sushi of shiori

ever since sushi of shiori's review in the observer i have been wanting to try it out. so finally on a late september afternoon s and i met up there for lunch. it's location is a bit strange as it is on the far end of drummond street, a decidedly sub-continental street marked not only by the numerous sub-continental restaurants but also by the very pronounced smell of curry powder and fried onions. 

the chef preparing sushi

finding good reasonably priced sushi in london is quite a mission. in fact i can't remember the last time i had good sushi here so sushi of shiori turned out to be a real treat. sushi of shiori is a tiny space (just seven seats). one counter faces the window and the other the open kitchen. s and i were lucky enough to have gotten two seats facing the kitchen where an intent detail obsessed chef ran his sharp knives through fish cutting and slicing and turning his cuts into creations of art. 

sashimi lunch

deluxe sushi

s and i both chose from the lunch menu. i am partial to sashimi as i love the texture of fresh raw fish so i went for the sashimi lunch. s went for the deluxe sushi. we figured it would be a good combination to try both. the sashmi platter was an exquisite combination of bright colours - salmon shaped into a rose on a large shiso leaf, red snapper with a hint of shredded daikon and wasabi and seabass with a garnish of spring onions. there was also two kinds of salad on the plate. the slight bite of mooli cut through with the sweetness of carrot and a sashimi salad with a fruity, citrusy and nutty dressing. on the side was a bowl of miso soup and some rice. the miso soup was excellent. s' sushi was also beautifully presented and tasted just as good. the fish was absolutely fresh and tasted like silk in the mouth. i had kept in mind jay rayner's critique of the rice and had pre-warned s about it too. the rice wasn't resistant to separating with ease but it could have done with a bit of warmth. of course we had green tea on the side.

black sesame ice-cream

to finish, s and i split the homemade black sesame ice-cream. i have had it before at a chinese restaurant. sesame ice-cream is sublime. it tastes like frozen creamy tahini paste and is very rich. black-sesame has a slightly more intense nuttier flavour with a hint of bitterness like that of dark chocolate as an end note. i have to confess that i am not much of a fan of the slate-grey colour though. it looks a bit like cement. 

so the final verdict, sushi of shiori is definitely the best sushi i've had in london so far. i definitely want to go back for the omakase style menu. 

144| drummond street| nw1 2pa

the hundred and fifty thousand calorie anniversary tea at podium park lane

so, my anniversary surprise set me back a couple of thousand calories. this isn't a high tea for the faint hearted and even o struggled to plough through. on a very sunny and unseasonably warm sunday o walked me up  park lane to the london hilton. our second year anniversary was celebrated with a massage followed by the 'confessions of a chocoholic tea'.





we started with peach bellini's and open faced sandwiches. five rectangles of thin sandwich bread arrived on a long white platter. there was smoked salmon with horseradish, prawn mayonnaise and baby gem lettuce, cucumber and cream cheese with chives, egg and cress and honey roast ham and pommery mustard. the sandwiches were a mix and match of tastes. the smoked salmon was disappointing as the slices were too thick and there was no sharpness or citrus to cut through it. i couldn't detect any horseradish. the egg and cress was a rather pale making it seem like the egg had been cheated of the yolk. it could have done with a little freshness with something green. i don't eat ham so can't vouch for what it tasted like. the prawn sandwich was delightful though. nice and light with a crisp baby gem lettuce leaf. the star of the show was the cucumber and cream cheese with chives.

next came the three tiered stand best described as indulgence. o went for the chocolate chip scones whilst i had the raisin ones. the presentation was beautiful, especially the top tier with all its chocolate creations placed on a chocolate tray dusted with gold dust. on the side was clotted cream, chocolate praline spread and strawberry jam. o and i started bottom up. i didn't think much of the chocolate chip scones. my raisin scones were really good though. the strawberry jam was a disappointment though. very watery and runny and definitely not spreadable. the clotted cream had the texture of whipped cream as opposed to the thick luxuriousness of cream so thick it is hard to spread. the chocolate praline spread was lovely though with a lightly whipped texture.


on the second tier were four fanciful cupcakes. i have to confess i am not much of a cupcake fan. i find them a poor excuse for cake usually topped with more frosting than necessary. the cupcakes at podium were no exception. o and i tasted the tops and discovered that the cake underneath was remarkably uniform across the three ( we didn't try the coconut and key lime).  





the final tier on top was a celebration of all things chocolate. the two miniature fancies that we didn't fancy much were the pineapple crumble with a chocolate jelly. the combination of milk chocolate with sweet crumble and an even sweeter pineapple came across as just too sweet. and somehow the combination didn't work. the cone of marshmallow and chocolate ganache was a tab bit too childish amidst the sophistication. i would have loved more of the lychee, raspberry, rosewater mousse, caramel of white chocolate and praline and the pistachio and chocolate macaroon. o had the hilton tea blend and i chose the oolong which was excellent.


so the final verdict. the sandwiches were okay. the scones very good. the cupcakes not much to write home about and the miniature fancies really really good.the service was really good and we even got to doggy bag our chocolate without having to ask. definitely worth the indulgence if you are able to overlook some of the shortcomings.

ten ten tai

o and i are around soho and we've ruled out our regular suspects: byron, busaba, itsu. yalla yalla is closed for a private dinner and i am not in a mood for chinese. i would love a bowl of steaming udon but don't relish the idea of waiting in line to eat at koya. and that's when i suddenly remember that i've been meaning to try ten ten tei. 

california rolls and salmon sushi

 ten ten tei is a slightly cramped japanese place on brewer street. it's slightly shabby too. we wait briefly the door before being led downstairs to a less cramped seating area. i do a quick scan of the al a carte dishes settling on the tempura soba. o orders udon with tempura. to start with we have california rolls and salmon sushi. at ten ten tei the service is patchy and the table diagonally opposite us is served quicker than us despite having placed their order later than ours. the sushi tastes really good but it's presentation leaves much to be desired for.

tempura udon

o's udon looks lovely. thick white noodles in a clear broth topped with tempura, a poached egg, mushrooms and chopped spring onions. my soba is equally good. a very flavourful clear broth with a generous helping of light and crispy tempura and spring onions. the soba noodles were perfectly cooked too. once again the service was a let down though with us having to wait for quite a while to be served. 

ten ten tei is good value for money. just don't expect any frills and fancies and presentation wonders.  

roasted tomato soup

o isn't feeling too well. he has a terrible cold and his tonsils are all inflamed. i decided to make him some chicken soup for the soul except that he doesn't like chicken soup. so instead i made him a sophie dahl nostalgia inspired roasted tomato soup.

lots of plum tomatoes cut into half, a few springs of thyme, two onions sliced into thick rings and a whole bulb of garlic were placed into a roasting tin and roasted for a little over half an hour. you basically want the tomatoes to collapse and reduce with the heat. once roasted let the tomatoes cool slightly. squeeze the head of garlic into a pan, add the rest of the roasted ingredients and process with a handheld blender until smooth. this is the point where my recipe differs from sophie dahl's. into the pan i added a cup of warm chicken stock and the hard crust of parmesan cheese along with a few drops of worcestershire sauce, some balsamic, a pinch of sugar and some salt. i kept the consistency quite thick and moreish. 

i served both o and myself in deep bowls with some crisp toast fingers.

sophie dahl's original recipe can be found here. 

the first hot chocolate

it is a rather cold and chilly day in london. winter is definitely on its way in. so i made omair and myself a 'pick me up' hot chocolate. a pinch of cinnamon, some cardamom crushed in my mortar and pestle, two tablespoons of green and blacks cacao, two squares of lindt dark ginger chocolate and a tablespoon and a half of sugar heated with two mugs full of milk.

really really good!