Gordon Ramsay in three restaurants: York&Albany, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, and the Savoy Grill - Part I

Last February was the month of eating out for me, mainly because many causes for celebration seemed to come together in that month: Valentine's day, my important birthday (won't mention the age), Chinese New Year, and the fact that we managed to book a table at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's using a gift card we got as present (and if we didn't take that date, we would have had to wait for weeks for the next available weekend slot). And for some weird reasons, we ended up not once, not twice, but three times at Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. We only needed to visit the other 6 to complete the whole Ramsay's London restaurants empire (he has 9 restaurants in London, excluding the one in Heathrow terminal 5, because you can't go there unless you have pre-bought a ticket to, say, the Bahamas).

It's difficult to give a generalised overview of the three places we've been to: York & Albany in Camden, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, clearly at the Claridge's, and the Savoy Grill...again, at the Savoy (maybe a general overview is that Gordon Ramsay is quite lazy when it comes to naming his restaurants). These are three different breeds of eateries with different dynamics. I'll start first with the dynamics I didn't like - York & Albany. 

York&Albany is a bar, a British restaurant, a pizzeria and a hotel thrown into one establishment. It's confusing as a concept, and it fails in its delivery of high quality food and services promised by the Ramsay brand. The first time I went there was for a couple of drinks with friends. The bar was relatively quiet compared to other pubs in the area, and it had nice big comfy chairs. We had little complaint - the service was sufficiently good, and the bar atmosphere was warm, lively and classy. The drinks, however, were on the steep side, even for London. And when you add 12.5% service charge on top (because it's compulsory table service), the bill became rather pricey. 

I think the pricing is the thing they've got wrong at York & Albany. With mains hovering around £20 ballpark for ala carte menu, it holds itself out as being in the same league as the rest of Ramsay's restaurants, but in reality, it's no Petrus, or Savoy Grill, or even Maze. Admittedly the pizzas were good and wallet-friendly. But the dinner we had was nothing special, yet the price tag was quite special. I also object to the £4 cover charge per person if you sit in the restaurant area, then 12.5% service charge on top of that. I didn't mind much about the cover charge at the Claridge's, but that's because at the Claridge's you expect to pay £4 just to step into the foyer. In sum I wasn't impressed. 

Our next Ramsay encounter flared better. Gordon Ramsay at the Claridge's has always been that special place where every table seems to be celebrating something (shame it's about to close). The dining room was beautiful. 

We ordered 3 courses from ala carte menu, they gave us about 4 extra little courses, starting from these canapes: salmon sandwiches and arancini balls. Nice little touches. 

Followed by soup with truffle oil (sorry I forgot what type of soup it was) - chef's complement. Lovely and warming, except it was not exceptional. 

My starter: scallops with ham hog sausage. It was nice but didn't wow me. Lacked depth of flavours.

Husband's starter was much better. The pigeon breast was perfectly cooked, the little delicate tortellini filled with leg meat was tasty and the pasta superbly thin. The hero of the dish was the sauce, with such depth of flavours. It brought the whole dish together. Probably the best dish of the meal. 

For our main, we ordered the same thing: roast duck breast with foie gras. The duck was fantastically soft, pink and juicy - properly medium rare. The jus was not as deep as in the pigeon dish, but I think it was right, because otherwise the dish would have been too rich with that slab of foie gras. The 'miniture' veg, however, was almost laughable. For all that protein, we got one tiny turnip each, and another small piece of carrot I think, plus the crispy potato chips on top. Balance of the dish could have been better. 

The main was followed by palette cleanser - some sort of lemon jelly, cream and foam. For dessert, I had raspberry suffle which was slightly eggy on top, but perfect towards the bottom. Husband couldn't remember what dessert he had, so probably not worth mentioning. 

Even after all this sugar, they brought us two little macaroons and chocolate truffles. No complaints here, the more sugar the better!

Overall, in terms of food, it was certainly of high standard. But I guess my expectation was slightly higher. Some of the courses were near perfect, but others fell a little short here and there. If the meal were a bit cheaper (we paid just over £200 for two for lunch, with 2 glasses of wine from the cheaper end of the menu), I would have said great, fantastic. But at this price tag I expected every course to be near-faultless. Not sure if I am asking too much. I still think the whole experience was very nice, and the service was extremely friendly (albeit slightly forced at various points - you know, when they smile a bit too much you're pretty sure they're forcing it). I would definitely go again in a heartbeat, if someone else pays. 

(End of Part I. Continue in Part II with the Savoy Grills). 

Naamyaa Cafe: Thai Fusion in Islington

Naamyaa Cafe, St John Street, Islington, London

I had been following the advent of Naamyaa Cafe with enthusiasm, because it's the newest brainchild of David Thompson and Alan Yau. The former is one of my most favourite chefs in the world, and undoubtedly the global authority for Thai food. As a Thai myself, I have immense respect for David Thompson.  After reading his gigantic royal Thai cuisine cook book (it's as big as a yellow page) and following his career, I can clearly see why Thompson is world-class chef. His knowledge of Thai food, ingredients, and also their history, is extensive, accurate and really just amazing. I can easily say that David Thompson knows a LOT more about Thai food and ingredients than me, a keen Thai chef who grew up spending a lot of time in the kitchen with my mum and aunts.

Ok so I'm his big fan. I'll stop rambling.

