Casse Croute

Classic French goodness

Casse Croute is a little French brasserie on Bermondsey Street, it has gained a reputation of serving some very classical French cooking at a very affordable price. It really depends on how you view the matter, the reception answers your phone call in French, so is the menu. So you either think Paris (the stuffy part) has come to London or it has added a little authentication to the place.

Casse Croute

duck salad

Cafe Football

Football and food??

Cafe Football is a fun concept opened by former footballers from Manchester United. It is basically serving food that you would love to eat but in a creative and more refined manor while watching a game. I walked passed it and decided to give the place a go, largely due to being a big fan of MU and I'd heard the menu concept was put together by Michelin starred chef Michael Wignall from The Latymer, so surely it couldn't be that bad.

Cafe Football

My daily special "offside burger" was basically a beef burger with Mediterranean elements, deep fried mozzarella with olives and chorizo. It was surprisingly pleasant with all the ingredients working really well together, the earthiness and the creaminess of the cheese blended in nicely with the peppery and smoky notes of the chorizo. The single let down I guess was the beef itself as the quality was just not there when it comes to the taste.

Asian ribs

Offside Burger

In the end I found the food at Cafe Football is not a great deal in different in quality if I compared to some of the better chains. But the ideas are there and price wise it is just about right. But I couldn't help but to to think the ingredients could be a little better, take the burger for example, if that concept is taken by places such as Byron or Honest Burger, I can see it can take it to another level due to the superior use of base ingredients.

Food 3
Service 3
Ambience 4
Value 4

£18 per head with a soft drink

146 The Street Westfield Stratford, London, E20 1EN

www.cafe-football.com

Goodman

Steak heaven

Goodman shouldn't be a stranger to any Londoners, it has a reputation of producing the best steak in London with locations across Canary Wharf, The City and Mayfair. They are also the same people who brought you the infamous Burger & Lobster and Beast. It has been well overdue for me to visit Goodman for its legendary steak and I was very excited to check out the Canary Wharf branch on a fine summer early evening.

Goodman

meat cellar

the cuts

The Ledbury

Exceptional

In the space of a few weeks, I returned again to The Ledbury for a fifth visit to try its tasting menu after one of the finest set lunch experiences in London. Voted the 10th best restaurant in the world and holder of two Michelin stars, The Ledbury is the very best that London has to offer and I was very excited to go back and experience how the tasting menu had developed over the year.

menu

canapes

tomato, pineapple, datterio, cheese and green tomato juice

The Providores

Breakfast joy in Marylebone

The Providores is a relaxing fusion restaurant in Marylebone and it has somewhat gained a reputation of serving some of the finest breakfasts in London. The playful element and creative touch by owner Peter Gordon has delighted locals and the press and I were keen to try out its weekend brunch menu on a hot sunny day.

The Providores

Poached Turkish eggs on whipped yoghurt with hot chilli butter served in a bowl was unusual with a touch of  Eastern Mediterranean element, the texture was almost like a soup based with a sour and mild spicy taste, great fun dipping it with the sourdough toast. The grilled chorizo and miso hash was a real winner, a lovely soft boiled egg on top of a bed of soft sweet potato and the star anise and cashew nut added lovely depths of texture and nutty aroma. It was a dish full of multi flavours dimension but worked extremely well at the same time.

grilled chorizo and miso hash

Turkish eggs on whipped yoghurt

The brunch was a really interesting encounter, I've never experienced any food like that in the past and it really opened up my eyes on breakfast in a whole new difference way. Service was decent enough but the limited 1.30 hours times allowance with a cover charge of  £1.50 per person was very questionable, with a service charge also applied, it just doesn't seem to make sense to me. But the food at the end of the day was fabulous and truley worth a visit if you live nearby.

Food 5.5
Service 4
Ambience 5
Value 3

£18 pp with a soft drink

109 Marylebone High St, London W1U 4RX

http://www.theprovidores.co.uk/