Taberna do Mercado

Portuguese sensation

Monkfish cheeks garlic and shallots, mussels and coriander

Taberna do Mercado is a Portuguese restaurant inside the Old Spitalfields Market. It is by Nuno Mendes, a chef who gained popularity after achieving 1 Michelin status at his old restaurant, Viajante in East London. I was a little reserved first before arranging a booking as I had a rather forgettable meal from the much hyped Chiltern Firehouse by the very same chef. But then again Taberno do Mercado concept is completely different to Chiltern Firehouse, plus without all the paparazzi nonsense and the troublesome need to book months in advance. Taberna is an informal dinning restaurant that serves sharing dishes, Portuguese style.

The West House

Cosy fine British

roasted lamb breast, broccoli, shallot

The West House in Biddenden is one of the hand full restaurant in Kent that holds a Michelin star. Headed up by Graham Garrett, it is a family run restaurant serving contemporary British cuisine. Like most other Michelin restaurants in the UK, it offers a very affordable set lunch menu, a standard a la carte and tasting menu as well as a vegetarian tasting menu. What I really like about this place is the decor, very cosy and comforting in middle of THE countryside. Our group tried out a mix selection of its lunch menu and a la carte.

Hoppers

Soho Srilankan

Egg hopper with fish kari

I was a big fan of the famous Udon joint Koya on Frith Street, so it was a sad day when it was closed down in the summer after the head chef decided to return back to Japan. The site has since been transformed into a Srilankan restaurant, operated by the JKS group (Trishna, Bao, Bubbledogs). Personally I think it is great move from a business prospective, as Srilankan as a cuisine that is seriously under rated. With the group's experience in restaurant management, there is good chance that they can kick off a Srilankan food trend with Hoppers.

Billy and the Chicks

Posh chicks

Billy and the Chicks

Another new fried chicken concept restaurant in London, Billy and the chicks is about dishing out premium fired chicken using quality suppliers, with a CV that contained St John and Salt Yard, I was interested to see how Billy's chicken would taste like. The first things that stood out for me was the quality of the chicken, the meat was super moist, smooth and tender. It was an instant upgrade if you compare to the like of KFC and Nandos. 

5 fantastic beverage gift ideas for Xmas

The Berry Bros Christmas Hampers

Berry Brothers shouldn't be a stranger to any food and wine lovers. They are the oldest wine and spirit merchant in the UK, they are offering a great selection of premium Christmas Hampers. Matching fine, carefully selected wines and spirits with artisan delicacies, the Christmas collection ranges from neat apéritif selections to the lavishly indulgent Le Grande. They have also just released a new wine book: "Exploring & Tasting Wine.Also, a wine course with digressions, is the perfect gift for any wine lovers. Do check out their impressive retail store located on St James Street, Mayfair or browse their selection online, free delivery for all Xmas gifts and unmixed cases, go shopping!

http://www.bbr.com/christmas


Pinkster Gin
 

A pink gin for Christmas? Why not. Distilled in small batches, Pinkster is an award winning, premium gin. If heavy and full body spirit such as whisky or traditional gin, isn't to your taste-bud, Pinkster should be the one for you. They hand-steep fresh, locally grown raspberries in the spirit from Cambridge and the result is a truly refreshing and light fruity gin. The taste is dry, with a hint of fruit and an exceptionally smooth finish. For a refreshingly different G&T, mix with a decent tonic and add a sprig of fresh mint.

http://www.pinkstergin.com


Montanya Rum

  

Montanya Rum isn't your typical rum, they are a range of rums from Colorado, America. Their Montanya Platino is the one that stood out for me. In fact, it makes perhaps one of the very best daiquiris that I have had ever tasted. A light, crisp rum aged to maturity in American Oak, coconut-husk charcoal filtered, and blended with Colorado mountain spring water. Every drop is fermented, distilled, aged and bottled on premises, no excpetions. The Platino has been awarded 9 gold medals and two "Best in Class" designations in International competitions, as well as "Best White Rum" at the World Rum Awards, UK 2015.

