Market Porter, Battersea

10-11-2015 Local Black Bookartisan, Battersea, café, charcuterie, cheese, deli, delicatessen, Embassy Gardens, London, lunch, Market Porter, Restaurant, review, sandwich, wineLeave a comment

Those last few weeks, I had been working really hard on blog scheduling, trying to make sure I balance content to make sure you guys don’t end up reading 7 restaurant reviews one week, and then none for weeks.

It was all going well, but then I visited the newly-opened Market Porter in Battersea and everything tumbled down.

Forget being organised and planning content ahead, there was no way I was keeping this one from you for one second!

Nestled in the still-being-built Embassy Gardens luxury development right by the river, finding Market Porter is still a bit of a challenge…

But it’s well worth the effort as Market Porter is the cutest café / deli I have ever seen.

Worthy of my Paris’ favourites!

Quite small, but so very charming and welcoming, just like the people running it!

People who love wine, cheese and charcuterie are always the best people anyway.

And true to its roots (Market Porter is the first off-line venture of Meatporter.com, famous for delivering exceptionally high-quality meat cuts right to your door), Market Porter focuses on the quality of ingredients.

Only the very best, carefully sourced with both taste and ethics in mind, is to be found on the shelves.

The artisan deli selection of course includes some of Meat Porter‘s gorgeous own produce, usually only available through their website.

Along with a fine selection of wine, coffee, cheese as well as other high-quality British food and drink products.

You can of course take all those beautiful things home and turn them into the most beautiful of picnics.

Or you can turn to the man behind the bar and trust him to come up with something wonderful.

Like this Green Peppercorn wild boar salami on sourdough with spinach and roasted red peppers.

Crunchy toasted sourdough, spread with a touch of the very best mayo, fresh baby spinach leaves, paper-thin, smoky and delicate salami, soft peppers, simply drizzled in fragrant olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, this beauty shines by its simplicity.

But when everything that goes into a dish is that good, nothing more is needed to create something absolutely stellar.

Both picture and taste-perfect and one of the best lunches I’d had in a while.

So if you happen to be in the area, go give them a go (and get me some of this salami when you’re at it!).

Market Porter, 5 New Union Square, Embassy Gardens London SW8 5AJ

Katz’s Deli NYC

08-07-201506-07-2015 Local Black Bookdeli, Katz's deli, NYC, Restaurant, Reuben, review, sandwich, travel, USA20 Comments

I truly believe that the best things in life are the ones you don’t plan too much for. And our first meal in NYC happened to be one of those. Cake + Whisky | Katz's Deli NYC

We had been walking all morning (we walked A LOT, but more on that later) and stumbled upon the legendary Katz’s Deli just as we were getting hungry. Taking that as a sign, we settled down for lunch. And god, what a good idea we had then!Neon signs and loads of happy customers welcomed us in. It was still relatively early in the day (I blame jetlag for our unusual lunchbreak timings!), but the restaurants was positively busy already!We grabbed a couples of drinks to try out while reading the (extensive) menu…The kitchen team is amongst the nicest we’ve met in NYC and will happily let you try anything. I think it’s meant to help you make your decision, but I’m not sure it really helped me as everything was absolutely delicious!Having taken a peek over neighbouring tables’ plates, we finally settled for the (gigantic) Reuben sandwich with fresh & pickled gerkins. Not only did it look epic but the meat was seriously smokey and very more-ish. The accompanying pickles freshened the whole thing up quite nicely. All in all, a beautiful beast of a sandwich and one of the best I’ve ever had!
Once the billion necessary pictures taken, it was (finally) time to tuck in! Somebody was really excited about it!
And me? Oh, just like every other time I eat a gigantic sandwich, I was a true lady! 😂

What? The best sandwich I’ve ever had (Reubens on Rye).

Why? Katz’s Deli is an institution for a reason. It’s a no-nonsense, cash-only sort of place, but they definitely know their way with meat.

How much? About $20 for two with drinks. Portions sizes are GIGANTIC, so you’ll have more than enough if you share, which makes it one of the best deals I’ve ever came accross!

Where? Katz’s Delicatessen, 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Cake for breakfast at Lang, Shangri-La, The Shard

04-03-201505-03-2015 Local Black Bookcake, deli, Lang, London, London restaurant, Shangri La, The Shard, what to do in london, where to eat in london7 Comments

I don’t think there’s anything that could make me more happy than having cake for breakfast. So just try to imagine how I was feeling on my way to a breakfast meeting at Lang at Shangri-La, which specialises in cakes… A very good reason to cross town early in the morning if you ask me!

Pass the doors, you’ll be greeted not only by the lovely staff (and if you’re as lucky as I am, by an adorable food blogger, just as excited as you are at the perspective of cake!), but also by those drool-inducing croissants on the counter. Luckily, I managed to part with all the viennoiseries. Partly thanks to this impressive art piece, made entirely of coffee cups and saucers. I don’t know what it is with me, but I just can’t resist accumulations of loads of similar objects.However, we weren’t here for the art! Luckily, while we settled at our table, the staff was bringing out the goodies! Including pastel macaroons of every shade… which I just narrowly prevented myself from ordering!We ordered some tea and chatted away, waiting for the cakes to be put inside the display window (we were so early they weren’t available yet!).And suddently, here they were. Rows after rows of glorious, jewel-like creations. We did the only appropriate thing: went to the counter, admiring each detail, oh-ing and ah-ing and getting a bit snap-happy… After a first -long- look, I still couldn’t decide (I did narrow it down to 3 contenders though!).To be completely honest, I still wasn’t sure what I’d be having until the very last minute, when the waitress turned to me and ask me the dreaded “And what would you be having Madame?” question. However, my date seemed very sure of her choice. She went for the Yuzu Cheesecake (Baked & whipped cheesecake, yuzu sponge, salted biscuit and orange compote). Seing the shiny orange icing and the layers of airy cheesecake, I started second-guessing my own choice… But I really shouldn’t have! Look at this beauty! I got for the Rou Nen, which name is just as mysterious as its appearance! But my brain has been screaming for Spring to FINALLY arrive for the last two weeks, so I just couldn’t resist the cherry blossom-inspired chocolate piece! Once I managed to convince myself to destroy this piece of art (isn’t it always heartbreaking?), I finally discovered what was hidden under the spotless white dome (White chocolate coconut mousse, mango, citrus madeleine and sesame seed croustillant). Far too quickly, it was all gone. That’s the problem when cakes are light as a feather and absolutely delicious. You eat them without even realizing it. And then you start wondering if you should get this yuzu macaroon that’s being in the back of your mind for all this time…