Brunch at Chinese Laundry

24-03-2016 Local Black Bookbrunch, Chinese, Chinese Laundry, Islington, London, London restaurant, recommendation, Restaurant, review, where to eat in london4 Comments

There are so many things to like about the Easter weekend.

Mainly chocolate, I’ll admit to that.

But also, 4-day weekend!

Which means twice as many days for brunch!

But there’s only that many Eggs Benny even a brunch lover like me can eat in a row…

Luckily, I know just the place to mix things up a little!

Brunch at Chinese Laundry | Cake + Whisky

Chinese Laundry is a casual dinning room inspired by 80s Chinese family life and food.

Brunch at Chinese Laundry | Cake + Whisky

Which you can clearly see as soon as you pass the door.

So very kitsh yet totally Pinterest-worthy.

The menu focuses on the fewer known delicacies from Northern Mainland China, with a couple of clever Anglo-Chinese fusion dishes thrown in as well.

We started off with some Jasmine tea (when in China…)

And a tall glass of salty lemonade.

Yes, salty. Apparently, salty drinks are a big thing around Asia.

And quite a nice one, I must admit!

The menu is short and sweet and pretty much impossible to choose from.

So we just went with ‘one of each’. Almost.

Starting with the Laundry Full.

Looks like a British brekkie, but sure doesn’t taste like one!

With braised beef loumei, tea egg, king oyster mushroom, peanut loumei, pickles, crispy bacon and milky little buns, it’s so much lighter than the traditional breakfast and the perfect trompe l’oeil!

Dumplings had to be ordered (they are one the traditional dish for brunch in China after all), so Dumplings Stir Fry it was!

With heaps of garlic, crispy bacon, peanuts, fresh herbs and a creamy sweet pepper sauce, Chinese Laundry’s dumplings certainly didn’t disappoint.

But the star of the brunch was the Egg Cong You Bing (Crispy scallion pancake).

Flaky pancakes, oozy egg and a bit more of that lovely homemade sweet pepper sauce, that’s all my brunch dreams on a plate.

Oh, and they give you the cutest milk-flavoured bunny-stamped sweets as well.

Just one more reason to make sure you hop by Chinese Laundry this weekend!
Chinese Laundry, 107 Upper St, Islington, N1 1QN

The Palomar

10-08-201511-08-2015 Local Black BookJerusalem, London, London restaurant, Piccadilly, Restaurant, review, small plates, The Palomar6 Comments

I’ve wanted to visit The Palomar ever since it opened back in April 2014. But just like another one of my recent discoveries, I’d been discouraged by the queues and hadn’t managed to get a table.

But apparently, the gods of restaurants and good food have been rather kind to me lately and as we passed by on Wednesday night and took a peek through the window, we spotted a couple of free seats. We jumped on it and started perusing the powder pink menu… Making a choice wasn’t easy as everything looked so incredible, so it took us a while… or maybe it’s because I couldn’t take my eyes off the cooks workings their magic in the kitchen! God, I love those counter-tables restaurants!
One thing I knew I absolutely wanted to order was the Kubaneh, which is a traditional Yemenite Jewish pull-apart yeast bread. It basically the perfect cross between a brioche and a croissant and absolutely delightful. Looking back at it, I wish we had ordered more of it so we could use it to mop up all the sauces from the other dishes we got!My favourite dish that night was the Beef Tartare. Served with burnt aubergine cream, toasted almonds, pickled garlic and a tomato dressing, it wasn’t quite the traditional version I’m used too, but delicious all the same. The Aubergine & Feta Bourekas divided opinion around the table. I wasn’t so keen on them but it was my BF’s favourite, so it might just not be one for me. But you cheese-lovers around there are probably going to love it! It was totally fine though, as not being fighting for the last bits of that dish (for a change) did give me the opportunity to take a peek at that glorious cauliflower steak roasting away in the Josper Oven…… and generally enjoying the buzzy atmosphere. Everybody’s jocking around in the kitchen, signing, waving, and generally having a great time cooking, which made The Palomar the most fun restaurant I’ve ever had dinner at.I was back to business as soon as this dish was put in front of me though! It was the most delicate Seared scallops with lemon beurre blanc, swiss chard, Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut tuile. Apparently, it’s the head chef’s favourite dish, so I knew it’d be a cracker!Another must-order is the Shakshukit, which is basically a deconstruted kebab. But this refined version has very little in common with your usual, middle-of-the-night kebab… It must be eaten to be believed! I’m still not entirely sure what to think of the Jerusalem-style polenta. I loved the texture of the polenta, which was perfectly soft, almost like a corn-based risotto. But I wasn’t quite as excited as I thought I would be by that dish. Maybe I’m just not that much into truffle…
We were ~~about to implode~~ getting quite full but the dessert menu was so perfectly named that it finished convincing us that no meal’s complite without pudding.
I’ve only heard good thing from everyone who’s had dinner at The Palomar and I’m going to join in with the fans and urge you to get in line for a table! I can garantee it’ll be worth the wait

