Cafe Mish, 29th October

Café Mish opened in Mayfair promising posh handmade sandwiches, and being a sandwichophile (yes, it’s a word**) I wanted to get up there, pronto.

Sadly, this is not how you do gourmet sandwiches (take a trip to Street Kitchen’s sandwich joint for a prime example of how to do it well). I ordered the medium which set me back almost a tenner and decided to get lamb because, well, when do I ever have lamb in a sandwich? I unwrapped the reasonably hefty sandwich with much anticipation to find it was stuffed with lukewarm, barely seasoned and overly fatty lamb, and some onion chutney that tasted like it could have come out of any old supermarket jar. Bitterly disappointing. As a side note, when the woman in front of me asked what was in the roast pork special, both the girls on the till had no idea and had to ask in the kitchen. At this, I suspected things might not be kosher but ordered anyway. So I can’t say I was massively surprised when it didn’t live up to its potential.

I did very much enjoy the homemade chipsticks they came with though - they were excellent. 

(**I know it's not..)

Bunnychow, 8th September

Bunnychow were on my radar without exactly being on my List, so I was delighted to be invited by Zomato to come down and learn what they’re all about. Having evolved from a street food truck, to a pop-up in Boxpark to a bricks and mortar place in Soho (next stop, the world!) they are now refining and expanding on their offering while making sure to keep taking inspiration from Bunny Chow’s roots. A ‘bunny’ as they’re known is South African’s late night snack – something they’ll order after a few pints, but it originates (possibly) from Indian workers in the fields needing some way to transport and store their lunches. A little roll is hollowed out and filled with a ‘sauce’ – basically whichever type of curry you like, then you can add toppings such as crumbled nachos, sambal, coleslaw or chilli and spring onion.

Our little privileged crew got to help make some of the ingredients (I hollowed bread) and then put our own bunnies together. 

I always thought of Bunny Chow as a lunch time light meal but these little bread bowls are pretty hearty! Do not be fooled by their size. I couldn't resist the gingery, fiery chicken to load up with and had to have the chilli and onion, sambal and crunch nachos on top. So delicious! None of us really knew how to eat one, so we kind of tore at it with our cutlery, though apparently eating them with your hands is the done thing in SA.

As well as getting hands-on with them, we were able to talk to Lyndsay, involved in putting the branding together and spreading the word about how they put Bunny Chow together and the challenges involved. Finding someone to make them the special bread has proved to be particularly tricky – it is no small feat to get consistent loaves of that size and height apparently!

As well as bunnies, you can also get some very meaty sides – ribs, meatballs and chicken wings. Or you can go for a risotto-type dish made with Sam, a South African grain. I thought this was really good, though it didn’t work quite as well when it was converted into a dessert as a take on rice pudding.

They go through something like 400 little loaves a day – hollowing them out to fill with saucy curries. But what do they do with the holes? They make damn fine bread and butter pudding with them, that’s what!

And finally, before we cracked on with the actual meal, we couldn’t stop snacking on the moreish biltong and pork scratchings. These are definitely worth a try if you visit. 

Birley Salt Beef Bar, 18th March

This is more of a review of a particular food item than that of a venue. Because, if you're going to a salt beef bar, there's really only one thing you should order - the salt beef. And that is what I did. Not that there aren't other things on offer. Like most of the other Birley sandwich branches, they serve various hot meats carved up for you then and there. I barely glanced at them, and ordered a salt beef sandwich on white bread.

Did I want any sauce? Why, yes, ketchup please. Unconventional I know, but more than just a smidgen of mustard is too much for me, and ketchup goes with (almost) everything.

Did I want a pickle? Of course! In the sandwich? Go for it. And in the blink of an eye my server had 'julienned' my gherkin, flattened it to separate each sliver and 'spread' it on the sandwich. It was wrapped up and handed over to me.

I took it outside and hungrily devoured it. The bread wasn't quite doorstep but easily thick enough to handle the generous beef portion. The meat itself was tender, salty, nicely sized chunks and you got some pickle with every bite.