http://www.montanyarum.com/


Ruby Blue Liqueur
 

A bottle of liqueur is essential for any Christmas party, and Ruby Blue Liqueur is a must try if you have a sweet palate. A small batch Northern Irish Liqueur collection from a craft distillery in Co Antrim. They have a selection of premium liqueurs: Wild Blueberries, Chilli Pepper, Cranberries and Blackcurrant. Wild Blueberries is my personal recommendation, not overly sweet and finely balanced, works perfectly well on its own or in a long drink. Also try the Chilli Pepper if you like kicks in your drink, it works wonderfully as a shot or on ice.

http://www.rubyblueliqueur.com/

Chase Rhubarb Vodka
 

Simply put, Chase's rhubarb vodka is the very best natural flavoured vodka. Slowly cooked Herefordshire Rhubarb and then marinated with the award-winning, three times distilled Chase Original Vodka in a beautiful copper pot still. The resultant spirit is then further distilled a fourth time to infuse the flavours before adding macerated fresh rhubarb and filtering to leave a delicate pink colour. Chase Rhubarb Vodka captures the true flavour of carefully pressed rhubarb, achieving a natural scent of rhubarb and custard with the subtle sweetness of rhubarb on the palate, without using any artificial ingredients or heat methods.

http://chasedistillery.co.uk/

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

Classy Bistro

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

If you are a regular reader on my blog, you will know I am a fan of the Galvin brothers' Michelin starred Galvin La Chapelle. The brothers have a fine collection of restaurants across London, from the super luxury Galvin at Windows inside The Hilton Park Lane to the humble but classy Galvin Cafe a Vin in Spitalfield. Galvin Bistrot de Luxe located on Baker Street, is a stylish French Bistro that serves classic French cuisine with a British and modern twist. I was on my way to Regent's Park so a quick lunch at Galvin Bistrot was a no-brainer for me.

Shackfuyu

Rock and Roll Asian

USDA beef short rib – bo ssam style

Shackfuyu is part of the Bone Daddies empire by Ross Shonhanies, it has just recently been relaunched after a short refurbishment. Ross is a master of engineering Asian food with Western cuisine influence, he has done a tremendous job with his other two restaurants, Bones Daddies Ramen and Flesh & Buns. They were both excellent and now two of the most popular Asian restaurants in London. The menu at Shackfuyu seem to have an even greater wide range of global flavours, from French, Korean, to Mexican and Japanese. 

Zelman Meats

Meat treat

Zelman Meats

Zelman Meats is new restaurant in Soho launched by the Goodman team at the former site of Rex and Mariano (R&M). R&M was a great affordable seafood restaurant so I was sad when it was replaced by Zelman Meats. As you would have already figured out from its name, Zelman Meats is all about slow cooking and smoking good meats. Price wise is mid range, a notch above Flat Iron but nowhere near as expensive as Goodman. 

Rules

Old School glamour

aged rib of beef

Located in Convert Garden, Rules, is the oldest restaurant in the UK. It has always been on my to visit list for a long time, so after seeing it was featured in the latest James Bond film, I feel it is about time to put on my cloth and make a special visit. Rules offers a range of British classic such as wild game meat which is ideal for any serious game lovers, from venison, grouse to hare just to name a few. Current head chef David Stafford has worked in a number of high profile restaurants across London, such as The River Cafe and Galvins.

Kensington Place

British seafood

KP prawns cocktail

Located just around the corner from Notting Hill station, Kensington Place is a British restaurant that specialise in seafood, with its own fish market just next door. It is part of the D&D restaurant and hotel group, so in terms of quality you can be pretty confident. I was tasked by my family to find a decent British restaurant for lunch before visiting Kensington Palace and Kensington Place was the first one that came to my mind as it offers some British classics at very affordable lunch menu.