Plus if you try the Pork tagine, please let me know how it is… I might be using that information as my excuse to go back!

The Palomar, 34 Rupert St, London W1D 6DN

London’s best tapas | Barrafina

04-08-201504-08-2015 Local Black BookBarrafina, best of london, Covent Garden, croquetas, London, London restaurant, Restaurant, review, Spanish, tapas7 Comments

Barrafina is legendary for how long the queues are at each of the group’s 3 restaurants.

I’ve only heard rave reviews from anyone who visited, so I knew I’d eventually have to cave up and see it for myself.

As we got out of the Lyceum Theatre after having seen The Lion King the other day (best musical I’ve ever seen, in case you were wondering!), dinner at the newly opened Barrafina Drury Lane seemed to be the perfect way to finish off the evening.
Barrafina Drury Lane review | Cake + Whisky And at 10-something PM, we didn’t even have to queue for a couple of seats at the counter! #WinWin
It didn’t take us long to order: just a quick look at the menu and a lot of staring over the counter and pointing at everything that looked good!We started off with the best croquetas I’ve ever had (and god knows I’ve done extensive research!). So good and melty I regreted not ordering a second plate! I quickly found consolation in the plate of crispy Chipirones that was swiftly put in front of me.
The specials had almost all disappeared from the board by the time we arrived (I suppose that’s the drawback from arriving that late…), but the sardine toast was still available… Sardine “à la plancha”, parsley salad and roasted pepper aioli… Basically perfection on toast!
Lamb’s sweetbread are one of those love-it-or-hate-it ingredients. That said, I believe Barrafina’s version (with a rich gravy, parsley and capers) could convince the most dubious of people! We finished off the meal with the best cooked, most tender Roast Milk Fed Lamb I’ve ever had. Truly incredible.Not that we were still hungry, but we couldn’t resist ordering Leche Frita, if only to satisfy our curiosity… I mean, wouldn’t you want to know what “fried milk” is?

If you must know, it’s some kind of Creme Catalane, battered then deep fried and served with tangy plum compote and my very own idea of dessert heaven. And the perfect (sweet) ending to this fantastic meal!

Barrafina Drury Lane, 43 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5AJ (closest stations are Covent Garden and Temple)

Brick Lane’s Beigel Bake | Salt beef or smoked salmon? | London

23-03-201518-03-2015 Local Black Bookbagel, beigel, Brick Lane Beigel Bake, cheap eat london, cheap london, food, London, London lunch, London restaurant, London's best sandwiches, Restaurant, restaurant review, Restaurants, what to do in london, where to eat in londonLeave a comment

Beigel Bake on Brick Lane is a London institution that’s been around for as long as I can remember. It’s open 24/7 and there is always, ALWAYS a line. Not really surprising considering the value for money those guys offer!

It’s all made on site (watching the bakers make the bagels will keep you busy while you queue!), very generous (I swear there was half a pack of cream cheese in my bagel!), and stupidly cheap too!