It wasn't gargantuan like the kind you might get in Katz in New York, it was a sensible size for a sandwich, and a sensible price too - 5.75. I, luckily, don't live far from the Beigel places on Brick Lane, where I can satisfy any salt beef craving I might have at any time of the day for less than 4 quid, so the Birley Salt Beef Bar doesn't offer anything to me that I'm in desperate need of. But it does a good job of what it offers. I'd happily get my lunch from them again.

Pollen Street Social, 17th March

Going to a Michelin starred restaurant for lunch for no special reason isn’t something that most people would consider, but I posit that you should when it comes to Pollen Street Social. As it happens, we went to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday, but I fully intend to return and I’m not going to wait for a special occasion to crop up before I do.

The reason I say all this is because the set lunch at Pollen Street Social is an absolute steal. Two courses are £22.00 and three are £25.50. With wine and service included our entire meal came to just shy of £50 each and we were absolutely stuffed, having thoroughly enjoyed some superb cuisine.

In some places, if you go for the set menu, you might feel you are being relegated to a subclass of diner, as the choices on the menu are limited and sometimes don’t seem to showcase the best of what a restaurant can do. This was not the case with Pollen Street. All of us could have quite happily had any of the dishes on offer for any of the courses and not felt hard done by. Not only that, but we didn’t lose out on having the full dining experience by going for the set menu. By that I mean we were offered the bread basket not once but twice (and yes, I did have some both times), we were furnished with a palate cleanser between main and dessert, and at the end of the meal we were given a delightful mini cake to round it off. As an added bonus, when we booked the main dining area was full and we were seated in the bar area. There were only about 4 other tables in this area, at the back of the room, which made it feel like we had our own private dining area, away from the bustle and noise of the hoi polloi. The only downside being that we didn’t get the spectacle of the chefs at work, or see the dessert bar laid out at the back.

And so, on to the food. We had a choice of three starters – pork knuckle and foie gras terrine with coco beans, squid and sourdough toast; hake with slow-cooked egg and curry rice; and mackerel tartar. Poor mackerel lost out as the five of us found the other two dishes more tempting. I had the terrine (anyone who reads this may by now realise gambling on me having a terrine as a starter is a safe bet). It was an excellent introduction to the standard of the food there. The bread was dense with plenty of flavour and the terrine was much richer than I thought it would be. I think that’s the first time I’ve had foie gras and I think that is what accounted for the luxurious taste. The star of the starters was the egg dish which three of my dining companions ordered. It was presented as a large, gelatinous looking globe of egg with flakes of fish and fried garlic all over it, and then a velvety vivid green soup was poured around it. Stunning. I had a small taste of Stephen’s and it was very silky.

Almost forgot to mention the tart picallili (green blob partially obscured)

There's some oxtail with that there marrow

For our mains again there were three choices – a fish dish that no one really bothered to do more than glance at (though it sounded nice), and then two meat options. Ox cheek with salt baked onion, mashed potato and bone marrow, and dingly dell pork belly with spiced pig’s cheek, pear puree and lardo potatoes. Stephen and I had the pork, the others had the ox cheek. I was over the moon that each dish came with a separate mini tureen of jus which the waiters poured over the meat. I love a little theatre at the table. Once again, fabulous food. I did have one potato that, dare I say it, may have been a tad underdone. And the pork belly did not have crispy crackling on it’s top, so if that’s something which would lose it points in your opinion, then be warned.

Sprouting broccoli - a token effort at some veg

When the dishes arrived I will admit to thinking – that’s not enough! But as I forked in the last mouthful, I was already getting that slightly uncomfortable full feeling. I could have easily gone without dessert and still not needed to eat until much later in the evening.
But, while we were there... Well, silly not to! There are two main choices for dessert but also a selection of sorbets and ice creams on offer. I had the rhubarb sorbet with pistachio financier and ginger, Stephen had the chocolate pave with vanilla ice cream and smoked vanilla crumb. The other sorbets on offer were mango, passionfruit, beetroot and one other I have forgotten. The ice cream choices were vanilla, chocolate, 
milk and honey, and tonka bean. 