Celeste

Star in the making

Landes foie gras

This is my second visit back to Celeste, a very prestige hotel restaurant located inside the luxury 5 star Lanesborough Hotel. The reason I decided to return was simple, Celeste's cooking was impressive, full of flair and without a doubt in the Michelin territory. Executive chef Florian Favario has taken his experience from a 3 star kitchen in Paris combining with prime British ingredients to create some of the most exciting dishes I have encountered this year. One very important factor however is knowing the cooking difference between lunch and dinner, because even from the a la carte lunch menu, it is pretty much completely different to the dinner menu (the lunch menu items are much more casual). To fully experience what the Celeste team are truly capable of delivering, come to dinner.

Pied a Terre

New beginning

Turbot, charred fennel, dill puree, basil foam

New chef, new beginning. Since the talented chef Marcus Eaves left Pied a Terre, owner David Moore appointed Andy Mcfadden as the new head chef as well as company director. For me, It was a logical decision, as Andy is a hugely talented chef and was already the executive chef at Pied a Terre's sister restaurant, L' Autre Pied. David had made a similar move back in 2011 when he appointed Marcus as the new head chef at Pied a Terre (he was the head chef at L' Autre Pied at that point) to replace the departed Shane Osborn. 

Hawksmoor Knightsbridge

Express steak joy

Hawksmoor Knightsbridge

Hawksmoor shouldn't be a stranger to any Londoners, one of the best steak chains in the capital, it is known for its quality steaks and cocktails that makes it externally popular. It is not un-commend that you have to book well in advance to get a table for Thursday and Friday nights, on the other hand lunch time services are less busy, I went for the express menu which is there fairly well priced set lunch menu, 3 courses for £27 which is massive scale down comparing to its normal menu, for example, you are looking at paying £36 for a 400g rib eye.

Muga

Comforting hot bowl

tonkotsu ramen

Nothing beats a good bowl of hot ramen in the winter, this classic Japanese street food item had become a rather trendy eating concept for the past few years in the UK, with Bone Daddies one of the pioneers to kick off the "London ramen revolution". Muga on Panton street was opened in the summer, unlike most other ramen joints elsewhere in London, Muga is all about sticking to the traditional methods. On the night of my visit, everywhere else were Japanese apart from my party of two, this is a good indication to show Muga is the real deal and as authentic as you can get in London.

Mangal 1.1

Kebab heaven

Mangal 1.1

I was really sad when the Korean restaurant: Jubo, the pop-up inside The Bedroom Bar came to an end. Jubo, as Korean fried chicken specialist, is one of my personal favourite London restaurants. But as soon as I have discovered that the legendary Kebab joint: Mangal 1.1 have expanded into the pop-up space, I was filled up with joy because Mangal 1.1's predecessor, Mangal 1, is known for being one of the very best Kebab restaurants in London. The only reason that stopped me going to visit Mangal 1, was because of the location (Dalston), so the new and more central location (Old Street) is very ideal for kebab enthusiast like myself.

Noob's XO Cognac Xmas gift guide

Nothing can beat a fine a bottle of XO Cognac as a super premium and classy Xmas gift, treat someone special with these special Cognac...

1) Delamain Vesper XO

A 100% Grande Champagne Cognac, matured in well seasoned Limousin oak casks (350L). Roundness, body, length, maturity and mellowness. Lovely aroma of perfumes and fragrance. Taste: Scents of underwood, dry vine shoots, vanilla (rancio). Finish: Fullness, maturity, extreme mellowness. Intense fruitiness.
RPP: £120
http://www.delamain-cognac.fr/


2) Frapin VIP XO

Old amber gold in colour, this XO quality Frapin enriched with very old brandies combines the age, roundness, bouquet and finesse characteristic of very old Champagne cognac distilled over lees. This exceptional cognac reaches its optimum balance after ageing for several decades. It comes in a carafe, a reproduction of a sixteenth-century bottle in extra-clear glass, decorated with a gold frieze at the bottom and topped off with a cap gilded with fine carat gold.
RPP: £150
http://www.cognac-frapin.com/


