BEAST

London, UK

London’s latest arrival on the culinary scene comes courtesy of the team that have brought us the delicious Goodman Steakhouse and the London breakout, and now staple: Burger and Lobster. Suffice it to say expectations were high and our palettes restlessly eager to try what new offerings were to be bestowed upon us in this new mecca of meat and crab. Some important facts to know about Beast, firstly it offers a set menu consisting of beef as a first course and crab as the second, so if you’re a vegetarian this place is not for you. As a matter of fact considering how good it is, if you’re a vegetarian it’s about time to consider eating meat (no offence intended). Secondly, Beast accommodates its diners on communal dining tables in its candle lit dining room; three dining tables sculpted of heavy wood and set with candelabras, creating a medieval and equally mystical vibe to the restaurant, one of a wine cellar almost. One last and important detail to note is that dinner at Beast costs £75 a head excluding drink and dessert.

Now in terms of my experience at Beast; it was nothing short of sensational. Arriving at the restaurant, the ambience on its ground entrance floor is quite the antithesis to what was to come after. The entrance features an oversized beast (bear) sculpture in a triple height glazed and marble floored lobby, giving it a very corporate and sterile ambience. Once my reservation details were gathered by the maître-d, I was shown to the lift to take me down to the restaurant. In the basement, a waitress addressing me by my name (nice personal touch) was waiting and escorted my party and me to our side of the table. Moments after being seated, a smiling waiter briefed us on the concept of the restaurant, took our drink orders and prompted an oncoming waiter to serve us with the antipasti. The antipasti consisted of parmesan cheese (a whole wheel of parmesan was presented) with pickled onions, artichokes and olives. We nibbled on parmesan while sipping our wine until our first course arrived: the meat. The beef served at Beast is Nebraskan beef, served in a New Orleans style steak, which basically means one thing: it’s delicious. The meat was of an exceptionally high quality, which is to be expected from the patrons of Goodman steakhouse. Cooked to medium, it was tender, juicy and melted in my mouth. The steak was served with a side of a smoked tomato salad, green salad and asparagus as well as a delicious creamed truffle sauce to compliment the steak. The tomato salad was divine, and the truffle sauce heavenly although the steak was too good to have a sauce with it; instead I enjoyed it with the grilled asparagus. Upon completing our meat we were given at our request a 10-minute break until the crab arrived. The King Crab from Norway surpassed any crabmeat I have had (excluding a clambake in Cape Cod years ago), extra-large in size and rich in meat and just simply heavenly. Despite how full we already were we could not resist ordering dessert and opted for one of each type: the cheesecake and the lemon mousse. The lemon mousse had an excellent texture and a refreshing zest, and the cheesecake that was a deconstructed concoction of bliss just blew my mind. The whole experience at Beast was a triumph, and as it slowly garners attention it will undoubtedly become an ‘it’ place contending among the London heavy weights.

Update: Beast now also has an a la carte menu. 

www.beastrestaurant.co.uk

LOMA LINDA

México DF, México

Restaurante Loma Linda is a historical restaurant in Mexico City's Chapultepec area. After overdosing on seafood for a week, I was excited to go to this reputable Argentinian steak place. We had made reservations at the semi-covered terrace, but we were 15 minutes late, so the table was given away. They seem to be quite strict with timing tables in Mexico, as several times on this trip we lost our spot when we were a bit late. After some discussion we managed to get another table in the beautiful and green pergola area. The terrace seating is very popular not only because of the warm weather, but because you are still allowed to smoke in these in Mexico. We started with a dish I had heard about before going to Mexico, called chori-queso, which consists of lots of melted cheese with bits of chorizo in it. You simply put it in a soft taco, and enjoy greasy deliciousness. We then shared two different cuts of steak. Both were served on a hot plate, so we quickly threw all of it unto our plates to make sure the rare beef didn’t overcook on the table. Next to it were fried onions with green chillies that should not be mistaken for Spanish padrón peppers. I was luckily warned that they were very spicy, so I stayed away. As sides we had crispy fries with truffle oil and a simple salad with lots of crunch and freshness to the vegetables. As with most of our lunches in Mexico, the food was accompanied by lots of classic margaritas on the rocks, and the ones at Loma Linda were served to an archetypal perfection. This restaurant also prides themselves on their homemade desserts. We were all very full, so we only shared one piece of cheesecake between the four of us. It was very good, but I generally prefer lighter desserts after a meal like this. I was so happy with all of the food that I forgot to photograph it until I was full, thus you only see the reject pieces of meat that cooked a bit too much on the sizzle platter. I loved Loma Linda, both for the consistency of the quality of the dishes and for the peaceful setting. Lots more posts from my trip to Mexico to follow. 