Alan Yau is a guy I admire - for his hard work, business acumen, and ability to bring authentic, good tasting food, at reasonable price to the streets of London. Years ago when I went to Busaba Eathai for the first time - he still owned it then - I was blown away by how authentic-tasting most of the dishes were. What stuck in my mind was crab fried rice. The dish sounds a bit mundane, but you can ask any Thai person who has been to a good seafood restaurant on the beach, anywhere at all in Thailand, about a good crab fried rice. There is only one way to do it, and all good seafood restaurants seem able to deliver the fried rice in a particular manner - rice grains still intact and not mushy, colour light brown with a touch of yellow from chicken egg that is added in, no other veg apart from thinly sliced onion, spring onion, and occasional tomato. Seasoning has to be perfect - a balance of saltiness from the seasoning (I never figured this out exactly, but I reckon it's a combination of certain types of soy sauce/seasoning sauces). The seasoning must not be so overpowering that it outbalances the subtle sweetness from fresh crab (I once had the dishonour of eating a crab fried rice in a Thai restaurant that was seasoned by dark, thick soy sauce, which totally overpowered the crab and upset the balance of the whole dish). If you're lucky, you can smell that faint smokiness of a hot wok. Nothing wishy-washy. A simple dish, but difficult to get right. Alan Yau got it right. To the tee. I rarely see that much attention to detail in every single dish in other restaurants. For these reasons, he's another one of my food heroes.

So when I heard about their new adventure together - Naamyaa Cafe - I was over the moon. I was so excited that eventually someone is brave enough to introduce Kanom Jin (fresh rice noodles) to the world. It's a well-beloved dish in Thailand, because it is such a versatile food. The idea is simple - Kanom Jin (rice noodles) is matched with a variety of curry sauces, ranging from the mildly spicy, red coconut-based curry sauce made with prawn and/or pork mince - Naam Prik (น้ำพริก); the spicy Naam Yaa (น้ำยา) which is coconut-based yellowish curry made with white fish (Central Thailand recipe sometimes adds fish balls to the sauce); to Green curry - Gang Keaw (แกงเขียว), normally made with chicken, but sometimes also with other types of meat. There are also regional specialty curries to eat with Kanom Jin. For example, in the South, there is this super-hot Kang Tai Pla (แกงไตปลา) made from white fish, fish stomach (I know, I know. It sounds worse than it tastes) and lots and lots of dried chillies. In the North, there is a tomato-based curry, Naam Ngeaw (น้ำเงี้ยว), normally made with pork ribs and cubes of pork blood (again, another thing that tastes better than it sounds).

Given that it's Thompson and Yau, I expected nothing less than authentic and delicious food. I had a quick glance at their menu before I went, and saw that they offered a variety of Naam Yaa curries - with chicken, beef, sea bass, fish balls, or vegetarian. The menu also offers a variety of snacks, small dishes, rice dishes, and, strangely, some Italian and American items - burgers, hot dog, Salad Nicoise and some feta salad dish. Never mind those. Apparently the concept is to emulate a Bangkok cafe which serves Western dishes alongside Thai dishes. Now I think that is the first flaw - if you want authentic Thai food in Thailand you probably wouldn't go into a cafe that also serves burgers etc would you? The type of cafe which has menu in both Thai and English, accompanied by pictures (just like Naamyaa Cafe's menu), is clearly catering for tourists and expats. There are a couple of places like this in my hometown, and they are only frequented by Westerners who work at the local branch of an international enterprise, and occasional tourists.

Never mind that - I thought to myself. I was certain the food would be spot-on and the flavours amazing. While waiting for the husband to arrive, I ordered a couple of snacks to start with - prawn crackers and Changmama's pan turnip cake.

This is clearly Alan Yau's dish. Turnip cake cubes were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The sauce and seasoning was nice and it was very enjoyable to eat. But let's face it, it's just an inferior version of the almost identical dish called Cha Cha Mooli at Cha Cha Moon - another of Yau's venture off Carnaby Street. It's also slightly more expensive here for a slightly smaller portion - £6.80, whereas Cha Cha Mooli is £4.80. So I was slightly disappointed. Wished I ordered a different dish from the menu.

When the husband arrived, we ordered 3 more dishes - Jasmine Tea smoked baby back ribs (£8.50) to share, a vegetarian Naam Yaa set for me, and a bacon burger for him.

Burger was fine. Not on the same par as, say, Dirty Burger, Patty and Bun, or Meat Liquor. But it went down well enough.

The ribs got better reception. Again, this is another Yau's dish, and a variation of the ribs with tangy sauce he serves at Cha Cha Moon.

Yau knows how to cook ribs - that's for sure. The meat was falling off the bones, and the seasoning was nice and balance. I like the ribs in Cha Cha Moon too, but I sometimes find the sauce there too sweet. However, at £8.50 for 3 medium pieces of ribs (each about 3-4" long), this Jasmine Tea smoked ribs dish offers a worse value than the ribs at Cha Cha Moon (£5.90). See the picture of the dish in my review of Cha Cha Moon here:

http://foodchatterbox.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/2012-in-12-restaurants-part-1.html

Finally, my veggie Naam Yaa set arrived(they call it Naam Yaa Jay - 'Jay' (เจ) means vegetarian or vegan). This was the hero of the show, the reason why I was so eager to visit the cafe in the first place. I ordered the vegetarian version because after reading a few reviews by food critics, it seemed that many of them complained about the lack of flavouring in some other Naam Yaa sets, but one highly praised the vegetarian version. This is what it looked like - some Kanom Jin on the left, the vegetarian Naam Yaa curry in the middle bowl, and some vegetable and half soft boiled egg as condiments. I am just reminded by this picture just now that I was also given a bowl of clear soup as part of the set (on the top right hand corner), but I didn't get to eat it, I suspect because the overly-eager waitresses cleared that away before I had a chance of opening the lid and seeing what's inside (I'll talk about the service later).

