MISHKINS

… jazzy jewish fare

http://mishkins.co.uk

25 Catherine St

WC2B 5JS

My long awaited visit to Mishkins was very well received. Created by the talented Russell Norman [big fan], Mishkins is the Jewish NY deli to Polpo’s venetian baccaro. Decorated with the perfect balance of bare brick and funky little booths, mishkins is a great spot for little dishes of tasty food which is fairly priced – wahey! A great pre-theatre destination, the atmosphere was good and the service efficient. We ate the fried anchovies, delicious goat cheese and artichoke meat balls, salt beef hash and shakshuka [baked eggs in tomatoes].

Salt beef hash was DELICIOUS. Salty and tasty – a breakfast dish, officially, but perfect for dinner.

Deep fried anchovies were good – not completely amazing. I think the batter could have been a bit crunchy and tastier…

Shakshuka. Yum -

For dessert we indulged in some lemon drizzle. I was disappointed when it arrived without any glazed ‘drizzle’, but actually this dense and tasty cake was really great so i forgave the lack of drizzle.

VERDICT – Mishkins was a hit for me. Stylish and well executed food, the menu was straight forward and well designed. Our dishes were all tasty and arrived in good time. It is also pleasant when your meal isn’t ruined by an outrageous bill.

SURROUNDINGS – Great. This is a very bad picture of the funky little booth they wanted to sit us in [it was still sunny outside so we declined, but on a cold and rainy day - i'm in there like a flash].

£££££

SHRIMPY’S @ THE FILLING STATION

…peachy pineapples

http://shrimpys.co.uk/

The Kings Cross Filling Station, Goods Way

N1c 4UR

Shrimpy’s at the filling station has really struck a cord, primarily because it is SUCH a great space for a restaurant. I have been looking forward to going for a while as it is on my cycle home, and although I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, it didn’t blow me away. Hidden behind a wall which looks like gigantic corrugated iron, the restaurant sits in a temporary bunker on the canal, opposite the new and fabulous St Martins building. It is incredibly depressing that the space is due to be demolished to make way for…you guessed it, luxury apartments. Sad. Amazing pineapples abound inside [such a great looking fruit] and the simple cartoon decor on peach walls and penguin carafes is akin to an absurdist interpretation of sea side americana.  It is therefore disappointing that the menu was so disjointed – it was hard to get a sense what exactly they were going for. Was it drive thru america, with burgers, fries, sundaes, po’boys… or is it a more carribean theme, with soft shell crab, ceviche and fresh salads. I didn’t like how wide ranging it was, and how little fish content was available. They were out of the soft shell crab burger which is the signature dish [how does that ever happen?!] so we opted for the deep fried prawn po’boy, which was not really anything  special. To start we had a salad of avocado, cucumber, smoked trout & shaved fennel which was nice but quite small [it cost £7.50]. With our po-boy we had a delicious side of fresh slaw with pomegranate seeds which was really delish. For dessert we indulged in the chocolate sundae, which had sugared pistachios & brownie bits in it – yum.

VERDICT – It is worth going to shrimpy’s as the restaurant is quite unique and the food is good & tasty, but the primary appeal lies in the style of the place, which is polished and distinctive. It would therefore be nice if the food caught up with the standard of it’s setting, given the price and the size of the portions.

SURROUNDING – Great. It is hard to see but check out this fabulous pineapple that happily set nestled amongst all these adorable cacti;

£££££

RISTORANTE ANACAPRI

…authentic & eccentric italian

10 Dorset Street

W1U

This little italian gem is nestled in the no mans land that sits between baker street and selfridges. That bit of marylebone no one ever really wanders through, unless you are a tourist on your way from sherlock’s house/madame tussauds to oxford street. So the liklihood is, most people will not have fallen upon Ristorante Anacapri. And what a shame that is, as this restaurant is filled to the rafters with comiclly cliched italian charm. 4 waiters fall on you the minute you walk through the door, cries of ‘bella’ are heard from all 4 corners of the room as you are ushered to your seat and plied with all sorts of free nibbles. It would be over bearing if you thought for a minute that they were being disingenious, but they aren’t. This is italy, bitches.

