The Salusbury is the obvious hip hang out junction, where the beautiful, the youthful, carefree inhabitants of this rapidly gentrified part of NW6 flaunt their hide. It is hardly ever empty, and undoubtedly the most happening joint in and around Queen’s Park. On the weekends, it’s chock-a-block like can of sardines, and on weekdays it remains jubilantly full. It has a healthy reputation, and is a place which I have been wanting to write about for months now. Just before summer hit us, The Salusbury shut it doors for a few weeks for a minor facelift and now the pub and its adjoining dining room look ever more dapper than before. I’m very certain to have spotted Cillian Murphy moping around Salusbury road once.

Contrary to the trend of Brit-themed pubs, The Salusbury features an Italian inspired menu instead, so you won’t see scotch eggs, curry or burgers on the menu and bread is served with olive oil, cracked black pepper and sea salt instead of butter. Don’t bother with their official website either, the menu has been reworked ever so slightly since their refurbishment, and has now been expanded to include funkier selections include a burrata salad; pecorino with truffle oil; ravioli and pasta which now are claimed to be made in house. And according to the waiter, he told me the chef had decided to ‘delve deeper’ with the reboot.

Yes… from my tone you have probably sussed that I’m an occasional regular (oxymoron no?) at this pub, and have been visiting on and off for the last 18 months or so. Speaking of which, they used to run a grocery-takeaway deli (The Salusbury Foodstore) which was where I used to pick up saffron, truffle (with oil!) and cheese, but it has since been rechristened as Giorgio’s, an Italian deli and cafe, which is fantastic, and which we (and the more esteemed half) spend some of our lazy afternoons in… or when we are just too lazy to cook. The chicken escalopes are awesome, and we love the home-style tiramisu, the pizzas won’t win awards, but we’re not pizza otaku and we like them. They are of the stone baked variety with toppings that include potatoes, truffle oil, egg and artichokes.

As for The Salusbury, the food is actually not half bad, in fact, it’s pretty good. It’s consistent. Gimmick free recipes are hardly ahead of the the curve, but I think it shines because it’s hearty, wholesome cooking. The trademark dishes include pappardelle with duck ragu (sadly the chicken liver option which was fantastic seems to have been taken off) and their tagliatelle with lobster (sometimes served with the lobster shell, for dramatic effect) are the crowd favourites. The fish dishes such as cod with clams, mussels and cherry tomatoes are great too. Filling and warming. On to my meal now:

Octopus salad with chick pea and red onion, £7.40

A simple rocket, tomato and onion salad, tossed with chickpeas, and sitting on a bed of grainy mashed chickpeas – like hummus, but without the gorgeous oiliness. The rubbery, fatty tentacles are chopped into tubular pieces, spongy, and the natural saltiness goes surprisingly well with chickpeas. It’s a good start.

Brasato e Umidi …. braised and slow cooked oxtail with tomato and celery £11.20

Hot damn, what gargantuan servings. It might be a little too wintry a dish for this time of year, but it didn’t stop me from completely devouring it and then proceeding to strip every bit of tendon and meat from the tailbone. The meat was slow cooked to a melty, flossy, coagulating mess that fell off the bone as it it had been greased with hot butter. Just gorgeous. The gelatinous tendon bits were the best part (of any oxtail dish really) giving it a brawny, full (fatty) flavour that was matched amazingly well with the full bodied gravy. You want to mop up the sauce with baguette, lots of it. This dish epitomises this kitchen’s fill-her-up style of cooking, which is great if you are feeling particularly ravenous.

Fritto, Veal Chop Milanese £14.20

Gotta have veal chop if it’s on the menu, and it is actually a chop on the bone, not an escalope. The meat was hammered to a pulp. Expectedly the meat was tender, the tenderness accompanied by a burst of juice. The crust came crumbly fried with a buttery fragrance, an eggy flouriness about it (if that makes sense), very appetising. A squidge of lemon really gave the butter flavour chop a nice zingy contrast. I’ve had this twice and both times I was really impressed with it, simple pleasures, but oh so very good. The better half struggled to finish this, since it was also amazingly large portioned, so we dog-bagged it (I had it for lunch the following day).

It is probably one of the priciest locations to eat and to drink in the NW6 vicinity, food plus a pint of Hoegaarden was a whopping £45. Beer alone set me back £4.70… that’s shocking considering we are far, far away from Central London. Well zone 2 anyway. Such is it’s degree of gentrification. Still the prices are perhaps not prohibitively high enough, as it continues to draw in the zestful soul of area, the busy atmosphere works both ways I suppose, but that’s why they have a dedicated dining room for the discerning customer who might opt for a more ‘serene’ setting. It’s all relative however.

The steak and chips (a slither of rib eye with a biting horseradish sauce £16) is also very good, and if you can overlook its frenzied reputation (and resulting spotty service) , you might find something delectable on the menu. Otherwise, take a breather at Giorgio’s next door, and tuck away a couple of their ace cannolis.

The Gist of It

The Salusbury
Pub with Italiano £30 for food, £5 a pint (fucking yikes!)
50 Salusbury Road NW6 6NN
Tube: Queens Park
Tel: 020 7328 3286

Meanwhile…. Charles Campion says ; The Harden Brothers say ; Qype says

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So you’ve been to every one of the coolest ice cream parlours in town and you need an alternative scoop to Scoop. Well here’s one for your list. Chin Chin is London’s (and Europe) very first nitrogen ice cream parlour. Yes that’s right, instead of freezer-stored ice cream, these guys make theirs by cooling with nitrogen vapours instead. The best part is that it happens right in front of your eyes… while you wait!

I first read about it on gourmet traveller (which is an awesome blog) and thought this whimsy looked a worthy gimmick. It’s only £3.95 for a scoop afterall. And it is literally very cool. In fact so cool that safety glasses and gloves need be adorned by the ice cream makers to protect against cold burns, when they unload liquid nitrogen from the storage tank. This visually visceral concept is the brainchild of husband and wife team of Ahrash Akbari-Kalhur and wife Nyisha Weber, who have partly borrowed inspiration from the molecular journeymen of gastronomy in Adrià and Blumenthal. Actually it is worth reading this article by Victoria Maw about couple which appeared in the FT a couple of weeks ago.

So on to the wacky sciencety bits: Using nitrogen to make ice-cream is a much quicker route to freezing, since nitrogen boils off at a much lower temperature of -195.79 °C. Ahrash has theorised that in this short time, ice crystals are prevented from forming, and thus ensuring a smoother, denser, sexier resultant product, ergo happier customers. Q.E.D.

The shop looks like a mad scientists’ lair, bringing back memories of Bill Nye, TV’s preeminent science dude. I loved that show. Pyrex glass beakers, measuring cylinders (and maybe even pipettes!) to white lab coats are both decorative and practical; for a moment, I was zapped back into my uni lab making up another batch of anti-misting polymers, to splatter across the walls. As you’d expect, the ice cream is made to order, and part of the experience is watching the process occur right before your eyes.

