Saturday, December 08, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Alpine 12?
He says...
And so we continue obviously onwards to our next obvious number.. the mighty 12. It is, without doubt, one of the greats... look at months - not content with 10 per year, they quite literally 'turned it up to 12', which is 'two louder' than ten.
Anyway, what about this alpine restaurant, 12 Temple Place? It's in Covent Garden, and if we're up for braving the cold, they've got waterfalls in the garden.
Could be fun, although the missus has already turned her nose up at the 'non vegetarian main courses'. Piffle:
'Sauteed calves liver topped with raspberry vinegar and sour creamserved with Rösti.'
I rest my case.
They also have ractlette, which is like fondue but sexier.
Could be good combined with some Christmas shopping in that there London. Unless Kat can suggest a more delicious alternative...
And so we continue obviously onwards to our next obvious number.. the mighty 12. It is, without doubt, one of the greats... look at months - not content with 10 per year, they quite literally 'turned it up to 12', which is 'two louder' than ten.Anyway, what about this alpine restaurant, 12 Temple Place? It's in Covent Garden, and if we're up for braving the cold, they've got waterfalls in the garden.
Could be fun, although the missus has already turned her nose up at the 'non vegetarian main courses'. Piffle:'Sauteed calves liver topped with raspberry vinegar and sour creamserved with Rösti.'
I rest my case.
They also have ractlette, which is like fondue but sexier.
Could be good combined with some Christmas shopping in that there London. Unless Kat can suggest a more delicious alternative...
Thursday, October 25, 2012
ELEVEN: Eleven
He says...
Our furthest afield number to date - the charming Leamington Spa. Staying at a b&b in nearby Warwick, we popped for an early sitting at French restaurant Eleven on Saturday night, and we were pleased to find that the restaurateur is an actual Frenchman... in Leamington Spa, who'd have thought it?
Starting with a glass of kir each, Monsieur Bomme reliably informed us the drink was named after the French catholic priest who invented it. I had the special starter - escargot - and Kat had the devilled kidneys on toast.
While escargot generally taste like vulcanised rubber, they're great because of the torture-like implements you have to use, while also giving me a good excuse to tell the story (again) about how I once accidentally flicked a snail at a white-shirted Frenchman in a Parisian restaurant.
Determined to remain stereotypically French for the duration of the meal, I went for the other special on the blackboard - duck a l'orange, which was melt-in-the-mouth although sadly let down by an extremely pedestrian selection of veg. However, Kat told me that such Wednesday night-esque fare is also typically French, so I think that made it alright.
It was, however, one of those very rare instances when I was actually jealous of Kat's main course - the cheese souffle. Usually my picking skills are far superior to hers.
Suddenly there was a subtle placing of something on our table. Sadly not the desert menu, but the bill, unrequested... our early sitting had come to an abrupt end. So we weren't to sample the delights of tarte tatin or Cafe leigois...
But we did drink whiskey in a pub, go back to the b&b and steal more whiskey from their delapidated bar, eat hula hoops... then the next day... WARWICK CASTLE.
SCORE: 7/10
She says...
As a last minute escape plan it worked a treat. Choosing a restaurant in an obscure location based on the number in its title and a few pics on the internet is going to get us into trouble one of these days, but this was another (after Hastings #9) winner all round. Cute, with an authentic feel (if a French restaurant in Leamington Spa could ever be called authentic), a genial host, who was ACTUALLY French, and interesting, slightly old school food, cooked well.
My devilled kidneys were a wee bit chewy, but then they generally are. However, I was mightily impressed by my first souffle and you really couldn't argue with it's incredible cheesiness. I put up a good fight but strugglde to finish it. Luckily Matt was on hand to help out. Decent, French, wine and a buzzy atmosphere made it a lovely evening despite the stormy clouds hanging overhead.
To be recommended if you're ever in the area, perhaps visiting Warwick Castle, which is something else I recommend, and as well as an Autumn stroll (in about 30 minutes) down the canal from Warwick to Leamington Spa. Works up a nice appetite.
SCORE: 8/10
Starting with a glass of kir each, Monsieur Bomme reliably informed us the drink was named after the French catholic priest who invented it. I had the special starter - escargot - and Kat had the devilled kidneys on toast.
While escargot generally taste like vulcanised rubber, they're great because of the torture-like implements you have to use, while also giving me a good excuse to tell the story (again) about how I once accidentally flicked a snail at a white-shirted Frenchman in a Parisian restaurant.Determined to remain stereotypically French for the duration of the meal, I went for the other special on the blackboard - duck a l'orange, which was melt-in-the-mouth although sadly let down by an extremely pedestrian selection of veg. However, Kat told me that such Wednesday night-esque fare is also typically French, so I think that made it alright.
It was, however, one of those very rare instances when I was actually jealous of Kat's main course - the cheese souffle. Usually my picking skills are far superior to hers.Suddenly there was a subtle placing of something on our table. Sadly not the desert menu, but the bill, unrequested... our early sitting had come to an abrupt end. So we weren't to sample the delights of tarte tatin or Cafe leigois...
But we did drink whiskey in a pub, go back to the b&b and steal more whiskey from their delapidated bar, eat hula hoops... then the next day... WARWICK CASTLE.
SCORE: 7/10
She says...
As a last minute escape plan it worked a treat. Choosing a restaurant in an obscure location based on the number in its title and a few pics on the internet is going to get us into trouble one of these days, but this was another (after Hastings #9) winner all round. Cute, with an authentic feel (if a French restaurant in Leamington Spa could ever be called authentic), a genial host, who was ACTUALLY French, and interesting, slightly old school food, cooked well. 
My devilled kidneys were a wee bit chewy, but then they generally are. However, I was mightily impressed by my first souffle and you really couldn't argue with it's incredible cheesiness. I put up a good fight but strugglde to finish it. Luckily Matt was on hand to help out. Decent, French, wine and a buzzy atmosphere made it a lovely evening despite the stormy clouds hanging overhead. 
