Mignonette. Restaurant Review

Posted on by under chefs, Europe, food, Northern Europe, Restaurants

I’ve always said that if you want a decent French meal in France you should head to England. I was wrong, you should head to Richmond

Yes I know it’s rage baiting to say the French can’t cook anymore, but outside of places like Paris and Lyon standards have gone down. I say that with over twenty years of owning a shack in France and visiting multiple times a year.

Young French people seem to only want pizzas and fast food, perhaps because their parents have forgotten what grandmere taught them and nothing is being passed down. Local restaurants serve steak frites, or a dish that might as well have the supermarket label still attached. And as for the ‘serve yourself’ hors d’oeuvres stations…

I’d heard Mignonette was good, as one would expect from John McClements, a Michelin-starred chef, who runs the bistro with co owner Glen Toromeni, and his son James, but it is better than good.

The parade it sits on is not the nicest, despite being Richmond. An awkward roundabout had me going round twice before I managed to take the right exit and then, by a gift of fate, I found not only a place to park, but one just a few doors down.

We were a bit worried that at 7pm on a Tuesday the place would be empty but not a bit of it. It’s already almost ‘complet’ with more people coming in. Okay, it’s a small place to begin with (30 covers), but it’s good to see such busy-ness.

I like the decor immediately, leather seats and an intimate, friendly atmosphere. I can see the kitchen at the end, which seems no bigger than a wardrobe. I’ve had some of my best meals from such kitchens, ones where chef can reach everything without moving.

I take no pictures, I feel it would be a bit rude to do so. It really isn’t a place to ‘create content’. That said, every plate is gorgeously arranged as some random pictures I obtained from the restaurant testify.

So the menu, so many good things on it and immediately I see rabbit, hare and sweetbreads. Now that’s proper French food.

I start with Orkney scallop, perfectly cooked, which means introduced to the hot plate only enough to lightly caramelise the outside. A miso celeriac puree has a umami led richness that complements the scallop’s sweetness, whilst slivers of kumquat give sharp contrast.

A slice of maple bacon is a bit too chewy, I like my bacon friable. I also like the Sake beurre blanc. There are quite a few Oriental touches on the menu, see next paragraph.

Nothing says France quite like a terrine of foie gras, here the foie part is encased in ‘drunken chicken’, which is chicken poached and then soaked in Shaosing wine. My wife loves it, as well as the lovely duck fat brioche accompaniment. The mini preserved pine cones are something neither of us have ever seen before. Quite charming. Delicious.

Now you may not be a fan of foie gras, even fiercely opposed to it, in which case you probably won’t like what I have next: roasted Limousin sweetbread. This is, in case you don’t know, the culinary name for the thymus or pancreas, typically from a calf.It’s classed as offal.

It is absolutely gorgeous. Smooth and creamy and basted in a buttery caper sauce. A quenelle of perfect pommes puree plus cubes of aniseedy celeriac partner perfectly. I eat it very slowly.

What can you say about Cornish halibut roasted with red prawns and fresh crab crust, sauce bouillabaisse, saffron rouille? I’d eat the printed words. It sounds so good. And it is, P loved the prawns are perfectly plump and soft,  and the halibut a white delight. The bouillabaisse is superbly rich from the slow cooking of fish components, or what you might even call scraps.

And that’s what  I particularly like and admire about the cooking here- no ingredient is wasted. If a dish calls for one part of a vegetable or protein, the unused parts are repurposed into another. This is how a proper chef makes dishes affordable, while still making a profit.

We head into dessert and, whilst I always like the French habit of cheese then dessert, I pass on it  today. Instead I have a tarte tatin made with pears, because it’s a classic. Gloriously sticky caramelised pastry, plus pears that are unctuously soft but also hotter than a care home in Hades. To be fair, the waiter does warn me about that. The cream laced with Calvados helps douse the burn.

Baba a Grand Marnier for P. It’s not rum-laced, obviously, but the waiter brings a bottle of Grand Marnier to liberally soak the ring shaped savarin. The chantilly creme is classic and red fruits cut the sweetness just enough. I get a spoon and help drink the remains.

What a great meal. Classic French cookery done with practiced flair and a keen eye for making the most out of the best ingredients. All well priced too, and apparently even better at lunch.


Allez vite à Richmond sur Thames!

www.mignonettebistro.com

Cô Thành. Review

Posted on by under Europe, food, Northern Europe, Restaurants

The  ‘legendary’ street food of The Lunch Lady, Nguyễn Thị Thanh, is to be found in London’s Covent Garden.

Cô Thành in Henrietta Street mimics Vietnam’s street dining culture with everything apparently sourced directly from Vietnam, including hand-painted signs, exposed brick and dark wood.

It’s bright, cheerful and very no nonsense. The seats are a bit hard on the buttocks, but then it’s the kind of place you sit, eat and leave and don’t linger. The food is fast and tasty and from what I could see, very popular with the Vietnamese in London.