www.lomalinda.com.mx

MAMITA QUE CHORIZO

London, UK

Mamita Que Chorizo is a gem of a sandwich restaurant newly opened at the quieter end of Rivington Street in Shoreditch. Currently running as a BYOB pop-up restaurant, it is only open Thursdays to Saturdays, and is temporarily housed inside a Turkish kebab shop operating during the daylight hours. We visited Mamita Que Chorizo on a Thursday evening after work, and upon arrival we were immediately greeted with friendly smiles and a very warm welcome indeed. In all honesty, we were quite surprised when we arrived, as we did not expect it to be housed within a Turkish kebab shop and were briefly turned off by the kebab pictures mounted on the glass front; a momentary lapse in judgment, because what was to follow was pure delight. We started off our meal by sampling the empanadas, which are deep fried stuffed pastries from South America. We tried two versions of these; one was stuffed with minced meat and the other with cheese. Both were perfectly deep fried and succulent and very fresh (a bit too hot in the first couple of bites; so take your time eating them!) Out of the two our favorite had to be the one stuffed with cheese as it just melted in our mouths and made us excited to try what was coming next. And what came next was nothing short of heavenly: the steak sandwich, apparently their specialty and most popular dish. The steak was perfectly cooked and came served with roasted peppers, mustard, and wild rocket; it was simple enough to be the perfectly delicious sandwich, and exceptionally rich in flavor and texture. Another delight was their vegetarian mushroom sandwich, which at first we were quite skeptical about; being a vegetarian sandwich and just having eaten amazing meat. After our first bite of the sandwich all of our reservations were put to sleep. This sandwich is unbelievably delicious and creamy, oozing with so many flavors. Stuffed with goat’s cheese, it comes served in a bun with rocket, parsley, lemon juice and a chimi-churri sauce. If only all vegetarian sandwiches tasted this good! Their eponymous Chorizo sandwich is quite unusual, as the sausage is a mixture or beef and pork, giving it an interesting texture and a pale colour. The skin at times difficult to chew over, but the special flavour of this meat more than made up for it. The end of our meal left us stuffed, with the cheesiest smiles cemented on our faces. We were so full that we had to cancel the pulled pork and ox tongue sandwiches, and instead come back to try these some other time. This is good quality food; unpretentious and full of love. Mamita Que Chorizo is a place with lots of passion, and this is evident in the quality of the food and the caring attention of its wonderful staff. If you haven’t tried it, do so and you will not regret it (a food grid promise).

22 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DY

 We were invited to review Mamita que Chorizo, and the opinions expressed are our own.

BEDUA

Bedua is a restaurant located in Zumaia, in the northern Basque countryside of Spain just 20 minutes away from the seaside town of San Sebastian. Over time the restaurant has established itself as a culinary hotspot among locals and more increasingly tourists, as it continues to serve excellent quality and authentic food in a picturesque and serene setting. Bedua is nicely perched between hills overlooking vast expanses of farmland, much of which belong to restaurant, which locally grows all its ingredients on site. The restaurant itself is housed within a medieval ancient house dating back to the 15^th century, where its rustic interiors compliment the traditional offerings on their very simple and straightforward menu. Primarily specializing in steak, Bedua also offers a choice of delicious appetisers as well as seafood as an alternative to the meat. Accompanied by our Spanish friend, who has become a regular at Bedua, he naturally ordered for us, and his choices did not disappoint. We started with the Tortilla de Patata (potato omelette), the Pimientos Verde (grilled baby green peppers), the Panache de Verduras (a salad of mixed vegetables) as well as a Nicoise style salad, which came served with white asparagus. Even the simplest vegetables, such as the locally grown iceberg lettuce, had so much flavour and crunch. Collectively, all the appetisers were delicious and settled easily into our very hungry stomachs, and just opened up our appetites for our main dish. For the main we were served with the house special, the Chuleton a la Parrilla (the grilled steak), which we got to pick and approve prior to the chef grilling it. The steak was cooked medium rare and goes down as being one of the best steaks I have ever enjoyed. Only sprinkled with salt and without any sauces to distract from the quality of the steak, the taste of the meat was explosive; it could convert a vegan into a carnivorous diner. There is not much more to say about the food except: wow! What I love about Bedua is the simplicity of the recipes of what is being cooked, where the focus is on the quality of the ingredients. This is a true barometer of excellent food.

