A Monsoon in Brick Lane

Patrick Food, London To Do, Restaurants, UK Life

On Friday night, the closest thing that I could really do to go out was just dinner (still overcoming the whole sickness thing) so I suggested we head out to Brick Lane for something different. Though there are many good curry places littered around London, and some could easily argue, even better places located outside of London, Brick Lane is one of those streets that you have to visit at least once if you eat curry. Much akin to Lygon Street in Melbourne, once you make your way there, the hardest thing to do is pick a place to eat. The number of places is overwhelming and the most distracting part of choosing is the number of hawkers hired by the restaurants to reel in the diners. Promises of free bottles of wine, or a round of beer and tempting discounts from 20-30% or perhaps free starters distracts you from you might otherwise think a good place to eat. I lucky that I did a little bit of reading up before hand and we came across one that I remember being positively reviewed, and after a little bit of menu gazing and some talking later, we were sitting on the second floor with a window view of a curry house called Monsoon.

Service was actually okay for the night and I was surprised to find that even though we were not ordering all the crazy amount of drinks that other tables might have been, we were treated just like any other customers. Monsoon have a free bottle of (house) wine which lasted us the entire meal, and a 30% discount meaning after a few poppadoms, three curries, a couple of rice and naan later, we were only up for £8 each – a very cheap night indeed. The curries themselves were nice, saucy, and quite tasty (except for the Bangladeshi fish that was just weird tasting) but were lacking in substantial amounts of meat. Having said that though, we still didn’t finish all the food and we were quite full (I have no idea how any of the other tables could eat starters or side dishes as well!)

Throughout the night I was equally surprised that there was no real pressure from the waiters to speed up our meal, despite a queue forming downstairs and people continually being “assisted” by waiters upstairs. The evening’s meal was probably only spoilt by an excessively loud table of ten women on the opposite side of the room. There was one in particular that had a really painful laugh, and another who announced to the world that she was from New Zealand and had been in London in six years (you would have thought she might have learned some manners by now!). Other than that though, the curry house was quite good and I could definitely go back there though I would be most keen to try some of the others. It is a bit hard to justify crossing town though to eat curries there when there are a few places nearby that serve just as good, if not better nosh.

Details: Monsoon
Found On: 78 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RL
Highlights: Nice decor, reasonably priced curries (only after discount), okay service and great company for the evening
Room for improvement:The lamb could made more tender and there could be more meat in the curries.
The Kua Rating: 6.5 out of 10

The Square Pie Company

Patrick Food, London To Do, UK Life

Pies seem to be an English staple and pubs in London that serve food are always guaranteed to serve some form of pie. I had read in a few reviews that The Square Pie company is one of the better pie makers and I thought today would be a good day to test them out for myself. I had only read about the outlet at the Spitalfields Markets (though since then I found they also haves stores in Selfridges and Canary Wharf), so I jumped on the Central Line to get there for lunch.

SquarePieCompany.jpg

I haven’t really had many pies here so I can’t really generalise, but I do miss the ones that you get back home sometimes, with one of my favourites being the Steak and Beer pie that Goldsteins sell. Today I opted for a Steak and Guiness pie, served with mash and gravy. The pies that they sell are not cheap, mine coming in at £4.25 and although they are big, my initial impression was that it wasn’t quite worth the price.

SquarePie.jpgThe pies come in a really hardy box that would no doubt survive being thrown around. The pie takes up almost two thirds of the box, with enough space for mash or mushy peas, both of which many people indulge in. The Square Pie company certainly have the whole production line all sorted out, with a person putting the pie into the box, with another dishing out the mash or peas, another to pour the gravy, and then the final person who takes the payment.

I would love to tell you that as I cut into the pie (apparently it’s not how you eat pies here) and brought that initial piece into my mouth that it was mind-blowingly tasty, but I cannot lie. The chunks of beef were moderately tasty in their rich dark gravy, but certainly not as tender as other pies that I have had. I was a little disappointed in the pastry, with the top not quite as flaky in comparison to I’m used to, and the base a lot doughier than I think it should be. The mash was nice and flavourful though and I could see the pieces of onions in the mash, adding to the combination of flavours. Admittedly the pie and mash was filling and if you’re craving a pie, then I think these ones are fine, but I probably won’t be making a journey out again specifically for those ones.

Details: The Square Pie Company
Found On: (Spitalfields Markets) 16 Horner Square, South East corner of Old Spitalfields Market, London E1 6AA, though they have branches in Selfridges and Canary Wharf
Highlights: Filling pie, nice tasty, and big chunks of beef
Room for improvement: A little overpriced and the pies could come in better pastry.
The Kua Rating: 6 out of 10

A College Meal in Oxford

Patrick Food, UK Life

Once you have been to a proper English college dinner, you can really understand how realistic something like Harry Potter can be. This Sunday Kath had me and Ben (out of team BaM) up for a traditional Sunday dinner to her college up at Oxford. You walk into a room where the coat of arms (a Lion and Unicorn) decorates the front banners while long dark benches lit with candles fill the rest of the hall. A high table up front hosts the evening’s guest while the rest of the college members and guests sit at the dark tables. It was a great three course meal, with a hearty traditional Sunday meal of mushroom soup, roast lamb, three veg and mint sauce, and a rhubarb pudding to top it all off! Though slightly surreal it really felt like we were dining in the halls of Hogwarts!

