• Added: 30th of November 2008
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2E 7DB
020 7199 0050

bellaphon said
Average Moo
Came tonight for dinner, as it was the last night of the soft opening at Sophie’s. This respectable SW10 stalwart surprised me by not expanding their operation earlier. Then all of the sudden with immense aplomb they took over the huge premises vacated by the utterly appalling and certainly not missed Papageno Restaurant; basically a tourist trap offering faux Italian cuisine.

Like the original outfit at Fulham Road, Sophie’s operates a non booking policy, thankfully this flagship place is huge so you shouldn’t have to wait till eternity for a table. From my observations, I hazard on at least 100 covers on the dining floor alone. The ambience is buzzy, youngish, abundance of loudish music and although I’m no fan of under lit rooms; I did however appreciate the clever eclectic mix of modern lighting utilised. The service at our table, surprise surprise, was handled astutely by a well-heeled English girl and in turn she and her colleagues were supervised by a couple of ‘hands-on’ blokes, Brits no less!

As mentioned earlier, soft opening night and 50% off the food bill! Common sense or rather the gluttonous side of me decided to plump for the dearest, biggest and most audacious piece of cow offered on the menu; the 27oz Porterhouse. My dining companion (DC), bless his little cotton socks, went for the 8oz Fillet. I ordered my steak medium rare and DC wanted his medium well; hoot to the highest promised land, the kitchen confused the order! My medium well Porterhouse was indeed very large (loads of greyish hue when cut) and DC’s medium rare fillet looked promising (but bloody when cut). Unfortunately we both concurred that both our steaks tasted lacklustre and found the claim on the menu that their meat has been dry aged for 28 days incredulous. In addition these steaks despite their burned "lines" also lacked the charbroiled taste. The not so crispy chips with skin on were generous but average tasting. DC’s Lemon Meringue Pie was similar or tad inferior to what he experienced at boarding school. My Sticky Toffee Pudding was a barely passable grade C. I could have sworn these puddings are not entirely made on the premises but brought in en masse from some other place, if that’s not the case, they certainly tasted that they were.

Just as well for the 50% offer, otherwise the average meal will amount to nothing but poor value. This place will succeed for two reasons alone-
They’re open till 3 AM therefore good for the weekend drinkers, and what with the weak pound I’m also sure that they’ll attract our theatre going friends from across the pond who will appreciate Sophie’s Porterhouse more than I did.

• Added: 29th of November 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1F 0UT
020 7478 8888

bellaphon said
Italian non-connection
Another grand Alan Yau venture therefore another must try.

First the good-

1. Amazing location.
2. Wondrous atmosphere.
3. Great crowd.
4. Incredible display of bread, cakes, pizzas, salads and pasta.

Secondly the bad-

1. The slice of Ham and Crescenza pizza tasted bland and quite possibly rendered any of the Domino's offerings positively gourmet.
2. The Raspberry Cheesecake, attractive it may be but lacked synergy between the three components it was supposedly composed of. The raspberry top felt ill at ease with the white cheesy stuff that tasted more like a vapid cottage cheese from a plastic pot than ricotta. Ah well the lemony base was hardly pastry, cookie, or digestive biscuit; erm…it was just wet and soggy. Poor.

Lastly the ugly-

1. Once you’ve ordered and paid for the food and drinks, for the latter you’ll need to hop over to the beverage and drinks section. This is when your hot and warm savouries start to cool down rapidly as you find yourself waiting for your cappuccino or tea. This delay is unnecessary and besides the coffee was so-so.

OK, it may be early days but surely it’s no excuse. The Italians define pizzas and coffee, sadly there’s very little evidence here. I can see myself coming back just for the ambience alone and it’s also perfect for hanging out with friends. But then I can also see this is slowly but surely turning into another (yawn) Le Pain Quotidien wannabe.