That means snappy happy Kang, (if you don’t want spoilers, don’t scroll down!). There is something incredibly rewarding watching ice-cream being made in front of you. The stream of nitrogen fumes definitely adds a certain dramatic effect too.

Ok here goes…

First we choose from one of the three available ice-creams. Vanilla and chocolate are the main stays, the ‘special of the day’ on my visit was lychee. More flavours will become available in the future, Ahrash mumbled dehydrated peanut butter as he explained the concept to me.

Goggles on. That’s the liquid nitogen tank, note it is from CyroService, I wonder if Air Products sell them to ‘private’ citizens too..

And we’re off! Streaming liquid nitrogen…. the fumes – I assume – are of nitrogen boiling off, since -195.79 °C relative to 20 °C is alot warmer. It’s like pouring out water when the ambient temperature is above 100°C – it would start boiling off straight away…. I think I’m a Chemical Engineer.

In goes the nitrogen to the mixer and within seconds….

….we have nitro-ice cream!

That’s not where the magic ends however, we move on to the next counter to have our ice cream finished with various toppings. Each of the glass beakers holds something edible. There’s a variety of nuts, candied sugars and such.

Here, Nyisha is meticulously garnishing my vanilla ice cream with a few well-positioned honeycomb pieces.

Vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and honeycomb…. looks amazing right?

Lychee and rose water ice cream with rose crystals, toasted almonds and raspberry coulis. Check out the little translucent spoon!

This has got to be one of the most handsome ice creams in town no? Chilled art…

The futurist look about this place is so visually appealing. If you don’t fancy the ice cream, they also do cupcakes. I didn’t try one, but it looks great too.

So the five million pound question, is it smoother, denser and sexier? I think so. The better half and I enjoyed it immensely. Hey this place is alot of fun, and I think it is worth a go, especially when summer is still around. The owner has pretty interesting ideas in the works for his chin chin lab, for one, he told me that he is collabing with other like-minded creatives to craft a fuller experience, possibly special events as well. He explained some kind of multi course meal idea with nitro blasted consommé and such….but I shouldn’t fuel a rumour mill so we’ll just have to wait and see what appears in the horizon. In the meantime, the future of ice cream has landed in Camden.

See even more photographs on my flickr stream.

The Gist of It

The Chin Chin Laboratorist
Nitro Ice Cream Parlour, £3.95.
49-50 Camden Lock Place
Tube: Camden

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28th July 2010 Update: I am indebted to Michele for this, if you want to visit Chin Chin Labs, you need to note their opening times: ” Just to save everyone else some trouble, I learned the hard way that Chin Chin is closed on Mondays! Unfortunately I couldn’t find details on their website or anywhere. Also I believe I saw that their shop closes on weekdays at 6pm. So I’ll probably be aiming for a journey back up over the weekend..
Also just a note on location – contrary to what Google Maps seems to show, the shop is not actually on the waterfront – it is just in that interior corridor, the one that starts at Gilgamesh and continues down alongside (but outside) the market area.”

And what a view indeed. Positioned on the edge of the Thames, overlooking the water and the O2 centre in the distance. However, A Grelha is not technically a restaurant in its own right, rather it is a make shift al fresco area of The Gun, which opens during sunny days and warm nights (May to September). As we are knee deep in the sweltering summer, I accepted the PR’s invitation to this docklands restaurants. I’ve done so partly because The Gun¹ is frequently cited as one of the best pubs in London, food is mostly praised by the community, even though I hear rumours of its apparent waning star power. I’ve not been to The Gun in case you’re wondering.

Belonging to Tom and Ed Martin (who also happen to own a chain of respectable pubs including The Cadogan Arms), the PR story goes that they love Portugal, and the al fresco way of life over there, and so have ported the experience to their Docklands pub. The result of which (unsurprisingly) is A Grelha, which stands for ‘The Grill’ in Portuguese. The concept is pretty straightforward really: jugs of sangria, the smell seafood and meat sizzling away on the barbie …seagulls flying over your head… taking in as much of the good weather as I could, for a moment, I felt like I was in Sydney.

Seafood is sourced from the nearby Billingsgate market, and the menu itself isn’t nothing to shout about either, aside from Cataplana (a seafood stew) and hanging lamb skewers, the rest is a case of simply grilled freshness.

(Warning! This meal was comped by The Gun’s PR, so please don’t take my word for it.)

We start with …a can of Manna sardine pate.

Unsurprisingly, a Portuguese product, and pretty good actually. We’ll be ordering them online from this website shortly.

Next, baby squid pan fried with garlic, coriander and chilli, £6

Yeah, this is what I came for. Nothing too exciting here, just grilled squid, with abit of pepper, chilli, roasted cloves of garlic and coriander, and a squidge of lemon.

Clams cooked in white wine, garlic, coriander and lemon £7.50

More of the same really, juicy clams, garlic and white wine sauce for seasoning and more lemon juice. Garlicky, simple pleasures.

Chicken Piri-Piri and chips, £14

The better half and I were debating the ‘authenticity’ of chicken piri-piri, aside from making comparisons to Nandos, neither of us have had the real deal. It really just tasted like grilled chicken to us, but it was as if the chef forgot to season the bird, it was a little dry to add. It was really plain. The waitress also landed a piri-piri sauce, looked like a kind of chilli mayo, it was mostly bitter, overpoweringly so. The chips were pretty good – crunchy and fluffy – and the large bowl of salad (tomato, lettuce) was alright. We were just puzzled with the chicken, I mean it doesn’t even compare to Nandos….. is this a case of me being used to an anglicised version of a Portuguese dish? Can any of you add to this perhaps?

Golden Bream (Dourada) , £3.50 to £4 per 100g.

I’d say this was about 600g, so say £15 for the whole fish? Well, it was nothing but simply grilled fish with sprinklings of sea salt. I thought it was a little overcooked, or that could just be the firm texture of the fish.

Sangria.

Yeah… two more jugs please… ohh…. what al fresco is all about right?

Honestly I wasn’t jumping for joy, the cooking was blasé, reflecting the general atmosphere of A Grelha really, the effects of summer mentality permeating the kitchens. It feels abit like a half rated resort for some reason, and the seemingly backyard style cooking is uninspired. I ordered some strawberries and creme fraiche ice cream to finish… but the strawberries were shockingly sour, come on chaps, it’s in season, surely you can source plump and juicy ones? It didn’t even deserve a photograph.

I wasn’t under any illusions, its got the sun, its got the cocktails, and its got the fresh seafood. One shouldn’t expect much more than that, but I had expected a more exotic choice, no lobster, crab, oysters or steak on the menu. I’ll give food a big fat zero (ok one and a half for the clams) but a seven for atmosphere (minus three for the giant flying ants using my plate as a landing strip).

In my humble opinion, A Grelha is more about enjoying the view and the weather, food is merely a distraction.