It smelled good. I had a little taste of Kanom Jin on its own, apparently they fly it in from Bangkok fresh every day. It tastes nice and fresh, and for the first time in the UK I get to eat fresh Kamon Jin! Some other places I have been to also serve Kamon Jin, but I suspect it was of a canned type, thus not fresh and lacking in terms of texture. I applauded their effort here at Naamyaa cafe in ensuring that the customers get the right quality of Kanom Jin.

Then I had a taste of my Naam Yaa curry, and found that...it's not Naam Yaa curry at all. A true Thai Naam Yaa curry does not contain tomato. This one does, and also it is not coconut-based, which is what Naam Yaa should be like. Confused, I questioned this with a European Waitress, who had not a clue what I was talking about, so I asked instead for the menu.

And then I realised I had missed the small prints. Under the name Naam Yaa Jay, it was described as a Chiang Mai speciality, made from tomato, and seasoned with mint. Then it dawned on me - This is a NAAM NGEAW curry! (but veggie version, so no pork ribs or blood cubes).

I continued to scan the menu for more clues, and have discovered that they decided to call ALL types of curries that Thai people eat with Kanom Jin, a Naam Yaa. So in the menu you'll get a Naam Yaa Neua, a beef version, which is described as GREEN beef curry (there is also another Naam Yaa dish which is described as Green curry, but I can't remember what it is now). If it's green curry, shouldn't it be called Green Curry? I don't understand why they don't call it with its correct name - Gang Keaw.

Kanom Jin Gang Keaw (rice noodles with green curry) is such a well-known dish in Thailand, on the similar par with Pad Thai (same with the Chiang Mai's famous speciality - Naam Ngeaw), so I don't think the mistakes were due to Thompson's or Yau's lack of knowledge of Thai food. I suspect they came up with a concept, Naam Yaa, and in order to make this into a strong concept, they decide to call all their curries which serve with Kanom Jin, a Naam Yaa curry. To me this is a carnal sin. Imagine a new Italian restaurant calling all pasta sauces carbonara, just because the restaurant is called Carbonara. This would definitely offend/disappointed the Italians. I feel the same way.

To be fair to them, the 'Naam Yaa Jay' (or in fact the Naam Ngeaw Jay) tasted good. I pretty much finished the dish. Of course I didn't get to taste the clear soup that came with the set, because it disappeared before I could lay my hand on it. So, apart from the food, the service presented another flaw. Waitresses were very friendly, but they were not well-trained. First, a waitress chose to come and asked me how the food was when I JUST put the first bit of food (turnip cake) into my mouth. I had to do the awkward thing of swallowing the turnip cake cube whole, and told her that it was fine, while not being able to taste it. Also, how would I know whether the food was good or not when I was just having my very first bite of the night? Waitresses came to our table at least 3 times during our meal to ask if everything is ok, which seemed a bit needy. Perhaps they had nothing to do, as the restaurant was at least 50% empty. Perhaps that was also why they cleared everything away very quickly - only more slowly than in Chinese restaurants in China Town. So apart from my clear soup which I didn't get to taste, a waitress came to take away a half-full basket of prawn crackers when I finished my main. We had to point it out to her that it's still half full, so please leave it here (as we might decide to stay longer and chat, and enjoy a bite or two of our crackers - it's not all in-and-out you know?). Then the same waitress (I think) cleared away my plates as soon as I finished, but before my husband had finished his food. I find that quite rude when restaurants do that. It made us feel rushed (and my husband visibly increased his speed with the burger).

We then decided to order dessert, as I heard there are a couple of weird, exotic choices. Our first choice of young coconut with black topioca was not available that night, so we ordered coconut and pandan aga aga - jelly made from seaweed, which offers a firmer texture than normally jelly.

The 4 layers of aga aga jelly was just over 2" tall. It's one of the smallest desserts I have ever seen - only slightly bigger than complimentary pre-dessert you sometimes get in posh restaurants. At £4.50, I really find it too expensive. I didn't like the taste or texture either. The aga aga jelly was set much too firmly. The texture was therefore hard and dense, which took away from the lovely flavours of coconut and pandan - a very usual Asian dessert flavours combination. These are the flavours I grew up with, presented in the form I am familiar with (we call this Wun Gati Bai Teoy วุ้นกะทิใบเตย), but the execution was just off the mark. Shame.

So I left the place feeling rather disappointed. And even if there are other dishes on the menu that look nice (and perhaps taste nicer than dishes we had), I doubt that we would return. My heart is broken, gastronomically speaking. I expected so much from my food heroes, I received so little.