GI-3760  20750 Zumaia, Gipuzkoa, Spain

TWO PLUS

When in Korea, do as the Koreans do. So it’s fair to say that on my latest trip to Seoul I overdosed on Korean BBQ, it is just common sense to do so! Korean BBQ in Seoul is very popular and quite standard, where most joints offer the usual Bulgogi, which are strips of marinated beef, as well as Galbi that are either pork or beef ribs. Such a set up along with the usual trimmings of Kimchi (fermented vegetables), Japchae (stir fried potato noodles) and Gyeran Jim (steamed egg casserole) are what one usually expects along with a lot of Soju and Beer. Two Plus on the other hand provided a completely different experience, which was quite a relief, as after 10 days in Seoul I wanted to shake things up a little. Located in the posh Sinsa-dong province in Gangnam, Two Plus is a modern take on a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant with a very cosmopolitan vibe, and a rather westernized ambience. What’s special about Two Plus is that instead of only offering the typical meat selection one will find at any BBQ place, the have their specialty Aged Striploin. The Striploin at Two Plus happens to be 1++ Hanwoo grade beef (the highest for beef), thus the name Two Plus. Top-grade hanwoo is Korea’s counterpart to Japan’s wagyu. It was therefore obvious what we ordered. The meat, which arrived raw, was thick, juicy and generous in its portions. We were a party of 6 and hence ordered 6 steaks at 150 grams a piece. Once on the grill we each cooked our own steak to our liking. I cooked parts of mine to rare, and some to medium rare. The taste was merely that of quality, it undoubtedly rivals wagyu beef, which makes me think: Why is wagyu so much more popular? The meat melted in my mouth and was un-spoilt with any sauces or condiments, pure decadence. Words cannot do this beef justice. Along with many bottles of Soju and Beer this was by far the best Korean BBQ I have had in Seoul.      

Yeyoung Bldg. 532-9 Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

TRANCHER

Trancher is an entrecôte restaurant in Oslo, Norway. It is located in the lively Grünerløkka, the city’s equivalent of Shoreditch in London. There is only one main course on the menu: roasted entrecôte. They also have a small range of starters and sides, which makes choosing easy. I went for the small steak with potato gratin, onions and mushrooms and chips on the side. You cannot choose how well done you want the steak, as it comes from one large piece roasted whole. The trade mark salad that is served in all steak places like this forms the first impression of the restaurant, and it was unfortunately not a very good one. The dressing tasted too strongly of mustard and there was a lot of water in it. It didn’t do the place justice, as the rest of the meal was much better. The food arrived swiftly, after we had a few sips of a decent Côtes du Rhône. To me the beef was a perfect size, although one of my friends regretted not having ordered the large size. It was however a tad too cold by the time I had arranged all the different sides and sauces on my plate. It was very tender however, and I enjoyed it. I tried most of the sauces, and my favourite was the delicious and punchy peppercorn gravy. Another interesting and successful condiment was the foie gras butter. I wasn’t fond of the mushrooms, but both types of potatos were good. Even though there were several things that were far from perfection, I liked Trancher a lot because it felt like a falvoursome, home cooked meal, and the price is also very reasonable.

Thorvald Meyers Gate 78, Grünerløkka, 0550 Oslo, Norway

KIMCHEE

Kimchee is a huge Korean restaurant in Holborn, with an equally extensive menu. After queuing for a short while in their cosy garden-like waiting area, we were seated by the window bar. The interior reminds me of the Busaba Eathai chain; sleek but not too authentic-looking. The waiter was ready to take our orders immediately even though you need a good 10 minutes to even get your head around the large selection of dishes. We started with fermented cabbage kimchee, which I am still not convinced that I managed to make myself like, but from what I can judge I think it was a pretty good one. We shared everything, and went for the Yang Yeum fried chicken in chilli sauce. I already knew I liked this from Han Kang, and even though it was quite different here, I loved it. It is a tad spicy, so it’s good to have some white rice on the side to calm it down. Another successful dish was the Marinated Rib Eye with garlic and sesame oil. It also came with an amazing red sauce that tasted like miso paste. The Soft Shell Crab didn’t impress me, but this was perhaps due to the fact that I was starting to get quite full by then. The Pa Jeon seafood pancake was ok, but again not spectacular. The thing that I was the most excited about, Portobello Mushroom with garlic and sesame, didn’t taste of anything at all. It was a meal of ups and downs, but I do think I would go there again now that I’ve ruled out some things that I won’t order. 

71 High Holborn, Loncon WC1V 6EA

LA CUCARACHA

La Cucaracha is a French restaurant, with a bit of inspiration taken from across the border in Spain. It is located in Bidart, near the charming town Biarritz in the South-West of France.  I have been to this place three times now, as I love the atmosphere and the food. Their house special salad is a must, although its contents change often, so it's not always equally good. The last time I went it was served with calamari fritti, but I enjoyed it the most when it came with grilled scallops. The faux filet is juicy and amazing, and the portion is huge. The two-person serving is more than enough for three, given you supplement it with some of their delicious starters too. The oven-baked mussels with butter and cheese are a must, as is a plate of Serrano ham and bruschetta. If you are not in the mood for a huge steak, go for one of their fresh, grilled seafood dishes. The house rosé wine is wonderfully pale, but their cocktail mixing skills are not good. Stick to the wine. La Cucaracha is always lively, especially when the anthem of the Bayonne rugby team is played to commemorate the birthday of a guest. The older crowd (60 +) gets up to sing and dance, and I really want to go back there one day far off in the future to celebrate my 65^th birthday and have the time of my life.

Rue de l'Hubahia, 64210 Bidart, France