And so I’ll leave you with the view from our table during the visit…

The Gist of It

A Grelha at The Gun
Al Fresco, £30pp…
27 Coldharbour E14 9NS
Tel: 020 7515 5222
Tube: Canary Wharf

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Food is much more accessible and democratic over on the right side of the Pacific. There is so much diversity, that at times, I find it ironic that the gourmet awakening (of sorts) is taking place in London, where food blogs are as plentiful as fishes, as opposed to the rest of Asia. That might just be an indication of how advanced the broadband networks are in London however or perhaps we crave the good life because we feel the dearth. Oh how I miss Asia.

There are food courts in the shopping centres, and then there are the stand alone market spaces erected specifically for a plethora of hawkers to sell in the same space. Whatever the permutations might be, the general rule of thumb across stalls would invariably be dirt cheap pricing (I’d imagine to stay competitive with their neighbours), often one plate meals, and one would buy food, drink and dessert from separate stalls. It is like a curating form of eating, and it’s an experience which I miss sorely.

Food courts were a way of life for me, memorable since we would visit every Sunday morning. Everybody whose anybody would bump into everybody, people had their preferred stalls, and it was always a precarious game to arrive early to jostle for tables. My family loved a particular char kuey tiaw hawker, others were into lao su fen soup (silver needle noodles¹. A plate of Kuala Belait’s finest char kuey tiaw would set you back no more than $1.50 (about 75p), anymore would be daylight robbery. What else do you do after morning mass right?

Setting foot on to large warehouse space on the 2nd floor of Pacific Plaza brought back pleasant childhood memories. It’s not as cramped as most Asian food courts (being brand spanking new), features alot less food stalls (whose number should increase with time) and it lacks the history and buzz of a living breathing food machine. It’s still in infancy afterall, but its a good start. Seemingly rising from the ashes of the now defunct, but much loved, Oriental City², I suppose many view this complex as its spiritual successor. Some of Oriental City’s original tenants have even set up new operations at PP.

It opened it’s doors toward the tail end of 2009, since then, I’ve returned on a few separate occasions to try the different cuisines on offer, the missus in particular loves PP, a place to grab a quick bite. Half the hall remains unoccupied (as of July 2010) however, and I’m a little disappointed that it has stayed relatively obscure throughout its short tenure. PP deserves more human traffic. There are merely eight stalls open for business, most with obvious names indicating their representative cuisines : Spicy Thai (for Thai), NP Star Snack Bar (Malaysian), China House (Chinese), Hot Korean (Korean), Shan (Japanese), Nambu (Japanese); Seleramu (Malaysian) and Darjeeling Momo (Tibetan). Also, there is a pretty capable Japanese bakery on the ground floor, Tetote Factory, which sells rather good ‘Asian influenced Western’ bread and cakes. Prices amongst the stalls are competitive, averaging £7 for a one plate meal, less for smaller dishes. I’ve compiled this report from three visits.

China House

The menu is overly long, and is visually laid out across the entire front of the shop. It also appears to be the largest of the stalls in PP, taking up what looks like four individuals units. They offer a mix of Cantonese and Sichuan dishes, and dim sum.

‘Special’ Shuimai Dumpling.

It’s nothing more than a prawn and pork shuimai really, fleshy, the bursting flavour of prawns, I didn’t expect it to rival some of the city favs but this was pretty good.

Minced pork on rice with egg (?)

This was from one of my earlier visits (which was way back in May) and I can’t seem to remember what it was called. And I didn’t take notes. I do however have this impression that it was a little like a steamed sausage mince…

‘Saliva’ Chicken.

One from the Sichuan section, nutty, spicy, oily and interestingly enough, the chicken (Bai Zhan) was surprisingly good, managing to be juicy, silky with that lively taste of spring chicken. No Uncle Lims³ however, but not bad.

Soya Chicken rice.

And it’s the same story with the chicken rice, the chicken was soft (soft being a major criteria at least for me), not bad but not quite the best around. I won’t pontificate about the merits of what is a pretty standard one plate meal.

Hot Korean

Spicy Cod with egg fried rice.

The portions were huge! For £6.80 it was a steal, the batter was fried to a bubbly crunch, softened by a runny spicy sauce. Peppery, but also a tad too much salt however, my mouth was beginning to dry out a little, and I wonder if the chef had been a little liberal with the MSG. I appreciated that the rice was only shallow-fried, it maintained the creamy starchiness of steamed rice, as opposed to individual rice grains. Though, if you were a purist, it shouldn’t be bland and sticky, it should be fried overnight rice, grainy, oily, rah, rah, rah.

Kimchi pancake with seafood.

Tremendously generous servings, at £3.50, yet another steal. Dough-ey, and a little bitterness perhaps from the kimchi. It had a home-made feel about it which I enjoyed.

Spicy Thai

The better half really rates this stall, she was a regular at its former output in Finchley Road.

Jungle Curry with Duck

And I am inclined to agree. Bamboo shoots, aubergines with a citrus punch and a mildly peppery kick helped to make the flossy duck an appetising treat.

Tom Yam Soup.

A tomato based soup, bamboo shoots mushrooms, spring onions, red peppers and coconut milk. Sweet, sour and mildly spicy.

Tom Ka Gai

Or a spicy chicken soup, distinctive due to it’s creamy white appearance. It smelled great too, wonderful aromas of coriander and coconut milk; appetising stuff.

The quality of food across the stalls is good enough, but that’s besides the point when the bottomline is so slim. At the moment, Pacific Plaza is still a barren platform and a far cry from what Oriental City once was, but I’m hoping that with time, perhaps someday PP will become a destination for families and friends to go for cheap and diverse Asian food. I suppose, that has to start with the local communities around Wembley, to embrace it before the rest of London does, and hopefully establish a constant flow of people to encourage even more independent operations to occupy the empty stalls, and thus create more options for the prospective diner. I think it can only happen if people are looking for the next Oriental City, and I suspect many of you share my affection regarding lively food courts. I do hope it does not continue to remain relatively empty, and that popularity picks up as word of mouth spreads.

Wembley is more accessible than Colindale I imagine, and if you happened to be in the area (England play Hungary on 11th August, and the Charity Shield is a few days before), I recommend hopping across the road to PP to fill up your tanks either before or after the game, it won’t break your wallet, and is ultimately better than the rip-me-off grub served inside the stadium.

