Hibiscus

Patrick Michelin Starred, UK

It’s a long time ago (late June) since I ate at Hibiscus, but seeing as we had a great meal and it’s a Michelin starred restaurant, it’s definitely worth a write up. Hibiscus is a gem of a restaurant, tucked away down a side street off the hustle and bustle of Regent Street. In fact it’s right just down the road from the Goodman steakhouse which I must visit one day.

Asked first for an aperitif, I asked for a gin and tonic and was then asked to choose what sort of gin (out of four) and what sort of decoration (lemon, etc) I wanted. My dining companions asked for a classic martini of which they then had a bombardment of questions (gin versus vodka, type of vodka, shaken/stirred, olive, etc). Impressive but surprising to be asked all of these. I’m not quite sure it was that necessary.

Before we decided, they brought a selection of small appetisers to the table – including fried polenta balls and some cheesy puffs, but really delicious since they were warmed through.

Next up we had a palette cleanser which tasted like a pineapple juice shot mixed with fresh soda. I can’t quite remember what it was but it sure was tasty. The texture felt like it was slightly jellified with a bit of fizz.

Opting for the summer seasonal menu, our first dish, surprisingly was a fresh pea soup with a pea puree centred around it. They poured the soup around at the table and it’s nice to see such a rich green colour.

Next up was a small piece of pork, served with some fresh green beans and a nice jus.

I remember the next dish amazingly since they brought some amazing looking knives to the table, all with distinctive pearl-like handles all opulently coloured differently. It wasn’t really needed though because the beef with stewed tomatoes and a potato cake literally melted away into your mouth. All you really needed was a fork in the end.

There’s the knife above. Lethal looking huh?

Finally we started on the round of desserts – this first one was a light fruit salad topped with custard.

Our final dessert was a deconstructed tiramisu and the highlight of the desserts so much I wanted seconds but it was far too rich for that.

And of course there was the obligatory petite fours with the tea and coffee. With a bottle of wine and 12.5% service, our meal ended up costing £125.06. A fairly expensive but reasonable deal given the quality of the food we had.

Name: Hibiscus
Found at: 29 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PA, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk/

Hawksmoor

Patrick British, Steak, UK

When Wes and Stacey came down from Aberdeen they wanted to go to a place that did a really good steak and Hawksmoor was my immediate answer to their request. We had a booking for 7pm and they warmly greeted us at the door, taking us to our table.

I’ll admit we took our time ordering although party of that was because our waitress didn’t seem to be around by the time that we’d decided. I ordered the smoked eel as a starter which went really well with the greens. The piece of fish was also a really decent size and slightly warmed enhancing its smoked flesh.

Although easily tempted by the fame of their burger, we were here for steak. I didn’t want to go too large, so avoided the gigantic proportions offered on their chalk board and ended up ordering 400g fillet. This still ended up being a really large piece of meat and given all the delicious sides, made me not want to have desserts.

I didn’t think service was really that great throughout the night. I ordered an apertif and it didn’t arrive until half way into my appetiser. Kristy also ordered some ginger beer, and there ended up two ants floating in it (who knows why). They did make this up by giving us a free dessert – their deliciously sweet cornflake ice cream.

Name: The Hawksmoor
Found at: 157 Commercial Street E1 6BJ, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/

Chez Bruce

Patrick French, Michelin Starred, Restaurants, UK

For my sister’s birthday, we joined her friends, Nate and Caro for dinner at the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce. I took this as a bit of a surprise, particularly considering that French’s isn’t exactly my sister’s favourite and Chez Bruce is quite far from where we both live, but I guess a special occasion to dine at this well accomplished restaurant is still a good reason.

We’d booked ourselves in for a 7pm dinner, and due to unpredictable baby arrangements, our other fellow diners ended up slightly late. This was the first test of the restaurant, to see whether or not they would push us to hurry (which they didn’t) and if they took care of us in the meantime (which they did).

Chez Bruce isn’t a very large restaurant. On first guesses, it would hold about forty of fifty covers excluding the private dining room upstairs. It reminded me much more of Cambridge’s Restaurant 22 that appeared more like a family home that a restaurant, and I mean this in a good way. This could be changing soon since they’re undergoing some sort of refurbishment as I write this.

Whilst we waited, we were served a deliciously light and crumbly parmesan cracker dotted around the edges with black and white sesame seeds. I think we also had some bread served with butter although I don’t remember the selection being particularly snazzy. I guess my lack of pictures is one indicator of it.

I started with the brandade fritters with vegetable escabeche, chorizo and aioli. Although tempted by a number of the other appetisers, I’m really glad I ordered this dish. The batter was light and crisp and the brandade (effectively a salt cod mix) worked perfectly without needing any additional seasoning on top. Perfectly formed aioli brought a richness to the dish with the escabeche brining that slight heat.