It might look a bit dodgy, but do not run away!
Decisions, decisions… (I wanted everything!)
That time I manage to click a perfectly non-blurry picture… of the brown paper bag! #failThe smoked salmon + cream cheese: fresh, slightly sour cream cheese and the most melty salmon; a real beauty! And look at the bagel dough! Very springy, but still soft and pillowy…
But the kind of all bagels is without a doubt Beigel Bake’s Salt Beef! Generous chunk of meat, just teased by the spicy taste of American mustard… it doesn’t get much better!And a picture of Shoreditch, just because!

What: Beigels in all their glorious forms. But it would be a mistale not to get the -massive- salt beef. Or the -ridiculously indulgent- smoked salmon with cream cheese!

Tip: When you’re there, you might as well grab 6 plain bagels to put in your freezer and use for emergency breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner… You know what I mean!

How much: Ridiculously cheap: plain beigels are £0.30 a pop; smoked salmon + cream cheese will set you back 1.60 and London’s best salt beef beigels are a bit over £3.

Where: Brick Lane Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB

Herman Ze German | Wurst + Pommes bitte! | London

20-03-201517-03-2015 Local Black BookHerman Ze German, Lindor, Lindt UK, London, London restaurant, lunch, lunch in london, MomentofBliss, Restaurant, restaurant review, sausage, wurstLeave a comment

They claim that their Wurst is Ze Best… I had a bit of time to kill (and needed to grab lunch before taking a very special cab back to work!), so i thought I’d check out if Herman Ze German lived up to its expectations!

I like short menus(= it takes me only 10 minutes to decide between 5 types of sausage!)Bready goodness or healthy sides?All the Fritzt drinks!! Cherry or melon?Isn’t the branding too cute?Hooray for lunch in the sun! Currywurst mit Pommes. The wurst was good (not too greasy, good flavour), but I’m not sure I liked the curry sauce that much (it was a bit too sweet for me). The chips however were very VERY good (with loads of curry-salt)!!

What: German sausage in all its forms (including vegetarian), grilled and served in buns, with chips or a side salad. But trust me, you’ll want the chips! Other German goodies also available (giant pretzels, sauerkraut…).

How much: Currywurst + Pommes was £5.95 I think. Rolls around £5. Sounds like a great lunch deal to me!

Tip: No matter what you do, GET THE CHIPS (and probably the free crispy onion topping too, because YOLO)!

Where: Herman Ze German |19 Villiers Street, London WC2N 6ND

My drive back to work! The Lindt Bliss taxi no less! Want to win your own trip (inc. Lindor and the most adorable driver in London)? Click here!

Tostado | Ceviche bar | London

18-03-201517-03-2015 Local Black Bookbest ceviche in london, best of london, ceviche, London, London restaurant, lunch, where to eat in londonLeave a comment

Until I visited Tostado, I had no idea Ecudorian food was a thing. Now that I know, I wish I was working closer so I can grab lunch from them everyday!

I love the restaurant; it’s simple but has a lot of charm!

❤ And those tiles! ❤ Cake + Whisky | Tostado London Pop-corn! Or THE best side dish for ceviche EVER! (who would have thought?!)Tostado’s ceviche mixto: very fresh (loads of orange & herby notes) + crunchy (thanks red onions and peppers)!Forget British breakfast, from now on, I want Plato Ambateno for brunch! The new breakfast of champions! 💪 Cake + Whisky | Tostado London Oh, and if you’re in the area around lunchtime, Tostado does a FANTASTIC lunch deal! Yes, that is £3.50 for stew + side. Deal of the century? I sure think so!!

What to get: The Ceviche Mixto with pop-corn. Weird, I know (I had the exact same thought!) but staff knows best!

How much: It might be a small plate concept but said plates are still generous! For a light lunch, one dish should be enough (around £10), for dinner, I’d say 3 plates for 2 to share!

Where: Tostado, 16 Saint Anne’s Court, London W1F 0BF

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…

Where to eat in London – Tramontana Brindisa, Shoreditch

24-02-201524-02-2015 Local Black BookBrindisa, London restaurant, Restaurants, Spanish restaurant, tapasLeave a comment

I think I might have just stumbled upon the BEST sangria in London. (Until I’m proven otherwise, that will be my official statement. But you’re very welcome to prove me wrong any time, I have plenty of time that just opened up for sangria tasting!)