3) Camus Borderies XO

The eaux-de-vie used to make this Cognac have an astounding aromatic intensity and a remarkable velvety texture. Produced mainly from the most prized vines in the Domaines Camus estate, the wine is distilled on the lees before its long ageing in oak barrels. Each step in the ageing process has contributed to and enhanced the already rich and complex aromatic palette of this Cognac from the smallest and most highly favored of the AOC crus. Produced in limited quantities.
RPP: £110
http://www.camus.fr/


4) Hine Antique XO

A truly sensory journey: provocative perfumes of spices, vanilla and liquorice blend together with irresistible hints of chocolate and baked apple. Complex, rich, supple, balanced and long-lasting on the palate. It is a blend of over 40 cognacs all aged for a minimum of 10 years, exclusively from grapes grown in Grande Champagne, the finest cru of the Cognac region.
RPP: £105
http://www.hinecognac.com/



5) Ragnaud Sabourin Fontevieille No. 35

Colour: mahogany, Nose: fruity liquorice - lime, Taste: mellow marked by the Charente rancio , Varietal: 60% Ugni Blanc and 40% Folle Blanche - Colombard . The balanced marriage of 3 Cognac grape gives it a unique charm . Its name comes from the oldest plots of the property.
RPP: £115
http://www.ragnaud-sabourin.com/

Red Dog Saloon Soho

BBQ meat feast

Meat feast!

Red Dog Saloon is an American BBQ joint specialising in Kansas BBQ, this is its 3rd site in London after the original on Shoredtich and a second site at Clapham. Red Dog Saloon is perhaps best known for its infamous hot wing challenge, which I have managed to drag a friend to try it but failed miserably. I had the opportunity to take advantage of its 50% off launch offer and it was something too good for me to ignore, as how can you not love a good value BBQ meal? 

Li Veli Italian Winery & Bistro

Chestnut & Wine

Li Veli Italian Winery & Bistro 

Li Veli is a trendy Italian Winery & Bistro in Covent Garden, spreading across two floors with a wine shop. It is a joint venture by two Italian families, with one family operating as a wine producer from Puglia while the other, owns a hotel business. Towards this winter, Li Veli is debuting its Li Veli Orion 2014 and Li Veli Passamante 2014, two wines that are carefully selected from its own winery, it has also come up with an Apuglian chestnut and San Martino inspired menu, which every single dish contains some element of chestnut to go with the newly launched wines.

Beast

Super combo

Hello Mr crab

Beast is a rather unusual high end restaurant in Marylebone. It is from the Goodman Group, the same people behind the wonderful steak joint Goodman and the affordable Burger and Lobster. The philosophy behind Goodman Group's restaurants are simple, they try to stick with just a few dishes and try to do them exceptionally well. In Beast's case, it is a super premium restaurant that specialising in Norwegian king crab and fine steak. What a super combo it is, I am a big crab fan and unfortunately there aren't that many crab restaurants in London, and I am total faith in its steak as I know too well from my previous steak dinner at Goodman.

Flesh & Buns

Pig feast

Hello Mr piggy

I only tried Flesh & Buns for the first time not long ago. I was generally impressed with its light refreshing starters and the mouth watering delightful piglet. So this time, when a close friend invited me to join in for a big pig feast at Flesh & Buns, "no" was not an option. I was not aware you can order a whole suckling pig in advance and that is what my friend had done, the whole pig comes with a selection of pickles, salad and sauces together with its famous steamed Asian style buns.

Jubo

New beginning

bulgogi sizzler

I have always been a big follower of Jubo, so I was really pleased they have found a permanent home in Exmouth Market when their pop up rental inside the Bedroom Bar in Shoredtich came to an end. Jubo is re known for its top notch Korean fried chicken (KFC) and Korean BBQ, I have been eating a lot of KFC for the last few years and I have yet to find a place that can match Jubo in terms of quality and price. The KFC was as good as ever, the crispiness of the batter was simply perfect, that rich soy and garlic flavours were done expertly which went so well with a bottle of ice cold beer. 

