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.

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.

The Marksman

The Marksman

254 Hackney Rd

London E2 7SJ

More East London smugness ahead, I'm afraid. A and I are having trouble keeping up with all the places we want to try, but we're working our way through. The Marksman is not to far from Cambridge Heath and lots has been written about it already so I won't bore you too much except to say it is as great as people say it is. A proper old little boozer that's been done up just the right amount to make it comfortable but still casual. The beef & barley bun is fantastic, A and I could have had one each, and the confit potatoes are amazing as well. We managed to share so we could save room for the brown butter custard tart, which everyone should save room for. I'm not even much of a dessert person but this was totally worth it. Go, go, go.

Red Dog Saloon

37 Hoxton Square

London 

N1 6NN

I had another one of my massive cravings for buffalo wings and happened to be walking past Red Dog Saloon (or at least their little fast food takeaway joint next door) - and then I found myself going inside. So - in my hunt for delicious buffalo wings around town, I have so far approved of the ones at Meat Liquor and at Duke's Brew and Cue. This is another one to add to the list - these were the biggest wings, and very nicely fried so that they stayed crisp even after a drenching in authentic buffalo sauce. I would have liked some celery sticks on the side, but all I got was blue cheese sauce which I still haven't discovered a taste for. But at least I now have three places I can go to get a fix.

Beer & Buns

3 Appold Street

London 

EC2A 2AF

PattyG and I found out that this little pop up bar above K10 in Liverpool Street has pinball machines, and that on Monday night they are free. So the first Monday we were free, we got ourselves in there to play pinball to our heart's content (with a bit of free foosball thrown in as well). There are only two pinball machines, but that was completely fine as there were only two of us. Interestingly, most of the other people at the bar seemed interested only in the food, which meant we had very little competition for the machines. But this is a food blog - so I should mention that the fried chicken wing were crisp and meaty (though a little sweet for my liking) and the buns are soft, pillowy and tasty - I'm not sure I'd go there again without the pinball attraction, but it was certainly a fun night out. Oh, and they have my favorite draft beer (Asahi).

Hoi Polloi

100 Shoreditch High St 

London 

E1 6JQ

Hoi Polloi is in the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch - I meant to see if I wrote about this the first time around (my birthday last year) but I am too lazy and this meal was amazing enough to write about it again anyway. This time it was A's birthday and he was excited to come back - we had some fabulous cocktails to start, along with a few oysters, and then jumped into giant main courses. My duck breast with a pearl barley risotto was so full of duck flavors - I think every bit of the risotto tasted of duck as well, I almost risked licking the plate clean. A went with a special - the enormous rib eye you see above, which was superbly cooked and juicy as hell. He just about got through it though it was not looking possible for a little while - I had to help him out (poor me). I still love the ambiance of this place - perfect for a slightly special occasion. It may become our go-to celebration spot.

Stokey Bears

129 Stoke Newington High St

London
N16 0PH

On a nice rambling walk up to Stoke Newington, A and I stumbled across Stokey Bears, a new burger and beer restaurant that resulted from a collaboration between Bear Hug brewery and Burger Bears. We were trying to keep enough room for a big dinner plan, so we decided to split a burger and fries. It was pretty excellent and I was a little sad I didn't have my own. That gorgeous brioche bun was perfect for the cheeseburger and the fries were thin and crisp, just as they should be. I'm thinking this place might be a good way to bribe A to go for more walks in Stoke Newington.

Indi-Go

35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road
London 

E1 6LA

A and I wanted to see Whiplash (which we liked, by the way) and since it was playing at Rich Mix we decided to grab a little food at the Indian street food place in the lobby. We were both a little dubious about whether it would be good or not, but it turns out the food is excellent. A lamb shish wrap and a dosa were plenty for two and the flavors were spot on. One of the dishes had quite a kick - turns out it was the potato filling in the dosa - so we needed plenty of water but I'd rather it by spicy than bland. A great option if you need something cheap and delicious before a movie.