The food was very failry priced, especially for the area, and tasty. It arrived without delay and with the appropriate flourish – food tastes better when things are up beat. With the current trend being style-over-substance, the complete and utter lack of pretension was incredible refreshing. I ordered moderately as I didn’t find myself very hungry, so a bowl of minestrone it was. This wasn’t blow-your-socks off sweet-mother-of-mary tastiness, but it was enjoyably edible,  and for £3.90, I would go as far to say it was good.

My companions had some cheesy gnocchi which was actualy really quite delicious, and then a surprisingly fresh, custom-made salad which was unexpected considering the carb-heavy menu. All in all, they delivered a tasty meal which was made better by the abundance of charm and italian eccentricity that came with it.

Abruptly after our mains had been cleared, they put the entire dessert tray on our table for us to choose a dessert. Not entirely sure if this is a tradition or just special treatment, but we had the creme caramel which was tasty.

VERDICT – Entertaining and quite delightful. Go – it is very hard to come by such an authentic little place, even if the food won’t  blow you away, you are sure to pass a pleasant evening.

SURROUNDINGS – Complete with chianti bottles mounted on the walls, it is a little squashed and haphazard but it all adds to the charm.

£££££

THE SUMMERHOUSE

…seaside special

60 Blomfield Road

W9 2PA

Nestled next to the canal on one of Maida Vale’s prettiest roads sits The Summerhouse, a delightful restaurant with a strong nautical theme in both style and menu, which works perfectly harmoniously due to the immediate the presence of the canal, with barges lazily drifting along past the windows. Along with the view and the complimentary spritz, our meal got off to a great start.

We shared the crispy seafood platter which consisted of fish goujons, deep fried squid and deep fried prawns. We also got a chicken, bacon and blue cheese salad and some chunky chips. The meal was plentiful and nicely executed, arriving in good time without any fuss. And it tasted pretty good too.

The only critique would be that the tartar sauce could have been chunkier, and the blue cheese pieces in the salad could have been slightly smaller – if your fork caught one, there wasn’t much chance for anything else to get air time in your mouth!

VERDICT – The emplacement of this restaurant is really second to none, and the ambiance is relaxed and pleasant. The food is perfectly good – it isn’t going to blow you away but it is more than good enough, so go.

SURROUNDINGS – Probably the best part of the place. Really freshhh…

£££££

HONEY & CO

…middle eastern munch

http://honeyandco.co.uk

25a Warren Street

W1T 5LZ

Run by husband and wife duo Sarit & Itamar, the much applauded Honey & Co promised tantalising Middle Eastern delights. I so wanted to love Honey & Co, I really do. It ticked all the boxes and the website is utterly charming, so I am somewhat crestfallen to report that expectations were, unfortunately, not quite met.

The restaurant is nestled on Warren Street, a 10 minute walk from the hullaballoo of Soho’s busy streets. Stylish and refined, without a doubt,  the shelves of homemade granola and jarred goodies only lent itself to the feeling that this was going to indeed be a real treat.

The first hiccup must have been due to some clueless expression on our faces, as our rather patronising little waitress felt the need to explain how to use a menu – “you can either order two starters, or, like, a starter and a main, or I guess if you weren’t that hungry just a main!”. Maybe this is me bring grouchy, but I don’t like feeling like I am back in kindergarden when out for dinner.

So that wasn’t great, but a certain style of service which was in no way a deal breaker. We then decided to get the set menu, which, at £26.50 wasn’t a snip but sounded fair and, more importantly, delicious. A meze with a whole host of delectable sounding treats, followed by a main of your choice. Nice. Upon ordering, we were informed that you could only order the set menu for the whole table – there was no choice of one having it and not the other. I found it disappointing that there was no independant meze option, as this is what they seem famous for and I wasn’t hungry enough for a meze and a main on my own.