To be recommended if you're ever in the area, perhaps visiting Warwick Castle, which is something else I recommend, and as well as an Autumn stroll (in about 30 minutes) down the canal from Warwick to Leamington Spa. Works up a nice appetite.SCORE: 8/10
Friday, October 19, 2012
Eleven considerations
He says...So now we're well into double figures and options for eleven are looking very promising... and with thoughts of going away this weekend, I'm thinking of going NATIONAL...
First off, Eleven in Leamington Spa is a French restaurant which promises classics such as cassoulet, braised rabbits and duck... sounds like good winter food. Sadly we can't get a hotel room anywhere in Leamington Spa...
Closer to home, we have 11 Cadogan Gardens in smarmy old Knightsbridge, where you can have afternoon tea on one of those triple story plates for £22, and by the look of the menu, they do a fine line in top quality weed as well.
There's 11 Park Walk in Chelsea, which looks a bit weird but does do a Florentine Steak for two... at £65... theres also a rather cheesy video on the website.
Eleven Madison Garden... in New York.. but one of the top 50 resturants...
Then theres the very tempting 11 The Quay in Ilfracombe, owned by Damian Hirst, which has potted shrimp and duck liver pate... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Failing that - Lisbon?!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Restaurant Sixteen?
She says....
Matt is much better than I am at noticing potential restaurants for our blog... here's another of his finds. Somwhere in Hornsey he walked past it on his way from our new flat in Turnpike Lane to his old flat in Muswell Hill. Caribbean fusion too, which sounds great!Good work sweetie x
Matt is much better than I am at noticing potential restaurants for our blog... here's another of his finds. Somwhere in Hornsey he walked past it on his way from our new flat in Turnpike Lane to his old flat in Muswell Hill. Caribbean fusion too, which sounds great!Good work sweetie xSunday, October 07, 2012
TEN: The Ten Bells
He says...
My view from the restaurant above The Ten Bells peers straight into Spitalfields Market, which has been entirely transformed from the shabby vintage clothes stalls I perused in my early days in London into chichi shopping.
This uber-gentrification provides the context for this place, which features some cool art such as a neon scribble by local luminary Tracy Emin (the landlady of the nearby Golden Heart is good friends with Emin), contributing to a tastefully subdued sense of East London cool.
The menu is similarly characterful, with a healthy emphasis on rich meat and offal dishes. My pig's head starter arrives not in the expected shape, but as a number of small biscuits smeared with mustard - delicious if a little embarrasing as one of our friends eating with us is a vegetarian.
Speaking of which, Kat had the sweetbreads, which I discovered is not a euphemism for lamb's testicles but actually comes from the animal's throat. Having been eating sweetbreads for many years I felt strangely cheated by this discovery.
The meat-based excess does not end there as I move on to the featherblade beef with onion rings - the beef itself arrives in a dense and textured 'cake', almost like a black pudding in its condensed nature. It's perfectly matched to a thick and creamy swede mash.
The serving sizes are the closest I've come to nouvelle cuisine style portions in while, and three courses do not excessively fill the belly.
I finished with a walnut torte which arrives in a surprisingly decontructed explosion of zabaione and yellow plums which sums up what this place is all about - simple, natural but happily contrary.
Score: 8/10
She says...
Relieved to have recovered from the lurgy just in time to enjoy our visit to The Ten Bells in Shoreditch, I fought my way through the buzzy downstairs pub up to the small dining room, invitingly calm by comparison. The neon Tracy Emin style (or original?) sign on the wall and the vintage (secondhand?) mis-matched furniture reminds us that we're in trendsville. The offal and choice of wines from Languedoc are BANG on trend, as I believe they say round here.
The pig's head from the 'snacks' menu drew the attention of all of us and wasn't really any smaller or less enticing then any of the starters proper. 4 quarters of flattened head-lining with a sparky topping of, I think, horse raddish. I'm impressed that they've already changed the menu so trying to double check on the website proves pointless. My lamb sweetbreads were rich and fatty and perfectly pitched. Joe was less impressed by his soup - sickeningly fishy with a sharp radish after-taste. Passed round for everyone to try I can verify it was mighty fishy, but not unpleasent to my more sophisticated tastebuds.
The vegetarian in our midst was a bit under-represented on the short menu but enjoyed his polenta main. The beef went down well, although it wasn't a hunk of steak as I think some expected. 'Featherblade' turns out to be more pulled beef style moulded into a lump with gravy. My grouse was great. The pureed celeriac was smooth, creamy, and uncommonly good, the blackcurrants subtly penetrating this sumptousness.
Enjoying ourselves with tales of MI5 shenanigans we were more than happy to hang around and order puddings as well. Kat's pear salad won in the most bizarre category. A properly unusual combination of pear spaghetti, slightly unripe to make the spirals work, mixed with thyme making it quite savoury, then raw coffee sprinkles and sweet honey icecream. It tasted amazing and I imagine there was much trial and error in the kitchen getting those flavours to work together. My parfait with pressed apple and butternut squash curd won the 'less adventurous but still very interesting and most moreish' category. The walnut torte with plums and zabaione won high praise from Joe and appreciation from Matt, but I thought the torte was more of a cake, crumbly and a bit dry. Luckily it wasn't my dessert!
Overall a lovely evening with food that's inventive and worth talking about, but, most importantly, worth eating! Staff were on the relaxed, friendly side of professional, and knowledgable; happy to correct us in our mis-assumption that sweetbreads were testicles - they're actually a gland from the neck. It's not exactly cheap but I think priced exactly right considering the quality. However, portions aren't big so I think Kat & Adrian regretted their no-starter stance, and after 3 courses it ended up at £44 a head including 3 bottles of wine and tip. A great place to go with friends so you get to try as much on the menu as possible.