As far as French dishes go, the blanquette of pig’s cheek with boudin blac, roast fillet, choucroute and crackling looked a bit of a mess on a plate. However as far as taste and variety went, this dish went in all sorts of directions with the boudin blanc (white pudding) a soft, slightly oily texture contrasting with perfectly crisp pork crackling. The meaty pork fillet providing heart to the dish only to be compared to the softest part and tenderest part of the pig – the pork cheek. Each of the spring vegetables brought even more flavours and complexity to the dish and did well to stick to classic French ingredients.

Strangely enough they brought out our truffles before our dessert although perhaps that might be because we ask for our tea and coffees at the same time. Verging on the point of being full, I skipped tasting any of them, despite there being enough for almost two each.

My dessert, hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait was abnormally large, for what I’d consider a French style dessert. Wickedly deep in flavour and excessively rich, I savoured every mouthful with the warm contrast of the pudding against the icy coolness of the parfait and then surprised by the crunch provided by the praline scattered about.

I’ve got some great pictures of the other dishes as well, but can’t really comment on the flavours. Here they are for completeness sake:

Appetiser: Roast calf’s sweetbreads with truffle velouté, mushrooms, spätzle and peas (+£5.00)

Appetiser: Gazpacho Andaluz with buffalo mozzarella and basil oil

Appetiser: Foie gras and chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche

Main: Sea bream with provençale vegetable relish, grilled baby squid, sauce nero, gnocchi and almonds

Main: Duck magret with borlotti beans, raviolo, foie gras, tarragon and sherry vinegar

Main: Lamb rump with Sicilian stuffed courgette, meatballs, artichokes and cherry tomatoes

Dessert: Dark chocolate delice with salted caramel sauce and clotted cream

Dessert: Pimm’s jelly with strawberries, cucumber and mint

Dessert: Crème brûlée

As far as service goes, I wasn’t as pleased with them as a number of other Michelin starred restaurants. We had to ask twice for our tap water jug to be filled and although they brought dishes and whisked them away in a timely manner, the attendants didn’t seem to be around, even for catching they eye when we needed to (like getting the bill).

Still, I really enjoyed the food there and given it’s a great value £42.50 for three courses (excluding service and drinks), I would definitely head all the way out there for another great evening meal.

Name: Chez Bruce
Found at: 2 Bellevue Road, London SW17 7EG, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.chezbruce.co.uk/

Where’s the good coffee? Look Mum No Hands!

Patrick Coffee, UK, Where's the good coffee?

The latest edition of coffee shops to spring up, Look Mum No Hands, is a welcome addition to the east end of London. Based on the combination of a bike store and a coffee shop, they have the space to offer a great experience for both your bike and also for you. Unlike many other places around London, this cafe-bike store combination isn’t really hindered by space. They’ve even expanded to a small outdoor area where you can nibble on your pastries, muffins or sandwiches outside.

Inside there are also just as many tables to sit at, and a counter top where you can enjoy the coffee or other foods they make on the premises perusing through the many cycling magazines scattered around. They apparently have plenty of events as well all, of course, centred around a cycling theme.

Better yet, they also do a mean coffee although the latte art isn’t anything to be proud of (below). For a measly £2.10, you can get a nice flat white to have in. They use Square Mile so you’re generally assured a pretty good cuppa assuming a decent barista is around.

Name: Look mum no hands!
Found at: 49 Old Street, EC1V 9HX
Website: http://www.lookmumnohands.com/

Restaurants I Want To Try in Liverpool

Patrick Liverpool, Restaurants, UK

To be honest, Liverpool surprised me with the decent eating given the ease you might find yourself in one of the chain eateries. I had a list of things I wanted to try, but didn’t get around to them. You’ll find this list below. If you have any good recommendations, I’d be keen about them as well.

  • Bistro Pierre – French food with some very good reviews particularly great value lunch deals.
  • Il Forno – An Italian restaurant apparently Antonio Carluccio and The Times approved of.
  • San Carlo – A fancy looking Italian restaurant with an impressive bar. I stumbled across this and it really caught my eye.
  • The Monro – The other gastopub owned by the same group.
  • London Carriage Works – Apparently run by the 60 Hope Street folks, this place got some pretty good reviews.
  • Penny Lane Wine Bar – Apparently some good food and drink although this apparently borders closer to pub food than restaurant food.
  • Mayur – Apparently award winning Indian food. I was going to try this place instead of Chao Praya, but the latter caught my eye more.
  • Lunya – A catalun inspired restaurant deli that looked really amazing. Tucked away near the Liverpool ONE centre
  • The Egg – A hidden away, Liverpool institution that serves vegan/vegetarian food.
  • The Italian Club Fish – A weird Anglicised Italian restaurant focusing on seafood.
  • Gulshan – Apparently listed in the Michelin guide, this Indian restaurant is a bit of a hike out of the city centre. Must be good.