A friend of mine had been visiting and was more than a little bit into Spanish food as she was just back from a work-trip to sunny Spain. So, where to head but to Brindisa, one of London’s top players in terms of Spanish food?

We started off with a pitcher of what I’ve since refered to as London’s best sangria. It was really fruity, and unlike many other version, light enough to drink it like if it was juice. And obviously something we needed to browse the menu and pick what we wanted to eat! It took us a while as there were so many we had our eyes on… But the beauty of tapas is that you don’t really have to choose and can just order the whole lot, so it’s kind of what we went for…

Getting the ball rolling with the obligatory Padron peppers. Brindisa’s were perfectly cooked and sprinkled with just enough Maldon salt flakes to balance out the sweetness of the peppers. But then I’m not sure I’m the best one to judge padron peppers, as I love those little things and will judge you if you don’t order them every opportunity you have. Don’t take any chance, just order them! 😉

We also got a plate of charcuterie (which I don’t have any picture of as I was far too busy fighting for the last slice of chorizo… very un-British of me, I know!), along with some patatas bravas. The charcuterie was absolutely top-notch, with decadent amounts of fat running through it and excellent value at £12 for a massive plate (it was enough for 5 people to feast on without any of us fighting too much for the last bits!).

We added in some veggies with sauteed broccoli (meh) and this little wonder: Spinach, raisins & pine nuts. I wouldn’t have bet on raisins with spinach, but I was quite wrong there and will be trying to make some version of this dish very soon (I’m thinking cranberries…)!

Then came some sliiiiiiightly naughtier vegetables in the form of Berenjenas Fritas (that is fried aubergine with chesnut honey and pine nuts, for those of you who speak Spanish as well as I do!). And yet, they ARE as lush and delicious as they look, thanks to very thin batter and all that glistening honey!

After a lot of negociation, I managed to convince my friends that ordering the Galician-style octopus was a good move. I might have been a bit over-enthusiastic though, as it was a nice dish, but not as life-changing as I would have expected it to be. However, the salsa verde was a nice addition and helped lifting up the dish and making it fresher than it usually is. And that smoked paprika? Oh my. I need to get my hands on a box of that magic spice when I next go to the Borough Market! (Brindisa has a store there, where you can buy any- and everything you need to cook up a Spanish feast at home!).

Last but not least, we got some Croquetas del Dia (gooey little balls of happiness, as far as I’m concerned, which I have no picture of for obvious reasons. aka I was putting my mouth on fire to eat my fair share when it was still hot!) and Grilled chorizo on toast, which was every bit as good as the one they serve in rolls at their Borough market stall, and gone far too quickly!

Add to all of this delicousness the fact that the staff was lovely (and a few more jugs of that excellent sangria), and I’ll leave smilling from ear to ear (and very full). Which is pretty much what happened at Brindisa.

Tramontana Brindisa – 152 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AT

The Diner – Islington

18-12-201418-12-2014 Local Black BookIslington, London, London restaurant, Restaurant, restaurant review, Restaurants, The DinerLeave a comment

Brunch is probably my favourite meal of all. Which is kind of weird because I used to HATE eggs as a kid. Luckily, I’m back on track (not liking eggs, what a weird idea!), and I’m trying to catch up in terms of egg-eating!

So if you ever wake up next to me on a weekend (you lucky chap!), I can already tell you that the first words that will come out of my mouth will be “I want breakfast”. And by that, I obviously mean eggs in one form or another.

So just imagine how happy I was when I found out that the perfect brunch venue was just a few steps away from my own door! Let me introduce you to The Diner!

I kind of fell in love with the massive “Diner” sign and am strongly considering building something similar for my own living room. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

We had to wait a bit for our table, but luckily we found ways to stay entertained… Shooting pool and cocktail day-dreaming, what more could we possibly ask for?

