• Added: 18th of October 2008
• Area: Paris
• Category: Hotels and Travel

Paris 75009
+33148783180

foodbymark said
Hotel Amour
Hotel Amour caused quite a stir when it opened a couple of years ago by graffiti artist Monsieur André (of super hip Le Baron and Le Paris Paris night clubs) and his friend Lionel. This hotel has appeared on hot lists (Conde Nast Traveller’s 2007 Hot List) and Hip Guides.

Outside the hotel quietly buzzes a pink neon “Amour” sign in a quiet street only a stones throw from La Pigalle, in the very much up and coming South Pigalle (SoPi) area of Paris. There are 20 rooms in the hotel each designed by Artist or designer friend of the owners ranging from lime green with a wet room to glossy black with a baths at the end of the bed. These include the Artistic styles of Sophie Calle and Pierre Le Tan, and it must be noted that there are no phones nor TVs. On entering the hotel the reception is just about the smallest you will have ever encountered in a hotel, about the size of a postage stamp, or a broom cupboard complete with photocopier where the receptionist might stand.

Our room had glossy black floors, walls and ceiling, with a bath at the end of the room (in the room) and a tiny WC which doubled as a wardrobe. The bed was comfortable and warm, the shower whilst a pain to use in this open plan configuration, it was powerful and hot, and you are provided with good quality plush towels and luxury Kiehl’s goodies. You cannot help but notice the Yanagi butterfly stool and other designer items around the room and the hotel as well as the dodgy pornographic books in the rooms and images on the walls all over the hotel.

I felt the highlight of the hotel experience was the lively bistro on the ground floor which was busy with Parisians as well as guests. During Spring and late Summer the little courtyard at the back is perfect all night parties and lazy afternoons drinking coffee. The food here is simple but good French home cooking with staples such as Steak Tartare and Argentinian Steak frites over lunch and dinner and standard fare over breakfast.

For dinner after a gig we returned to the hotel bistro at 11.30pm. The bistro was very busy especially considering it was a Monday night. I ordered the grilled Onglet of Veal, with shallots, haricots verts and mushrooms. EUR 17. The veal was beautifully tender and cooked exactly to spec. Rare and the second Veal of the day for me! The bistro was so dark I was unable to tell by looking at it at the time but the photo below is testament to this. Even the vegetarian on our table admitted to being jealous. Even the salty butter was moreish and delicious.

Breakfast at 9am consisted of oeufs brouillés – three eggs scrambled and a coffee. EUR 11. A little too “wet” for me but very good when compared to the standard lumpy heat lamp hardened hotel scrambled eggs. The butter again was delicious, I wanted to a massive chunk home with me!

I had a good experience here making good use of the bistro and the bar until the very early hours of the morning much to the displeasure of the barstaff. The staff are young and as trendy (and thin) as the clientele who seem to be a mixture of fashionistas, singletons and artists. I would recommend this to open minded single travellers or young couples and to these, Hotel Amour is a great place to drink, eat, sleep, and meet interesting people. It is certainly not for everyone though. Rooms are from EUR 105 for a single and EUR 140 for a double. Rates go up during Fashion week or fashion events.

• Added: 14th of October 2008
• Area: Paris
• Category: Restaurants

Paris 75018
+33146068477

foodbymark said
A bargain gastronomic lunch...
The Moulin de La Galette, the last Montmartre windmill, was painted by many famous painters including Renoir, Van Gogh, and Picasso, and is situated near the top of the Montmartre district in Paris. Often that you find yourself disappointed by famous places as they do not meet expectations. With a rich and vibrant history dating back to the 18th Century it is does not disappoint.

Ordering was quick and easy by way of a friendly bi-lingual waiter. My starter of a terrine of boiled Chicken with vegetables and Duck Foie Gras accompanied by a Horseradish Fine Mousse and Mustard Seeds and a little side salad. An absolutely perfect start and fantastic cooking and presentation. For my main course I chose the veal which was off menu. Out came some beautifully cooked veal on a bed of sauteed potatoes, shredded cabbage, onions, olives, and mushrooms all gracefully garnished. For dessert - Gâteau aux noix, mousse légère aux marrons, Sorbet au lait d’Amande. A moist yet dense walnut cake accompanied by a velvety smooth Almond Milk Sorbet and a smoky light Chestnut mousse.