Score: 9.5/10
My view from the restaurant above The Ten Bells peers straight into Spitalfields Market, which has been entirely transformed from the shabby vintage clothes stalls I perused in my early days in London into chichi shopping.
This uber-gentrification provides the context for this place, which features some cool art such as a neon scribble by local luminary Tracy Emin (the landlady of the nearby Golden Heart is good friends with Emin), contributing to a tastefully subdued sense of East London cool.
The menu is similarly characterful, with a healthy emphasis on rich meat and offal dishes. My pig's head starter arrives not in the expected shape, but as a number of small biscuits smeared with mustard - delicious if a little embarrasing as one of our friends eating with us is a vegetarian. Speaking of which, Kat had the sweetbreads, which I discovered is not a euphemism for lamb's testicles but actually comes from the animal's throat. Having been eating sweetbreads for many years I felt strangely cheated by this discovery.
The meat-based excess does not end there as I move on to the featherblade beef with onion rings - the beef itself arrives in a dense and textured 'cake', almost like a black pudding in its condensed nature. It's perfectly matched to a thick and creamy swede mash.
The serving sizes are the closest I've come to nouvelle cuisine style portions in while, and three courses do not excessively fill the belly.
I finished with a walnut torte which arrives in a surprisingly decontructed explosion of zabaione and yellow plums which sums up what this place is all about - simple, natural but happily contrary.
Score: 8/10
She says...
Relieved to have recovered from the lurgy just in time to enjoy our visit to The Ten Bells in Shoreditch, I fought my way through the buzzy downstairs pub up to the small dining room, invitingly calm by comparison. The neon Tracy Emin style (or original?) sign on the wall and the vintage (secondhand?) mis-matched furniture reminds us that we're in trendsville. The offal and choice of wines from Languedoc are BANG on trend, as I believe they say round here.The pig's head from the 'snacks' menu drew the attention of all of us and wasn't really any smaller or less enticing then any of the starters proper. 4 quarters of flattened head-lining with a sparky topping of, I think, horse raddish. I'm impressed that they've already changed the menu so trying to double check on the website proves pointless. My lamb sweetbreads were rich and fatty and perfectly pitched. Joe was less impressed by his soup - sickeningly fishy with a sharp radish after-taste. Passed round for everyone to try I can verify it was mighty fishy, but not unpleasent to my more sophisticated tastebuds.
The vegetarian in our midst was a bit under-represented on the short menu but enjoyed his polenta main. The beef went down well, although it wasn't a hunk of steak as I think some expected. 'Featherblade' turns out to be more pulled beef style moulded into a lump with gravy. My grouse was great. The pureed celeriac was smooth, creamy, and uncommonly good, the blackcurrants subtly penetrating this sumptousness.
Enjoying ourselves with tales of MI5 shenanigans we were more than happy to hang around and order puddings as well. Kat's pear salad won in the most bizarre category. A properly unusual combination of pear spaghetti, slightly unripe to make the spirals work, mixed with thyme making it quite savoury, then raw coffee sprinkles and sweet honey icecream. It tasted amazing and I imagine there was much trial and error in the kitchen getting those flavours to work together. My parfait with pressed apple and butternut squash curd won the 'less adventurous but still very interesting and most moreish' category. The walnut torte with plums and zabaione won high praise from Joe and appreciation from Matt, but I thought the torte was more of a cake, crumbly and a bit dry. Luckily it wasn't my dessert!
Overall a lovely evening with food that's inventive and worth talking about, but, most importantly, worth eating! Staff were on the relaxed, friendly side of professional, and knowledgable; happy to correct us in our mis-assumption that sweetbreads were testicles - they're actually a gland from the neck. It's not exactly cheap but I think priced exactly right considering the quality. However, portions aren't big so I think Kat & Adrian regretted their no-starter stance, and after 3 courses it ended up at £44 a head including 3 bottles of wine and tip. A great place to go with friends so you get to try as much on the menu as possible.
Score: 9.5/10
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Ten Bells
He says...
Oh dear, its been ages since we've posted. How slack of us... So we're going to The Ten Bells on Friday - I've drunk (and been drunk) there on numerous occasions but never knew it has decent food in the restaurant upstairs.
It was, of course, the pub at the centre of the Jack the Ripper murders, and even temporarily (and tastelessly) renamed itself The Jack the Ripper... The pub featured in Alan Moore's brilliant From Hell...
These days its more likely to be populated by East London hipsters than soon-to-be-slaughtered prostitutes.
Menu-wise there's a rather nice sounding grouse with celeriac, blackcurrants and white onion instead... and the featherblade beef with horseradish, swede and onion rings sounds intriguingly odd.
Oh dear, its been ages since we've posted. How slack of us... So we're going to The Ten Bells on Friday - I've drunk (and been drunk) there on numerous occasions but never knew it has decent food in the restaurant upstairs.
These days its more likely to be populated by East London hipsters than soon-to-be-slaughtered prostitutes.
Menu-wise there's a rather nice sounding grouse with celeriac, blackcurrants and white onion instead... and the featherblade beef with horseradish, swede and onion rings sounds intriguingly odd.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Restaurant number ten in France, perchance?
She says...
After the delights of Eastern European food we're back on the salads in preparation for a blow out at restaurant #10.... whenever we find it.
We're off again shortly to hang out with my parents, brother, his wife and child somewhere near Lyon, so could there be a restaurant numero dix to enjoy whilst we're there?
Found! Le Relais Des Dix Crus Hotel looks to be within 40 minutes drive of the villa my parents have rented... oh, on further inspection the hotel restaurant appears to be shut. Damn.
There is this place, but it looks over an hour from the villa, and it would be cheating a bit as it's really dix-sept... http://en.infotourisme.net/restaurant/saint-verand/6713/auberge-des-dix-sept-clochers
Hummm... back to London and there's the Ten Bells in Shoreditch, but Matt's already been there; 10 Cases, which looks great! But Matt's also been there already....
