Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Birds Eye Rice Fusions

Birds Eye Fusions

I am starting to become quite popular in the office. Every few weeks, somebody sends me something to try and more often than not, the fruits are shared amongst the office floor. This time around, a big box of Birdseye Rice Fusions arrived, a selection of four different flavours of microwaveable rice.

Birds Eye Fusions

Being stuck in an office, any cheap and quick lunch options are always well received, so with a 3 and a half minute required in the microwave, we started to plow through each flavour one by one.

Birds Eye Fusions

My personal favourite was the Country mushroom flavour, creamy and nice enough, although it needed a serious pinch of salt and pepper to liven it up. Each individual pouch was pretty small but would form a good side dish to a nice bit of protein. I liked it enough that I would definitely consider buying it. But mainly because I am incredibly lazy.

Sausages from Barbecoa

Free sossidges sent by Fifteen

A few weeks ago, I was one of a group of bloggers who were sent a few sausages couriered straight over from Barbecoa HQ. Comprising of a variety of flavours, each blogger was given 6 different flavours to try and to enjoy over the Bank holiday weekend.

The varieties I received included names as intriguing and peculiar as "Fire of London" and "Scarborough Fayre", immediately instigating conversation amongst my desk buddies. As I was heading out that evening, I handed them out to my colleagues to enjoy and get their feedback.

On the whole, the feedback was very positive. The meat was unsurprisingly considered excellent quality although probably a little too meaty and firm. I guess a little extra fat wouldn't have gone astray to keep them moist. There was high praise for the jerk although the Scarborough Fayre being slightly on the overly herbal side (being packed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme).

Free sossidges sent by Fifteen

The sausages were accompanied by a flyer to the Big Feastival, which looks pretty ace. I am pretty sure that there will be some sausages there.

Small Adventures in Cooking by James Ramsden

Small adventures in Cooking


It looks like 2011 is the year of the blogger. Well, when it comes to cook books anyway. As we head into the 6th month of the year, we have seen a slew of bloggers get book deals, and we are just beginning to see them drip into the market.

Rambo (or James if you prefer) is someone I have known for a while, and has a good pedigree in the kitchen. A regular on the "foodie" circuit and fresh from a stint at Ballymalloe, he has spent his years making a career out of food writing, and even started up his own supper club (known as the Secret Larder) to keep his culinary skills sharp culminating in Rambo gettting included by Quadrille under their "New voices in food", to write his own cook book comprising of some of his recipes.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy by Quadrille, and packed in between those covers are a multitude of homely recipes. Rambo may be my friend, but it's an impressive array of recipes and well worth a look. Get a copy while you can!



Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Europe - Closer to home

Britain


Traditional British Food
Fernandez and Wells (Cafe)
The Bear (Gastropub)
The Red Lion and Sun (Gastropub)
The Chippy (Fish and Chips)
Masters Superfish (Fish and Chips) - Best F&C in London
Bluebird 
Benugo B+K
Great Queen Street
Le Cafe Anglais
Fish and Grill
Trinity
The Warrington
The Hackney Pearl
The Hinds Head
Roast
Paradise
Dean Street Townhouse
The Wolseley

Modern British:
Bentleys (Seafood)
Viajante (1*) - Fusion. It's here as I don't know where else to put it!
Maze (1*)

-----------------------------------------------
Italian

Caravaggios (Italian)
Franco Manca Brixton (Italian/Pizza) - Best Pizza in London
Franco Manca Chiswick (Italian/Pizza)
Rosso Pomodoro (Italian/Pizza)
Polpo (Italian)
La Famiglia (Italian)
Anacapri (Italian)
Valentina (Italian)
Trullo (Italian)
L'Anima (Italian)
Bocca di Lupo (Italian) - Favourite Italian
Murano (1*)

-----------------------------------------------
German

Zeitgeist (German cafe, now CLOSED)