Mission

250 Paradise Row
London 
E2 9LE

A and I are much more into treating each other to experiences or nights out rather than giving physical gifts (though I suppose you could argue a night of food and drink does include things with physical properties). Anyway, philosophical musings aside, A's Christmas gift to me was a night out in Bethnal Green. We started at The Sun Tavern for a pre-dinner drink - we both chose a cocktail that came in lovely silver tankards and was a nice way to ease into the evening. The main attraction was Mission for dinner. We shared a bottle of wine, pictured above, that was on the cheaper end of the list but paired well with our food. The artichoke and ricotta gnudi dish was the standout for me - two of my favorite things in one dish! I could have eaten the entire portion myself but that would just be rude. We also had lamb, I think (things were getting hazier at this point) and it was very garlicky and salty, which I have become more sensitive to in later years. So I wouldn't necessarily recommend that unless you are really into garlic and salt. And then we were too full for dessert, and I don't have a sweet tooth, so we went to Mother Kelly's for an after dinner drink, which beats desserts hands down for me. I believe I ended on a peanut butter stout (or something equally ridiculous sounding) which basically knocked me out and I'm just lucky I was ok for my flight back to the US the next day.

Rotorino

434 Kingsland Rd
London
E8 4AA

Not to sound like completely smug jerks, but A and I found ourselves having a conversation about how amazing our neighbourhood has turned out to be since we moved in almost six years ago. Neither of us were familiar with it when we decided to take a small leap of faith and just go for it, and in the years since we have seen a huge number of restaurants, bars, and shops open up, almost all pretty much designed to be right up our alley of interests.

Smug jerk-ness aside, we now have a restaurant at the end of our road that has a chef that is well known and well awarded. Rotorino, which didn't have a sign up when we went (but I think that has now changed) is a gem of a neighbourhood restaurant. We went on a Sunday evening, so things were pretty chill. I had my sleb spot early on, helped by the fact that we'd just watched Broadchurch in the couple of weeks before visiting Rotorino, so hi Nigel! 

As soon as I saw a starter of pig face, I had to get it. A was much less enthusiastic about that decision, but gamely tried one piece. My counterargument is who doesn't love breaded, deep fried bits of juicy pork? Who cares if it comes from the pig's face, or leg, or tummy?

We then shared some ricotta gnudi - one of the richest pasta dishes I have ever tasted but in such a delightful way, though I'm glad we shared. The roast chicken (whoops, there was ricotta stuffed under its skin as well) was fought over eagerly by the two of us and went perfectly with a side of roast new potatoes. 

The meal only stumbled when we got to desserts. We went for a three-peat on ricotta with the fried ravioli, but the dough was bland and it was less a ravioli and more a stodgy filled pocket of dough. While the savory-sweet description sounded nice, it didn't really work in practice and I wouldn't get it again.

That said, we loved Rotorino enough to talk about it constantly, plotting our next trip there - so we'll be back soon and ready to try more of the short but elegant menu.

Bogayo Restaurant and Bar

 

320 Old Street
London

EC1V 9DR

C and I were meeting up for a bite to eat before some friends played a gig in a nearby club. Bogayo came up on Opentable with a special offer of 50% off food, so we decided to give Moroccan food a try. Due to my inability to keep up with the amount of food I eat, this post is probably about 9 months old, and therefore my memory is not exactly precise. Starters were decent but nothing extraordinary - the mains were much better and we were particularly taken with the lamb tagine pictured above (lamb shank coated in Moroccan aromatic sauce with prunes, apricot, roasted almonds & sesame seeds). It was a massive portion and absolutely perfectly cooked - the lamb was falling of the bone and infused with loads of flavor. I'm pretty sure we meant to get a seafood dish as well, but they had run out, so we ended up with the mixed grill, which was ok but nowhere near as good as the lamb tagine. So I'd go back for the tagine, and maybe try something else.