Every course was perfect, and in reality just the right portions for lunch. Service was quick perhaps a little too prompt given that we were prepared to stretch the lunch out. At 25 Euros for the three courses and coffee, lunch here is a bargain. This restaurant is a hidden gem full of history in a beautiful area of Paris. A true Parisian landmark atop this restaurant, which could've so easily be turned into a tourist trap has instead been turned into a trendy and gastronomically notable bistro by Michelin-starred chefs Antoine Heerah and Cédric Bernard. Excellent!

(for more photos, go to my blog!)

• Added: 12th of October 2008
• Area: Barcelona
• Category: Restaurants

Barcelona 8039

foodbymark said
High-altitude modern Medterranean cuisine
The 360-degree view of Barcelona that can been seen from this ex-light tower sets your head spinning with its magnificence. Rising to 75 metres above sea level by way of a private lift from ground level, you have spectacular views of the city, the beaches, and the sea all below you and rising and rolling hills that surround the city.

The luxury restaurant has a modern and cosmopolitan feel and attracts a more discerning clientelle but during lunch service is perhaps a bit more relaxed. Typically the restaurant gets busy at around 3pm on a Friday afternoon.

With such an array of dishes ordered between the three of us, the highlight starter was the Futomaki de bogavante azul - Tartar Stew of Royal Crab. A superbly fresh tartar of crabmeat with a curiously refreshing melon gazpacho and mint caviar, spherication for a touch of molecular gastronomy. And one of the main reasons for the dinner, the Arroz de langosta, a paella rice dish with deshelled succulently cooked sea fresh lobster served in a fish soup added at the table. Such perfect rice, with grains that fall away from each other with ease, cooked to the right level of al dente. With so much food between the three of us, the dessert was a little too much but beautiful nevertheless.

The cuisine is high-class, high-altitude Mediterranean cooking, with modern interpretations of Spanish and Catalan classics, mainly seafood, with international influences. The view is spectacular and during the day you are able to see the rolling hills, gothic architecture and shimmering blue Mediterranean. With a view to match the excellent food. This is one of the top restaurants in Barcelona and worth a visit if you have a heavy wallet to unload. Expect to spend around £90 a head here.

• Added: 12th of October 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 6HT
020 7494 1271

foodbymark said
Ultimately disappointing
Having just come back from Barcelona I felt the urge to eat Spanish food and a quick net search pointed us at Cafe Espana. Cafe Espana certainly has a lot to live up to - The reviews on lots of sites were glowing, apart from some tell tale reviews from various sites. With expectations set high, it is easy to be let down. The restaurant itself is extremely cramped and we were levered into our tiny area by the stairs upstairs. I had to be careful not to knock the table behind my chair as I skillfully squatted and slid into my seat.

We chose the seafood paella. Paella is the quintessential Spanish dish perhaps one of the best ways of judging a restaurant. Whilst we were able to order very quickly, the dish took 55 minutes to arrive and all we had to quench our hunger was some freshly cut stale bread and a little butter.

When the food did finally arrive, the dish was certainly impressive looking and enough to feed a family of four. But we were quickly disappointed. Whilst seafood ingredients were seemingly plentiful, there were only two king prawns and the rest were tiny shrimps in their shells so small that after you had gone through the effort or deshelling them, there was only smallest crayfish sized shrimp - the effort was hardly worth it. The mussels had been so cooked that they had shrunken and become chewy, the fish was full of bones, the calamari was tough and chewy and we had an assortment of peas ranging of brilliant fresh green to dull brown and mushy. And worst of all the rice had become mushy. Paella rice should be dry and separate when done, not creamy like risotto.