The Gist of It

Pacific Plaza
From around the Pacific, £12pp
Engineers Way HA9 0EG
Tel: +44 (0) 207 409 7747
Tube: Wembley Park

News of the Pacific: North/South Food ; Danyul.net ; Will Eat for Money ; Meemalee’s Kitchen ; Randomness Guide to London ; Ferret Fabrications ; Tamarind and Thyme ; It Ends with Dovi

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Good sushi is as much about skill as it is about availability and accessibility to ingredients. We’ve read about the supremacy of the few top-end Japanese restaurants in London, inaccessibly pricy to most of us, but I think they have played a crucial part in establishing an import route for premium fish to come into the UK, to mostly service the premium clientele,who pay through the nose for it. It is not that good sushi is elusive in London, it’s just the very best, most imaginative stuff can only be eaten in restaurants far outside the normal price range. Even I quiver at the thought of a triple figure (possible four) bill at a Zuma or an Umu. I love my sushi binge, I can’t do two dinky rolls and a carafe of sake, I need more, but I can’t always afford it. And hence began the thinly veiled quest for better (and cheaper) sushi to satiate the cravings. The initial findings are positive, where the basic expectation of warm rice, slithery fish and a cosy ambiance are mostly met. However, most sushi restaurants are a case of the same-old, same-old, a capable sushi bar was generic.

Until I stumbled upon Sushi of Shiori.

It’s true. This lilliputian sushi bar can only accodomate nine warm bodies, three can sit facing the bar, behind it, a long marble table which can take (barely) take six people by the glass window front. It felt like half a shop rather than a restaurant. As if someone went to the sushi bar at Umu with a scalpel and craved it out. It’s even smaller than Dinings. Elegance cascaded down, if high end sushi restaurants ever did pop-ups, Shiori would be it.

I love these modest labour of love type projects; fleeting, fragile and hidden, it was a case of love at first sight as I set foot past the white-painted shop front, and into the decidedly family-feel interior. You know what it also felt like? It felt like my parent’s office, which is run out from a modest 12×12 space, my parents who have been a two-person family business for a quarter of a century. Reports¹ suggest the chef (ex-Umu hence the incessant name-checking) and the waitress, are a husband and wife team, and the warmth of this tight unit was instantly identifiable as we sat by the bar.

“Mr Kang?”

“Yup.”

“Welcome, have a seat, we’re making your preorders now.”

There was a lone diner next to me, and the table of six filled by a family of six, and that was the restaurant full up. I was immediately impressed with how personal the waitress was with all of us, addressing us by our names as she served us. Wonderful warmth.

Canape (Temarizushi) sushi, 12 pieces, £23.

Legend has it that temarizushi were popular with Geishas since the ball-shape was easier to eat, as they needn’t open their mouths too wide… I heard it on Twitter…

Te-Mari, literally Hand-Ball, a kind of decorative sushi reserved for celebratory occasions, called Canape sushi at Shiori, this would be their signature dish.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the recherché quality of this box of goodies, what a visual tour de force. The view to the chef’s prep area is unhindered, and so it was spellbinding watching him meticulously build plates of sushi, layer upon layer, to finally being brought to us by his wife. She didn’t lose attention to detail, explaining each rice dollop to us. At first I didn’t think raw fish on rice warranted exposition, but my preconceptions altered as I listened in on the minute touches the chef had created for his masterpiece.

As I expected, the riceballs tasted well, like thick, densely packed riceballs. I noted how the Itamae had previously wrapped them tightly in cling-film being plating up. Rice at Shiori was a clear break from the zeitgeist. There was pickled sugary quality abound, the rice, delicate and smooth, almost – dare I say – risotto-like.

Sweet prawn temari was served with a dabble of shiso leaves pesto, seemingly the essential fragrance grinded down and harmoniously melding with the buttery saccharine prawn. Next I tried the unagi… oh my gorgeous. It carried with it a hint of vanilla, a gluey mouthful, enticing and it disintegrated as soon as I ate it. Then to the shime-saba, a sort of fermented and vinegared mackerel with a tinge of ginger, it epitomised the experience at SoS so far, that it had so much more to offer than than simply raw fish and rice. Aspagarus, mushroom, Aji (scad fish) and salmon (with inari) as well as a mini rice roll wrapped with what I assumed was dried beadcurd. Everything was fantastic.

The star of this sushi set was by far the scallop which had been scored with a criss-cross pattern (to tenderise I imagine) and finished with a dabble of truffle paste. To borrow from Catty’s vernacular, the scallop temari was orgasmic. The sweet scallop melted like a snowflake, the burst of truffle flavours was a little like watching a magic trick unravel itself, that particular sense of wonder and amazement. Perfectly beautiful execution.

Miso soup, part of the special chirashi don.

As we finished the marvellous canape platter, our waitress started preparing the miso soup, while the chef starting work on the chirashi set. Our senses were fully engaged really, a feeling of being mezmerised inspiration. The miso soup had toasted rice bits which were a welcomed addition, as the better half sipped, I was drawn to the glass placemats and the painted porcelain.

Special Don (Chirashi), £15

In this regard, a photograph does not tell the entire story, as half of which unfolded as we watched the chef very carefully arrange every single piece of daintiness to create his chirashi. The quality of fish was assured with supplies coming from Atari-ya, but what Atari-ya does not supply is talent. In this case, perhaps a gift from the culinary gods. Too beautiful to eat?

It’s form was its function, Jonny Ive would appreciate this, surely. Everything is cut deftly, scallops, zuwai (tanner) crab, sweet prawns, tuna, salmon, aji, cucumber slices and even to a piece of boiled lotus root. Talk about a finishing touch. Here, the sweetly vinegary rice was most apparent, the wetness of it seemed to marry well with the raw seafood, plus fermented chopped mushrooms giving it an extra dimension in terms of flavour, and the purity of the arrangement made me forget about the ‘rawness’ of the dish. If a beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers could be consumed, this would appear to be it.

Wagyu Nigiri, 2 for £7.

The Wagyu sushi was topped with spring onion and a quickly melting ponzu jelly, and we were told that we could eat it as it was, without soya sauce. I didn’t ask what kind of Wagyu (In the UK, we have Chilean, Oz and NZ.. and Welsh in the near future, I’ve seen it..), it looks as if it had been blowtorched briefly to char the exterior, whilst inside it was still blood red and juicy. As a whole, there was a wetness (from the melting ponzu jelly) that seemed to enhance the delicate nature of the beef.

As expected the beef was superiorly fragile, with a natural fragrance, the ponzu jelly elevated it to the stratosphere. An inviting citrus edge was more than a match to the bovine. The closest comparison is Dining’s wagyu sushi, also made with a similar truffle-ponzu jelly, both are equally amazing, a bona-fide exercise of umami.

Negi-toro Gunkan, 2 for 7.50.

Never have I seen so much negi-toro (chopped tuna) stuffed in a roll before, the name was apt, ‘Gunkan’ as in battleship, The battleship of chopped tuna. Oily chopped tuna, and spring onions. Notice the sliver of radish holding up the wasabi. More attention to detail.

Surf Clam (2 for £4) and Scallop (2 for £4.40)

The truffled-scallop were so good, we ordered more, this time as nigiri, at £2 a piece, it was very competitively priced, but in culinary terms, few peers will match it. I was still amazed at how the creaminess of the scallop combined so well with the truffle paste, it was as close to sushi heaven as one to get.

Plum wine sorbet, £3.50.