We slid onto our seats and took a look at the simple menu – Bánh Mì, Bún and Phở plus sides/starters. If you’re unsure what you’re getting, a QR code  brings up pretty pics of all the dishes.

The difference between  Bún and Phở is that Phở uses bánh phở, which are flat, translucent rice ribbon noodles while Bún uses vermicelli or thicker round noodles. I’m told that in Vietnam Bún is not always as popular as Phở, which tends to be a bit hotter.

I am sure we all know what Bánh Mì are though,  the love children of France and Vietnam, delicious Asian things in a baguette.

The set lunch menu is a choice of Bánh Mì or Bún alongside a side for £20, but we wanted to go a bit deeper than that, so ordered up some ‘starters’. 

Firstly Cánh gà chiên, which French speakers might be a bit worried about, it is in fact beer battered fried chicken wings, roasted peanuts, nước mắm and smoked chilli glaze.This we found a bit odd. Enormous wings wrapped in a very sweet batter that fell off the meat immediately. All the flavour was in the lettuce underneath. We didn’t eat much of it. Not a winner for us.

Much better was Bo Bla Lot – Grilled beef rolled in betel leaf with roasted peanuts, spring onions and nước chấm dipping sauce.This had all the zingy flavours I expected from Vietnamese food, whereas the wings had seemed more Chinese in style. These rolls are very big in Vietnam and it’s easy to see why. Tender meat in that peppery leaf with the sharp fishy dipping sauce going perfectly with it.

We then had a Bun and a Pho. Mine was Bun Mam made with a fermented fish and shrimp paste broth, shrimp, fresh squid, roasted pork belly, aubergine, okra, pineapple, chives, vermicelli. This was excellent with the broth having all the punch you’d expect from pungent shrimp paste, which when fried can clear a room in seconds..

The squid was tender and the pork belly good and crispy on the outside. The lavish chives were Asian, longer and flatter than European, and I really liked the slice of pineapple for its sweet sharpness. There was a bowl of chopped fresh chili on the table, so I recklessly threw a few in, a bit of a mistake as they were a lot hotter than I expected and I was reduced to gasping for air

The Pho was very fine too: a beef bone broth, a beef patty of brisket and chuck, a fritter, spring onions and flat rice noodles. J was unsure how to deal with the patty by using just his chopsticks, and I had no idea either. 

So he put it on a plate, reduced it to pieces and then put it all back in. He said the whole thing was then delicious. Both of us by now were going through napkins like combine harvesters, partly because of the stock splashing about and partly because both dishes gave us runny noses.


Dessert is not always a strong point in Asian cuisine. I quite liked my Iced Vietnamese dark roast coffee, fritters, condensed milk. Very refreshing. J’s was a bit unsure of his omemade banana and coconut ice cream, roasted peanuts (peanuts again!), lime zest, saying it was more banana and cream than ice-cream, but perfectly pleasant all the same.

We enjoyed Cô Thành rather more than we now enjoy the Pho chain. There’s definitely a more authentic feel to the food and the relaxed atmosphere makes it a good choice for a quick lunch or an evening pitstop.

16 Henrietta Street, London, WC2E 8QH [1]

www.cothanhrestaurant.com/london

Discover Palmer & Co: A Legacy of Exceptional Champagne

Posted on by under Europe, wine

Established in 1947 by seven winegrowers combining forces, Palmer & Co’s unique wines, were on show at a press tasting at Langan’s in London.

It was perhaps a good thing Peter Langan was not around last night. He enjoyed champagne rather a lot and I’m of the age to remember him careering around the tables in his eponymous restaurant, cheerfully abusing guests before taking a nap under a table.

Today Langan’s is a more sober place, but upstairs heavy red decoration that hints of a Parisian brothel, still remind me of more hedonistic times.

Palmer & Co are dead serious though. With more than 220 hectares classified as Premier and Grand Crus, in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, they blend remarkable grapes to create thrilling wines. Tonight they have brought examples of their Blanc de Blancs 2014, La Reserve and Rose Solera. We are also promised a very special champagne to end the evening.

This is the first unveiling of the Blanc de BLancs 2014 and it’s being served from Magnum bottles These heavyweights aren’t just for Formula One drivers to spray on each other, or a simple gimmick. A Magnum is two bottles of Champagne in one and is perfect for ageing wine.

The neck and cork are the same size as a standard bottle but with twice the volume of wine inside a proportionally small amount of oxygen gets in to deliver slower, more graceful aging. You also get finer, more delicate, bubbles and in general the wine is more stable, meaning it can sit safely in a cellar for a very long time getting better every year. Champagne connoisseurs insist on Magnums.

100% Chardonnay primarily from the grands terroirs of Villers-Marmery and Trépail, this wine boasts citrus fruits, white flowers, and almonds as well mineral notes from the chalk-rich soils. It goes very well with the oysters served.

