Another Conran Restaurant – Sauterelle

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

SauterelleA few weeks ago, Lastminute had a fantastic 48 hour Conran sale where you could book a meal at any of the Conran restaurants at the very reasonable prices of £14.99 for a two course, or £19.99 for a three course meal. I thought it was a great way to sample the top notch quality food and enjoy the atmosphere each restaurant offers. Deciding to take up the offer, on Monday my sister and I ate at the French restaurant Sauterelle located in the heart of the stunning Royal Exchange building. Although the restaurant itself is very modern, I think the highlight was most definitely the interior and centre courtyard of the Royal Exchange, so we were fortunate to be placed at a table looking inwards.

Out waitress who was extremely polite throughout the evening talked us through the various menu options on offer since this deal came with its own tasting menu. Each course offered three different options and although only one main was vegetarian friendly, at least I could choose from two of the three starters and all desserts.

CroustadeI started off with the pea soup that was then followed by a croustade of spinach, mushrooms and quails eggs topped with hollandaise sauce. The pea soup arrived in a large white bowl that deepened in the centre and held a creamy bright green liquid. The soup itself was extremely light but held lots of flavour. It didn’t need any additional seasoning and certainly didn’t need any bread or croutons to help it along. The croustade (think of a flaky pastry shell) had the three layers (spinach, then mushrooms and quails eggs) before the top was put to the side. The quails eggs had been perfectly soft boiled, with the delicately cooked whites holding a perfectly runny yolk mixing in with the mushrooms and spinach. Overall the croustade was a strange dinner item but had been very well presented and perfectly cooked. It was light but rich enough to be filling for a main.

Sauterelle benefits from its great location inside the Royal Exchange Hall. It’s a beautiful building and the fineness of the dining room compliments the interior without being overwhelming. Tables are sparse helping add a sense of roominess and privacy and we found service excellent all throughout. The dishes were well prepared and obviously made with high quality ingredients.

Details: Sauterelle
Found on: Royal Exchange, London
Contactable on: +1 212 332 7620
Highlights: Well spaced out dining rooms with elegant decor matching the Royal Exchange interior. Great service with simple foods prepared in a quality manner. Tables looking inwards are most spectacular.
Room for improvement:Expect to pay proportionate prices for the experience if paying regular menu prices.
The Kua Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Going Vegetarian: Week 1

Patrick UK Life

So one week has passed since becoming vegetarian and I’m glad to report that I’ve at least kept to the goal, whilst keeping my lifestyle as normal as possible. I’ve had some great support from friends, with hints and tips galore about what I should try and what things I should avoid. I’ve learned that vegetarians who allow themselves to eat seafood are actually pescatarian (which makes the name of the restaurant Pescatore a whole lot more sense). I’ve also learned that gelatin is derived from animals, and some forms of rennet (used in some cheeses) is also derived from animals.

I’ve gone to dim sum with some friends, missing out on a whole heap of normal dishes I would very much enjoy, and even went to dinner at the Argentinian Steakhouse, Buen Ayre (whose grilled pesto mushroom dish is fantastic). At a Vietnamese restaurant I went to during the week I missed out on the free appetiser (it had meat) and I could only order one main meal on the meal, aptly name ‘The Vegetarian Dish’.

I’m not missing meat as much as I thought I would and I’m finding a whole heap of new food combinations to eat. Grocery shopping is certainly different as many of the prepared or semi prepared parts of a meal all contain some sort of meat. I’m also not as tired as I thought I would be. In a way I actually feel a little bit better.

Bring on week two!

Teany (Not so Itsy Bitsy)

Patrick Food, New York, Restaurants, UK Life

Tea NYTeany is owned by Moby and is one of the many tea rooms that surprisingly exist in New York. It’s located in the East Village and serves over one hundred types of specialities in addition to vegetarian and vegan foods including sandwiches, scones, biscuits and cakes. I think you pronounce the story as “Tea NY” opposed to “teeny” but it wasn’t quite clear to me. As I sat and had my tea and scone I noticed that the majority of people appeared to be tourists with their lonely planet guides in tow, or a few local fashionably dressed New Yorkers.