On we ordered – the spring salad, hoummous, lamb chops and chicken skewers. Our spring salad was delicious; a delightful selection of light vegetables with an amazing piece of cheese which was like the beautiful love child of halloumi and feta. YUM. While this really was 10/10, the hoummous was lacking in seasoning, too smooth and heavy on the tahini which I personally don’t like. The clanger was that the pitta breads tasted like they had just been defrosted. And the wine was not especially light, as described on the menu. Things had started to go downhill.

All was not lost, however. The lamb shanks were perfectly cooked, with a delicious accomaniement of grain, fresh tomatoes and a creamy sauce [the contents or name of which I am not certain]. The chicken skewers were average – the actual chicken was perfectly tasty, but the salad was dominated by raisons and mint leaves , with no sauce, was quite unpleasant to eat.

VERDICT – I quite want to go back and give H&C another go, as I feel like I caught it on a bad day. The food was pretty good, but did not live up to the hype, and I found the menu a bit limited. I was really shocked by the crappy pitta which is the last thing you expect from a restaurant of this quality, but this is one you should definately see for yourself.

SURROUNDINGS – The design of the place is lovely, I can’t fault it at all. Gorgeous tiled floor, the toilet is especially adorable and really makes you feel like you are not in London at all which is nice. Think potted plants and funky tiles.

£££££

THE STOCKPOT

…authentically kitsch caf food 

18 Old Compton Street

W1D 4TN

The stark lettering of The Stockpot’s signage might make you think that you are not going for lunch in a caf, but be not befuddled – The Stockpot is a caf, complete with sticky plastic menus, yellowing walls and varnished table tops. But this soho institution is still worth a visit, if for nothing else but to check out the amazing old tills they STILL put to use. They must be from the 60s if not before;

Additionally, if you are feeling properly hungry, this is the place to go. With generous portions of tasty food, including great traditional choices like chicken cutlets and things with liver [there is also a shitload of pasta dishes so be not afeared], there is sure to be something to fill up your belly. I had the pasta shells with a chicken and mushroom cream sauce, which, with a couple of dashes of salt and parmesan, was pretty darn good. And at £5.60 on old compton street, who can complain?

VERDICT – considering the plethora of trendy, image conscious restaurants [i'm not complaining, just saying...], it is a pleasure to eat somewhere which is so unpretentious. Character The Stockpot has in abundance, and shouldn’t be overlooked if for no other reason than its old school, eclectic soho crowd [think grisly old men and fat people].

SURROUNDINGS – as mentioned earlier, the kitsch vibe is great, and more importantly, completely authentic.

£££££

BONE DADDIES

…rockin’ ramen

http://bonedaddiesramen.com

31 Peter Steet

W1F 0AW

Another ramen joint that has recently popped up in Soho is Bone Daddies, eponymously named for it’s rich broth made from hours of stewing and boiling bones to create a flava-filled soup that will warm the cockles of your heart in these dreary winter…oh sorry, these dreary spring, months. But really, Bone daddies takes the biscuit for thick and nourishing broths, complete with noodles, meat and those snazzy eggs that are so impossibly creamy and delicious. The starters are not too bad either. We had;

SALMON SASHIMI £7

Always a fan of raw fish, this sashimi was snazzed up with a sprinkling of crunchy bits and herbs. The menu says this is shiso and lime soy – I know no more, but trust me when I say it was delicious.

EDAMAME £3.50

Always a winner – why would you not?

TONKOTSU RAMEN £11

This bowl of ramen came with spring onion, chashu pork as well as noodles and those special little eggs. The broth is brewed for 20 hours with pork bones and it does actually show – thick and packed full of rich meaty goodness, this was a delight to slurp. I particularly liked the texture of the soup as it was distinctly un-watery [which is a good thing].

TANTANMEN 2 £11

This broth was a chicken bone broth – there was no mention of 20 hours of stewing so I presume it isn’t as arduous as the Tonkotsu but it still tasted great. It was also the spicy version which worked well, especially teamed with tantanmen and chicken mince [and noodles and eggs].