Rose Solera rosé champagne is enriched with a perpetual reserve of red wine Pinot Noir over four decades old, using Palmer & Co’s unique expertise in the Spanish ‘stacking’ technique largely unknown in the Champagne region. It’s non vintage and has a fruitiness and delicate spice that makes it outstanding and one of the world’s great champagnes

The flagship Reserve is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and 30% previous blend ‘reserve’ wines for maturity, hence the name. The Magnum is aged two to three years longer than the bottle, resting on its lees to achieve exceptional length. A beautifully fresh wine that’s also buttery and soft.

And finally out comes the Palmer & Co Collection Vintage 1995. 8% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir, 15% Meunier and, obviously, aged for twenty years. in 1995, the quality was excellent for all grapes and particularly for Chardonnay.

This has to be one of the best champagnes I’ve ever tasted, although I should stress I am not in the habit of drinking champagne every day.

Palmer & Co is available from

www.champagnedirect.co.uk

thechampagnecompany.com`

www.divinecellar.com/en/

www.champagne-palmer.fr/en/

Incidentally, each bottle of Palmer & Co can be identified by the ID on the back label. This lets you to discover the story of that very bottle using the smartphone App or on the Palmer & Co website.

CASO Clear Ice Advanced: The Ultimate Ice Maker Review

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Don’t save it for the next heat wave, an ice-making machine is the coolest thing to have in your kitchen all year round. I try the CASO Clear Ice Advanced, a stylish maker of properly transparent ice.

Years ago, when visiting relatives in America, I was amazed at their icemaker built into the door of their giant fridge freezer. All you had to do was press a lever and a cascade of ice blocks fell out into your glass.

Back in the UK I’ve made do for years with a small ice cube tray jammed into the freezer. It works, but you don’t get many cubes and it takes hours to make some more.  I love the luxury of having a glass absolutely crammed with ice cubes, be it a G&T or a glass of water, and with an ice machine you can be as generous as you want. Especially in a heat wave

And the thing is, cocktails and soft drinks aside, having lots of ice cubes is handy for quickly chilling just-cooked veg to keep their vibrant colour, and of course for creating a super impressive shellfish platter.

Plus it’s the easiest way to fill an ice bucket for your wine.

The new CASO Clear Ice Advanced, which we’ve had on test on just the right weekend for it, creates clear ice in 12 minutes (or frosted in 8). Why is clear ice a bonus? Well it looks better in drinks of course, but it actually melts slower than standard ice so keeping drinks cold, whilst not diluting them.

Why are ice cubes usually cloudy? It’s down to physics. Trapped air bubbles get pushed to the middle by fast freezing causing a white core. There’s also some clouding from calcium in our hard water, we found.

The CASO ‘trick’ is that it freezes water from both the interior and the exterior at once, so the air bubbles can escape and leave the ice clear. You end up with cylindrical ice with a hollow centre from where the inside freezing element was located. This makes for rather elegant ice ‘bullets’.

The machine is a reasonable size for most counter tops, CASO does have a more compact version, but that doesn’t make clear ice. This model is matt black inside and out, with the transparent lid tinted dark so it looks smart and rather sexy.

It couldn’t be easier to use. Fill the 1.5ltr tank to the MAX mark – note to CASO, the MAX mark is black on black and I had to use my phone torch to see it, maybe make it a light colour?- choose regular or clear cubes and press Start

Turning it on produces a hum so quiet you have to strain to hear it (48dB), so that’s good. After the time has elapsed you hear a slight crunching noise, and then the first batch of ice rises from the bowels of the machine and gets dumped into the basket in front. This is not a large amount, we counted seven ‘bullets’ of ice, but the first batch seems always to be the smallest, perhaps because the machine is ‘warming up’.

The CASO then starts to make the next batch and will doggedly carry on doing so until the basket is full, or it runs out of water. The stats say it can make 320-350 g of ice per hour or 7.7-8.8 kg in 24 hours. Simple display lights tell you what’s happening.

If you need to drain the machine of water, when not using it for a while, there is a removable rubber plug underneath. It also has a self-cleaning function to purge any stale water.

You really do get a good lot of ice with each cycle. When we used the full 1.5 ltrs of water, we found we actually ended up with far too much ice for our immediate needs, so we filled up a few ziplock bags and put those in our freezer to be used as and when necessary. Worth noting that like all ice machines, the CASO is not a freezer itself and so the ice will melt if left in the basket for too long.

A CASO will be particularly indispensable for summer BBQs, delivering endless freshly made ice for everyone’s drink, while pre made stored bags of ice will be perfect for filling up ice buckets for wine or just to put in buckets to chill beers.



Review: Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen at 22 Bishopsgate

Posted on by under chefs, Europe, Restaurants

Is it a Ramsay Kitchen Nightmare, or the only place to be seen eating in the City?

