Homeslice Covent Garden Review: Suprisingly Uncommon

Grabbing a great ‘pie’ - as the Americans call them - in London is about as rare as finding quality Indian food in New York. It’s there, you just can’t find it. There are only a handful of places that can justifiably be said to serve quality pizza in Zone 1. Princi and Rossopomodoro are contenders while out in other Zones, street traders such as Fundi, Well Kneaded and Pizza Pilgrims (often trade in Zone 1 and soon to be at a bricks and mortar site on Dean Street) offer even better options. Sacre Coeur and the ever-expanding Franco Manca valiantly service Zone 2's cheese-related needs.

So why the lack of great pizza parlours in Zone 1? It can’t be an issue of low profitability, pizzas are one of the higher margin products and there are far too many awful slice-microwaving takeaway kiosks in the West End fleecing tired hungry tourists before the Angus Steakhouses could (RIP) for that arguement to hold true. Maybe it’s that people are happy with the tasteless cardboard served out of Pizza Express and Zizzis? Maybe people aren’t fully aware how much better something as simple as a pizza can be? If that's the case maybe it is time for a revolution, I mean you only have to look at burgers for a precedent.

Seating -space at a premium

Jose Pizzaro: Spanish Simplicity

Spain has a long and inspiring culinary history, every province resonates with such a clear cultural identity, forged from a mixture of nature, politics history and the available ingredients. Cantabria with its amazing boquerones, Castilla y León and it's superlative Iberico pork and Valencia with its paella. There's a vibrancy and passion for food that matches both France and Italy, yet is given far less credit by the external food community. While Spain boasts some of the highest ranked restaurants in the world: El Cellar de Can Roca being named the best in 2013, Mugartiz (4th), Arzak (8th) and of course the previously imperious El Bulli; a Spaniard has never even ranked in the top 3 at the fabled Bocuse D'or and the country has only half as many three starred Michelin restaurants as those sausage-eating, sauerkraut-loving Germans.

Croquettas

Burger & Lobster Review [Farringdon]: Catch of the Day

Back in 2011 London slowly started mirroring a very New York trend for single-dish restaurants; so much so the Graun even wrote an article about it. By 2013 it seems that despite our love of supermarkets and the mantra of "Choice, choice, choice!"; when it comes to eating out we prefer to take the less taxing route. Virtually every Soho joint is a 'singlet': steak, noodles, falafel, burgers, meatballs, even mash potato! Clearly fans of Adam Smith's work, I can appreciate that the potential to create something truly special, when you only have one dish to focus on, is that much greater. Burger & Lobster caught on early, opening their Mayfair joint in 2011 and they took the limited menu idea one step further by offering everything at the same price. No starters just a lobster roll, a burger and a whole lobster each for £20. Needless to say they became rather popular. Since then they have opened three other locations around London in Soho (Dean St), the City (St Pauls) and Farringdon. Because of the other trend of not taking reservations and my general lack of patience for queuing when I'm hungry, I'd never actually been before. To rectify this I met up with Clerkenwell_Boy and Burger Addict at the Farringdon branch. Will, who runs the whole network, kindly showed us around the kitchens and the tanks and answered all our annoying blogger questions. Thanks again Will, t'was very kind.

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat

Lucky Fried Chicken at The Grafton: Clucking Brilliant

Lucky Chip are known for their top quality burgers with celebrity inspired names. What you may not know is that they have also started doing some pretty phenomenal fried chicken. The bad news is that they are only doing it till the end of this week. You can find them at the Grafton Arms, however don't be a twat and simply Google the pub and end up somewhere near Warren Street like I did. They are based in the Grafton Arms near Kentish Town tube.

The Grafton itself is one of those vast expansive pubs that likely seem very lonely during the day when its half empty. Fortunately full with punters the atmosphere was great and it was slightly surreal seeing dozens of sober people calmly tucking into family sized buckets of chicken. Upstairs is a smaller space with beautifully tiled walls and comfy booths while  above the bar is the traditional back-lit takeaway menus complete with retro 70s font. As for choices, the only real choice is what size bucket you want your chicken to come in. Alongside your bucket you get some authentic Southern sides: mash slathered with gravy, slaw and hot rolls. Fries are a optional extra. They also have two burger options but these were unfortunately off the menu the night we went.