Risotto di mare, with two glasses of house white came to £27. Perhaps in hindsight we should've ordered tapas and perhaps it was a bad day for the restaurant's kitchen. The cooking is standard Spanish fare and there are certainly no culinary flares. Their home style food at knock down prices has certainly won fans but I dare to disagree and unfortunately the Paella here gets two thumbs down.

• Added: 12th of October 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Take Aways

London EC1R 5HA
0844 477 1111

foodbymark said
Convenient but disappointing
Ordering online with Deliverance is an convenient and easy as can be. The website is well designed although there are some features missing or hidden. We placed our order at 19:22 for 20:15 (ASAP) delivery and it did in fact arrive at exactly the right time.

The Deliverance Special pizza had good quality toppings and was rather good. But it wasn't hot. The Chicken Tikka Masala was a slightly different affair. Whilst the chicken chunks are substantial, they are not "Tikka" marinated Tandoor oven cooked but just large chunks of chicken breast meat cooked in a Masala style sauce, it was not what I was expecting. The same went for the Pilau Rice which was flavourless and ultimately both were very disappointing. We finished with the £6 ice cream, not made by Deliverance but by Jude's - Dark chocolate with Chocolate Chunks.

Let's not be mislead. Deliverance is purely for ease and convenience. The food is so terribly inconsistent that any item of the menu could be inedible to plesantly surpringly and sometimes with hints of inspiration. Not this time I'm afraid and paying £28.50 for this stamps "mug" all over my face.

• Added: 11th of October 2008
• Area: Barcelona
• Category: Restaurants

Barcelona 08018

foodbymark said
Bargains...
Cafeteria Almirall is in an area of rapid redevelopment also known as the Innovation District (previously known as the Catalan Manchester). With its location very much out of the tourist area, it's very unlikely that you will randomly come across this place by chance.

Lunch is a set menu in Spanish and unfortunately neither of the waiters was able to speak English. As soon as I had ordered my food and bottle of sparkling water a basket and slightly tough bread arrived. First course was spinach tagliatelle with bolognese sauce with accompanying plate of freshly grated parmesan cheese, pleasant and filling. This was followed by Calamares - whole baby squid with garlic butter and a side salad. Another good dish. I chose a Mandarin Tart from the trolley to finish with. Certainly pleasant.

At 10 euros the meal is an absolute bargain especially when I went to pay for my meal and found that my drink was also included in the deal, in addition to a coffee. I was amazed at the sheer value and the food wasn't bad. Not great but good for 10 Euros. You would be very hard pressed to find a comparison in London.

• Added: 10th of October 2008
• Area: Barcelona
• Category: Restaurants

Barcelona 08003
93 310 79 61

foodbymark said
Noisy fun!
Cal Pep is a favourite amongst locals and highly regarded as serving the very best in tapas in downtown Barcelona and perhaps all of city. It is a short walk from the Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar. There is no menu and everything served is on a day by day market fresh basis. Chef Pep personally goes to the markets in the morning to get the freshest of produce and so for example, if the baby octopus is not good in the morning, you will not be able to order it that day.

We arrived after 9pm on a Thursday night and it took over half an hour to be seated at the bar which is, I am told, the best place to enjoy the food - right in front of the action. You are advised to get a drink and look at what everyone else is eating and devise what you would like to eat. With eyes far bigger than our stomachs we ordered dishes including tuna steak tartare, sea bass, beautifully cooked steak with sautéed potatoes, chickpeas and baby octopus, fresh clams with garlic butter (almost as if they were plucked from the sea fresh), fried whitebait with a fried egg and more.

Seven dishes with traditional bread lightly brushed with tomatoes, and garlic, a bottle of rioja, a glass of cava, an espresso and a spanish coffee (cognac and coffee shot) came to just over EUR120. The service is fun with constantly joking staff and the wine is fantastic. Locals do still go which is surely a great sign. I look forward to returning to Barcelona on a holiday trip and visiting Cal Pep again!