Cafe Bonito

 

162 Wood St

London

E17 3HX

A rainy Saturday found me cycling around Walthamstow to see the neon signs at God’s Own Junkyard. There was quite a lot of uncertainty about whether they’d have to close after losing their lease so I made it out there on their last official weekend, but thankfully since then they’ve secured a new location not too far away. After looking my fill at incredible intricate neon art, I wandered around Wood Street and stumbled across Café Bonito, which serves a mixture of normal café food and Spanish specialties. The Spanish hot chocolate with freshly fried churros caught my eye and was the ideal antidote to the dreary skies – I relaxed with a book until the showers passed and then wobbled home, full of warmth and cinnamon goodness.

The Orange Buffalo

The Old Truman Brewery

Brick Lane

London

E1 6QL

I am often grateful for the friends I have in London who are willing to go try out food with me, regardless of where it is located or whether there is any choice on the menu. I can basically say to P, hey, I heard of a place doing [fill-in-the-blank], and he'll say, when can we go? And this is how we found ourselves at a buffalo wing truck in East London for lunch. Those who know me (or have read previous entries like this, this and this) know that one of the things I crave is buffalo wings. While living in New York, I would have buffalo wings at least every couple of weeks, if not more frequently. The sudden absence of them when I moved to London was noticeable and I did make efforts to track them down, but they were pretty much always filthy (and not in a good way). All of this to say, I freaking love buffalo wings, and thank god The Orange Buffalo loves them as well. Not only do they do an original sauce, we also tried the Woof Woof which included scotch bonnet peppers and an array of spices that made for a slightly more complex and definitely more spicy experience. The wings were meaty and chickeny, and freshly fried before being tossed in the selected sauce. Fries and onion rings were also crisp and greaseless, and the blue cheese sauce, celery sticks and drink completed an admirable lunch deal for £6.50. If I could get them to park outside my house I would.

Hop-Namo

Second floor of Boxpark
2-4 Bethnal Green Rd
London
E1 6GY

There is a glut of Vietnamese restaurants in the Shoreditch area, and this newcomer has set up in the "pop-up" shopping area of Boxpark. A bunch of shipping containers have been stacked to make tiny individual stores and food outlets. Being the trendsters that we are, P and I arranged a meetup to look at the stores and see what kind of dinner we could get. After giggling at hipsters in onesies, we decided to pit Hop-Namo against the rest of the places in the area. I ordered a regular beef pho, and it was definitely not the dish I usually think of - the flavor of the broth was quite different and it was missing a depth to it - when I think of good pho, I can feel my bones getting stronger from the richness of the stock that the noodles are in, and this was certainly lacking that feeling. No plate of cilantro, beansprouts, basil, chillies, and lime was served alongside it either - so I just ate what was in my bowl with no adjustments for personal preference. Not to say it was bad - I finished it - it just isn't what I want when I want a good bowl of pho, so I doubt I'll be returning.

Mason & Taylor

51-55 Bethnal Green Rd

London

E1 6LA

T & R invited us to have Sunday lunch with them at Mason & Taylor, the new-ish craft beer pub that took over Green & Red's space on Bethnal Green Road (but kept the ampersand, apparently). T and A were very pleased with the beer flights - three 1/3 pint tastes of any beers they have on tap, which allowed them to try a dozen beers in total over lunch. Sunday lunch options are pretty standard - chicken, pork, beef, lamb, mackerel, something veggie... I went with the lamb which came in a generous portion along with heaps of cabbage, carrots and roasted potatoes. It was good, but I seem to compare all Sunday roasts to The Drapers Arms and so far nothing has beat them, so I can't find it in myself to rave about Mason & Taylor. I think the beer is the bigger draw, so at least the food isn't a drawback.