-----------------------------------------------
French

La Brasserie (French)
Le Petit Parisien (French)
Le Cassoulet (French)
Bellevue Rendez-Vous (French)
Bar Boulud (Charcuterie)
Galvin La Chapelle (1*, Set menu £25)
La Trompette (1*)
Terroirs (European) - Best duck rillettes in London
Hibiscus (2*)

-----------------------------------------------
Spanish

Barrafina (Tapas)
Tapas Brindisa (Tapas)
Iberica (Tapas)
Angels and Gypsies (Tapas) - Best in SE5

-----------------------------------------------
Scandinavian

Madsen (Scandinavian)
Skylon Grill (Finnish head chef)
Johanssons (Scandinavian run cafe)

Asia - Delights from the East

Chinese

Dim Sum:
Dragon Castle (best for dim sum)
Yum Cha
Dumplings Legend
Dragon Palace
Golden Pagoda
Old China Hand
Ping Pong

Simple and uncomplicated:
Four Seasons (best roast duck)
Hungs
HK Diner
Wong Kei
Tai Ka Lok
Wuli Wuli
Noodle Bar

Food from the Straits (Singapore and Malaysia):
Kiasu (now closed)
Rasa Sayang

Upper end:
Mandarin Kitchen (family favourite)
Pearl Liang
Min Jiang
Plum Valley

Other Regions:
Leongs Legends cont... (Taiwanese)
Silk Road (Xinjiang)

-----------------------------------------------
Korean

Koba 

-----------------------------------------------
Japanese

New Fujiyama
Abeno (Okonomiyaki)
Bincho (Yakitori)

-----------------------------------------------
Thai

Rosa's
Mango Tree
Suchard Pub

-----------------------------------------------
Vietnamese

Cafe East (best pho)
Song Que
Panda Panda
Bam Bou (French/Vietnamese)

Saturday, January 1, 2000

South America - Brazil, Argentina and a bit of the Carribbean

Pork Loin @ Rodizio Preto

Caribbean Spice (Jerk/SE5/£10)

Preto (Brazilian)

Lima (Peruvian/W1T/££££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet (pics):
A La Cruz - Bloody brilliant Argentinian

Vietnamese Restaurants



Cafe East (SE16/£10-£20)
Song Que (E2/£10-£20)
Panda Panda (Banh mi/SE8/<£10)
Bam Bou (French Vietnamese/W1T/£30-£40)
Cafe Bay (Banh mi/SE5/<£10)
Cafe VN (EC1/£10-£20)
Viet (W1D/£10-£20)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Thai Restaurants

Dinner at Rosa's on Dean Street

Rosa's (W1D/£20-£30)
Mango Tree (SW1/£30-£40)
Suchard Pub (SE1/£10-£20)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet (pics):
Suda - Definitely getting better
The Heron - The real deal

Italian food - Pizza, pasta and everything inbetween

Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle with truffles

Cheap and cheerful
Caravaggios (SE5/£)
Pepe (WC2N/£)
Franco Manca Brixton (SW9/££)
Franco Manca Chiswick (W4/££)
Rosso Pomodoro (WC2/££)
Maltings Cafe (SE1/££)
Pizza Pilgrims (Soho/£)

Reasonable
Bella Vista (SE3/£££)
Da Polpo (Bib Gourmand/WC2E/£££)
Polpo (W1F/£££)
La Famiglia (SW10/£££)
Anacapri (W1U/£££)
Valentina (SW15/£££)
Zucca (Bib Gourmand/SE1/£££)
Donna Margherita (SW11/£££)

Expensive
Trullo (N1/££££)
Murano (1*/W1J/££££)
Tinello (SW1W/££££)
Fifteen (N1/££££)
L'Anima (EC2A/£££££)
Bocca di Lupo (Bib Gourmand/W1D/£££££)
River Cafe (1*/W6/£££££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet, in 3 words (pics only):
Ristorante Semplice - Good, not great
Theo Randall - Ingredients sing through

Steak - Meat, meat, meat and more meat

Blokes eat Beef at Goodman

Gaucho (Multiple/£50)
Sophies (Multiple/£40)
Hawksmoor (Multiple/£50)
Goodman (Multiple/£50)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet (pics):
Le Relais de Venise de L'Entrecote