And one I've been to already is Japanese cafe Ten Ten Tei in Soho, which does do very good Japanese food at good prices as the blog on the link testifies. I do love a good bit of sashimi, but good food is NOT the point of our blog now is it....
So, Enfield anyone? Bar Ten's Charcoal Grill's restaurant has a very ordinary menu enlivened by frequent mention of halloumi cheese. Having recently reignited my love of grilled halloumi at, of all places, Nandos, this could pursuade me to trek out to Essex once again.
After the delights of Eastern European food we're back on the salads in preparation for a blow out at restaurant #10.... whenever we find it.
Found! Le Relais Des Dix Crus Hotel looks to be within 40 minutes drive of the villa my parents have rented... oh, on further inspection the hotel restaurant appears to be shut. Damn.
There is this place, but it looks over an hour from the villa, and it would be cheating a bit as it's really dix-sept... http://en.infotourisme.net/restaurant/saint-verand/6713/auberge-des-dix-sept-clochers
Hummm... back to London and there's the Ten Bells in Shoreditch, but Matt's already been there; 10 Cases, which looks great! But Matt's also been there already....
And one I've been to already is Japanese cafe Ten Ten Tei in Soho, which does do very good Japanese food at good prices as the blog on the link testifies. I do love a good bit of sashimi, but good food is NOT the point of our blog now is it....So, Enfield anyone? Bar Ten's Charcoal Grill's restaurant has a very ordinary menu enlivened by frequent mention of halloumi cheese. Having recently reignited my love of grilled halloumi at, of all places, Nandos, this could pursuade me to trek out to Essex once again.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Three Crowns, Stoke Newington
He Says... Been here a few times over the years, most recently at the end of former flatmate Ben's (hi Ben) birthday party this year... it was downstairs in the tiny sweatbox of a music venue where they were playing some kind of Balkan white funk meets Italian new jack crunk combination... or maybe I've misremembered it....Sunday, August 12, 2012
Returning...
He says...
My review of Pier 9 is sadly still not written and I suspect it may never happen
as my fading brain cells can't rightly recall much about the meal, apart from the Red Arrows and some pirates hanging around.
Let's just say that it was NICE, shall we?
Reason for delay is we've been away on Summer vacation to Bulgaria and Romania, where we dined on top local foods like pork cooked in lard here, a lot of buttery tripe soup (better than it sounds) and pancakes filled with chicken. And loads and loads and loads of bloody polenta. Unsurprisingly, many of the locals are FAT.
But the award for best restaurant goes to Casa Hirscher in Brasov, where I had some fantastic swordfish with the ubiquitous polenta and a creamy mushroom sauce - all piled up with a stick through it to show that it's a PROPER RESTAURANT.
My review of Pier 9 is sadly still not written and I suspect it may never happen
as my fading brain cells can't rightly recall much about the meal, apart from the Red Arrows and some pirates hanging around.Let's just say that it was NICE, shall we?
Reason for delay is we've been away on Summer vacation to Bulgaria and Romania, where we dined on top local foods like pork cooked in lard here, a lot of buttery tripe soup (better than it sounds) and pancakes filled with chicken. And loads and loads and loads of bloody polenta. Unsurprisingly, many of the locals are FAT.
But the award for best restaurant goes to Casa Hirscher in Brasov, where I had some fantastic swordfish with the ubiquitous polenta and a creamy mushroom sauce - all piled up with a stick through it to show that it's a PROPER RESTAURANT.
Monday, July 23, 2012
NINE: Pier 9
She says...
"Why are you going to Hastings?"
"For a pirate convention"
"No, seriously why are you going to Hastings?"
"To visit a restaurant with '9' in the title"
"Honestly now, stop joshing, why are you going to Hastings?"
Yeah, talk about unlikely. What was even more unlikely was that we'd manage to choose the first magnificently clear and sunny day after many long tortuous days of torrential rain. Go us.
The two hours on the slow train from Victoria was a bit tiresome, but there was much to welcome us at the other end. Thousands of people in fancy dress waving skull and crossbone flags, faces painted. Bands who'd re-branded themselves (I hope) for the event (The Sex Pirates, The Peerless Pirates) playing in the historical square and on the beach. And not least our friends, Anthony & Lucy, who we'd convinced to join us with their 2 children. Our very jolly party enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the seafront to the restaurant for a late Sunday lunch.
Within a beautifully renovated townhouse overlooking the sea, Pier 9 is part of the Zanzibar Hotel. A smart looking building sandwiched between slightly more shabby exteriors.
We were shown to the back by friendly staff, past a shiny white grand piano (an attempt to bring Essex glamour into sleepy Sussex?), to a cool and relaxing semi-private room looking out onto their tiered terrace. The menu looked great and reasonably priced at 2 courses for £18, three for £24. Our guests were suitably impressed, us relieved.
Starters of potted shrimp and deep-fried seafood (or fritto misto di mare, if you will) went down a treat, whilst my beef carpaccio was the only disappointment all meal. All the ingredients were fresh and individually tasty, but the tarragon mousse and bitter rocket salad totally over-powered the delicate beef. However, my main of breaded plaice was lightly dusted, expertly cooked and accompanied by a perfectly judged muddle of potato, crab and capers. Matt's lamb and Lucy's pork and chorizo also recieved praise, but Anthony's special - seared tuna with wasabi mash earned a 'sensational'. Well jel.
They also scored major blog points for offering to 'cook anything for the kids'... and the tomato and cheesey spaghetti was, I think, thoroughly enjoyed...
There was a wedding reception booked in from 6pm, which we had been warned about, so we were slightly rushed towards the bill, but through not fault of the restaurant. We would have happily had desserts and more wine though! Nothing like being left wanting more. A really lovely experience, which surely could only be topped by the red arrows doing a fly by for us... oh.
