Chowki

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

This Indian restaurant is tucked away on a small side street not to far from Piccadilly Circus, and serves modernised dishes from numerous regions around India. I believe the menu, or at least some of the regional specialities rotate quite frequently, and they also serve some classic dishes for those that are not as adventurous. This restaurant is owned by the Mela Group, of both Mela and Soho Spice fame, and though the food is not as cheap as many other restaurants around London, I think you get excellent quality for the price.

Tables are split into two main rooms, with each dining table being effectively one long bench and shared Wagamama style. Each night they offer two platters (a non-vegetarian and a vegetarian) that allow you to sample large amounts of different dishes. The main meals off the menu are also served with rice, naan and a daal-like dish so at least you are not forced to order additional sides to make a complete meal. Dishes are presented exceptionally well, with most of the dishes served in little crescent-shaped white plates that fit together perfectly to form an entire platter in front of you.

We had outstanding service the night we went. One of our dining members was taking a phone call when all of our meals arrived, and one of the waitresses insisted keeping the food warm until he came back. Even better was that despite being relatively busy that night, the waitress immediately noticed his return to the table, and promptly delivered his food still piping hot.

Details: Chowki
Found on: 2-3 Denman Street, London, W1D 7HA
Contactable on: 0871 3328062
Highlights: Wagamama-ish style dining tables, quality foods at reasonable prices. Great service on the night as well.
Room for improvement: The place becomes extremely noisy despite its high ceilings and fairly wide spaces so avoid if you want a little bit more personal space or a bit more of an intimate affair.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

London Wagamama’s

Patrick Food, London To Do, Restaurants, UK Life

Someone asked me a while back to do a comparative review of Wagamama’s to the one back in Brisbane, so here goes. Wag’s is a bit of an institution over here in London with 23 locations in Central London, many more in Greater London and numerous stores opening overseas. The concept is simple – modernised, fast and efficient Japanese food you eat at benches you may share with other people. Attendants beam your orders wirelessly to the kitchen, scribbling down numbers on some paper placemats and food comes out as soon as it’s cooked, so you may get your main meal before your side dish.

There are subtle differences to the ones over here compared to my memories of the one at The Emporium in Brisbane. I think the dishes on offer do not greatly differ, but I think prices are comparatively more reasonable here in London – I think you’ll pay about the same price for a meal at many other places. Queues here at some of the more central ones are bound to be long if you go anytime after 7. Surprisingly many of them are very close to each other, so if the Covent Garden one is busy (which it usually is), then it’s very close to go the Bloomsbury one.

Wagamama

Living in the UK also gives you access to the member’s site that offers your even more promotions such as a free side or two for one meals at selected branches. Better yet, when a new store opens, you can even win tickets to some of their pre-opening sessions where they give away whole sets of meals all for nothing but your time. My sister’s attended two openings since moving here.

I think the concept of Wagamama’s is great, and the number of times I have been the food quality is always consistently high, though service will always depend on who is serving you.

Parilla Cooking at Buen Ayre

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

Picture from the Evening StandardCharcoal cooking is guaranteed to be an amazing dining experience, especially when it is done at an Argentinean restaurant, where they part delicate smoky flavours to their food over a parilla (an Argentine charcoal grill). Quite recently I was able to indulge in a wonderful meal at Buen Ayre up in Broadway Market (see my thoughts on another restaurant close by called The Dove).

This little Argentine Grill & Bar offers a simple but effective menu and although they exceed the expectations of a wonderful Argentine beef eating experience, they do also cater for vegetarians with their grilled mushrooms, aubergines and haloumi cheese.

The various steaks they offer are apparently from Argentine and for the flavour, texture and preparation you get, I think is definitely worth the average of £12 per steak. I was fortunate enough to be dining with a large group of people so we also tried a number of their other dishes including their empanadas, grilled provolone cheese, ox tongue and chips with garlic butter. Pretty much everything was wiped clean except for the ox tongue that not even the brave person who ordered it could finish. I think it’s extremely thick cut combined with its unique texture and strong flavour is only for the true aficionado.

One of the best things about this restaurant includes their innovative extension of the parilla to the dining table. These excellently valued parrilladas are definitely worth getting if you have least two people. Each parrillada (a small brazier) arrives at the table filled with hot charcoals and topped with a plethora of meats including steak, sausages and a variety of sides depending on which one you choose.