Picture says it all

The Karczma: Cultural Oasis in Birmingham

Every country has deep-rooted divisions between its peoples, often stemming from jealousy (or arrogance, depending on which side of the fence you are on). Germany has Bavaria, France has Paris (and Cote D'Azure) and the UK has those living south of the Watford Gap. The UK North/South divide is interesting as it encompasses more than just monetary differences. It’s how you vote, the way you take your tea, what sort of beer you drink, if the person in the next town can understand you. For those of us not fortunate to have been born in this green and pleasant land, it essentially boils down to those in the South thinking the North is a giant barren wasteland full of ugly, smelly, alcoholics on benefits, while the North think Southerners are weak arrogant tossers that think even their farts smell of sunshine and roses. The jury is out as to who is more accurate.

What is a fact though is that London is the best city for food in the UK by both quality and diversity. Vietnamese? Yeah, I know a lovely authentic place run by a family in Camberwell, Korean BBQ - New Malden, Cambodian - a great little place in Camden. French and Spanish is covered on every street in Soho - tapas to cordon bleu - just pick your fancy. 

Lavish Interior Design

London Street Food 2.0: Brick Lane, Kerb, Brockley, Red & Borough

The last time I wrote a street food post it included a multitude of traders over multiple locations. I thought it was an easy way of showing the range of cheap, quality fast food available to the average Londoner. This is the same. I appreciate its rather long but there are also lots of lovely pretty pictures to entertain those with shorter attention spans. 

I was happy when I saw the post getting widely retweeted because these guys work fucking hard and deserve greater publicity than they currently get. The London street food scene has exploded over the last year and there are some great characters and custom modified vans that are beginning to rival the culture found in New York or California. I love street food because it's a great equaliser. Huge bank rolls can only do so much if your product is pants. Put McDonalds onto the streets next to the likes of Burger Bear or BleeckerSt and they wouldn't last a day. Your advertising is limited to who can see your sign, twitter, and people like me. It's capitalism as its most simplistic - those that create a superior product thrive. those that can't match them fall away. Hopefully that means they'll be a race to the top, not the bottom as demonstrated by the recent Horsegate scandal in supermarkets.

Its a well known fact across continental Europe that markets give an area a sense of community and that's what is beginning to happen in and around these sites. Come summer I expect it'll be at its height. Cyncial or overly-manufactured vendors will be shunned. Passionate, hard-working, talented traders will continue to thrive. Vive la révolution. The (Burger)King is dead, long live the King.

Market Happiness

Fairuz: Warm Welcomes

Overly sweet and sour pork with boil in the bag rice; microwaved salmon and tomato pasta; a leg of lamb, still in a roaring oven, whose last traces of blushing pink was lost some 20 minutes ago. Childhood memories, hardly Larousse Gastronomique. It may surprise you however to hear that these are some of my fondest meals. Why? Because they were cooked by my mother. It doesn’t matter if your mother was Delia or a Ramsay kitchen nightmare; her food will always have a special place. Part of the reason for this is the strong emotional bonds between the cook and the customer.

Restaurateurs either ignore this fact, or grossly misjudge it and try to be cringingly 'matey' (read: Jamie's Italian). It is a rare treat in a gastro-joint, or Michelin-starred tasting menu food-palace, that you forge even an inkling of a bond with the chef or his food. You are there to be wowed and to stand in awe at the expensive ingredients and fancy techniques. Too often customers are served the chef’s vision. Emotional attachment is rarely forged through perfection and more from endearing flaws and genuine warmth in the way it is served.

Fairuz

The Diner Soho: Superbowl Burger Excess

The Diner kindly invited several burger enthusiasts for a tasting of a new monster burger they are rolling out for their Superbowl party. Now although they are sold out for that evening (see bottom of this post), for those that aren't fans of 'football', but are fans of burgers as big as your head, this beast will be rolled out for the week following the event, 4 - 10 February.

