ecc chinatown

cocktails

you'd be forgiven for believing that there could be a bar behind a worn down and weary grey door with a large splatter of paint on it in chinatown. in fact the combination of a door that looked so sorry for itself along with the fact that we were right in the middle of chinatown meant that i had some serious reservations about z's. plan. however, a love of cocktails and a sense of adventure mean that i will gladly give anything a try. 

mark's

in february this year i did the guardian masterclass on eating your words. a necessary corollary of eating our words was to be eating. after all how would we write about food if we we didn't eat it. now you may be wondering why i am talking about the masterclass when i should be writing about mark's but you'll understand the relationship when i tell you that it was during the eating your words that i was introduced to hix. and we really got the best treat as we ate hix in mark's. to clarify hix is the restaurant and mark's is the bar. for our lunch we had a special menu that was served at mark's. 

shochu lounge

shochu lounge's neon sign is at odds with it's dim interior and dark mahogany tones. as its name suggests it is a lounge type bar with low comfortable sofas. o had picked roka for my birthday dinner and we both agreed it would be better to reserve at shochu because then we'd get the best of both worlds - cocktails and food. 

the cocktails were worth it, fruity but not too sweet with lovely citrusy and sharp flavours. shochu is described as vodka-like distilled spirit which i personally think is a bit misleading as it is much lighter and smoother than vodka. i loved my nightingale which was a combination of lime, elderflower and orange bitters. but even better was the summery peach tanuki with a hint of lemon to enhance the peachiness of the cocktail. we started with a bowl of the nutty tasting salted edamame squeezed from their pods. in hindsight it would have been wiser not to order these as they fill one up fairly quickly and leave too little space for what follows.

we tried to pick a mix and match of dishes. from the specials of the day we picked the langoustine nigiri with a peanut dressing. as we discovered through the course of the evening, presentation was as essential as the flavours and ingredients that made up the dish. and so the nigiri was served as a reconstructed shellfish. from the snacks, salads and soups part of the menu we picked the butterfish tataki with a yuzu dressing. the name of the fish accurately describes its taste. the flesh is the colour of a hand churned butter. the citrusy yuzu added the right sharpness to the buttery fish and the tobiko, texture. it was my favourite dish of the night. the fried eggplant, sesame miso and katsuobushi  salad was recommended to us. small curved pieces of aubergine with shallow incisions in its purple skin, the flesh oily and silky and cooked to perfection. on the platter was smeared the sesame miso dressing and a thin scattering of katsuobushi leaf. it was really good.

from the roka dishes we picked the rice hotpot with king crab and wasabi tobiko which o really liked. whilst i could not fault the dish on the generosity of the crabmeat and tobiko, i felt that it lacked the depth of flavour that i have had with other rice hotpots like say the one at sake no hana. the rice was too wet and bland like baby food. it would have been nice if the rice developed a crust from the heat of the pot and had a sharp lemony kick. i found the black cod, crab and crayfish dumpling with roasted chili and ponzu dressing to be outstanding though. triangular dumpling with a delicate filling of three mild fish with a sharp ponzu dressing were just perfect! i am still mourning the fact that o got three and i got only two of those. 

from the robata menu o picked the quail marinated in plum wine and miso. plump little deboned quail whose meat was made tender by the plum wine and miso marinade was grilled really well. on the side was the sharp sour umeboshi pickle and some kind of an onion pickle. the tart sour of the pickle was essential for the fatty meat. once again, we really loved this. 

despite being very full both o and i had dessert. it seemed right to conclude a birthday dinner on this note. i had the signature roka chocolate and matcha pudding. o had an artistic creation for dessert - a combination of black sesame ice-cream with cherry macaroons. on the face of it the dark chocolate and matcha pudding was like most other molten chocolate puddings; a souffle like pudding whose centre was a mixture of chocolate and a really green matcha sauce with pear ice-cream on the side. but it was the matcha sauce itself which was excellent with a strong matcha essense. it was well that the ice-cream was more like a sorbet as otherwise it would have been too rich. well worth the greed!

we'd definitely recommend shochu lounge for a special night out on town. 

much eating & some drinking: hakkasan,nobu,sake no hana,hush,brindisa soho and freebird burrito's

oh dear. i am so far behind in writing up about my last week or two of much eating and some drinking... so i decided it would be best to write it down all together especially since there will be lots to write-up from this week. i tried pitt cue co yesterday (more about this later as it deserves its own post) and on saturday o and i head to shochu lounge for my birthday dinner. so here are my musings on hakkasan, cocktails at nobu berkeley and hush london and food at freebird burrito's, brindisa soho and sake no hana.

o and i have done much eating and drinking since tenth june some of which has been together and some that i did with girl friends. on friday tenth of june we dined at hakkasan mayfair with o’s boss and his wife to celebrate our wedding. the entrance to the restaurant is so understated that i almost missed it. the interior of the restaurant bears no resemblance to chinese restaurants with their customary globe shaped lanterns and ill suited lighting. hakkasan veers to the other extreme with its modern decor, lattice work and dim lighting. it is almost like a secret underworld of diners speaking in hushed tones. an assortment of entrees had been ordered preceded by a dim sum platter and a tofu appetiser that o ordered for which i don’t have the name. whatever it was, it tasted really good. firm cubes of tofu were lightly coated with a batter and then fried. the mildness of the tofu was accentuated by the chilli flakes that dusted it. for a tofu lover like me, it was perfect.