Spanish Food - Jamon, sherry and small plates

Barrica, Goodge Street

Barrafina (W1D/££££)
Tapas Brindisa (SE1/£££)
Iberica (W1W/£££)
Angels and Gypsies (SE5/£££)
Fino (W1T/££££)
Pizarro (SE1/£££)
Jose (SE1/££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet, in 3 words (pics only):
Copita - Tiny tasty plates
Jose - I hate standing
Opera Tavern - Just stay downstairs
Barrica - Forgotten but loved

Japanese restaurants

Sushi of Shiori, Warren Street

New Fujiyama (SW9/££)
Taro (W1D/£)
Abeno (Okonomiyaki/WC1A/££)
Bincho (Yakitori/W1D/££)
Koya (Udon/W1D/££)
Sushi of Shiori (Sushi/NW1/££££)
Feng Sushi (Various/££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet (pics):
Yashin - Scorched sushi fireworks
Kirin Yatai - One off sticks

French Food - Classical techniques and flavours

Roast quail and broad bean risotto

La Brasserie (SW3/££££)
Le Petit Parisien (Closed/SE5/££)
Le Cassoulet (CR2/£££)
Bellevue Rendez-Vous (SW17/£££)
Cafe Luc (Closed/W1U/£££)
The French Table (Surbiton/KT6/£££)
La Trompette (1*/W4/£££)
Wild Honey  (1*/W1S/££££)
Galvin La Chapelle (1*, Set menu £25) (1*/E1/££££)
Hibiscus (2*/W1S/£££££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet, in 3 words (pics only):
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester - Way too pricy
Bistro Bruno Loubet - Perfect bistro nosh

British Food - Odds, ends and all sorts

The Eagle, Clerkenwell
Inside the Eagle

PUB
The Bear (SE5/£££)
The Eagle (EC1/££)
The Red Lion and Sun (N6/££)
The Florence (SE24/££)
Great Queen Street (WC2/£££)
The Hinds Head (Out of town/SL6/££££)
The Ship (SW18/££)
The Admiral Codrington (SW3/£££)

A return to the Sportsman
Turbot, vin jaune and bacon @ The Sportsman

FISH (mainly)
The Chippy (Now Golden Union Fish bar) (W1/£)
Masters Superfish (SE1/£)
J Sheekey (WC2/££££)
The Sportsman (1* Out of town/CT5/££££)
Fish and Grill (CR0/£££)

Roe Deer Chop with celeriac puree and sea buckthorn berries
Roe Deer Chop and Sea Buckthorn, celeriac mash @ Hix Soho

THE REST
Spud (Jacket Potato/WC2/£)
Bluebird (SW3/£££)
Benugo B+K (SE1/££)
Le Cafe Anglais (W2/£££)
Trinity (SW4/££££)
The Warrington (W9/£££)
The Hackney Pearl (E9/£££)
Roast (SE1/£££)
Paradise (W10/£££)
The Wolseley (W1/£££)
Bentleys (W1/££££)
Hix Soho (W1/££££)
Launceston Place (W8/££££)
Dean Street Townhouse (W1/£££)
The Ivy (WC2/££££)
Bread Street Kitchen (EC4/£££)
Roganic (W1/££££)
Union Jacks (WC2H/££)
40 Maltby Street (SE1/££)
10 Greek Street (W1/£££)
Duck Soup (W1/£££)
Alyn Williams (W1S/££££)
The Corner Room (E2/££)

Tafferty Tart

MICHELIN
Dinner (1*/W1/£££££)
Maze (1*/W1/£££££)
Maze 2nd time (1*/W1/£££££)
Marcus Wareing (2*/W1/£££££)
Terroirs (Bib Gourmand/WC2/£££)
The Fat Duck (3*/SL6/£££££)
Viajante (1*/E2/££££)
Pollen Street Social (1*/W1/££££)
Purnells (1* in Birmingham/B3/£££££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet, in 3 words (pics only):
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay - Three Star Mediocrity
10 Cases - Rough around edges
Sat Bains at Fortnums - London Restaurant Week
Manson - Average, not stunning
Medlar - Wish 'twas closer
Drapers Arms - Proper nice boozer