All the ice-creams (chestnut, pumpkin, green tea and azuki bean) are home-made, and I’d imagine so is this. An intoxicating finish to cleanse the palate, and to conclude what was a thoroughly engaging meal.

Shiori means bookmark, and as we got the bill, I was happy to receive their business card in the form of a bookmark. The final bill was £77, including a Kirin beer, that’s under £40 per person… what fantastic value considering the amount of food, as well as the sheer quality of ingredients we had.

Stunning. Beautiful. Inspired. There was so much to love about Sushi of Shiori, the attention to detail, the cosy surroundings, the visual engagement of the experience, exciting and ultimately satisfying. I tell you what, I’ve not been moved by a restaurant meal for quite a while now, this one was so uplifting.

So far, the best sushi experience I’ve had in London, I’m amazed it’s in London, it really brought back shades of brilliant sushi meals in Singapore, Taiwan and even in Sydney, and I think the visual flair and fanciful attention to detail illustrates the spectacle associated with all the best aspects of this Japanese delicacy.

OK, on to the practical bits then, because the sushi bar only caters to nine, you must book in advance. Also if you’re going to have the Canape box, you need to ‘pre-order’ it when you reserve your table. There is another pre-order choice of Omakase, which is basically the chef’s choice of a set menu, it costs £30, and it’s something I would recommend highly too. If you’re undecided about ala carte sushi, or if you are waiting for the right restaurant to be introduced to sushi, then the sushi platter (17 pieces for £25) and the sashimi platter (£25 for 18 pieces) would be excellent no-brainers.

I loved it and recommend this highly. My birthday is coming up next week, and I think this is the place to celebrate it. Personable, tireless attention to detail, flamboyant presentation, a charming husband and wife team, modest, unpretentious, legitimate and above all, unique.

Sushi of Shiori comes with my ultimate gushes of approval, make the call.

PS: I took lots of photos because it was so pretty. The full set on flickr.

The Gist of It

Sushi of Shiori
Japanese, £35pp
144 Drummond Street, Off Hamstead Road, NW1 2PA
Tel: 020 7388 9962
Tube: Warren Street

Like-minded Temari worshippers: eGullet thread ; Time Out London ; Gourmet Traveller ; Yelp! ; Chowhound Thread ; Sharmila on Food

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Food history is always an interesting read. Most of the evolution of modern day food has been esoterically documented, parts of it excitingly shrouded in folklore, but always, food is something inextricable linked to the life of the times. In the case of sushi, we know it’s been around since the 8th century, though its very earliest form probably unrecognisable in the 21st century sushi bar. In those days, fish were fermented¹ as opposed to eaten raw, the millennia-old style is probably survived by narezushi, a style still served in restaurants near Lake Biwa. Salted then pressed fresh water carp (from the same lake, with ovaries intact) fermented for up to a year is said to taste of fishy blue cheese². The original sushi was quite literally rotting fish. Oh how far we have come.

There is nothing rotting away behind the glass counter of this conveniently tucked away Japanese restaurant whose name translates very beautifully to chrysanthemum pond. It could also refer to a city of the same name in Southern Japan³. The cosy restaurant decor is largely anonymous and modest, white paint and wooden furnishings, not dissimilar to many of the sushi bars across London really. All the eye candy appears to be behind the sushi counter, the itamae in blue uniform with jet slicked back hair, sporting a fully formed moustache. Throughout service, we noted his bustling filleting, hand-forming and occasional grunting. Behind him is a large panel of framed sushi knives. I wondered about the whereabouts of this decorative collection – could they be a prized trophies from his winning days in the various sushi competitions spanning his career; Perhaps it was curated from when he apprenticed under famous Itamaes, or maybe the steel are forged from the fires of Shiretoko by a master katana maker… how my imagination runs amok. For some reason, I found the Japanese paper tear-away daily calendar (it reads 二, for the 2nd of July) hanging side by side with a ‘Western’ monthly calendar ironic, and wildly amusing. There we are then, ambiance.

The menu seems to go on forever, but is clearly sectioned into small dishes, sushi & sashimi and cooked main dishes. We started out with a potato ball dipped in a sweet soya sauce – a complimentary appetizer we assumed – and then grazed on a refreshing small plate of diced unagi and cucumber, garnished with sesame seeds and yet more sweetish soya sauce. Dinner was with the leading ladies of the digital dining scene, Catty the delicious and Chazza the delectable.

Scallops with Japanese ginger and citrus dressing.

Fishy and fleshy with a concentrated miso paste that carried a light touch of zing, a capable representative of the refined virtues of Japanese cuisine…

Tuna with grated yam potato.

The grated yam was a slimy and sticky jam, slightly sweet, still identifiable with the starchy flavour of the root vegetable, dare I say like cold ‘creamed’ tuna.

Sashimi Platter, 8 pieces £18.

With the necessary starting dishes going down positively, we were then greeted with silk-cut sashimi, palatially presented on white porcelain. Inviting. The quality of the fish was high, and with fish as skilfully sliced as this, it was only natural for it to go down just as smoothly. Two slices of four (salmon, yellowtail, tuna and mackerel) priced at £18, seems just a little steep.

Selection of Nigiri, 12 pieces £24.

I found the rice to be a little hard, perhaps the word I’m looking for is glutinous. The vinegar punch is on the mild side, but generally speaking it’s good. As with the sashimi, I appreciated the itamae’s super-knives skills, striking the right thin-but-not-overly-so, rice-hugging thickness of sliced fish on rice. With sushi I do feel that it is a case of if it looks good, it is likely to taste good. The selection included all the good stuff, salmon, unagi, ikura, (sweet sweet) scallops, turbot, tuna, yellowtail, squid and mackerel, at an average of £2 per nigiri, it is better priced, but still for a set selection, seems expensive since I didn’t feel the illusion of making a saving.

Ala carte, nigirizushi and makizushi.

Of course we had to order more. Negitoro with spring onion maki was benchmark stuff, the razor clam nigiri particularly fantastic being squidgy and fleshy. The unagi carried a flamed taste, perhaps from the itamae’s blowtorch, a pillowy soft texture and which I thought was brilliant. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the tamago (egg) nigiri. It was cut thick, perhaps a half an inch and it had a lovely egg custard texture about it, wet and spongy, just a dabble of soya sauce, just a hint of vinegar in the rice, just right. On average, an ala carte nigiri was priced at £2.60 per piece.

Otoro Nigiri, market price… £8 in July 2010, yikes!

Hah! This would be the first time I’ve been served otoro nigiri on its own platter. At £8 for one piece, it is the most expensive piece of otoro I’ve ever had. I hadn’t a clue where they get their stock from, but I was very recently at Atari-ya’s retail outpost in Golder’s Green and actually bought 158g of otoro for just over £10, that’s £6.50/100g. Atari-ya⁴ being the pre-eminent supplier of pre-frozen sashimi grade fish in London. Granted this slice of otoro was larger than normal, perhaps even a personal selected choice cut by the Itamae, filleted perfectly with no sinewy bits, a buttery melt with the characteristic oily fragrance of otoro. But then I think about the fact that I could have three of these at the sushi bar at Golder’s Green (£2.30 each) for nearly the same amount of money, and also characteristically buttery too, and I feel that the pricing at Kikuchi is a touch indulgent. This is the most money I’ve paid for otoro in London, and to be honest, I felt ripped off.