Bleecker Street Burger

Salty hipster

fries and burger

The "hipster" burger joint Bleecker Street Burger is located inside the Old Spitalfields Market, it gained a rather large following after starting off as a street food vendor, with gigs such as Street Feast and Southbank. This is my first time trying Bleecker Street as a permanent business, but it has to be by far my worst experience from Bleecker Street, the meat was still as good as ever, cooked medium rare with real richness... but the seasoning was out of control, the salt level was far too high and I really struggled to finish my burger. It was a real let down and hopefully it was just a one off as usually the burgers from them are pretty solid.

double cheese burger

Food 1/5

What I paid: 
£13 pp

Average cost without drinks:
£13 pp 

Pavilion Building, Old Spitalfields Market, London E1 6EA

https://bleeckerburger.co.uk/

Urban Coterie

Shoreditch sky dining

Urban Coterie

So, it appears M by Montcalm and the Searcys group isn't settling with just one top restaurant (Tonic & Remedy) inside the 5 star hotel located just off Old Street station, it just recently added another restaurant: Urban Coterie to its rank, which is located on the 17th floor with a fine view of East London. It is a modern British restaurant that in partnership with Anthony Demetre, who is also chef patron of 1 Michelin starred Wild Honey and Arbutus. Martin Zahumensky was appointed head chef (Texture and Hibiscus), with such an impressive of CVs, my expectation was high.

Pho & Bun

Chaotic

Not so rare "rare beef pho"

Pho & Bun is a brand new Vietnamese restaurant launched by the same people behind Vit Eat in Holborn, located in Shaftesbury Avenue nearby Chinatown. For me the location of Pho & Bun has its advantage and disadvantage, the prime location ensure there are plenty visitors flow, but also it faces high numbers of competitions, as most other Asian restaurant in the area would cost less. The concept of Pho & Bun is simple, the restaurant majors on pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle cooked in hot broth and steamed Asian buns with a modern burger twist. They also offer a tasting menu so you can sample a selection of its a la carte items if you are not sure what to order.

CoBa

Vietnamese barbecue

Spring rolls

CoBa is another brand new Vietnamese restaurant that just opened recently, located in York Way, north of King Corss. The brainchild of Damon Bui, who used to run a popular supper club. The concept of the restaurant is BBQ grilled items, Vietnamese style, using traditional BBQ marinade method and serving it with fresh vermicelli salad. I visited Coba in its soft launch period to access the 50% off deal.

Fold

Vietnamese rolls

Fold

For some reason, it appears Vietnamese is the next hot food trend in London, especially with three brand new Vietnamese restaurant opening within a month. Instead of sticking to a more traditional root (such as Cay Tre and Song Que Cafe), these new restaurants all have some kind of contemporary elements added to its USP. One example is Fold in Brick Lane, are championing its rice paper rolls, stuffed with fresh herbs, vegetable, cold vermicelli and meat or seafood. 

Craved

Premium craft food and drink

Treat your family and friends something special this Xmas. Shop on Craved, an online retailer specialising in premium craft food and drink. Craved was born out of a love for food, drink and Bermondsey. Some the most interesting small batch foods are in made the area: Jensen Gin, England Preserves, The London Honey Company and Anspach & Hobday beers, to name a few. Craved is a curator that seeks outs and finds the latest and tastiest concoctions in the country. Craved only sell products that they have tasted, debated, and fallen in love with. The producers they selected are a conscientious lot who work hard to use only natural ingredients that are sustainably sourced. Two of my personal favourite producers from Craved:


Blackwoods Cheese Company: 

Blackwoods Cheese Company was set up by three friends- David, Rory and Tim- who wanted to start a micro dairy together in London. All their cheeses are handcrafted using only organic raw milk from the Commonwork farm in Bore Place, Kent. The company's signature cheese is the Graceburn, a unique cream cow's milk cheese marinated in herbs and oil and reminiscent of feta.

Crown and Queue Meats: 

After working in the food industry for 16 years, Adrienne decided she wanted to put something of her own out there. Adrienne now specializes in making cured meats inspired by classic British dishes. She makes everything herself in a process that she devised to bring out the very best flavours her meats have to offer. She sources everything carefully, personally visiting all of the farms before she decides to work with them, and uses local ingredients for flavour. Despite the fact that most cured meats are made using recipes made centuries ago, Adrienne devises recipes on her own, paying homage to British cuisine.