Once we were seated, it only took us a few minutes to decide what we wanted… But that might be related to the fact that we were kind of familiar with the menu, since we had been there the evening before (oops)!!

He made the best choice with The LumberJack Breakfast. Two fried eggs, crispy bacon, maple syrup and a stack of delicious pancakes! This is dream breakfast material for sure!

Seriously, look at how fluffy these pancakes are! (tip: DO replace the regular pancakes with blueberry ones, and order side hashbrowns (more on that later) for optimal dream breakfast. You can thank me later.)

I couldn’t find anything I was a 100% happy with in the menu (especially since I swore not to have garlic butter fries two days in a row…), so I kind of built-my-own. I looked a bit sad, and I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth, but it was okay (especially when mixed with elements from the previous dish…). But there was one clear winner on this plate… Yup, the hashbrowns!

I mean, look at them, they’re so golden and crispy, it’s impossible not to fall for them!! And with eggs+bacon+maple syrup, it’s heaven. I have noother way to describe it.

We had considered getting sides but somehow forgot when we ordered. I have no idea how this happened. Don’t do the same mistake, do get those garlic butter fries (I’m still not quite over them, and I had them a week ago!). Or the Tater Tots. Or bring all your friends and get ’em all, and then some more! Sounds like the best option, doesn’t it?

When you’re at it, if you could get me that Diner sign, you’d be a total legend!

Senor Ceviche

03-12-201413-03-2015 Local Black Bookcocktails, London, London restaurant, Restaurant, restaurant review, Senor CevicheLeave a comment

Since I first visited the little gem of a restaurant that is Señor Ceviche, I have been victim of this weird thing that is “new restaurant paradox”. You know, that moment when you’re not sure if you want to tell the world about this great little place you’ve just been to, or just keep it all to yourself (and make sure they’ll always have a table for you…).

But Señor Ceviche is hardly a secret anymore since it has received RAVE reviews from… well, pretty much everyone. And I’ve already tried half of their cocktail list, and a significant number of their dishes as well, so I thought it might be time for you to do the same!

Out of the many cocktails we got, my favourite was the Barranco Babe. I never had a cocktail with basil before, but this was a revelation. The Pisco Sour and the Mamacita also come highly recommended, and if you’re really into spicy things, the Nazca Heat is definitely worth a shot!

Like many other restaurants, dishes at Señor Ceviche are small plates meant to sharing. Which I love. Mainly because it means you get to try more things. And the more people around the table, the easier the choice, since you can pretty much order the entire menu. And that’s pretty much what we did!

We started things off with a few nibbles. Yucas came with a finger-licking good aji mayo.

And Chicharonnes. Also know as “slow cooked, crispy pork belly with sweet soysauce”. And yes, they are as good as they sound. Take my word and order them. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

A good third of Señor Ceviche’s menu is made of ceviche. I tried a few but my favourite was the Mercado Mixto; a perfectly balanced sea bream and salmon tiradito with orange and pisco tiger’s milk (no worry, no tiger was hurt to produce this dish!). The zing from the orange and the freshness from the pisco really made that dish for me!

The Limeno Classico was pretty as a picture too, but didn’t quite compare to the Mercado Mixto in terms of taste. It was just missing a bit of acidity for my tastes.

The vegetarian ceviche, the Chimbote was even prettier and I really enjoyed the different textures in this dish, but once again, it wasn’t quite zingy enough for me.

We were feeling a bit peckish, so we also ordered another fish dish. The Chancaca Salmon was cooked perfectly and the accompanying fennel salad was crunchy, fresh and really enjoyable.

Now, what do you do when you read the words BBQ Chicken. You order it. And then you gobble it down and consider getting a second serving. Obviously.

Alright, that was a lot of protein, which we balanced out with a bowl of Patatas Fritas. Chips with melted cheese and tomato fondue; resistance was futile.

I suppose it is not really surprising that we were not quite hungry enough for dessert after all of these. I’ve been told that the brownie’s pretty nice though, so I’m not saying I won’t be back for cocktails and dessert one of these days… The only question is, will you?

Señor Ceviche: Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW

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