The bill was a whopper. £120.50 for three, including the cost for three beers. We were offered two £5 vouchers, a reward for twice spending more than £50 which helped to ease the pain of having to pay for the £8 otoro I suppose. Kikuchi isn’t cheap, but that goes for the bulk of Japanese restaurants in London. The restaurant seems popular enough, as we sat down, we were told of the time they needed the table back. Overall, I thought the fish was of good quality, however I feel that the greatest attraction of Kikuchi is largely the Itamae’s preparation and presentation. He’s a star, clearly, and his sushi looks fantastic. If you’re looking for a hidden sushi bar in central London, you should add this to your list. It is a little pricy however, and you’d have to choose carefully if you are out for a sushi binge. On the other hand, you do get what you pay for. I would avoid anything with its pricetag judged by ‘current conditions’ on the menu, that’s just bullshit. Otherwise, Kikuchi is as inviting as a blooming chrysanthemum.

The Gist of It

Kikuchi
Japanese, £45pp
14 Hanway Street W1P 9DD
Tel: 020 7637 7720
Tube: Oxford Circus/Tottenham Court Road

Esther Said : Randonmess Guide to London ; Jay Rayner ; The Catty Life ; Londonelicious ; Gourmet Traveller ; Greedy Diva

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Paul the octopus was right all along, Spain are now World Cup winners, and I should have put some money behind his choices. Sorry to have been away from the blog for so long, I’ve been out in the sun you see, chasing sushi dreams. Here’s the first report, a few more to follow in the weeks to come.

Good ol’ Time Out, they’re always on the ball when uncovering the modest little neighbourhood gems across town. With Kappa having been opened for over three years now, theirs remain one of the few reviews floating about the intertubes. I consider this my local sushi dive, situated on the main drag on Earls Court Road, it is about a five minute jog from my place in Kensington. Yes…. my plans for a washboard summer are still hidden behind reams of love handles. The restaurant is operated by a Korean chef whose name eludes, and whose resume boasts stints in Zuma and Nobu. I like this place, I used to come here alot, but had lost interest in the last couple of years. Until very recently, I started using it as a carrot to my exercise routine (It was either this, or Byron, a case of the lesser of evils), and had rediscovered the good things Kappa was churning out, and I thought it worth letting you sushi-heads know about this.

From L to R, the nigiris are two arkshell clams (£4.20) , four otoros (full fat tuna belly) (£13.80) , two sweet prawns (£4.40) and four salmon (£7.00). In the far back, the negitoro & avocado maki (£6.90) and far right are two ‘House Special’ rolls (£17.80 for both).

On the whole, the nigiri is excellent and well priced. It isn’t the cheapest sushi in town, however, it isn’t pricy either. £3.50 for one otoro nigiri is not too bad (…Kikuchi charges £8, Sake no Hana £5…).

The otoro was buttery, however marbling was not quite on par as the sheer melt-away-creaminess at Atari-ya, though the latter is a raw fish supplier. I felt the chef made the most of the ingredients, masterfully butterflying the otoro and the salmon such that it hugs the rice tight, but dissolves as it hits your mouth. Rice maintained a sticky mushiness, well seasoned with just the right balance of vinegar. I don’t think it was koshihikari in case you wondered. On the whole however, it is every bit the disintegrates-in-your-mouth experience one comes to expect of good sushi.

House Special Roll, £8.90.

You’ve been to Dinings to try their truffle ponzu wagyu nigiri right? Well, the Kappa house special roll is along similar lines, albeit cheaper and made with less glitzy garnishing. Inside, the roll was stuffed with asparagus, cucumber, avocado and some beef fillet. Resting on the nori, a thinly sliced beef fillet smothered with their secret creamy chilli sauce. As it landed on our table, we could smell something burning – this we assumed, was from the beef having been blow-torched.

As it hit the lips, the monstrous roll was umami personified. Everything stuck so well together, the spicy creamy sauce was a godsend, it brought out the natural beefiness of the meat, with just a hint of zest which I assume was a dash of ponzu amongst a raft of other ingredients. The beef was only charred on the outside, giving it a flamed flavour, and the rareness of the meat ensures supreme tenderness. If the chef had told me this was Wagyu, I’d have believed it. It is the best thing on the menu.

Negitoro and Avocado Roll, £6.90

I’m a toro fanatic, and I just love the minced marrow-like texture of a toro maki. It seems this roll was made with otoro as opposed to chutoro (half fat belly) which I appreciated. Could have done with some shiso leaves.

Unagi (£11 for four) and Scallop (£4.90 for two) nigiri.

The unagi at Kappa was excellent. Honeyed, really meaty and juicy, plus flavour of flames which I believed was the chef’s blowtorch making another round. I’m always a little sceptical about unagi in restaurants, I’m never really certain if they are the frozen variety (which tastes so good, it’s hard to tell them apart at times) or if they are freshly grilled in house. Whatever the case, the unagi at Kappa is of a high standard.

Crispy Pork Belly, £7.90

One from the main dishes. Personally I feel that this dish epitomises the rather drab quality of the cooked dishes (when compared to my previous meals here) in general. The pork lacked any depth in flavour, or any particular speciality in its texture. The overly sweet salsa, coupled with the tepid temperature at which the meat was served at, made the fatty bits taste weird. Cold fat. It just wasn’t very appetising.

Kappa cake with Green Tea ice cream , £4.70

The sponge was green tea flavoured, the mousse was made from white chocolate. Light and airy, like a typical Japanese sponge cake really. Great with ice cream, it reminds me of an Arctic roll.

Me and Mark ordered just a bit too much food on this visit, the bill for two was £103.40. I usually get away with £35 by myself however.

There isn’t much to look at in terms of decor, the place is reticent (even by sushi-bar standards) but the sushi chef is dedicated, he really takes his time to prepare sushi by hand, and most days, it’s the same fella behind the counter and to me, that is Kappa’s greatest attraction. The sushi is great, the cooked food is so-so, prices are reasonable, and they do cold sake (Junmai no less…at £1.30 each!) by the shot. If you so happen to be searching for a relatively lightweight meal in my neck of the woods, I think you’ll be reasonably impressed with Kappa.