OxfordCollegeDinner.jpg

The Cow

Patrick Food, Restaurants, The 'He Who Knows' Challenge

For the “He Who Knows” Challenge, I’ve been yet to visit a Conran restaurant, so this Thursday I did the next best thing and visited The Cow, a restaurant run by Tom Conran, the son of the more famous Sir Terence Conran. I have been meaning to go this one for quite some time, as it’s only a twenty minute walk from where I live but I just hadn’t put in the effort.

The Cow

The Cow is a gastropub with the bottom floor hosting an oyster bar and a tiny private dining room upstairs set with about eight white-clothed tables. Like most pubs anywhere, the bottom floor can get quite smokey and so we decided to eat upstairs in the dining room (although note that people are allowed to smoke there as well). I highly recommend that you book in advance as its popularity ensures that locals always fill the small number of tables most nights of the week.

The dining room is extremely petite. Its tables are close enough together to be able to hear side conversations but with enough room that it doesn’t feel like you’re sharing your table. The one page menu is short but has enough variety amongst the starters, mains, sides and desserts to leave you satisfied and as typical as anything associated with the Conran name, has a fair amount of seafood.

I shared a starter of smoked eel and potato and bacon salad. There was a decent amount of eel and the smoky flavour definitely came through. The salad accompanying it was quite good as well although the dressing had an excess of horseradish that really overpowered the dish at times. I followed this with the main of roast halibut, leeks, laverbread served with an orange butter sauce that was perfectly cooked. The leeks, though softened still had form and the laverbread went well with the sweet and firm flesh of the fish but I did find the orange flavour in the sauce did not come through very potently. My dessert was a prune and armagnac crème brulee that really hit the spot at the end of the meal and was not excessively rich or sweet.

For people that want a nice meal, The Cow offers a great experience in terms of both service and food quality although you can find better gastropub affair at other places. The wine list is extensive, the staff appeared to be very knowledgeable, and service was quite good. I would not exactly make it my local place but definitely a place to indulge.

Details: The Cow
Found On: 89 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH
Contactable On: 020 7221 0021
Highlights: Pleasant service, great quality food, extensive wine menu, wide selection of Oysters
Room for improvement: Not fantastic value for money, and could do with a bigger dining area.
The Kua Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Festive Good Food Show @ Earl’s Court

Patrick Food, UK Life

Fountain of Chocolate FondueOne of the reasons I tell people when they ask me what brings me to London is the food. Although I have some doubt about the freshness of certain types of fruit and vegetables, I’m still impressed by the variety and availability of so many different foods and produce. As a result, I thought it would be good to go along to the Festive Good Food and Wine Show held at Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre today. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, with a visit to something similar to this back home keeping me occupied for about an hour before I got bored. After going along today, it was definitely the sheer number of produce retailers and distributors, the numerous celebrity cooks and the huge sprawl of stands that kept me entertained for most of the day.

Some of the celebrity chefs that I got to see included Curtis Stone (from Surfing the Menu, Saturday Kitchen, and Dinner in a Box), Jo Pratt (from Great Food Live and Elle Magazine), and my favourite of the day, the world renowned Rick Stein (from too many shows to list). It was almost quite surreal having watched someone like Rick Stein overseas for such along time, and then being able to see him be just as passionate about his food live as he is on his shows.

Although each ticket is worth a fairly hefty £14 you easily make up for this with the excellent demonstrations and all the samplings around the place, everything from dips, oils, breads, sausages, cheese, chilli ice-cream, and chocolate products. In addition to all the food, there is also much in the way of drinks including cordials, liqueurs, whiskeys, flavoured vodkas, London produced Gin and the variety of wines from all over the world with sampling. With many of the hosts encouraging people to sample all these wares at eleven in the morning, it’s no wonder there’s a number of people staggering around by the end of the exhibition. A great way to taste some fabulous nosh, sample some interesting drinks and just kick back for the day. Oh yeah, and if you’re wondering, yes that is a fountain of chocolate for fondue.

The Pret-A-Manager Experience

Patrick Food, The 'He Who Knows' Challenge, UK Life

The Pret A Manager ExperienceAs part of the “He Who Knows” challenge, one of the simplest tasks has been to go and describe the Pret-A-Manager experience, but to be honest, I have never really stepped into one for anything other than a bottle of water until this weekend. Of all of the places I have worked and visited so far, there has always been something more enticing than what any massive retail chain has been able to offer me. Having said that, this weekend, I decided to stop in and finally see what all the fuss was about and fully immerse myself in the Pret-A-Manager experience.