We were given some complimentary green tea ice cream for dessert which just doesn’t work however hard you try – green tea is nice because it is warm and comes in a cup to drink. Turned into pale green creamy ice cream is not a positive translation….

VERDICT – Delicious, warming and interesting bowls of ramen, packed with flavour and demonstrating some serious bone warming skillz.

SURROUNDINGS – Perfectly inoffensive, we were sitting on stools at a high bar table which was kind of fun although more uncomfortable than a chair. There was a queue so get there early, although waiting in the queue outside will only improve your appetite for delicious warming soup, so it is essentially a win-win situation.

£££££

GEM

…tasty turkish delights

265 Upper Street

N1 2UQ

http://gemrestaurant.org.uk

I stumbled upon this little…gem, the other night whilst exploring my brand spanking new neighbourhood of Islington – expect more posts based in N1!  Upper street is peppered with great eateries, all of which I am eager to try out. We stumbled upon this turkish and kurdish joint as it really is right round the corner from my new yard. From the outside, Gem looks cosy and stylish and this doesn’t change once inside the door. There is a bread making counter in the window which definately works to draw you in, and the staff are all really friendly and laid back. We had the following;

BAKLA £3.50

Broad beans covered in delicious herbs, finely chopped peppers and zingy lemon juice and olive oil, all served on a bed of fresh yogurt. Delicious, light and flavourful.

MUSKA BOREGI £4.25

A personal favourite, the good old feta & spinach pastry – never fails and always delicious, this was no exception, especially as the cheese was completely and utterly molten. NOM!

KOFTE £4.95

These traditional meatballs were just lovely. Served with a fresh tomato sauce and paired with some yogurt they were a veritable meat treat. The lamb was finely minced and they were chargrilled which lent a nice smokiness to the flavour.

IMAM BAYILDI £7.95

Stuffed aubergine served with rice and salad. This dish was really good but actually my least favourite. I found the aubergine ever so slightly too sweet, almost definately due to the raisons within, but this is definately a personal preference as I have a thing about raisins in food [never works!]. But it was perfectly cooked, as was the rice which was also great.

We were also treated to a complimentary desert which was some kind of syrup soaked biscuit with vanilla ice cream…can’t complain about that now, can I?

VERDICT – I am delighted that this is a local, and will without doubt be going back for more very soon. Affordable and delicious, Gem is a great little place for a cosy and relaxed dinner.

SURROUNDINGS – I really liked the ambiance of the restaurant, the decore had enough going on that it felt like a homely turkish village kitchen! Terracotta walls and wooden furniture created lovely warm tones and a healthy buzz.

£££££

ROUGE TOMATE

…nutritional nourishment in new york

10 east 60th st

NY 10022

I couldn’t completely work out what the twist was with Rouge Tomate. Slick interiors accented with a great shade of [surprise] tomato red, the menu is seasonal and all locally sourced, and they have a strong nutritional emphasis which is based on a charter called SPE [Sanites Per Escam = Health Through Food]. Chefs and dieticians collaborate on the dishes which does reflect on what you get on the plate – clean, thoughtful and beautifully presented plates of food that leave you full but not bloated. A success, for sure.

We had a really amazing Hawaiian Walu ceviche which was so amazingly light you could hardly believe you had eaten anything at all. Teamed with a happy little selection of herbs, fruit and other crunchy little delights, this was like what you imagine god eats sitting at the pearly gates dressed all in white. Tasted like health. Nom. We also had the house made [square] falafel, which were unfortunately not so great. Firstly, it is just unnecessary to make falafel square, the crust was not crusty enough and it was too heavily spiced, which meant the flavour of the chickpeas was completely hidden. I really wasn’t a fan, although the raita that came with it was delish. We also enjoyed a kale salad to start, which was served with walnuts, fennel and I want to say raisins.  At the moment in New York, you will be hard pushed to find any menu which does not have Kale on the menu. It is the leaf du jour, so trendy it hurts. This kale salad was lovely though with a light zingy citrus dressing, I wasn’t a fan of the little bursts of sweet fruit but others enjoyed it.