The Gist of It

Kappa Restaurant
Japanese, £35pp
139 Earls Court Road SW5 9RH
Tel: 0207 244 9196
Tube: Earls Court

The Word Out There: Time Out London

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The idea behind Viet Grill and Cay Tre – sister restaurants both owned by Hieu Trung Bui – is simply to bring delicious (and authentic) Vietnamese cuisine to London. They’re not the only ones in the Shoreditch area hoping to do so, of course, with much of ‘Phở Mile’¹, the term coined by Bellaphon, vying for the same. Affectionately or otherwise, many have come to recognise the brillance of this wonderful strip of Vietnamese restaurants along Kingsland road. Personally I have limited knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine, being Chinese, I grapple on to equivalents when ‘translating’ the cuisine whenever I visit a Vietnamese restaurant, for better or worse. They eat rice, we eat rice. They share dishes, we share dishes. They have noodle soup, we have noodle soup. Chopsticks apply. I have colleagues who hail from Vietnam and their first choice is Song Que, the crowd favourite really,I loved it too on my visit. Unfathomable affordability and food was delish.

With Vietnamese cuisine being so accessible, it was only natural for people to be fascinated with it. Twitter is always alive with praise (and debate) of Vietnamese restaurants in London, not limited to Kingsland road of course, as the bloggerati claim phởveyors further afield such as Cafe East² in Surrey Quays.

Generally speaking, Londoners and especially bloggers like Viet Grill. Its popularity is also partly attributed to Mark Hix’s very public affirmations toward this restaurant. If a superstar chef regularly raves about it in his national food column, it can’t be half bad. Styled with a ‘French Colonial look’ of patterns of trees across the beige walls. It feels like a vacation inside, even more so with the sun beaming down on us right now.

Let’s cut to the chase then, Cha Ca La Vong, for two £10.

‘Cha ca’ means grilled fish, and this dish has its roots in Hanoi. The original place said to have popularised ‘Cha Ca La Vong’ is also the name of a restaurant in Hanoi³. I’m not sure how they serve it originally in Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi (or Saigon for that matter), but at Viet Grill, I was pleasantly surprised when the waitress fired up a moveable gas cooker on our table.

“Slices of Monkfish marinated in galingale and saffron, grilled at your table and served with rice vermicelli, pimento, ground nuts, fennel and shrimp sauce.” …. yeah exciting fine print. Watching the gold coloured monk fish fillets sizzle away in front of us was hugely gratifying. As it heated up, a bevy of herby and grassy aromas accompanied, it was a great way to start a meal, with our senses fully engaged.

Such a visually arresting dish could taste as good as it looked. The range of ingredients was like a field of blooming roses (well…) on the palate. There was zestiness, not unlike mango, there were grass-like flavours, dare I say which reminded me of dill, nutty, saffron and pimento for a perfumed kick. I read elsewhere that a fresh water fish known as hemibagrus⁴ is the primary choice for this dish. For purists, a fish only available in Vietnam called Anh Vu⁵. Can’t say I’ve ever been to Vietnam, for what it’s worth however, I thought monkfish was a good substitute, necessarily flaky and all.

Saigon Sate Phở, £8.

We ordered the mandatory bowl of phở, this one in particular made “with tender beef poached in a full bodied chilli broth, smothered in Viet basil and smashed nuts”.

It was bloody full bodied alright, a big whack of chilli, like pouring a volcano down the throat. Also present were rich flavours of tomatoes. The soup was cloudy, so I assumed it was coconut cream that I was tasting, along with slices of mango. The better half thought it was great, especially the soup. About the the only thing I found wanting were the noodles, I thought they were a little too mushy.

Beef Vinh, £7.

This one was from the ‘Dishes we like most’ part of the menu, with a smiley face next to it. Rolled beef fillets, seared over charcoal and stuffed with what appears to be it’s own fat. I really liked this. It came with a nectarous ginger paste on the side, not unlike a ginger beer, perfect as a dipping. The beef itself was smoky, juicy and plump, I suppose with it being marinated with a number of spices unknown to me, the seasoning helped to add depth to savoury and beefy flavours.

Vietnamese durian and Tapioca Cake, £5.

Pudding was lovely, I didn’t detect the fragrance (or stink) of durian in the tapioca cake, rather it carried a sugarcane starchiness, a gluey textured. It was served super hot which provided a lively contrast to the icy coconut ice cream which began to melt from the moment it was served. Simple, enjoyable.

Condensed milk is such a revelation isn’t it? We finished with two Vietnamese coffees, one hot, the other with ice, both with condensed milk. Along with a bowl of steamed rice and a glass of soya milk (freshly made), the bill was £47 for two. Hmm, a little more expensive than I expected, considering we only had four dishes. All in all however, we enjoyed Viet Grill, the cooking seemed able enough and food was delicious. Of course, the beauty of such a restaurant is hidden in the sheer depth of the menu. Campfire beef, sitting duck curry, slow-cooked Mekong catfish… the next time I go to Viet Grill, I’m bringing my extended family and ordering one of everything. All to share.

The Gist of It

Viet Grill
Vietnamese, £25pp
58 Kingsland Road E2 8DP
Tel: 020 7739 6686
Tube: Hoxton

Distilled from the digital ether Chris at Cheese and Biscuits ; Fay says ; Cara at Gourmet Chick ; Luiz at The London Foodie ; Mathilde at Mathilde’s Cuisine ; Tom at TomEatsJenCooks and Mark Hix’s passion...

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Are you melting in the English summer yet? I’m surprised how humid the weather is so far, I went to Uniqlo to get new shorts so I can let the wind blow me dry…

…. So there is a new gelateria in town, the same group behind the excellent tour-the-Italian-regions restaurant, Bocca di Lupo, and how very timely too. The gelati are pretty unique rather than just offer a standard selection (such as stracciatella or fiore di latte), there are combos such as ricotta, coffee and honey (which was excellent) and avocado & honey (which was a little off kilter, was a little sour).

What I really enjoyed however, were the sorbets, the melon in particular tastes just like frozen cantaloupes, sweet, sugarly, stringly and fresh, just what one needs to cool off really. Even better were their granitas, we tried the watermelon, icy, syrupy and quite literally chipped frozen watermelon. Other granitas on the menu include coffee, blood orange and almond.

The only things that disappointed were the cannoli. On paper it sounds interesting, stuffed with pistachio ice cream, fresh pistachios and a dark chocolate icing. It did taste freshly fried, but as it was stored in the freezer, the pastry dough became soggy. If only they fried and stuffed the cannoli (with gelato of choice, and as an alternate choice to wafer cones) to order, that would be a hit, perhaps in the near future, and a suggestion?

There are other sorts of gelato-stuffed products too, including stuffed melons and pineapples (flesh scooped out) as well as gelato cakes. I also hovered over the small selection of Bocca di Lupo pasta, sausages and sauces, available frozen to buy, but didn’t commit to anything. Canned tomatoes.

