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

Crosstown Doughnuts

03-02-2016 Local Black Bookbest doughnuts in London, Crosstown, Crosstown Doughnuts, donut, donuts, Doughnut, doughnuts, London, recommendation, Restaurant, review, Soho, sweet, treat, where to eat in london1 Comment

An empty stomach is a dangerous thing to have while walking up and down the streets of Soho.

Temptation is everywhere and despite your best intentions, you won’t be able to resist for very long.

Especially if you come across Crosstown Doughnuts.

The tiny stall-come-store built quite a cult following over the years and for good reasons.

Crosstown Doughnuts, London | Cake + Whisky

Not only do they have brilliant ideas (#paydaydoughday should definitely be an official thing!), but their doughnuts are simply divine.

Just look at it.

No wonder those babies have been rated #1 British dessert you must try before you die on Buzzfeed.

The small Broadwick Street flagship store is pretty much what a sweet-tooth’s dreams are made of.

Rows after rows of hand-made sourdough doughnuts in each and every flavour your heart desires.

And then some more.

And some coffee for good measure.

It took all of our restraint not to get one of each, but we settled on -only- three.

Part of the selction was a Lamnut (a Lamington/Doughnut limited edition hybrid to celebrate Australia week) and a Sea Salt Caramel & Banana Cream Doughnut.

A winning combination of chocolate sourdough base, fresh banana cream filling, sea salt caramel glaze and chocolate soil topping.

The last pick was the hardest one (crème brûlée? vanilla glaze? peanut butter?) but in the end, I went for the most intriguing flavour of the lot: the Beetroot Lemon Thyme Doughnut.

A colourful beetroot sourdough filled with subtle lemon-thyme infused cream and topped with cream cheese icing and lemon & thyme crumble. Much lighter than it looks and absolutely delightful.

So good in fact I’m looking for another excuse to treat myself to one today… Anyone for #HumpdayDoughday?

Crosstown Doughnuts, 4 Broadwick Street, Soho, London W1F 8HJ

Rabbit restaurant, Chelsea

20-10-2015 Local Black BookBritish, Chelsea, farm, London, Rabbit, Restaurant, review, small plates, tapas, where to eat in london3 Comments

If there is tapas made anywhere in London, it’s likely you’ll find me somewhere around some time soon.

So after visiting one of the most fantastic exhibitions of the year, we went down to the woods and stumbled upon Rabbit on the way.

Opened by three brothers who grew up on a farm in Sussex, the small restaurant makes for the most charming rural spot right in the middle of Chelsea (oh, the irony!).

With its wood and stone walls, its subtle natural tones and its decidedly bucolic decoration, Rabbit offers a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of London’s metropolitan life.

And how cool are those antic-tractor-seats-turned-chairs? They definitely give you a sense of that farm-to-table business rabbit is all about!

Definitely not cool enough to divert my attention away from the food though!

Especially when the mise-en-bouches look as good as those!

Pretty-as-a-picture Beetroot Crisp, Goats Cheese and Blackberry Jam.

Hake Rillettes which remind me of summer holiday picnics.

And my favourite of all: the glorious Confit Rabbit and Tarragon on Parmesan Sablé.

So good I could have eaten dozens of those.

But it was a good call to keep some stomach space for one of Rabbit’s signature dishes: Chorizo and Labneh.

Studded with crisp bread shards and incredibly morish kale crisps, it has almost nothing in common with the Spanish sausage dish but is equally delicious!

The Lamb Chips disappear so quickly I barely had time to click a picture.

Another of the restaurant’s signature dishes and an absolute must-order in my book (and I’m sure anyone else’s).

The prettiest of all plates came in the form of a lot of cauliflower.

Rainbow Cauliflower, Smoked Onions, Rocket and Almond Pesto.

Just as delicious as it is pretty and the kind of dishes I hoped we’d see more of in restaurants.

Another winner was the Duck Liver, Radicchio, Chives and Golden Grapes.

Deeply umami and a game changer (see what I did there?)!

The Wild Mushroom Ragu is a strong favourite amongst the restaurant’s patrons.

Crispy sage leaves, creamy celeriac mash and some of the best (and most truffled, in the good sense of the word) damn mushrooms I’ve ever had!

I’m quite demanding when it comes to pudding, but I might just have found my new favourite.

Honeycomb, dipped in chocolate and served atop dollops of vanilla mascarpone.

Basically heaven in a mouthful and a combination I fully intend to re-use very soon!

And all together quite representative of the food at Rabbit: simple, sophisticated and just right. Everything good food should be.

Rabbit, 172 King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4UP

Honey & Co, Fitzrovia, London

12-10-2015 Local Black Bookcake, Fitzrovia, Honey & Co, London, Middle Eastern food, Restaurant, review, where to eat in london3 Comments

I had been meaning to visit husband-and-wife run cafe Honey & Co since the first day I came back to London, over a year ago.

Famous for their apparently excellent bruch (which I am still to try out), their delicious cakes and their modern takes on Jerusalem food, it has everything for me to fall in love.

And indeed in love I fell.

One thing that was not on the “list of reasons I’m probably going to love this restaurant” were the cocktail but after a sip of the OB Gin & Tonic, I’ll most definitely add it up onthere.

If you like orange blossom as much as I do, make sure you give it a go very soon!

It is a well-known fact that warm bread is one of life’s great pleasure, so ordering the Bread selection was obviously an excellent call.

The homemade pitta bread was delicious and light as a cloud, but the slightly crunchy potato loaf and the brioch-ey challah bread definitely stole the show!

Red falafels are one of Honey & Co’s signature dishes and combine the usual chickpea-based mix with sweet red peppers, enhanced by the punchy accompagnying garlic yoghurt.

A classic well worth ordering!

My favourite dish was without a doubt what seemed to be the simplst of them all on paper: Crisped cauliflower with tahini, parsley, crisp pitta & Legbar egg.

It was however much more complex once on your fork.

And look at that perfectly soft-cooked egg! #Fodporn at its very best!

Crispy quail in sweet spice is another highlight of the new Autumn Menu.

Think what you want (including that quail are the most annoying thing to eat EVER!) but there truly is a subtlety and a sweetness in quail you won’t really find in any other bird.

Even better though was the accompagnying Whole wheat, grapes, pinenuts & herb salad.

This one’s definitely going to become a new feature of all of my Autumn menus!

Puddings are often given as one of Honey & Co’s strength.

Which you can probably tell just by the look of the Marzipan cake with caramelised figs and custard.

But the true star of the show?

This INCREDIBLE Coconut, plum and pistachio cake.

A truly magnificient (and slightly psychedelic) thing worthy of the best GBBO’s bakes.

Which definitely make me want to go back, if only to try more from the cake counter!

Honey & Co 25A Warren St, London W1T 5LZ

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

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…