• Added: 10th of October 2008
• Area: Islington
• Category: Food and Drink

London N1 8EA
020 7424 5750

Niamheen said
Gorgeous artisan chocolatiere
This really is an exceptional chocolate shop. A treasure trove of chocolate goodies, from salted caramels to chilli chocolate. It has an air of luxury about it and is a real treat. It's not cheap, but then why would it be? They sell gorgeous artisan chocolates and these come at a price. It's worth going alone for the hot chocolate, I had mine spiced with sichuan peppercorns and it was divine (check out the pic).

I say go and indulge, you'll thank me for it!

• Added: 8th of October 2008
• Area: Oxford Circus
• Category: Others

London W1U 1PH
+44 207 499 658

Niamheen said
Cookery Classes with a Difference
I have a bit of an obssession with food, this is true. Even more so when cooking and trying new things. So, when I heard about a new cookery school that had opened in central London I had to try it.

Firstly, I was curious, l'atelier des Chefs are very popular already in France and their arrival in London has been highly publicised in the media and blogosphere. They've different types of classes, they run up to 5 sessions a day ranging from a half hour to two hours. For them it's about the food but also the social experience of sitting down and enjoying your meal with your fellow cooks and a glass of wine. One class runs for half an hour over lunch, called the "Cook, Eat & Run", then there's the 60 minute class covering two courses, the 90 minute class covering 3 courses and the 120 minute class covering 3 courses based around a theme (e.g. they've one coming up for foie gras). Secondly, I've been reading great things, Krista (on TrustedPlaces and of Londonelicious) was an immediate convert and she doesn't even like to cook! So, I registered for on of the "Cook, Eat & Run" lunchtime classes and off I went.

You chose your day around what they're cooking (at least I did!) and I chose to go the day that they were cooking Risotto di Gambas (prawn risotto for the non-French speakers amongst us - that includes me :-). I arrived a little early as I wanted to take a look around, and was quite impressed with the venue that greeted me, it's a bright airy space with a vast sparkling kitchen with lots of natural daylight coming through the skylights ahead. They were extremely friendly and offered a glass of water while I waited for the rest of my class to arrive which they did shortly after.

We were greeted by our chef Tony. Now, I am a fan of risotto and when I make it, it takes me some time, so I wondered just how are we going to get this done in half an hour? Well, many hands make light work, Tony took us through what we had to do, and within a few minutes we had been shown how to do everything and I was beheading and deshelling super fresh prawns. This particular recipe also included mushrooms (shitake and normal) and I was curious about how this would taste.

We spent a very sociable 17 minutes cooking our risotto (yes - we timed it :-), each person taking their turn stirring for risotto is a labour of love. Tony was on hand for any advice and tips along the way. Once the risotto was cooked we left the kitchen and sat at a table outside with our spoils, with white wine and bread to go with it. The risotto was delicious, and I plan to recreate it and experiment with the prawn/mushroom combination. We followed it with a fantastic chocolate mousse dessert and coffee which rendered me speechless temporarily.

It was a very sociable and uplifting experience, I didn't know any of my fellow cooks having arrived on my own. This didn't act as a barrier, everyone was so friendly and really into it, despite the differing levels of experience among the group. The staff were really friendly and encouraging.

One thing I hadn't read anywhere was how good the range of produce available to buy is. It's an eclectic mix from ceramic knives to silicone moulds to tomato vinegar and the El Bulli Spherificaion Kits which I haven't seen for sale in many places.

I had a great time, and I've recommended it to many people. I am looking forward to bringing friends and visitors there. It's a lovely experience.

• Added: 6th of October 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London EC1R 4QL
020 7833 9757

Niamheen said
Gorgeous independent music shop and cafe
Brill is a real gem. A gorgeous little independent music shop that also serves good coffee and has a small but very well chosen selection of music. It's the perfect antidote to our chain culture. It's almost like visiting a friends to raid their collection, only you get to buy and keep them ;) There's often good music deals too.