• Added: 28th of November 2008
• Area: Dalston
• Category: Restaurants

London E8 2DJ
020 7275 8981

bellaphon said
Near perfect kebab.
I wouldn’t be here without giving credit to World Foodie Guide, thank you Helen. Her write up on this place was measured and enough to convince me to make the pilgrimage. Stoke Newington is as a whole pretty much loveless and simply lack the vibrancy and excesses of the coalescence of Hoxton and Shoreditch. However what Stoke Newington has on the upper hand over the other two hip areas is the thriving proliferation of Turkish related restaurants, mini marts, bakeries and shops. On the restaurants alone I’ve had delightful meals and kebabs at Istanbul Iskembecisi and Somine Restaurant. And now we have Mangal Ocakbasi Restaurant, which might well be the home to one of the finest kebabs in London.

The street where this restaurant is situated is nondescript and suitably grim, the shop-front is typically reminiscent and generic of most fast food joints found in any misunderstood inner city corners. Upon entering and finding ourselves a table, I couldn’t help but adjudge that it wasn’t really a restaurant but instead a takeaway with seats and tables. The ambience is non-existent (like the service, but at least the men in black enjoy smiling) and the dining area veering towards shabby side of things. Like all restaurants of this ilk, the sight of the multi tasking man sitting by the brazier manning, fanning, cooking and preparing the salads can only encourage the appetite even more.

The breadbasket arrived first, it was fresh and lovingly warm but I couldn’t help but gulp at the quantity of it all. An order of mixed kebabs for two was epic and huge, the accompanying mixed salad was well-dressed and equally generous in portion, probably too much IMO (I hate wasting food). All the meats were beautifully fresh, impeccably seasoned and skilfully cooked except for the Lokma. For instance the Adana Köfte is quite often bland and made from dodgy lamb mince, but the ones we had at Mangal was huge, lamby and properly spicy. The Sis kebab, lamb chops and chicken wings were all equally fantastic as well. The only let down was the Lokma Kebab (grilled deboned fillet of lamb), for it was too overcooked and as a result too chewy. Despite the glitch, I can confidently say that this place serves the finest kebabs to date.

Mangal Ocakbasi Restaurant is indeed a wondrous find, superior food at stupendously affordable prices. I can’t really imagine anyone being let down here, even the vegans will be happy with the impressive salads. Afiyet olsun! (Enjoy you meal).

• Added: 26th of November 2008
• Area: Bayswater
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W2 5HL
020 7727 3444

bellaphon said
Madrid in Queensway.
Churreria Espanola is 1/3 greasy spoon café dishing out the usual suspects and 2/3 Spanish restaurant specialising in tapas and home cooked specials. And before we all jump to conclusions, CE is hardly Catalan, it’s very Castilian and its roots hail from Madrid.

Although the full English appears on the menu, I strongly recommend the Andalucian improvisation of chorizo, marinated pork fillets, eggs and toast instead. This is a great twist to the usual; the spiciness of chorizo will eventually gear you up for the rest of the day and the lovely pork fillets are evidently a lot less salty and fatty than the typical rashers of bacon. If you decide to come here for lunch instead, go for the daily specials on the blackboard. These specials include Estofado (pork stew), Pollo a la Riojana (Rioja-Style Chicken), full monty Paella and so on. This place is also home to one of the cheapest plates of Pimientos de Padrón in London; these small green peppers with their mild but explosive flavours are bingeingly addictive. The service is extremely friendly and helpful. The ambience is well, a near workman café like.

There’s nothing better to end the meal here than a sinful cup of thick Spanish hot chocolate and some churros. Dunking the churros in the chocolate is a perfect contribution to joie de vivre.

• Added: 20th of November 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Restaurants

London W1H 7SF
020 7723 2229

bellaphon said
Serious Indian
This new high end Indian is equidistant from where I work and the rather gimmicky La Porte des Indes. This part of Mayfair (yes it technically is, well at least the broken heel of it) is also rather ambitiously known as the Portman Village (where for years they’ve been trying to emulate Marylebone Village to little or no avail). It’s also an area that’s close to one of the busiest KFC restaurants in the world, lost bewildered tourists and millions of Primark customers collectively championing the two words ‘what recession?’