Tall stools, tables by the walls and marbled furnishings brightens up the blue-themed gelato bar and deli, if you’re searching for an alternative to Scoop! in Central London, give the Gelupo granitas a try as I think you might like ‘em. Although beware, visual satisfactory will be minimal as the gelati are hidden within deep stainless steel wells as opposed to being shamelessly naked on show behind glass counters…

The Gist of It

Gelupo
Gelateria, £2 per scoop
7 Archer Street
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Tel: 020 7287 5555

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At the half way mark of 2010, we have witnessed a number of new restaurant openings in London which has brought a sleuth of choice to the discerning diner. Yet, many more are anticipated to open as we hurl toward the second half of the year. I went to some of the new opens and thought it was fitting to compile a list about what’s coming and what’s already here.

Fellow London Eaters,

For what it’s worth, I think Capello should stay on, he is one of the World’s best afterall, if he can’t get the job done, then who else? So there are more convincing choices in the London dining scene this year, than ever before now. Even though new restaurants open all the time, the last few months has felt abit like an extended blockbuster extravaganza. Week after week, wave after wave of gushing reviews. I’m not sure if it is a step up in frequency or that the talent pool has been upped, or merely that media (both new and old) are simply covering more ground. Regardless, amongst the new comers are certain gems that have dazzled customers. So I hope you find this list useful, where I’ve visited, I’ve linked it to my write-up, otherwise, I’ve linked out to a representative review, and if you’re looking to ride the trendwaves, I’m sure one of these restaurants will fit the bill.

regards,

Kang.

Now Open

Zucca Italian, £35pp
People generally love it, the Italian-inspired menu is reminiscent of a ‘River Cafe Lite’ , cheaper but just as good. The grilled veal chop in particular is fantastic. It’s been around for three months or so, and still going strong I reckon. I’ve been back four times, and each time, it’s been excellent. If you like this, they also say that Maltings¹ – the older cousin – is great as well. Might be one of the best restaurants to open this year.

Bar Boulud French £40pp
Opened by Daniel Boulud, the three michelin starred French chef from NY, has enjoyed massive publicity. Everybody loves it. Boulud has brought in a superstar in-house charcutier in Gilles Verot, he has brought his famed gourmet burgers to BB (though I don’t rate them) , and generally speaking the rest of the menu (largely bistro fare) is widely praised. I liked my boudin blanc on my visit. It’s worth a look I think, though the dining room is starkly devoid of ambiance.

Viajante Portuguese £70pp
The name means ‘Traveller’ in Portuguese. It is the nickname for Nuno Mendes and represents the style of food to expect at his new outpost in Bethnal Green, the concept being that he has absorbed various world cuisines into his style and presented his food as a kind of journey around the globe. I think there are shades of glory in his food, I didn’t get everything, but the dishes that worked were definitely memorable.

Koya Japanese £15pp
This is superhot right now, Koya serves nothing but slippery hand-made (actually foot-kneaded) fresh Udon in accurate dashi-spiked soups, combined with the reasonable pricing, it has become an addiction for many, who hail it as a favourite haunt. I like it too. There is a choice of hot or cold noodles with a choice of hot or cold soups, pork, duck, chicken, beef, mushrooms, tempura being a selection of choices. Ask for an Onsen Tamago (super slow cooked egg) and the cod tempura (really fantastic). I also recomend Echigo Beer that is brewed with Koshihikari rice (the gold standard of sushi rice) amongst other things, it’s got an effervescence about it which I feel marries well with the soup stock and noodles.

Dean Street Townhouse British £45pp
It is a hotel, with a restaurant, or vice-versa. Critics seem to generally like this place, bloggers not so much. They say the food is a remixed version of school dinners, while it evoked childhood fantasies, it is (fortunately) not a faithful reproduction of British staple, rather this is the product of an utterly slicker design. Expect no less from the first Richard Caring and Nick Jones joint-venture I suppose. So there’s lots of cash behind the operation. I’ve never been, but I am curious…

Petrus French £60pp
Gordon Ramsay wrestled back the name from Marcus Wareing, opened in a new location (very close to MW in Hyde Park Corner) and installed JP Susilovic as front of house with exec chef Mark Askew directing the kitchen in the initial stages. Well. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it feels like a carbon-copy of Gordo other’s French outposts. Startlingly, it feels like a franchise restaurant, albeit a very high-end one. Still if you like classy (read, stoic) French restaurants, the £25 set lunch option is a good place to start.

Bistro Bruno Loubet French £40pp
This is another crowd favourite, Bruno has returned from a seven year endeavor down under and now he’s back cooking at The Zetter in Farringdon. I’m at two minds, the dishes feel hit and miss, the good stuff is spectacular, while the rest is downright ordinary. Service is a little wonky too, and I can’t shake the feeling that Bruno is a mercurial dude. I’ve never met him, but his food certainly comes across as such.

Gelupo Italian £10pp
Opened by the good people behind Bocca di Lupo (to be found across the street) , and is pitched as a gelateria and a take-away deli. It’s like the retail arm of the BDL larder selling their pasta, sauces and other ingredients. It’s only been up and running for a week or two, I tried their melon sorbet, which was really nice and their watermelon granita, excellent as well. I’d like to try their gelato-stuffed cannolis on a return visit, and maybe do a fuller write-up on it too, so watch this space.

Penny University Brew coffee bar, £3pp
This place is amazing, it doubles as a retail space for Square Mile Roasters, but it is also London’s first ‘brew bar’. No milk (well there is, hidden away) and the concept is that of the barista taking time to make a fresh brew (with nothing but hot water, a preferred brewing apparatus and a timer) and basically to appreciate coffee in its original splendour. It’s a great concept, currently just a pop-up but if we keep going, it might become permanent. So keep going. Seriously this place is awesome, it is a different sort of coffee appreciation which is rarely found in London, though brew coffee is on the rise². Speaking of which, the name is a homage to the hundreds (if not thousands) of coffee shops in 18th century London (particularly the Square Mile). The idea was of strangers sipping coffee and striking up cerebrally random conversations about the heavens, politics and anything in between, all part of the experience of a ‘penny university’ which was all the rage in those days. Intrigued? Read this excellent photo essay by Brian Ferry³ as well as Daniel Young’s thoughtfully informative piece⁴ for two takes on this concept.

Opening soon.

Restaurants expected to open in the 2nd half of 2010, include big names such as Pierre Koffman (formerly of La Tante Claire and 3 star holder) opening Koffman’s at the Berkeley cooking food from his home town; Heston Blumenthal with ‘Dinner’ at Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, also the premier steakhouses Hawksmoor (I’m looking forward to their new lobster rolls..) & Goodman expanding into Covent Garden and the City respectively. Personally, I am excited about Bistro du Midi, to be opened by Marlon Abela who owns Umu and the Greenhouse. There is already a branch of the same name in Boston which recently launched and has received good reviews thus far, and the menu does look excellent.

And in Issue 5…

I really enjoy putting out ‘themed’ newsletters, and will continue this trend in future issues. I am currently exploring Italian restaurants, and after hearing rumours of Sushi Hiro’s decline (being sold off I hear), am also casting my net to other sushi bars around town. The Kappa roll at Kappa is good by the by, and Atari-ya, oh yeah to the otoro. Zap you in 30 days.

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