I rather like Ramsay, unfashionable though it is to admit it. His US TV programme, where he attempts to save restaurants run by crazy Guidos, is always entertaining, even if the story arc is always the same. Destruction. Penitence. Learning. Success. Tears. Lots of tears.

And I noticed at a press event a while back that he had taken the time to find out something about every one of us.  That way he could say something relevant when we were introduced. That kind of attention to detail is what makes successful businesspersons, as well as  politicians.

He is a very successful restaurateur of course, his empire stretching from airport food to the finest dining, with everything in between.

Bread Street Kitchens, there are at present eight of them, do what the tin describes as ‘Modern British Classics — Modern British dishes with a twist’. 22 Bishopsgate is undoubtedly the highest of them all, my ears popped as the lift shot us up to floor 59 where, under Executive Head Chef Kamarl Rees John, you can eat lavishly from breakfast to late night dinner.

It shares the enormous space with Lucky Cat, as well as (for me) the modern abomination that is a Sports Bar. They all get an incredible view, although not every table is by a window. Ours is, and it really is breathtaking as the sun goes down to see as far as the Chilterns and look down on the Barbican reduced to model village proportions.

On a Friday evening I rather expect the place to be full of City types, given the location and prices. Instead it’s rather a mixed bag with a lot of Croydon people ( I can say that as I was born and raised in Croydon), so a lot of footballer haircuts, T-shirts and tattoos.

Most of the men are on pints of beer, which I think is a bit odd until I see the wine list. The cheapest (small)  glass of wine appears to be £22, while a pint of lager is £7.50. Not a difficult choice to make, then.

Music is playing quite loudly,  but it’s also strangely muffled, like the sound of your neighbour having a party when you’re trying to sleep. The nice staff rush around eager to please, which does result in three different people asking if we want water, but it’s early days.

The menu is relatively short with quite an emphasis on steaks, very expensive steaks with impeccable provenance of course. Aged Miguel Vergara Bone In Ribeye (36oz) comes in at £161.50,  but if you’re not funding hedges you can get away with Dry Aged Ribeye (10 oz) for just £51.50. Sides will cost you extra. 

So we have starters, Seared Tuna, Truffle citrus soy, crispy mushrooms and Lobster & Prawn Toast, Tobiko mayonnaise, salted egg yolk.

The tuna is superb, sashimi grade. I would have liked some more sear on it for texture contrast, two millimetres is about right imho, this has been barely kissed by the grill. The sharp soy is so nice that I take a spoon to it.

Lobster and Prawn toast is basically minced lobster and prawns in a case that’s deep fried. The filling falls out when the case is cut, perhaps it has been too compressed, but it’s a delicious mix that’s accented by Tobiko mayonnaise and salted egg yolk. 

I feel that whilst I don’t want steak I do want something OTT and that has to be a 28oz  Duroc “Tomahawk” or “cowboy” pork chop at £65. Now that’s a lot of money for a pork chop, but it’s a lot of pork chop for the money. It’s enormous and comes with the bone on the side, real caveman stuff.

Duroc is super pork, the fat is every bit as good as the meat, in the way of Iberican pork. The meat is marbled and moist and pinkly cooked. The exterior is singed beautifully, this has to be the best pork I’ve eaten outside of Spain. The bits still attached to the bone demand gnawing off, but I feel embarrassed doing it,, With it comes a powerful black garlic and walnut purée and a side of mashed potatoes with truffle butter, which is properly decadent.

P is not a steak fancier, she goes for Roasted Cod with potato puree, artichokes, capers and a red wine and tarragon sauce and is well pleased.  It’s a lovely hunk of cod, roasting is far more respectful to this fish than smothering  it in batter to my mind,  and the capers really enhance its flavour. It’s a simple dish in its structure, hard to get right in the cooking. Here it’s impeccable

My chop has cut me down, I can’t do a dessert, so we share a Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with strawberry and basil compote, eschewing that old cliche the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Meyer lemons are a lot less astringent than standard lemons, almost floral and sweet. It’s a touch that elevates the dessert above ‘pub’ level. It’s refreshing too after all that pork fat. I forget to take a picture, though.

It’s all been rather good, the view making it special. The prices are a bit eye-watering, but the place is packed out all the same.

As with Lucky Cat, you’re obliged to leave 22 by the tradesman’s entrance. I wish that could be changed as it’s a bit of a downer, after having dined so high, to find yourself on an industrially lit nondescript staircase leading to a back yard.

Bread Street Kitchen 
Floor 59, 22 Bishopsgate
London
EC2N 4AJ

www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com

The Third Monkey, Farnham

Posted on by under Europe, food, restaurant reviews, Restaurants


Farnham isn’t that far from London and with food like this it’s well worth the journey, especially with the warmer days arriving and a terrace on the top floor

Farnham is popular with well heeled commuters who desire a country house with real hedges for when they’re all done with hedging funds. I saw a lot of brand new Defenders and Porsches cruising about the surrounding roads as we drove in.