Not content with offering great music and coffee, you can also get brick lane bagels, pastries, brownies and there's free wifi. We need more of these places and we need to support the ones that are around. I would highly recommend you pop in and fall in love with Brill, as I have.

• Added: 1st of October 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Food and Drink

London EC1R 4QE
020 7713 1666

Niamheen said
Fantastic independent Spanish deli
I have a mild obssession with Brindisa. Ok, it's not so mild, it's a full on bona fide obssession. I start to think about it, and I can't think about anything else, I want to go there. This happens several times a week.

It all started quite innocently with a hunt for judion beans many years ago, those giant butter beans used in Spanish cooking. Even in a great sprawling city like London they are hard to find. Until you find Brindisa that is. A quick dash around the shop revealed many types of pulses, spices, meats, cheeses, chorizo, morcilla, even paella pans. I was hooked.

Then I discovered the stew and the sandwiches, the homemade tortilla and the gazpacho and for a while it was game over for all other lunch options. The staff are so friendly and knowledgable, it's a pleasure to shop there. Some of the produce is very expensive, but it's a worthwhile spend for most of it. For lunch you can't really go wrong with takeaway options like a fabulous roll with jamon iberico & *good* tomatoes for £3.95, or, chorizo & chickpea stew with bread for £4. They also support small time independent producers, ethically they've got things covered.

It's worth going for their cooking chorizo alone, it's my favourite by far and delis in the know also stock it. I love it there and I'll continue to go there as often as is reasonable. I'll probably be explaining it to a heart surgeon in years to come, but it will have been worth it*.

* Disclaimer: I hope this doesn't happen and if my future heart surgeon is reading this, sincere apologies and feel free to slap me around the head.

• Added: 30th of September 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1R 5DD
020 7713 8665

Niamheen said
Lunch will never be the same again...
...now that Malletti has opened in Clerkenwell. Hurrah!

I love Malletti and have been going to their Noel St branch in Soho for years. It's the real deal, a proper pizza bar with a somewhat overwhelming variety of lovely thin based pizzas. They're fantastic quality and a real treat. There's also calzone, foccaccia sandwiches, risotto and pasta of the day. Today it was orechiette with sausage, I really found it difficult to choose. If you find yourself in that situation and you can't choose - go half|half and have them both.

It's very good value, a decent serving of pizza costs £3.50, calzones £4 and pasta and risotto from £4.50. Have a look at my photos and tell me that's not a good deal!

This branch is slightly bigger and has more room to sit down. It's a casual dining experience and very friendly. It's also super quick and perfect for lunch. Be warned, the Soho shop sells out and closes early every day, I expect this will be the same once people start to discover this place.

• Added: 29th of September 2008
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2N 4HG
020 7240 1883

Niamheen said
Disorganised service taints this cheap eat
Let me set the scene. A friend of mine, a new Mum, had arranged a night off, one where she could leave her house for a few hours and indulge, priorities were nice food and cocktails and some company.

I had heard about Wahaca and was keen to try it, I love good Mexican food and it's not something that you can come across without some effort in London. I had heard that this was the real deal, a friend who had lived in Mexico was very impressed and highly recommended it. It's also in Covent Garden, a convenient point for both of us.

Another point of interest was that it was owned by winner of Masterchef, Thomasina Miers, someone I didn't have much affection for on the TV (at the time, she has since won me over with her Cooks Tour of Spain) but her knowledge of the cuisine and quest for authenticity appealed.

So, off we went, knowing the situation, our expectations were wagamama's canteen style eating and a cheap and authentic eat. We expected a queue and weren't surprised to find one. And so we queued.

While queueing we noticed alot of people were passing us out and it wasn't really very controlled. It seemed the guy manning it was more interested in theatrics and having everyone finding him funny than in being professional and efficient. At first I could ignore it, but, half an hour in I was beyond frustrated. Eventually we approached him and arranged to come back an hour later. This apparantly was the system and even though he was only 6 feet away from us, he didn't approach us at any point in that half an hour to tell us so. We trundled off an had a cocktail in nearby La Perla and returned promptly for our table only to be faced with the same scenario of lack of control or knowledge about who in the queue was next or when anyone would get a table.