Restaurants from Malaysia and Singapore

Awana

£10 -£20
Satay House (W2)
Kopi Tiam (WC2)
Rasa Sayang (W1)
Kiasu (Closed/W2)

£20 -£30
Tukdin (W2)

£30 -£40
Awana (SW3/£30-£40)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Chinese Food: Dim Sum, Szechuan, Cantonese, Hainanese (and other things like that)



Standard London Chinese/Cantonese fare
Four Seasons (W2)
Hungs (W1)
HK Diner (W1)
Wong Kei (W1)
Tai Ka Lok (W1)
Noodle Bar (WC2)
Cafe de Hong Kong (WC2)
Mandarin Kitchen (W2)
Pearl Liang (W2)
Min Jiang (W8)
Plum Valley (W1)

Regional
Wuli Wuli (Szechuan/SE5)
Leongs Legends cont... (Taiwanese/WC2)
Silk Road (Xinjiang/SE5)

Dim Sum
Dragon Castle (SE17/££)
Yum Cha (NW1/££)
Dumplings Legend (W1/££)
Dragon Palace (SW5/££)
Golden Pagoda (W1/££)
Princess Garden (W1/££)
Old China Hand (EC1/££)
Ping Pong (W1/££)
New World (W1/££)

Key - (Variation if applicable/Postcode/Price)

Food from the Middle east - grilled meats, herbs and mezze

Veggie Mezze @ Kazan


Cyprus Mangal (Turkish/SW1/£10)
Kazan (Turkish/SW1/£30)
FM Mangal (Turkish/SE5/£20)
Antepliler (Turkish/N1/£20)
Yalla Yalla (Lebanese/W1F/£20)
Ariana II (Afghanistan/NW6/£20)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Indian Food - The land of curry, tandoors and the Gola!

Mixed grill @ Tayyabs

Tayyabs (E1/£20)
Delhi Grill (N1/£20)
Dishoom (Bombay cafe/WC2/£20)
Dishoom (Chowpatty beach popup/£10)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Korean Food - Grilled meat, clay pots and generally all things hot!

Kimchee, Holborn

Koba (Korean BBQ/W1T/£30)
Arang (Korean BBQ/W1F/£20)
Bibimbap (W1D/£20)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)

Not made it yet (pics):
Kimchee - Dull

I got a lovely email and even better guide through from a group called the Korean Class Massive. Strange name, but it covers 41 different Korean restaurants in London. Well worth a look -> HERE

North America - Burgers, Ribs, Hot Dogs and all things Mexico

Treats at the Rye, SE15

BURGERS
Byron and the Big D (Multiple/£20)
Hache (Multiple/£20)
Giraffe (Multiple/£20)
#Meateasy (*was* SE14/£20)
The Rye (*was* SE15/£20)
Bar Boulud (SW1/£30)
Lucky Chip (Mobile/£)
Mother Flipper (Mobile/£)
Patty and Bun (Mobile/£)
The Admiral Codrington (SW3/£££)


The Big Dog

THE REST
Big Apple Hot Dogs (Hot Dogs/N1/£)
Pitt Cue Co (BBQ/*was* Southbank/£))
Spuntino (NY Diner/W1/££)
Dante Chicken (Fried Chicken popup/*was*EC2/£)
Spit and Roast (Mobile/£)


Tacos alambre

MEXICO
Chilango (Multiple/££)
Lupita (WC2/££)
Benitos Hat (W1T/£)
Chipotle (Multiple/£)
Poncho No8 (Multiple/£)
El Burrito (W1T/£)
Buen Provecho (SE1/£)
La Bodega Negra Taqueria (W1/££)
Mestizo (NW1/£££)

Key - (Info/Location/Rough price per head with no alcohol)