Thai Street Food in Soho

Janetira Eat Thai, 28 Brewer Street, Soho

I'm excited about food in Soho again. For a little while it seems like other areas in town have got a sort of food revival with hot new places to eat, and so for a little while I had deserted my usual hang out in Soho for the chicken destination that is Kentish town (Chicken Shop and Lucky Chip fried chicken), or the burger triangle that is Marylebone (MeatLiquor, Tommi's Burger Joint and Patty and Bun). But now I find this little west-end corner of Soho exciting again. With my new found love of good chicken, I fell in love with Mark Hix's roast chicken at Hix Soho (Tramshed in Shoreditch will also do, but Soho is a lot easier to get to for me). Across the street we have a relatively new American Steakhouse, Mash, which looks very exciting and has got a good review. I'll definitely eat there next, after I have tried the Quality Chop House in Farringdon, because Giles Coren swears that I would definitely die in vain if I hadn't tried this place. And I'm such a sucker, so I'll go. Then around the corner we've got the hottest new French brasserie in town, Cafe Zedel, which I am meant to go so many times, but I have yet to secure a table.

Today the hubby and I were meeting up with a friend at this new Thai addition to this little Soho corner. We almost missed it. Our friend managed to miss it completely, and found herself instead in a nearby Japanese supermarket where she shopped for her Japanese essentials before having a second go at trying to locate this place.

Janetira (pronounced Jane-ti-ra) is a new venture from one well-connected Thai businessman. I got a feeling that the food and drinks here reflect what he himself likes. The wine list is very good, offering interesting selection at very friendly price, considering the location. We had a bottle of Mas De Bazon Syrah Crianza 2006 for £30, which we thought was superb (I only had a tasting sip, as am no longer a drinker, but the hubby can vouch for it). Draft beer was also at hand, and in fact went down more smoothly with the street food which we ordered.

I think the most exciting thing about this place is Thai street food - the sort of things you find when wandering the backstreets of any Thai town. They offer things like chicken satay, grilled pork on skewer (Moo Yang), grilled squid with spicy seafood dipping source, crispy chicken wings, and fried sun-dry pork (a bit of a quiet Thai taste, as the pork is dried for one day and seasoned with salt, so that it is salty and chewy. A Thai favourite, but those with sensitive teeth must proceed with care). Here's the menu.

We ordered a small selection of grilled pork balls, grilled pork skewers, and some crispy calamari.

The grilled pork skewers were right on the money - exactly how I expected from a food kiosk in Thailand. The pork balls were home-made, apparently, so they were a bit loose-textured, which wasn't exactly like most pork balls sold on the streets of Thailand. The calarami was very aromatic, as it was mixed with crispy garlic (quite potent!), thinly sliced spring onions, chillies and kaffir lime leaves.

I thought next time I wouldn't bother with the main courses and just ordered all the street food - that would be sweet. But then the lamb shank masman curry came, and I changed my mind. The pic says it all. It tasted as good as it looked! The only one complaint is that it wasn't quite falling off the bones, so if they cooked it for another hour, it would have been meaty-curry heaven in a dish.

I finished the meal with this modern interpretation of Thai dessert - pandan pancake with sweet coconut. I have a thing for sweet coconut - it's what I loved to eat as a child, but the traditional version would be stuffed inside this steamed coconut milk pudding. It was all oh-so-coconutty. But because we're in London, this one will do.

All in all, a great little find. The place did look a bit empty when we walked in, perhaps because they're still a new kid on the block. But they said they're always busy during the lunch service. Good for them. I'm rooting for this little place.

American Mania!

I know today is Chinese New Year, and because of that perhaps I should write about Chinese food. It's just that I haven't really been to any new and exciting Chinese restaurant at all last year. It was all about good old trusting places - Royal China, Phoenix Palace, Princess Garden and the like. I noted with much interest an opening of an upmarket Chinese - HKK - yet another brainchild of Alan Yao. Apparently it's very good (just ask Giles Coren, who said it was one of the best meals of his life), but they serve only fixed multiple course menu (something like 15 courses) for a big amount of money (currently stands at £95 per head, adding drinks and services, and we're thinking £150. Slightly over my budget for Chinese food, even a really good one).

But what got me quite excited last year (and continue to do so this year) is the mushrooming of good American diners/restaurants/burger shacks. Here are my favourite 3 - for breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner, so you can have an American Mania Day.

Breakfast/Brunch - the Blues Kitchen, Camden

This music venue by night serves really good American breakfast/brunch at weekends. Drawing from different parts of America, you can get blueberry pancakes, Baffalo wings, New Orleans gumbo, ribs, some tex mex, pulled pork and burgers.

I particularly love their blueberry pancakes. Light and fluffy, and really generous both with the portion and the amount of blueberry. You could either get a short stack of 3 or a tall stack of 5. I ordered the tall one, and could only managed 3 (admittedly we ordered the wings on the side). Really reminded me of the pancakes I had at a local diner in New York. Yum!

The hubby ordered some tex mex omelette, with pulled pork inside, which he wasn't that impressed with. I reckon this one was average.

But what we always order here, and never disappointed us, is the Buffalo wings dish. I only had Buffalo wings once in America, so I can't vouch on its authenticity. What I can say is that the wings are always tasty, and the blue cheese dipping never too over-powering. Our brunch here wouldn't be the same without them, that's for sure.

All these, plus two coffee, came to about £25. Not too bad. Plus we saved about £1.50 by reading the newspapers for free...