When you walk in, like most cafes or takeaway joints that prepare freshly made sandwiches, the choice at Pret can be overwhelming. Pret specialises in freshly pre-packaged food including but not limited to sandwiches, wraps, baguettes, muffins, croissants, and a variety of slices or cakes for dessert. They also prepare fresh coffee and also offer a variety of sides including crisps (chips for those back home) and the standard assortment of drinks.

With food preparation generally taken care of much earlier in advance, Pret also seems to have the process of serving customers well thought out. In the ten minutes that I spent observing them, three people, including those making coffee, seemed to be doing an excellent service by English standards getting through at least 30 people during a ten minute period. You are either handed a plastic bag for take away or a silver platter for eating in, which you have to load your food into/on to and carry to the small circular tables and high chairs more suited for faster eating and less conversing without evidently being too obvious.

Some people appeared to enter just for the coffee, but it did not appear at the same level as those that follow the Starbucks or Café Nero chains on every corner. I was quite pleased with my lunch consisting of a cup of Italian Meatball soup accompanied with some soup bread, followed by a cup of fresh yogurt, crunchy granola and honey all washed down with a bottle of still water with a trace of lime. Although I would not rate Pret cheap food, you definitely get better food than you would at any fast food joint.

I would not go out of my way to visit a Pret with all of the other hidden offerings London can provide, but if you have a choice between McDonalds, Burger King or Pret, definitely hit the latter one.

The Kua Rating: 7 out of 10

To Market, To Market

Patrick Food, London To Do, The 'He Who Knows' Challenge

Update: Summary added for the ‘He Who Knows’ Challenge

The Borough MarketsLocated just outside the London Bridge Underground station, you will easily stumble across London’s Borough Markets, with the closest thing back home in Brisbane being the farmer’s markets organized by Jan Power. I had high expectations for these markets, having read about this place sometime last year at The Passionate Cook’s food blog, and after visiting can say that I was definitely not disappointed.

The only way that I can succinctly describe the markets is that it is distinctly London. Unlike the powerhouse markets back home where you can walk up one side and down the other, the Borough markets can be difficult to navigate. Just like the city that hosts it, the markets comprise of winding paths connecting all the stalls seemingly held together by the swarms of people from all over the world that flow through them all. Admittedly the markets are not as big as I was first anticipating, consisting of about 70 stalls and a handful of stores, but the quality and variety of food and produce available certainly make up for it.

The offerings of food is amazing and had I actually had a kitchen to return home to yesterday, probably would have come away with much more than I did. Stretching further than just typical farmer markets fare, the markets have pretty much everything you would need for any pretty fine dinner, and listing them all here would not really give justice to what the markets really do offer, but you can find huge varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, poultry, meat, game, jams, cheese, wines, breads, cakes, chocolates and just so much more.

Whats Up Doc?One of London’s premium coffee stores, Monmouth, has a double presence here with a small stall in the heart of the markets fuelling the crowd’s almost frenzied movements with shots of caffeine, and the more permanent fixture on the street just opposite the markets. The more permanent fixture is so popular, that like all busy pubs in the city, that it has people cascading onto the streets, all standing around chatting and drinking coffee out of proper cups and saucers. Neil’s Yard Diary, well known for its quality cheese products also has a physical store just next to Monmouth but was so busy inside I didn’t feel up to pushing my way through to its delightful offerings (especially where there is one just a street away from work).

It should be fairly obvious to a person new to London that meat and meat products play a big game in British food fares (or is that just London?). Amongst the many meat products on offer, I saw a much wide variety of things including fresh Haggish, Black Pudding, pies, sausages, rabbits hanging, wild boar, pheasants and an amazing amount of cured, smoked or dried meats. I was thoroughly impressed by one particular store, the name currently eluding me that had four or five legs of cured pork meat each held by a single vice all on a large long bench. At the request of a customer, attendants would shave off fresh slices of what looked like prosciutto or parma-ham, with a long blade to be carefully layered on sheets of plastic.

Feeling like I couldn’t come away from the markets without making a purchase, but unable to really buy anything that useful (my hotel room doesn’t have a bar-fridge or anything) I decided to pick up a punnet of fresh raspberries to snack on, and a small bottle of oak-smoked garlic butter to give to my sister.

The markets are only open from noon until 6pm on Friday and then 9am to pm on Saturday. Crowds on a Saturday are thin early on, but increase in density pretty quickly. There are plenty of things that you can still pick up, even if you don’t live in London (fresh coverture chocolates, cakes, croissants, sweets, berries, coffee, etc) and even though the markets are on the southeast side of London, it is extremely easy to get to. It’s definitely a place I will be visiting regularly.

Details: The Borough Markets (Location)
Found on: 8 Southwark Street, SE1
Highlights: Fantastic variety of food, nice atmosphere and great variety, and the potential to see Jamie Oliver walking around.
Room for improvement: Crowds and people with strollers make it difficult getting around to all the stalls and combined with the winding paths may make it difficult for you to return to that stall you may want to revisit.
The Kua Rating: 8.5 out of 10 (I’m impressed but I haven’t visited any of other London’s market offerings)