About to leave, I expressed my frustration politely and it was handled very badly. The customer is always right, no? Not at Wahaca. Someone else took control and seated us, profusely apologising and provided drinks on the house. We had some nice mojitos and started to settle, things were getting better. We ordered some items from the street food menu and the mole. Both were very good, quite light and full of flavour, exactly what I would have expected.

The ambience? The decor is bright and modern, very nice. It's full on of a weekend evening, large groups, birthday parties, lots of noise, so great for groups but not so great if you just want to catch up with a friend. Happy Birthday was sang raucously more than once in our 2 hours here (there was even a tambourine) and while it was great for the birthday boy/girl, I could have done without it.

To sum up: the food is good and it's a vibrant place, nice decor, central location, but, the start of the evening left a sour taste in my mouth and did taint the experience for us. I wouldn't discount it and will try it again but for a nicer mexican street food experience I prefer the more intimate Taqueria in Westbourne Grove.

• Added: 28th of September 2008
• Area: Bond Street
• Category: Restaurants

London W1U 1EH
020 7491 1178

Niamheen said
Sublime sushi and sashimi in a central location
When I returned from 10 days in Tokyo last year, I had a bit of a sashimi addiction. I wanted sashimi. I needed it. And I needed it to be every bit as good as that that I had been indulging in in Tokyo.

A tall order you might think, but not for Atari-Ya. They have several locations, but this little outpost off St Christopher's Place delivers. It's tiny with a thriving take away business. You can eat standing at the counter, or if you're lucky, at one of the two small tables to the side of it. Service is quick and very friendly, every inch of the experience is authentically Japanese. It's also very reasonable.I can't resist it and frequently pop in for melt in the mouthy scallop sashimi and hamachi. I recommend that you do too!

• Added: 28th of September 2008
• Area: Battersea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW11 4HY
020 7622 0475

Niamheen said

I had a really pleasant and authentic Italian meal here recently. The staff were very friendly and efficient and the menu featured a favourite not often featured on menus here - Burrata. It was very reasonably priced and I am looking forward to going again. I'll update my thoughts when I do!

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1U 4EW
020 7935 0341

Niamheen said

La Fromagerie is a fantastic cheese shop with a cheese room and lots of other bits and pieces - seasonal veg, great meats, chocolate, cakes, honey - all presented beautifully. It’s one of the few places in London that sells buffalo ricotta, which for a lactose intolerant like me, is a real treat.

You can eat there too around an enormous rustic table or in the new extension to the side. There are big bowls of salads, platters of cheese, salamis and meats, a wide choice of wines & juices. It's lovely.

I tease myself by receiving their mailing list of Slow Food and other events. The last time I went, I went to purchase not to eat. I was looking for some Bayonne ham but they didn’t have any, so I was advised to try the Granada ham, which was good at that time of year. They gave me a little taste and it was all I could do to stop myself grabbing the leg and running with it, so I got 12 slices and tried to stop myself pulling it off the slicer as it was sliced. Whilst waiting and reviewing the other meats I decided that I would try some pata negra chorizo also. I wasn’t disappointed.

La Fromagerie is one of those special places full of treats and indulgences. It's not an everyday place, but for those days that aren't everyday, it's really special.

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1U 4ET
020 7935 7788

Niamheen said

An accidental butchers, the Ginger Pig started off as one mans passion for rare breed pigs, and has now become a series of shops, renowned for their quality produce and service.

I love the Ginger Pig, if only for their gorgeous sausage rolls and pies. They're enormous and moist encased in beautiful buttery pastry. I also indulge in the sausages and bacon frequently.

Overall, it can get really busy, but the service is always prompt. They know what they're doing and are always on hand with advice should you require it. It isn't the cheapest but it's good value for the quality of the produce.