Such people want finer dining and it doesn’t come much finer than  The Third Monkey, the new project from chef Adam Fisher (Coworth Park, Pennyhill Park), and his new chef-led gastropub.

The Third Monkey, once the Liberal Club, is handily close to the large town car park and presents itself well on the street, with the inside also being extremely attractive. Some serious money has been very well spent here, from the bar at the front, to the smart dining space at the rear, all the way up to the bar and roof terrace now opening for summer.

This lunchtime it soon fills up. The lunch menu being a big draw, a reasonably priced £32 for three courses. The piped music was a little loud at first, but as the tables filled it became less obtrusive. Mind you, we were sitting right under one of the speakers.

We went a la carte. I wanted to see what the ‘big’ menu had in its locker. Big guns, as it turned out. I genuinely did want everything I saw, apart from the steaks, even if ‘cooked over Japanese embers’

A pre-nibble of Sticky Beef & Bone Marrow Gougère, pickled mushrooms, and truffle custard sounded so good we had one each. Absolutely delicious and gone all too soon. I noticed a man dining alone at the next table ordered two for himself, it obviously wasn’t his first visit. The rich meat and marrow was perfectly cut by the pickled mushrooms, the truffle was subtle and the gougere chewy. Two? I could have eaten a plateful.

Starters proper gave us Spider Crab, squid ink hand-rolled pasta with Sauce Americaine, and a Smoked Devonshire Duck Parfait, potato cigar, pistachio, cherry. The crab was served in its shell, which was a good piece of plating. Very ‘crabby’, which was good and the Sauce Americaine, a classic French sauce for lobster, sang out beautifully.  I didn’t see much black in the pasta, but it was well made

The duck parfait was also very well plated, very GBC and more than I usually expect from places out of town, which are often a few years behind the dining curve. It was perfect parfait, rich and flavoursome and almost mousse-like texturally, while the crunch of the potato, plus the bite of the cherry sauce, made for great mouthfuls. This was all very promising for mains.

Iberico Secreto, aka “the butcher’s secret,”is the most prized piece of pork in Spain. It comes from black pigs fed on acorns and is a muscle found between the shoulder blade and the loin. In some ways it has the same mystical properties as beef onglet. Not much of it per beast and it must be eaten rare.


This means it comes to the table pretty pink, which to generations of British diners means ‘run away!’ We have a national habit of overcooking pork out of semi-justifiable paranoia of food poisoning. No worries with secreto. Here it is sliced thinly and beautifully marbled because, just as with Iberican Jamon, the main flavour is in the fat.

A dusting of brown mustard seeds over the secreto gave a popping texture that played well with the soft meat The chorizo and potato croquette was a little leathery on the exterior and the chorizo muted, but the mini porchetta was excellent, most of the fat rendered away but still moist.

Cornish Monkfish, curried mussel velouté, crispy hen’s egg, pomme cocotte, leek was also very good. Curried mussels is a dish I came across in the Charente region of France, they use classic curry powder, not seen in the UK since the 1970s, and it really works well. It made me rather nostalgic for my mum’s curries which, looking back, were otherwise something of a disgrace.

Lovely fish, the crispy egg was like a Scotch Egg without the pork exterior, and the pommes cocotte were beautifully basted in butter. A little bit of foam was visible, which annoys some people but not me. Very fine cooking all round.


Are we sick of Sticky Toffee Pudding in gastropubs? Kind of, but then again it is hard to turn down. Here ​​it’s swimming in salted caramel and wears a‘Baked Alaska’ ice cream like a comedy hat. It is no joke though, the baked Alaska is perfect and so is the pud. The lovely salted caramel was a bit too rich for me, I struggled to finish it, less would have been more.

Lighter was a radically reshaped Lemon and Thyme Cheesecake with honey ice cream, the citrus cleansed the palette and the thyme being slightly lemony itself helped too. The flowers decorated it all very prettily.

We were pretty full by now, sticky toffee pudding always does me in, but we took a breather to check out a very good looking Sunday menu. Specials are also displayed on a board, this week with a bit of an Indian slant, it seemed.

The Third Monkey, in folklore, ‘spoke no evil’, but perhaps the name comes from the third monkey to board Noah’s Ark, he had to fight hard not to be left behind. It seems appropriate, this gastropub is pulling no punches when it comes to excellence.

thirdmonkeyfarnham.com
46 South St,
Farnham GU9 7RP

San Hao Restaurant Review

Posted on by under Europe, restaurant reviews, Restaurants

Guitar god Nigel Tufnell once asked “How much more black can it be? … None. None more black”. I’m looking at K’s chilli chicken cappuccino but replacing black with white. It’s like gazing into an open tin of Dulux, albeit slightly frothier. It’s rather mesmerising.