when it comes to the entree’s they were good. the thing with hakkasan is, i was expecting a combination of tastes or textures that would be unusual. however, i was left wanting. from the san pei chicken claypot with its balance of peppery basil and the heat of chilli to the japanese tofu and blue swimmer crab in a toban, the entrees were well executed but they were similar to what one would eat at chinese establishments around london. for me the best parts of the dinner (aside from the company) were the lychee martini’s and if i were to return to  hakkasan it would be for the dim sum, tofu and martini’s. after we got done from dinner o and i walked down a couple of yards to nobu berkeley to have another round of cocktails. o and i definitely recommend the cocktails here as they are a lovely twist of east asian and western flavours. o had the sekkai gin which was a refreshing combination of lime infused gin, apple juice and kumquats. in line with my current addiction to all things elderflower i had the kyoho queen which brought together tart apples, vodka, elderflower syrup and the sweetness of honey and grapes.

on a thursday evening n and i found ourselves drowning the tiredness of two long workshop days over cocktails at hush. i love the cocktail bar here the approach to which is through a little cobbled pathway leading down from the shoppers mecca that is bond street. suddenly you find yourself in a small courtyard with just the hum of human conversation and none of the noise and human shuffle of bond street. a special mention goes to the mayfair cosmopolitan and the kiwi and cucumber martini’s and the nocellara del belice olives that we had. n and i split a forman’s smoked salmon on sourdough bread which was excellent. you can't of course go wrong with forman's smoked salmon but equally good was the green salad with rocket and some herbs cutting through the richness of the salmon.

and speaking about outings with colleagues, sake no hana is really good for business lunches (especially if you have a tastecard). i’ve been twice recently and absolutely loved the food. although both times the service left a little to be desired for on account of slowness. the shishito peppers with their heat blistered skins and large flakes of rock salt were really good to start with. the special dishes are particularly worth trying – n loved the toban chilean sea bass with miso. in fact i really loved this firm fatty and very meaty fish as it stands up well to the deep saltiness of miso. equally good was the slow poached rump of beef that came with an assortment of vegetables and mushrooms. az and i both loved the iron pot black cod rice simply because of the contrast of flavours and textures. the server mixed the contents of the pot (black cod, rice, scallions and eggs) upon bringing it to the table and served it to us in little bowls. it is similar in concept to the korean bibimbap but much milder. i loved how the rice at the bottom of the pot turned crisp adding crunch to the otherwise soft rice, fish and egg. i will definitely be returning as i’ve got a list of things i want to try especially the aubergine roasted in red and white miso. 


aside from the food i love the interior of sake no hana. the wood work and shutters mediate the way light filters through the large windows of the building. and the lightly coloured wood gives the place a warmth even on grey london days. aside from the food alan yau's strength is to create eating spaces that are pleasure to be in. 

i recall that at some point on friday afternoon (despite the pouring rain) i stopped at freebird burrito’s in exmouth market to get myself a steak burrito with the works – sour cream, guacamole, salsa verde, rice and black beans. i have to admit that i am still nowhere near a proper burrito in london. freebird has many ups – a really really good tortilla, very good black beans and salsa verde and actually very good steak. the team are very adept at composing the burrito and wrapping it tightly in foil. the downside was the guacamole. there just wasn’t enough texture in it and it could have done with a little more citrus and a little chilli heat. sigh. i really need to make a trip to arid-zona again to fulfill my burrito, mole and tamale cravings. or perhaps even to mexico itself. follow @freebirdburrito on twitter.

on  thursday the seventh s and i had a long overdue catch up at brindisa soho. we had planned to go to polpo soho but weren’t inclined to wait up to an hour so landed up at brindisa soho instead (i find myself agreeing with ariel leve on the vagaries of restaurant reservations and queuing). admittedly the seating was very cramped and it was a bit disconcerting to sit eating facing a huge mirror. from the brindisa classics we picked the chilli garlic prawns and handmade goats cheese with orange blossom honey and crispy beetroot, the seabass with an aubergine, onion and red pepper compote came from the tapa plates and from the picoteo i picked the green and black olive with capers. out of all of them the olives were the most disappointing – they were dry with an overpowering salty note having been teemed with equally salty capers. s picked a lovely sauvignon blanc with a fruity note. the chilli garlic prawns came steeped in oil and had been cooked till just tender. the garlic was in the form of caramelised slivers adding a slightly sweet and sticky after taste. i know that s and i were unanimous in our love for the goats cheese which was lightly battered along the sides, fried and drizzled thick with honey, the sweetness of which cut through the pungency of the cheese. the crispy beetroot was the least interesting element on the plate but it did much in terms balancing the colour palette. in all the tapas the emphasis was on the balance of colour, flavours that were sweet and savoury and texture too. it is not necessarily the most reasonably priced meal and is probably better suited to people who are happy to share. i know that o would claim that he won’t fill up on tapas. but i have come to realise that tapas are the deceptive way to eat a very filling meal. in that combination of cheese, fish and seafood along with some bread s and i had eaten more than a full meal. in fact we were so stuffed that we had no space for dessert despite me being tempted by the catalan custard or the almond cake. well, i guess there is always a next time.

