A breath of fresh air in Victoria, Pimlico Fresh

During my two and a half year tenure in a big glass box in Victoria, you would often find me grumbling about the food options. Limited to a stroll around M&S or notching your way towards that elusive free whole chicken at Nandos, you could say I was looking for a bit more. In my search for a decent feed, I have been to Kazan, Giraffe and Cyprus Mangal, all decent eateries in their own right but not really ideal for a quick light lunch. I let out a long sigh and resigned myself to my regular trips to M&S where I would always spend way too much on stuff I didn't really need.

Enter Pimlico Fresh, stage right. A mere couple of months after I left the big glass box, never to return, what do I stumble upon but exactly what I was previously looking for. Located on Wilton Road, a mere stroll from the aforementioned big glass box, Pimlico Fresh is a new(ish) cafe selling good quality fresh food, all simply prepared, letting the ingredients speak for themselves. I walked in and was directed to choose from the menu scrawled (well, written in rather neat handwriting) along the entirety of one of the walls.

I plumped for a coffee (flat white naturallement) and an avocado toast with extra bacon. I sat down and started to read snippets from the newspapers strewn across the tables and a short while later, food arrived. What I got was slices of avocado and tomato salsa on a toasted sourdough base, with a few rashers of delicious bacon thrown on top for good measure. Simple food, but delicious and affordable.

So Pimlico Fresh, a mecca away from the grease merchants and various fast food establishments that seem to have infested Victoria and the surrounding areas. I really wish this had been open during my tenure in the big glass box. There is so much that makes me happy about it. It is uncomplicated, but simple and decent grub. The staff are casual but attentive and the communal tables force the more unsociable amongst us to smile at strangers where we previously may not have. Still not enough to make me move back to Victoria, but a nice distraction when I am in the area.

Pimlico Fresh - 86 Wilton Road, Pimlico SW1V 1DE

Throwing down the gauntlet. The Giraffe Burger (invite)

I have had some decent burgers in my time. Lucky enough to have a cousin who lives in New York, I have fond memories of a burger I had at a bar called JG Melons, as well as the burgers I ate on my recent visit including Shake Shack and the BLT burger. London isn't doing too badly either, with Byron leading the way and other pretenders such as Hache trying to muscle in.

After a conversation on twitter with @catty regarding the mediocrity of the burger at Ed's diner, @giraffetweet threw down the gauntlet, claiming that the burgers at Giraffe (a growing chain of restaurants selling "world food") were "the thing that (burger) dreams are made of". Having staked her claim with such conviction, I couldn't turn down a chance to try this "Godly" burger. Invite accepted.



I had arranged a man date to go and see Avatar with the Captain, so a trip to Giraffe before hand slotted nicely into our schedule. Having grown up with him, where all I remember him eating were burgers, I thought he would be as good a judge as anyone to see if these burgers really made the grade. After all, it was him who first introduced me to Byron.



Starters ordered, there was a slight mix up when the chicken potstickers turned up instead of the chicken tikka sticks. Not really an issue as the potstickers were pretty tasty, as well as the hummus we ordered on the side. None of this really mattered though, we were here for the burger and the time was nearly upon us.

I'm going to break this down into what I see as the three main constituent parts of a burger, the bun, the fillings and the most important part of all, the patty. So here goes:



Bun - Good. Not brioche, nor ciabatta but a simple toasted white roll. Good flavour, slightly sweet and most importantly, survived the break up test. Burgers are meant to be eaten with hands, and after considerable man handling, stayed in one piece until the burger had been polished off. Big tick.

NOT the Giraffe, merely a representation of a poor burger

Fillings - Never a fan when it comes to tonnes of veg in my burger. The burger I had at Eagle bar and diner (see above) annoyed the hell out of me as the lettuce kept poking me in the eye. However, I do like a bit of pickle and a good relish and this had both. In fact, the relish deserves a sentence on its own, sweet and tomatoey and I would happily take a jar of this home for consumption in my own abode.