It’s called New-Age “Cappuccino” Chicken Noodles. The cream is really a topping, and underneath is rich chicken broth and, when stirred, fat noodles break the surface along with portions of roasted chicken. The noodles are hand made, silky smooth and have more bounce than Eeyore. It’s not my dish,  but I love the flavours so much that I keep dipping in my spoon, much to K’s annoyance. I love the pricks of chili, just enough to fire up the palate not so much as to extinguish all the other lovely flavours, especially the flavour of roast chicken skin.


Located in the very heart of Chinatown and spread over three (possibly even more floors, these Chinatown buildings are bigger than the Tardis inside) San Hao is a new kid on the Gerrard Street block. It may also be the only one that hasn’t got a staff member outside hassling passers by to come in, instead it relies on word of mouth and a man making Baos in the window, to advertise itself.

Billed as San Hao Noodle Atelier, or ‘workshop’,  its avowed aim is to do something different with noodles while respecting tradition and leveraging British produce. It’s the first joint project between Daren Liew (Hakkasan, Duddells, Nanyang Blossom) and the people behind the YiQi, The Eight and Dozo.

It’s modern inside, and the staff have headsets, but I got 90s Deja Vu when they told us to go upstairs just as Won Kei always did back in the day.

The range of inventive noodle dishes, wet and dry, is compact but very tempting. When we get upstairs there are a fair few Chinese, or Chinese heritage, people eating which is a good sign and one man appears to be eating a dinosaur bone in broth, but it’s probably Black Garlic Herbal Pork Bone Soup Noodles.

We share  the Four Flavor Bao Platter, and there are four of them. This is not usual as Chinese dining rules usually dictate odd numbers only, which makes sharing fairly – fairly difficult.

Not here though. Each was different, so we picked randomly. All delicious and with “nicely browned bottoms”, as they would gleefully say on Great British Bake Off, no doubt courtesy of the cast iron pot they were cooked in. A side dish of chilli oil was useful.

So I told you about the ‘cappucino’, but what else did we have from an extensive menu? Well we share Salted Egg Salad Cream with Fine Bean  – translated as ‘crispy green beans tossed in buttery salted egg glaze’. To be honest, this seems to simply be French  beans deep fried in a light batter. I believe the salted duck eggs are supposed to add a savouriness  but I don’t  detect any or much help from the garlic and chilli. A pleasant dish but underwhelming.

There is a slight lack of heft in my dry noodle dish, Golden Roe Chilli Crab and Salted Prawn as well. Lovely pieces of crab and prawn in a sauce that is tasty but overly sweet for my liking. I expected more saltiness from the roe and the prawn,  and the obvious pieces of chili are surprisingly muted, considering the dish’s name.

 For a Chinatown place, San Hao seems a bit Western timid in its spicing. Great noodles, just the right bite and the sauce sticks to them lovingly, so perhaps though I should have had Hot ‘n’ Spicy Roasted Yellow Chilli Grouper Noodles?

We don’t have desserts. I rarely do in Chinese (or Indian) places, but the two on offer sound quite interesting.

I like the concept of San Hao, a Chinatown restaurant that’s not offputting to Westerners. It’s clean and crisp looking, and there are plenty of unusual dishes that are clearly explained on the menu. Just as well, as  I think we’ve all at some time ordered something from a Chinatown menu that made us feel a bit shocked, if not ready to scream, when it arrived.

3 Gerrard St, London W1D 5PD

www.sanhao.co.uk

Sycamore Restaurant Review

Posted on by under Europe, restaurant reviews, Restaurants

Hotel restaurants, when not stand alone specials, can get a bad rep. The challenge is to provide food for everyone of any race, creed or colour. And, of course, their kids. Sycamore has got it right.

Sycamore, is an Italian restaurant at the five-star Middle Eight hotel, Covent Garden. It’s not quite in Covent Garden to be fair, it’s east of the architecturally gruesome Masonic Temple, but it’s only a few minutes walk away and not much further to Theatreland.

It’s a super modern hotel, all glass fronted and with sliding doors that cleverly open just before you crash into them. The bar is very large, an island surrounded by seating, with a ceiling that’s all ducting camouflaged by thousands of gilded sycamore leaves. 

It’s a good space, warm and welcoming despite its size. We ate here, as the restaurant proper is at the back and a little less welcoming. Everyone eating was in the bar area and there were a lot of people for a Wednesday. Many were guests, I assume, but all the same it was a good sign.

Real napkins. I know that seems a small thing, but it’s a good sign in my book. They’ve gone for the extra expense of laundry to make the dining a bit classier.


The menu is, obviously, Italian. There’s plenty of choice for starters that range across mushroom arancini with basil aioli;  mac and cheese croquettes with marinara sauce;,  garlic king prawns with chilli and fresh herbs and more. Small plates, so you could easily make a meal out of these alone. There are pizzas too, of course, but personally I don’t trust restaurant  pizzas, I only eat pizzas in pizzerias.