Zayna is probably the third incarnation of Indian restaurants occupying the premises within ten years or so. Attentive details to the interiors suggest this is a comfortable and stylishly under-lit dining room, designed to reflect the haute dining nature as well as a well-heeled retreat from Oxford Street. Service, as you might expect from a place like this is attentive and thankfully not too over bearing.

As a way of testing the water I came here on my own for the ‘should-be-called’ CC (credit crunch or congestion charge, call it what you may) set lunch. Just be forewarned that the set lunch is a bargain, however if you do come here for dinner, reckon on at least £35.00 a head to include wine. It maybe early days yet, but it was a bit of a dampener to see only one couple dining when I was there. My starter of Papi chana chat (small wheat crisp, spiced chickpeas, yoghurt, tamarind sauce and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds) looked more like a pudding. It was in fact a beautifully balanced and refreshing starter; the coolness of the yoghurt calming the spiciness of the chickpeas and the sweetness of the pomegranate countering the sourness of the tamarind. The chosen mains of Lahori Pusli (lamb chops marinated overnight in a combined fenugreek, pepper and garlic yoghurt sauce) was pretty much triumphant, perfectly pink and tender; pity there were only two chops. This dish was served with some perfectly cooked Pilau rice, dry veg curry and some of the best dhal I’ve had.

I know it was only lunch that I had, but there’s a strong inner belief that I’ve tasted and sensed enough to indicate the potential is indeed there. Whilst not trying to speak too soon, I think the Chef/Proprietor is a star in the making.

• Added: 19th of November 2008
• Area: Leicester Square
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 6AX
020 7287 0288

bellaphon said
Soupy goodness in a dumpling.
At long last and I’m more than glad to have made this pilgrimage. This place has been talked and blogged about among the cognoscenti and followers of the ‘alternative’ Chinese food scene. I came primarily for one thing and that’s the Xiaolongbao (Siu Loong Bao in Cantonese)- the remarkable soup dumplings that’s so easy to cock up during preparation and recipes often tempered with to ease mass production for the freezer and delivery to restaurants who don’t make them on site.

Like all new Chinese restaurants of this ilk, the dining room is dark, in fact they’re all getting darker; I think we’ve got Alan Yau to thank for with his pioneering chic ‘lack of light’ ambience at Hakkasan. Before I talk about the food, there’s one thing I ought to point out; the service at this place has been constantly lambasted as being rude and callous, I think this may well be true but I’m not in a position to judge on this alone. This is because I just about speak the same lingo as the waiting staff, this advantage alone will prevent me from getting mentally frustrated, being ejected from the table before finishing the meal and receiving the final bill that’s inflated with a double dose of that dreaded gratuity charge. Take heed and good luck.

Came here for a solo lunch and after careful perusal of the ‘tick yourself’ dim sum menu, I started to regret that I came on my own. There’s simply no way I could try out all the appetising sounding dishes that you don’t normally find at your Royal Chinas and Ping Pongs (sniff). The Noodle with Oyster ordered was certainly stodgy in appearance, which is due to the thickset gravy that the noodles and oysters were swimming in. This heavy tasting dish was surprisingly yummy, mildly spicy and I’m pretty sure it was meant to be slurped without a care in the world of what your next door diner thinks! Now for the pièce de résistance- I’ve certainly found soup dumpling nirvana in London. Leong’s Xiaolongbao came in a basket consisting of eight of the most perfectly formed and heavenly tasting dumplings. I was lucky enough to savour all the dumplings intact without any of them being pre-punctured. These dumplings should come with a warning or two; like McD’s apple pie, the contents are very hot and likely to cause an injury to the uninitiated, and when you bite onto them the soup within is likely to splurt everywhere (goodbye finest cotton shirt!).

As ever with all new-found treasures like Leong’s Legends, I have this unfeigned desire and hope that at the very least the good cooking is maintained and the mere thought of complacence should be banished without ado.