p.s. between the pouring rain, the sins of greed and gluttony and in the case of dinner with colleagues and bosses i didn’t manage to get any pictures. but don’t let that deter you from trying out all of the above. especially the cocktails at nobu, hush and hakkasan.

la maison du chocola hot chocolate

pretty much most of my many fellow foodies concur that hot chocolate should be rich and full bodied. of course sometimes we all prefer a soothing milky version, the kind that we’ll make at home with some cocoa powder, sugar and hot milk on a cold night. but when we go out, we want something rich and luscious and decadent. for a long time it was hot chocolate from paul’s and apostrophe that hit those notes. white cups holding chocolate so thick you ‘d have to finish off with a spoon. carluccio’s does a pretty good one too. i recently tried the chocolate milano at caffè nero which was really good. not as thick as the one’s mentioned above but with a lovely velvety and strong chocolate flavour (especially for a chain).

o and i tried paul young’s hot chocolate at the beginning of the cold season. since he is a fan of water based chocolate his is a combination of strong dark chocolate and water. consequently it is a very thin but very very hot and can be enhanced with chilli, cardamom or ginger. his is the kind of hot chocolate that you have to share since it is incredibly rich and dark. 

for a long time now i have been wanting to try la maison du chocolat’s hot chocolate, a french chocolaterie with a boutique in may fair. and so i finally went there this afternoon with my flat mate who first introduced me to their truffles and ganaches. there are two different kinds of hot chocolate here – one infused with vanilla and one plain. j goes for the one with vanilla and i, for the plain one in agreement that it would be best to try both. maison du chocolat’s hot chocolate isn’t thick but the flavour is really really intense. in fact both of us are glad that it isn’t as thick as it’s so rich. we work our way slowly, savouring each sip. j’s is milkier and creamier and slightly sweet with vanilla, mine is a shade lighter than the colour of a solid bar of 70% dark chocolate but is slightly sweeter and creamier. 

we figured it best to add a really rich treat to the season of snow and festivity...if you are a connoisseur of chocolate and you haven’t tried this, hurry up and get here. you’re truly missing out. 

oqo on the green [now closed]

angel is always a favourite for a quiet dinner or a quick drink, as it’s conveniently located halfway between me and everyone else. so far though i hadn’t really come across my favourite bar there. sure, the cuban restaurants makes mean mojitos but they aren’t quite enough to compensate for the complete lack of atmosphere. last night though, m and i met for an early dinner, which turned into dinner and drinks as we hadn’t quite exhausted the gossip by the time the restaurant bill came.

so we walked over to oqo, which tempted us with elaborate drinks and interesting prices for early birds like us, 3.50 for selected (but still very intriguing) cocktails. the place ticked all the boxes in terms of atmosphere. nice, dim lighting, funky furniture, excellent music and an unusually friendly staff for a cocktail bar.

our drinks came fast and well presented. being experimental with my drinking i went for a jasmine and ginger caipirinha, while m had a love tap, some red and fruity concoction topped with champagne. they tasted just as good as they looked. sweet but not overly so, we could taste the alcohol in them but only to appreciate its quality and the perfect balance between all ingredients.

being only nine o’clock the place wasn’t packed and although the music kept our head moving it was still possible to have a decent conversation without damaging our vocal cords. having a more careful look at the menu we discovered a plethora of unusual drinks, some tremendously tempting, others that seemed just a bit too experimental for our tastes. still, we really enjoyed the whole experience and we’ll definitely go back for more drinks, more relaxed conversations on the red leather couches, more pleasant music.

we’ll just be careful not to have a drink too many and then attempt to reach the futuristic toilets downstairs...as we might get lost on the way.

oqo| 4-6 islington green| london n1 2xa

fernandez and wells: food and wine bar

a rainy and washed out saturday evening found a friend of mine and i in the heart of soho. as usual i had forgotten my a to z and despite countless visits to soho i had as usual got my bearings all mixed up. however it was not long before we had made our way to lexington street. the window of fernandez and wells (wine and food bar) has large carcasses hanging in it. the place smells of a combination of salty cured meat, cheese and a hint of smoke from those standing in the doorway indulging in their nicotine fix.

we both ordered olives that were served up in a little glass stacked in another glass that was to be used for discarding of the stones. the olives themselves were fat, their skins glistening with olive oil. we ate them speared on toothpicks. the rioja wine that we chose to accompany them was lovely – it was rich without being too heavy and despite its fruity flavor it was not sweet.
it was perfect for a chilly evening.

despite the small size of the place it was comfortable and we all managed to sit perched on stools or stand without bumping into each other. the pace of the bar is busy and you will find yourself waiting around…my next visit will have to include a sample of the platters, possibly the one with cheddar cheese, apple chutney and slices of pear.