The anti-cupcake at Beas of Bloomsbury

It's buzzing. As I sit in the corner of Bea's, a steady flow of customers stream in and out of the cold and rain looking for their caffeine or sugar hit. Squirreled away into the corner, needing both sugar and coffee cravings sated, I order a coffee and a cupcake and watch.

Bea's is not your ordinary cake shop. Serving A-grade coffee using Square Mile beans, I can see how locals would gravitate towards James and his coffee machine for their daily caffeine hit. For just £2 for a cappuccino, you receive an excellent coffee, lovingly prepared and infinitely better than any milky sludge that Starbucks round the corner will serve you, with some change to boot.



I hate to say it, but coffee is merely a distraction in Beas. The minute you walk through the door, you pass an elaborate display in the window and are immediately confronted with some of the most delicious cupcakes you are likely to lay your eyes on. The cupcakes themselves are available in an array of flavours, which change every day. On my visit I opted for a Baileys and chocolate cupcake, with the use of flavoured buttercream instead of icing leading Bea to label it an "anti" cupcake, not one for the traditionalists. Personally, I thought they were bloody lovely, give me cream over icing any day of the week, viva la revolution!



I even managed to meet the eponymous Bea, who is a lovely bundle of energy. Having emerged from the pastry kitchens of Nobu, she is growing her own empire one shop at a time. Hopefully look out for a new venture out East in the very near future. After my afternoon in there, I am starting to believe that man can live on cupcakes and coffee alone.

*HOLD THE PRESS* - I have just been informed that Bea now has a new savoury chef. He is 6 foot 3 and a Kiwi. And apparently he makes a good lunch, another reason to go!

Beas of Bloomsbury - 44 Theobald's Road WC1X 8NW

Meat sweats at 32 Great Queen Street, Holborn

Sometimes the urge to eat beef just takes you. This week, I had one of those moments, where the caveman instinct to consume unhealthy amounts of red meat consumes you, I had to find me a steak. I didn't want to go anywhere I had already been so Gaucho, Sophies and Hawksmoor were off the menu. I desperately wanted to try out Goodman, the new kid on the block, but it appeared that I wasn't the only one and failed to get a reservation. Other options were Buen Ayre (in Broadway Market, too far away) and Black and Blue (alongside a suggestion of Angus Steakhouse, you know who you are) but when I heard that Great Queen Street did a Rib of Beef for 2, I was sold.

Great Queen Street is located on the premises of one of my old haunts, back in the day when I used to work in Holborn. Formerly the Rampage, much has changed. Gone are the TV's and the ghastly wall paintings to be replaced by simple and functional wooden furniture. The ambiance is buzzing and the room is filled with 30 somethings as opposed to the 20 year olds who used to come here for for their post work pint. Sister restaurant to the Anchor and Hope on the Cut, this has one major advantage. Here you can actually book a table.

I ordered a pint of "The Usual" (yes, that really is the name of their ale) and sat down to decide what to eat. The menu is simple and straightforward, showcasing good British produce. The friendly and young waitress expertly reeled off a list of highly appetising daily specials, I think even the fussiest of eaters will be catered for in one way or another. The choice of mains had long been decided, but what else were we going to have?


Globe Artichoke and Vinaigrette - A single cooked globe artichoke is, in my eyes, a thing of beauty. Cooked simply and served with a tangy and sharp vinaigrette, we dove in and started tearing away at the leaves, dipping then stripping the parsimonious "flesh" at the bottom of each leaf, before we finally arrived at the plentiful bounty that is the heart. A really satisfying experience on so many levels.


Pork and Game Terrine with Gooseberry Chutney - A lovely rustic slab studded with pistachio nuts. Served with a really good sourdough and unsalted butter, the terrine was slightly dry, but it was full of meaty chunks with the distinct hammy pieces of pork standing out. The gooseberry chutney, sweet and deliciously sour was the perfect match for the rich and smooth terrine.



