Notting Hill Kitchen

Spanish in Notting Hill

Notting Hill is somewhat a strange place for eating out. There are plenty of great bars in the area, from the old school rum bar, Tailor Happiness to the gin heaven Portobello Star. Restaurant wise of course how can we forget the best restaurant in London, The Ledbury, to the cheap and cheerful places such as Honest Burger and Fez Mangal. But there doesn't seem to be a mid priced restaurant in Notting Hill so when Zomato invited me for a gathering at a Spanish restaurant called Notting Hill Kitchen, I was curious to see if it was the answer to my wondering.

Pata Negra

spider crab mousse

City Social

Social expansion

City Social, yet another London opening from industry heaveweight Jason Atherton, on the back of the flagship Pollen Street Social, Little Social, Social Eating House and Berners Tavern, Jason now has 5 restaurants in London and is slowly expanding his restaurant empire like his former boss Gordon Ramsay. City Social set on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the city, offers sky dinning experiences with a live band on my visit.

City Social

Views of the city

Burger and Lobster

The mighty combo

Burger and lobster really has become one of the most popular restaurant chains in London, now 5 chains strong with another on its way in Fitzrovia. What hasn't changed is its ridiculously crazy waiting time, especially the Soho and Mayfair branches. I actually was sad enough to wait 2 hours once but I work out a way to avoid that by visiting the Farringdon site as it seemed it is the less busy branch. No queue even at 8pm in the evening and still not fully packed so I guess in the future if I ever want to get a Burger and Lobster meal then I know where I should head to.

steaming lobsters

grilling lobsters

burger and lobster!

:p

I went for the combo deal which you get 2 burgers, a whole lobster and 2 desserts to share between 2 people. It was the first time I've ever tried their burgers and it turned out to be rather awesome. The meat was really moist and juicy, full of smoky and meaty aromas. It was a real mouthful and it was just as good as my favourite burger from Honest Burgers, although the cost is almost double. The lobster as expected was great and very consistent if I was to benchmark with my previous visits, Burger and Lobster doesn't offer fireworks but it sure does the job when it comes to delivering great burgers and lobsters.

Food 6
Service 6
Ambience 7
Value 7

£35 with 1 beer

38-42 St John St, London EC1M 4AY

http://www.burgerandlobster.com/

Jubo

Korean quick fix

Jubo is somewhat a fun and comforting Korean restaurant in Shoreditch, located inside the popular Bedroom Bar so drinks here are miles better than any Korean restaurants in London. I headed back to Jubo on Monday for its 15% offer and I also discovered that selected cocktails are two for one before 7pm so what a bonus that was!

pork belly buns

kimichi fried rice

chicken dinner time!

Once again we went for the chicken platter and pork belly steamed buns, as well as one of my favourite dishes from Jubo, the kimichi fried rice. The fried chicken here again delivered the savoury and flavoursome taste that KFC wished they could achieve, the soy garlic chicken was sweet and with a hint of nutty aromas, I just couldn't get enough of it. Jubo is a great little place for American style Korean food in London and I am looking forward to try out their new dishes in the near future.

Food 5.5
Service 7
Ambience 4
Value 7

£24 per head with 2 cocktails

68 Rivington Street London, UK EC2A 3AU

http://jubolondon.com/

Tonkotsu Soho

Fatal error

Japanese ramen has been on the fashionable food trend lately in London, from its rich soup stock cooked with animal bones, to its smooth noodles and bold flavours of the garnishes. I can see why it is popular among busy Londoners especially given that you could be in and out of a ramen joint in less than 30 minutes. Tonkotsu in Soho is one of the few places that pioneered the trend and I finally got the chance to visit it on a warm Friday evening.

Tonkotsu Soho

salt and Sansho pepper

prawn gyoza

Chiltern Firehouse

Plenty of smoke

"Oh my god Chiltern Firehouse is on fire right now", "Chiltern Firehouse is the hottest ticket in town".... That is the types media hype given to hotelier Andre Balazs's latest project in Marylebone, he has appointed Nuno Mendes, who ran the 1 star Michelin Viajante restaurant in East London to head up the kitchen in Chiltern Firehouse. With celebrities flooding in as well as the overwhelming positive reviews from the press, I booked myself in and much to my surprise, it was rather easy, a few weeks in advance was all that was needed.

Chiltern Firehouse

fried chicken with bacon moose

Koya Bar

Late evening fix Japanese style

Koya bar, the sister joint of the neighbouring infamous Koya restaurant, serves udon in a bar, which has been one of the stable settings in the Japanese culture. The "trick" I learnt from eating in Koya or Koya Bar during my previous visits, is that it is all about ordering from the daily special menu board, as it offers some of the most exciting Japanese foods in London. 

mackerel sashimi

beetroot, carrot, blood orange in sesame