We share chargrilled chicken skewers with lemon, thyme, smoked paprika, and golden calamari with lemon aioli. I always tell myself I won’t order calamari yet again, and yet againI always do. I have some kind of addiction to these things.

These are good, if a little overbattered which makes them quite filling, and a bit more lemon in the mayo wouldn’t have gone amiss. 

The chicken skewers are moist, not always the case with grilled chicken, and the paprika spiced mayo swirls are helpful. I do like the pea shoots, still a trendy garnish, the crispy stems a good contrast. As you can see from the photos though, pea shoots got rather a lot of airplay across the meal. I began to wonder  if I’d get some on my dessert as well.


I press S not to have steak, not on a review, anyone can cook a steak, but he really insists. Rather an expensive Flat Iron steak, but it’s a good one. Medium rare and well rested so that the pink is smoothed out, and it’s pre sliced against the grain too, which I think makes it always look a bit more interesting as well as easier to eat. Flat Iron is probably the ​​next most tender cut of beef after fillet, with the all important marbling that means flavour.

The smoked salt fries that I repeatedly steal are delicious, and the chimichurri sauce is well made so he doesn’t need to open the little pots of tomato sauce and mayo provided,  presumably intended for less sophisticated diners to ruin their chips with.

For me it has to be pasta, and while truffle carbonara tagliatelle with pancetta, cream, and pecorino would have been glamorous, and king prawn linguine, with garlic, chilli, parsley very fancy, I wanted ragu, slow cooked beef ragu with pappardelle.

This is just how it should be, the beef ragged and scrappy from its long cooking and the sauce rich with the smooth wide pasta having absorbed some of it. No parmesan at table, but enough already added and yes, more pea shoots. They must have bought a job lot of them.

Tiramisu to end. Very nicely done, kind of deconstructed and modern, plenty of chocolate, plenty of mascarpone but B all Marsala as far as I can tell. I imagine alcohol is not included because of children, there should be two versions  – one for the little darlings and one for grown ups.

Panacotta is wonderfully wobbly and unctuous, we love the vanilla in it and the strawberry sauce and crumbled shortbread are good dance partners. Pea shoots have been replaced by edible flowers and look very pretty.

Conclusion? Hotel guests unwilling or wary of eating out in the wilds of Covent Garden won’t be disappointed, especially if they have kids in tow. A nice classy place with prices within reach especially if you look for daily deals.

It’s also ideal for theatre goers who want to eat something first without being ripped off and still be within easy reach of the show. No need to go full on, three small plates or bites and a glass of wine is £25 which seems very reasonable.

 66 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5BX

www.middleight.com

No 8 Sevenoaks Sunday Roast

Posted on by under Europe, food, restaurant reviews, Restaurants

Sunday Roast in the country. You can’t beat it, especially when it’s in a restaurant that knows how to cook beyond the beef. Nick laps it all up

One of the great reasons to live in South London, aside from it not being North London of course, is how easily you can reach the real countryside of Kent. And then carry on to the coast, if you want. Or indeed France.

Fancying a Sunday Roast that wasn’t in a pub overwhelmed by uncontrolled toddlers, while their parents hid behind copies of The Observer, we fired up the planet destroying ICE car and pointed the SatNav to Sevenoaks.

Within a short while of leaving vibrant Brixton, we were barreling down cheerful A roads winding between fields, the car astonished at for once actually making it all the way to fourth gear.

It took just over an hour to reach Sevenoaks, it is only 21 miles from Charing Cross after all, it would have been quicker, but for some Sunday road closures. It’s a pretty little town that has suffered a bit from the plate glass window rash that spread throughout the UK. As someone once said, what’s so exciting about the inside of a Building Society that you want to display it to the street?

Parking is quite easy, if restricted to a few hours, but we managed to get close to Number 8, a 16th century building next to one of the classic old Lloyds Banks and set back from the road to allow al fresco dining in the summer.

Number 8 is run by chef/restaurateur Stuart Gillies with his wife Cecilia, and Stuart is a well-seasoned pro, having run the Gordon Ramsay group globally as MD and then CEO, so you know this is going to be proper and professional. People like to have a pop at Ramsay,  but I’ve never had a bad meal at any of his spots.


Inside it is very pleasant, warm and very full, the locals obviously know a good thing and these look like prosperous people used to high quality. I wore my quilted gilet to fit in and it was a good choice. I am not the only one sporting farmer-core fashion today.

Not being a pub, No 8 can offer more interesting starters than your local boozer and we share a gorgeous whipped hummus topped with sesame seeds and chives, scooped up with (slightly oily) toasted focaccia, along with deliciously creamy Iberico ham croquettas on a lively smoked chili salsa.

So the roast, obviously there is beef, aged Chart farm beef to be precise, chicken, mushroom tortellini for the vegetarians, and fish for those not fancying a pure roast.

Which happens to be my wife today, so she goes for seabass, mashed potato, lemon grass coconut sauce and buttered greens, while I go classic on the beef with green veg, roast potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. And gravy, definitely.

