Pho & Bun

Massive improvement

Bò Chín - Tender Beef

I am a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine, its freshness and aromatic flavours are truly special, and as an ex colonial of France, the cooking can also be quite bold and rich. Simply put, it is hard not to love Vietnamese food! When Pho & Bun was newly launched in late 2015, I was one of the first people rushing to try, but it was not quite right for me, the service was very weak, and some of the dishes were very questionable. 2 years later, you would think the restaurant has ironed out all the launch issues and refined the menu, so off I go again.

Shackfuyu

Brunch on a Monday night

chicken tsukune - ponzu - quail egg

I really admire the Bone Daddies brand, from its namesake ramen joints, to its Flesh & Bun and Shackfuyu restaurants, each one managed to gain mainstream success and really put Japanese cuisine on the map for Londoners. Shackfuyu was an interesting concept, it offered a range of small and big Asian plates, mostly loaded with rich and bold flavours which I really enjoyed on a few occasions. It has launched a new brunch menu for Monday, with unlimited bubbles or sake for £35. The dishes are taken out from its normal menu so it doesn't feel like it was a downgrade, which can be the case in some restaurants when you opted a set menu over a la carte. 

Bokan

European sky dining 

Line-Caught Poached Cod, Brown Shrimp, Spinach

Fine dining with a sky high view is a rarity in London, but what is even more rare is a good quality fine dining restaurant with a spectacular view. I almost class it as a con when an average restaurant charging outrageous prices, just because it is sitting on the 30th floor inside a five stars hotel. Is Bokan one of those places? Newly launched inside the Novotel hotel in Canary Wharf on the 37th floor, Bokan is a modern European restaurant headed up by an ex L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon chef. The menu is your standard a la carte style and it doesn't offer tasting menu, ingredients are mostly sourced from the the UK.

El Pastor

Hipster taco joint in London Bridge

Confit pork taco 

Mexican cuisine appear to be the next big thing in the ever changing London dining trend, with the high number of Mexican restaurant launches in recent years. From the same people behind the successful Spanish tapas bar Barrafina, El Pastor is a casual Mexican restaurant in London Bridge, serving tacos and mezcal, alongside with all the usual popular Mexican street food items, such as guacamole and quesadillas. Just like Barrafina, it is a no booking restaurant, so my best advice is turn up early to avoid the waiting.

Smoking Goat

Thai BBQ heaven

Whole grilled mackerel

Along with Som Saa in East London, Smoking Goat is one the few popular Thai restaurants that gained plenty of media love recently, its renown authentic Thai cooking is adored by Londoners and the place is always packed almost every night. The people behind Smoking Goat has since launched another Thai restaurant in Soho called Kiln, which also gained high popularity and became one of the hottest restaurants in London to now. While under the same management and serving the same cuisine, these two restaurants are not quite the same, with Smoking Goat focusing on oak smoked Thai BBQ, using high quality fresh ingredients sourced within the UK or imported from Thailand.

Spirit of Sharing

Irish style

With St Patrick's Day just around the corner, it is time to take a look at all the wonderful Irish beverages. The Irish food board, Bord Bia hosted a special evening at the Irish Embassy in London called the "Spirit of Sharing", putting together some very special Irish products that were beautifully crafted and exceptional in taste. Irish beverages is much more than just Guinness and Magners, and here are some of the stand-out products you should definitely try!