(edited as I wrote this whilst drunk and it was badly written)

• Added: 8th of October 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M2 6LW
01618 347633

foodbymark said
Almost a good value lunch
We had a friendly waitress, who most importantly plugged my blackberry and charger into the nearest available power point, which was behind the bar. It was her first day and she was eager to help. We were seated by windows on rattan seats with views of the Albert Square. After ordering, we were served reasonably fresh baguette served with a choice of beurre douce d'Isigny and the delicious Beurre d'anchois (anchovy butter).

I had ordered the Salade Poulet - chopped lettuce with chicken, citron mayonnaise, and 2 slices of baguette toast. Unfortunately pretty bland cubes of breast meat over some romaine, little gem and posh lettuce leaves.

My main of Tajine de légumes, a Morrocan Casserole with vegetables and chick peas, served with cous cous was as described. The vegetables weren't overcooked and soggy which was good but the flavour felt incomplete. At least I felt healthier for eating it.

The toilets were a little musty and unpleasant smelling but the rest of the restaurant was clean. At a cost of £8.95 for the two courses, the meal could've been great value if the dishes had been a little more flavourful and interesting.

• Added: 7th of October 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M4 1HS

foodbymark said
Average...
After disappointingly finding that the Northern Quarter Bar and Grill was shut on a Sunday night, our hunger drove us to the nearest visible restaurant... the rather orange looking Sweet Mandarin. The six of us piled into the restaurant to be greeted by friendly staff. The menu consisted of dishes with names not dissimilar to those found in any average Chinese restaurant with typical south-east Asian influences.

I ordered the sesame prawn Fingers (£4.20) which sounded a little more interesting that what actually arrived on my plate, sesame prawn toast. Perhaps they should cut the pieces of toast into strips or soldiers... For mains, I had Firecracker Chicken (£9) - chicken cooked with fried chilli peppers, chive buds, and fried garlic (close enough to the traditional recipe which should also include Shaoxing wine in the marinade) and sprinkled with cashew nuts. This was accompanied by egg fried rice (£2.50). The chicken was unfortunately not tender enough and the egg rice pretty average.

I didn't have high expectations so wasn't that disappointed, more disappointed with my first choice of restaurant being closed. The service was attentive, quick and friendly but unfortunately I have to say that the food I had ordered was pretty average and uninspiring and I am certain you could find similar quality Chinese cooking for less in China Town.

• Added: 3rd of October 2008
• Area: Leicester Square
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 5PJ
020 7434 3838

foodbymark said
Hakkasan inspired Chinese Cuisine...
It is a brave move for any restauranteur, in this case Jimmy Kong of New Fook Lam Moon, to open a new chinese restaurant in China town, and part of the attraction was former Hakkasan chef, Chee Loong Cheong, in the kitchen. Earlier in the day I came come across a review of Haozhan on Eat Like A Girl (Niamh from Trustedplaces).

The menu is not like that of an ordinary Chinese restaurant with much shorter list of tinges of Japanese, Taiwanese and Malay inspired Chinese dishes. I have to add that there are other inspired dishes such as Marmite prawns and baked silver cod with champagne and honey (very Hakkasan!).

Our dinner started with Curried Soft Shell Crab and Grilled Dumplings. Both delicious and presented well. Mains, served with perfectly steamed fragrant Thai rice were Sanpei Chicken, a clay pot dish of chicken cooked with three wines, and Haozhan Tofu, four silk-soft dessert tofu cubes with a puréed spinach top, carefully deep-fried topped with a firm sweet scallops garnished with fish roe - the contrast of texture and flavour of which are perfect. The meal was finished with Banana Kataifi and the Cream of Pumpkin. First being hard to eat and messy and the latter probably the most perfect way to finish the dinner if you must insist on having a dessert after a chinese meal.

I really like what Haozhan is doing. Clean, friendly and modern Chinese... in often unreliable China Town. The service is polite, prompt and friendly. Our waiters were eager to help. Just a touch over £46 for two appertisers, two mains, two dessert and tea for two plus tip.

This review is shortened version of the review which can be found on my blog with photos: http://foodbymark.blogspot.com/2008/10/haozhan-china-town-w1.html