Patty - So here we go, the patty. Ordered medium, it arrived more on the side of medium well. So slightly over done but full credit to the patty. It was moist and very tasty. I should really have asked more info about the provenance of the meat, but as I discovered in the US, you don't always need to use the finest ingredients to make the best tasting burger. Big patty, big flavour and I was certainly pleasantly surprised.

So overall, I was very happy with the burger. It certainly didn't let me down in terms of quality or flavour, but at £9.25 (compared to just £6.25 at Byron), I would say that it was a tad on the pricy side (although it was accompanied by fries). It's certainly streets ahead of other burger pretenders such as gourmet burger, ultimate burger, hamburger plus and I would even hasten to add Hache to that list. However, although this was very good, I still believe Byron serves the best burger in London, for flavour and value.

I would happily come back here and have another. Even the Captain, a dedicated meat eater, was rather pleased. Gauntlet picked up and passed back to Ms @giraffetweet and point proven. You certainly are the proud owner of an excellent burger.

Giraffe (website) - Multiple sites but I ate at 120 Wilton Road, Victoria SW1V 1JZ

Mmmmmm...grilled meat. Cyprus Mangal

One of the more recent topics of discussion in the twitterverse revolved around what smell made you feel hungry. Instigated by a certain Mr Heston Blumenthal himself (no doubt to create some strange edible candle or fashion the smell into a form of cutlery) various suggestions were bandied around. These included the smell of frying onions, freshly baked bread and cooked bacon amongst many others. However, one of the more popular choices appears to be the smell of meat roasting (sorry to all the vegetarians out there, but its true, your missing out).



Fuelled by this debate, I decided to go and find my own grilled meat. I thought about trying "that fire grill" at Kazan but serious budgetary concerns held me back. Instead, on the recommendation of my old mate Gav, I headed for the Cyprus Mangal. Another good place to eat in Victoria, surely not?

And I was right, technically its not in Victoria but more towards Pimlico. I entered an almost empty and pretty tiny restaurant. Initial impressions not great but I felt the reassuring heat off the coals as I headed to my seat and soon, as that familiar smell of grilling meat wafted over, I felt that everything was going to be alright.



I ordered the mixed grill and a side of grilled halloumi (a personal but ultimately unnecessary favourite). Halloumi, was well, halloumi. Nice and salty and came in rather large chunks. Bit disappointed by the level of grilling on two of the three pieces, could have done with a bit more of a char.



The mixed grill comprised of a decent bit of kofte with some cubes of chicken and lamb shish. The kofte, normally my favourite bit of meat from the mangal, was of a very good standard. Speckled with an even char from those searing hot coals, the juiciness of the lamb was sealed in, releasing their flavour only once I took my first bite. The shish were not as good. The chicken and lamb looked more like they had been licked by the coals as opposed to kissed. Personally, I like mine not only kissed by the flames, but held down and involving tongues, real evidence that the coals are hot and working their magic. The bits of lamb were also the tiniest shish I have ever seen and the chicken underseasoned. The salad was strange in that it was lacking in salad leaves. Not totally convinced.

As I left, the place had filled up and was close to bursting point. I had to barge past the poor souls waiting for a table whilst battling the heat emanating from the smouldering charcoal. Overall verdict is not bad. I still prefer my local (FM Mangal in Camberwell) but its not a bad place to fulfill that meat craving.

p.s. Please note, the "Mr Blumenthal" mentioned above was a fraud, but the sentiments are the same. What smell makes you hungry?

Cyprus Mangal, 45 Warwick Way, Pimlico, SW1V 1QS

Kazan, are you the real deal?

As many of you who read this blog know, I work in Victoria and complain about the standard of food available on a far too regular basis. There is only so many times a man can go to Nando's without getting sick of it (although some of my workmates will surely disagree). There is a nice Italian deli not too far away but we workers of Victoria are bereft of the delights that areas such as Fitzrovia and Soho have to offer.

After my last rant, a colleague recommended I try out Kazan, a local Turkish restaurant. He said it was good, but I needed serious convincing. Could this be what I was looking for?