But before we had that, we were proffered our palate cleanser. My biggest regret of this meal is that I didn’t take a picture of this when it was first set down. They had recreated a soft boiled egg. But it was nothing to do with an egg at all. The bottom of it was pineapple granita, there was then a thick layer of lychee foam (which looked like egg white) and this was then topped with  a passionfruit coulis (which look like a bit of soft yolk poking through. It was incredibly refreshing, zingy and sweet. Wonderful. 

Finally, dessert was served. I think this may have been my favourite dish of the day, mainly because it was something I wouldn’t normally go for. The rhubarb sorbet was refreshing and the pistachio financier nice and crumbly. Some stewed rhubarb and chantilly cream were some nice added extras. 
I didn’t even have any food envy of Stephen’s amazing looking chocolate pave, which tasted as good as it looked. Even the ice cream/sorbets that the others ordered were presented beautifully. Laid out in individual cups nestled in ice like oysters. So, so pretty! 

Chocolate pave

rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb

Sorbet selection

A pumpkin and apricot bite-size cake and the meal was done!

DrinkShopDo x 2, 13th January

It so happened that the first time I went to Drink Shop Do, I went twice in one day. I had already organised to go for drinks with some friends there on the evening, and then my colleagues decided to lunch there. As Drink Shop Do is a café/shop by day and bar by night, I thought it would be good to see it in both its guises. 

Everything in Drink Shop Do is for sale – there is a little shop of craft type stuff at the front, including some wry cards that I particularly found amusing, and then you go into the back where they serve the food and drinks. They also hold different arts and crafts type evenings. Hence the name. They have some specials on every day and we asked the waitress to tell us what they were. We all ended up ordering one of them. I had the spinach and ricotta quiche, which I asked to be warmed. It was very nice and came with an assortment of salad which I wasn’t expecting. However, I must admit I had food envy when I saw what the others had ordered. The soup special was thai coconut and sweet potato, with a bit of chili, which I didn’t go for because I don’t like coconut. To my chagrin I was informed that it didn’t taste coconutty at all, and also came with some lovely crusty tiger bread and a clump of butter. The other order making me see green was the special of beef and ale stew. This too came with some bread and butter and was served in a cute stew pot from which you could see the great hunks of beef and veggies poking out. It looked delicious and I am told it was. And all very reasonably priced. They have a selection of home made cakes on the shelf which looked amazing, but as no one else was indulging, I wasn’t tempted to. Not this time round anyway.

At the end of the working day back I went to DrinkShopDo. While it wasn’t exactly transformed, the ambience was definitely different. There seemed to be more tables and the lights had been dimmed. The cakes had been removed from the bar, and though I think you may still have been able to order them, by the time I got into drinking, the tasty bar snacks of vegetable crisps and chilli wasabi peas and cashews they serve seemed more appropriate. They have a selection of cocktails, as well as wine, beer and cider. The prices are fairly average for London. A cocktail will set you back £7.50, which is actually less than what I have been paying at other cocktail-oriented places. I must highly recommend the Gorgy Porgy. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the drink to go for, like liquid creme brulee.

I was at the venue by 5:45 and the place was already quite busy. I’d say by 6:30 there wasn’t a free table. But luckily, for anyone arriving later, there is a downstairs area with a bar, playing music. You would be forgiven for thinking there wasn’t, as the sign advertises a toilet down the stairs and nothing else, but if you do go to the loo you will discover it. It used to be part of the sex shop next door, which explains the multicoloured streamers at the entrance.

Downstairs is a bit livelier. Upstairs is perfect for having a catch up with a few close friends. When we went in the daytime there was an assortment of board games at the bigger tables, and it was still commonplace to find people getting them out and settling down for a game with their pint.

I think this place is delightful and will definitely be going back for lunch and cake. I tend to go to places that are a little more upbeat in the evenings, but when I’m looking for somewhere friendly, where it’s important to be able to talk without straining your voice or ears, then this would be the place to go.