Lunch - Patty and Bun, off Oxford Street

It's growing on me, this place. Despite my complaining about it being crowded, or the food messy, or the wait slightly too long, I ended up thinking about its burgers and sticky chicken wings. I think I'm a sucker for chicken wings. These ones came in a little paper bowl. Very cute. And very stickily delicious.

I also like their fries - hand cut, seasoned with rosemary salt. Crispy on the outside, and still mostly fluffy on the inside.

Finally, the star of the show. I debated with myself whether giving you a picture of a burger which has already been bitten is rude or not. But at the end I think you deserve to see the juicy patty before you decide to hike across London and wait in the cold for one of these!

3. Dinner - Red Dog Saloon, Old Street

Red Dog has gone through some changes since the last time we went there. Now you get a selection of sauces at your table. I tried 2 out of 3 (trying not to confuse my palette). I like the Kansas City's smoky, barbecue-y sauce. It went very well with all the barbecue-y things that we ordered that day.

Another change we noticed was that Red Dog had decided to do away with plates. Things are now served in a tray. Perhaps to save themselves from all the washing up, but I think it was meant to create a casual dining experience. So here's my pulled pork, in a tray, with some slaw.

The portion was very generous (in fact I had to aske for a doggy bag, and had a lovely pulled pork sandwich lunch the next day). The pork was nice and moist and full of flavour. I think I personally prefer pulled pork at Bodean's, because it's a bit softer and juicier. But I was very happy with my order here.

The hubby had double-patty BBQ burger. It stood very tall on the table (sorry the photo was a bit dark).

What I should have done was to put a bottle of ketchup next to it, so you could see that the burger was almost as tall as a standard Heinz ketchup bottle. Pretty amazing (my husband, that is, for putting all of this into his body, plus some Buffalo wings and chips).

Red Dog Saloon has a casual vibe about it. At night the music might be a bit too loud if you want to engage in a serious, meaningful conversation, and the service can be a bit uneven. But it does do nice, honest, down to earth American goodies. It will fill you up nicely before you head out to Old Street or Shoreditch for a night out (plus the queue is a lot shorter than the nearby Breakfast Club. We saw the queue and gave up, twice. There is also a Byron next door, but you can have Byron burger anywhere in London now, so perhaps be a bit more adventurous and try a local favourite next time?)

Patty and Bun

54 James Street, London 
Nearest Tube: Bond Street

Ok, so what is so special about yet another burger joint in London? Since it opened in late 2012, I have heard only good things about this place. I got quite intrigued when I saw the menu, which offers lamb and chicken burgers as well as the traditional beef patties (and the lamb burger is called Lambshank Redemption. Brilliant!) I'm all for the variety of meat on offer. And apparently they do very good chicken wings. That's all I needed to hear. So along we went. 

The first visit was during the lunchtime on a Saturday. We got very lucky as there was no queue outside. But we still had to wait for another 10 minutes inside at the bar (the queue formed very soon after we went in, and by the time we left, it was about 15 people strong) The second time was on a Friday night, at around 9.30 pm. We had to wait outside for about 20 minutes. This place is popular (but admittedly, not as long a queue as at MeatLiquor, where we waited 1 hour and 15 mins to be seated). 

The place is a small and casual operation, with an air of temporary about it. All the signs are made from cardboard paper and written/drawn on by a marker pen. The waiting staff are friendly, but it's clear that the place probably needs at least one more staff in order to be more efficient in managing the queue and servicing the restaurant. They set your table by laying down a piece of brown paper per person. Cutleries and napkins are already in a can on the table, together with a bottle of ketchup. The menu is printed on a small piece of paper, consisting of 6 types of burgers - 3 beef, 1 chicken, 1 lamb, and 1 veggie. Sides are chicken wings (smoked confit wings with BBQ sauce and spring onions), salad, coleslaw, and chips with rosemary salt. Desserts are a variety of choc ice. Specials on the first visit was 'Piggie Smalls' - slow cooked pork shoulder burger. The second time there was no specials at all. Drinks offered here are simple canned beer and soft drinks. Everything is done quite simply and casually (including sitting casually elbow to elbow with the people on the next table)

Then the food came - relatively quickly on both visits (it's quite clear they want to pack you in and get you out asap. Or at the very least you'd feel sorry for the poor people waiting outside in the cold, staring at your burger, so you eat quickly and leave). 

The food was served on a tray, minimising the amount of washing up. All the beef burgers are cooked medium rare. 

Here's my husband's Ari Gold burger - beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, ketchup, smoky P&B mayo, and bacon, on a Brioche bun. 

My specials of the day - pork shoulder burger, braised short rib, crispy black pudding, celeriac slaw, aioli, and miso, on a Brioche bun. 

And here's Lambshank Redemption which I ordered on our second visit. 

Our general verdict is that there are good things and bad things. My husband really enjoyed his Ari Gold burger, and my 'Piggy Smalls' pork burger was one of the tastiest burgers I've ever had. Really right there at the top. The pork was nice and moist, and full of flavour. The crispy black pudding added the texture and flavour. But I did think that it would have been nice if they took one ingredient out so the whole thing would become less confusing. For instance, I don't think you need slaw, aioli and miso in the same burger. And those were piled on top of pretty strong tasting ingredients, like black pudding or barbecue-y braised short rib. The lamb burger was less confusing, but it was not that special, so I think next time I'll try the chicken burger. 