Dreamy -

For my main I had the duck, which was exquisitely cooked. Absolutely divine meat, however it was paired with caramelised carrots, banana and some kind of sweet lentil mush that was NAT good to say the least. I get the whole duck a l’orange thing, but this was massively overkill. The poor meat was fighting a losing battle against all the sugar on the plate.

For desert we had the Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache with cubes of basil jelly, greek yogurt and the little tear drop bits of a grapefruit mingling with tiny pieces of candied ginger. I do not know what the individual little segments of grapefruits are called, but the fact that they are so minuscule and burst in your mouth when eaten individually made this dish really quite impressive. I wasn’t a mad fan for the basil jelly cubes, although others were. The candied ginger and grapefruit were, as mentioned previously, yummy.

VERDICT – All in all this was interesting meal, with a couple of astoundingly delicious parts. My main disappointed as I didn’t think the flavours were well balanced at all, but the cooking of the meat was sublime and the ceviche was seriously out of this world. The menu changes a lot but apparently they keep that ceviche on as a constant, and by god I can see why!

SURROUNDINGS – Snazzy and slinky, this is not my preferred style of restaurant but it definaltey had a strong colour scheme going on and our table was extremely spacious – almost too much so.

$$$$$

TONKATSU

…nourishing noodles

http://www.tonkotsu.co.uk

63 Dean Street

W1D4QG

I am not the most massive ramen fan around, but Tonkatsu make a suitably tasty broth and yummy noodles to render any initial reservations nonexistant. A simple menu of three choices, with a smattering of sides including edamame, gyoza and other assorted japanese nibbles, this is a no fuss eaterie where you are pretty safe from food envy. All three dishes are noodles in broth, the first is a white noodle, the second is egg noodles and the third is a vegetarian option made with mushroom.

We had the prawn Gyoza which are incredibly delicious, as well as edamame which is a never ending favourite. It being cold, and me being a little under the weather, the meal really hit the spot in terms of filling the belly and coming away feeling refreshed and revived. This is food that is both good for you and enjoyable to eat – hurrah!

The menu consisted of the following three dishes;

TONKOTSU £11

This dish was made with a sea salt based broth, with slices of pork belly, thin noodles, a half seasoned soft-boiled egg and spring onions. Tristan, the birthday boy who indulged in the Tonkotsu, said the following about his dinner;

Carried through by the turgidly flavoursome broth and perfectly springy noodles but lacking slightly in the pork department in terms of flavour and generosity – is this the macho obvious reaction of a pork gorged Londoner? Maybe. But id still push the boat out and enjoy the sides on the menu as the prawn dumplings were my highlight  and will bolster any overzealous western appetite.

TOKYO RAMEN £9

I had the Tokyo Ramen, which contains the same accoutrements as the Tonkotsu but is made with a soy sauce based broth. Consdering that I am coming down with a cold, this really hit the spot. The broth was flavourful and nourishing, the noodles were tasty and light. I don’t usually like pork belly, as I don’t usually like eating the belly fat of a pig, but in this case it was so softened and inoffensively fat-like, I actually enjoyed it. The eggs were really cool too.

SHIMEJI, SHIITAKE & MISO RAMEN £9

Mimi had the veggie option, which was made of a miso-based, konbu and shiitake stock with shimeji mushrooms, a handful of bean sprouts and bamboo shoots and half a seasoned, soft-boiled egg. She said;

yes – filling but in a nice way with a soft texture… gosh i am a rubbish food critique.

VERDICT – the limited selection on the menu is great – it means no food envy, no umming and aahing. Simple decisions with no fuss, much like the food – tasty, filling and entirely lacking in any pretention. Definately worth a visit.

SURROUNDINGS – pared down and unassuming, the best aspect of the restaurant are the gigantic vats of broth which steam in the window.  Perfectly comfortable – nothing of note but that is not necessarily a bad thing now, is it?

£££££