Restaurant #9: 9.5/10
"Why are you going to Hastings?"
"For a pirate convention"
"No, seriously why are you going to Hastings?"
"To visit a restaurant with '9' in the title"
"Honestly now, stop joshing, why are you going to Hastings?"
Yeah, talk about unlikely. What was even more unlikely was that we'd manage to choose the first magnificently clear and sunny day after many long tortuous days of torrential rain. Go us.
Within a beautifully renovated townhouse overlooking the sea, Pier 9 is part of the Zanzibar Hotel. A smart looking building sandwiched between slightly more shabby exteriors.
We were shown to the back by friendly staff, past a shiny white grand piano (an attempt to bring Essex glamour into sleepy Sussex?), to a cool and relaxing semi-private room looking out onto their tiered terrace. The menu looked great and reasonably priced at 2 courses for £18, three for £24. Our guests were suitably impressed, us relieved. 
Starters of potted shrimp and deep-fried seafood (or fritto misto di mare, if you will) went down a treat, whilst my beef carpaccio was the only disappointment all meal. All the ingredients were fresh and individually tasty, but the tarragon mousse and bitter rocket salad totally over-powered the delicate beef. However, my main of breaded plaice was lightly dusted, expertly cooked and accompanied by a perfectly judged muddle of potato, crab and capers. Matt's lamb and Lucy's pork and chorizo also recieved praise, but Anthony's special - seared tuna with wasabi mash earned a 'sensational'. Well jel.
They also scored major blog points for offering to 'cook anything for the kids'... and the tomato and cheesey spaghetti was, I think, thoroughly enjoyed...There was a wedding reception booked in from 6pm, which we had been warned about, so we were slightly rushed towards the bill, but through not fault of the restaurant. We would have happily had desserts and more wine though! Nothing like being left wanting more. A really lovely experience, which surely could only be topped by the red arrows doing a fly by for us... oh.
Restaurant #9: 9.5/10
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Yo ho ho...
He says...
The train tickets are booked - we're heading to Hastings this Sunday. And what a day to choose, for it will be Hastings Pirate Day! In which the city will attempt to reclaim its crown of hosting largest gathering of pirates! The Red Arrows will even be performing a fly past!
Apparently 4,500 people turned out for last year's event. Now this is something I'm genuinely quite excited about.
Time to go home and write our farewell letters to our families...
Apparently 4,500 people turned out for last year's event. Now this is something I'm genuinely quite excited about.
Time to go home and write our farewell letters to our families...
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Rod Stewart's sweaty face
Spotted this - 34 in Mayfair, part of the Caprice group... slightly off-putting that we might have to suffer the presence of an oleaginous Rod Stewart salivating over one of his blonde bints. But still, by the time 34 comes around (roughly August 2014), I'd like to think I'll have a job that allows me to happily splash £160 on a single portion of caviar.
Meanwhile, I lunched at sexy Orient Express-vibed Bob Bob Ricard today and while I had a rather nice borscht, the evening menu looks much more exciting...
Meanwhile meanwhile, we've decided Hastings' Pier Nine is the place - maybe next weekend, maybe the weekend after. Could be a good excuse for a boozy Sunday lunch then a leisurely walk along the seafront in the POURING RAIN...
Sunday, July 08, 2012
More nine options...
He says...
Yes yes Kat, Pier 9 looks alright, BUT. WHAT. ABOUT. Thai 9 in Reading. Not a city I would normally go anywhere near since I stopped the annual visits to Reading Festival, the last time of which was 2010 when the over-rated Arcade Fire irritated me enough to be permanently put off the festival.
By the way, I have recently discovered that our stats on this blog go up when we include names of Google-able famous people, Lady Gaga.
But anyway Thai 9 does serve both thai and sushi, which I like both of... Both of which I like. And its decor is reminiscent of the Match of the Day studio... hopefully Gary Linekar won't walk past our table leering suggestively and rubbing his crotch, putting us off our mussel omelette.
Bond No 9 in Edinburgh is a 'stylish and exciting' (like zorbing in a dinner jacket) lounge bar at The Shore, whatever that is. Probably near the sea or some other water. Looks on the cheesy side. It's 'food menu', as opposed to its 'brunch menu' (??) includes confit duck and shiitake mushroom risotto, among the usual fish and chips bollocks. Nah.
And there are also a number of Chinese restaurants up and down the country called Nine Dragons, all of which look utter shit.
And my only other find is Nine in London Bridge, which does have 'big name DJs' like Tony Haze and Kos Evans, but it doesn't do food. Not even a Cos lettuce.
It's decision time!
By the way, I have recently discovered that our stats on this blog go up when we include names of Google-able famous people, Lady Gaga.
But anyway Thai 9 does serve both thai and sushi, which I like both of... Both of which I like. And its decor is reminiscent of the Match of the Day studio... hopefully Gary Linekar won't walk past our table leering suggestively and rubbing his crotch, putting us off our mussel omelette.
Bond No 9 in Edinburgh is a 'stylish and exciting' (like zorbing in a dinner jacket) lounge bar at The Shore, whatever that is. Probably near the sea or some other water. Looks on the cheesy side. It's 'food menu', as opposed to its 'brunch menu' (??) includes confit duck and shiitake mushroom risotto, among the usual fish and chips bollocks. Nah.
And there are also a number of Chinese restaurants up and down the country called Nine Dragons, all of which look utter shit.
And my only other find is Nine in London Bridge, which does have 'big name DJs' like Tony Haze and Kos Evans, but it doesn't do food. Not even a Cos lettuce.
It's decision time!
Friday, July 06, 2012
Nine by the seaside... a trip to Hastings?
She says....