Chao Praya

Patrick Liverpool, Restaurants, Thai, UK

I’ll admit it was the look of the Palm Sugar Lounge that made me notice this place. Located at the very top of the Liverpool ONE centre, the Palm Sugar Lounge looks slightly out of place next to the fun park set up just on the other side of the park. Chao Praya is the restaurant on the other side of its fancy looking lounge.

Looking for some Asian, I decided on this one, craving some really spicy food and given that their website looked nice, their menu delicious and the restaurant well decorated, I figured it would be worth a shot. As I walked in, I noticed all the Thai chefs buzzing around the open aired kitchen and the number of Thai waiters and waitresses buzzing around. This looked to be a great sign.

I started with their Tod Mun Pla (fried fish cakes) for £7.50. Four juicy golden discs soon arrived with a sweet thai chilli dipping sauce topped with peanuts and a small side salad. Freshly cooked, I warily cut into them, conscious of how hot they might be fresh from the fryer. They cooked these golden discs perfectly cooked and had a perfectly bouncy texture without being excessively chewy.

I’m always taken by the opportunity to have Thai drunken noodle and this month’s special involved a small variation, Udon Pad Kee Mao, the same drunken noodle but instead of rice noodle, used the classic Japanese buckwheat one for £12. As you can see from the picture below, the pad kee mao was generously peppered with large chunks of seafood and vegetables although I think the strangest adaptation was the addition of button mushrooms – something I’d never had, nor never really recommend in a dish like this. The chilli intensity in this dish definitely hit the edge of my tolerance and I caught myself sweating in return. I’m interested to see how their “hot” curries compare to a dish like this. Very tasty though.

I had a look at the dessert menu but felt rather full after this large meal. With two beers, the total ended up £26 although I also left a cash tip. Service was friendly, the place popular with locals and the food delicious.

Name: Chao Praya
Found at: 5-6 Kenyon Steps, Liverpool ONE, Liverpool, L1 3DF, United Kingdom
Website:http://www.chaophraya.co.uk/

The James Monro

Patrick British, Gastropub, Liverpool, Restaurants, UK

I’d read about the The Monro being a very popular gastro pub although I saw that they also ran the James Monro located on the other side of town. I ended up in this part of town after deciding to walk back from the Liverpool Football Club tour, a pleasant but uneventful walk back into town.

At first glance, it certainly looked like a gastropub but I was concerned it wasn’t the gastro pub I’d read about. The interior looked really appealing and even though it had just opened, I could imagine it getting busier as the afternoon rolled on. After looking at the menu, it was definitely going to be fine with me.

Strangely didn’t serve any local beers (Cains being the local Liverpool brewery) instead offered a Hobgoblin beer made by a brewery in Oxfordshire (nowhere near Liverpool). Still the waiter offered me a taste for free and it was a reasonable ale.

I started with a rabbit and bacon risotto, definitely needing a bit of warming up after the cold and windy walk back into town. As you can see from the picture above, the serving was a very decent size and the flavour rich and delicious. There was plenty of rabbit throughout and the small side salad was a nice complement to texture and flavour.

Next up was the 8 oz steak served with huge chunky chips and a small side salad. Topped with a peppercorn sauce, the steak was perfectly cooked and the chips perfect. The steak was surprisingly filling as well and I just didn’t have space for dessert.

It wasn’t until now, writing this up, did I find out this place is also a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society otherwise I would have picked a scotch for dessert. I’m a little disappointed a gastro pub like this couldn’t celebrate more local brews, but the food was definitely worth visiting this place. I’d also be interested to see how it differs from their other place.

Name: The James Monro
Found at: 69 Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2EN
Website: http://www.thejamesmonro.com/

Barburitto Liverpool One

Patrick Fast Food, Liverpool, Mexican, UK

Burritos in Liverpool? Yup and this time provided by a growing chain apparently popular in the North of England. This can only be a good thing for the state of mexican food in the UK. You can find this burrito making join, Barburitto just outside the cinemas at the top of the Liverpool One complex.

Their store is a little daunting with the start of the queue at the door. This gives little time to actually think about what you’d like before lining up and ordering. Fortunately with much practice at places like Daddy Donkey, I was all set to order. The slow cooked pork is always a good test and despite wanting to have the spiciest salsa on the menu, the draw of the smoky chipotle (medium) drew me to order it.

