For me it starts with the half hour journey on the bakerloo line. While it would normally be a chore, my daily commute to work packed like a sardine on the waterloo and city line, doesn't allow me anything more than trying to avoid the armpit of the tall fellow commuter standing next to me. So 11.30 on a Saturday morning, the bakerloo line is an almost welcome trip. Cut off from the outside world, without even entertainment from text messages on the phone, give me a welcome half hour to read the papers together with a sense of gratification for having managed to read a whole article with no interference.

So paddington station for a proper train journey. We left London's hustle and bustle and a mere half hour later arrived in Maidenhead, for our short taxi ride to Bray, a relaxed place with a liking for Michelin star pubs- this is also where the Fat Duck is- on my wish list of course.

1pm lunch at The Hinds Head, a one Michelin star pub owned by Heston Blumenthal. Very much the pub menu, I found it somewhat lacked excitement. Although my starter of mackerel was every bit as light as it should be and perfectly done. The roast cod was equally perfect, although the I was disappointed the the mussel broth had only two mussels. I simply loved the triple cooked chips (then again I love chips) and the scotch egg is worth trying. 

Roast cod with mussel broth

My favourite part about this though was the bar area of the pub. I mean this is a real pub where you can have real drinks- if I remember rightly we did very well with the bubbly.

I'll put it this way, I wouldn't complain if this was my local!

But still, take yourself outside London and time really does not matter. This was just a lovely day, made even nicer by our destination. In fact this is one place I would like to go back to. 

Rating 3/5

Expect to pay £50pp for 3 courses, no wine incl service

The Hinds Head, High Street, Bray SL6 2AB Tel: 01628 626151 www.hindsheadbray.com/

Burger & Lobster, London

I must be the last person writing about this place. I do talk about it though. All the time in fact. It’s my new place where I take my out of town friends to impress them with my knowledge of London’s restaurant scene. Ok, in terms of knowledge not quite a feat I know, everyone knows about it already.

It’s mostly a no reservation policy (although you can reserve for larger groups). I have been to 3 out of the 4 branches. It works something like this: you arrive, give your name and mobile number and in exchange you are advised of the likely waiting time. At the Soho branch we waited for over 2 hours, 1.5 hours at Mayfair, and a mere 30 minutes at the city branch. They are cool though. They let you have drinks at the bar or even somewhere else and call you when the table is ready. Most people have drinks at the bar there, which is a scene in itself. The bar staff know their alcohol and if you are not tempted by any of the drinks on the menu, they are more than happy to make anything else for you. Be prepared to part with most of a £10 note for a cocktail.

Now for the food. This is a theme restaurant. It’s either a burger or a lobster. That’s it. You know when you go somewhere and the waiters ask you if you know how it works. When you do finally get a table the very efficient waiters spend about 5 minutes explaining that there are only two things on the menu-there’s no written menu- it’s a verbal one. Burger or lobster, a whole one. There is also the choice of a lobster sandwich, which comes in a brioche. The latter is plain pointless if you ask me. All come with a salad and fries and cost £20=. I should mention that from the moment you order, the food arrives within 5 minutes, if not less.

I find this a paradox. How can a burger cost £20? This must be one of, if not the most expensive burger in London. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but in London there are many burger joints with a lot of good burgers. And they don’t cost near as much!

But then there is a lobster, a whole one for just £20. This feels like its good value, I’m not convinced that it is- but what would I know. But there aren’t many lobster joints, which means that there aren’t many good lobsters either.

So most of us go there for the lobster, which is a good lobster. In fact it’s so much fun that we want to go back. We want to go back somewhere where the waiting time on average over an hour. And we are happy about it. All to have some lobster, which will cost us the meagre sum of £20=. But by the time we sit down we have already become very familiar with the cocktails and end up spending upward of £60 per person, when all we wanted was to have a lobster.

On reflection, this is a dreadful place. Whether you are in Soho, with the cool and trendy crowd- this by the way is my favourite- or in Mayfair with the size 6 designer clad ladies, trying to impress an eligible bachelor by pretending to like food, or the city branch with all the suits. The place is decorated in the manner of an upmarket shack: it appeals, and the waiters are clearly good at their jobs. The kitchen staff must be ok too although how difficult is it to cook a lobster?

I still don’t know when it is that we started not only enjoying but it seems wanting to wait for what feels like an age to eat. It seems that we are loving it. Waiting list has become the new reservation. But really, let me be honest, it’s awful. Save for the lobster of course. And the cocktails. And the service. And the ambience. All that aside, it’s awful.

Did I mention, I am back there next week. I just can't help myself. It must be all the waiting.

Rating 2/5                                                            

Mains are £20=, no starters
Burger & Lobster 4 locations around central London, check their website for full details

The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

I have concluded that, like a spoilt child, I am a spoilt friend. My friend not only booked lunch, 4 months ago, thought to include me seeing as I like food, and even booked all the tickets with clear instructions as to where to meet and where we were headed. A Saturday day trip which took us to Marlow. Lunch was booked at The Hand & Flowers.

This is a small yet extremely popular establishment. It's no surprise. This delightful little pub has two michelin stars, in fact, it is the only pub with two michelin stars.

Lamb

I am trying to find suitable adjectives to describe the food. The thing is I find this difficult. Other than saying that the menu is a good combination of British and French dishes. The food is good, the service is excellent, and the dishes come out looking beautiful. What more can I say?


What was refreshing was the space we had. There is no compromising on the space to get more tables in. You see these may not be pub prices but you do get what you pay for and there is something to be said about comfort.

That's it for a review.

The novelty here and what made this so special was that it was a day trip. How much fun. It's almost the same excitement I had as an 8 year old, when my parents would take me on a day trip on a Sunday. From making sure I left home on time, finding the right platform at the station and finding my friends, all of us organised with coffees in hand and prepared with the weeks anectodes to entertain us on the hour long train journey there.

We didn't need anectodes on the way back, the alcohol we consumed ensured that we laughed at everything from the the train doors closing to the the train pull into a station (I know!).
So yes, day trips are fun, so much fun in fact that we've arranged some more. And The Hand and Flowers, would I go back? Before we left we made another reservation. In 8 months. Needless to say, my only responsibility is to turn up.

Rating 4/5                                                                          

Expect to pay £80pp for 3 courses, sides and wine - there is a set lunch, £15 for 2 courses £19.50 for 3 courses

The Hand and Flowers, 126 West Street, Marlow SL7 2BP 

Tel: +44 (0)1628 482 277 

Note: You may need to book up to 10 months in advance, check their website for more details

An update

To state the obvious there has been no review in January.

I lost the food buddy (or maybe they just lost themselves!) to whom I promised I would save the first review so I could get their feedback and help. No matter, it's now February and here I am with lots of ideas about where to eat and what to write about.

So, keep visiting, keep reading and most importantly, keep eating!