The Breakfast Club, 30th December

I had twice tried to go to the Breakfast Club so far and twice been foiled in my efforts by a queue that was far too long when taking into consideration mine and my companions' hunger. The first time we ended up in Lo Profile, a place that lets you build your own burgers on weekends and does amazing nachos and alcoholic milkshakes. The second time I ended up in Diner. Third time we were lucky as we went on one of those hinterland days between Christmas and New Year when everyone seems to be hibernating/recovering.

I am very happy that we tried again at the Liverpool Street branch. Stephen was again with me, and once again showing his perversity by deciding what he really fancied was a burrito. I put it to him that probably the thing to do, when going to a new place that specialises in breakfasts, was to try something from the breakfast menu, in order to be guaranteed a good meal. Luckily, they did huevos rancheros which satisfied his Mexican craving while also falling into the breakfast category. After careful deliberation I went for the French Toast with apples and cinnamon.

Not the prettiest plate but looks aren't everything

I think it is possibly the best French toast I have ever eaten. Three big slices of it, absolutely covered in apples. At first, I was a little worried about the amount of maple syrup. That was, until I delved to the bottom layer and discovered it was absolutely sodden with maple syrup and so everything around the edges was more than enough for the top two slices. The apples were great - a bit soft but not turned to mush. The french toast was wonderfully thick and, even better, around the edges there were bits of pure fried egg. I appreciated this because I am always torn between eggs for breakfast or pancakes/waffles/french toast and the residue round the edges made me feel I was getting a bit of both. Especially when Stephen gave me a slice of his chorizo.

Huevos rancheros con sour cream

Stephen's huevos rancheros came with two fat, ridiculously juice/greasy chorizo sausages, two fried eggs on tortillas, some quacamole, salsa and refried beans. It looked very tasty and Stephen said that it was, only he thought there needed to be some extra crunch amongst all the softness - some tortilla chips perhaps would have been a welcome addition.

To put an extra smile on your face, I thought the prices were very reasonable. I think my dish was around £6 and Stephen's wasn't much more than that. Totally filling, totally delicious. I will certainly make this place where I go to get my french toast fix.

However, I think if I am certain I fancy something more savoury involving eggs, I'd probably head to the Diner instead. The egg selection at The Breakfast Club was a little more traditional - eggs benedict in various guises - than I tend to go for when getting brunch out.

Street Kitchen, 7th December

I had an early interview – well early for me – which conveniently finished around lunchtime. Why not go and get some chow from Street Kitchen in Liverpool Street on my way home? Why not indeed.

It was a bitingly cold day, especially as I was in my interview finery ie, a suit jacket as opposed to a warm wintery coat. I followed the circumference around Broadgate Circle and saw the familiar silver van from all those Food Network advert shorts (anyone seen those?). I had told Stephen I was likely to go over there for some scran the day before and he warned me that Jun was unlikely to be there. I said I knew but secretly hoped he might.

And he was! He was there, waiting around for people to come up to the hatch. And he served me! Yay! I love Jun - we've seen him at Taste of Christmas and another foodie event and he always seems so nice. Of course, I didn't chat to him or anything but it was nice that he was there.

They always have a few choices - I was quite tempted by the sticky pork or hot smoked salmon but in the end went for the winter broth with celeriac, cabbage and braised meat (I think it was beef) and a warm brioche roll. Mmmm, it was the perfect choice for a cold winter's day. It was also under a fiver whereas the other options were £7.50. 

See - large chunks of meat

The veggies were just the way I like them - cooked but still with a bit of crunch. And hiding underneath all the vegetation floating on top were some surprisingly large chunks of meat. I took a sip of just the broth at first and was already pleased - it was full of flavour. It reminded me of the chinese vegetable soup I'd had at Yum Bun, mainly in an inverse way (this one had flavour, the other one didn't). As I said, the vegetables were good and the meat was also a little fatty and tender and tasty. As pleasing a winter warmer dish as you could ask for.