Another little minus point is that the whole eating experience was quite messy, because all the burgers were oozing meat juice, mixed with the various sauces in there (in the style of 'dirty burgers'. But I reckon the burgers here are even 'dirtier' than the burgers served at Dirty Burger in Kentish Town). The result was that the bottom bun was very soggy, and so was the paper wrap. If you came prepared this wouldn't be too much of a problem. You just have to dive in (and wipe your face and hands later). 

To add to all the messiness of the burgers, the chicken wings were also moist and sticky. But they were so finger-licking tasty. You really can't be very lady-like at this place. Not recommended for a first date. 

The fries were nice and crispy. The cole slaw was the least memorable thing we've ordered. 

To sum up:
Do
1. Wear warm clothes, as you'll most likely be waiting outside for at least 15 minutes, if not half an hour. 
2. Avoid wearing light colour or expensive clothing, unless you are not put off by expensive dry-cleaning bills. 
3. Come with an upbeat and casual attitude. 
4. Perhaps bring your own wet-wipes. 

Don't
1. Come on a date (do so at your own risk of being seen with beef juice on your cheeks). 
2. Expect a 'dining' experience. You don't 'dine' here, you eat a burger here, by hands. Then you wipe your face and leave.

Hix Soho - Eat simple, eat well

I always like Mark Hix, since I watched him on Great British menu a few years back. Compared to other chefs on the programme, like Marcus Wareing and Nathan Outlaw, Hix came across as a more relaxed sort of guy, who didn't take himself too seriously. I was blown away by his Star-gazing pie - the first time I ever saw or heard of it. And it's such a fun dish! (with some prawn heads poking out of the golden crust of the pie, gazing at the stars above). I knew I wanted to eat his food (perhaps in a similar way that a love-struck teenager feels she wants to bear someone's child).

At that time he was still at the Ivy. And I knew my hubby and I, both commoners, would not get a table at the Ivy - at least not at a relatively short notice (I object to a booking that takes longer than 2-3 weeks, on a very feeble principle that in 3 weeks time I probably would have forgotten why I wanted to go and eat there in the first place). So I waited for Hix to open his own place, which he did, many times over in the past few years. And I still hadn't been to any places, even though they get really good reviews. I'm not sure why. It's one of those things. Hix slipped out of my mind, until a couple of months ago when I bumped into him in Soho, walking towards his restaurant on Brewer street. I was a bit star-struck in that 3 seconds of walking towards him, but it was a weird moment because, of course, he looked back at me with a very blank expression. That's what TV does to you. You feel you get to know someone over a course of a few months that the programme was running. He probably thought I was a Chinese tourist getting lost in Soho.

Anyway, that encounter reminded me that I wanted to try his restaurants, so eventually we made a booking for a Friday night at Hix Soho. As we entered, we thought the space was very interesting - a cross between a modern art gallery and a bar. Arts are scattered around the place - some poor stuffed animals by his friend, Damien Hurst, and other 'conceptual' pieces from his another friend, Tracey Emin. I found this one interesting.

It comprises of two cans tied and hung from the ceiling by a piece of red rope. I think I could make it better by making the rope blue. Or green. But what do I know about modern art?

Arts aside, the service was very friendly, but not imposing, from the start. We wanted to take time to look at the menu and see what other people order (nosy us!). So we ordered some pork crackling and apple sauce to nibble while we were perusing the menu.

Not a bad effort. The crackling crispy and nicely season. I would prefer it a bit thinner - probably by scraping out the layer of fat on the inner side. The apple sauce could have had more intense apple flavour. Overall it's very decent, but I prefer the foot-long crackling at the Draft House on Charlotte Street.

Hix's menu offers three main types of dishes - steaks, modern British food (like lamb or seafood with fancy accompaniments), and British comfort food (like pies, burger, or simple grills). From watching his stint at the Great British menu, I reckoned Hix is the master of comfort food done well, so we decided to go for roast free-range chicken with garlic sauce for main. A similar dish at his Tramshed restaurant in Shoreditch has been received very favourably by food critics. We decided to go for something simple, which would clearly show the skills of the chef (especially his restraint, which is lacking in many restaurants) and the quality of the ingredients.

While we waited (the chicken requires about 45 mins cooking time), we ordered some starters to share. The husband went for 'Heaven and Earth', which was black pudding served on the base of mashed potatoes with bits of apples and herbs in it. He enjoyed it immensely. But I guess black pudding is not for everyone. And even if this one is nice and light, I don't think I would enjoy the second half of the dish as much as the first half.

My starter was a charcuterie board. For £8, this offers excellent value (Central-London standard). I found the venison (on the left row) a bit too strong, but other pork salamis etc were fantastic.

Then the star of the show arrived at our table, bringing with it a lot of admiring glances and various expressions of food jealousy from other tables.

Some people might find the chicken a bit vulgar (my vegetarian friend did).

This simple dish is simply brilliant. Apart from the juicy, flavoursome meat and the perfectly crispy skin, what you can't see from the picture was the stuffing - which was the height of comfort food yumminess. I also loved the perfectly cooked pieces of chicken liver on the tray, and the baked garlic! YUM. Everything on that tray tasted very good, and very satisfying. Nothing was pretentious.