Fat Cat Cafe

119 Church Street
London
N16 0UD

While F was visiting we thought a walk to Stoke Newington might be fun. We'd been out late the night before, watching some bath-related comedy, and the thought of some rejuvenating brunch was quite motivating. We ambled down Church Street, pausing to look at menus of various restaurants, and Fat Cat caught our eye with its promise of bacon and sausage sandwiches. A and F quickly ordered those, while I went with eggs benedict with some of the thickest cut bacon I have ever seen. The hollandaise was bright, creamy and lemony at the same time, and the toasted English muffins provided a nice crunch. Eight quid isn't the cheapest price for this dish, but at least it was executed well, and when I was finished I was full, so it's not like I needed larger portions. All in all, much better than I expected for a place none of us had ever heard of.

Mien Tay

122 Kingsland Road
London
E2 8DP

After attending my first (and probably last) Pilates session with C, we decided to reward ourselves with some light and fresh Vietnamese food. Mien Tay had been recommended by some other friends so we found ourselves inside, looking over a menu that had surprises like goat on it. My curiosity piqued, I had to try the chargrilled goat for lunch, along with some stir fried morning glory on the side for my greens quota. C went with the more traditional pho, which she enjoyed. The goat was surprisingly tender and had a lovely smoky aroma to it - the pickled carrots on the side were fantastic for cutting through the meaty taste as well. And morning glory will always be one of my all time favorite Asian vegetables - I should really make it more often at home. Add Mien Tay to the list of fabulous Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road!

Pizza East

56 Shoreditch High Street
London E1 6JJ

Pizza East has been written about by loads of people already, but it took me a while to get there. While it's not that far from where I live, it's just inconvenient enough for me that there were always other places to try first. P and J happened to be in the area for some talks though and persuaded me to meet them there for dinner. P had been before and said that he remembered that the appetizers were great, so I started with fried whitefish (above), which were crispy and briny but unfortunately a bit one-note in flavor by the time I reached the end of the plate. P's selection of cauliflower carbonara (cauliflower baked in a creamy sauce with bacon) was excellent, as was J's crab dip. Since I don't see any of these on their online menu, I assume they must change their menu regularly. I had to get pizza for my main, seeing as how it's a pizza place, so the sausage and broccoli pizza above was ordered and it was pretty decent, though a bit under-seasoned. The crust was chewy and crisp, which is better than a lot of pizza in London, so I think I'd go back here and try some of the other toppings. 

Sandwich Plus

3 Clove Crescent
London
E14 2BB

I admit, I feel a little weird writing about a breakfast sandwich that is located in the middle of nowhere. Well, not nowhere exactly - it is close to East India DLR Station. It's just that I only go out there to do some pro bono work with ASAP, and so if I wasn't doing pro bono work, I would never ever ever end up in this part of town, and I certainly would never travel to this part of town just to get a breakfast sandwich. Also, when you're in this part of town, there are almost no food options, so I was a bit worried about trying this sandwich shop. That said, it was exactly what I needed, the day after the gin shenanigans, and it was a good thing I had it as well since the day was so busy I didn't manage to eat again until quite late in the evening. Then again, it can't be that hard to put together fried egg, bacon and a roll. Looking at the picture, I think the egg yolk was punctured and fried hard - I don't mind this because that's how my dad always made eggs growing up, but I would have preferred a runny yolk. And the bacon was unremarkable. But it still came together for a pretty tasty whole.

The Book Club

100 Leonard Street
London
EC2A 4RH

C and I met for brunch at The Book Club since it was conveniently located next to a Pilates class. Embarrassingly, neither of us actually made it to Pilates, but we still treated ourselves to some food. The space is light and airy - tables are spaced out nicely so you're not invading anyone else's personal space. A good soundtrack was on at a moderate volume - I saw the bar staff dancing to some Chuck Berry at one point and it was adorable. The food is really reasonably priced - C's french toast was 3.50, and the grilled kippers on buttered toast that I chose was 5 quid. I was completely full afterwards - if anything, I would only complain that kippers get a bit monotonous after you plow through such a giant serving. Service was friendly and since it's a cafe, you can stay at your table for as long as you'd like. Great for catching up with friends - I'll definitely be back to try some more of their menu. There are some interesting events on in the evening as well - check out their website if you're curious.