Hereford Beef Rib for 2 with Chips and Bearnaise - And here it is, the main event and the reason we came here in the first place. And I am glad to say, I wasn't let down. At £46 for two, this is easily the most expensive thing on the menu but was a thing of beauty. The beef arrived in rare slabs with an actual rib on the side. It was probably a little too rare for me but not so much that I was put off. The meat itself had generous slivers of fat, leaching flavour into the beef and was well seasoned with a healthy char. Slightly chewy, each mouthful was juicy and delicious. The accompanying Bearnaise was a worthy sidekick, smooth with a sharp tarragon tang. Chips, so often a letdown, were also highly accomplished. Soft fluffy clouds of potato encased in a crisp golden shell.

After that mountain of meat, we were all stuffed to the gills. However, my eyes are bigger than my stomach and the urge for something sweet meant that I ended up ordering a scoop of espresso and milk ice cream. Good strong coffee flavour with a sweetness from the milk aspect of the ice-cream. A nice punctuation to a highly fulfilling meal.

When they closed down the Rampage, myself and many of my old workmates were disappointed. After all, one of our old haunts was now out of commission. However, this is definitely a case of an ugly caterpillar blooming into a vibrant butterfly. The Rampage used to serve perfectly decent Thai food, but what we have now is top notch British food, in a comfortable and buzzy environment. I can't wait to come back, this may yet become my local once again.

P.S. In case you were wondering, I haven't become an amazing photographer overnight. My feeble point and click couldn't handle the "ambient lighting" so I stole some off @foodbymark. Check out the rest of his pics here.

32 Great Queen Street, Holborn, WC2B 5AA

Eat Japanese : Abeno, Holborn

Japanese food comes in many shapes and sizes. Over the years, I have tried various incarnations ranging from Sushi, to Teriyaki to Bento boxes to Tempura to Teppanyaki, the list goes on and on and on. However, one I had never tried was something I have only just come across and thats Okonomiyaki. Literally translated, it means "What you like"-"Grilled" and can be found at the Abeno chain of restaurants.

I decided to visit the Holborn branch as I had also intended on visiting the British Museum just round the corner. Very handy indeed.

I arrived for a late lunch and was pleasantly surprised to find the place pretty busy. Its not a big place but most of the tables were still busy and there was a pleasant smell of grilling. This was unfortunately a smell I was going to become very familiar with.

I sat down and a menu was placed before me. Having done my research, I was here for one thing and one thing only so quickly glanced at the rest of the menu purely out of curiousity. And my oh my, do they seem to have a lot of dishes! Anyway, Lunch Menu C was ordered (a fairly hefty £10.80 for lunch) although again, there is quite a large variety on offer.

Whilst waiting for the main event, I was brought a bowl of Miso (not a bad attempt) and some chicken wings. Whilst I dug into these, they prepared the Okonomiyaki, or japanese version of a pancake, in front of me. I went for their Shinshu Mix which comprised of chicken, asparagus and cheese. The waitress expertly ladled the mixture onto the hot plate and patiently cooked it in front of me. I was expecting a show a la Benihana's (well for the price, some theatrics wouldn't have gone amiss) but the cooking was fairly pedestrian. After a bit of flipping and a bit more grilling, it was ready. The final step appears to be covering it in as much crap as possible. A little bit of white stuff, some brown stuff, some dried seaweed, some fish flakes, some chilli sauce. Basically, enough stuff to make sure you couldnt actually taste the pancake itself. The brown stuff, as I was constantly reminded, was "Special" Okonomiyaki sauce. I tasted it. It tasted a bit like ketchup, but sweeter. Nothing special about it in the slightest.

As to the okonomiyaki itself, I couldnt help feeling that it needed a bit more cooking. It fealt a bit soft in the middle and I dont think it was cooked long enough on a hot enough hot plate. More like a lukewarm plate. It was so mushy in the middle, it felt like I was eating adult baby food.
As you can tell, I wasnt overly enamoured with my meal. It was alright, but thats all it was. For what it was, it was way too pricy and I would be reluctant to fork out so much again.

Oh, and back to the smell. I didnt notice it in the restaurant, but afterwards, it followed me everywhere I went. In fact, I can still smell it now. Not cool.

Just as an addendum, there are an awful lot of Asian shops in this area, which I found rather strange considering the vicinity to the British Museum. I saw this Korean Grocery store which made me laugh.

Incidentally, my attempt to visit the Babylon exhibition at the British Museum was in vain as it was sold out. I underestimated the power of half term. I never realised that so many teenagers were interested in ancient history. Oh well, will try again at a later date.