Oh - the brioche roll was just meh. And I think the soup was enough really - I didn't even eat the roll at the time but saved it for a snack. As a bread lover, that's saying something.

J & A Cafe, 30th November

So far my unemployment hadn't been as relaxing as I had hoped - I spent the first two days applying for jobs, preparing for interviews, and getting stressed out about whether or not I was making the correct decision regarding a job offer. But Wednesday - ahhh Wednesday - my first proper day of respite. I had a lie in and then met my boyfriend for lunch. I consulted my List (not physically but mentally, actually it may well have been physically) and suggested J & A. This place had in turn been suggested to me by one of my friends from work. I particularly liked the sound of their brunches on the weekend but the sound of their sandwiches also appealed - nothing fancy, but I quite like the simple touch when it comes to sandwiches.

We met early, at noon. This was a good thing. People clearly know about this place and by 1 pm  the place was full and people were having to 'bunk up' on tables - a practice my boyfriend detests. I'm not too hot on it either considering I hate hearing other people eat. I find it even difficult to hear the mastication of my nearest and dearest, let alone strangers.  Anyway, so the place gets busy and it isn't even right in the middle of the thoroughfare - you have to go down a little alley to get to it. I almost thought I was in the wrong place. 

I had pretty much decided to have a sandwich but then at the last minute changed my mind to a baked potato. They have several sandwiches that they always serve and then they also have a soup or stew special, a pie special and several jacket potato specials on the day, written up on the board on the wall. I ordered the smoked cheddar, bacon, sundried tomato and apple potato. Stephen had the chicken roast chicken sandwich. 

I also had some orange juice with my meal which Stephen proclaimed 'lovely'. It had bits in it which was a plus for him, though I prefer my juice sans pulp. 

Our food arrived and I think I had food envy. Probably why I took two pictures of Stephen's dish and only one of mine. I didn't have any of the sandwich but I have it on good advice that it was an impressive sandwich. It must have been because ordinarily Stephen would moan that it was £5.50 for a sandwich but this time, he not only didn't moan but said he really liked the place and would be coming back soon! Judging from the looks of the 'wich, I could understand it - just look at those plump slices of bread. And they haven't skimped with the chicken - look at it all juicy and glistening. And they included some skin. Oh yes, they know what they're doing. It's like a proper sandwichy treat you'd make for yourself at home if you could be bothered to roast a whole chicken.

I'm really not great at this photography thing

Oh yeah - that's the good stuff

My baked potato was also pleasing. I worried when it came out that there wouldn't be enough topping for the size of the potato. But I managed to eke it out perfectly. I could taste the smokiness of the cheese and they hadn't gone over the top with the amount so it wasn't a greasy, claggy mess on the potato. and there was more bacon than it looks like there was from the picture. The only weird thing was the apple - I don't think it fit all that well with the rest of it, but I like apple so it was no biggie. I was more than happy to eat it. Even the token bit of salad on the side was pretty good. 

The food wasn't groundbreaking - it's what you'd expect from a place calling itself a cafe - but it was done really well. I can't wait to go back for the pancakes!

Vinoteca, 23rd November

This entry is actually found in the 'Drink' List but I ended up going for lunch here in order to celebrate the launch of an app I had been working on. We were dining on our company's dime and one of my colleagues suggested Vinoteca. I immediately seconded that suggestion as it was somewhere on my List and my other half had said the steak looked good every time he walked past and spied on the diners. 

We also happened to be going on my last week of work and so it was sort of a goodbye meal as well. Which made it feel even more apt that we take the chance to have a glass of wine - I mean, the place is called Vinoteca, clearly wine is something they should do well.

A couple of my co-diners had been there before and one of them recommended the steak. How could I refuse? So I had the bavette (served medium rare only) with amusingly named black trumpet butter, chips and smoked ketchup. For each meal they recommend a wine to accompany it, and, placing my faith in their wisdom, I went with their suggestion. Most of us in fact had the bavette, or the pork belly. One eschewed the meat peer pressure and went for langoustine. She asked if she could have some chips with it as it only came with a salad and was informed that 'they don't do that'. Tsk tsk, how dare she ask for some extra food! So that was a bit of a black mark for them.

