31 Jul 2013

CEVICHE

Ceviche is a hip Peruvian kitchen in Soho’s Frith Street, where I first noticed it across the road while queuing outside Koya.  I finally got around to booking a table, which needs to be done some time in advance, although they leave some space for drop-ins too. The waiters recommend sharing everything, with 2 -3 dishes per person. We got a selection of hot and cold dishes, starting with the Don Ceviche of seabass and sweet potato, Drunk Scallops with pisco and pomegranate and a few vegetarian dishes. Out of all the cold dishes, my favourite was the scallops. They were really light and fresh, although it was a tiny portion considering its price of £ 11. Slightly surprisingly, the best stuff came when we were served the hot dishes. The confit duck was amazing with its crispy skin, the Lomo Saltado beef fillet had a powerful meat taste, and the Pulpo y Chorizo was a heavenly grilled skewer of juicy octopus and greasy chorizo. Many of the dishes were served with choclo corn, a large pale corn type with a nutty flavour. The corn was so good that next time I go I would ask if they could just give me a whole plate of that. One negative for me, was that nearly every dish was quite spicy, so I was out of breath throughout the meal. An additional stress factor was the noise level and the loud music that they kept turning up throughout the evening. Overall I was impressed, but it wasn't perfect. I went to Ceviche expecting a light, cold meal, but I happily ended up very full on their delicious hot dishes.    







17 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4RG 


Ceviche on Urbanspoon

21 Jul 2013


Little Social, the casual offshoot of Pollen Street Social, has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, and I finally booked a table way in advance. Even though this is the ‘cheaper’ version in the 'Social' group, it is still a pretty upmarket restaurant. We got a great table, the only one by the window. Nevertheless it was quite dark, due to the dim lights and the dark leather booth interior. There were some nice maps and pictures on the walls, but I don’t think they quite managed to achieve the relaxed, bistro look they were going for, as it looks a bit fake. The menu is a fusion of English and French food. I went for the Steak Tartare with a quail egg, which was very cute, but I did want a bigger egg. The meat tasted very fresh, it was almost the perfect steak tartare. For my main I had the braised Irish ox cheek with bone marrow and horseradish mash. The ox was amazingly tender and yummy, and the roast marrow tasted kind of like caramel. My companions who had the cote de boeuf, lamb, and crab salad were all very pleased with the food as well. We drank some great wine and champagne, which the sommelier convenitently went across the street to the Michelin starred main restaurant to pick up. After the main course I was really full, but had to try the strawberry and yogurt foam dessert. It was refreshing and full of flavour. The service was great, the atmosphere cool and the sound levels allowed us to have a conversation. Little Social lives up to its reputation!








 8/10 Pollen Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 1NE


Little Social on Urbanspoon

17 Jul 2013

BYRON - BIG B

Amidst the ongoing burger craze in London, Byron has launched a limited time special burger called: Big B. The burger is allegedly inspired by their latest research trip to Los Angeles; obviously a place with great burgers (In N Out Land!) I tried the Big B at the end of what was a very busy burger week for me having been to Shake Shack twice already, Five Guys and Lucky 7. To say the least I was almost ‘burgered’ out, but I was determined to try the Big B. As usual I ordered my burger with an ice cold coke and a side of French fries. The burger looks delicious packed with two juicy meat patties, with melted American cheese, onions and pickles, all of which are sandwiched between two potato buns. Oozing of deliciousness in its appearance, the taste unfortunately did not match what I saw or expected. Don’t get me wrong, the quality of the burger is really high, but it did not possess a special flavor for it be labeled as a limited time burger; especially a grandiose label such as Big B. The meat however was of excellent quality and was cooked medium to my liking. Although the potato bun provided some sweetness it did not work well with the rest of the ingredients, a brioche bun would have been ideal as it wouldn’t have been too chewy. However, with all that’s said and done, I am glad I tried the Big B and even though it does not rank highly on the Hanger Meter I would still recommend it. The Big B is served until the 26th of August.





222 Kensington High Street London W8 7RG


Byron on Urbanspoon

16 Jul 2013


Around Kings Cross you can sometimes be strapped for choice when it comes to picking a place for lunch, especially when you work here. I went to the Harrison last week during one of my lunch breaks, it is not a usual lunch time spot and thus it was a nice change of pace. The Harrison is a small pub located on Harrison Street just off Gray’s Inn Road, and unless one is familiar with the area it can easily go by unnoticed. On such a warm and sunny day we sat outside on their benches which are quite worn down but did not bother me too much. After waiting almost 20 minutes for our order to be taken, I ordered the Harrison beef burger, whereas my friends ordered the Fish and Chips and the Goat Cheese Salad. The burger was a classic served with French fries, and it was really delicious. Even though the beef patty was a bit too thick for my liking, the meat was excellent. What I liked about the burger was its simplicity in both its ingredients and presentation; it only came served with lettuce, tomato and ketchup. The French fries were crispy and crunched perfectly at every bite. The goats cheese salad was served on a bed of roasted butternut squash and beetroot, dressed with a balsamic reduction. The salad was light and the grilled goat cheese was an ample choice for such a hot summer day. The fish and chips were quite typical and did not blow our minds, but were nonetheless tasty. Overall the food dining experience was above average although the service was really slow and made us quite agitated, as such I would not recommend anyone to go out of their way to eat at the Harrison but if ever in the area it is worth the visit. 