Its called the Stiff-arm burger (see this for explanation) and is one of those plates that actually get you a little worried when its brought to the table. That little flutter of "fuck, am I actually going to finish that?! How do i even start it?!" while people turn to stare from other tables. You'd be right to be worried. The Stiff-arm contains a 5oz beef patty, an 8oz Jucy Lucy (we'll come to that), jalapeno slaw and 'football' sauce all in cased in a poppy-seed Rinkoff bun. So that's 13oz of meat give or take. Its a fearsome plate of food.

The Stiff-Arm

Burger & Shake [Launch Review]

I was honoured to be asked along to the Burger & Shake launch last night for a feast of milkshakes, burgers (unsurprisingly), lobster rolls and wings. They have set up shop opposite the Brunswick Centre just down from Russel Square tube in a little unit just down from The Marquis Cornwallis pub at 47 Marchmont Street.

 

Pitt Cue Co: Still a BBQ Champion

This post is almost redundant as Pitt Cue is not new, has a million and one reviews and is widely accepted as one of the best BBQ places in town (not a huge amount of quality competition to be fair). So why the post? Well, I've been a fan of Pitt Cue since the days under Hungerford Bridge and visited it numerous times the first few months after it opened. Due to work finishing times and busy weekends, I hadn't been back for quite a while and so thought a view as to how it is settling down may be in order.

Pitt Cue has navigated all the major issues of a new-opener. Waiting list system is locked-down, bar service upstairs is slick and the turnaround of punters is kept fairly quick as to facilitate maximum face stuffing by the number of London's carnivores. The buzz has died but the loyal and curious still flock to the doors. It has become a favourite, a staple, a solid choice; rather than 'that place you have to try near Carnaby street that has that huge queue'. The menu is becoming more adventurous and the guys behind the scenes are having a ball rearing their own piggies just for the joint. The quality of the food remains incredibly high.

Pitt Cue - Sunday 11:55am: The queuing begins

Wenlock and Essex: 30 Very Good Reasons

Burger season is upon us it seems and in a bid to out-do each other some of the Big Names have stepped up their game.

The latest to throw their hat into the ring is James Morgan of the Wenlock and Essex. Some lucky people may remember him as the kitchen behind the Two Nights Only events that created the infamous 40 Burger early this year. That burger supposedly involved 100 people in its conception and even the pickles were hand collected from Boston itself. Excessive food-miles if there ever was, but so worth it for a few extra inches to sea-levels. Recently he has unleashed the 30 burger. Thirty day dry-aged beefyness with a 30% fat content and only available for a month. Although its nearing the end of its run, the point of this review is to publicise the quality of James' cooking and his knowledge of how to deliver a great end product. There's even rumours of another special burger in the works so keep an eye on this one.

30 Burger - Oh the joy

Burger Breakout: Close to perfection

I'd been looking forward to coming to Burger Breakout for a month due to missing their opening due to work commitments. I'd heard frankly outstanding things from some serious burger fans and my expectations were set pretty high the night I managed to get over to Holborn.

Dave Ahern is the head chef at the Old Crown Public House and has made a culinary journey that mirrors my own imagined path through life. A respected food writer turned chef in early middle-age, he put down his pen and snide remarks about smears and foams and put on a apron. I've read his blog all the way through and felt a certain kinship with someone who finally had to balls to get behind a grill and see if he could do it better. 

Old Crown Public House

Donostia: A close rival for Jose

Ever since the BH lived in Salamanca, we have loved good tapas and, although there are a few good options in London, they are few and far between with a lot of chaff in between. I feel even with the Brindisas out there, we need London's burger-style revolution towards tapas.

Donostia has only been open since end-July and reviews are pretty scare on the ground (Clerkenwell_Boy being one of the better ones). After seeing the heights of Jose in Bermondsey, I thought we'd stumble across to Marble Arch to see what West London can offer. The cooking is focused on the basque ideals of tapas, or pincho, as they call it. The differences are fairly subtle to a non-spaniard but it can be seen in the accompaniments rather than the main ingredients.

Boquerones with sweet peppers. I love anchovies in vinegar and these were pretty high quality. Not the freshest I've ever had but enjoyable alongside sweet char grilled peppers. A good start.

