Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar

Cocktail and burgers

Regarded as one of the finest steak houses in London alongside Goodman, Hawksmoor has become one of the most successful restaurant groups with rave reviews from bloggers and press alike for its legendary steaks. Having eaten a Porterhouse steak at the Guildhall branch last year and knowing how good it was, I was very much looking forward to trying their burgers to see how they compare to the likes of Honest Burger and Dirty Burger.

cocktail time!

Alyn Williams at The Westbury with Simon Rogan

CHEFstock 2013 with Simon Rogan

My third visit to one of the best loved chefs in London, Alyn Williams. I had the tasting menu for my first two visits and I enjoyed them a lot which was partly the reason for me to sign up for this special event hosted by Alyn Williams, Chefstock 2013. For each Tuesday in September, Alyn Williams teamed up with world renowned chefs in Sat Bains, Bart De Pooter, Simon Rogan and Akmal Anuar. I picked Simon Rogan's evening out of the lot as I was in love with his pop up London restaurant Roganic which sadly closed in June this year. To experience his supreme cooking again without the need to travel all the way to the Lake District, Chefstock 2013 was the perfect opportunity.

The legends: Simon Rogan and Alyn Williams

Royal China

Your above average Chinese in London

Royal China is one of the most successful Chinese restaurant groups in London, with six restaurants across London providing traditional Chinese cooking. The main two branches in Baker Street and Queenway are well known to be flooded at weekend lunch times thanks to its good quality dim sum. I returned to the Canary Wharf branch for a quick dinner on a Monday evening. Located just off the river Thames in a beautiful location, it has been over three years since my last visit but nothing much seemed to have changed.

Royal China

Viajante

12 course marathon

Located in East London inside the Town Hall hotel, Viajante by chef patron Nuno Mendes is a 1 star Michelin restaurant serving cutting edge and creative food that are influenced by concepts around the world. We pre ordered the twelve course blind tasting menu at £100 per person but the waiter informed us that they will also provide lots of mini appetizers first before moving to the main twelve course menu. Then print us a menu each to let us know what we had on the night, it all sounds too similar to me as the format was just like Comerc 24 when I was in Barcelona! But guessing both Nuno and the head chef from Comerc 24 both had a spell at the legendary El Bulli I guess that is where they picked up the concept from?

Viajante

The open kitchen

Cutty Cargo

Whisky party with Cutty Sark

Cutty Cargo by Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky is a global tour inside a specially built giant cargo which captures the spirit and history of the Cutty Sark brand, they were known for smuggling whisky in ships cargoes to the US in the prohibition era. So what better way than having all the creative talents from London, teaming up together inside a giant cargo with Cutty Sark Whisky to deliver an extravaganza evening?

Cutty cargo by day

Cutty Cargo by night

Clockjack Oven

Rotisserie delight

Premium fast food on the rise? We seen the never ending burger trend for over a year and now the chicken concept is also on the rise, Having eaten at Chicken Shop last month I was really impressed with how great rotisserie chicken can be given using the right ingredients and seasoning, I dashed off to Clockjack Oven in Soho to experience more chicken goodness having seen some positive reviews on line as well as recommendation by the people in the industry.

Clockjack Oven

The decor

Koya

Fun and casual Japanese food

Koya shouldn't be a stranger for anyone who lives in London, one of the most popular Japanese restaurants in Soho, a favourite place to go for chefs as well as the locals thanks to its silky udon noodles and well executed small plates. It is common to see a long queue outside Koya thanks to its no booking policy so if possible, best to go at a less busy time like on a Sunday evening. The decor is simple with wooden tables and chairs, we waited about fifteen minutes before getting in which was pretty fortunate considering I heard sometimes you need to wait up to an hour. 

Koya

Mien Tay

South Western Vietnamese in Shoreditch

Shoreditch in East London is well known to be a popular spot for its night life and Vietnamese food, you will see plenty of Vietnamese restaurants in the area with young crowds packed in thanks to the reasonably priced and authentic food, out of the lot it seems Mien Tay, Song Que and Cay Tre are regarded as the top three. But having eaten at Cay Tre in Soho I found it rather average, also judging from the outside Song Que looked like a canteen more than a restaurant so we went for Mien Tay to hope for some quality Vietnamese experience.

Mien Tay

Min Jiang

Top notch Chinese experience in London

I was never a fan of going out for high end Chinese food in London, simply because I always fail to spot much difference to the cheaper versions in taste but massive difference in cost. But I'd heard many great things about Min Jiang and judging from the menu it seems pretty promising, so off I went with a group of friends. Located on the top floor in the Royal Garden Hotel in High Street Kensington with great views of Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang serves traditional Chinese food with a mixture of regional cuisines rather than singly focus on certain types.

Views from Min Jiang

Beijing duck

Kirazu

Japanese tapas in Soho

Launched back in the summer only a few months ago, Kirazu is a tiny restaurant in Soho serving Japanese tapas in a very casual setting just off Rupert Street. Having seen the great review from the Evening Standard, I was eager to test out the place as Japanese tapas itself is a pretty new concept in London. A very welcoming addition to the usual sushi and ramen places.

Kirazu

Galvin Cafe a Vin

Cheese and wine tasting event

I've been into cheese since last year after tasting some amazing tastes from Marcus Wareing's cheese board, supplied by one of the top London cheesemongers, La Fromagerie. It really opened up my eyes on how cheese has such a diversity of flavours. And since then, I've developed a strong interest in fine cheese. So when I discovered Galvin Cafe a Vin was hosting a cheese and wine tasting event I booked right away without hesitation.

cheese!

wine!