Despite the blinding nautical brightness of the interior, I'm definitely liking the idea of a trip to Pier 9 in Hastings. It's supposed to be a lovely historical seaside town so, if this interminal rain will just stop, a weekend jaunt to the beach would be a real treat, a proper day out.
Although that would mean breaking our newly formed rule of going to the restaurant on the same date in the month as the number in the title. 9th July is a Monday. Not ideal for making a day of it.... unless........... we skive.. shhhhhhhhh....
Spotted... 28-50
Friday, June 29, 2012
Options for nine...
A speedy post before the pub beckons... Nine - the number of lives a cat has; the number of ladies dancing; the... oh you know.
Options: The Cafe du Pont-Neuf in erm Paris, which doesnt even seem to have a menu on its website; The Number 9 in Colchester - which looks pretty good actually, particuarly the Sunday lunch; The Four O Nine in Clapham North... oh no we went there for Number 4 didn't we. That foie gras parfait was good enough to go again though.
PS Kat is currently undergoing a quest to find the best scotch egg in West London and has so far sampled a number of ones, both runny and hard-boiled from pubs in the area.
Perhaps she can tell us some more about her findings at some point...?
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
EIGHT: 8 Treasures
She says....
Pig trotters
lie heavy in the stomach. Particularly when combined with beef stomach hotpot. I
discovered this at restaurant #8. The only sure cure was a lemoncello sorbet.
Bless the Italians for inventing a tasty version of washing up liquid to clean
you out after a meal consisting mainly of fat.
But
apparently we’re just a couple of lilly-assed kids who know nothing as the
waitress informed us there’s a local Chinese contingent in there everyday about
5pm to get their trotter fix.
That must
keep the place going to be honest because, despite the rather impressive interior,
it was entirely empty when we arrive about 7:45pm on a Friday. I guess a Chinese
is a takeaway or late night kebab substitute for the population of Ealing.
We had to do it though, and I’m glad we did. When the texture of the stomach started to make me heave, the tender sliced beef making up the rest of the dish kept me going back for more. When I couldn’t bring myself to bite into the blubbery blanket wrapping the trotter I just licked the delicious liquoricy honey and soy sauce off the surface.
But maybe
next time I’ll stick to large portions of the salt and pepper spare rib starter.
Now, that DID go down well.
Restaurant #8: 7/10
He says....
He says....
After a quick pint in Ealing’s North Star, we left friend
Niall chatting with his bearded chum Barry and walked over the road to 8
Treasures, and it was… completely empty. I guess people in Ealing don’t go for
a Chinese at 7.30pm.
It’s one of those Chinese restaurants that’s really quite
unnecessarily big - from back in the days when going for a Chinese was the
height of fashion. Sadly, these days 8 Treasures has had to introduce a karaoke
room to (attempt to) get the punters back in with the promise of 'It’s Raining
Men' with their crispy duck.
And so we were treated to the full complement of staff
desperate to get a drinks order out of us until we finally gave in to their
weedling and ordered a bottle of something or other.
And then a rather friendly man – perhaps the manager - probed
us about where we were from, much like the waitress at Table Seven. Are we
noticing a trend here? Could it be that word is getting around about our quest? Probably not if our stats are anything to
go by.
In courageous mood, we decided it was offal time, and chose
for our main course the risky-sounding beef stomach in hot pot, which we
decided would be happily accompanied by braised pigs trotters shanghai style… a
sumptuous meal of guts and feet, basically.
Could it be that we order things like this just because our
parents would be horrified, like the cuisine equivalent of teenagers listening
to Marilyn Manson in their bedrooms?
We decided to precede the offal with the far more normal
‘8 treasures
spare rib’... and the deep fried cocktail crab claw served with sweet chilli dip. We went for the ribs coated in garlic, salt and chilli.
The crab claw didn’t seem real somehow, like it was actually a deep fried cheese stick with a pincer shoved into the end, but the spare ribs were a satisfyingly meaty treat after a day of hard graft in the office.
The crab claw didn’t seem real somehow, like it was actually a deep fried cheese stick with a pincer shoved into the end, but the spare ribs were a satisfyingly meaty treat after a day of hard graft in the office.
As more people filtered in we started to feel a little less
singled out by the staff and tucked into our rather daunting main courses. The
stomach was rubbery and had a fascinatingly corrugated texture and wasn’t
exactly good. But the trotters were swathed in a rich honey and soy sauce that
had an uncanny similarity to liquorice.
Sadly too much offal is not always a good thing, and after
devouring the lot we both came over all queasy and regretful, like we’d performed
some dark sex act. I turned to banana fritters to lift me from this gloom, with
all of the associated memories of childhood innocence.
After that, sleepiness took hold and we decided to head home
with our tummies full of tummy and without even doing the karaoke.
(The name 8 Treasures refers to the Buddhist Eight Auspicious
Treasures, or ‘babao’.)
Restaurant #8: 6/10
Monday, May 28, 2012
my precious Chinese treasure
She says...
I relived restaurant #7 so recently yet June 8th, and therefore restaurant #8, is already nearly upon us!
Luckily we found the perfect place within an hour of looking.
Eight Club tempted us. A public restaurant within a private members club with two locations within the City Of London. A clean, fresh looking website (I love a bit of limey sage green as anyone who's visited chez Matt&Kat will know!) and the promise of views across London. The menu looks well balanced, a bit posh, but oh so predictable. I never thought I'd tire of seeing scallops, braised lamb shoulder or sea bass on a menu #firstworldproblems. The main ingredients are teamed with slightly less predictable accompaniments, but I think I'm just craving something other than Mediterranean/modern British cuisine.
Which clearly also rules out wankily branded Ei8ht in Liverpool. Despite the website saying everything is 'prepared to order' the menu smacks of Brakes - a pre-preparation catering service that supplies loads of pubs around the country. You've probably seen their lorries parked up in the town centre. Mind you, the Ei8ht website has chicken risotto and lamb under the fish section, so maybe we shouldn't take anything written there as trustworthy! Although, to avoid being sued, I have to say I can't find these exact dishes on the Brakes website, and they do have gammon on there, which would make my mum happy.