Boquerones

The croquettas with jamon were circular rather than the traditional oblong. The outside was one of the crispiest I've had and the inside light and creamy with good chunks of jamon. Personally I preferred Jose's with their slightly larger cubes of jamon and better consistency; the BH preferred these. And always in a split decision, she wins.

Croquettas with jamon

The leek, egg and apple salad was least enjoyable. The leeks were too overpowering and the crisp apple taste was lost.

Leek, egg and apple salad.

The day was saved, of course, by more fried things. The baby fried squid were excellent. Crispy, tender and well seasoned. We also dipped them into the spicy dip that came with the patatas bravas. Cheeky, but a damn good idea. Try it.

Txipirones.

The patatas bravas were also not in their usual presentation, The cubes had transmogrified into significantly crispier wedges with sea salt and fried rosemary. They were served with only spicy tomato based sauce which is the norm in the basque regions. I am torn between these and Jose's. Despite Jose' frankly phenomenal aoili, I'd vote Donostia as the potatoes are crispier, and the tomato sauce has a deeper flavour.

Patatas.

The octopus was a nervy order. The spanish have the custom to sometimes soak their celaphods for too long and they end up a little mushy. These retained their chew nicely and the tomato and paprika garnish were a nice flavour combination.

Olgaarroa.

Chorizo on toast was delicious as cured meats generally are. This was top notch, similar to the brindisa chorizo sandwich in Borough market.

Chorizo with watercress.

Blistered padron peppers transported BH back to ones her grandmother used to make. High praise for a simple dish if ever I heard it. Would have preferred a little more blackening but their mild peppery heat was addictive.

Padron peppers.

The quail was a mixed bag. The meat itself was as tasty as quail always is, possibly lacking from a more searing heat during cooking. The baby courgettes looked more like aubergines but either way the marinade was a very strong vinegar that stand alone made them eye-watering. Eaten with the quail however it actually worked fairly well. Definitely the oddest dish and one that requires a little finer balancing.

Quail with courgettes.

The black figs were a good quality, simply poached with a sticky orange liquor and candied orange peel and macadamia nuts. Tasty and moreish but would have liked a slightly sour or salty element, Bubbledogs used creme fraiche to balance and it worked well.

Higo.

The lemon tart was, of course, ordered by the BH. Unfortunately she wasnt a fan (I was) as she thought it retained its 'eggy' flavour too much. The pastry could have been a little crisper and was a little bland. I did enjoy the texture of the filling and flavour though.

Lemon tart.

Slosh: A friday evening demanded beers rather than grapes and we tried both the Alhambras, the premium and reserva. The reserva was a heavier fruitier number similar to Leffe blonde. The premium was a more standard lager affair and one we both ended up ordering another of.

Where: 10 Seymour Place, London, W1. Nearest tube: Marble Arch

How much: Meal for two plus drinks - £78

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Slosh: 7/10
Value: 8/10

Goodman Canary Wharf: Okay burger, better lobster

Today was the second time visiting the newest Goodman in Canary Wharf for a lunchtime burger. Ive been for dinner and had one of the best steaks Ive ever had (Belt Galloway 650g bone-in wingrib if you must know), but this was more of a courtesy call.

The location is a bit emotionless and clearly trying to wave a meaty hook at all the bankers across the river. It seems to be working as although not heaving, it was certainly keeping staff on their toes. One must have ones Lafite for a Friday lunch. Hear hear.

Split a lobster roll and a classic Goodman burger with my dining partner. He ordered the burger and said medium before I could object. Oh well.

Lobster roll:

Many people have commended this roll (Londonfoodfreak persuading me more than most), even more when you realise that Goodman own Burger&Lobster and the roll is fairly similar. The brioche roll was warm and buttery. The filling cold and creamy. A whole lobster worth of meat was cooked perfectly, fresh as they come and stuffed into its warm airy sleeping bag. The comment on the more liberal use of japanese mayo than its cousin restaurant is indeed true, but not enough to become cloying in the mouth and is better for it as a stand alone roll. Frankly it is simply delicious, one of the best 'sandwiches' Ive ever had, and I severely wish I hadn't chosen to share. Then again, so did my companion.