Accompanying me on this trip was @shalmaneser. The poor geezer has had to deal with a screaming 8 week old as well as a monstrous workload and owing to good timing as opposed to good planning, we were both free to try it out

I walked in and was quite stunned. "This place looks pretty nice" I thought and it was pretty full by half seven on a balmy Summers evening. A good start. We sat down, menus at hand and assessed the options. I wanted meat and lots of it after I was unable to attend a tweat up at the Hawksmoor owing to the fact that Victoria is located in the arse end of nowhere. Kazan had a very appealing mixed grill but in the end we settled on a selection of mezze.



Lubricated by wine, we were brought some really top notch bread. Warm, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, it had a foccacia like consistency and was as potent as crack (I'm assuming). I had to force myself to stop devouring the bread along with the olives and oil that accompanied it so not to ruin my appetite (an all too familiar story).

Next up, cold mixed mezze:



Cacik (TL) - Basically yoghurt and cucumber. We asked for garlic, we didn't get garlic, but nice all the same
Patlican Stew (TR) - Stewed aubergines. A bit greasy but full of flavour. Nice.
Tabouleh (M) - If you have never had this before, its a salad made with all sorts of great stuff. The parsley kept it fresh, the lemon added that touch of zinginess and the bulgar wheat added an interesting contrast in texture. I really liked the addition of pomegranate seeds, popping and releasing their sweet juices, mingling with the rest of the flavours. Really liked this.

To follow, some hot mezze.

Kabak Koftesi



Courgette and cheese fritters served with a Turkish "salsa". Merely ok. I was pretty put off by its really rather gloopy texture. I was expecting something with a little more bite, along the lines of halloumi but what I got was a lot more runny. The salsa was interesting, if a little bland, with only the added surprise of a few hazelnuts disrupting the rather dull consistency and texture.

Sucuk/Basturma



Advertised as Turkish garlic sausage cooked on the char grill, its arrival triggered a few observations. Firstly, it looked like it had licked the char grill at best. Secondly, it didn't taste of garlic. And thirdly, this was one measly portion of sausage. Criticisms aside, it was actually quite tasty, and after all those veggie dishes, was a welcome addition to my belly.

Etli Borek



Meat, round 2. Or so I thought. These were essentially meant to be lamb samosas of sorts but what we got were filo parcels filled with the most parsimonious serving of lamb I have ever seen. Microscopes would have struggled. Tasted really nice, so why so little filling? Make me happy goddamn it!

Cop Chicken Shish



I was really hoping for something to light up my taste buds but the chicken was insipid and bland. It looked the business, but it all counts for nothing if the flavour is non-existent.

I know I may seem to have been highly critical about a few things, but I had high hopes and was anticipating big things, more hopeful than expectant really. Although hit and miss, most of the food was enjoyable and on the whole, full of interesting and contrasting flavours and textures. What I can complain about, however, is how stingy this place is. I wouldn't mind so much if it was cheaper, but at a fiver a plate for the cold mezze and £6 a plate for the hot, some of the plates were a blatant rip off (£6 for a sliced sausage anyone?).

For a Tuesday night, this place was pretty packed and you could certainly do a lot worse. It may not be fantastic, but it certainly is the best of a bad bunch. I certainly want to come back and satisfy my meat craving at the hand of the "Kazan Fire Grill". To be continued....

Kazan Victoria (website), 93-94 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DW

Eat Brazilian: Preto, Victoria

A lot has been said in the blogosphere about some people’s motivations, about why people blog and what benefits can be gained from it. Personally, I blog for fun. I started doing it to keep my mind active during a challenging time for me and carry it on today for my family globally to keep an eye on what I am up to. And because I love to eat. I love food and pretty much everything about it. About ingredients, about where they come from (the people, the countries) and most of all, the sensations you get from tasting it (mostly good, but sometimes bad). I blog for my friends, for my family, for myself and not forgetting, for any other random who may come across this and want to spend the time to read my thoughts. So if you read this, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. And if you do, please come back, you are more than welcome.

Now to bring it down a level, copious amounts of beverages followed by a meat feast!