Before eating at this restaurant I don’t think I have eaten that much meat since arriving in the UK, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the quality of the meat that we ate. Broadway market is not exactly close to a tube station and even though you should make a reservation, I think it is most definitely worth the trip out to East London for it.

Details: Santa Maria del Buen Ayre
Found On: 50 Broadway Market, London E8 4QJ
Contactable On: 020 7275 9900 or their website
Highlights: Great parilla cooking, fantastic quality steaks at very reasonable prices all in a great atmosphere.
Improvements: Bookings are timed and its location means you have to get a bus from the tube station.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

Lucky 7 @ Westbourne Park Road

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

Lucky 7.jpgLucky 7 is another restaurant run by Tom Conran (son of Terence Conran), just down the road from the other restaurant (The Cow) I visited a while back. Unlike its more ritzy sister, Lucky 7 goes for the other end of the spectrum, with an outlandish attempt to recreate the classic American diner, complete with tack memorabilia, red leather seating booths and Michael Jackson music (all the good classic ones mind you) blasting in the background.

California Burger with Onion RingsThe menu is simple with all types of burgers the main staple with sides of shoestring fries, onion rings and various delicious shakes and American beers (the first time I’ve seen Sam Adam’s beer served in the UK). The burgers are massive (almost on the verge of impossible to pick up) and it’s obvious from their inhomogeneous form that they are made on the premises. The burgers are not the cheapest ones you can find, but their wide variety and freshness barely justify the steep prices. Their sides are generously sized and the freshly made and authentic onion rings I had were truly tasty. The shakes are also pretty good (though you’d expect them to be for their price) and can be ordered in three types of thicknesses and a few different flavours.

I’m not sure if you can book ahead in this place, but its small size and popularity certainly mean this place is busy. I ate here for a late lunch (3pm) on a weekday and I still had to share one of the booths with other people.

Lucky 7The service I received was friendly and quite prompt, though once again it would be hard to give poor service when your customers are sitting right in front of you.

Details: Lucky 7
Found On: 127 Westbourne Park Road
Contactable On: 020 7727 6771
Highlights: Cheesy American diner serving gourmet burgers (at gourmet prices) all served with truly home made and delicious sides. Also serves the widest selection of American beers I’ve seen in the UK so far. Booths are great for a party of four or six.
Improvements: It’s a little bit more pricey than a trip to GBK. If you go a couple or greater than six, you will have trouble getting seats.
The Kua Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Galvin-ised

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

Yesterday I went out for a friend’s 30th birthday for a leisurely lunch lasting well over four hours. We ate at a fantastic and affordable French place called Galvin, tucked away by a non-descript entrance on Baker Street. Our three course lunch cost only £16.50, extended to a fourth with the intense chocolate birthday cakes baked specially for the two celebrants of the day.

The interior is beautiful and surprisingly spacious, with simple white clothed tables and wooden chairs inviting guests to sit down. I’m surprised by the large number of staff present, even when the restaurant was not at full capacity. Given the large number of staff, I found the service slightly off that day with barely anyone around when you wanted something, and several times a number of dishes either not making it to the table at the same time, or several of the wrong dishes arriving instead.

Having said that, I found the food simple, very well presented and wickedly delicious. Admittedly I shouldn’t have been too surprised given two brothers trained at Michelin starred restaurants own the restaurant.

Details: Galvin Bistrot De Luxe
Found On: 66 Baker Street, London W1
Contactable On: 020 7935 4007
Highlights: Extremely affordable Prix Fixe menu served in a spacious traditional looking restaurant.
Improvements: Service for the day wasn’t too bad, but not exactly perfect.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

ToriQ

Patrick Food, Travel

ToriQCountless numbers of shopping centres fill Orchard Road and, from observing all the various construction, is a trend that will probably continue for some time. Amongst all the huge number of stores, food stops along the way offer the shopper a brief reprise to their endless frenzy.

I stumbled across one small food stop I thought worth blogging about, a small store called ToriQ. ToriQ is a store specialising in Japanese Yakitori, a semi-equivalent to the Malaysia Satay stick. One employee is always busy grilling away little hunks of meat and sometimes assorted vegetables skewered onto little sticks that provide a very portable and relatively healthy snack.