To top it up, the chicken came with a jug of the most delicious chicken gravy I have ever tasted. The flavour was so intensely chickeny - in a very very good way. The garlic bread sauce was good, but I am never a fan of bread sauce. And then, they brought this mountain of straw fries to the table (which by now had very little space left for any more food).

Trying to reach our five-a-day healthy living, we ordered cauliflower cheese as our veggie dish. I did not have time to take a photo of that. I was very busy eating.

The menu suggests that this chicken dish is for two to share. I say it's for a family of four (unless you are very very hungry). We ate half of it, and asked for the rest to be put in a doggy bag. They gave us posh doggy bags - the left over chicken and fries were packed in vacuum bags, so that the next evening when we ate it, the fries were still quite crispy after a minute or two in the microwave (I don't know how they did that. Amazing).

We would have had dessert had they not requested the table back at the end of our main. We were told at the time of the booking that we had 2 hours - which I guess would have been just enough if we went through the whole dining experience like assembly line workers. It was a shame. And they could not even find space for us at the bar downstairs, because it was a Friday night and they were extremely busy. We were very full anyway so we didn't mind, but I could see how that would annoy many people. And from a quick look at the reviews out there, the rush of the service was one of the things most complained about.

Another major complaint I came across was that the place was over-priced. I could see that if you order steak, which costs around £25-£35 excluding accompaniments, and which didn't look that big from our observation of other tables' dishes, you might be a bit disappointed. Or the suckling pig for two (£65, for about 3 slabs of pork, again from our observation of the next table). I think if you order the more expensive dishes for your starter (around £12-£15), and your main (around £30-£40), plus drinks and service, you may end up paying about £200 for two - which you might justifiably perceive as being over-priced for the casual dining experience offered here.

But we stuck to the simple dishes, our bill was very friendly (about £80 for the food, a carafe of wine, and service), and we were very happy with what we got.

2012 in 12 restaurants - Part 2

I have spent a longer time on this second part of my 12 favourite eateries of 2012, because it seems quite final - I have 6 more places to recommend to you, and that's it. I chose number 12 rather randomly, because it forms part of 2012, thus seems quite apt. But I do LOVE more than 12 restaurants. And there are more cafes and bars and smaller establishments which I find totally charming.

Like Le Fromagerie in Marylebone, which is my all-time favourite cheese shop and the best place to get a cheese board (they offer Italian, Spanish, English and French, I recommend French or English) and a glass of wine on a Wednesday afternoon. I love the seats by the front window, where you can spy on the swanky Marylebone human traffic. Ok, I guess I should properly add this place to my favourites. So here we go. 

6. My favourite place for Cheese and Wine - Le Fromagerie, Moxon Street, Marylebone. 

Oh and don't forget to pop into their cheese shop section for the most wonderfully pungent aroma of cheeses. There are cheeses everywhere, around you, above you, on your side, your back, your front. It's heaven. 

And I'll give you a little tip - the Ginger Pig butchery next door serves the best, absolutely best, sausage roll in the world. Try their Pork and Stilton roll. It costs £3.50 but you can divide it among four (if you are slim girls), or just eat it all yourself. The giant chunk of sausage meat is a mixture of nicely seasoned good quality minced pork from their own farm, and melting salty Stilton. Again, it's heaven. 

I just realise my heaven is located on Moxon Street. 

7. The best of American fun fare - Red Dog Saloon, Hoxton Square, Old Street. 

2012 was a big year for burgers. At least 10 hip new burger 'joints' (it's not called restaurants anymore, those are not cool enough) have opened up in London, most of them to roaring success. But the success seems limited to the customers of the early twenties age group - you know, those hip, cool young things who love to 'chill out' i.e. queueing in the rain/cold wind/tornado for hours on end for the privilege of a burger, mostly eaten standing up (because there might not be enough tables/seats/stools, so you might as well gobble it down at a bar). 

I will admit it, I am old. Too old to queue for an hour for 15 mins of eating. The maths just doesn't work for me. And when it comes to this kind of food, I want the whole offerings - burgers, wings, corn bread, slaws, chips, ribs, grilled chicken. The kind of food you see on Man v Food, and realise suddenly that you are living in a wrong country. 

And this, Red Dog Saloon offers in abundance. And I always get to sit down when eating. I love this place. (Here's my review of it http://foodchatterbox.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/red-dog-saloon.html)

But perhaps avoid Friday nights, when too many the tables are occupied by testosterones in shirts, probably just stumbled out of the City. If I want to sit next to drunk, loud, smelly City workers, I will go to a smelly pub in the City, thank you very much. 

8. My favourite place for good, honest, seasonal British food - Hereford Road, Notting Hill. 

I don't know why this place isn't more famous. They serve tasty dishes, made from seasonal high quality ingredients. They are simple, yet sublime. After all, when the dover sole is so fresh, why mess about with it? All you need is a perfectly cooked fish, with soft and buttery flesh. Perhaps with a bit of sauce which has a hint of lemon and herb, and some new potatoes. That's what we had last time. Perfect. 

