Flat Iron

Steak treat

flat iron

I usually shy away from ordering steak when I go out for dinner, mostly due to the fact that is something you can pull off quite easily at home as long as you can find yourself a nice cut of meat and don't mess up with the timing. But the temptation of £10 for a plate of steak sounded too good to give a miss and from what I have read from other blogs, the quality of the steak is not to be sneezed at and generally very positive, I was sold.

Han

Old school K food

Han, photo from management

Lately, Korean cuisine has somewhat become a hot trend in London with plenty of new age Korean themed restaurants opening, from celebrity chef Judy Joo's Jinjuu to expansion of On the Bab in Covent Garden. But all of these so called "Korean restaurants" are far from the real deal, mostly western engineered Korean food and not something you would find in Seoul. On the other hand, New Malden is the unofficial Korean town in London, you can find plenty of traditional Korean restaurants over there and Han is one the most popular one due to the prime location (next to the rail station) and its karaoke lounge. 

The Woodstock

Izakaya

chicken breast & mackerel

Woodstock is a brand new Japanese bar near Bond Street station that serves grilled Kushiyaki skewers with decently priced draft and bottled beer. I was a big fan of Bincho Yakitori in Soho before it was closed down, so this new Izakaya pub is a welcoming opening as few things can match well grilled Japanese skewers with a pint of beer in the summer. The menu is very short as you would expect from a themed restaurant, after all, I'd rather have a restaurant that does a few things properly than a restaurant that does too many things and spreads itself too thinly. But sadly, the food I've tried at The Woodstock was just very ordinary.

L'Autre Pied

A great value set lunch

chalk stream sea trout, apple tapioca, cucumber, grapefruit

Usually a meal at a Michelin restaurant in London would set you back about £100 per person after you've factored in drinks and the service charge which is rather pricey, and also considering the fact you might not enjoy the cooking which means it can be a massive risk. To avoid such issues, I usually try out a restaurant's set lunch menu first to determine if it is worth me going back before a more premium option such as the tasting menu.

The Ledbury

London's finest

Menu

This is my 7th visit to The Ledbury, the reason for me to keep returning is simple: For me, this double Michelin stars restaurant is the best in London. The cooking is truly exquisite and blessed with luxurious and wonderful tastes, and the service is also some of the finest I have ever encountered in my entire life, this is truly a very special restaurant. For the first time I went for the a la carte four course option instead of the usual tasting menu.

Smoking Goat

Trendy Thai pub

pork belly and water melon salad

Smoking Goat is a smoking hot restaurant on the edge of Soho serving Thai cooking in a pub setting. Lately the place has become somewhat a super trendy place and it is extremely hard to get a table unless you arrive really early thanks to the no booking policy. The spicy and refreshing elements of the Thai cuisine are actually a great combination with beer so I can see why this place is so popular right now. I managed to secure a table on an early Monday evening which was quickly getting jam-packed not long afterwards.

Jubo

Ssam time

Jubo, photo from management

Jubo is one of my favourite Korean restaurants in London, the New York inspired K cuisine is just the perfect place for a large group of friends at an affordable price. Rivington Street itself is full of some top quality cocktail bars such as Nola and Callooh Callay so Jubo itself is a an ideal place for eating out for either pre or post drinking sessions. 

Picture

Great British tasting

Picture, photo from management

Picture is a modern British restaurant on Great Portland Street that has a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its good value quality food. It has been on my to visit list for ages since it first opened back in 2013, but for one reason or another I kept delaying my visit until recently. Two years, after all the buzz of launching had all but faded from the press and the blogger community, can Picture still maintain the standard and reputation? For a restaurant to be successful for a long period of years, consistency is the key.