• Added: 18th of November 2008
• Area: Belsize Park
• Category: Restaurants

London NW3 2QB
020 7794 9352

bellaphon said
I'm passing this on.
I have a usual problem with dining in Indian restaurants as I’m a stalwart to the two City greats of New Tayyabs and the Lahore Kebab House (both ironically Pakistani). Both are difficult acts to follow and leads to my inkling that the other Indian restaurants in the capital are left with only three choices on how to maintain their bank balance in the black-

1- The first would be to mimic the two said restaurants with hell-bent superior cooking at affordable prices.
2- Or go totally high end and esoteric to achieve one Michelin star and charge the earth for a Tandoori woodcock.
3- Lastly perhaps the safest and most assured way would be to stay totally generic and preferably suburban at the same time. A win-win situation, a place where the Chicken tikka masala is an absolute de rigeur.

Curry Paradise belongs to the third category, the manager knows the names of the regulars and the regulars expect him to know what to place on the table within half an hour. From what I recalled the only two decent things were a rather good service and there were actually some substantial plump king prawns swimming in the Karahi dish. That’s all and ‘nuff said.

• Added: 18th of November 2008
• Area: Oxford Circus
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W1W 8AF
020 7580 4849

bellaphon said
Salubrious broth
When you find yourself in times of trouble or feeling an absolute downer there’s absolutely nothing better than a heart-warming bowl of chicken soup as a remedy. Especially so if this delicious concoction is additionally laden with Kneidlach (matzo ball), Kreplach (beef dumpling) and the all-important noodles to achieve that Full Monty effect.

I love coming to Harry Morgan, the food here is good, generous and affordable. The small dining space is bright and cheery, however if you do decide to come here for lunch may I suggest you pop in earlier than usual to avoid any disappointment as it’s only limited to 20 seats. Service is admirable when quiet but erratic when the takeaway crowds start to come in at 1pm. The elegant sandwich and bagel platters are pretty huge, but be forewarned on the fact that the salt beef is not on par with the one found at Selfridges.

No service charge and more than adequate lunch for under a tenner.

• Added: 13th of November 2008
• Area: Oxford Circus
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W1W 8AD
020 7636 9671

bellaphon said
Daylight need not apply.

This greasy spoon café (GSC) is located in a loveless basement in an area that’s already strewn with the likes of Carluccio’s (their first ever branch incidentally), Strada and Apostrophe (yuck!). As far as I know this place has been here since pretty much time immemorial.

The newish lovely lady owner reminded me that the whole place had been refurbed (still looks forlorn IMO) and the menu slightly revised to reflect the 21st century’s obsession with healthy eating. Well, I’m having none of that as I came here purely for the Full English. The inclusive tea came in a pot and was a decent enough brew. The fry-up was gregarious in quantity, satisfactory tasting and like all greasy spoon fayre; tremendously good value. The only tiff I have is why do most GSCs including this one insist on serving up horrible tasting MRM (mechanically recovered/reclaimed meat) sausages, I’m sure that going for the Wall’s variety instead will still pass as ok and won’t break their budget. Brill service nonetheless.

Despite the rant, this is still a haven and a near oasis of calm from the madness of Oxford Circus.

Enjoy.

• Added: 12th of November 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1U 7JA
020 7935 4556

bellaphon said
Sporty Bar/Pub with a half decent Thai attached.
Spurs 4 Liverpool 2 - I’m never coming back here.

Not the cheapest pint of beer or stout in London, but at least the bitter was well kept. But then again the Thai food served here isn’t so bad. I asked the young Thai lady at the bar what she might order for herself from the menu. Without hesitation she pointed to the Kaeng Panang Kai (Thai Red chicken curry with coconut milk, chilli, pepper and sweet basil leaves) with a diner specified option of spicy or Thai spicy. Being the real man I’m (see ‘bellaphon’ isn’t that feminine after all as it might suggest!), I plumped for the Thai spicy and it suitably set my tongue on fire and I sweated like a porker for the rest of the evening. It was to be fair a tasty curry boosted with an accompaniment of decent egg fried rice enlivened with dark soy sauce. My companion’s dainty and passable Beef Pad Thai, although not huge in portion, was more than enough for her.

No, I’m never coming back if matches involving England, the All Blacks, Liverpool or Arsenal are shown live here (to see any of them loose would be tantamount to…). However I would quite happily come back for the Thai food alone and just maybe watch the Springboks humiliate Les Bleus.