We also dismissed Eight Over Eight because, despite loving the idea of its pan-Asian leanings, it's a bit too close to home and I've already been there.
But then, perfection! A Chinese called 8 Treasures. It's in Ealing too - just far enough, and out of our normal orbit, to make it an entertaining journey of discovery, and there's lots of really WEIRD stuff on the menu! I sneer at your braised lamb and raise you braised pig's trotters! I smirk at your pan fried sea bass and give you tasty shredded pig's stomach! I'll swap your scallops for sizzling spicy frog legs! Which bizarrely are slipped in under the 'beef' section. YUM. Can't wait.
I relived restaurant #7 so recently yet June 8th, and therefore restaurant #8, is already nearly upon us!
Luckily we found the perfect place within an hour of looking.
Eight Club tempted us. A public restaurant within a private members club with two locations within the City Of London. A clean, fresh looking website (I love a bit of limey sage green as anyone who's visited chez Matt&Kat will know!) and the promise of views across London. The menu looks well balanced, a bit posh, but oh so predictable. I never thought I'd tire of seeing scallops, braised lamb shoulder or sea bass on a menu #firstworldproblems. The main ingredients are teamed with slightly less predictable accompaniments, but I think I'm just craving something other than Mediterranean/modern British cuisine.Which clearly also rules out wankily branded Ei8ht in Liverpool. Despite the website saying everything is 'prepared to order' the menu smacks of Brakes - a pre-preparation catering service that supplies loads of pubs around the country. You've probably seen their lorries parked up in the town centre. Mind you, the Ei8ht website has chicken risotto and lamb under the fish section, so maybe we shouldn't take anything written there as trustworthy! Although, to avoid being sued, I have to say I can't find these exact dishes on the Brakes website, and they do have gammon on there, which would make my mum happy.
We also dismissed Eight Over Eight because, despite loving the idea of its pan-Asian leanings, it's a bit too close to home and I've already been there.
But then, perfection! A Chinese called 8 Treasures. It's in Ealing too - just far enough, and out of our normal orbit, to make it an entertaining journey of discovery, and there's lots of really WEIRD stuff on the menu! I sneer at your braised lamb and raise you braised pig's trotters! I smirk at your pan fried sea bass and give you tasty shredded pig's stomach! I'll swap your scallops for sizzling spicy frog legs! Which bizarrely are slipped in under the 'beef' section. YUM. Can't wait.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
SEVEN: Table Seven
He says...
We were
agreed that an afternoon in Chingford would be a pleasantly pointless way to
spend a Bank Holiday Monday. However, as our train passed through Hackney Downs
I became concerned that we could meet some rural tragedy, perhaps getting lost down
some deserted country road with the sound of wild dogs closing in.
And while
the location on Chingford Green is so perfectly English it could have featured
in a wartime propaganda film being invaded by German paratroopers, my first impressions of Table 7 were not great. Mirrored lettering on the sign and ads in
the window for ‘80’s/90’s party’ and ‘Classic Buble @ Table 7’… Was this lunch
set to be the cheesiest number so far?
Inside it
was all red crushed silk curtains and flock wallpaper, with a large fake
gold-framed mirror taking pride of place. Sadly we didn’t manage to inherit the
leatherette banquette, so we ordered two champagne cocktails and enjoyed the
compressed beats of Maxwell, as I craftily took photos of the menu like a
catering peeping tom. This act intrigued a nearby couple.
With the
cocktails getting us off to a good start, we ordered a bottle of Malbec - which
I’m starting to realise is the only wine I really like. I’m sick of pretending
to like other ones! This one was particularly interesting, as the label proudly
revealed that 50% of the grapes were grown at 1,100 metres and 50% at 700
metres. Apparently the higher altitude gives freshness and structure while the
lower adds colour and density. What a magical life wine-making must be...
Meanwhile,
a large family were dining across the room, and I listened in as the middle-aged dad told his relations about his love for indie bands Temper Trap and White Lies. Rock on, daddy-o, or something.
The
service was excellent, almost over-attentive. And when one of the waitresses
(who did appear to be overcompensating a bit in her attire) started
inquiring about where we’d come from, we came over all embarrassed and evasive,
like spies on a silly mission.
And as
the music shifted to Yah Mo B There by James Ingram and Michael McDonald, the
conversation took a bit of a wrong turn into a cross-dressing theme and a strange plan was formed to write a lesbian musical. We really must get
onto that…For
desert I had a velvety smooth chocolate fondant, served warm with fruit compote
and vanilla ice cream.
In summary, fear not the tacky exterior - this restaurant is smashing.
Booze-drenched and giddy from being in a strange town,
we wandered around the cemetery laughing at dead people’s names, and peered at this this mosaic
featuring Winston Churchill, who was once the local MP.
In summary, fear not the tacky exterior - this restaurant is smashing.
Booze-drenched and giddy from being in a strange town,
we wandered around the cemetery laughing at dead people’s names, and peered at this this mosaic
featuring Winston Churchill, who was once the local MP.
At this
point, we rashly decided to go on a pub crawl all the way back to
London, although showing our age by deciding to drink halves. Sadly, we only
managed one drink in the cosy The Kings Head – where we saw another leatherette
banquette – before pathetically deciding to head home, via the sweeping slopes of Mansfield Park and the flat Walthamstow.
Splendid
Seven-Shaped times in Sexy eSsex! (or at least nearby)
Restaurant #7: 7.5/10
She says....
Not sure I can remember much about number 7. Not sure if that's 'coz it was a while ago now, or because I was drunk on wine and cough medicine.