But then the steak came and blotted out all memories of any slight lack in service. How can I describe it? I think this sums it up nicely: Mmmmmm mmm hhhhmmmmmmmhhhh. *gurgle*. Sooo good. The chips were amazing. The ketchup was indeed smoky and the butter I can only assume was properly trumpety considering they got everything else right.

Mmmm close up

I swapped with my friend a piece of my meat for a bit of pork belly and that was pretty amazing too. And they weren't shy in the portion size, nor did they serve up a bit of belly that was mostly fat. 

I think the only meal that was a little disappointing was the langoustines. They certainly looked impressive on the plate, with their long claws stretched across it, but there were only four or five of them and though they took as long to eat as our slabs of meat, they weren't anywhere near as filling for my colleague. I pitied her for her lack of chips. This is why I tend not to order shellfish - too much work for too little reward. Plus I find de-shelling them a bit gross.

I got a glimpse of Vinoteca's Christmas menu which was pretty mouthwatering. Especially the desserts. Something we didn't try when we were there. 

I'm no wine expert so I can't wax too lyrical about my glass other than to say it was eminently quaffable and put me in a wine drinking state of mind, which sadly I had to extinguish as we were going back to the office. 

I'm sure I will be back at some point when I can spend longer sampling some more vino varieties. 

Yum Bun, 17th November

I had just been told that I hadn't got the job I wanted within my own company. Normally going for a promotion in your own company is not too big of a deal if you don't get it, but in this case it meant I was out of a job. I felt both defiant and despondent and knew I needed something delicious to eat to bring me back to equilibrium.

I headed over to Eat St, going by foot to walk off the adrenalin from the revelation that I'd be leaving my job in one week. I regretted the decision to pedestrianise myself about halfway up Farringdon Road and even more so once I got to King's Cross and started up the long walk to actually get to Eat St. I felt like I was trekking to the back of beyond. I had looked up who was there that day and knew it would be worth it - at the very least I could get a banh mi from banhmi11 and if they were as good as the ones they serve on Broadway Market, I'd be happy. But Yum Bun were also there that day and I had yet to taste their wares.

I had a bit of a recky before queuing up - having a look at the meat and how big the buns were. They had a lunch deal on - 2 buns and some soup for £6. One bun on it's own was £3 so it was basically a 'buy two, get soup free' type deal. I wasn't too bothered about getting soup but if it's free, why not? Especially inoffensive chinese vegetable soup.

Yum in a Bun

I took my two buns and soup and found myself a spare bit of kerb to sit on. Ahhhh, the yum bun. They have basically taken everyone's favourite dish of crispy duck pancakes and made them even more fabulous. Hoisin - check. Cool cucumber - check. Fresh spring onion - check. But instead of duck (which I love) they have replaced it with pork belly. Pork belly! Wonderfully tasty and juicy pork belly. And instead of pancakes they come in a fluffy 'bun'! A bun! (Ok, that exclamation mark may not be warranted given their name.) Not a bun as in a bap, or a roll, or a butty, but a bun as in a Chinese steamed bun - you know, the spherical things which often have minced pork and chives in the middle of them. I don't know quite how they cook them, but they must do them flat, a bit like pancakes, that can then be folded and stuff stuffed in.  And then - the piece de resistance is a bit of that lovely orangey chilli sauce that you get in Chinese restaurants. All together, it works beautifully. One is most definitely not enough. I think next time, though, I would ask for a tad more sauce - both kinds.

Mmmm, half eaten Bun

I ate my buns while waiting for my soup to cool and then started on that. It wasn't great. It's just a broth with some veggies in it and, as I suspected, it had mushrooms in it. The horror! Anyway, it was no great shakes - just something extra to fill your belly with instead of another bun and I got tired of avoiding the mushrooms after a while so poured the rest away. I'm glad it was free cos I wouldn't have appreciated paying for it.

Those buns stayed on my mind a long time though... I will be back for more.