Both are winners, the beef the best I’ve had for a very long time. Thickly cut, which is a good sign as pubs are inclined to slice the beef thin as they know it’s going to be chewy. This is anything but, very soft and packed with flavour. Generous amount of it too.


The spuds are also good, they are not faked by being deep fried, which always annoys me, but properly roasted. This means they aren’t as crisp as they might be, but they’re really nice inside. Soft and mashable into the gravy, as well as the unadvertised but very welcome sweet potato puree. Broccoli is bright green and al dente, while the beans are a trifle squeaky but better than being overdone. Very good

The gravy is my one criticism, there’s nothing at all wrong with it but I prefer it to come jugged on the side and not floating my dinner. It’s messy, as my shirt now testifies. I prefer to make my own gravy decisions. Lovely Yorkshire Pud, not a monster but crispy and fluffy.

P’s decision to go for the fish bears out. She says it’s great, the mash creamy, the fish skin crispy and the sauce delicious. Once again, this is a benefit of eating Sunday lunch in a restaurant and not a pub, you get proper cheffing.

And good desserts, too. Lemon Posset with a cinnamon and sugar tortilla is very unctuous, and  Glazed Banana and Walnut bread with a toffee sauce and creme fraiche, is just what Sunday ordered. We’re happily stuffed and leave just in time before our parking runs out.

Did I mention the price? A very reasonable two courses for just  £29.95, and 3 courses £34.95 Or just have roast chicken or beef for £24.*

Anyone who fancies a nice trip to the country for a decent Sunday roast dinner should consider Number 8 as a Number 1 option.

*Prices correct as of February 2026

no8sevenoaks.com

8 London Rd, Sevenoaks TN13 1AJ

Hankki Restaurant Review

Posted on by under restaurant reviews, Restaurants

Hankki means ‘one meal’ in Korean, but when Nick and K went in they ate enough for an army. 

Just on the fringes of Chinatown, a few doors down from my once beloved Wong Kei ( it eventually got too self-aware and ironic), Hankki is the kind of place Instagrammers love. It’s not completely traditional Korean, the full on cooking can be a bit challenging for some, and it has made sure it’s brightly lit with a very youthful vibe out front. The staff took one look at K and me and directed us out to the back, we were far too old and vibe killing.

Actually though this was a good thing as we got to sit at a nice large table, and we were going to need all that space as the dishes soon started piling up to satisfy our venerable greed. The centre of the table had a BBQ skillet which our waiter, sensing our intentions, fired up straightaway to get good and hot.

There are various set menus available, from £31 to £46 per person and they’re all generous in choice and taste, but we dive straight in to a la carte with some prawns in batter which are properly crispy but not overly exciting, whereas the fried squid is lively with, I assume, gochujang, Korea’s marvellous fermented chili paste. 

This is perfect for knocking  back in quantity with cold beer, so that’s what we do. I really like the fact it is all in odd size pieces, the tiniest and best bits being almost all batter, just like it used to be in UK fish and chip shops.

Talking of batter, the seafood pancakes (Haemul Jeon) feature a lot of batter around a good selection of seafood and the all important spring onions, nice and crispy on the outside, a little bit oily inside, but very delicious. We then have to drop  our follow-up slices to deal with Kimchi Tofu soup.

It’s more kimchi than soup and that’s fine by us as we both love kimchi and its full on funk. This hot and sour soup is often made with pork, but this is cubes of tofu along with garlic, ginger, spring onion and daikon. Spooned onto rice it’s frighteningly addictive and we shovel it down like it was going to run away.

But hold on, there is now Chicken Noodle Cheese. A tangle of bouncy noodles with lots of chicken thigh and topped with cheese. Plenty of Gochugaru and Gochujang are pumping out heat with a hint of sweetness to balance it. The cheese topping binds it and there is a fried egg included, although it’s hard and I think it should be soft so it can be broken and stirred in. Absolutely delicious. 

We really could call it a day and roll out happy, but there is the BBQ to be dealt with. Plates of raw Hankki beef, Bulgogi Wagyu Sirloin, spicy chicken and sweet soy octopus to griddle and eat along with more kimchi, cucumber, daikon and other assorted pickled vegetables and sauces.

We do our best. The Wagyu is of course divine, the basic beef great, the chicken tender and soon charred,  and the octopus, depending on how long we leave it on the grill, nice and tender or overdone.

And we’re done, lolling back in our seats and groaning slightly with no room for the IG special, Yuzu cheesecake in the shape of a miniature dog. We see it being served as we leave soon after and it is so realistic it’s a bit unnerving.

We absolutely loved our Hankki feast and with so much on the menu it’s a place to go back to again and again. Bold flavours, plenty on the plate and a great atmosphere. ‘One meal’ indeed, but what a meal.

www.hankki.co.uk

7 Wardour St, London W1D 6PE