I
do remember trekking across London to Liverpool Street at a time I'd
normally, of a weekend, still being enjoying bed. The excitement about our
trip to Essex wearing off slightly on the slow train ride, and the
restaurant being a bit further than expected from Chingford station so
we were late. And then there was the staff welcoming us in and there being just enough
people already tucking into their lunch to make us feel comfortable.
Unfortunately I also remember the refurbished interior was already looking dated - chocolate brown and large patterned wall paper is soooo 1990's. The menu was a bit try hard, but more importantly, very enticing.
We ordered a couple of glasses of kir royale which I think prompted the waitress to ask if we were celebrating anything. My, perhaps tactless, answer was 'not working, maybe, as it's a bank holiday Monday?' A little disappointed, I think she'd had a cake on standby already.
The
starter had slipped my mind, but luckily we took pictures and suddenly
it all comes flooding back! A damn fine slice of ricotta and walnut
tart. The puffiness of the pastry was surprising, but I appreciated the
lightness even if I missed some of the stodgy depth of short crust. It
came with a tomato and onion relish, as specified on the menu, and an
extra squiggle of green stuff and balsamic vinegar... DATED I say again!
My
main was beautifully cooked - the beef cheeks soft and rich and falling
apart at the touch of the knife, the spring veg risotto refreshing with
a subtle crunch. But I definitely recall thinking it was a bizarre
combination taste-wise. Two different dishes amalgamated. I coveted
Matt's mash to compliment the beef, and a nice slab of white fish would
have gone perfectly with the risotto.
How
could I have forgotten dessert though! A luxurious raspberry creme
brulee. One of my favourite puds that tests my will power every time
I see it on the menu.
I gave in this time and it was totally worth it. It came with a shortbread stick and pot of ruby sorbet, making a lovely looking trio. Was there really any reason to detract from the main event though, itself quite rich enough, by combining it with more butter, sugar and cold sugary wetness, delicious as both extras were in their own right?
The chef here is obviously a very competent cook, but whoever creates the menus is a bit cack-handed with the experimentation. My dishes showed a lack of understanding about complimentary flavours and textures. A great pity as the individual parts were super lovely.
Matt's dishes were more traditional combinations and as such worked better, so maybe I should have been cleverer in my ordering!
So two aperitifs and a bottle of nice Argentinian wine later, and £50 (each) lighter, we sashayed our way out into the sunlight a little worse for wear. After a damp morning the sun was now out, our tummies were full, my cold was forgotten and spring was in the air, so we decided to walk it off and explore a little.
There's
an unexpected, well to me and my stereotypical view of Essex, villagey
feel to Chingford, and we stumbled upon green fields and a stunning view
across King George's Reservoir.
A bus ride back to Walthamstow and we were soon heading back West on the train, ready, quite frankly, for a snooze.
Restaurant #7 = 9/10 for overall experience but 7.5/10 for food
Restaurant #7: 7.5/10
She says....
Not sure I can remember much about number 7. Not sure if that's 'coz it was a while ago now, or because I was drunk on wine and cough medicine.
I
do remember trekking across London to Liverpool Street at a time I'd
normally, of a weekend, still being enjoying bed. The excitement about our
trip to Essex wearing off slightly on the slow train ride, and the
restaurant being a bit further than expected from Chingford station so
we were late. And then there was the staff welcoming us in and there being just enough
people already tucking into their lunch to make us feel comfortable.Unfortunately I also remember the refurbished interior was already looking dated - chocolate brown and large patterned wall paper is soooo 1990's. The menu was a bit try hard, but more importantly, very enticing.
We ordered a couple of glasses of kir royale which I think prompted the waitress to ask if we were celebrating anything. My, perhaps tactless, answer was 'not working, maybe, as it's a bank holiday Monday?' A little disappointed, I think she'd had a cake on standby already.
The
starter had slipped my mind, but luckily we took pictures and suddenly
it all comes flooding back! A damn fine slice of ricotta and walnut
tart. The puffiness of the pastry was surprising, but I appreciated the
lightness even if I missed some of the stodgy depth of short crust. It
came with a tomato and onion relish, as specified on the menu, and an
extra squiggle of green stuff and balsamic vinegar... DATED I say again!
My
main was beautifully cooked - the beef cheeks soft and rich and falling
apart at the touch of the knife, the spring veg risotto refreshing with
a subtle crunch. But I definitely recall thinking it was a bizarre
combination taste-wise. Two different dishes amalgamated. I coveted
Matt's mash to compliment the beef, and a nice slab of white fish would
have gone perfectly with the risotto.
How
could I have forgotten dessert though! A luxurious raspberry creme
brulee. One of my favourite puds that tests my will power every time
I see it on the menu. I gave in this time and it was totally worth it. It came with a shortbread stick and pot of ruby sorbet, making a lovely looking trio. Was there really any reason to detract from the main event though, itself quite rich enough, by combining it with more butter, sugar and cold sugary wetness, delicious as both extras were in their own right?
The chef here is obviously a very competent cook, but whoever creates the menus is a bit cack-handed with the experimentation. My dishes showed a lack of understanding about complimentary flavours and textures. A great pity as the individual parts were super lovely.
Matt's dishes were more traditional combinations and as such worked better, so maybe I should have been cleverer in my ordering!
So two aperitifs and a bottle of nice Argentinian wine later, and £50 (each) lighter, we sashayed our way out into the sunlight a little worse for wear. After a damp morning the sun was now out, our tummies were full, my cold was forgotten and spring was in the air, so we decided to walk it off and explore a little.
There's
an unexpected, well to me and my stereotypical view of Essex, villagey
feel to Chingford, and we stumbled upon green fields and a stunning view
across King George's Reservoir.A bus ride back to Walthamstow and we were soon heading back West on the train, ready, quite frankly, for a snooze.
Restaurant #7 = 9/10 for overall experience but 7.5/10 for food
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