Lobster roll.

Burger:

I have to come right out and say it: I am actually fairly disappointed in Goodman's burgers. The meat is obviously of a high quality but both times the meat has been underseasoned and come out a little bland. Its a good burger, but not a great burger, and less enjoyable than both the Byron and newly vamped GBK just a few minutes walk away. However, one great addition is that the choice of extras: cheese and bacon, usually a rather large hidden extra is free at Goodman. Personally that gets a big classy thumbs up from me.

Burger.

Im ready and willing to be proved wrong on the burger front, but if I go back i'll be ordering the lobster. And you know what? That makes me pretty damn happy.

Where: 

3 South Quay, Discovery Dock East, Canary Wharf, E14 9RU
0207 531 0300

Price: Burger £14, Lobster roll £21.

Food: Lobster 9/10, Burger 7/10.

Service: 8/10 (professional and offer tap water without prompting)

Slosh: N/A

Overall: 8/10

The Garrison: Solid gastro cooking

Bermondsey Street may be slowly being taken over by a certain Spanish conquistador, but it still has a distinctly London vibe with suited bankers nestled in among the bespeckled creatives. There is still an element of the old-school with some rather red-cheeked Old Boys looking rather confused the latest trendy new restaurant to pop-up where their favourite watering-hole used to be. Which leads me nicely to...

The Garrison Public House, just down from 'The Bridge', is a local gastropub in the heart of the Suits and Specs. While outside it retains the old fashioned green-tiled pub exterior, inside you'll find all the trappings of a trendy gastropub: lots of wood, antique furniture, low hung mood-lighting and distractingly attractive waitresses. To give some credit, apart from the mounted game on the wall, the furnishings were a little more tastefully done than in some other places, and I certainly wouldn't call it annoying.

Starters

Beef tartar with rocket. Pork rillettes with pickled samphire

The tartar was delicious, the beef wasnt chopped too finely and was so tender, chewing was optional. The seasoning was good (if a tiny bit under done) and the sharpness from the capers followed through nicely. I would have liked a little more tabasco and the raw egg yolk was missing.

Beef tartar. Hey dude, where's my egg?

Brasserie Zedel: Elegance but at a price

Punchline: Old school elegance while prices match the Depression. However best to stick to the desserts.

Brasserie elegance

The venue is a rather enormous downstairs dance-hall type place in Picadilly, sandwiched in between Whole Foods and hidden below a rather innocuous looking bar upstairs. Zedel's OM is the triple threat of drink, food and entertainment (evening cabaret), however the main focus and investment has been on restoring the dining hall. Think of the art-deco dining room on the Normandie, or typical Parisian brasseries back in 30's. Marble pillars, buffed railings and art-deco lighting. Although you can see the joins in the marble panelling if you squint hard enough, they have done a pretty good job here and it did deliver a memorable setting; I just wish we'd had cabaret tickets for after.

Trullo: A Highbury Gem

Trullo is a wonderful little gem, one of those truly great locals: its just a pity it isn't mine.

As is often the way with the food-bloggerati is that a year after a place opens there is little interest (unless its really special like Dinner). So this Monday I was heading to Trullo and looked for some reviews. I couldnt find a single blog post dated after 2010 and even the latest timeout post was back in October 2011. So, I feel it is my duty to give this little diamond a little loving.

From the outside it could be mistaken for one of the infinite coffee houses in north London; but stepping inside you are greeted by a simplistic design style, the tiled kitchen spilling out across the floor. This is one of those places that knows what it wants to be: good solid Italian fare without the pomp and circumstance. Its pedigree is clear with Tim Siadatan of Fifteen fame manning the kitchen. This is seasonal food, cooked simply. It is what great Italian cooking outside of Italy should be. And at these prices, that's a real bargain on a rainy October Monday.

The food overall was excellent with only a slight hiccup in the middle. The three of us ordered antipasti, primi, carne and dessert. Typically for me I ended up ordering three meat courses and the protein was fantastic.The real pleasure though are the basics. Pasta was butter-yellow and cooked right to the edge of too soft, the sauces deeply flavoursome.