Tea and SconeThe tea menu is overwhelming and although the prices are over inflated for New York some of the teas are definitely unique blends that are worth the try. The pot of tea is also excessively large and easily serves two people. I ordered the Earl Grey Creme, a scented black tea infused with vanilla flavours and as I just found out on their site, apparently one of their best sellers. I found it nice and light without any need for sugar what so ever. I also ordered a scone with clotted cream and jam that I thought was okay for the United States. Like most things on the continent I could taste the large amount of sugar or sweetener they’d added so each bite didn’t really need much jam other than for a different flavour. I think it would have went well with a tea that tasted slightly more bitter.

The atmosphere was bustling without being too crowded and if New York has good weather, I suggest sitting outside in the canvas-covered area where you can absorb the maximum amount of sun and warmth.

Details: Teany Cafe
Found on: 90 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002
Contactable on: +1 (212) 475-9190
Highlights: Huge selection of teas, vegan selection of food and a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Room for improvement: Slightly overpriced in all aspects but understandable considering the name behind it
The Kua Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Going Vegetarian

Patrick Food, UK Life

Last November I decided I was going to try going vegetarian for a month as an experiment to see how hard it would be, what things I would normally eat that I would miss, and to see how it affects the body. December was out since it was such a festive period and part of January since I didn’t want to miss out on certain food experiences whilst overseas, I’ve committed to trialling a month of being a vegetarian until February 6.

Here are the rules I’m playing by:

  • All fruit, vegetables and legumes are fine.
  • Certain meat products are okay such as all forms of diary products (cheese and milk).
  • Eggs are okay.
  • No meats including your standard chicken, lamb, beef and all types of seafood.
  • Products listing animal rennet and gelatin must be avoided.

If you have any suggestions about making the move, some recipes or some other tips I should be aware of (maybe other things I should avoid), I would certainly like to hear about them.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Patrick Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel, UK Life

Run Forest, RunBubba Gump’s Shrimp Company is a highly successful chain restaurant based on the idea taken from the movie Forest Gump (then again, there are plenty of chain restaurants in America). Its central theme is very simple – serving shrimp in many different ways in each dish including salads, fried shrimp (far too many ways), grilled shrimp, and shrimp in a bourbon sauce. The restaurant does offer more than just shrimp on their menu including chicken, fish, BBQ ribs and several options for vegetarians.

Each restaurant is excessively dressed to look like a real ol’ southern restaurant with far too many tacky memorabilia and items hanging from the roof, and a rusty tin bucket holding all the sauces and a roll of brown paper working as your serviettes (or napkins as they’re referred to as here). Popcorn ShrimpAn interesting variation and probably the only other thing from the movie is a sign that sits at your table that you use to grab the attention of the staff that walk up and down. Leaving it on the blue “Run Forest, Run” sign and for the most part the waiters and waitresses will leave you to your own devices, but if you do need some attention of some sort, you can flip it over to the red “Stop Forest, Stop” sign. It’s a novelty system that although is kind of fun to do the first time, still quite isn’t as effective as actually stopping someone who is going by and asking them for something.

Details: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Found on: New York – 1501 Broadway, New York, NY 10036
Contactable on: +1 212-391-7100
Highlights: A different chain restaurant themed on the Forest Gump movie. Each dish has plenty of shrimp and some of it is actually quite tasty. It’s a fun restaurant with a strong family vibe going
Room for improvement: Almost to the point where it’s overbearingly tacky, Bubba Gump is fine as a first time but I couldn’t see myself there all the time. The novelty stop/go signs aren’t as effective as they make out they are.
The Kua Rating: 5 out of 10

2006 – The Year in Review

Patrick General, UK Life

I’m yet to blog about the year gone by, so I thought it’d be useful to reflect upon the year like many other people have. It’s been a very busy year and I’m surprised to see it go already. I’ve met many new people and had many great experiences and it will be interesting to see how the next year turns out.

Read on for even more detail… Read more “2006 – The Year in Review”

True Secret Santa

Patrick General, UK Life

It’s quite normal for some of my post to go to the office since someone is always there to sign for things, but imagine my surprise this week when I walked in to find a small little package for me. I hadn’t ordered anything myself recently and I was so puzzled as to what was in it that I had to open it when I got home. Imagine my surprise when I found a nice Ciak journal. I’m almost at the end of my Moleskin one so it works out really well for me. This one is also great portable size too so whoever got it for me it’s most ideal.

Secret Santa

Thanks to whoever sent it and I hope you will let me know soon. I really appreciate the gesture and I’m extremely keen to find out who it is. Please contact me (send an email to me on emailpat [at] thekua.com).