It’s the end of the financial year and things haven’t gone too badly (sort of). Everyone has worked hard and generally, our customers appreciate us. So what better way to celebrate than a few beers down our local and then off to an unlimited Brazilian buffet!

I know many of you know I moan about how few good options there are for food in Victoria. Lunchtimes are either spent getting something from M&S or heading out with the rest of the team to one of the many chain restaurants around here. Options are few and far between, but on Wilton Road, there are a few semi-decent options. After debating the dodgy Mexican, a rather good Turkish (Kazan, which I need to visit in the very near future), another chain fake dim sum place (not even going to mention their real name) and a Brazilian buffet, the choice was simple and Preto it was.

Lubricated from post work drinks at the local boozer, we arrived in good spirits and ploughed in. To get us warmed up (and probably an attempt at reducing the intake of the pricier meat), they introduced us to the “salad” bar. I have “salad” in inverted commas, as there was actually very little salad on show, but was heavy on carb based goods. However, they did have my personal favourite pão de queijo (cheese balls, although don’t quote me on that) amongst other strange things I wouldn’t expect (potato gratin, onion rings and lasagne anyone?).

After a while, the churrascaria got fired up and a rather grumpy man started coming round with various bits of meat on a large metal skewer. These included beef, things wrapped in bacon, pork loin, lamb and chicken. All that was missing from the meat groups were duck and venison, probably a little too dear for an all you can eat. The meat was of a pretty decent quality and was cooked well, retaining its juices, with the pork loin definitely the highlight for me, whilst the beef ribs were fatty and unappetising. Shame they were also so tight, apportioning a meagre one slice per person at a time.

He kept it coming for a little while but started avoiding our table after half an hour. It could have been due to the impromptu karaoke we decided to have, but some members of our party wanted more meat and frankly, the grumpy man was being far from accommodating. After a few words with management, the grumpy man chose to brave our table and no further problems were encountered.

A fairly enjoyable if hazy evening. I believe its £20 a head, which isn’t too bad; just make sure you bring a decent appetite to get your money’s worth and try to avoid the grumpy man.

Preto, 72 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, SW1V 1DE

Eat Thai: Mango Tree, Victoria

A good friend of mine has made the rather brave decision to leave his job and pretty much go it on his own. I really admire his decision, it takes a lot of balls to launch yourself into something you don’t fully understand and are ultimately fully responsible for.

So where is this minor monologue meandering to? Food of course! One of the things my friend has to learn about is search and as that is my field of expertise (ahem...) we decided to have a conflab over a “lunch meeting”.

Working in Victoria, you soon realise that you are hardly spoilt for choice when it comes to decent non chain dining establishments. So I logged onto the Taste London website (of which I have become a member) and with a highly appealing 50% off, Mango Tree, a local upper end Thai restaurant, was the destination.



Mango Tree is just round the corner from the Queens gaff and the insides are elegant and clean enough for her majesty herself to pop round for a pad thai or two. As we sat down, we were handed the labyrinthian menu (it's absolutely massive and quite confusing) and ordered some non-alcoholic cocktails. Although these were tasty, at £6 a pop, we were entering the realms of ”taking the piss”. What the hell were they made of? Ambrosia?


As they were running some “Lobster Specials”, I opted for the lobster tempura. These were a total let down. The meat was bland and erring on being well done. The accompanying spicy sauce was like kebab shop burger sauce, only not as nice and not a hint of spice. This dish should have been arrested for crimes against crustaceans.


A main of Pad Ka Pow Moo (stir fried pork with chilli and holy basil) was far better although for a chicken dish, this was very green bean heavy. The accompanying egg fried rice was nice but priced at £4 for a small bowl was outrageous.

I hate to say it but Mango Tree is a big rip off. Clearly marketed at those with big expense accounts, even with the 50% discount, it cost well over £20 a head, not really a cheap lunch. The Queen may well be able to afford it, I somehow don't think she is going to pop round if she reads this.

Mango Tree (website)
46 Grosvenor Place, SW1X 7EQ