Their fish is always fresh, their meat organic/free range, and their menu changing daily. This is why I love this place - it's exciting every time you go. You get to try something new. Something you perhaps saw from programmes like MasterChef the Professionals but you couldn't find a restaurant that does that. So now I've found you one. It's at Hereford Road that I tried my first sweetbread, samphire, and foraged micro herbs (so popular circa. 2010). A big plus side is that the price is so reasonable, especially when considering that it's in Notting Hill. A minus - if you happen not to like toffs trying to be all casual in their designer jeans, shirts, and pastel-coloured jumper draping on their shoulder, then this is perhaps not a place for you. 

9. Best country pub with a view - the Feathered Nest Inn, the Cotswolds. 

OK this one is a bit out-of-town, but the Cotswolds is not that far from London really. You might want to go away for a weekend, and if you are not sure where to eat, I recommend the Feathered Nest Inn (see my previous review here http://foodchatterbox.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/cotswolds-is-food-heaven.html). 

Most country pubs in the Cotswolds serve highly edible food. In fact more than half of the pubs profess to be 'gastro pub'. But less than half of them manage to fulfil this promise. And for the even fewer that do, they often charge you through the roof. When I saw a menu which said their three course meal is £45 (shockingly not that uncommon in the Cotswolds, let me tell you), it drove me a bit mad. Because at that price in London you can get a three-course lunch or pre-theatre menu at a one Michelin Star, with a glass of wine or bubbly throw in. So it bugs me greatly when some random gastro establishment tries to charge me that much. 

The Feathered Nest Inn, on the other hand, offers a very reasonable two-course lunch for about £20, and three for about £25. And they don't compromise on quality. In fact they served the best chicken dish I've eaten in 2012. And that was included in my two courses for £20. That dish alone was worth millions of pounds, when eaten at a nice table overlooking the rolling hills and valleys. You can't beat that. 

10. The best crispy pork in China Town - Canton, New Port Place

I know there are a million chinese restaurants in China Town, and personal preference varies greatly from one Chinese/Oriental person to the other. But what I really like about this small, unassuming restaurant, just off the main road, is their non-fuss attitude. I think they are the King of Pork. Seriously, they nail it! I won't vouch for dishes I haven't tried - could be nice, could be terrible. That's the problem of these restaurants in the area. They probably serve five dishes that are ace, then the other 195 on the menu are rubbish (For instance, if I go to the Mayflower, I go for its infamous curried crab, and nothing else). 

Canton's crispy belly pork is suitably crispy, with little fat (at least for the last few times I've visited). Normally when I go there, I do the pork-overload - a plate of mixed BBQ pork (Char sui) and crispy belly, a hot pot of twice-cooked pork belly with either preserved cabbages or yam, perhaps an extra plate of sweet and sour pork (nothing too special here), and a bowl or two of rice. This will feed 2-4 people by the way. 

And if you're brave, order a portion of Lou Mei - which is a dish of interesting mix of things cooked in their Chinese spices and soy based sauce. These things may include pig's ear, pig's tongue, chicken wings, pig's intestine, and some tofu. Totally not a vegetarian dish (that's how the Chinese like it - mixing tofu with meat, thus taking the last bit of fun out of reach for the veggies). As you might have guessed, it's strictly off the menu. Are you intrigued yet? (My husband just said he would never eat it, but I really like it!). Go and try this little Chinese adventure next time you walk around China Town like a rabbit in the headlight, and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. 

11. My favourite Indian - of the South Indian variety - Ragam, Cleveland Street

If you are tired of your local Indian restaurant, try the South Indian cuisine. It is very vegetarian/vegan friendly, as the cuisine relies less on yogurt. I love Dosa, or crispy pancake made with rice flour, stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes and other fillings, like minced lamb. It comes with Sambar (approximately a veggie thin curry) and coconut chutney, and it is delicious. 

Also, their menu is not built on a variety of curries alone. Instead, try their minced lamb with peas - it's not what you imagined in my head. This is almost like a dry-ish lamb curry - full of spices and flavour. Their biriyani was one of the best I have tried. Many dishes are on a more spicy side, so be a bit careful here. But if you are adventurous, plunge in and order things you haven't tried before, and haven't seen anywhere else. Spice it up! (literally). 

12. Last but not least, the most unobtainable table - Dabbous. 

This restaurant qualifies as my 'favourite' restaurant only in the sense that it's the place I really really wanted to go in 2012, tried to book table twice, each time was told to wait 3 months. Both time I gave up, and mourned for the next 6 months, thus completing my whole year experience with Dabbous. But I have heard the food is fantastic, plus it has won a bunch of awards, accolades, and praises from critics high and low. 

And while I didn't make it to Dabbous, I always got a table at Verru, a Scandinavian restaurant on Marylebone Lane, which serves imaginative dishes, made with seasonal ingredients. Surprisingly, their cuisine is not that much different from modern British/French. Apart from a few authentic dishes, Verru offers modern interpretation of Scandinavian food which will not sound too foreign to you, like Lemon Sole Goujons with tartare sauce starter, or Entrecote with chips. Their chips is one of the best I have ever had. At least twice-cooked, perfectly crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside, and also perfectly golden. 

I guess Verru is one of my favourite lunch time spot. It's the only Scandinavian place I've been to, so I can't quite say it's my favourite Scandinavian restaurant. But it's perfectly lovely. And offers a great value set lunch and early dinner at £11.95. But I recommend their ala carte menu for far more exciting offerings. 

So this concludes my 12 restaurants for 2012. And I am now very hungry indeed!