They had a reasonable deal of a chicken burrito with corn chips and salsa and bottomless soft drinks (fountain-stlye) for £4.50 but I still opted for the pork burrito to see how it went. Served with beans, rice, lettuce for free, it’s another 50p to add mushrooms (the English twist) and another 50p to add peppers. I’m guessing it wouldn’t be extra if you went for a fajita burrito instead. Usual additional cost for the guacamole.

The verdict? A reasonably well made burrito with enough flavour to make it not worth trying again. The size was also very reasonable for a lunch time meal, although it’s not as big as the ones they make at Daddy Donkey. Unfortunately I didn’t really taste the smokiness of the chipotle salsa and I would definitely try to the hottest one next time.

Name: Barburrito
Found at: The Galleria, 14 Paradise Street, Liverpool, L1 8JF, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.barburrito.co.uk/

60 Hope Street

Patrick British, Liverpool, Restaurants, UK

Being touted as one of the best places to dine in Liverpool left me no choice but to visit 60 Hope Street. Hope Street has a local reputation of being a street providing many gourmand choices, and 60 Hope Street owns a number of them, delighting people with their wares.

I arrived on a bleak, wet day where the Northern rains battered me from all directions. Stepping into 60 Hope Street, I noticed the bright and airy surrounds and the number of tables at 1:30pm still fairly well occupied. Admittedly most of them occupied by people I guessed well into their retirement. I was offered a selection from four types of bread (olive, sesame, white and brown) which went with the lovingly pressed butter (see the picture below).

Stopping in for lunch, I looked through the menu and it seemed such a shame not to try their great valued £19.95 for a three course meal with a bottle of wine between two. Although I dined by myself, the waitress still offered me the bottle of wine. I figured it would go to waste and asked if they had a half bottle when another solo diner, offered me a glass from their bottle, also observing that a full bottle would be too much. Still I think it’s very nice for them to still offer the bottle, suggesting that you can take it with you if you don’t finish it as well.

Despite being tempted by a number of the appetisers, when I saw the Pimm’s sorbet offered I had to choose that one. I think all the soups, salads and other things on the menu other places offered and I’d been thinking of making a Pimm’s flavoured ice cream. The temptation to compare what it was like was too great. As you can see from the picture, it was very well presented – a single scoop in a glass cone, nestled atop another glass filled with ice and garnished with mint. The brilliance of this meant the sorbet kept cold without being diluted. As refreshing as a palette cleansing dish, I didn’t pick up as much of the Pimm’s flavoured I’d imagined. Still the sorbet was smooth unlike the granita it could have been like.

My next dish was a fish with home made fries. The fish, a decent serving of haddock ended up encrusted in what tasted like polenta although I couldn’t taste the “herbs” the crust was meant to contain. The “salsa” was interestingly constructed with the elements of the salsa semi-stuffed into the bed of small tomatoes the fish sat atop. The chips were slightly more disappointing lacking any sort of crunch I would have expected.

Unexpectedly the last time turned out to the be the best, as I went for the Apricot Bakewell tart served with a vanilla creme fraiche. I’m surprised it took a while for this dish to come, but it seemed like they’d spent some time heating it up, but it was just the right warming temperature to finish off the meal. Sweet without being too sweet and very well made.

Service was amicable with tap water being topped up consistently throughout the meal. Slightly disappointed by a the execution of the first two dishes, but still great value. I would give it another go.

Name: 60 Hope Street
Found at: 60 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BZ, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.60hopestreet.com/

Bold Street Coffee

Patrick Coffee, Liverpool, UK, Where's the good coffee?

One of the greatest downsides to travelling around England is the small chance of finding boutique coffee stores that know what they’re doing instead of overpacking, burning or simply using instant (ugh!) coffee. Sure, you have the chains but I’m always happy to give these more local stores a go. Doing a bit of research before heading to Liverpool, I had a small list of places that I wanted to try, and Bold Street Coffee seemed to be getting some good reviews. I figured if their coffee was as good as some of the photos on their site, then I was going to have a decent chance for a good cuppa.

It’s easy to walk past their store front because Bold Street seems to be one of those busy streets around Liverpool with lots of pedestrian traffic and with lots of glass frontage, easy to miss their signage when looking past it. Late (3pm) on a Saturday, the place wasn’t as full as it was when I returned during the week so I could enjoy a macchiato whilst seated.

I can’t remember how much the macchiato was, but I returned later (a good indicator) to have their flat white (a very reasonable £2.10) served in, I think, those lovely veg-biodegradable cups. Being a local cafe, it was nice to see them promote lots of the local events as well with stacks of flyers conveniently stacked on the bench used for patrons waiting for their take out coffees.

And, of course, most importantly the coffee was top notch – the best I had in Liverpool and would highly recommend people go here. Definitely adding to my list for when I return.

Name: Bold Street Coffee
Found at: 89 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HF, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.boldstreetcoffee.co.uk/