To shop, please visit: http://cravedlondon.com/

London Mulled Wine Festival!

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL! 


** ENTRANCE WILL BE A CHECK-IN ON THE FREE YELP APP OR £10 DONATION TO OUR CHARITY!

*Please RSVP now so we know you're coming. Entrance is free, but you will have to check-in on the Yelp App to get in (Trust me, you're going to want to, we have some surprises for you!) So if you don't have it yet, download it here:

    Apple: app.adjust.com/ry1gff

    Android: app.adjust.com/d3r3q7

DOWNLOAD THE APP NOW AND BEAT THE QUEUES! BOOM! 

(Now don't you feel clever?)

--

**SO WHAT IS THIS?**

Mulled wine. 

It's delicious. This is a fact. And drinking it makes you happy. Another fact. And it is a staple of Christmas and you look forward to it all year long -- and now that time is almost here! The most important fact of all.  And yet, despite this, there has never been a mulled wine festival in London! Ever! Until now...

Presenting...

LONDON'S FIRST MULLED WINE FESTIVAL!
November 12, 13 and 14 - 12pm to 9pm
On Covent Garden's legendary East Piazza

--

**A MULLED WINE FESTIVAL! TELL ME MORE!**

Happy to. There will be three days of mulled wine from some of the best spots for mulled wine in the city. Plus mulled cider! And mulled mead! And mulled ice cream, mulled pops, mulled candy, mulled jelly shots and, of course, Christmas pies! (And also, some seriously amazing other eats). 

It starts on November 12, the same night as Covent Garden switches on its new Christmas lights.  Designed by celebrated fashion and film production designer, Michael Howells, the new scheme takes inspiration from the mythology of mistletoe and Covent Garden's world-renowned reputation as a special place to meet friends, family and loved ones. The iconic, 22 feet tall silver reindeer will also be returning to the East Piazza, ensuring this year's switch on moment will once again have a stunning backdrop.

Contemporary acapella group After Party will be entertaining the crowds with an exclusive set from 6pm, which features everything from Taylor Swift to Christmas classics. And, whatever the weather, you're guaranteed a white Christmas in Covent Garden as it will snow on switch on night to add that extra touch of magic. 

For more info and RSVP, please visit: Yelp

Tayyabs

Old school Punjabi

lamb chops

If you live in London, there is a low chance that you would have never heard of the famous Tayyabs, a Punjabi restaurant in East London that opened back in 1972 and has been popular ever since thanks to its affordable price and quality curry. My advice would be if you can, come at lunch time as evening can be extremely busy and there is a chance you might have to wait if you have booked a table in advance.

L'Autre Pied

Best of luck

raspberry, passion fruit and vanilla

When you this blog up, executive chef Andy Mcfadden has just moved on to become the new head chef at sister restaurant Pied a Terre. I have been eating at L'Autre Pied for 3 years now and I can definitely see the steady progress of Andy's cooking to make the 1 Michelin starred L'Autre Pied one of my favourite restaurants in London. So when the more upmarket Pied a Terre's head chef position became available, it was no surprise for me to see Andy step up to take on the role as well as appointed company director by founder David Moore. Below is my latest tasting menu experience at L'Autre Pied from last month while Andy was still the executive chef.

Song Que Cafe

Vietnamese cafe

grilled pork and spring roll vermicelli

Song Que Cafe has long been a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Shoreditch, the super affordable price with fast services makes it ideal for students, night outs or a quick meal. The classic grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce was a touch too dry on my last visit, however the seasoning was bang on. The phos were excellent, rich meaty bone broth flavours with silky smooth noodle. Bear in mind it is a noisy place and do expect you will be rushed out as soon as you are done with your meal at busy hours so not an ideal place for family or long conversation.

chicken stay

spicy squid

Food 2.5/5

What I paid: 
£14pp 

Average cost without drinks and services:
£15pp

134 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DY

http://www.songque.co.uk