28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, London WC1H 8JF


Harrison Gastro Pub on Urbanspoon

15 Jul 2013

TRULLO

Trullo is a small Italian restaurant in Islington with a short and mouth-watering menu that changes daily. I chose the most deliciously heavy dishes available, without a green vegetable in sight. We started with sharing some large, fresh olives and a glass of light rosé prosecco. I then had the Pici with golden garlic and parmesan, a hand rolled pasta which is amazing but filling despite it being a starter. The chilled almond soup with garlic and olive oil was a completely new flavour and texture to me, and very good ones at that. I am slightly allergic to almonds, but the itchy throat was most definitely worth it. I finished with the Papardelle with beef shin ragu. This was also tasty, but needed some salt, which by that time had been removed from our table. After a big and heavy meal, I like to have a light and fruity dessert, but there was no such thing on Trullo’s menu when I was there, so I skipped puddings. I really liked this place, and the Pici alone has enough value for me to want to go back to Trullo as soon as I can. 






300 - 302 St Paul's Road, Islington, London, N1 2LH 



Trullo on Urbanspoon

7 Jul 2013

SHAKE SHACK

Just a day after the opening of Five Guys in London, Shake Shack opened its doors, and for us at the Food Grid it’s all a bit too good to be true. Finally two burger giants from New York have arrived in London; way overdue in our opinion! Shake Shack’s opening certainly did not disappoint, and London welcomed it with open arms in the form of an extraordinarily long queue. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, the layout of this Shake Shack is quite different from its counterparts in New York as the restaurant is spread across several rooms where the ordering booth is separated from the dining areas. These are split into an indoor space (perfect for the chilly winters) and a large dining area under the market canopy, which was the perfect setting on a hot summer day like this. Despite having to wait almost an hour, the line seemed to move quite quickly and smoothly and the staff was kind enough to offer us samplings of their delicious chocolate custard ice cream as well as newspapers, a nice touch. We obviously ordered the Shack Burger, along with a Shack-Cago dog, cheese fries, a vanilla milkshake and the chocolate custard ice cream. The burger was amazingly juicy and the meat tasted sublime. The Shack-Cago dog was equally delicious and I was personally thrilled that it was an all-beef hot dog (a rare find in London). The cheese fries also tasted amazing, and when dipped into the rich vanilla milkshake they were even more phenomenal. This meal left us very happy and with smiles cemented across our faces. There’s not much more to say except than: Does it measure up to the New York Shake Shack? It most certainly does.










Covent Garden Piazza, 24 Market Building, London WC2E 8RD


Shake Shack on Urbanspoon

4 Jul 2013

FIVE GUYS

London has just gotten this much cooler, with the much-anticipated arrival of Five Guys. As burger lovers at the Food Grid we couldn’t be more excited for this American staple to make its mark on the English capital. This was a day for celebration, and not only because it’s Independence Day across the Atlantic! We arrived at the new Five Guys restaurant in Covent Garden around 7pm and were unsurprisingly greeted with a queue that stretched around the block. We expected a long waiting line, but not this long! We quietly joined the end of the line and were quickly given menus by attendants manning the line. Initially instructed that the wait would be a maximum of 50mins… 90mins later we found ourselves at the entrance of the restaurant ready to go in. Having arrived at the counter, we were politely welcomed by the extremely friendly staff and ordered two cheeseburgers, a grilled cheese sandwich and an order of large fries and two sodas. Without having to wait too long our order was ready and we rushed to eat. If you don’t already know this, Five Guys is famous for cooking everything in peanut oil as it is lighter, healthier and we can say definitely yummier. The burgers were perfect; they were the ideal balance between a gourmet burger and a fast food burger. In its presentation it’s nothing more than your average fast food burger, but the taste and quality is that of a gastronome burger. The meat was delicious and the cheese just perfectly melted atop the patties. The sesame bun was also not too thick and chewy and was just slightly toasted giving it a delicate crisp. The hand cut, skin-on chips are a favorite and bear subtle flavours of peanuts and taste much lighter than your average French Fries (the portion was also incredibly generous). The grilled cheese is also delectable and mouthwatering in its simplicity and explosive flavour. With all that’s said and done, was it worth the wait? Absolutely!





1 - 3 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9LH


Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Urbanspoon