ToriQ is not very large with the insides only big enough for the all the employees grilling and serving and a few stools encouraging very brief stays. A big glass panel separates the customers from the grilling section but the entire cooking process is very visible, at least guaranteeing a certain level of quality.

Yaki tori grillThe menu is not overly complex – you order various types of skewers with the option of the better value “packs” providing rice and a drink as well. Most of the grilled skewers are dunked into a warm sauce (my guess is teriyaki) and then put into the various bags or packages. The cheapest sticks are the chicken sticks at only S$0.90 each and the most expensive being the Unagi (eel) ones at S$2.00.

Details: ToriQ
Found On: I think it was at the bottom floor of Tang’s Shopping Complex on Orchard Road
Highlights: Freshly grilled meat and vegetables provide a healthier alternative to all the stalls serving fried variations. Pretty good value for money as well.
Improvements: More seating for patrons.
The Kua Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Singaporean Chilli Crab at Roland Restaurant

Patrick Food, Restaurants, Travel

Roland RestaurantBefore I left for my trip, a friend of mine told me one must-do for a real visitor is a trip out to the east coast of Singapore and indulge in the famous Singaporean Chilli Crab. Thankfully the east coast is not too far from the city, and because it’s generally devoid of the more popular tourist attractions, is more filled with locals riding bikes and rollerblading along the paths on the “beach”-front. A quick survey of the area showed me that plenty of places appear to serve the famous crab but I decided on going to Roland’s Restaurant that came recommended by the Lonely Planet.

This restaurant is supposedly a bit of an institution for this dish but at first glance appeared to me as mostly a big tourist trap with their big neon signs claiming they invented the now famous “Singaporean Chilli Crab” dish. Thankfully the insides of the restaurant look no different from any other Chinese restaurant and I was relieved to see the absence of the tourist groups that I imagined being driven here. Instead, a large number of locals filled a number of the other tables and appeared to be enjoying their lunch.

Chilli CrabLeafing through their menu, I admit that a number of their other dishes looked enticing but since I had come for the crab I didn’t want to waste what appetite I had on other fillers, so I simply ordered the Sri-Lankan crab with Chilli Sauce. While the restaurant prepared the crab, attendants automatically give you pickles and fill up your tea, though they will bill you for both items at the end of your meal.

The crab arrived in a decent amount of time along with a finger bowl, a plate seating a crab hammer and crab cracker (though I’m not sure that’s what they’re properly named), and two pieces of fried bread to help soak all the sauce.

I looked incredibly spoilt with a whole crab to myself but I will admit I cared not since I had not indulged for some time and the crab looked extremely tasty smothered in its crimson red sauce. I found the chilli sauce not especially hot but had enough kick that complemented the delicately sweet flesh of the crab. The sauce also appeared to contain a variation of scrambled egg (as if there wasn’t enough protein in the dish!) continuing to heighten the entire dish by giving it a velvety smooth texture.

As with eating shelled crab of any sort, it took me a while to get through the entire crab. I was fortunate enough that the attendants gave me a spoon and fork though I found chopsticks quite useful for pulling out the stringy flesh out of hard to reach places. Surprisingly I found the bread a great accompaniment for soaking up the sauce and eaten with the crab but two pieces was enough when I had a whole crab to myself.

Details: Roland Restaurant
Found On: Block 89, Parade Central #06-750 Singapore 440089
Contactable On: +65 6440 8205
Highlights: Not excessively touristy and at least a quality place that you can really get messy without walking out like you had just eaten crab. Lots of other interesting things on the menu
Improvements: This restaurant does charge for everything (pickles you don’t eat or ask for, the wet towel you use at the end) and admiteddly you can easily eat this national dish at other places for cheaper.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

Tapping into the Wealth of Travel Information

Patrick Food, Travel

Visiting countries and indulging in their unique cuisine is always a great way to get an insight into their culture, particularly in those in which it plays a central role. The hard thing about visiting a new place is finding all the hidden gems away from the big tourist traps, and getting into the real finds. Luckily the world of blogging is making this much easier with numerous foodies focused solely on sharing their experience with different restaurants and just food in general. I wanted to say my thanks to the following bloggers who really helped me out on this trip: