The Watch House

The Watch House
1 The Square
St Mawes TR2 5DJ

August Bank Holidays are often spent in Cornwall visiting C - a perfect time of year to sit outside and stuff our faces with seafood while admiring the views. St Mawes is just across the river from Falmouth so it's a pleasant trip - this time we took the car and ferry, but sometimes we just shoot across on a boat. The Watch House is right about where the boats land and has a reputation for super fresh seafood so we gave it a try and loved it. C's starter of scallops won that round (the monkfish cheeks above were pretty good too but no comparison to the scallops) while for mains, A and I both braved the fish specials which involved whole fish - mine was Dover sole, his was plaice. A has come so far from when I met him - he bravely made a good attempt at dissecting his fish and was still able to enjoy eating it. I of course was in heaven - simple, freshly cooked fish with solid, flavorful sides - no fuss needed at all. C enjoyed her fish and chips as well. One to revisit.

Barge House

Barge House
46a De Beauvoir Cres
London N1 5RY

To be honest, I'm not even sure if this place is still called Barge House - it has undergone quite a few name changes / menu changes / possibly ownership changes across the years that I've been running past, but basically it's the restaurant next to the Towpath Cafe. On a sunny stroll past around brunch time, A, C and I thought about stopping for another amazing cheese toasty and tomato-on-toast at the Towpath, but there weren't any available tables, so we went next door. Thankfully it was also delicious - you'll see my steak salad above, while A had a reuben and C opted for a pan fried cauliflower steak on cauliflower puree (can't get enough cauliflower!) Everything was polished off and the bright sunshine just made it all better.

Bian Dang

Bian Dang
Various locations, this from KERB Kings Cross on a Tuesday

My dad is from Taiwan - so this lunch box is pretty nostalgic for me as he loved pork chop rice accompanied by soy sauce eggs and preserved vegetables. I had a chance to swing by KERB one lunch time and took the opportunity to order the Beast - which is the Bian Dang's stall dish where they put pork chop, chicken and oyster mushrooms all together in one box. I figured since it would be hard for me to ever get to them again, I should go all out, and I'm glad I did - every element was fantastic and I wish I worked in the area so I could treat myself to this lunch more often.

Taberna do Mercado

Taberna do Mercado
Old Spitalfields Market
107B Commercial St
London E1 6BG

Call it brilliant planning or poor planning, J and I arranged to meet at this Portuguese restaurant a few days before I was going to Lisbon for six days. So I got a taste of what Portuguese cuisine is when interpreted by a chef. The half moons of prawn rissois were found everywhere in Lisbon, though only one place had a version that was as good as Taberna do Mercado's. We also had cheese (Quinta de Veigainha, Terrincho DOP), cured meats (Chouriço vinho tinto), tinned scallops with brown butter and walnuts (oh bejeesus I need to try the whole tinned seafood menu), a salt cod, tomato and bread salad (pictured above), the beef prego (a sandwich with prawn paste and wild garlic, also found everywhere in Lisbon) and finally a stunning cake for dessert, the olive oil Pão de Ló. So stuffed. So good. I want to go back for their pasteis de nata as I got a little addicted to having those for breakfast while we were away.